April 27, 2015

Happy Monday!!

Well this week was another good week! Everyweek is a good week here haha :) But anyways, this week we had a pretty cool experience.  So as you know we live with this family and the son, named Anderson is 10 years old.  He has wanted to get baptized for a long time now but his dad isnt a member and and would never give him permission.  The missionaries and the bishop of our ward have been trying to talk him into it since Anderson was 8 and he has always said no.  So last week me and Hermana Rivera decided to fast for his heart to be softened and to let Anderson get baptized.  So on Tuesday we got back to the house and he was there so we decided that it was our moment to talk to him.  So we walked in and started just talking and then asked him if we could ask him a question but first start with a prayer, and he looked at us kinda weird but he accepted haha.  So after the prayer we just talked about Andersons desire to get baptized and how important it was and everything.  But then Rouel (the dad) started asking why his baptism in the catholic church wasnt valid and why he needed to get baptized again and then he started asking if his marrige through the catholic church was valid and a whole bunch of stuff.  We tried to explain to him about the authoridad and the restoration and everything but he stopped us and said he just wanted a yes or no.  So we had to say that no, his baptism wasnt exactly valid... But at the end he just looked at us and said that if it is really what Anderson wants then he gives him his permission to be baptized!!!  It literally was a miracle!  When he said that we literally just looked at eachother and were shocked because we honestly thought he was going to say no!  So this Sunday we are having a baptism for Anderson and we are so excited about it and the ward is super excited about it too!!! :)

This week we also found a lot of new investigators that have potential.  Me and Hna. Rivera get along sooo well!  We are literally best friends and we just laugh and talk all day.  But when it comes to lessons we are able to teach really well together.  She goes home in just 3 weeks and I am going to be sooo sad!  

Hna. Violeta is doing good... She was sick and couldnt come to chuch this week so we had to move her baptismal date but we are praying for her and trying to help her out as much as we can.  I have faith that she will be just fine

I have not gotten the package yet mother.  My DL said that it was here but then he said it wasnt... So im not exactly sure haha but I am sure i will get it sometime soon :)  And I am loving living in the city!! It is so different but I love it!  And there are TONS of missionaries in Piura.  Piura is HUGE.  I see new missonaries everyweek haha. 

I have not heard anything about mothers day calls yet.  They will either be the day before mothers day or most likely on mothers day.  We will be calling from the house that we live in so you will most likely get to see my little siblings because i am sure they will be around haha :) I am not sure what time we will be calling but when I find out I will let you know next week. I am so excited too!!! :)

Wow, the most important thing I have learned... I have learned soooo many things haha.  But really I think the most important thing I have learned is just not to give up on anything.  There is always something more you can do.  Wheather its with an investigator, a contact, or just with yourself, you cant give up or satan wins... And the thing I am most greatful for... Okay I cant answer that one.. There are just too many things.  I have come to realize so many things from being here that i cant even explain.  I really do love my mission.  Sometimes i get mad at my spanish still haha but I really do love it :)

Thanks for everything you do family :)  I hope you have such a good week and you are all safe and happy! I miss and love you all SOOOO much!!

Love, 

Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)

 

 

 

 

April 20, 2015

Buenas tardes familia! Okay too much information in one email..

Braden and Kaely are having a boy???  Why was I not informed of this earlier?  Hey Braden if youd send me an email once in a while that would be greatly appreciated hahaha :)  And Dad got a new job and we have a tree mansion??  Gosh just move now why dontcha haha!  But dont really... 

Wow has it really been 6 whole months... Time has been going by soooo fast!  In a year from now you will be in Peru momma!  How do you feel about that? :) 

But this week was soo good!  We are teaching a ton and have a few investigators with baptismal dates.  One that we have is named Violeta and she is really great.  She lives with 2 of her sons and her little grandson.  She really loves to read the book of mormon and had such a good experience at church yesterday!  Unfortunatly she had to leave early but she said she would stay the whole 3 hours from now on :) 

Also something really cool happened this week.  So we were having kind of an off day because no one that we had planned on visiting was home and everyone we talked to didnt want to listen to us so we were kind of discouraged.  So we were walking down this street on our way to another lesson when out of no where this random lady started talking to us out of no where.  Me and Hna Rivera looked at eachother trying to remember if or where we have talked to her before.  Finally we asked her name and how she knew us and she explained that she had met with missionaries before and that she was really interested in their message but one day they just stopped coming and she didnt know why and when she saw our name tags she said she felt like she should talk to us.  We sat and talked with her for a while and we really feel like she is going to progress.  She is looking for a change in her life and she wants to be a good example for her son and teach him correct principles in his life.  We have another lesson with her this week and we are going to challenge her to baptism :)

Okay mother I will try to answer all of your questions haha :)

We live in a little room in a members house.  Actually she is a less active member and her husband isnt a member.  They have 3 little kids.  I think their ages are 11, 10 and 6 or something like that.  So pretty much i live with three little siblings hahaha :)  it is suppper funny!  They are super comfortable with us.  They just walk in and climb on our beds and go through our stuff and yeah haha :) But i love it.  Theyre all amazing :) And yes we always have water and everything.  Our room is super tiny and our bathroom doesnt have a door but thats okay :) I wouldnt say its nicer than La Cruz.. It is definitly smaller.. But its just a room, in La Cruz it was an apartment... I dont know haha.  And we dont wash our own clothes, we take it to a member in our ward and she washes them for us :)

My ward here is amazing!  The bishop is awesome.  Yes there are wards and stakes.  The chapel is super small but it is way better than the house chapel in La Cruz.  The ward is kinda small but super strong.  We always have members that are willing to come with us to lessons :)

I am not sure about Mothers Day yet but I will let you know as soon as I find out.  

And I do not think i need anything else.  I can buy whatever I need here :) And yes we are still running, everyday, well except wednesdays and sundays.  We do crossfit on wednesdays haha :) And we walk EVERYWHERE. 

Well that is it for my week.  It sounds like things are crazy busy at home!  Thats good though :)  I hope you all are doing good and you all are happy!  I cant wait to talk to you all on Mothers Day!  Gosh time is going by soooo fast!  I miss you all TONS!  Have a good week! Love you!
Love,

Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)

 

April 13, 2015

HOLA!!

Okay its offical, i love Piura!  Haha things are just so different here!  Gosh i feel like i have so much to tell you but literally NO TIME but I will try my hardest hahaha. 

So first off my companion, her name is Hermana Rivera and she is literally perfect I think.  She is gorgous, nice and just good at everything.  We wake up and run every morning and we are obedient to every rule which i am really happy about.  She is actually about to finish her mission though!  She finishes in just 5 more weeks!  But I am so glad I get the opertunity to work with her.  I am trying to send some pictures today so youll get a chance to see her :) 

My area is huge and i am still so lost haha!  But the ward is amazing.  We had a family home evening at the bishops house last monday and his house is huge! And so pretty!  His family is so great haha.  Also I have already found at least 5 random people here that speak english haha!  Not good english, but english :)  I did find out that I am definitly more comfortable speaking in spanish now than I am in english... which is weird....... but i kind like it haha :) 

This area is the hardest one in the mission is what they say but we are really working hard.  We have 2 investigators with baptismal dates and we talk to over 100 people every week to try and find new investigators.  We are really trying hard to get some baptisms in this area because there hasnt been one here in a while..  One of our investigators that i have a lot of hope for is named Violeta.  She is really trying to do what is right and has come a long way just since i have been here.  She just is having a problem with attending church... But we are really working hard with her.   Sorry I dont have too many updates with investigators because i havent been here long hahah. 

OHHHHHH GUESS WHAT!!!!! You are not going to believe this!!!!!!  One of the sisters in our ward served her mission in ST GEORGE UTAH!!! Can you believe that!!!  We talked for a long time about cafe rio and all that good stuff hahaha :)

So I have seen Cole!  He is doing so good :)  It was sooo weird to see someone I know!  But we talked for a long time and I think i will get to see him at least a couple times while im here.  He will get transfered next transfer but im just glad that i get to see him for a little bit :) 

Yes mother my clothes are okay for now haha :) I can buy pretty much anything i need here now, including clothes :)

Well, Piura is amazing and I am soooo happy.  I have also decided that I am going to become an expert on the bible because the other day a Jehovas Witness completely burned us on the bible.... So I will be working hard on that.... Haha :)

I miss you all sooo much!  I cant believe that in a year from now you will probably be in Peru momma!!!  That is crazy!!!  And i can not wait to talk to you on Mothers day!  Its soooo close :)

I hope you all have such a good week! Miss you tons!

Love, 

Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)

April 6, 2015

TRANSFERS!!!

Well, its offical, i am finally back to cilivization!!!!  I got transfered today!!  I am now in Angamos, Piura which is like the central of the mission!  I am in the same ward as President and Hermana Rowley and the assistants haha!  It is going to be such a change from La Cruz but I am definitly excited about it!  My new companion is Hermana Rivera.  She is from Peru and this is her last transfer!  Im going to ``kill`` her is what they say here haha.  I have only been with her for a few hours now but she seems really nice and is gorgous!  She also said she likes to run and excercise in the mornings so I am pretty happy about that too because my other companions were never too excited about exercising hahah.  Also i found out that I am in the same zone as Elder Mooring!!!  So i will get to see him a whole lot this transfer!  I was pretty happy about that :)  I am really excited for this next 6 weeks :) And today we at at CHILIS!!!  Here is like the opposite of La Cruz but I am definitly ready for a change :)

Well honestly this week was super dead.  There was a lot of flooding in Tumbes but the rain finally stopped and everything is okay now. This week again no one wanted to talk to us and we had hardly any lessons.  It was rough but we did get a few lessons in and we also got a really awesome new investigator.  I am super bummed that i wont get the chance to teach him but i am hoping Hna. Pleitez works with him and gets him baptized :)

Also this week was just super crazy!  So one of the sisters in Tumbes finished her mission and went home, so friday we had to pack for the weekend because we had to go stay with the Hermana that wasnt going home.  So we were just hanging out in Tumbes and then we got the transfer calls and i was being transfered.  So the next day we had to hurry and go back to La Cruz and pack up all my stuff and take it back to Tumbes.  I was pretty sad that i didnt even get to say goodbye to anyone in my area because we had to stay in Tumbes!!  But luckily it was general conference so I got to say goodbye and take pictures with a few of the members in the ward. Also General Conference was AWESOME!  I did not get to watch it in English but I did understand most of it in spanish so that was good :)  I wish i wouldve been able to watch it in english because i think i wouldve gotten more out of it but it was still really good :)

That is such a cool experience you had mom!  It really is amazing how things always just work out perfectly.  Theres no such things as coincidences right?  Yeah definitly let me know what happens!  And that picture you send Dad is adoreable!!!  I definitly have the cutest nieces and nephews in the whole world!  

And i did get an email from Ave!! Hes a great kid hahaha!  I am so proud of him too!  He will do so good on his mission :)

Well, really that is it for my week.  I did take picture but I left my camera in out apartment when we dropped of my bags! Stupid Lauren...  But i will send some pictures next week! I love you all so much!  I hope you had a great Easter! Miss you tons! I will talk to yall next week! :)

Love,

Hermana Lauren Jane Mitchell :)