Cake and Clowns

Last monday for pday our whole zone went to the parque de los mates. Mates are the gourds that are hollowed out and dried). There were a bunch of gourds made out of cement and decorated in different ways.

Hermana Sinks and I have worked incredibly hard this week. We've been getting home really tired everyday and that is the greatest feeling ever. We did divisions with Hermana Petersen and her child (Hermana Beltran) this week and that was fun to get to know tham a little more.

Here's a list of the crazy things that have happened this week:

-We ran into a clown who blew us kisses several different times this week

-I opened a door with a wire

-Our pension had two birthdays in the family so we ate cake twice this week

We received a reference this week to visit someone named Dora. We visited her once and then when we went back to visit her a second time we didn't find her but we did find her daughter.... who is a member. We're now helping her come back to church and she's so animated and excited to come back. The hand of God is in all things :)

I love you all!!!!

Love, Hermana White

Just over the bridge

The zone leaders called us tuesday night and told us the transfers. I didn't believe them but they told me that I was leaving the area to go be companions with...... Hermana Sinks! My area is called El Tambo and I should be finishing my mission here because Hermana Sinks will have 5 transfers here so she'll be leaving at the end of this transfer. The other sister leader area is neighboring San Carlos just on the other side of the river so all I had to do was cross the bridge. We sent some sisters off tuesday morning and I found out that I'm a grandma now!!!! Hermana Petersen is training and we're in the same zone!!!! Hermana Sinks and I are basically the same person so we're thinking that this transfer will be super awesome (I'll take better pictures next week).
This week was full of exciting transfer news. Monday Hermana Sinks (the other sister leader in Huancayo) came to stay with my companion and I because her companion finished the mission. We were in a trio for two days and then she went to stay with some other sisters in her area tuesday night because a sister got called to train. 

That's the exciting news for this week.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!!!!!

Love,

Hermana White

The secret to missionary work is the work

One of the things that we've really seen this week is that when we put in our part the Lord helps us even more. My companion and I realized that we hadn't been working as hard as we had before Chio's baptism and so this last week we decided we needed to work harder. We weren't really sure how to do that because we were still visiting people and everything we just didn't feel like we were doing our best. Wednesday morning after studying we took 5 Restoration pamphlets and said that we weren't going to return home or eat lunch until we had given them all away in some good contacting. We said a prayer and left the room. In the first house that we contacted we were able to share the Restoration with a young woman who is catholic. The lesson was really good and really spiritual. We contacted and gave out all the pamphlets and we felt very satisfied when we went in to lunch. We realized that what we were lacking was a desire to complete the goals that we set every week and every day. We had a zone meeting on Saturday and we gave a training on what we had learned about really working to reach the goals that we set. 

It was so awesome to talk to my family on saturday. Everyone's getting so big and it's a little sad to not be there right now but I know that I'm here for a reason and I'll be working hard until I go home so that it can be an even sweeter reunion.

We had a ward activity here on saturday and my companion and I made chocolate chip cookies with our ward mission leader to share with everyone. So many people came to the activity. Every organization made a dish from the coast, the jungle or the mountain area (the three regions of Peru), they shared how they had made them and then every body ate. Some less actives and invistigators came and Chio has her calling in the Primary so she actually helped the Primary presidency cook. This ward has become my home away from home.

I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week!!!! We have transfers tis week so I'll let you all know next monday if my companion and I are staying together... again or if we have transfers.

Love,

Hermana White

The Golden Forest

Last monday we went to a place called the golden forest.... no one told us how far we had to hike to get up there but after an hour and a half of walking we made it. There's a big stadium type area made out of rocks. We played volleyball (like just about every pday) and then we played signs after some of the elders got done with a fairly epic game of ninja.

Other than that this week has been fairly uneventful. My companion has got a cold. She's not bed ridden or anything, nothing super deathly..... she just blows her nose a lot. That's been rough for her.

Rocio received a calling yesterday. She's the knew primary secretary. My companion and I were able to be in the bishop's office with her when they set her apart. It's very special to see these people that you love so much grow and keep growing.

I love you all and I can't wait to see you on saturday!!!!!

Love, Hermana White

The power of prayer

I'd just like to start out by testifying of the power of prayer. As you all know Chio was baptized a week ago. After every baptism we have to fill out a paper with the information of the person who was baptized. It's better (and basically required) to get it done sooner than later. My companion and I thought we were so on top of things and we got the information in the computer and printed out last sunday..... and then during the week we found a couple of errors. We could not get ahold of the ward secretary to help us until yesterday so we were a little stressed (who are we kidding we were a lot stressed...... stressing out is kindof a talent my companion and I have). We then needed Chio's signature but she had to leave church early to go to work. My companion and I prayed this morning as a companionship and personally that we'd be able to find Chio and get her signature. We walked out of our apartment to go to internet this morning and Chio was there  walking across the street with her mom. It was amazing. It's something so small but prayer works. I promise it works.

The highlight of the week was saturday. We had a stake wide talent show where every ward planned and prepared a talent or a skit or something to share. The stake mission leader asked my companion and I to direct the whole thing so the dirrection was a little rough but the show turned out so good. The people here really know how to laugh and make people laugh. In our ward the young women prepared a hip hop dance. In a couple of the wards people sang and one person played the sax. Two wards took the Jaredite story and changed it up a bit. One was a musical and the other was a play on the elections that Peru is having right now. Two of the youth danced the marinera (you should look it up it's beautiful). The missionaries during the whole thing were handing out copies of the Book of Mormon. The elders in our ward even received a reference. At the end of the night we got in a taxi to go back to our area with Chio and she said she was going to get out down town.... to buy a skirt!!! My companion and I about died when she told us that. Chio is absolutely amazing and definitely a miracle for us.

I love you all and can't wait to see you!

Love, Hermana White

Chio's Baptism!

The highlight of this week was Chio. On saturday she got baptized!!! We've been working with her, crying for her and praying incredibly hard for her since the middle of January.

Everyone got involved with her baptism. There were so many people that came and our ward mission leader really put in his part the make the baptism super special. We met in the chapel and then everyone went in to the primary room to watch the baptism. Jim (our ward mission leader) really did his best to make sure that the water was warm..... and we actually had to add cold water to the font because it was scalding. Chio chose one of the young single adults in our ward to baptize her named Felix. It's his first baptism so it was really special for him. We really had to the thank the elders for helping him practice because he was really nervous.

Sunday Chio got confirmed. It was also fast and testimony meeting for us and Chio got up to share her testimony and she said that she wanted to go on a mission. She's definitely a miracle for us.

We also had a less active contact us in the park with every desire to return to church..... so that was special as well.

Our Heavenly Father really is looking our for us and looking for reasons to bless us.... we just have to put in our part.

I love you all so much!!!!

Love, Hermana White

Behold His Hands

You'll find there are times
when you feel weak and weary and tired

and you need to lean on someone else's strength

look up, not down

there's someone who can heal you

Don't give up, take hold of His loving grace

Behold His hands

take them if you're lonely

just reach out

He'll guide you where to go

Behold His hands

He's written you upon them

Every pain and every hurt He'll help you through

Behold His hands

At times it's hard

when the darkness falls in upon you

and there's no one in this world who'll understand

Just know He's there

He's felt every test and trial

and He'll help you change, have faith, He knows you can

Behold His hands

see the marks upon them

know there's hope

He's here to lift you high

Behold His hands

They're the one thing that's stable

Let Him write His name upon your heart

Behold His hands

And when the day comes

when we'll stand before our Maker

remembering all we could have but didn't do

We won't be alone

for we'll stand beside our Savior

And He'll plead our cause, He'll plead for me and you

Father,

Behold my hands

see the prints within them

Have mercy

I've already paid the price

Behold my hands

see how much you love them

You sent Thy son, they did all they could do

Behold my hands