On Top of the World 4-28-14

So, one time I lived in California. And my cousins and little brothers were hanging out with me. And we made a video on my phone of a dinosaur swimming in the ocean of a blue bedsheet. With the background music of a song by the band Imagine Dragons, called "On Top of the World." That song was a good description of that happy sailing dinosaur. Also a good description of HERMANA HEWITT!

This week was one of a lot of hard, hard, HARD work.

We tried new things.

Oh yeah, I'm still in Pro with Hermana Pinto.

We were obedient.

We made mistakes.

Many mistakes.

We had a few creative discussions.

They all ended well.

Eventually.

We spent a lot of time on our knees.

We then spent a lot of time on our feet.

We invited a multitude of people to be baptized.

We exercised some faith.

The power went out in our house for about 24 hours.

We dealt every morning at 5 with the 16 parakeets of our landlady outside our window and on Saturday night wtih an extremely loud party across the street until 4 AM.

WE SUFFERED.

WE FOUGHT.

WE MADE UP.

WE PRAYED SO MUCH.

WE HAD SO MUCH OPPOSITION.

AND STILL WE PUSHED ON.

And only three nonmembers came to church yesterday.

I felt sad.

Really sad. But, we discussed things we would do to be better the next week and decided to move ever onward.

So we were sitting through the last 15 minutes of Relief Society when one of the brothers in our ward tapped me on the shoulder and told me he had a job for us. We followed him outside and found a darling, 50-something-year-old couple. Francisco and Leoncia. They were looking for the right class to be in. 

To make a long and glorious story short and sweet, we found out that they live in our area - super close to our house, in fact, and we went to visit them in the afternoon. Turns out they have been married civilly for 35 years (the fact that they're married at all is a miracle here) and have 4 sons (hahaha I am really sorry I just have to share with you that I typed "sins" instead of "sons" the first time. CHILDREN ARE NOT SINS THEY ARE GIFTS APPRECIATE THEM) between the ages of 25 and 35. 

Francisco and Leoncia told us a little bit of their stories almost without provocation. They both have been searching for a really long time for the truth - they want to be where Heavenly Father wants them to be, and they want their family to be able to follow the principles of righteousness. Leoncia has a sister who is a member of the Church, and she is a GREAT member missionary! She was always telling them that they should just go and see what the Church is like, and sharing with them her testimony of how the Gospel has blessed her life. 

So Leoncia is Peruvian and she had a dream after kneeling and praying a short while ago, that she should come and visit the Church. And Francisco has gone to like a thousand different churches but never found the peace he has been searching for. So the Spirit taught these two wonderful people and one of their wonderful sons about the wonderful Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before we had even invited them, Francisco was asking when we would be holding a baptismal service! So, they have a baptismal date. 

Please, please pray for this family! We are going to work with all our hearts to help them prepare to be baptized, and I know that the power of prayer is very real. This is such a special family and I want them to have the fulness of joy that they have been yearning for.

The Lord always blesses us in the moment when He knows we need it most, and when we will truly be able to appreciate it. Sometimes we have to just act on our faith, hoping that our diligence will be taken note of in the Heavens, and be obedient to the words of God through the scriptures, the prophet, other Church leaders, our parents, and those quiet whisperings of the Spirit which we receive personally. On many occasions the Lord desires that we humble ourselves and really work to obtain His will, and just when our hearts are depressed and we are about to turn back, the Lord comforts us and promises that He will grant unto us success in His work. (Alma 26:27)

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His Church. We have the power of God on the earth today! And the Holy Ghost testifies to the hearts of men of the truth. 

We are so blessed.

Remember the truth, and give thanks for it. If you haven't found it yet, Ask The Missionaries! They Can Help You!

From Lima with love,

Hermana Hewitt

OHHHHH P.S. My companion is practicing her English, right? So we were having a discussion about the correct amount of times you can wear an article of clothing before having to wash it. I told her that, to help preserve the fabric and structure of my clothing, I will often wait to wash it until after a few wears if it is still clean. And she told me that we sweat on all our clothes and therefore we must wash them after every wear. She called me a pig! In Spanish. And jokingly. So I started singing (like I do) in English, "My companion calls me a pig and I don't like it!" She was quiet for a few minutes, pondering, and then came into our bedroom with a smile.

"But..." she responded, "you is a pig niiiice!"

I LOVE HERMANA PINTO

Ayayay (with pictures!) 4-21-14

Buenos días mis mazamorras moradas.

(Ok… so I put this phrase into several different translators and they all seem somewhat stumped by the word "mazamorras"… but it may be some kind of porridge or bread.  If it was anyone but Lex I would think differently, but I think it is entirely possible that Lex meant to say "Good day my purple porridge".  If you know Lex, you know that what she says DOES NOT HAVE TO MAKE SENSE… whether she's speaking English or Spanish!!!)

Well this was one SUPER CRAZY WEEK.

Lunes (Monday) - Taught a big ol' family about the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. That was so cool! Everybody had different questions and the head of the family gave us a nice long prose about the time he talked to a highway worker. Or something like that. My thoughts were on Hoover Dam. I don't know why. But I enjoyed that Family Home Evening.

(P-day Pancakes - requested by Elder Larsen)

Martes (Tuesday) - Had our District Meeting and kinda felt like the weakest link. I have an awesome district and we didn't have awesome numbers to match up. So that was hard. But it made me think a lot. We taught several very stubborn individuals with the best member missionary in the ward, Juan Palacios, and I decided I am going to be Juan Palacios when I grow up.

(Ignore the date on the pic… not correct… Luis baptism

Left to right - Elder Wilson, Hermana Lopez, Hermana Pinto, Luis, Hermana Hewitt, Hermana Agle, Elder Alvarez, Elder Montesino, Elder Carillo in front)

Miércoles (Wednesday) - My companion's hymnbook got stolen by a baby. We also got a fecha baptismal (baptism date) with the Deacon of the local Catholic congregation. That was interesting. He is a marvelous man.

Jueves (Thursday) - We had some disagreements in the morning but the Holy Ghost and some good advice from Sister Archibald saved the day. We ended the day calmer.  

Viernes (Friday) - Our cell phone got stolen by a neighbor of the blind less-active sister who we have been working to rescue. That was exciting. So we ended up having to go to the mission offices and wait for a few hours to have an interview with President. That interview changed the face of our companionship and certainly of our area, Pro. As we waited, we saw Elder Salazar and Elder Rau and participated in the prayers of two companionships of elders from the offices as they left with bags full of copies of The Book of Mormon to go contacting. That was cool. I also had a good conversation with Hermana Leyva, a Peruvian sister who went to BYU 3 years and with whom I am going to work. She wants to be an entrepreneur. I want to make art. 

TEAMWORK HIGH FIVE LET'S BE FAMOUS.

Sábado (Saturday) - Awe man. Worst lesson of my LIFE. So we met this guy as we were hopping into a taxi on Monday, and I didn't know the direction he needed but I handed him a folleto (brochure) with our number and told him he could go to the church on Sunday. He called two days later saying he was super interested in the Church and wanted to know more, as well as get to know more people in this area because he was kind of new. So we set up an appointment with him, so excited! Aaaaaand then as we talked he told us about his unfortunate series of love stories and how he never truly fell in love, and then he declared to me that he thinks I am his future wife. 

Can we say shut down? I apologize deeply. I am a missionary. 

Domingo (Sunday) - We had 5 investigators in church and ended up finally finding this WONDERFUL family - Daddy who is a member, Mommy who ALMOST got baptized about 2 months ago but didn't feel ready to make the changes necessary, and three ADORABLE little children. A lot of things have happened in that time that the missionaries weren't visiting them anymore, and Mommy said she has made a lot of really big changes. We have invited her to be baptized this very Saturday. :) 

(7th convert baptism)

I AM ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

Never give up! No, never!

And pray for Maria!

Hermana Hewitt

P.S. Ahaha okay entonces Luis has this habit of saying really hilarious things when we least expect it. And when strange things happen he generally whispers under his breath, "ayayay!" This week I have been hearing people say that EVERY DAY! Like every hour! And Hermana Pinto has boldly informed me that she will never let me forget the man we passed on the street yesterday who said, "Ayayay! Carne blanca!" ("White meat")

Welcome to my life.

P.P.S. I love you!

It is so worth it! 4-14-14

Hermanas Hewitt y Pinto with an investigator

(not the one discussed in the following post)

ALRIGHT this week I would like to share with you a journal entry of mine from Saturday the 12th of April. Just a disclosure: sometimes I write to my posterity in my journal. But I think I was writing to whoever needed to hear this. We'll see.

"Yesterday (and all this week) "L" was seriously doubting the idea of getting baptized. We received divine inspiration to have him interview with our district leader, Elder Alvarez. Due to an unexpected service activity, we came to the conclusion late last night that the interview would be held at 8:00 this morning (sidenote: April 12th was "L"'s baptismal date. So this all went down the day of.) And so it was. Hermana Pinto and Elder Montesino chatted and I played hymns and prayed my guts out for my dear friend Luis for the hour or so that lasted the interview. When I finally heard footsteps entering the door to the chapel, I was afraid to look up. My companion made a weird gasp-squeal noise and called my name. The elders and "L" were walking out of the room.

" 'Él quiere bautizarse AHORITA!' Hermana Pinto yell-whispered. So we made some phone calls, did some cleaning, found some white clothes, and "LR"  became my seventh convert. He didn't explain much in that moment, only that if he wanted to make a commitment to God, why should he have to wait? When he bore his testimony after being baptized in front of 4 elders, 4 sisters, the 1st counselor in the Bishopric, and his friend from the ward "J" (not to mention his Heavenly Father and concourses of angels), he said simply that he was going to give this his very best effort.

"When we understand how to apply the Atonement, all we need is our best effort. Jesus Christ has already paid the price for what we lack. He has paid the price for all. He now asks that we show our love and appreciation for Him by working hard to follow the guidelines offered us by our Heavenly Father. We are so blessed to be given commandments! Where would we be if we didn't have instructions to lead us back Home? I'll tell you. We would be lost.

"The blessing of seeing "L's" humble decision to follow Jesus Christ and choose the right, even when he knows it will be difficult and he will very likely fall from time to time, has inspired me to be more grateful for the commandments of God and rules of the mission. They protect me and lead me upon the straight and narrow path which God has prepared for me. This path is rich with growing experiences and profound blessings. It is the path on which I will be found close to the Savior, and it is the one path which leads me to everlasting life in the presence of my Father.

"If we want to be happy, we must keep the commandments. Deviation from that path leads only to sadness and sin. But I have tasted of the fruit! I know that God loves me! And I know that the things He has prepared for me according to my faithfulness exceed my mortal comprehension. It is up to me to trust enough in that promise to press forward, anxioulsy engaged in the greatest cause: that of bringing others to their Redeemer.

"Don't give up! There is more waiting up ahead! Give thanks for your Heavenly Father's kind instructions and choose to follow them over temptation to do evil. Find the best things you can be doing and go about doing them. Abandon sin and ask your Savior to life you up once again. You don't have to linger in darkness.

"I testify that God knows the hearts of every one of  His children. He knows our weaknesses because He gave them to us for the purpose of our developing godlike humility. Jesus Christ suffered immeasurable pain and because of it, He comprehends perfectly how we feel and what we require to succeed. He can succor us if we let Him, and through the power of the Holy Ghost He can guide us safely back to the path of righteousness. God's promises do not expire the moment we mess up! In fact, they never expire. We simply have to put forth the effort to open the door and partake. Sometimes it's harder to get rid of the distractions and we need extra help, but truly it is never far from us (Acts 17:27-28). 

"Even if sometimes the cool darkness grows comfortable, I bear witness to you and to myself that the warmth of the sun will ever overwhelm the shadow of sin. Let us not settle into the dust to perish, but awake and arise and live at a higher and more glorious level. The law of inevitable opposition requires that the more extensively our hard work taxes our will, the more profoundly we may experience true joy and heavenly peace as results. In simple words, it is soworth our best effort."

Put forth your best effort this week. Love God enough to listen and obey. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and trust in your Savior to forgive what you lack. I testify that this is true! And I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Israel, Jesús os llama 4-7-14

So excited for General Conference!

Hermanas Hewitt y Pinto

What a splendid General Conference we enjoyed!

I learned many important things, and I know you did too.

If you haven't seen all the sessions, go to lds.org and get on that! Say a prayer and keep your ears and heart open to revelation. We are so blessed to have a living prophet and his apostles here on the earth today. When they receive inspiration for the messages they give, they are given words from our Heavenly Father that miraculously will apply to the individual needs of each and every one of His precious children. But if we want to find the answers, we must be prepared with the questions!

Continue to study your notes and apply the counsel of the Lord to your lives. We have six months to put into practice all that we have learned!

On another note, I finished nine months on my mission. It is halfway over and I have until the end of the year to do the Lord's will here in the blessed land of Perú. What a great privilege I was given upon receiving my calling here, and how deeply grateful I am to have nine more months to serve my Heavenly Father. I feel His love and know He is never far from any one of us.

Nine month celebration!

Seek to be obedient and faithful to the instructions you receive from the Holy Ghost. Be humble and give of yourself lovingly to all those around you. Don't look for your own blessings! They won't come. Lose your life in the service of your Savior and He will bless you an hundredfold.

When times are tough, just remember that Hermana Hewitt loves you. But more importantly, your Heavenly Father loves you more and is watching over you. He knows what you need! Ask Him how you can obtain it and have faith that you will receive an answer.

Make good choices!

Hermana Hewitt

Also, quote of the week goes to "J", our less active friend who we are trying to motivate a little to come back to church and get on a mission. He was reprimanding us for saluting everyone in the calle (street) in a friendly manner. He asked us what we are thinking! We never know who we are talking to! (Alright put this in google translate) "Están pasando un montón de personas diciendo Buenas noches abuelita! Buenas noches niño! Buenas noches LADRÓN!" (Google translation:They are experiencing a lot of people saying Good night grandma! Good night child! Good evening THIEF!)

Hermanas Hewitt y Cisneros guarding the home of a family the missionaries were helping on moving day.  They don't look intimidated by thieves!

Hahaha I hope you understand that. If not, well...next time! Love you!

LAS FAMILIAS PUEDEN SER ETERNAS.

 I have had such a miraculous week!

Hermana Agle and I enjoyed my first work visit in which I didn't nearly get my sister training leader companion killed. And I learned SO much about the Atonement of Jesus Christ this week as I taught and studied continuous repentance and the cleansing power of our covenants and the sacrament. God's Plan of Happiness is so perfect. I am so grateful for the privilege I have to share it with my dear brothers and sisters in Perú!

We have this investigator named "L". He is 24 and such an AWESOME person. We have been visiting him since my second day here in Pro and he has a baptismal date for the 12th of April. It was hard to get a date with him for the first couple weeks because he wasn't coming to church! He works and studies all week and Sunday is the day he goes and plays fútbol with his amigos to relax. But we have seen such mighty changes in his heart as we have taught him about the gospel. 

Because of GENERAL CONFERENCE next week, our ward fasted this Sunday. We taught "L" about tithing and fasting on Friday night and he decided to fast with us to receive an answer and feel more secure about his decision to be baptized. And you know what? He made it to church at 8 AM and he bore his testimony in sacrament meeting! AH he is the best. "L" set an example for the whole ward, and they all just adore him. Pray that he will continue to receive answers and prepare for his baptism!

Our Ward Council is so excellent as well. The entire council went to visit a less active family last night to invite them to come back to church, prepare to baptize their 7-year-old son, "I", when he turns 8, and be sealed ("A", "E", "I", and little 4-year-old "L") as a family in the temple. When Hermana Pinto and my 7:30 appointment fell, we decided to pass by and visit their family as well. We were able to teach "I" exactly what baptism is and the special promises we make with our Heavenly Father, and we brought their sweet parents to a remembrance of the covenants they made at baptism and the opportunity they have to use the Atonement in their lives so that their family can be together forever. The Spirit was SO STRONG I tell you! So strong! Even little "L" (officially the CUTEST CHILD IN PERÚ), who makes a living of turning the house upside down and causing side-splitting laughter, was listening and participating. I am so excited to help reactive this special family.

Hermanas Hewitt y Pinto at the park outside their door

ALRIGHT SISTERS WHO WENT TO THE SATURDAY NIGHT CONFERENCE?

I hope the assistance in my stake was significantly higher than that of the Los Olivos stake. Hermana Agle, Hermana Gomez, and I watched it in English separately. What inspired leaders we have! I know I cry about a lot of stuff, but I was so deeply touched by the messages and music shared. When you have a free moment go watch it! And I hope you are ALL preparing yourselves well to receive the messages of General Conference this weekend.

WATCH ALL THE SESSIONS.

Or Hermana Hewitt will be haunting you in your dreams.

That message on Saturday afternoon was for YOU............

Say prayers and take notes and listen to the Spirit above all else! 

All my love from Lima,

Hermana Hewitt