They say that Lake Titicaca is quite large

Week 48

May 12, 2014

Well it is. And I'm in Puno! My new area includes the shore of the lake and just goes up and up. So yeah.

I said my goodbyes Tuesday. Here is the sweet Family Farfan even though the hermana wasn't there. They didn't know I was going to have a transfer but they just randomly decided to make what I had told them was one of my favorite meals. Just because they remember details like that and are so loving. Hermana Farfan cried and told me she wanted me to keep working with her less active husband. But I know the Lord will send him the missionaries he needs now. Planting seeds!

Then we got trained by President Harbertson so we can train. The new missionaries came in and they gave me the daughter I"ve been waiting for! When President put us together I couldn't help myself I was just like we are going to be tall together! and everyone heard. She is almost 6 foot! She is from California and is Hermana Hunter. Just two tall gringas taking over a new sister area in Puno! Adventure! 

Thursday we took the 7 hour bus ride to Puno. It was super pretty but kind of sad as my Cusco mountains just got smaller and smaller until I'm pretty sure we got to just about the top of them all. But Puno kind of has some hills so that's good. And of course the lake which is beautiful. It's cold but it's supposed to get colder. I got here in time to see the Puno winter in about a month. That's okay. More reason to buy more llama sweaters and tights! 

Then the elders showed us our area a little and we just got to work. We didn't know anybody or anything but we contact a lot. Talk with people in the street. And we are trying hard to visit the members so they can trust us. And so we can help them. Really, as missionaries we are just here to help the members in their missionary efforts, not the other way around. It has been difficult but the Lord is answering my prayers so much!

We have been relying a lot on Him. When we are lost we will just stop on the side of the road and offer a prayer. Then He has been answering them quickly and we just stop again and offer a prayer of gratitude. He has helped us find streets, houses, be protected from a certain evil dog, He returned to me my suitcase that somebody mistook for their own, helped the crazy big bus not fall off the bridge,etc. He loves us so much!

Also, I love the Puno people. They have been described by some as cold hearted, but we have already seen a lot of hearts softened as we talk to them about their families when we contact them. Also, I think they are spunky. The elders took us to meet a reference. And they just keep offereing us alcohol, wine, and coffee. And we just kept resisting and saying no and no and no (well, mostly me, because my hija didn't understand what was happening) and the elders didn't even help me out much. And I'm just like man they are stubborn! But we kept being nice to them. And then they just start cracking up and one of the elders comes out with his camera. They were memebers! hahaha they are just really hilarious! I love them so much already. 

And am excited to keep working in Huaynacapac, Puno. I love you all tons! Have a great week and happy mother's day yesterday to all that this applies to! I skyped with my mom and family yesterday and it was great. Love you guys!

Hermana Beckstead

Llamas de fuego

Week 47

May 5, 2014

I love the scriptures. Llamas means flames. But also llamas, like the animal. The llamas of fire. Love it.

This week was awesome. After a month and a half of work with Dante he just wasn't receiving his answer. But we have had some great lessons just helping him understand who the holy ghost is and how he works. And he got his answer! He is just so happy and he wants to be baptized. He is going to be baptized the 17th. 

Also, we have been working with a young woman named Flor Katherine. She has permission from her parents now and she is going to be baptized the 17th as well.

And with Roxana we set a goal with her yesterday for the 31st of May for her wedding.

These are all people that I love so much and have been working with since the beginning. I have to trust in the Lord that He needed me here with them now for a very specific purpose, and that that purpose has drawn to a close. Although another missionary will have the opportunity to see them make life changing covenants with the Lord, I can have peace in my heart to know that I did what the Lord wanted me to do. The Lord has called me to train a brand new missionary (I´m finally going to be a mom) and while doing so, open a new area for sister missionaries. My new area is called Huaynacapac and it´s somewhere in Puno. This information is all very new to me (I literally found out like 10 minutes ago) and I´m not sure if it´s all registered, but it´s going to be great! I don´t know anything about my companion but I will go meet her and take her to Puno on Thursday! 

Well, so yeah, I can´t think of anything else except I killed all my fleas! I took some good advice and I ironed all my blankets. The good news is that Puno is too cold for the fleas so I will be itch free! 

Also I've grown. I´m 5-10 now. 

But my mind is so scrambled. Hopefully the next email makes more sense but I love you all so much! Have a great week! 

PS. Oh yeah- remember how my sweet Peruvians have a home cure for everything? This was the latest that my companion tried on me in order to help me stop coughing. She filled a baby tub with boiling water, put some manzanilla (chamomile I think in English) and made me kneel over it and draped a blanket over us. So fun! I thought my face was going to melt off. Meanwhile, she took some fun pictures. I´m going to miss her so much. Love you guys tons and have a great week! 

AND. Brother Sinchi and his son received the priesthood.  Yay!

Week 46
April 28, 2014

Hey Family!

This week went by really fast! The Lord always blesses us for obedience and protects us. I am going to attach a picture of my companion and I with the Familia Sinchi in front of the church (before they demolished it). They are a family that we have been working with. It has been a cool process to see because Hermana Smedley visited them back in the day but they just didn't progress much and we had to leave them for a little bit. But the ward has reached out to them to help them with some special needs and we have returned to visiting them. They are progressing so much more and attending church. They live in very humble circumstances and the Hermana had to work a couple of Sundays to prevent the bank from taking their home. She told us she misses church! They are being changed by the gospel and are just happier. They even have their 20 year old nephew living with them now and he is listening to us too! His name is Jorge. 

In other news, I might be a sleepwalker. My companion has woken up a couple times and I haven´t been in the room. And I don´t remember getting up to go to the bathroom or anything.

Also, we are teaching family history which is awesome! And even more awesome thanks to the great pictures grandma sent me. The Peruvians say I look like Great-grandma Brown. Yes!

Well, this is short and sweet. But pictures are worth a thousand words! Love you all and have a great week! 

OH AND MOM. I got measured this week and I'm 5-10! remember when I was sad I wasn't quite 5-9? I've grown! That was exciting. You should probably add that to the blog. Very exciting. And tell all your friends. I'm so tall! Well, gotta go but love you tons!

Semana Santa

Week 45

April 21, 2014

Holy Week. That means on Friday Cusco people eat a traditional 12 plates for lunch. Our pensionista loves us and only did 6 or so, but don't worry, people we visited later on in the day made sure we ate much more. I ate seaweed, oysters, fish eggs, and toad eyes (they don't eat meat, just seafood during Easter week). The pictures are of everything I ate that blessed tarde. Also, I would like some credit because I ate pretty much all of it. I only hid an itsy bit in my shoe (thanks for the crocs mom!) and my pocket and my neighbor's bowl. In one of the photos there is a green bouncy ball looking thing in my spoon. That is a HUGE toad eye that I ate.

Well, this week, for my mother I am going to talk a little bit about conversion. One thing that is awesome about the Cusco people is that, by nature, they are very believing. I have had more that one first lesson where we share the Joseph Smith story and they believe it right off the bat.  But conversion is a lot more than just believing in something, it has to sink in until it becomes part of who they are. And although they usually say it could be true right off the bat, people aren't always very inclined to want to pray about it and really study it out and gain a real lasting conversion through the power of the Holy Ghost. One thing I learned this week is that as missionaries we need to take the time to find out how their prayers are REALLY going. One of the reasons a couple of our investigators aren't progressing is because they aren't asking specific questions in their prayers and they don't understand what to expect as an answer. But we took some time this week to go really in depth, not just follow up on the service and it helped a lot. I don't want to be a robot missionary that just follows up on the invitations we give people, but to ask inspired questions to find out how it really went for them. It is impossible to be converted without prayer! And sincere prayer is key.

We had a member in our lesson comment on the word of wisdom- animals can run so fast without getting tired because they keep the word of wisdom. Haha love it! 

Also, some things just don't exist here. I was trying to explain to my companion what a tanning bed was, and she got it and was just like ohhhhhhhh, I saw one of those in a horror movie once!  Hahah. 

This week went by so fast I'm not really sure what all happened! But I am so grateful for Easter. Jesus Christ was perfect and never did a single thing wrong. But He gave his life and suffered for all our sins and pains willingly. And after all that He is still able to love us perfectly. I know He lives and I am so happy to know that I will meet Him one day, and that is only possible because of His infinite sacrifice for me. Death is conquered, man is free, Christ has won the victory!

Love you guys! Have a great week! 

Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids

Week 44

April 14, 2014

 a picture my companion took of my crazy self and a cake our pensionista made.

Hey Guys! I hope you had a great week! This week went by fast but I´m not really sure what happened so here are some random thoughts

Our 3 baptismal dates for the 26th turned into 0. That always hurts a little but it´s okay. It´s kind of funny because in Ollantay we were always stressed because we didn't have people to teach. Well, now we have them, but they just all have problems! Haha. It can´t be easy though, because we want them to have a lasting conversion.

We taught Dante repentance and shared the scripture about if you repent, God remembers the sin no more. He excitedly asked to make sure. "You mean, God forgets it?" It was such an innocent question and he was so excited about the doctrine of repentance. We can repent.  YAY!

Trix. No carpet, air conditioning, or heating here, but I found TRIX and the kind of trix in shapes! I´m completely willing to call that one a tender mercy of the Lord.

This week I saw a speed limit sign! What´s that? It said 30 km per hora and I was curious and was close to the driver so I noticed he was going 50. Haha but nice try Peru. It´s a nice thought. President Harbertson was right. He told us that we have angels protecting us because he´s seen the buses we ride in. It´s so true. I've thought so many times there is NO way we are going to make this turn and we always do! So don´t worry mom, we have a lot of angels protecting us! A lot. And strong because they push big buses around.

They don´t have lawns, and they don´t have lawnmowers. But occasionally someone has a little strip of grass. In which case, they would cut it with school scissors.

My companion was a little mal del estomago, Peruvian style, if you know what I mean, a while back and was going to the bathroom a lot. We went to visit Ernesto and Margarita and when Margarita saw my comp she was just like, Oh, do you want to go the bathroom? hahaha.

We visit a less active and her awesome son who has autism. She told us that he always wakes up in the morning and just stares up and just keeps saying, ¨he´s there, he´s there! I liked that.

Hermana Valverde and Hermana Gonzales (another Hermana we live with) are learning English. Hermana Valverde asked Hermana Gonzales the opposite of the word smart and Hermana Gonzales was like AWESOME! Wait, no! Haha. 

Guillermina and I, we need psychological help

So it was a fun week. And this is the most random email ever!

Love you guys and have a great week!

HermanaBeckstead

Hey Mom, I held a baby puma!

Week 43

April 7, 2014

Hey Guys! I hope you loved conference! Wasn't it the best? The other gringa sister missionary and I listened to the first session in English but it was really pausy so we listened to almost half in 2 hours. So then I just watched the rest of Spanish. And guess what, the church is true in Spanish too, (rhyme haha). I liked the part (I don´t remember who) that said we should get to know Christ better so that we will recognize Him at the last day. We get to know Christ better by studying Him in the scriptures and being obedient. This is so true! I have learned new things about Him by marking in the Book of Mormon His words and what others say about Him. I recommend it!

Also, we got kind of a pat on the back slash spankin. We have been working hard with less actives, and the attendance rate in our mission has gone up 10 percent since January. So, good job missionaries! But then it´s like, you need a bigger chapel so we are going to tear down yours and build a bigger one and it´s like hey wait...But it´s okay. We are going to share someone else's building and attend at 2 in the afternoon. And one day we will have a nice big capilla! Apparently they have added on to it before so the foundation can´t take any more renovations.

The pictures are me holding a parrot and sloth (don´t die Mary) and a baby puma leopard thing. The leopard animal was a little more scary but the other two were perfectly docile. I love Peruvian Zoos! 

Love you tons! Have a great week!  

Just Rub Some Lime In It

Week 42

March 31, 2014

Peruvians always seem to have a great natural remedy for everything. Sometimes I get lots of bites. From fleas or something. You get fun different advice. Like pee on your legs (Hermana Farfan) or let´s just squeeze lime all over your legs (my companion). Lime sounded better than urine so we tried that one. It stung, but I actually highly recommend it. It makes your skin nice and soft. 

This week we were in a lesson with Roxana and we were talking about the law of chastity, getting married, all that jazz. And she was kind of putting up some excuses and so we talked about if she wants blessings now or in 20 years (now is the time to prepare to meet God) and that with God, everything is possible. In that exact moment the power went out. Everywhere. Pitch black. Haha, it was so awesome!  I had my flashlight with me so we continued the lesson by flashlight. That was fun because it felt like we were camping and just talking around a fire. Our member shared her awesome experience about getting married and we talked some more very straight-forwardly and then we asked Roxana what she was going to do. She kind of paused, then just said, ¨get married¨. And as she said those words, all the power came back on. I couldn't help myself from telling her I thought it was a sign. That was really cool.

So President and Sister Harbertson are in our ward but they have come once in all my time here because they are always traveling through the mission and visiting and stuff. So we are always making jokes about our less active family, the Harbertsons. Like, we need to bring them up in ward council, we need to get the home teachers, etc. Well this week the visiting teachers of Hermana Harbertson called the house. Our housemate Hermana Gonzalez answered and they asked her for Sister Harbertson's address and stuff and we all heard and just burst out laughing. The poor Hermana was probably so confused.

Dante is still doing great. And yeah. Love you guys! Hope you have a great week! 

And I may or may not be going to an Andes zoo today in a little town called Tipon. I heard you get to hold the animals. So hopefully you will get more pictures next week. These pictures are to make up for 2 weeks without pictures. These are from the flour and egg and cake in the face birthday fun. And with the Family Farfan  (my favorite less actives)

Love you guys!