SURPRISE! We had two unexpected work visits this week. The Hermana Líderes called us on Tuesday to tell us they'd be coming to do divisions with us in our area, and then Hermana Archibald (President's wife) called us on Friday to ask if she could come to our appointments with us for the afternoon. Usually that's terrifying. This time, it was...also terrifying. But that's okay. They both ended up being super relaxed and (dare I say it?) fun!
Hermana Brown, from Arizona, and I went and visited a couple people. She has only 7 months on the mission and is already a sister leader! That's crazy! But she teaches with such love and understanding that I can see why. I learned a lot about the importance of remembering that each person is our brother or our sister.
In the evening we were on our way back to the house to meet with Hermana Moody and Hermana Mendoza. There were a ton of people along the highway, so I thought we may as well take a shortcut through Huamantanga. I don't know if I've ever told you anything about it, but Huamantanga is this massive, massive market that takes up several blocks and is easy to get lost in during the day...at nighttime, I learned, there is no hope. We contacted a girl selling ice cream and then wound our way into the depths, taking one too many wrong turns. To make a long story short, we ended up against the very high wall which we had anticipated to be our exit, backing slowly away from two
very large
and very
very
very
angry
dogs.
Who were barking.
This is the end…at least I was serving a mission.
Just as the bigger dog came within lunging distance, a man poked his head curiously around the corner. "Señor, por favor, ¡AYÚDENOS!" Hermana Brown cried. He calmly called Rocky, his massive beast of a pet, telling him to leave us alone. Finally the dog backed off enough for us to walk forward and out of the alleyway. We talked to this fella for a few minutes - he wanted to talk about the United States and the merits of puppies and bunkbeds and all this nonsense, but we very tactfully let him know we were ready to go home. So he gave us directions back out, and by the time we got onto the highway sidewalk, there was a much smaller crowd.
Hey, silver lining.
ANNNNNNNYYYYWAYYYYYYYY
Made it home safe and sound. Dusted off our faldas and the next morning Hermana Brown told me my Spanish is great and she thinks I am prooooobably going to be training next transfer.
WORLD SHATTERED
There are 9 Latina sisters coming in. And exactly ZERO gringas. So if I do train, I am going to be training a native Spanish speaker. That's that. We find out next Tuesday, I s'pose! Pray for the missionaries of Peru Lima Oeste, because our cambios are literally a week before Christmas. There might be some tears. But, the Lord has it all under control. I trust Him.
Hermana Archibald also told me with great surprise in her voice after our first lesson with her company that my Spanish is excellent. If she didn't sound so completely shocked I would have been ever so slightly more complimented, but HEY I guess that's always good to speak another language. Oh gracious, now you're just witnessing the musings of a young lady unfit for society or anything of the like.
#Patiencepatiencepatiencepatiencepatienceisavirtue
Oh yeah. We also chased some chickens around a house and ate beautiful Peruvian trash caviar and got interviewed by some students who are trying to learn English and Hermana Moody cat called a bunch of couples (HAY BAY BAY!) in the big Municipal park in the center of Puente and we played billiards last p-day with our district and Hermana Moody got sick and I got better and GOT OUR WATER HEATER INSTALLED IN OUR NEW HOUSE and got some Christmas packages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#Thanksmommyforthe14pairsofsoftsoftsocksandreese'speanutbuttercupswhichliterallymademyworldgoroundandtheadorablephotographsandyesIdowantyoutoincludethisentiresentencedirectedspecificallyatyouinmyblogbecauseIwanteverybodytoknowthatyouaretheworld'sgreatestmotherandyoudeserveamugthatsaysIgavemymissionarydaughter14pairsofsocksforChristmasandherhappinesslevelisnowsevenhundredpercentincreased.
(If she was that excited about the socks and Reese's what's she going to do when she receives her REAL Christmas package next week… and the notes telling her that family is sending her additional packages every month as our "12 months of Christmas" project?? So fun to have such an enthusiastic and grateful daughter!)
And one night Hermana Moody flopped down on my bed (bottom bunk) in her proselyting clothes after planning so I climbed up onto her bed and we sat there and talked with the light on and then I had a dream that I woke up in the morning in my own bed and got ready for the day like normal and then suddenly I woke up on the top bunk at 12:41 a.m. and almost had a panic attack but just put on jammies and got in bed. And also this week I found out our little 15-year-old buddy "Mi" has been telling everybody he loves me.
If you are a returned missionary, you will agree. If you are a future missionary, be prepared. If a joven decides to tell everybody they are in love with you, it means only one thing.
endless.
torment.
At least when the other missionaries in your ward are anything like Hermana Moody, Elder Muñoz, Elder Salazar, and Elder Johnson. Elder Gallardo is pretty nice. The others...it's a rough time.
#Butwhatcanyado
ALSO we watched the Christmas Devotional in Spanish and it was beautiful! Oh my goodness. I was such a mess for Elder Nelson's talk. So stunning. I am so grateful that I could understand it! Wow. The gift of tongues is SO COOL.
I love being a missionary. We are so guided by the Holy Ghost to the people, the places, and the words that the Lord needs us to have.
I love you all and pray for you every night.
Sending my blessings home,
Hermana Hewitt
OH YEAH
I'm just going to write some of Hermana Moody's best quotes this week:
"I really like my right eyebrow, Hermana Hewitt. My left eyebrow, on the other hand, deserves to be shot off my face."
"My throat has seen the fire of the coming of the Lord. I feel like I just made out with a dragon. Or at least that's how I imagine it would be."
"I'm going to get a companion that I have to slap in the face daily."
(after we had seen some dogs fighting and I had said, "It really is a dog-eat-dog world.") "Yeah, I had always thought that was just something cute to say. Doggie-dog world."
And my personal favorite...
(trying to get me to eat my last few bites of food) "Here comes the plane! OPEN THE PLANE HOLE!"