Apostoles, Templo, CAMBIO DE EMERGENCIA... Oh my.

This week goes down in my mission history as the busiest and perhaps most eventful week of my mission. 

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start....) **Sound of Music, anyone?! ;) **

On WEDNESDAY, Elder David A. Bednar was here to visit our mission! It was an absolutely INCREDIBLE meeting. We got together with 2 other missions for the meeting - a grand total of 735 missionaries. Just imagine that for a moment.... 735 servants of the Lord. 735 soldiers in His battle. Gathered together to listen to the Lord's apostle. Just gives ya chills, doesn't it? 

We all thought we were going to LISTEN to Elder Bednar speak. But we were completely wrong. Elder Bednar is the best teacher that I have ever met, and anyone who knows anything about teaching... knows that it is NOT talking. From the very first moments, Elder Bednar began to ask questions. To us! The missionaries! We had all come very prepared to the meeting, having read a few talks that Elder Bednar asked us to read in preparation (this is the first step to GREAT teaching.... preparing to interact.) The questions he asked allowed the Spirit to begin to teach all of us. He did not act upon us and make us answer any questions that we didn't want to... rather he taught us to be agents. And to seek learning through the Spirit. It was a POWERFUL and ENLIGHTENING 5 hour meeting. I will never forget the things that I learned through the Spirit. 

At the end of the meeting he left us with an apostolic blessing - In his words, he blessed us so that we "would have the spiritual eyes to see the eternal importance of the work (we) are doing. That (we) would be able to find the true eternal happiness that comes from living the gospel - not just during (our) time in the mission, but throughout (our) entire lives."

I could write for a whole hour about the things I learned from this meeting with Elder Bednar. But, alas, there are even MORE things that happened this week.

On SATURDAY, we took a family of recent converts to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. :) It was such a happy sunshiney day, and seeing their faces when they came out of the temple just lit up my heart! I absolutely love the temple. 

Isabel, Cristofer, Dallana, Briseis, y Seor! This family is wonderful :) The temple is wonderful :) Ahhhh just so happy. 

While we were there on the temple grounds.... the craziest part of the week happened. President called me and told me that I was being EMERGENCY TRANSFERED away from Chorrillos in Lima...... that I needed to go and back my bags so that I could leave that same night. There was an Hermana who went home unexpectedly, and President recieved the revelation to transfer me. We ran home right after our converts came out of the temple, I packed my bags, and I was on my way!

Cambio de emergencia.... yikes. Packing the bags! HELP ME!!

To................ PISCO!!! 

Back to the south :) Back Back to the no roads, dirt houses, no toilet seat or shower, "was that a woman just peeing on the street?!" south of Peru. 

The view from outside my house.

Well, basically the same view as my entire area!

And. I. Love. It. Pisco is about an hour away from the area where I started my mission (Chincha). There are only 2 Hermanas here in Pisco - me and my companion from Colombia! Hermana Zambrano :)

I love how Colombianos talk :) it is so fun! She speaks her Spanish with a sing songy voice... she is great :)

I am happy to be here :) I will continue being Sister Training Leader here in Pisco - the only difference is that my responsibilities as Sister Training Leader now extend from Chincha... all the way to Nazca. That probably means nothing to any of you, but let's just say that I will get to know ALLLLLL of the south of Peru pretty quick. Intercambios are going to be a good 4 hour bus ride away! 

Thank you for all of your love and prayers. I feel them, and am so grateful.

The doctrine is TRUE!!

Hermana Sintay :)