mission

Family and Friends!! This week definitely had its ups and downs. The saddest part of the week was Sunday when 3 of the recent converts didn't come to church again this week. Its been a big worry because we want to help the recent converts become strong and active in the church and its sad to see them slip right through our fingertips. But the good news! Since we have noticed this big worry we had planned a training for the Ward Counsel. We put in practice what President Zobrist asked of us by putting goals together as a ward. Usually when we make goals of baptisms and rescues we just make them with each other, my companion and I, but President asked us all to make goals with the Ward so that we can have the same vision and work together. Our Training went MUCH better than I had expected. We saw a different side of the members and we saw their desires to help us. Not all of the members were super excited to help but the majority were much more willing and they also had good ideas for us in the work. We are now just going to hope for the best and see how this week goes and see how our goals turn out for the month of June. The truth is that the work really is impossible without the help of the members. Ive noticed it EVEN MORE this past week when our recent converts haven't been coming the past weeks and we've been the only ones worried about them. This work isn't a work for 2 but a work for the ward. If we don't work together there is no work. Sunday we gave talks in the Sacrament Meeting. I talked about what the members needed to do in order to get the temple in Arequipa to come much faster. Sadly, the temple wont be a priority if the members here aren't doing there part. We are now focusing even more on Family History and sending more names into the temples for baptisms for the dead. The temple is programmed to come within 5-7 years, but with the effort of the members it looks to be more like 7-10 years. Hopefully the members can put there best efforts forward so that it wont take that long! Also, this week I went to Cristo Rey with Hermana Escobar on divisions. It was a good experience being be her because I felt like I really could help her out to become a more effective missionary and to help them out in there area. I enjoy being a sister leader because I have the opportunity to help more hermanas out here in the mission. I might not be the perfect missionary but I know that the Lord had called me to help out the hermanas here in Arequipa and Im happy to do it! Well, the moral of the story. All you members out there please help out the missionaries! Its super hard and sad being a missionary when you don't feel the support from the members. Help out the missionaries! Go on visits with them, feed them, give them rides, who knows, just make them feel good! I love you all! Thanks for being such a good support for me while Ive been here on my mission. Its an awesome experience but it would be impossible without the support of my family and friends from home! Thank you! Love always, Hermana Flora xoxo

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Look

Family and Friends!! Highlights of the week... Well It's been CRAZY because the people here in Arequipa went on strike for 3 days. In our area it wasn’t super bad but for the Elders in our zone the weren’t able to go to the meeting on Thursday because all the roads were blocked since people were throwing rocks at the cars trying to pass and had huge rocks in the middle of the streets. I didn’t see it but they explained it to us. It was kind of crazy. Our area was a lot calmer because barely any buses passed by and there area ALWAYS buses everywhere. We had interviews with President this week! I love President Zobrist. He's such a great man and has so much love for all of us missionaries. On Sunday we went to Chivay for there Branch Conference to participate as a choir. President Zonrist and Hermana Zobrist were both there. Chivay is a super small little town about 4 hours outside of Arequipa. Its been a blessing to be able to play the piano and sing here and be able to share my musical talents with the people here in Arequipa. I love it. The biggest highlight of the week started on Monday. It was a big testimony to me of Gods love to me. This might seem like a weird way to begin the story but it all begins Monday when our phone got stolen from my companions backpack. I was super frustrated in general because of what happened a few months ago when my whole backpack got stolen. Lets just say I was a little bitter…. So Tuesday when we were going out to work I knew that I couldn’t leave with the feelings I had in my heart. I prayed a lot in my heart to have love for the people and find the good in the world. When we left I still had bitterness in my heart, we passed by some drunk men and they started yelling at us like usual, but then my heart was melted when I saw a cute little boy walking hand in hand with his mom. The answer came when we walked passed this one lady that was selling potatoes in the street and she looked at us and said hi with the biggest smile Ive ever seen. My heart was filled with happiness and my prayer was answered with her smile. After the lesson we passed again by her and this time I just talked to her and gave her a card to watch the new video Because He Lives. This was something new for me because usually Im super shy to just go up and talk to people but the love that I had for her cast out all fear that I had. I really just felt a big desire to tell her what I knew. This week I have been feeling more love than ever for the people here, thanks to the man on the bus that stole our phone. Its funny to see how God works sometimes. Theres many bad things in the world but if you open your eyes you can see the good, its out there, you just need to look. Keep your eyes open and look for the good in the world. Look for the good. Be the good. Love always, Hermana Flora

Finding Nemo

May 4th Family and Friends!! This week we had a training with our Hermanas about Unity within companionships since almost all the hermanas in our group had transfers. We analyzed the companionship of Dory and Merlin, Nemos dad. We talked about at the beginning we had difficulties with our companions because we don't really know them that well just as Merlin and Dory did when they first met. But once they got to know each other and have patience with each other they were able to better successfully achieve there goal. We compared this to the heremans and there companionships, that we need to work in unity in order to achieve our goals on the mission. The girls really liked the activity and we are hoping that they will be able to work better together and find ways to work in their companionships. We had a lesson with Max, (17) the recent convert who got baptized at the end of Feb, and we are now preparing him to baptize Denilson! It would be such an awesome experience to see Max baptize Denilson. He's been such a good convert and is even preparing himself for his first talk on Sunday in Sacrament Meeting! We are hoping that he will one day go on a mission when he turns 18! I look forward to seeing the family this weekend for Mothers Day! I love you all! Have a great week :) Love always, Hermana Flora

Happy Valentines Day!

February 16th Family and Friends!! Happy Valentines Day, Dia del Amor! Love for Christ!! Hope it well for all of you! As for us, its been an interesting week. We did a Sister´s activity the day before Valentines day so I could meet all the girls that we are in charge of and to have a good time together to celebrate Valentines Day! We focused on the worth that we have as daughters of God and talked about the love of Christ. We made cookies and did activities as companions so they could have a better relationship with their companions. It turned out to be a fun activity. At the end we gave them a little gift that was a small mirror and a note that told them to look in the mirror and see the beautiful daughter of God that they were and to let the light of Christ shine through their acceptance. It turned out being a good activity! I love all the girls and I look forward to spending more time with them and being the best help that I can be. But when the activity was over there was a companionship that was having lots of troubles so we talked with them after in the mission home for about an hour or so trying to help them solve their problems. Then when they felt a little better President Zobrist came back. He talked to me and Hermana Waldron to see how things were going. The highlight of my week was when he told me that he has seen a new light in me since putting me as Sister Leader. He said that I am showing more love and taking things more seriously, in a good way. He said that he sees me as a good sister. I was really happy to hear that since I was really worried and nervous to be in charge of a group of girls. Its nice to feel that President has confidence in me. Another crazy thing that happened this week was that we received another sister in the zone from an emergency transfer. She is new to the mission and has been having lots of problems and has desires to go home. She's now moved into a trio with two other girls in our zone. We have been really nervous about her and giving her lots of love and checking up on her since she is very unstable right now. We have been praying and fasting for her so we hope that she will love her new companions and her new area and want to stay here with us in this great work. This week I have really felt the role of being a Sister Leader. Its been stressful since we have a whole group of sisters that we have to worry about on top of our area. But its been a blessing because I know that I am trying to be a better missionary because of it. This week we will be seeing the baptism of Max! We also have a great activity planned with the missionaries in the Stake. We are doing an International Buffet and all cooking something from our country. For the United States we are planning on making pancakes! We hope to have many investigators there and less actives as well. The best would be new investigators that want to learn more. This week has been super interesting since I feel like the focus had been on our other assignment as Sister Leader, but it is a calling that I know that Lord has given me and I am happy to have it! As a mission we have really been pushing the importance of the Book of Mormon. As a mission we've been teaching and preaching more about the Book of Mormon that the whole mission ran out of Book of Mormons! haha so hopefully we get more books so we can pass them out to our investigators this week. I hope you all have a great week and remember to read the Book of Mormon. Remember that God loves you! Love always, Hermana Flora

Book of Mormon

March 30, 2015 Family and Friends!! Hope all is going well at home. This week was another good week here in Arequipa, Zamacola! Last Monday night we had a NDH, Family Home Evening, with the Pacheco Family. We talked about families and how important they are to us. Then we had them imagine as if this was there last day here in the earth and they had to write down all of their last consejos, counsels, to their families. They spend a good time writing down all their thoughts and counsels for their families. Then we talked about what they wrote for their families and some even teared up about what they wrote because of the great love they have for their families. We then collected the papers and put them in Hermana Waldrons scriptures. Then explained how the Book of Mormon is a counsel from our ancestors. They wrote all their knowledge and counsels for US so that we can become better people and learn from their mistakes. We then grabbed their papers that they wrote and said that when we don’t read the Book of Mormon we are ignoring their counsels, I then took the papers and ripped them up. Then we said that when we don’t read the Book of Mormon because we don’t have time we are ignoring their guidance and I ripped the papers up and even threw them on the ground. Im pretty sure everyone was supppperrr mad at me at this point. They were all shocked but realized that this was true. They want their families to listen to their own counsels but we aren’t even listen to the counsels from our ancestors. We then taught about the importance of the Book of Mormon and gave them the 90 program to read the Book of Mormon and invited them to read the Book of Mormon everyday. They all accepted. At that moment, we pulled out all the papers that they wrote on. It was a trick! We really didn’t rip up the papers that they wrote, We just ripped the papers that Hermana Waldron and I wrote with blank pages in the middle. They all got so much happier and were even more determined to read the Book of Mormon. The best part of the lesson was that Hermana Pacheco LOVED the lesson so much that she is planning to teach it next Sunday in Relief Society when she has her lesson. This past week we have been checking up on them and they have all been reading the Book of Mormon. It was a really impactful lesson and its great to see that they are all trying to get better at reading the scriptures. It was a good reminder that we all need to read our scriptures more. Entonces, I invite all of you to read your scriptures everyday. I know that it is a big blessing and it will change your lives if you put your best effort into reading your scriptures everyday. I love you all! Love always, Hermana Flora

New Changes

Family and Friends!! Its been another good week in Zamacola! I now have a new companion, Hermana Alducin from Mexico! She is really sweet and speaks English almost perfectly! She has 10 months in the mission. Its always weird getting use to a new companion but I know that we will get a long really well. This week we have been focusing more on having lessons with members and its been a good success! We are also super excited for this week because Denilson is going to get baptized! He talked to his mom and this Sunday they announced it in the ward! The bishop also pulled him in to give him an interview. I really like this ward here in Zamacola because we receive a lot of help from the members and it makes the work a lot easier when we have support from them. This week we are also going to have a Noche de Videos and watch some videos in the Chapel and make popcorn. Hopefully we will get a lot of investigators and members to come. I hope all is going well at home :) I love you all! Love always, Hermana Flora