FROZEN at 65 Degrees!

you'll never believe this, but temperatures have dropped this week in the sweltering sauna that is the amazon. as in, i haven't used my fan in about four days! and, i've been sleeping with a BLANKET!! and, a member gave us hot chocolate, because it was so cold!!! in reality, it's probably been about 65 degrees, but we've felt FROZEN. so naturally, i've been singing "let it go" all week. :)

also naturally, we decided to BAKE something warm. we used my nutella (from the states) and the "simple" nutella brownie recipe mimi sent!

we attempted to make the brownies in the mission offices!!

 but, the oven was broken...

...so, we put them in the microwave! :)

we found a really cool couple to teach this week: karola and edwin. karola was baptized when she was 9, which is how we found her contact information (in the church archives), so now we're just working with them to encourage karola to reactivate and her husband, edwin, to come to church. he's a marine (or the peruvian equivilant), so it's a little intimidating at times, but he always agrees to kneel down and offer the prayer at the end of the lessons. and, it was so cool - he came to church!! just edwin and his two little kids! he was really stressed, because his wife was at the university, so she couldn't help. and, his 2-year-old daughter thought everyone dressed in a white shirt was a doctor and that she was going to get a shot...so, it wasn't extremely spiritual for edwin, haha - but, a least he came!! the members are supporting us a ton with karola and edwin - we've gone with two different couples to visit them!!

this long, skinny fruit is peruvian GUAVA.

and this cute, skinny boy is dan, the son of our pensionista.

rocio is also making great progress! she came to church for the second time this week (AS DID DIOMEDES) and was very well received in relief society!! she got a big welcome, and her neighbors (who are members) actually said "hello" to her. :) (we're working with the members on fellow-shipping.) the other thing is, right now we don't have a relief society president, and our bishop just went to lima with his wife (who has cancer and is getting treatments), so who knows when we'll have a president. hermana osorio and i just might "fill in" that responsibility! (following in your footsteps, mom.) anyway, rocio is reading every day, and she is SO sweet!! she reads the BOM out loud to her husband, because she wants her whole family to have this truth! it's incredible!! thanks, madi, for sending me that BOM with your testimony printed inside!!

our zone, after we portrayed "a choir of angels in the celestial kingdom"

LOVE YOU ALL. and, can't wait to talk to you on mother's day, fam!!!

hermana wood

More from this week's message to Hermana Wood's brother:
we taught the patriarch and his wife this week!! the spirit was really strong, and they're super cool, and there was soft sunday music playing in the background (because we went on sunday night), and i felt like i was sitting in our living room listening to mom's pandora radio! :) it was a really sweet moment! we taught them about christ and how he's always extending his arm of mercy towards us. and...the patriarch's gonna help us find people to teach now! woot!!

More from this week's message to Hermana Wood's youngest brother:
HAAPPYYYY BIRTHDAY!!!! OH MY GOSH, IN THREE DAYS!!! you'll be in the double digits!!!! this year, i'm turning twenty...i'm ten years older than you, isn't that weird?? i can't believe it. so, the nutella streak continues. i can now see the bottom of my nutella container, and i'm scared. can't stop eating it!!!

remember our investigator named rocio? she just hired a maid, and her maid is mormon!! she's less active, so we're going to teach them both at the same time!! whoa - miracles, right?! we were so excited when we found her!! and, the maid's son is serving a mission, so that's cool, too! she recognized us as missionaries right away, haha.

also, tonight we have a family home evening set up at jenny's house! she's one of rocio's neighbors, and she's really sweet! my comp and i are going to teach a lesson. i think we'll watch the joseph smith (restoration) video! we always have food, too, so that's the greatest. :)

have a sweet, sweet birthday this week!! i love you so much!

More from this week's message to Hermana Wood's mom:
we have a baptism this saturday. :) it's bruce, who's 11!! then, if all goes well, diomedes will be baptized the following week!! he mentioned something to hermana osorio about traveling?? idk, i wasn't there, but apparently there's a possibility that he will be traveling to lima for work. i wanted to cry when i heard that...i really hope he can stay!! THEN, if all goes well again, rocio will be baptized the week after diomedes! all three were in church this week!! and, what's so amazing is that bruce's whole family was inactive when we first met them; the dad refused to listen to us and almost yelled at me one time when i asked him to offer a closing prayer, but he's come to church twice now!! yesterday, the whole family (minus one of the sisters) was in church!!! YES!! it made me feel sooo good to know i'm helping this family and being an instrument in the lord´s hands!! LOVE YOU.