7/14/14 Pictures!

View from the Office in Arequipa! 

All the girls in Arequipa! 

 

sometimes you find weird things hiking in Peru.. 

Dead Cuy.. 

Just for Yvonne..yoga!

7/14/14 email!

From: Camille Weller [mailto:camille.weller@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2014 11:49 AM
To: Melissa Wheatley;
Subject: Dead Cuy.

 

Well this week was a great one! im glad that the world cup is over so that we can start teaching men again... haha also one of our zone leaders made a pretty funny comment, he said that we shouldnt care that we lost the world cup because were back to back world war champions. haha I love my country. (: 

Well pday was fun, we decided to jump on a random van and go where ever it takes us, we ended up in Ichupampa a little town about 20 minutes from chivay... its pretty much a ghost town, but we still made it fun. and even found a dead cuy.... should have taken it home to eat. haha 

We had FHE at a less actives house and had a really cool lesson about God and our relationship with Him. We did a little activity thing where two people stood up, one of them was God and the other was us. We talked about how each time we make a mistake or sin that God doesnt move but that we ourselves take a step away from Him.. and throughout the week we move further away from Him little by little, and it is harder for us to hear or understand the spirit when we arent close to our Heavenly Father... But that each sunday we have the chance to eliminate the space between us and Him when we partake of the Sacrament and truly repent. It was cool to see the reaction of the less actives that were there and to see the spirit working in them... and yesterday they were all at church(: also reminds me of a scripture i used a lot this week in teaching about the atonement and repentance.. 

D&C 58:42" Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more."

Tuesday we headed to Arequipa, that night we helped plan the sisters conference that were going to have in August and then we got to go eat at TGI fridays and have a sleepover with some other sisters at the mission home, it was a pretty fun night and good to just talk and be together as sistaaass!

Wednesday we had our conference/counsel with our zone and it was super good! we learned a lot about how to have success and also about trust. The trust we have in our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the trust that He has in us. And about how we need to focus on rescuing the less actives here in Peru.. also there was an earthquake in the middle of it that was pretty scary but nothing happened. haha

Thursday we had an awesome lesson with Brenda and her friend Carla, We taught them about the atonement and about the importance of baptism and Carla decided that she wants to be baptized so were hoping they can get baptized together before Brenda leaves. I wish i could have recorded Carlas response when i asked her if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized.. i barely made it through the sentance before she said yes with the biggest smile on her face. We also had a really cool moment where brenda was sad that her dad wont give her permision and so we told her how many people are praying for her to be able to be baptized.. we were all in tears but i know that her knowing that has given her more hope and faith to keep trying... man i love that girl and hope that all of our prayers will get to her dads heart soon (:

Friday our branch activity didnt really work out... i guess a service activity doesnt really draw in the big crouds.. haha But saturday we taught the Relief Society how to make pancakes and that turned out pretty good (: haha

Sunday was a really cool day at church. The elders had given Victor some white shirts and ties and he got to bless the Sacrament! It was soo cool to see him do that and see him progress even more in the church. We also had a lot of less actives come and it was cool to see some diferent people in the little chapel. Then that night we had another member ask us to come teach her how to make pancakes.... ive never eaten so many pancakes in my life!!!!!! 

So basically were just trying to do all we can here, me and Hna Stone might only have 3 weeks left here together and then were not sure whats going to happen, we know president is thinking of only having the elders here so if that happens im not sure where ill be going for my last transfer but that just makes it more interesting i guess(:

We can definately use some prayers towards the parents here in chivay.. another one of our investigators, Qussayns mom doesnt want to give permision for him to get baptized either... but sometimes i think we just need to keep working and trying and if it doenst work out, then were planting seeds for other missionaries in the future and thats okay. (: 

One thing i learned this week is that usually when we are unhappy or discouraged or frusterated its because were only thinking of ourselves... when we think of others before ourselves and focus on their needs we will become so much happier. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospels, the same shall save it." Mark 8:34-35 i promise that if you try to forget about yourself and focus on what you can do to make someones life easier or make someone smile you will feel so much happier and the Lord will bless your life. 

i love this work.. i love being a missionary and even though i have so much to work on and to better i know that even with my weaknesses i can be an instrament in the hands of the lord..D&C 1:23 "That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by theweak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kingsand rulers."

Well i hope everyone has a great week!! i love you all!! also one more random thought... Dont sleep through the Restoration!! (: i read that talk and loved it so i attatched it and now all of you can read it!

Chaoooooooo (:

Hermana Weller <3

 

 

7/7/14 Pictures

Fourth of July Branch BBQ! 

Missing our beautiful country!! 

Proud to be Americans! 

Happy Birthday Brenda!! Love that firl! 

Winners! 

Love my comp! 

President Hulet and the branch builders. 

Perfect representation of our new district here in Chivay!

7/7/14 Email

From: Camille Weller [mailto:camille.weller@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2014 11:44 AM
To: Melissa Wheatley;
Subject: Happy Late 4th of July!!! God bless America(:

 Wow did i miss my country this week (: You could definately say im proud to be an American... but then again i do love my peruvians...so you could also say my hearts a little confused (: Also happy late birthday to CHLOE and happy birthday week to my mama(: Last birthday youll have to have without me there (: what are you 25 now??? haha

Anyways this week was..... wait for it... another awesome week (: is there truly ever a bad week in the mission??? i dont think so (: Ill just go through the hightlights today instead of boring you all with the day to day (: 

Monday we had THE BEST family home evening of my life. We are trying to have it each week at a different members house and this week we did it at cecillia and elisbans house, the cutest 75 year olds in the world.. when we got there they were already sleeping.. but woke up.. troopers. haha we had a little lesson and then everyone showed up and we played that game where you cant show your teeth and have to say something to the person next to you.. this time the word was "terradactoral" and then that person had to do a dinosaur noise back at them haha the two oldies were the most hilarious thing ive ever seen going back and forth... it was just one of those moments where i realized  how happy i am to be here and how much i love the mission and being in Peru. Best night ever. 

Wednesday we had kareoke for mutual but only 2 young woman came so we all just ended up doing a bunch of songs and most of them were in spanish and we didnt know the tone or beat which turned out really funny. We did have a good lesson about talents and sharing the talents we have. 

Friday we had a killer 4th of July BBQ with the branch up here, we had an american flag, american music and me and hermana stone even did a sweet duet rendition of "God bless the USA"... one day you´ll all see that blessed video (: The activity turned out super well though, lots of members came with non member friends and family members and we  had some less actives come that havent been to church in forever. We talked about how the restoration happened in the states and why it happened there. Plus we had super yummy hamburgers and french fries.. cant beat a good hamburger on the fourth of July. 

Sunday we had testimony meeting and this time only 3 missionaries had the chance to bear their testimonies because the members were just getting up there, Victor even got up and bore his testimony and it seemed as though he had been a member his whole life. It was awesome. He bore his testimony about the Book of Mormon and how his whole life he studied the Bible but still had lots of questions but as he reads the two books together he finds the answers and said that the two together just make everything make sense. Something really cool for me because ive never really read the Bible super in depth and love to see the truth between the two sacred books. 

One day in our studies i found a scripture for one of our investigators...  Jacob 2:18 "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God." and then Hna Stone shared a talk that she read called "Where your treasure is" by Elder Michael John U. Teh from last general conference and it went right along with that scripture. That whole talk is amazing and such a good reminder of what is important in this life and what isnt.. a lot of times us missionaries ask ourselves or eachother "why dont they get it??" why dont the members and people get that nothing on this earth is more important than the Gospel? that instead of spending their money on other things, if they just paid their tithing they will recieve a million times more blessings.. that giving up 3 hours on sunday to go to church doesnt compare to what God has already given us and the 165 hours that we have to ourselves the rest of the week. Anyways that talk tied right in with that.. heres some quotes..

Out of necessity, most of us are involved in earning money and acquiring some of the world’s goods to be able to sustain our families. It requires a good part of our time and attention. There is no end to what the world has to offer, so it is critical that we learn to recognize when we have enough. If we are not careful, we will begin to chase after the temporal more than the spiritual. Our pursuit for the spiritual and eternal will then take a backseat, instead of the other way around. Sadly, there appears to be a strong inclination to acquire more and more and to own the latest and the most sophisticated.
 I hope none of us spend money for that which is of no worth nor labor for that which does not satisfy.
We all know that our list of earthly treasures consists of pride, wealth, material things, power, and the honors of men. They do not merit any more time and attention, so I will focus instead on the things that will constitute our treasures in heaven.
What are some treasures in heaven that we can lay up for ourselves? For starters, it will be well for us to acquire the Christlike attributes of faith, hope, humility, and charity. We have been counseled repeatedly to “[put] off the natural man and … [become] as a child.”5 The Savior’s admonition is for us to strive to be perfect like Him and our Heavenly Father.6
Second, we need to put more quality time and effort into strengthening family relationships.

After all, “the family is ordained of God. It is the most important unit in time and in eternity.”7
Third, serving others is a hallmark of a true follower of Christ. He said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”8

Fourth, understanding the doctrine of Christ and strengthening our testimony is a labor that will bring real joy and satisfaction. We need to consistently study the words of Christ as found in the scriptures and the words of living prophets. “For behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”9

Sorry for the huge quotes its just something i know that is hard for me and probably others... to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” and i thought it was cool that we were both reminded of that in our studies. 

Well a little update on the work here, we have a new investigator, Vilma whose cousin is a member, she is so awesome, she comes to all the activities and said the only reason she didnt come before was because her mom really doesnt like the church. We´ve already grown to love her so much and im excited to help her learn and grow. Also her cousin(the one thats the member) parents are planning on getting their papers so they can get married at the end of the month... something we´ve been waiting for pretty much since we got here, so pray for them! The place they have to go to get them is a day and a half trip in van.... talk about sacrifice! We also got an investigator from the elders that left last week.. his name is Qussayn ( ku-sai-yn) and he is the cutest little 10 year old ever. Love him. Plus his older sister is a less active so were hoping to help them both and their mom all at once (: This week was kind of a rough one with Brenda.. we had a lesson with her and her mom and i ended up in tears telling them how much i love their family and am sad that theyre moving... We still havent seen much progress with her dad which also breaks my heart. but she told us last night that shes going to talk to him today... keep praying for miracles (: So thats where were at right now! Elder Boyd is our new District leader and has helped us a ton with our goals we also have a lot of things planned this week to get some new investigators!(:

I am so amazed at the love that my companion has and that i have grown to have for this work. I remember asking RM´s what the mission is like, or what the hardest thing was for them, or if they ate anything gross haha and all i really remember is them saying that it would be hard but it would be worth it .. I dont thing anyone really understands that until they live it. Words cant describe the struggles missionaries go through.. homesickness, language dificulties, non progressing investigators, and the physical and emotional challenges of the work.... but all of those, along with the struggles at 10:30 prayer time do not even compare to the Joy that doing the work of the Lord along side him brings. Words cant describe the pure happiness that comes from helping others come closer to their Savior Jesus Christ and overcome personal challenges through his help.. and through helping them, overcoming personal weaknesses and selfishness as a missionary..  i love this work, more than anything i´ve ever done. Missions are the best. (:

I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July and that everyone is healthy and happy! Love you all! (:

Hermana Weller 

 

6/30/14 Pictures

Chivay! 

Lunch is served... 

'

those who came to say goodbye! 

Family night with the branch! 

Ready to ease some yummy cuy! 

llama kisses...yum! 

saying goodbye to Elder Galarza! 

All of us at church on Sunday!! Love this branch! 

Happy Birthday Elder Boyd!! 

trying to hide my excitment..haha! 

Que RICO(: 

Festival of Chivay! 

Rueben..ourfavorite Joven! 

Snap back power! 

 

Cuy handshake haha

6/30/2014 Email

From: Camille Weller [mailto:camille.weller@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 12:15 PM
To: Melissa Wheatley;

Subject: 15 months!

 

This week was so awesome!!! I feel like we worked really hard and i felt like the spirit really guided us and helped us to overcome our weaknesses and work our hardest. We also hit our 15 month mark and it really hit us both and made us realize how much we love our missions and how happy we are to be here. lets see what happened this week... 

monday we had family home evening and it turned out so good! we talked about the work of salvation and the importance of missionary work and members participating in missionary work. "Every member a missionary" It was cool because there were 3 young men that should be out on misisons right now and after everyone left we got to have a nice little convo with them about going on a mission. they of course had excuses but we made it clear that all able men should serve missions.. that that is a commandment and that God doesnt give us commandments that we cant fulfill. we also all got to share our testimonies of how much we love being on missions and the blessings we have seen. it was a cool little side lesson. 

Tuesday hna stone was super sick and we were in the room most of the day but it gave me a chance to study and read a ton. plus the elders made mac and cheese for boyds birthday and shared with us.. and we left the room for a bit for elder boyds little birthday party which was fun.  i also finally finished "Jesus the Christ" i cant tell you how much i have grown to love that book. i learned so much and i know that if anyone wants to learn more about Christ and feel closer to him should read and study it. 

Wednesday was a really good day. we got some new investigators who are legit. we had a cool mutual night and talked about music and how we should listen to good uplifting music, we taught them how to lead the hymns and then practiced a musical number for sunday. we also read the introduction to the hymn book which i didnt even know existed.. you´ll have to go read it if you havent. its great. That night on the way home we were both so tired and cold but decided to visit victor.. when we went in he looked more tired than us and still had a ton to do in the restaurant.. including a full sink of dishes to do... so we decided to help and clean the dishes.. i really felt the truth of the saying "The only way to feel better when your tired or discouraged is to help someone who is more tired or discouraged than you are."service has become one of my favorite things to search for and do here on the misson.. mostly because i know it is what the Lord would do if he were here. 

Thursday we had weekly planning and then that night we got to watch the restoration movie with brenda and some other investigators of the elders up at the church. I have gained such a love and respect for Joseph Smith and for all that he did for the building up of the true church. everytime i watch that movie i know that its all true.. He was truly a prophet of God. D&C 135:3 says it better than i can... 

 3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!

 

This week i also accidentally finished the whole book "our heritage".. every spare minute i had i was nose first in that book. I love reading about all of the trials and difficulties that the early members went through and the amazing faith that they had.. It gives me the strength and courage to face the much smaller challenges that we are faced with in our times. Loved that book, and now im working on reading "our search for happiness".

Friday we had lunch with Victor, and then that night we had our weekly branch activity which was "noche de comidas" we had everyone bring their favorite plate and we made pancakes with fat sauce, and then we all shared. But ive got to be honest the pancakes definately won.. the relief society president kept butting the line just to grab more haha it was pretty funny. We also had a little goodbye party for elder Galarza who was not only leaving chivay but was ending his mission. Its so hard to listen to missionaries that are going home and ending this amazing journey.. you can just feel the love they have for the work and how sad they are for it to end.. but it also helps us to realize how important each day is here and that we need to do all we can in this short time. 

Saturday morning we got a call from one of the moms of a young man in our branch and she wanted us to come over and help her... when we got there it turned into a little intervention for her son who hadnt been doing the right things lately and she really wants him to go on a mission.. we explained that we arent his parents nor do we have any right to council them but that we wanted to help in whatever way we could. We ended up having a great conversation with the both of them and shared a lot of scriptures and personal experiences.. we also again.. got to share our testimonies of the joys and blessings of serving a mission.. which we love doing. (: That night we cleaned the church and had movie night with all the kids and a Relief society activity. 

Sunday was awesome! we had 36 people at sacrament meeting and more that came after. The most yet!!! The youth did their musical number which was so good, and 2 of the 3 talks were from members and not missionaries! Were really moving up here!! (: We also had 12 little kids in our primary class which made it super fun... haha Then the third hour we talked to the youth and the parents together and invited them to sit down as a family and set goals, both as parents and as children. then on the way home we had another mom stop us and wanted us to come in and talk with her and her son.. It was another moment where she basically cried and told us all the things he was doing wrong and what she wants for him... Its been a rough week here with the group of young men that are in our branch.. its hard because we know that they are the future of the branch and that they need to start straightening out.. but its also hard because i know that the change has to start with them.. they have to want to be better and want to change or its just not going to happen.. we or their parents cant do much more than just love them and teach them whats right. Ive been in their shoes, and been on the wrong path and know that its also not as easy as it sounds to change but that it is possible with the help of our savior. I hope that they can realize thier potential and make the changes they need to to get out there on missions. We had lunch with Hna Mariella and then she made us make pancakes again for her.. shes the RS president that kept going back for more... i think maybe we should start making pancakes for our investigators to keep them coming back for more(: haha 

This week we´ve found some new investigators and we had a less active we´ve been working with come to church on sunday. We got some bad news that Brenda and her family are moving away at the end of this month.. so were really hoping that will be the push her dad needs to let her get baptized.  i really loved this week, we had transfers on sunday and they took out 2 elders that were here so now its just us sisters and 2 other elders.. and were all white... greengo power haha this is also hna stones last transfer so were really excited to just work ourselves to the ground(: Ive started reading Preach my Gospel cover to cover and am loving it! Ive used it my whole mission but now it has a different light to it and im learning so much that i can put into practice in my last two transfers (: on the first page it has a letter from the first presidency and this is my favorite part of it...

"The Lord will reward and richly bless you as you humbly and prayerfully serve Him. More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among His children."

I can honestly say that i have never been this happy in my life. i know that that statement is true.. and that the most happiness that we can find is when we serve the Lord and labor among His children. Missionary work is so important and is something i plan on doing as long as i am able. i love this work, and i love being a missionary. 

Thank you all for all of your love and support! keep the missionary work alive at home!! (: 

Con mucho amor y respeto,

Hermana Weller (:

ohhh and we got invited to a pretty rico guinne pig lunch.. CUY all the way(:

6/23/2014 Pictures

Llama in the street...normal 

My new best friend...love the people of Peru! 

Instead of strainers..they use air! Saawweettt! 

and then we are it..yum! 

cool trampoline tent they put in the park, we always

do our exercises..perfect!! 

Elder Hulet and his friends.. 

 

Peppers in papa johns! 

Go Peruuuuu 

day after the big party... 

we found Mickey  Mouse!!! 

Parade...Peru flag... 

then the flag of Chivay... 

Julias Baptism! 

Feliz dia Julia!! 

helping pull off corn..fun! 

cutest little boy ever! 

isnt his face the cutest!!