Sorry in advance

So remember Ana Rivero? The woman that I felt like we were best friends and I just loved her so much?! She texted us and said she was going to stick with the Catholics. Little did she know we weren't gonna give up on her. We gave her some space and last night we went to see her. I was a little afraid to talk to her. Not because I was afraid to testify. I was just afraid she would reject us. But she accepted that we can come by again. She just is afraid of a change and the whole come to church and get baptized thing scared her. But I just told her how she is not like other people I've met and God sent us so she better listen to God. Well obviously I didn't say it like that but you get my drift. Keep prayers coming her way because I can see her potential!

She wasn't the only investigator that dropped us this week. So we'll be searching for new ones.

Nothing too interesting happened this week. Besides the fact that our cell  phone doesn't work anymore-that makes things a little more interesting. Oh and it got super cold.

We traveled to the city today to buy some winter clothes and so we stopped by the grocery store, I've never been so happy to be in a grocery store...haha.

Okay I know this is a pathetic letter but I'll have a better one next week!

All my love,

Hermana Pearson

The best kind of compliment

So yesterday we're walking home from church and a lady stops us and asks, ´´Are you the gospel people.¨ We told her yes and then she just started pleading for our help. Her husband is abusive and drinks and she feels desperate. It made me so sad for her, but happy that she has the faith that Jesus heals. It is the best feeling when people stop us in the street and not the other way around because it means they have seen us as representatives of Jesus Christ. I think that is one of the biggest compliments to ever be able to receive--to know that others see you as a disciple of Christ.

For two Sunday's in a row I've had to fill in for the Sunday School teacher with 5 minutes notice. The branch president handed me the lesson for the Old Testament...I felt a little overwhelmed because I had no idea what the lesson was about. But it really turned out great because we talked about how Joshua had to follow one of the most well-known prophets. I'm sure he felt overwhelmed thinking ´´well, Moses just saved and liberated these people, parted the Red Sea and received the 10 commandments. How will I ever match up to that?´´ But the Lord tells him to strive and be of good courage. We talked about how God helps us be who He wants us to be when we serve him. And I couldn't help but think of myself. One year ago, I never would have imagined being able to teach from the Old Testament in Spanish. But God makes us capable of what He asks us to do.

We are trying so hard to help this struggling little branch and little by little we're seeing progress. Yesterday the branch got together and all left to visit the less actives, we have an activity next Saturday and we are doing a branch fast. And best of all, we got ourselves a ward mission leader. He just got back from his mission a few months ago so he already knows what it's all about.

We did service for Noemi this week. And really her whole life just humbles me. As I was washing her dishes with saved soapy water (they don't have money to buy more dish soap) with a piece of fabric, scraping off the dirt on the old dishes, I was just so humbled. Then to thank us she heated us up some of the little food they have (alligator...it was pretty good). When you see people like that it makes you realize how much love and generosity you truly lack.

It's very common to see pictures of idols or the virgin pasted on the people's doors or even stickers that say ´´We're Catholic please respect us.´´ Well this week we passed by a less active that I had never met and right on their front door they have the front page of the Restoration missionary pamphlet. It kinda made my day.

Con Amor,
Hermana Pearson

Hey, I think I've met you before!

This week I did exchanges with the one and only Hermana Quispe. It was such a good day!! I miss her (and everything that has to do with El Carmen) so much! She really helped me and encouraged me with some of the difficulties we face in Bella Vista. It's probably such a good thing that I'm not companions with someone who talks as much as me. It was tempting for us not to stay up talking the whole night. (Don't worry, we were very obedient.)

Last week we were about to leave a neighborhood and at the last minute I had a  thought come to me to try to find a less active, Roberto Rivero, that the branch president said had potential to come back to church. When he explained to us where he lived, we only knew more or less where he lived. So we just started asking. Someone told us that someone with that last name lived down the street. When we got to the house, the mom said that was the right last name but it wasn't her husband and she didn't know of any Roberto Rivero. So we started to explain we were looking for him because he is a member of our church, as we slyly started to testify to her of our message. It was raining so she told us to come in so we wouldn't get wet. Then she added, "Plus there is always more room for Jesus in our house." When we were teaching her, I started to look at the faces of her children and there is just something so familiar about them. Then looking at Ana I just felt so much love for her and I know that she is going to accept this message because I've met her a whole long time ago. She told us she talked with Elders about 20 years ago. Before she got MARRIED (it's kinda a REALLY big deal). She said she had seen us about a week earlier and that by the way we were dressed she thought "They must be the momons." Now that we had shown up at her door, she didn't think it was a coincidence because lately she's really felt the pull to get closer to God.

When we went back and taught her the second time, she had read the pamphlet we left her and she talked about how even though it's hard for her, she is making a huge effort to stregthen her relationship with God. I didn't know it was possible but I just felt so much MORE love for her. So I told her that as missionaries one of the greatest things we can experience is feeling just a tiny bit of God's immense love for people we barely know. The love I felt was really so strong. I had such a connection with her since the start and have been praying for her a lot. It made me just want to love everybody because it felt so good to feel so much love! When she prayed at the end she thanked God for her new friends who helped her feel that God was there.

I know God's love is real. Take it for a test drive. It will change you.

Love,Hermana Pearson

Sofia's Baptism

When the Bibles Don't Bash

We had another baptism this week, Sofia! She is Maria Jose's older sister. She is 12 (according to her documents. But she is convinced that she is 13. The people here don't pay that much attention to age.) She was going to get baptized last week but needed some more time to be able to give up tea. The extra time was really good because she was much more prepared, PLUS we got her Dad to come to her baptism. He is an inactive for the last 20 years and he's the one I've talked about before that is often drunk. He came a little bit late but when he came he gave Sofia the biggest hug and kiss. He stayed towards the back for everything. There are two fonts. One is really old and a newer one that we've borrowed from a recent convert. Well he saw the other one and said 'That's where I got baptized.' While he was waiting for her to change we asked how he felt. He said he felt weird and he didn't want to talk about it. So we gave him some space. When Sofia came out he hugged and kissed her again and said that she had made the best decision of her life.

Earlier in the week we did a Family Home Evening with her parents and taught the plan of salvation and later we played a game together. They really enjoyed it and had so much fun. Even their parents and the member that was with us were playing like little kids!

This week we taught a Jehovah's Witness. As any missionary who has ever talked with a Jehovah's witness knows, they don't exactly like to listen, they like to preach. So that was miracle #1. Miracle #2 was when we were talking about prophets and asked her what she knew about them. So she said ''I know they are men called of God and are led by the spirit of revelation. There's a good scripture in Acts, and she pulls out her Bible. She opens it to Acts 3: ''And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.'' But in Spanish it is better because it uses the word RESTORATION. So we pull out the Restoration pamphlet and testified that this restoration has already taken place. We have a return appointment.

Wow the time flies so fast, I'll write more next week!

Hermana Pearson

PS I couldn't send pics of the baptism this week because my memory card converter thing isn't working. I'll bring my cord next week.

Coming Soon, Disneyland's New Attraction: "The Baptismal Font"

Maria Jose got baptized on Saturday. But it was a little hectic up until then. She came on Saturday to the church and we went over the interview questions with her. We were with a member since we can't be with kids alone, but she started feeling sick and had to leave. So we went on a search for another member right as the Elder got there. Luckily there is a less active member that lives close and we got to her house and she said she could come. So we all enter and she follows the Elder to the next room and the next thing we know she ran out crying. To help her calm down, her sister Sofia went in to do the interview to set the example even though she won't be getting baptized until next week. Maria Jose calmed down and when it was her turn she started crying again. After 5 attempts she finally agreed but only if we came with her. But she gave the best answers! We're working with her whole family. Her dad is an alcoholic member and her mom and 3 older siblings are all non-members. 

That night she came with Sofia and her grandma. She had the cutest little smile and when we went out back to the swimming pool/font, she was so giddy you'd think she was on her way to Disneyland!

I got word that back in El Carmen, Ismael got baptized! Aww I'm soo happy for him. I knew since the first time we taught him, that he was a chosen! 

Whoops ran out of time again. Much love and extra love for my sister and her new baby Katelyn! 

This message is for you too!

A couple of weeks ago, none of our investigators came to church and we were like, okay how are we gonna get someone, so we went to the street and started inviting people. We found a drunk, who is a member. He refused our invitation but said he wanted us to teach his daughters Sofia and Maria Jose. We have been teaching them and they are really sweet and have come to church the past two weeks. We we able to talk to the dad when he was sober and the girls weren't there and talked about repentance and the experience of Alma the Younger, but he just stayed quiet and refused our invitations. The next day we went, he was super drunk and was saying things like, can't you see, this is just who I am and that he can't change. But we told him how it is, that he can change and if he really loves his daughters like he says he does, he'd dump out his wine carton. The next day he came home, drunk, at the end of our lesson and he said he wanted to pray. (Which was so different from before because he always said “teach my daughters, but me, NO.”) And his prayer was so sincere. He said “my body is too weak to change, but my spirit needs to change. I need to go back to church.” He told us as we were leaving that he was on the border of not leaving to drink but he did anyway. It all made me so sad but I have a lot of hope for the changes he'll be able to make. He just needs to realize this gospel is for EVERYONE!

This week was Holy Week, it really wasn't celebrated much more than selling ramos branches on Palm Sunday and chocolate eggs too. It made me sad that people didn't know why we said that this Sunday would be special. People saw the Mel Gibson movie about Christ because I guess they played it a lot on TV and so many people mentioned it pained them to see but it just doesn't sink much deeper than that with many people. They just don't understand. On Good Friday, the Catholic church across the street was doing some service and we could hear it from our pension. I heard something like “During this day we remember the pain that crucifixion of Jesus Christ caused to His virgin mother.” But that was about the extent of the celebrations here. The people were too preoccupied celebrating the win of Bella Vista's soccer team. They were setting off fireworks and there was a parade of cars and a bus honking their horns.

We had interviews with Presidente Levrino and the things he said definitely helped me. I told him how I can feel the Spirit guide me daily but when it comes to teaching with the Spirit I don't know if I'm teaching with sufficient power. He said something along the lines of “We can never stop being amazed by the presence of the Spirit.” He talked about how as we teach and pray day in and day out, sometimes we are so used to the Spirit that we don't recognize it like we should. After that, I was thinking more about teaching these people and not so much about teaching these lessons and I really felt the Spirit in every lesson. It's so true, we can let ourselves stop being amazed by the Spirit. What a great gift we have as confirmed members of Christ's Church, that we really have such a unique and constant guide. Let's not forget the power it has!

Much love!

Celebrating with Sister Vargas

Just call us gypsies!

Last week we fasted for one of our investigators and we felt so sure she was going to get baptized even though she told us no. We set up everything she needed even the interview and she still said no. But really we knew we have put in all that we could have and that we don't carry the blame. It reminds me of how Preach My Gospel talks about how sometimes even if we have exerted all our strength and done all that we can, we experience disappointments BUT those disappointments aren't in ourselves. I think that is really something that applies to all aspects of our lives. It's almost certain that things won't go how we plan but when the maximum effort is there we have a different and distinct disappointment.

Well our investigator didn't get baptized...YET... But we saw the miracles of fasting in so many other ways. More members were willing to visit people with us, we recieved more referrals, we contacted more people, more people accepted the invitation to be baptized, more people committed to come to church.

One day we went to contact a referral and the lady told us that she thought we were gypsies. It's gotta be the skirts!

I know mom that you'll be disappointed with how short this letter is but I don't know what more to say. The only thing new is that I'm sick. Haha and that's really not too interesting.

Much Love,

Hermana Pearson