"The weather has been getting so much nicer, and it's great! I'm a little sad I missed winter, but at the same time, I didn't want to have to walk in the snow anymore. So on Wednesday H Moberly (my mom) got to go with her last companion (my sister) to the temple with their convert Rolondo! They said it was so fun and that he was just glowing the whole day. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him. But I did get to spend a little bit if the day with H Evans (my niece) and then go on splits with the sister trainers. I went with H Christensen, and she is so funny! We were out knocking doors and there was a random rooster in the middle of the apartment complex. We just laughed. I can't wait to get to know more of the Hermanas, H Moberly and I feel so lonely because we don't get to spend a lot of time with the other hermanas in our district. :( So we had a scary thing happen this week, we weren't able to visit Haidy on Tuesday because she was having a bad day and she didn't want us to come over. Then on Thursday we knocked on her door and nobody answered, we got really nervous that something happened and she didn't want us to see her anymore. We tried calling her a few times, but her phone had been disconnected! We tried to see her again and we finally saw her! She just had a bad week and didn't want to see anyone, and her phone broke so that's why it wasn't working. She is still golden and can't wait to learn more. She however can't get baptized on the 28th because she didn't come to church this week, but it will be soon! So...the fish story...we went to a part member family's house, the Guzmans. They are so great, the missionaries have been visiting with them for a LONG time and they love us, they just don't want to get baptized just yet. Well, actually Mauricio, the 9 year old, does, but he plays soccer on Sunday's and doesn't come to church, so he can't yet. So after we had visited them and acted out the story of Nefi getting the gold plates with the kids, they asked us if we wanted dinner. We said yes, and then they said "good, we are having fish!" I was suddenly not hungry at all. HOWEVER, it was not too bad. I thought I would have to shove it in a plastic bag or something, but I didn't need to. The texture was nasty, and I had to do a lot of swallowing without chewing, but the flavor was not bad! It was called pescado con coco, it was tallapia. So thankfully it was the most mild fish flavor with a really good sauce and lots of rice! And thankfully it was a human sized portion too, and not enough food to feed a village in Africa! Oh also, I had Inka Cola, which is a Peruvian soda that smells like bubblegum, I like it! The members are great, and are so nice! I definitely am starting to figure out why dealing with people's agency can get annoying. I wish everyone could understand how important this message is! And if they do understand, why don't they go to church! We are working with lots of less actives and part member families too. Most families here are like that. Oh so we got our new iPads they are exactly the same, but we can download duolingo, quizlet, and google translate, so that makes language study more fun! I might need you to buy me a new iPad case. Also we NEED new music on CDs for the car. Oh I also had to drive the day we did splits!! It was terrifying, but we are alive so it was good. I got to drive Rico Suave (the name of H Evans/Petit's car) H Moberly and I named our car El Guapo. It's been a slow week for the work for us, we only had 8 lessons the whole week! But it will get better! H Moberly and I have lots of fun anyway. Love you!" H Peabody Ashley is having a great time with her companion Hermana Moberly but was so happy to see Hermana Evans again for a short time this week. Ashley asks for prayers to be able to learn and speak the language better. She also got to drive this week--not her favorite thing to do in unknown territory, but she did great and they are still alive! Ashley got her new iPad mini since she is in one of the official "tech" missions. She uses it for everything and is grateful to have it. She will also be receiving some MUCH NEEDED stationery from her mom this next week-- since the last letter she sent us was on a sad little piece of paper! Ashley got some gift cards from Lisa Sipple and thanks her very much--soon Ashley will have the appropriate stationery to write those beloved "thank you notes!" Above: Hermana Peabody and Hermana Moberly!
Below: Hermana Peabody and Hermana Evans! "Saturday was my two month mark for being a missionary, yay! It has
gone by so slow and so fast, it's weird. LOTS happened this week, so I will give the most exciting news first... The first day I was telling you about that we had to walk in the snow we met a girl Haidy while we were shoveling her driveway, she is 17 years old. We have been meeting with her ever since, she is awesome! Our first lesson we got to know her and she said that religion has totally changed her life, and she loves God. She goes to a different church, but she let us meet with her anyway. The second visit with her we taught the restoration of the gospel. When we told her that we have a loving prophet today just like in the Bible, her mind was blown! She ate it all up, she loves it and wants to know more. Our second visit we finished teaching the restoration and asked her if she wanted to be baptized on the 28th, she hesitated and said she has always been nervous to be baptized, but she understood that we have the proper authority to baptize, so she said yes!!! She told us that she felt like she had to say yes and that when she did, a wave went through her body. We obviously told her that it was the Holy Ghost testifying to her that she was making the right decision. She said she always feels something when we come over, I'm so glad that the Holy Ghost is a perfect teacher even when we are not. Anyway, our next visit we taught her about the plan of salvation and she loved everything, her mind was blown again! She is so prepared, we asked her all the baptismal questions that apply to her so far and she answered yes to all of them so fast. However we took her to church with us and she didn't really like it...she said the sermons were good but that it was boring. She is used to worshiping loud and standing up and singing loud in her church, she is super invested in her church. But I believe that she will see the importance of church and be willing to give up her "fun church". Also her mom was not too happy about her choice to get baptized, so we will see what happens. (PS she speaks English, so I can actually talk to her) Next, I had my first day where we had two dinners in a row, that was a crazy experience, I almost died! Our first dinner was so good, I (mostly) love eating all this native food, the only problem was they were huge servings!!! Literally every side we had could have been a whole meal on its own! Now, the (next) dinner is where it gets bad. We went to a less active home and they fed us fried chicken and rice (H Moberly has a thing with bones, so that was a little tricky for her.) it wasn't too bad until we noticed all of the nasty cockroach-type bugs crawling all over the table and house!!! Once the lady left to get something, we quickly dumped our food into the trash. It was so gross. Also later H Moberly told me the forks we used were taken out of the dirty dishwasher, rinsed under some water, and then given to us. Ya, so that was fun. I got to have an interview with president Riggs this week, it was awesome! He is so funny and the best! I don't know how he can have so much love for so many missionaries! He told me about how he usually feels the spirit and an experience he had with feeling the spirit while reading the BOM because I told him I was working on trying to feel the spirit and have it help me know what to do/say. I'm sad he is leaving soon. Oh also, he is letting H Moberly go through the temple with one of her converts Rolondo this Wednesday for his first time, so H Evans and I are going on splits with the sister trainers. We would have been able to go on splits together, but we don't know enough Spanish to be effective, haha. We had a lot of people we invited to go to church show up this week, including Ashley and her cute kids! She is super inactive but we finally got her to go! It is so great to have people come to church! I wish everyone understood how important the gospel is! We also talked with a young member of the church that told us the story of how her 18 month old son died when he fell on his head. She told us that it is super hard but that she knows she will get the raise him in heaven and that he is in a better place. She told us that he didn't need to go through this life like we do because he was so much better that her. Her testimony was amazing, especially about the plan of salvation. She is so much stronger than I think I would be in that situation. We always learn about the plan of salvation and we can have a testimony of it, but until we experience a part of it in our own life's do we really understand the weight of it and how perfect God's plan is. The good news is that she and her husband are expecting another baby soon! I love these people, they are so humble and kind. I can see myself VERY slowly using more Spanish. And I know that I will eventually we able to speak the language and I will eventually be able to teach. Slow and steady wins the race right? There are so many people I would like to tell you about, but I just don't have enough time!! Love you all! Do all you can to help the missionaries, if you have time go to lessons with them! H Peabody Well, she had a great week! So glad. She's still hiking through lots of snow and entitled the photo above, "snow day!" She is mostly fine with the snow since she's used to it from Park City, but she said Hermana Moberly, from California, is still having a rough time with it. (But Hermana Moberly goes with the flow and is a great companion and trainer for Ashley!) She got to hold the "Golden Plates" this week--60 pounds of replica plates! (The bishop of the Sudley Ward is behind her in that photo!) She loves her mission President, President Riggs, and will be sad to see him leave when the new President, President David Huntsman, arrives in July. Ashley received her package from Mom this week and one from her Aunt Jennifer! She loved them! Aunt "Fer's" pillowcase with the "oh that ye embark" service theme (thus the cute whales) even matches Ashley's bedding a little! Until next week... "Well as you might assume from the email heading, it's has been an
interesting week, haha! Because church was canceled last week due to weather, yesterday was my first Sunday in the Sudley Spanish Ward...and wow! First of all it was basically empty until 15 minutes after it started, then people started to show up. Only one less active family we are teaching came to church out of everyone we invited and said they would be coming, so that was a bit disappointing. My singing fits right in in that Ward, actually I think I'm one of the better singers there. One lady passed out during the sacrament and had to be taken out in a wheelchair, and everything is still in Spanish so my understanding is still at a minimum. I knew i before I got here that I didn't have the best Spanish, and I was ok with that because I will learn, but what I didn't expect was that I don't even know how to teach the gospel!!! I always forget to go over the most important points in lessons, I don't know what our investigators need, I don't know how to help them progress, all I know how to do is teach the lessons, and I can't even do that well!!! Hermana Moberly said that all of that will come too in time. I just need to really focus on being able to hear and understand the promptings of the spirit. It's just hard, because I want to be aaa good missionary now, and not have to wait. But I have to be patient and believe in myself! She is a great trainer. This work is hard! I'm always tired, but it is so fun too! I wouldn't rather be doing anything else. Oh, we get our new iPads this week, so that's exciting! So I'm going to get so fat on my mission, it's awful! Haha! Our dinner schedule is full, members always want to feed us when we visit them, and they have huge portions! My comp said it is normal to have three dinners in one night!!! Right after lunch this week we visited a member and she made us a Guatemalan dish that was basically French fries, steak, hot dogs, tomato, onion and eggs. It was good, but we had just eaten and it was so much food and so filling, I was dying! And then she brought out the fresh banana bread!!! I had to eat that too, along with some aloe plant juice. I was so full after, and my comp was just laughing at me because she said that was nothing! She assured my that my stomach will grow quickly here. Meeting people is so fun, it's so great to heard where they are from and how they got here, some stories are pretty crazy! But it's so easy to connect their story of leaving their country to come to America to the story on Nephi and his family leaving Jerulelem and coming to the Americas! I love the people here! Wilson and Maria are so great, they are golden! He said that when he goes to other churches, they are loud and not really respectful in their worship, he thinks that hymns should be sung reverently with just a guitar or something in the background. We told him that he his perfect and that he will find everything he is looking for in his church, the trick is just getting their work schedule to work around church so they can actually come! Missionary work is nothing like I imagined, mostly because I didn't really know what to expect, but it is so great. Lots of love Hermana Peabody" Well, I only got four photos this week (disappointing for a Mom) but I know she is so busy with work that needs to be done and so much more important than Mom getting more details and photos. It's just that Moms need details, especially since we wait all week for this one small chance to hear how they are doing. Ashley got a package from our friends, the Bradfords and she loved it! She also got a letter from her Aunt Gina. My package hasn't yet arrived and I know others have sent her some mail, that will probably get there sometime this week. Even thought her work is hard and she is "always tired," she also states that "it's so fun" and "so great." Glad she is happy! |
Sister Ashley PeabodyServing in the Washington DC South Mission
Spanish Speaking January 2015 - July 2016 Current Mailing AddressCurrently serving in the:
Annandale,Virginia Stake Little River Ward (Spanish) March-July 2016 MTC address:Mission BlogArchives
July 2016
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