8 months down, 10000 to go!

MONDAY: Slept. Ate some chocolate, Slept. Wrote some letters. Ate some more chocolate. Nothing too extraordinary. Oh! I take it back. I saw the one and only Miquel Jackson. We were in the market, and there he was, glove and all.

TUESDAY: Had a lesson with E. It was good. She had a ton of questions about just about everything. But she wants to learn.

As we were walking we saw P. and her mom in a little ice cream shop and her mom insisted on buying us ice cream. The whole thing was kinda strange, but hey, what can you do? We had the most random encounters.

We finally found that man E. and his wife again. It’s all so sad. But she was actually a lot better than last time. And we had the idea to have her write out what she’s trying to say, because although she speaks, no words come out. Thank you Grandma for writing me letters in cursive, wouldn’t have been able to understand it otherwise.

That’s basically Tuesday in a nutshell.

WEDNESDAY: We had a missionary meeting about goals for 2016. It was great. All sorts of answers to my prayers. But we learned so many things I’m gonna be scrambling to put it all in practice. But hey, I’m pumped for 2016.

Had another good ‘ol lesson with F. She seems to now think we are her daughters. She gave us a bottle of baby shampoo and it’s funny because she knows she’s not supposed to, or that her mom doesn’t want her to. So she always tries to do it without her mom seeing and then it feels like I’m stealing from an old lady and have to try to sneak these strange things out that I don’t even want. Oh, F.

Then we finally found this family we had been looking for forever. This week has been full of little miracles like that. Running into people randomly (like on busses, 3 times) that we had been looking for forever.

THURSDAY: This day was crazy. Not sure how to even explain it all. We met this one woman on a bus who served in what was once Lima East and served in barrio Santa Cruz which was crazy. I wanted to talk to her about it more, but apparently it was just as hard 30 years ago.

Hermana Owen had blisters on her foot so we went to buy band-aids and while she was putting them on I was talking to this woman who we had contacted forever ago (w/ Hna Sanchez) and we started talking to her when this member in a wheelchair wheeled up outta nowhere and practically started teaching her all the lessons and asking why she doesn’t go to church and inviting her to go with him etc. Then we had a lesson there in the market, and it was interesting and she decided to come to church. (And she actually came.) Then her friend came up and started talking about all sorts of craziness, but I can’t really explain it all so ask me about it in 18 months.

We just found ourselves in all sorts of strange situations.

FRIDAY: We had a surprise training for trainers and trainees. It was wonderful.

Then we had intercambios, reunited with Hna Bird. That was fun and strange. When I was with her I had 4 months. Now I have 8. ES LOCO.

SATURDAY: Crazy. The other Hermanas got kicked out. So we had to move them out of their house and into ours. So really we didn’t get anything done. And now I’m living with Hna Roca again which is crazy because she is going home in a week.

We had a ward family home evening activity. Next to no one showed up.

The other ward was having a baptism and they were filling up the font but they didn’t have a key to open the closet to turn off the water so it just kept filling and filling and everyone was getting nervous because they couldn't get the door open. So what happens? Hermana Anderson to the rescue. Picked that baby right open. Thank you, Neal Caffrey.

SUNDAY: Had a lesson with this woman we had been looking for forever. Didn’t understand about 80% of what she said and she said a lot.

And we had a lesson with E.’s wife (I don’t know her name) and their son G. Apparently he had friends who were members and he remembers doing FHE [family home evening] growing up.

So that’s the very simplified version of everything that happened this week. I wish there was a way to tell you all my experiences, but maybe one day.

I’d like to wish happy birthday to all my February birthday folks, Grandma, Grandpa, and Emily. Hope it was fabulous. And happy birthday to my gal pal DANIELLE.

I feel so blessed to have such amazing friends and family.

I love you and miss you.

Love,

Hermana Anderson

"but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemeer…I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.” 1 Nephi 19:23

It’s not enough to learn the Book of Mormon stories, we must LIVE them.