The week in which I left Famesa...

So hello from Miramar. so. I moved. and it was way sad. Missions are kinda nuts. Last Monday night when I found out I was so sad. Seriously I couldn't even stop crying. mostly because I didn't want to leave hna Alonso and the family we were teaching. But then Tuesday, cambios were the best- Basically there were only two areas that I wanted to go to and one of them didn't have changes. So there was only one place I wanted to go in our mission. So there we are sitting in cambios and I'm just praying so hard to go to pt piedra. but so hard. And they start calling out the cambios for that zone, and I just knew it. I knew I was going to go there. and I did. It was the best. hahah I was sooo happy.

So now I am in Miramar with hermana Gutierrez. She's from Ecuador, she is beautiful and she is THE BEST. ha we were sooo excited in cambios. but really. there was just too much happiness to contain.

It's crazy how much everything changes in one day. packking was a little rough not gonna lie, but totally worth it. I love it here so much. I feel very overwhelmed because our area is sooooo huge but it is also so awesome. And there are six of us missionaries here in our ward. (because it's the best) and sidenote one of them is josh's friend, elder johnson. We are both from south jordan so that's what's up. #revelation

So basically i love it here so much. and we got right to work. This last week watched gen conf... you know us peruvians, we are just a little behind the times. But we had to watch it all in spanish because it wasn't live so we couldn't hook up a tv to be in english, which was kinda sorta a bummer. The translated version just isn't the same. Although I loved President Packers talk. That one seriously made conference for me. But it was cool sunday, we were talking after with one of our investigators who came and he said how he liked what the president said about following christ and being baptized and how he was excited to take that path in his life and change. Thank you President Monson. You are the man.

But really, follow the prophets, they know the way. and that is why I love this gospel

So you know life is good! have a great week! les quiero

 xoxox

hermana degn

 p.s. yo y hna alonso

y despues yo y hna gutierrez

 

 Bye Hermana Alonso!

 

Hello Hermana Gutierrez!

 

 

 

General Conference? nope.

So not gonna lie, I haven't even heard women's conference yet. so General Conference was just too much to hope for. ha. but one of these day's we'll get it I think.

Sunday was elections day so we didn't even have church. Which makes me feel all out of sorts and like the week didn't even end buut here I am so I guess that's what's up. and this week we are going to have stake conference which will be fun, we'll see how that goes,

 

But this week was still awesome because we are teaching the best family ever! Cesar, Maria, Ornella, and Luciana. (luci turned seven this last week. ah sooo close to eight!hahah) but they all came to church this last week and they are literally the best. we had a lesson with them and Cesar prayed at the end that everything would go well the first of November at their baptism. #tearjerker

And we taught them fasting and they thought we had to fast every Sunday. and they said they would do it and then at the end it was like hey wait you only have to do it once a month and they laughed like ah really que facilito, haha they are too golden,

Also this week I discovered microwave eggs. my life has been made. Breakfast just got a whooooole lot better. Let's just say that I am living the life and when I can just eat a bowl of cereal again, wow, that will be the day. but until then I am loving scrambled eggs from the microwave. haha

Well, I sure love you all! until next week.

 

Also this week we did tons of random service projects.... like chopping wood with machetes. ha it was sweet. we did another one too where we took out nails of wood that was probably 50 years old. it was painful. I couldn't straighten my hand after for a solid hour, ha, and they turned out to be barrachos ha........ but it makes a good story.

 

Nos vemos allá

les quiero!

hermana degn

 

 

How to eat fried worms...

Letter from September 29, 2014

 

So this week was packed. So much happened, and at the same time nothing happened. but really this week was packed. so first off Nelly.

Back story is that this was the last week to baptize for the month (obvio) but also for the cambio so we went lights out looking for someone to baptize Saturday and literally saw miracle after miracle. One of them being Nelly. An 80 year old woman who reminds me so much of Grandma Suzy. I think they are long lost soul sisters. Anyways, we found her Thursday and talked her in to getting baptized Sunday. ha she is a real hoot. She had tried getting baptized before buuuut couldn't do it so we tried it agin. With the same results unfortunately but man did we see miracles trying to get her to the font and giving our all to this work and to the Lord.
She is a fireball and after we celebrated with cake and kept telling her that the third time's the charm. So, we are going to try again the 25th. Hopefully, with better results then.

Sunday morning we were crazy stressed with trying to heat the font, going to her house to pick her up etc. etc. that we had no time to go and bring our investigators to church. and I was really so frustrated because we worked so hard this week! En serio! there was one day we left to proselyte at 8:30 in the morning! we are working more than 12 hours a day! and I just felt frustated that we were working so hard and nothing was coming out of it. But then, our cute family that we had found Saturday came to church! They also committed to be baptized for the first of November- We really just had soo many tender mercies of the Lord.

Ha we also commited someone on Tuesday to be baptized Saturday (he accepted) and then totally tried to avoid us! hahah so we literally stalked his house ALL day Saturday. no lie. haha We just sat out there and waited for his sister to come home, and then changed his baptisimal date because he wants to wait. But I feel like it was a good strategy.

haha Hna alonso and I have no shame and are sharing this message with everyone, and the Lord sure is blessing us as we do it!

les quiero!

Hermana Degn

 Our cute little lady friend enjoying cake!

 

 Fried worms...ick!

 I can't believe I ate this!...

...tastes like chicken.

The week in which we went to the beach...

So the annua service project of Clean the Beaches in Perú was a real hit. This year I think I took more pictures than cleaned but I still cleaned. and picked up lots of dead animals to group them together which was gross. but still a quality service project and we got to meet up with other fun missionary friends. All in all, it was a win-win situation.

We also had an awesome lesson with Chrismar who is going to get baptized to 18 with his mom. They are so funny. We live out of the city but it's still a city. just ugly and dirtier with more houses. and they live right smash in the middle of the main road of our area only with 7 dogs, four cats a ton of ducks, chickens and cuis. It is random. but they are really good people. anyways we finally taught more about Joseph Smith and asked him a question about if he had ever felt confused. he told us that he has always wondered about if there is a life after this and all that stuff so it was cool to see that we have really been able to teach people who are prepared and who are looking for the answers to questions of the soul.

We also taught a family in which the dad is Athiest. And it was such an interesting lesson. I felt like all of the questions that he had the answers are in the Book of Mormon but he has decided to not believe in God because no one has the answers. and even though it is going to be hard to get him to have faith again, it was a really cool lesson in which we really tried to help him see how real God is in his life. It was so interesting because it was also the first time in my whole mission that I have taught someone who wasn't catholic, so we really had to change how we taught.

Anyways. our week was great! we went and cleaned the beach, got lost #typical and met up with other missionaries and had a great time haha. and took plenty of pictures and made a cool video that sorry you'll have to wait another five months to see hahah!

 Have fun travelling the world! send me lots of pictures and postcards!

les quiero!

Sista degn

 We love cleaning the beach!!! Yay!!!

Love being a missionary in Peru!

So just a quick email to tell ya'll how our week went! it was good! definitely one of the harder weeks on my mission. We had two days that were so hard and we went through so much rejection and opposition. But I think the Lord was just helping us to get back on track with our focus to find families. and we had gotten off of that a little bit and have been now since that refocusing on what our purpose is to help families accept this gospel and become eternal.

So even though we had some rough days they were also filled with funny moments and small miracles. even if said miracles had nothing to do with missionary work haha. one day we left a house and I realized that I had lost my jacket, and I just got really sad a little worried because I knew that in 30ish minutes it was going to be really cold and we didn't have time to go back to the apartment and then we just kept walking around and contacting and went by a part of our area that we had been in earlier and found my jacket there on the side of the road. and I couldn't believe that it hadn't been stolen. so that was nice.

Anyways we are just working as hard as we can to find people to teach and then teach them according to their needs so that they can realize the great blessings that they can have.

 

But Sunday was oh sooo sweet because Angel blessed the sacrament for the first time and recieved a calling and it was so cool. He has just become a changed man since his baptism. Even though he had some hard experiences the other week and has been through a lot. The happiness that he has right now in his life is soooo contagious. I am serious. It really is so special to feel this pure joy to be a part in this work but even more than that to see others feel this joy too. I sure love this gospel.

 

So that you don't think that I don't laugh anymore...........

 

Hna Alonso and I practice magic tricks when we have to walk far to get to an appointment and I've got some killer tricks for you. We are also turning into expert stalkers even with the people who don't want to talk to us. ha look out rm's when I get back to byu hahah because I know how to find out where you live hahaha jk we are not that creepy. but almost.

ha just know that I am doing so great and that I am so glad that I can be a missionary here in perú!

 

have a great week!"

love,

 

hna degn

 

 So adorable!  Blowing a Birthday kiss to my mom!

Thanks Hannah!!!!

 

So, this was a good week

Hello. Things went great this week! We had some interesting things happen. The best thing was that Victor got baptized! It was awesome because I have been teaching him for forever! his whole family are members but he's been soo set on not getting baptized. and then the week before hna barahona left he finally commited and took out his earrings and started really reading in the Book of Mormon and it was soo cool! It was so cute when he bore his testimony after and the baptismal service was really spiritual (which is SUCH a feat) I´m serious! but hna alonso and I put it together nicely. It was a great Saturday!

It was kinda sad because Oscar failed his baptismal interviews. turns out he's an escaped convict kinda deal and all his documents are false. #24601. So now he's just turned into a bit of an eternal investigator and we'll see what happens. he told us he'd do his best to get his parol stuff legalized so that he can get baptized. only that's not a real near future thing. hahah He really is awesome though. so maybe down the line..... so shawshake redemption. only lds version.

 

Right other higlights hna alonso is the best, our area is the best, our investgators are the best, our ward is the best, our mission is the best. hahah things are really rolling here.we had some amazing lessons last week that really left me blown away by the spirit and what we can do to teach with it.

 

Also there were a ton of catholic parties yesterday and everyone was drunk dancing in front of their huge saint statues! ha, pictures to come!

 

Les quiero!

Hermana Degn

 

 

Work...September 1, 2014

So this week has flown by. My new companion is hna Alonso. and she is the BEST! but for reals. working with her this past week has been the best week of my whole mission. We had a great time and we saw some real progress in our investigators as well as a lot of moments where things just happened. We are just losing ourselves in the work and then at night party it up. hahah kinda sorta.

 

So hna Alonso is also from Honduras and she is amazing. really. but I only have ten minutes left so I will save my love story about her until next week and tell you about me week. We had a super super intense lesson with Oscar in which he told us he wanted to wait until DECEMBER to get baptized. umm no, I don't think so. So we went into beast mode and the lesson was so intense, basically we just kept saying no no no you have to get baptized the 6th and I basically thought he was going to kick us off. and then the member we were with just told him don't lose your time, you'll be condemned and then the spirit was there and we invited him again and he just told us he couldn't say no. It was so intense, and powerful, and insanely cool. So now he is scared to get baptized on any other day hahah

Also we had a mission conference (with the half of the mission that is in Lima) and we went to lima norte to hear from Obispo Davies (of the presiding bishopric) that was so cool. Basically we got to hear the testimony of presidente Uceda. who is the president of our area. he is from Perú and we were in the church where he got baptized (sidenote it also happens to be the only church I have ever SEEN that isn't gated..... ha I didn't quite know what to think) (other sidenote we also were a long way away from our mission #fieldtrip #pitucaso) Basically I have never felt the spirit so strongly as I did when he bore his testimony and challenged us to be like HIS missionaries. supposedly we were going to have this conference with Elder Christofferson or Anderson but being there with President Uceda was one of the most spritual moments of my life where he taught us how as a missionary we need to give our investigators a fair chance to gain their own testimony. It was incredible listening to him. I didn't want it to end. And that is short was my week! i loved it, i love hna alonso, and i love being a special witness to my savior Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and I know that he works through his living profets. and I am grateful that every single day I have the great blessing of testifing of his great work.

les quiero!

hna degn

 

 Classic.