Called to serve in Lima, Peru! Adventures of Hermana Sintay :): February 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Joys of the Work.

Happy Leap Year Day!

Well, folks, we are officially ONE WEEK into the SUPER CAMBIO of the MISIÓN PERU LIMA SUR........ 8-week transfer. Those who haven't served a mission maybe don't see the big deal about such a SUPER CAMBIO. Maybe those who have served a mission don't even think it's a big deal............but bueno, it emotionates me :) (there we are again.. silly English. Me emociona. Lo siento.)

In these last few weeks, we have been having a lot of work and success in family history. We work with 13 other programs (other than our own) to bring all of their rescues and converts to the temple to do vicarious baptisms. Within a week (or 2 weeks maximum) of their baptism, the Elders that have taught them bring their new converts to us so we can 1) teach them about family history, 2) help them create an account in FamilySearch, 3) prepare their own family names, and 4) take them to the temple :) The zones that we are working with have been baptizing and rescuing lots, so that means WE have a TON of work!

I love you all and am so grateful for your support. Keep smiling at the missionaries in your home ward! Give them a nice handshake, ask them the names of the people they are teaching, and then pray specifically for those people. That will mean so much to your missionaries. I promise. You will feel more involved in your own ward's missionary work. .... you will be a PART of this work of salvation.

A dear missionary friend that I found in the temple. She came and visited from Bolivia :)

My favorite FAVORITE family from Pisco. I ran into them in the temple on Saturday :)

The doctrine is true!

Hermana Sintay :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

HELLO ALL!

FAMILIA! AMIGOS!

How are you all doing?! I am sorry that I wasn't able to write a proper email last week - I wish I could say that this week I can make up for it.

The Zona Villa El Salvador!

Sometimes, with a 10 second timer on the camera, we don’t quite make it. The results afterwards are sometimes entertaining, like this one.

The Elderes from Villa 1, the ward that shares a capilla with us. One of them (the one next to me) just was transferred to be zone leader! We will miss him.

Luicito. My favorite buddy in church :)

Hermana Calderon and I :)

A few other Hermanas of family history and us! We usually run into them in the temple on Thursdays when we take converts and rescues :)

One of the converts we took this week!

This was in a little goodbye party for Elder Maldonado on Sunday night. Even though the family is from another ward, they invited us to come! Right after we took this picture, they brought out a cake and starting singing happy birthday. Sadly, also right after this picture, my camera died. So I don’t have a picture of the actual cake. Thankfully I charged my camera well for the next day :)

The family Escobar! They are the best. Hermano Segundo is our Elders Quorum President.

His two sons picked the colors for the cake and drew my face on it.

Birthday Cake Number 3.

This one was my favorite. Luzmila, our recent convert, invited us to a Noche de Hogar in her house. All in all, it was a surprise birthday party that she had been planning for weeks.

Her family testified that all she had been able to talk about for the last 2 weeks was my birthday. I sure love Luzmila – she is such a special daughter of God that means so much to my heart. I will remember her and her faith forever.

This cake was also the yummiest.

Right when we thought we couldn’t be more “caked out”, the Stake President and his family came down to our room with another beauty.

We ate another round of birthday cake, even though it was 10:00pm and our sugar levels were already through the roof. I guess birthdays DO only come once a year, right? ;) No problem with gaining a solid 5 pounds worth of frosting and cream filling.

Well, today we had to spend our whole Pday in San Isidro for a handful of doctors appointments. San Isidro is the richy-rich part of Lima – nada que ver con Villa El Salvador where we are…. Which is full of dirt, dogs, and palomas. While we were there, I enjoyed some very American things that I have not seen in a LONG long time. Namely….

Capt’n Crunch Berries. My favorite cereal. It cost about an arm and a leg, so I didn’t buy any.. but it was good to know that it still exists.

Starbucks. Since we had to wait almost 5 hours in between appointments, this was a given. Also cost an arm and a leg, but somehow my companion convinced me.

Grass. Grass. GRASS. Grass. It has been more than 16 months since I have seen GRASS. I was happier than a clam to lay down and enjoy that luxury for a few long minutes.

We found some cool Incan ruins right in the middle of San Isidro. We didn’t go in to check them out, because it cost a ton to get past the gate (richy-rich San Isidro), but we got to see a little from the outside :)

I hope the pictures were able to speak a lot for how my week has been :) My birthday was wonderful - thank you so much for all of the wishes, prayers, and psychological hugs that I received :) I love you all so much.

In other happy news - my companion and I do not have cambio :) We will be staying here together for this next cambio of 8 weeks! YIPPPEEEEE!!!

There is a lot more, but it will have to wait until the next time :)

THE DOCTRINE IS TRUE. I know it, feel it, live it, and love it.

Hermana Sintay :)

Monday, February 15, 2016

Baptism!!

It was a FEAT getting Luzmila in and out of the water. It took about 15 minutes to get her in, and then another 15 to get her out. And that was with 3 of us helping her! She told us that she felt another set of hands helping her - soft hands that felt like pillows. It really was a testimony to all of us of the seen and unseen forces that support us in this work.

We took Nayeli, our convert of 2 weeks ago to the temple to do baptisms :) She was so so happy! As were we!

The doctrine is true!

Hermana Sintay

Monday, February 8, 2016

My 84 year old hero.

Hi there family and friends!

This week for Pday we got to go to the temple as a zone :) I sent a few pictures from our time there! Because of my assignment right now in family history, we get to go to the temple every single week with converts and rescues. But only once every two cambios do we get to do a session :) We left Villa El Salvador at 5:00 am, took 2 city buses through the center of Lima, and 2 hours later arrived at our little haven from the world - the Lima Perú Temple :) Ahhhh. I just love the house of the Lord. The covenants that are made there are simple, eternal, and perfect.

Temple trip with the zone :)

Since we were in the temple for our Pday last week, my companion and I took advantage of the opportunity and took WAY too many pictures. Here are just a couple highlights :)

The work is hastening here in Villa El Salvador. This coming week we have a baptism :) Her name is Luzmila Perez. She is 84 years old. Her niece brought her to church about a month and a half ago, and she has not missed a single Sunday since. It has been years since she could walk - she is in a wheelchair and suffers from osteoporosis and Parkinson's disease. She lives all alone in her home - her children stopped visiting her about 5 years ago. When we found her, she was sad, lonely, and literally just waiting to die.

..... but the gospel has changed her :)

Luzmile Perez now has a STRONG testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration. She feels HAPPY now, and she understands where she can find peace and joy. Luzmila is the greatest example to me of faith and diligence. She relies on her niece to take her to church since she cannot walk or transport herself on her own. She is always seated in the front row of the sacrament hall - and EARLY so that she can listen to the prelude music.

This Sunday when she got to church, she looked physically terrible. Her eyes were sunken in, she wasn't smiling, and she just looked beat down. "Hermanas," she told us - "I feel absolutely terrible. I was not going to come to church today. But I did not want to give Satan that pleasure of winning me over. I know God will bless me for being here." Well, Luzmila, we can absolutely testify and PROMISE you that your Heavenly Father will always bless you for obeying His commandments.

The Bishop and Elders Quorum President gave her a blessing of health - and when she left after the 3 hours of church, she was smiling again :) She felt spiritually and physically renewed.

Her baptism on Saturday will be an amazing experience to all who can attend. Anyone who wants to make the trip down here to Villa El Salvador, Lima, Perú.............. is more than invited :)

I love this restored gospel. I know that it changes lives and generations.

The doctrine is TRUE!

Hermana Sintay :)

PS - here is a picture of Luzmila last week when we went to her house to do service with the Relief Society. She really does have more light in her eyes now :) The gospel just does that to people.

Monday, February 1, 2016

February? ALREADY?

There are a LOT of things I want to cuent you all this week - investigators, temple trips, baptisms, hilarious moments with my companion, almost being bitten by a dog, etc y etc.

But as ya'll already know, time is short and there is work to be done! So I'll just hit through a couple of these things as fast as I can.

This week we had a baptism - :) Goodness, I know that as a missionary I have a lot of "happy moments" - but seeing someone I have learned to love get dressed in white and enter into the waters of baptism after having repented of all their sins - me emociona :) (It emocionates me? Not sure how to say that in English very well). It's just an extra-happy-moment. Nayeli has 15 years, and she is the first member in her family. We found her a month ago through her less active aunt. She has progressed faster than any other investigator that I have ever had! In less than a month, we were able to find her, prepare her, and help her to reach her goal of being baptized for repentance into the TRUE and RESTORED Church of Jesus Christ.