Missions are actually fun!

Buenas tardes familia y amigas! 

Mom- 3rd john 1:2,4,5 

Okay! Como estan?

So this week we were a little pre-occupied with the preparation of Hermana Lola for her baptism on Sunday. We visited her every day and worked a lot with her. She's the olddie-81 year old and just a sweetypoopie. She has all sorts of illnesses but so much faith. She came out of the water and we asked her, ¨Como se siente?¨ and she said, ¨Rico!¨ which is super cool. It probably doesn't translate properly, but it was cool. Then she gave us these hugs, so great! Just this big squeeze, really impressive for an 81 year old. 

Also, Hermana Elizabeth, my other convert, she is in the hospital. She had surgery finally and it all went well and then 2 days after it got REALLY bad. She isn't doing well and we are going to go see her today. I hope that she is okay. It's a good thing she is such a strong and faithful old lady as well because this is a tough trial for her. Her son lives like 2 minutes from the hospital and won't go visit her and only the relief society president is visiting her from our ward.  It's just super super super sad. I feel so bad. 

This week.... well I don't know! One of the families we teach got a turtle.  It's tiny right now but it's supposed to be huge! They got it to eat the flies or something. So during the lesson I just held it and we hung out and I love the little guy! I have decided turtles are great pets because you can watch them swim but you can also hold them and they're adorable! It's perfection! 

Uhmmm... que mas. 

Everyone here is getting really excited for Christmas. They make hot chocolate-and yes it is HOT even though it is HOT outside- and these things called empanadas de globo which was DELISH. And I'm getting excited too! But I completely forgot that I am going to talk to you guys! Wow! I forgot!

Also, my companion is not trunky at all.  It's so fun. We are just 2 silly girlies. But she's so old as well. She's 22 1/2 and I'm little baby 19 1/2. But we have so much fun. My face actually hurts from laughing and smiling today! 

Well ya. 

Until next week peeps,

Hermana Pilling

Good, Great, Grand and Wonderful!

So I got a call last thursday saying I had a package they were holding at serpost and I needed to go with my passport and sign for it and everything so I did that today! yay! It's the package you sent when you were down for Thanksgiving with stuff from Leah and everything. FINALLY! I think it got to Peru the last day of October but it's been held up. It's okay, I got it and opened it and LOVED it! Thank you so much for all the chocolate and for the dress and the clothes.  You too Leah, and thank you so so so so much for the classic and hilarious Christmas photo of Dad and Mom.  How fantastic! 

Anyways.... 

Tuesday was long.  Sometimes we don't have citas in the mornings so when we go out we are just contacting and it's hot and it's hard for me to be motivated. I won't lie, sometimes we walk a little slow. But it's all good.!  The good thing is it cools off at like 4:30 so it only lasts just over 6 hours. 

We have an investigator couple, Liz and Piero. I don't know if I have told you about them.  They are AWESOME.  And we will be friends for forever and ever.  They are 25 and 27 and have 2 blondie kidlets that are my twins.  Anways, it was Piero's birthday and he asked us for an iphone (everyone here assumes americans have iphones and stuff).  So we were thinking about what to get him for his birthday.... and we were so so smart and so amazing.  We took a box that was about.... the size of... an ipad mini?  No se.  It was a tiny box, thin.  We wrapped it in black paper and made little apps like eternal marriage, the hymns, learn english, animal planet, the scriptures, other funny inside jokes, and we made an iphone!  Because it was so massive we called it the iphone12.  And then inside we put 20 chocolate soles.  So we showed up for his birthday and said we have an iphone and 20 $$ and he didn't believe us.  But we didn't lie!  He was SOOOO happy and they were very impressed with our creativity.  He really appreciated it.  We also snuck in a little paper about marriage.  We drop hints all the time.  If they could just find the money to get married they'd be baptized already! 

Friday we had a lesson with Lola, our 81 year old investigator.  She is great.  We were kind of going to have a drop talk because we feel like we are going just to teach her great grand kids and that's not allowed.  So after the lesson we asked her if she would be baptized the 29th of November... and she said, "well I'm having a surgery on the 27th and I'll be in the hospital so can we do it the 22nd? And we said HECK YES YOU CAN!  It was so so exciting.  But then Sunday we were worrying that it was too soon... When we told the ward in ward council they all jumped on it and started making plans to have someone visit her everyday to read to her.  She is super old guys, and plans for her baptism and it was an answer to our prayers.  We have visited her every day and she is so excited and is remembering everything we teach her.  She is more involved in our lessons and we are so pleased and happy. 

So lessons: we have about 20 lessons per week with investigators and 15 with recent converts and less actives.  So, 35 total per week. We've been averaging about 4 investigators to church every week too which is good. It's weird because I don't know if these numbers are good or not because I don't know any different.  In my next area it will be interesting to see what we do.  Like I said in my email to Mom, we have lots of investigators but they aren't married so it's hard. We don't have fechas for baptism because they aren't married and therefore are not living the law of chastity.  Anyways... it's going well though!

(Brad asked her if she missed swimming and this was her reply).  I would probably pay way tooo much money to go swim right now.  We walked into a house for a lesson and the TV was on and the show was about a swim team.  They were racing so there was the whistle and then the sound of the splash and I teared up.  I am having major withdrawals.  Where is my pool?  And how much longer do I have to go without? 

Basically I am just smiling nonstop.  The mission is good, great, grand and wonderful! 

I hope everything is well with everyone else that isn't here in Peru.  I love you all very much and I am praying for your health and safety every day! 

Love,

Hermana Pilling

Shrimp Soup and Cat Calls

Hola familia! Como esta? Espero que todo sea bien y que ustedes estan pensando en mi siempre. 

Okay that's my bad spanish.... I promise I can speak spanish well... 

So this letter will be all over but I have some things I want to say. 

Wednesday we had shrimp soup with full on shrimp. The only part missing was a part of the head. Everything was still attached and gross and nasty.  Then we also had tuna from a jar which wasn't as nasty but still pretty gross and fishy. Man...  I LOVE THE FOOD HERE.... not. 

Also, I would like your approval everyone, to help calm down the creepy men who whistle at me on the streets.  I thought I would dye my hair a little more brown so I looked a tad bit more Peruvian.... thoughts? 

We have been walking on average 1.5 miles more everyday now that I am done my training and we have an extra hour of proselyting time.  I know it doesn't seem like much more but I feel it.  One day this week we walked 8 miles.  Which also isn't that much but before the average was 4.5 miles.. so we are walking a lot and I am tired always. hahaha  My journal entries are pretty funny, especially when I fall asleep at the desk.  I am writing details about my lessons and investigators though, don't you worry. 

The members here that are endowed think that they have to wear shorts and a t-shirt to the beach. And they go to the beach... and they just swim like that.  Wow.  I am not Peruvian for sure because I will never do that!! Crazy people.. 

Tuesday was bang bang bang.  Everyone was home and we had great lessons and lots of them and then Wednesday was the exact opposite. How sad!  It was pretty hard to motivate myself but I tried my best and prayed really hard. 

I am learning a lot about the plan of salvation.  In True To The Faith under millenium... well the whole thing is just cool.  I'am asking my companion and President Williams lots of questions and find myself sitting and pondering the plan of salvation.  I have concluded that I'm going to learn more about that lesson than the others.  The lesson on the restoration is easy for me.  I feel like I could answer any question about that.  But the plan of salvation just has sooooooo much! I love learning!!!!!!!!!

So on Thursday we had zone meeting and I got a letter from Aunt Keri and from my FAMILY and from Tyler. Thank you all so much!  Family, Cale and Joe, your letters were so so poetic. Going off about the #21 and about pen ink. They were super great. Mom, I talked about your letter probably 5 times since then about how the world is getting crazier and we're getting farther way, or vice versa. and then Daddy, you gave me advice.  Your one-liners are so great.  Also your joke about James was slightly uncalled for-I am a missionary, remember? hahaha.  I didn't know little James broke his collarbone.  Anyways. Dad said you are always one contact away from a great teaching opportunity. We were walking back from a lesson and I turned and stopped to knock on a door, really random. We contacted them and he invited us in and we had a lesson  We ended up talking about the Family a Proclamation for the World and they were really interested in eternal families.  They were super grateful for our lesson and I am so excited to go back and see if they are going to progress.  Even if they don't, it was a testimony builder to me that DAD IS ALWAYS RIGHT. hahaha.  I love the family and the opportunity to use the proclamation so much as a missionary.  The family is super important and eternal families are a huge part of my testimony!

That's my random letter.

All my love!

Les amo bastante,

Hermana Pilling

Feasting on the Scriptures

Before my mission I was nothing compared to how I am now... and it's a work in progress. I am searching and feasting the scriptures and I am learning so much.  I was strong in the faith but I didn't have lots of knowledge like I do now.  I am so so so grateful for the mission.  I am lucky to be serving.  We have hours every day set a side to just study and I don't think I have ever sat and studied for hours like this. 

We were in a lesson and all of a sudden there was this squawk that sounded a little bit like a cat. The lady went to look and a chicken had fallen from 3 stories above and it kind of had a seizure and then it died.  She said okay, there's dinner!  That is my crazy story for the week!> 

I don't have transfers and since Sister Brito is going home this transfer I will stay here for 1 transfer after that, so I will be here for Christmas.  I am so happy!

I'm going to send my "Christmas package" with Sister Brito when she goes home and she is going to take it to Leah because she is from Riverton. 

When I got on the computer I had 47 emails so please everyone... stop loving me so much. JUST KIDDING I LOVE IT hahahahaa

Love you all,

Hermana Pilling

**As her mother, I'm very grateful that Clair has so much support.  Now I just have to convince her to take the time to write more to her family so I know what she's doing.  I don't get the detailed emails I need from her.  I guess the most important thing is that she's happy and as long as she's keeping a good journal, it's all good.