Peruvian Miracle

us with our pensionista, mamita berita

this week, we learned (from a member) that there are parasites in the grass here, so you can't walk through it if the grass is tall. that wasn't too disturbing; i mean, who needs grass? what almost gave me a stroke was to learn that there are also parasites in the air we breathe. apparently, you need to get de-parasitized every six months. #peru

in other exciting news (ready for this one?), after a tour of the church and one of the most quiet, spiritual lessons i've ever had in the sacrament meeting room, kevin accepted a baptismal date! we are so happy for him!! we had to dig deep to find out what his needs are, and we tailored lots of lesson plans for him. we actually ended up asking him the first three baptismal interview questions: do you believe god is our eternal father? that christ is his son? and, that the church has been restored? he responded "yes" to all, which helped us help him recognize his testimony. and this week, kevin bought himself a white shirt and tie and came to stake conference! and, he's posting pictures of himself doing church stuff on facebook, "so that my friends know i'm changing my life," he says. i could not be happier for him! he is reading the BOM every day, and praying, and has truly come to know that the gospel is true. he's scheduled to be baptized on the 26th of november! i have LOVED sharing the gospel with kevin!! he is truly prepared and ready to start a new life. :)

mormon helping hands!

(never knew the sun could be so strong at 8am!)

lend a hand!

we picked up garbage on the streets!

also, my pensionista's son made me eat rice this week. it was sort of necessary as the dish is called "rice and chicken" and consists of nothing else, besides tomatoes (and an excess of onions, because my comp doesn't like them and gave me double), but i regretted every bite, haha. #antirice

speaking of meals, presidente and hermana li took us out to lunch this week - just at the moment when i most needed an italian pizza! as my friend in canada once said, "god just knows, doesn't he?" :)

trick or treating with a book of mormon

lastly, we received a referral this week of a family who wants to get married and start attending a church, but they didn't know which to choose. this, my friends, is a "peruvian miracle" in every sense. i've never seen this happen on my mission (and may never again). GRATITUDE! i am full of gratitude! and love for all of you!! :) see you three months from today.

fam, thank you SO SO SO MUCH for the package!!!!!!

hermana wood

More from this week's message to Hermana Wood's mom:
hey, mom! i love these pics!! man, i have a good looking family. and, jordan is just glowing! aaah, i wish i could've been there for the wedding!!

we are working with a couple named meri and victorino who are amazing. meri totally opened up to us last night; we went to see how she'd been doing with her reading and ended up staying a long time just listening to her talk. she said she "feels so amazing when we're with her," and that she "feels god with us," but that when we go, she "gets stressed out again." i asked, what do you think you can do to always feel the way you do when we're teaching you? she looked at her BOM on the couch next to her, back at me, and said "read this book!" i promised her that was true! she wants to get married soon, and we're helping her to set some goals for her life. love being a missionary! LOVE YOU.