Updates from this side of the world

Another trip to the pretty part of Lima for some doctor's apts - this time we snuck away to the playa to take some pictures! GORGEOUS, no?

I wish that pictures could help you smell the ocean and hear the sound of the waves.... that was my favorite part. :)

WHAT A WEEK OF SUCCESS.

So, remember that stake activity that I commented to you all the last week?

What a POWERFUL experience! Over 150 members of the Stake participated, along with the 14 full-time missionaries in our zone. 

My favorite zone of my whole mission :)

After returning from proselyting in the morning, the members were sunburned, exhausted, and covered in dirt from head to toe (that is what happens with the missionaries here in Perú Lima Sur). They looked physically destroyed, haha :) However - they were spiritually FULL. When I asked them how it went, they first pointed to their shoes, completely covered in dirt - "LOOK! I am just like you missionaries! I feel SO GOOD! When are we going to leave again?"

The Spirit is the work is REAL, people! It is what converts people and turns them into true disciples of Christ.

The results of the activity were out of this world - just in our ward we received 37 referrals of nonmembers, and another 22 referrals of less active members. We have a LOT of work to follow-up with in these next few months :)

Natalia was baptized this week :) It was a great day.

The Stake President came! And a TON of investigators!  Natalia was so happy :) She bore her testimony in Sacrament meeting on Sunday, and probably made about half of the congregation cry. She is powerful.

Tomorrow is Concilio de Lideres. President has asked me to give an hour workshop for the rest of the Zone Leaders and Sister Traning Leaders. I am excited - the Spirit always teaches us so much when we are prepared and humble.

The doctrine is TRUE!!!!

Hermana Sintay :)

Get ready to get ANIMATED!!

Hello, everyone!

I never get tired of going to the temple :)

Here are some photos of this weeks converts and rescues that entered to do vicarious baptisms for the first time. 

¡Que grandioso es mi llamamiento!

Some hermanas that came up from the south to go to the temple. I remember those days........ 8 hour bus rides to bring converts and rescues to the Lord's temple. Again........... ¡QUE GRANDIOSO ES NUESTRO LLAMAMIENTO!

Espeically for Mom and Dad..... Happy 23rd anniversary :) I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Hey! Guess what!! We only have 2 more weeks until GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!! I am so excited! 

This week was stellar, like always. My companion is going to finish her training in 2 weeks - that blows my mind. I feel like she just got here. She is so prepared to lead the area and take over everything at the end of this cambio. I am so proud of her!!

The Stake President has organized an AWESOME activity this week. The full-time missionaries and all of the members of ward council from every ward will be participating in a FULL-DAY of missionary proscelyting. From 7 am to 9pm, we will be organized into companionships of missionaries and members to leave and visit less actives, part-member families, and new converts. Over 150 people are committed to participate. After a breakfast and morning training, we all leave to work in the areas of 3 different wards. Bishops have organized themselves and will provide lists of names and directions along with maps of the area. After 3 hours of proscelyting in the morning, we will return to eat lunch and give reports about our successes in the morning. After another missionary training and a little rest, we will head out FULL SPEED again for another 4 hours of procelyting. This time, our efforts will be concentrated in the other 3 wards - again, with lists of names, directions, and maps. To finish off the day, we will eat dinner and have a small fireside and testimony meeting. 

I AM SO STOKED.

Nothing better than injecting the missionary spirit into our ward leaders. It is the best way to ANIMATE them!!!!! (animarlos? anyone anyone? ya fue.)

HURRAH FOR ISREAL. The doctrine is true :)

Hermana Sintay :)

#ALELUYA

Good morning to all you wonderful children of God!

Friday's extra-special-and-yummy lunch.

Shish-ka-bob, cow hearts, and fried cow stomach. 

One of my new favorite Peruvian dishes!

Small testimony from this week: Revelation comes, but it has to find you working.

This week was full of WORK and REVELATION.

With the new #ALELUYA initiative, we have been working together with our ward council and the rest of the mission to bring more people to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. Contacts in the street, ward mission activities, visits in homes of the families....... Hallelujah :) We are happy as we do it all. And that happiness comes from Jesus Christ and the new life that we can find in Him.

I have been meditating a lot on the word "revelation" this week. Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel has helped me to learn on a deeper level how I can prepare myself to receive revelation and recognize the promptings that I receive. 

Speaking of receiving revelation - This week our mission had the chance to participate in a special training with Elder Lynn G. Robbins from the Presidency of the Seventy. Almost 600 missionaries from all of Lima participated. My companion and I were SO LUCKY (and blessed) to sit in the very front row! In the center! Wow. Pretty neat :) Elder Robbins speaks Spanish, so he was able to address us all without a translator. 

One of the things that I learned was the importance of being a missionary (and person) of "high faith." I loved what Elder Robbins taught us about optimism and valiant repentance. He said, "Success is going from failure to failure without losing your hope." In Spanish, I liked it a little more... instead of "hope," he used the word "ánimo." I really can't find a good English word that means the same thing. But I know that we really can increase our faith as we keep our ánimos high :)

When was the last time you received revelation? 

.. Can't think of a time? How about a better question...

When was the last time you marked something in your scriptures? Why did you mark there? An impression? A thought? An "aha!" moment?

Hey, check it out :) You are receiving revelation. Make sure you remember to thank Heavenly Father every day for talking to you through the Holy Ghost. #HALLELUJAH for continuing revelation :)

The doctrine is TRUE!

Hermana Sintay :)

The price He paid.

I had a very happy reunion with my hija, Hermana Luna, this week :) When I finished her training and left Pisco, she started right away to train a new missionary. Now she is serving as an STL in Ayacucho - boy am I a proud mama :)

My two hijas Argentinas! Hermana Luna and Hermana Calderón.

This week my companion and I had an experience that strengthened my understanding and testimony of the Atonement of Christ. I would like to share with you all.

First off - to prepare you to understand the story - here in Lima, the main mode of transportation are buses. Now - when you think of a bus, I promise that you are not thinking of a PERUVIAN bus. Better explained, they are giant 12 passenger vans with the slide open doors (think "stalker van," and that's pretty close), with all of the seats ripped out so that 25-30 people can cram inside standing up and ride to their destination. There is a man that sticks his head out the window yelling where the bus goes, and if you want to get on you just stick out your hand so he stops the bus. Once you are in - you are IN. Crammed against a bunch of strangers, screaming through Lima traffic and INSANE driving (there is NOTHING in the United States that even compares).

My companion and I got on one of these buses the other day (like we do every day), and we saw a young man get on the bus. The cobrador (the guy who goes around charging everyone for being on the bus), asked the young man for his pasaje (..passage? the money you have to pay to be on the bus.) The young man handed the cobrador 1 sol (a sol is what we use here in Perú). Immediately, the cobrador told the young man that 1 sol was no longer sufficient - the price had raised to 1.5 soles. The young man, who was obviously just coming from the university or something of the sort, did not have any more money than the single sol that should have paid for him to make it home. He tried to explain himself to the cobrador, but in these types of situations, there is no mercy. You pay - or you get off the bus. That is how it works.

The young man kept trying to plead his case - but it just made the scene worse. The cobrador started to yell at him, INSISTING that he get off the bus RIGHT then if he couldn't pay. My companion and I were crushed in the back of the bus, and we watched the whole scene from behind. My heart just broke - I wanted to reach out and do something, but it was impossible.

The young man, almost in tears, starting to push his way towards the door of the bus so he could get off at the next stop. Right then, an older man reached out his arm and grabbed the young man by the shoulder. "I will pay for you," he said gently, "Don't worry." The older man handed the extra money to the cobrador and got off the bus at his stop. The young man really did have tears in his eyes and was only able to get out a "Thank you," before his life-saver got off the bus. 

Friends, family, brothers, sisters - the standard that our Father in Heaven expects us to live is a HIGH standard. It has to be - because the blessings of exaltation are real and eternal. We alone cannot pay the price that is required to enter into His kingdom and deserve such celestial blessings. Alone, we will ALWAYS come up short.

.... But Jesus Christ has already paid the price. He is the one that gently reaches out His hand, puts it on our shoulder, and promises us, "I will pay for you. Don't worry." Even with all that we do, we NEED Him to pay that price. 

There is nothing more marvelous and astounding like the doctrine of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every time I think about it, I give thanks to my Father in Heaven for letting His Son pay such a price for me. I cannot wait until the day when I can kneel before my Savior, know Him face to face, and express my eternal gratitude for the eternal and infinite gift of His atoning sacrifice. Words will be hard - but I know I will have tears in my eyes as I tell him, "Thank you. Thank you for paying for me."

I testify that He lives. I know that this is His doctrine and restored church. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is my best friend and my greatest teacher. 

I testify that He loves YOU. He paid for you, too. Let Him heal you and make you new - the blessings are REAL and eternal.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Hermana Sintay