From: Camille Weller [mailto:camille.weller@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 9:35 AM
To: Melissa Wheatley;
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 9:35 AM
To: Melissa Wheatley;
Subject: 21 IN PERU(:
what a crazy long, amazing week!!!.. hey im 21!!!
whooooooo!! ive got to say that this week and my birthday was probably the best
ive had yet! I wish i could have spent it with my family and friends but i
truly felt like i had my family here and felt the love of all those around
me!
Tuesday we found out that our district leader and our zone
leader were both getting emergency transfered to become zone leader and
asistent to the president... it was so sad, they were both the 2 that me and my
companion looked up to the most but hey, i guess they were needed somewhere
else! President came to tell us and to talk to us and afterwards they surprised
me with a cake for my birthday which made things a little better(: And of
course they did the whole take a little bite.. and then they shove the cake in
your face.. gotta love peru(: After that we had divisions with our sister
training leaders and i got to stay in my area with hna robinson, we had such a
fun, spiritual day and i loved learning from her and learning what i can
improve on! We ended the day with the Gameros family, a family that one
of the sons is a member but the rest of the family no... not yet(: they
seriously treat us like family, when we got there they had made all sorts of
snacks and cake and they sang to me and everything.. i just love them and hope
they will accept the gospel into their family soon(:
Wednesday... BIRTHDAY DAYYYYY i woke up and got to open a
card and present hna jacobson sent me... love and miss her so much!! and then
we went to meet at the church to end divisions and meet with the elders to go
to the service project.. my companion had made a happy birthday sign.. so
cute(: then we went to the property of hna marilyn to help her paint and move
some rocks! It was a ton of fun and of course i got to have my birthday
celebrated the peruvian way... getting eggs smashed on your head and then flour
dumped on you.. hahaha but i love it and we all had such a fun time helping
her! then after we went home and showered out all of the egg shells... we
went to visit a less active who made us a yummy dinner, then we went and
visited antonio, one of our investigators who had bought pop and cake for us,
then we went again to the Gameros family who gave us ice cream and candy
then when we got home my companion and our pensionista had planned a big
surprise birthday party with the ward and our investigators without me knowing!
It was so cute!!! now can you see why i felt so loved?? i have the best companion
and ward and friends here in Graficos and they made my birthday so great!! I
dont think ill ever forget my 21st birthday her in peru, serving my savior and
the prople here in Arequipa(:
Thursday we got good and bad news.. Nancy and her 2
daughters told us they wanted to wait until march to get baptized so their
grandparents could be here.. BUT we met with Jaquelyn, who we met on sunday and
she told us she wanted to be baptized... that saturday.. (: Her twin and her
moved her a couple weeks ago but had been assisting in another city for about 5
months, her twin was baptized before they moved but she wanted to wait til they
got her.. what i miracle! Also the mom of Fabricio finally let us in her house
to teach her!!! were excited about that(:
Friday we got to help our pensionista Hna Debbie go to the
market and buy the food for this month.. that place reminded me that im in
peru(: they sell fruit and vegetables in huge boxes and there is sooo much!!!!
ill have to take a picture one day! But yeah, we are eating gourmet here, she
is such a good cook and knows what we as missionaries like because she was in
our shoes,, so no more worrying about food(: now were going to start worrying
about me getting fat(: haha
Saturday we had Fernandos baptism! It went really good even
though there was hardly anyone there, and his testimony was so good!!!
Sunday we ended up having Jaquelyns baptism because her mom
could only be in town that day but it was awesome!!! we had a ton of the ward
there and yeah, it was perfect! (: Then we met with Nancy and her family and
they said they didnt want to wait until march.. they want to be baptized this
saturday.. but theres just one problem.. we found out their not married.. .so
guess what.. im planning another wedding!!!! YAAYYY(: no im actually really
excited to help them! were going today to look into everything they need to see
if its possible to do it this week or the next! So as you can see were FULL
with work here in Graficos and we love it! (: Although at the begining of the
week i was feeling way overwhelmed with all the things we have to do.. hna
robinson helped me so much and she shared this scripture that i wanted to share
with you all..
14 And I will also ease the aburdens which
are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs,
even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand asbwitnesses for
me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit
my people in their cafflictions.
15 And now it
came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were
made light; yea, the Lord didastrengthen them
that they could bear up their bburdens with
ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with cpatience to
all the will of the Lord.
16 And it came
to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the
Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will
deliver you out of bondage.
I kept telling myself when this week is over well get a little
break.. or when this transfer ends ill get to rest a bit or when i finish my
mission life will be easier or when im married ill be able to relax.. but i
know that thats not true. We will always have something to be doing or be
worried about. we will always have challenges and difficulties that we have to
overcome.. we will be tried and tested and tried and tested all throughout our
lives to show our faith and confidence in the Lord. THe only way we can feel
peace and comfort no matter what comes our way is if we give our burdons to the
Savior.. Let him take them from us.. he has already paid the debt.. all we have
to do is turn to him... "submit cheerfully and with patience to ALL the
will of the Lord. " The only one who can help us when we feel overwhelmed
or discouraged is our Heavenly Father and Saviour Jesus Christ. Turn to
him.. Let him help you and be "patient in thy afflictions" He loves
us and wants us to be happy and at peace(: heres some parts from the talk
" iwill not fail thee, nor forsake thee" by president Thomas S Monson
The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the
fulness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled
and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer. The reason? They have
made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This is what will
pull us through whatever comes our way. We will still experience difficult
challenges, but we will be able to face them, to meet them head-on, and to
emerge victorious.From the bed of pain, from the pillow wet with tears, we are
lifted heavenward by that divine assurance and precious promise: “I will not
fail thee, nor forsake thee.”7 Such
comfort is priceless.
We know that there are times
when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we
may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for
the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and
to become something different from what we were—better than we were, more
understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger
testimonies than we had before.
This should be our purpose—to
persevere and endure, yes, but also to become more spiritually refined as we
make our way through sunshine and sorrow. Were it not for challenges to
overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are, with little or
no progress toward our goal of eternal life. The poet expressed much the same
thought in these words:
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and
our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone
touches our tortured souls with His comforting words:“Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.“Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”9Whether it is the
best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has promised that this
will never change.My brothers and sisters, may we have a commitment to our
Heavenly Father that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our
lives. We should not need to experience difficulties for us to remember Him,
and we should not be driven to humility before giving Him our faith and
trust.May we ever strive to be close to our Heavenly Father. To do so, we must
pray to Him and listen to Him every day. We truly need Him every hour, whether
they be hours of sunshine or of rain. May His promise ever be our watchword: “I
will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”10With all the
strength of my soul, I testify that God lives and loves us, that His Only
Begotten Son lived and died for us, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is that
penetrating light which shines through the darkness of our lives.
Hermana Weller(:
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