March 30, 2015

Que tal familia??  First off those pictures you sent are adoreable mother!!  Addy you a GORGEOUS!!!  I am super jealous that you got to go to womans conference!!!  Can we go again when I get back? :)

Okay well this week was crazy and pretty frusturating.  It rained again all this week and when it rains here people do not want to talk to us.  A lot of houses have been falling over or have been flooding but also the people here do not want any help.  We have tried to serve and talk to people but no one was even close to interested this week.  Also pretty much all of our appointments fell through and some days it was hard to know what to do.  We did find things to do though so that was good.  Also, so we were planning on going to Womans Conference on Saturday but we werent able to...  Well we got half way there haha.  The only place we could watch it at is in the Stake Center in Tumbes, so we had it all planned to ride with a member and we brought one of our converts with us as well.  Well it was raining really hard and the car of this family didnt have lights and honestly it was super scary haha but anyways we got a little more than half way there but we decided that it was safer to turn around because we couldnt see anything and it was raining super hard and just not a good situation.  So, we went back but the family felt really bad about it haha.  They are honestly like our parents here and they are super amazing.  Their names are Zoila and Luciano.  Anyways they felt super bad so they took us to dinner and it was all good :)  And anyways i guess what happened was the power went out in the stake center so no one got to watch the conference haha.  So i think it was a blessing we didnt get all the way there just to turn around.
We did get to teach one family this week that has a lot of potential.  They live in a little town called Grau thats about 10 minutes away from La Cruz. Their names are Augusto and Isabel.  From the first time we met with them they have been really interested and have been reading their book of mormon and praying and everything.  And theyre married!! (which is a miracle here)  We are going to challange them to baptism tomorrow! :)  We are really hoping they say yes because we need something this week to boost our spirits because this week was SO SLOW!  I really hope the rain stops soon haha.

I am so excited for General Conference this week!!  We get to watch it in the Stake Center and i think im going to get to watch it in English which will be a lot better than watching it in Spanish haha.  I mean i understand almost everything at this point but i like hearing their actual voices and not a translators voice :)  And i can not believe that Avery got his mission call!!!!  I was honestly thinking about him and Lincoln this week and I was going to ask but that really makes me sooooo happy!! Yes please get me his email! :)
I had my zone conference this week!  It was so good!  President Rowley and Sister Rowley really are the best!  I am going to miss them tons!  I learned a ton and it was good to be able to meet with them again :)  And transfers are next monday!!! 1 week from today!!! And i am hoping and praying that I get transferred!!!!  Its not that I dont love La Cruz because I do and I will be really sad to leave here but, if I dont get transferred this transfer I will be here for 2 more transfers, 3 more months, and I really dont want to be here for that long....  So I have been praying that i will get transferred....  So if I dont email you next week or something its probably because I got transferred haha. 

Well that is it for my week.  We are going to work super hard this week because it could be my last week here!!!  Wish us luck haha.  I miss you all tons!  Have a good week! :)
Love
Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell

March 23, 2015

Hola familia!!  It sounds like it was a pretty busy week for you all!  My week was CRAZY!!!!!  Honestly the craziest week i have had here I think hahah. 

So it started out on Monday night.  There was a ton of rain still and we found out that all the fishermen were planning a ´´rebellion´´.  Yeah we had no idea what that meant but the next day we sure found out.  I guess its a pretty normal thing they do but what they did was, well first off we have 2 main bridges in La Cruz, so what they do is they put sandbags, big rocks, and whatever they can find to block off the bridges so no one can pass through La Cruz which is a problem because there is only one way to get from Tumbes to Piura and that is through La Cruz.  So Tuesday morning we had to go to Tumbes to practice our skit thing for our Multizone conference.  So we walked outside our apartment and there was no one in the street which is super weird.  So then our mission leader comes out of no where and tells us that its not safe to be outside and that we shouldnt be walking around in this morning, but we had to get to Tumbes so he walked us down to the main road so we could find a taxi and that is where we found all the people.  Everyone was on the main road and there were cars lined up because no one could get passed La Cruz.  There were a million people it seemed like and poliecemen EVERYWHERE.  It was the coolest thing i have ever kind of been a part of haha :)  But we found out that they all the fishermen had smoke bombs and wepons and all sorts of stuff so we got out of there as fast as we could.  When we got back from Tumbes it was all pretty much figured out but we were advised to not be out past dark so we had to be in our apartment about a half an hour early which wasnt fun.  It was crazy haha.  They next few days it just rained and rained but finally stopped Friday and then came the heat again...  I miss the rain haha. 

I have another funny story this week too haha.  So we have an investigator named Sheyla.  She is about 17 years old and when we first started teaching her she was pregnant but a few weeks later she had her baby!  It was a little boy and every time we visited her we asked if he had a name yet and everytime he didnt.  So one night we were teaching her about Joesph Smith (in spanish Jose Smith) and she was like ´´thats a good name, maybe thats what ill name my son´´ and me and Hermana Pleitez just kinda looked at eachother and laughed because we thought it was a joke.  Well anyways we had another lesson with her a couple days later and again asked if her baby had a name, and this time she said yes.  So we asked what it was and she said ´´exactly like it is in your bible! Jose Smith!´´  And we honestly were both just kinda shocked and didnt really say much because again we thought it was a joke but it wasnt!!  She named her son Jose Smith hahaha!  How awesome is that??  Now we just need to get her married to her boyfriend and baptized so itll be a little less weird for her son to be named after a mormon prophet haha :)

We are still continuing to teach Leyder but he has kinda stopped progressing.  He still reads his book of mormon but he stopped coming to church.  The problem is, is he lives pretty far away from the church so we cant pass by his house to remind him and none of the members are willing too...  Were hoping that he has a change of heart because we really dont want to stop teaching him!  We also have this other family that we are teaching and they are amazing!  Their names are Agusto and Isabel.  We contacted Agusto a while ago and started teaching them and they have just progressed ever since.  More so Isabel than Agusto but Isabel is amazing.  She is so nice whenever we visit them and just wants to do whats right.  We are going to challenge them to baptism this week.  The problem with them is church attendence as well.  They live in the same place as Leyder and its hard for them to get to church.  We are hoping we can figure something out for them.

Mom that is crazy that you met someone from Peru!!!  And i really hope I get a letter from her!!  And actually I am probably going to get transferred to Piura in about 2 weeks so that will be perfect!!  I hope that i am in the area that her references are in!  The peruvian people really are the greatest :)  And thats good that Nates mission president talked to the elders in our ward.  I hope that things get better for them.  I know that I am happiest when I think about the people more than myself.  I was pretty frusturated and sad the first couple months because I was just thinking about me and feeling sorry for myself. But when I finally realized that I didnt come out here for me, and got my flippin act together things got a million times better.  The secret to happiness out here is hard work :)  The harder I work, the happier I am :)  (I know thats probably pretty weird coming from me because at home i wasnt much of a worker hahaha, sorry about that momma!)

It really is so good to hear from you.  Mondays are so good! :)  We also have our multizone conference with President and Sister Rowley so I am pretty excited for that this week!  Ill tell you all about it and send pictures next week! :)  Thanks for everything family!  You guys really are the best!  I love you all tons and I will talk to you next week!
Love, Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)

March 16, 2015

Happy Monday! 

Wow it sounds like a ton happened this week!  Aubs you have a house!!  Congrats! :) That is so exciting!!  I cant wait to see it in 13 short months! :)  I honestly can not believe that I am going to complete 5 months this week!!  Time has gone by sooooo fast and I really cant believe it!  I am almost done with 1/3 of my mission!  CRAZY!  At this rate I will be home before you know it :)

Well this week wasnt as busy as passed weeks but it here its always busy haha.  We are continuing to work with Leyder.  He knows everything it true and wants to be baptized but is just afraid to set a date.  We are going to keep working with him and visiting him and hopefully he will come around soon.  I know he will be baptized at some point but the question is when????

We have been teaching a new investigator this week named Pilar.  She is really great and has so much potential!  She has talked to missionaries before a few years ago when Elders were in La Cruz.  And the thing is SHE WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED!  The problem is.... Shes not married and is living with her boyfriend.  They have 2 kids and she told us that she was about to get married and baptized but at the last second her boyfriend had doubts so they wound up not getting married.  Since then she still has been reading her Book of Mormon and praying and everything.  She said that some sisters had visited her before also but after 2 lessons they dropped her so she is having a hard time trusting us right now as sisters haha but we are going to keep visiting her and working with her.  The whole marriage thing is a HUGE problem here.  At least half of our investigators have this problem, and a lot of them actually are married but not with the person they are living with.... Yeah Peru has problems haha.  Pilar wants to do the right thing but she is afraid to get married because her relationship isnt really the strongest right now. She told us that before she was thinking about separating from him but she cant because her 2 kids need thier father.  Its a really tough situation she is in but we are going to try and help her the best that we can.  

Also this week it has been raining like crazy!!!  Usually not during the day but it has rained almost every night this week.  This is a good thing and a bad thing.  A good thing because it is flipping hot here and walking in the rain feels amazing haha.  But its super hard for the people because their houses just cant handle it.  Most of the houses here are made out of mud and sticks and barely have a roof so a few houses have collapsed this week with all the rain.  But the thing is, the people dont say anything about it.  They dont complain or anything, they just start to rebuild.  It really is such a humbling experience being here.  We helped build a house the other day actually.  We sew together bags for the walls and roof and put up the 4 posts to form the house and we were done within the day...  And the family is living in it as we speak...  I honestly couldnt even image what it would be like to wake up in a house the size of my room everyday with 3 or 4 other sibling and parents.  Not to mention not having a floor, or a room to myself, a kitchen, chairs, or anything that in the States we take for granted.  Life really is crazy here...  But the people are happy.  Some of the happiest people I have ever met in my life.  

Mother I did not get the video of Miles but I want to see it!!!! Please send it again!!! :) And if you could also send me the book that Lynn gave me and more face makeup!  Well just the powder.  The revolon colorstay from walgreens is great :)  And the color is light/medium I think... And yes short shirts white and black and also regular undershirts too.  Just one more of each :)  I only have one and I wear it a lot haha.  And we have not been running, my companion doesnt have athletic shoes haha but thats okay.  We just do some excercises in our apartment in the mornings.  Sometimes we go to the beach and excercise too and thats always fun :)

Well, that is it for my week.  I cant explain how much I miss yall.  And stop doing fun things without me!  Gosh only 13 more months you have to wait haha :)  I love you all tons.  I also cant believe that I get to talk to you again through Skype is barely over a month!!  It feels like it was Christmas just yesterday!  Crazy haha :)  Have such a good week!  

Love,

Hermama Lauren Jane Mitchell 

March 9, 2015

Hola mama! :)

Wow it sounds like a busy week for everyone!  I feel like everytime i read one of your emails your having a party hahaha :)  And i can not believe that dad won an ipad!  For some reason that makes me so happy hahaha congrats dad! :)  And happy spring break to everyone too! :) 

This week was another good week!  Not as busy as other weeks ive had but still pretty good :)  We have a lot of new investigators that have a lot of potential that I am really looking forward to teaching!  This week we were really working hard with Leyder.  He had a baptismal date but it fell through because he felt like he wasnt ready.  His problem is, is that hes afriad that his mom and sister wont support him and that bothers him because his family is really important to him and he wants them all to be on board with his decision.  He knows its all true and reads the book of mormon and prays and has such a strong testimony of the gospel but its just his family thats holding him back.  So yesterday we had a really great lesson with him.  We brought a recent convert that was about his same age who was in the exact same situation.  He bore his testimony and the spirit was honestly so strong!  The lesson went perfectly and we thought for sure that he was going to say yes to the baptismal challange but..... no.  And honestly I had never felt so heart broken in my life.  Because I know that he knows its true!  And this is the only way that he will be eternally happy!  And I know that if he makes this decision he will be so much happier and his family will recieve blessing from his decisions too.  I just dont understand.....  I am really hoping he comes around.  We decided that we are just going to take things slower and give him some time to think and not pressure him into it.  I will definitly be praying super hard for him this week.  

I really cant believe how much happier I am here.  Things are so much better!  I actually feel like Im helping people because now im actually participating and doing things.  Me and Hermana Pleitez really get along great haha :)  Yeah we are both pretty quite but we talk and laugh and never have contention and its so great :)  My spanish is far from perfect still but it is definitly getting better which is good haha :)  

So today for pday our zone went and played soccer on the beach which was way fun for me haha :)  but after we were just walking on the beach in La Cruz and on the beaches here there are just a ton of sea shells and colorful rocks and tons of stuff like that and i was just remembering Hope in lake powell everyday saying ´´shells! shells! where are my shells?´´  and Hayden following her around helping her find more hahaha :)  They would go crazy here! It made me smile :)  

Mom, I am really happy I am on a mission too :)  there are definitly time where I miss you too but honestly this is the best decision I have ever made in my life.  It has already changed my life in more ways than i can explain.  My testimony has grown more here than it has in the last 19  years in my life.  Before I came here I could say that I believed that that book of mormon was true.  I could say that I believed Heavenly Father heard my prayers but honestly I didnt really know.  But now I can honestly say that I know that the book of mormon is true, and I KNOW that Heavenly Father hears and answers every one of our prayers.  That alone has been a huge blessing for me.  I know I will always be thankful for these 18 months of my life.  And I know that its going to pass by fast too.  I mean its already almost been 5 months!  Crazy....

Thanks for everything family.  I miss and love you more than I can express.  I hope you all have such a good week! :)  Read your scriptures, pray, be happy :) (there, theres the missionary in me hahaha :)) I love you tons! :)

Love, 

Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell 

March 2, 2015

Hola familia!  Como estan????  Muy bien yo espero :)

Well this week was SOOO GOOD!!  So first off my new companion is Hermana Pleitez!!  She is from El Salvador and honestly she is just so nice.  She is also really quite and we dont talk a whole lot but we get along so well and we teach really well together too so thats good :)  She has been in her mission for 15 months and only has 3 months left! Thats just crazy to me haha :) We also have a TON in common!  She has 4 siblings also,  3 brothers and 1 sister haha :)  But she is the oldest in her family.  She also is studying nursing and wants to work with children after her mission too!  Another cool thing about her is she and one of her brothers are the only members of the chuch in her family.  Her parents and her other siblings arent members.  I am really impressed by her and i am really excited for this transfer with her! :)  I have also had to really come out of my shell this week which has actually been a really good thing for me.  Hna. Valle use to do all the talking and all the teaching so i really never had to say anything, but with Hna. Pleitez, she really doesnt know anyone here and is pretty shy so I have had to talk A TON!  And it has been so good for me!  I have gotten a lot closer with investigators and ward members and it just really has improved my whole out look.  Its so interesting how a companion can change everything!  I really am just so happy here!  I am really starting to love my mission and the people and really have started to realize how important this work is.  Yeah it was a pretty good week :)

So since we had our baptisms last week we really didnt have many more investiagors after that so this week was a week of finding new investiagors and contacting old ones. And let me tell you, we were SUPER busy!  We have a newish investiagor named Paula, she is the sister of one of our other investigators.  We really havent taught her very much but she came to chuch last week and came again this week!  During releif (i forgot how to spell it in english hahaha) society they gave a little time for whoever wanted to to bear their testimony and Hna. Paula stood up and bore her testimony!  She was just saying how greatful she was to have found this church and how greatful she was for the missionarys and how she cant wait to learn more and keep coming and progressing.  It was a good moment for us :)  We are going to work a lot with her this week and I hope she keeps progressing! :)  

Today we had a zone activity and President and Sister Rowley came!  It was so good to get to see them again :)  We played games and got to watch Meet the Mormons!  It was so fun :)  We have a zone conference with them in 3 weeks so ill get to see them again pretty soon :)  

Mother!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK!  I was thinking about you all day on your birthday and I hope it was such a good one?  29 years young eh? :)  Just think, on your next birthday you will probably be planning a pretty important trip right? ;)  

Also I dont know if you have heard yet, but Lauren Smith got her mission call to Kobe, Japan!!!!  How crazy is that hahaha.   I am super exicted for her too :)

I am also pretty flippin jealous that you are all in California.  You really couldnt wait 14 more months? :)  You better not go back again without me dirtbags hahaha :)  

And congrats Nate and Katlyn!!!  I sent you a little email but really I am SOOO happy for you both!!!  2 new babies??  Gosh I am the luckiest aunt in the world :)

I hope you are all doing so good and had such a good time in California!  I miss you all SOOO much and cant wait to get to go on trips as a whole family again!  Dont forget about me please :)  I love you all tons!  :)

Love,

Hermana Laursie Jane :)