Hey family! 

Hey I don’t have tons of time to write because we had a lovely adventure this morning with a bug infestation in our apartment haha.  Kind of scary for a moment but its all good we found a solution for now and we worked as a good bug-killing team to get them all out. It was an adventure!

This week was full of miracles and one of those was the marriage of Lucero and her husband. There were honestly so many obstacles that were put in her way in order to not take this step. But we got there together with the hand of the Lord! As they were getting married I could truly feel the power of the atonement abiding there as they made this covenant with each other and with the lord. Their family is a family of less-actives and they were all there and were able to feel the spirit very strongly!

Haha the enemy of all righteousness truly didn’t want her to get baptized either.  The day of the baptism they cut the water supply in Moquegua and my comp and I went to fill the pila baptismal and all that came out was contaminated chocolate water! Ahhhh  However, later in the day the water came again and the bishop told us that everything was ok.   But, we went back about 30 minutes before the baptism and we looked in and guess what? There was only about one gallon of water in the pila. Ahhhh The family came and we had no idea what to do? But earlier in the day we had told the elders of the other capilla to fill their baptismal font just in case.  So, haha laughing along the way the entire family and members walked up to the other ward house everything worked out great! The spirit there was so unbelievably strong. As she got up and bore her testimony she began to talk about the trials that she has gone through these past few days and during these four years before receiving this ordinance of baptism. As tears rolled down her face she told everyone that she has been waiting four years for this moment and that even though there are difficulties through the power of the Book of Mormon she was able to know that satan does not have POWER over the children of god. It was so powerful. He does NOT have power over us!!! Never!

We had many spiritual experiences with our less-actives this week and one of the less-actives that was just barely rescued will soon be our mission leader. His name is Guido and the story of his complete change of heart is amazing. He reminds me of the son of Alma!

That is what happened this week and much more! I can’t believe the power of the hand of lord in this work. I can feel him working right beside us always like in Jacob 5 working in the vineyard with his servants. He is doing the same with each of you! I am so excited for conference this week and to be able to invite all of hear the voice of the prophet! Thank you for all that you do for me.  Without each of you I wouldn’t be here! LOVE YOU and keep smiling!

Love, Jess

President serving us!

Sister Leader Conference - It was the President's idea with his assistants to dress up and serve us our dinner! haha

The wedding of Lucero!

Hey family! 

I loved hearing all that you guys are doing in your lives.  Thank you so much for your examples to me. Each and every one of you, through your testimonies, are helping me through this adventure of a mission! This week has been great.  We had a few difficulties with the health of my companion so I did most of my contacting in the hospital which was such a spiritual experience for me!

As we were waiting for the doctor on Tuesday we sat down next to a family of three. We began to ask them questions about their lives and soon the father began to cry telling us that his son has leukemia and that his life is going to be short. The pain in his father’s voice pierced me to the soul. The son was sitting there silent with his head hanging down, we passed him the picture of Christ suffering in Gethsemane and he stared at it for about three minutes not saying a word.  We testified that our savior Jesus Christ knows exactly what he is going through right now and that he just needs to trust in him. And because of him we can be HAPPY no matter what happens! We soon found out that his name is Abram and to get his mind off of things we began to ask him about his dreams, his goals he has in his life, filling each sentence with a joke haha. This was such a special experience for me knowing that there are people suffering but the savior is who gives us JOY no matter what we pass through!

This week we have the wedding and the baptism of our investigator LUCERO. She is so strong and her testimony of the Book of Mormon is the strongest that I have ever seen in the mission. She is marking every word and she understands it perfectly! There have been many difficulties and trials that have been coming our way and her way in this process, however, Satan has no power over us because we are CHILDREN of GOD and with his atonement there is nothing that we can’t accomplish! Her wedding will be on Thursday and her baptism on Friday!

We have been working on a family of less-actives this past week and one of the members of this family is named Gabby.  She doesn’t know how to read but she wants to go on a mission.  We have been teaching her words and letters and the doctrines of gospel and she is progressing each day! I have so much faith that she is going to go on a mission.  She is one of the strongest spirits I have seen on this mission. Also, she has four other sisters who are less-actives that haven’t come to church in about five years but yesterday the ENTIRE family came. I was so thankful that heavenly father was able to help them remember their covenants they have made! It was such an amazing sight!

We are starting to teach the son of our convert Ana Nunes and his family! They came to church yesterday and have so many desires to learn more and to become an eternal family. It is so amazing to see that the conversion and example of ONE can make the difference for an entire generation!

Well, this was my week.  It was a week of miracles and spiritual experiences seeing the hand of my savior Jesus Christ EACH DAY. Thank you so much for your love and support.  I couldn’t do this without you! Keep smiling!

Love, Jess

P.S. Go to lds.org and look up the video "Because of Him."  We have been using this video in our lessons and it is SO powerful!

Hey everyone! I love here all your stories and experiences of the week.  Each and every one of you are such unbelievable examples to me.  I can’t even tell you what an influence you are making in my life right now on my mission through your experiences at home! This week has been good.  We have had some good ups and downs but I have learned so, so much!

We were able to go to leadership council this last week with President! And his grandkids were there also! So we were able to get to know them and really see president interact with his family. There was such a special spirit in the council this week and it made me remember that we are here on the mission and as members to help those around us, FAMILIES, to enter into the temple!

In Arepuipa we were able to spend the whole morning visiting the converts of my companion and then in the afternoon we were able to run quickly to Buenos Aires and visit the Salcedo family (the four girls who got baptized right after I left)! We were walking through the streets and so many memories went through my head and heart in these moments. But as we were walking to go to the Salcedo’s house haha,  practically in the mountains, behind us came running two little boys (four years old and six years old) saying, "Hermana! Hermana! Hermana Mahas!"  They both came running full blast at my legs and practically pushed me over. They were the two youngest Salcedo boys. Oh my gosh, I almost teared up in that moment. They both accompanied us up to the house.  As I walked into their humble home the mom was the first one who saw me and my companion.  She held on to us both for about five minutes and from there the tears came. From there on all the little girls came in. We talked about their baptism day and how special it was but in that moment they told me that they hadn’t gone to church this last Sunday and right then we had a mini testimony meeting full of emotions, tears, and love. Reminding them of the spirit they felt when they entered into the water and that they can NEVER disappoint the lord. It was unbelievable! I am so thankful to my heavenly father for giving me this chance to visit them. Please pray for them!

This week one of our new converts Pablo received the melc. Priesthood after he received it his face was so happy and content his family is not members and he has such a desire to share this message with them and to bless their lives with the priesthood that he now holds!

My comp has been sick these past few days but she is so strong! But she is a lot like me, instead of sitting in bed to get better she wants to go out and work but heavenly father knows that we need to learn patience knowing and having confidence in HIS timing!

The atonement is our rock and has been mine throughout my entire mission and here I am beginning to understand and feel it each day little by little. But when we understand and feel the atonement in our lives each day there is NOTHING that can get us down! I love each and every one of you! I will talk to you next week! Keep smiling!

Love, Jess

I was able to visit the Salcedo family when I was in Arequipa!

Misty in Arequipa

Picture scavenger hunt with the district

We love buying toothpaste

HEY fam!

Every one of you sounds like you are doing perfect! I am so happy to hear about all the good that you are doing and the love that you are showing all those around you! This week has been a great one.  Good news, I’m not getting transferred! I am so excited for this new change I know that there are so many things that are in store for us and so many miracles that the Lord has in store if we work as diligently as we can! This week I really just want to focus on one miracle that happened that I will never forget.

A while ago Hna. Bennion and I went to visit a girl named Lucero, who is 21 years old and has a little girl with her partner Jose, who is less active. We talked to her about marriage and she told us that she has no desire to get married or to be baptized and from then on when we went to her house she would send her daughter out to tell us, "My mom says to tell you that she is not here." haha The typical door response that we get out of these little kids. So, we just decided to let her go.  However, the other Sunday all of the sudden we saw her sitting right next to Jose, which was so surprising. After the meeting we went up to her to set up an appointment and she kind of looked at us like we were crazy. However, when we went to her house the next week we found her and her husband there and we spoke about the atonement of Jesus Christ and challenged them to pick a date THIS month to get married. We left and the next day she called us and said, "Sisters, we set a date for the 26 of this month! And I want to get baptized the next day!" I was shocked in the way that heavenly father made this miracle happen in the lives of Jose and Lucero but he did in his OWN time! ahhhh We are planning their wedding and helping them with all their papers and everything. Such a miracle that heavenly father has brought us!

The less-active couple that has plans to go to the temple .got an interview with the Bishop and he is going to help them with all the plans to get there! Their whole family are members but their son no and this week we had the opportunity to talk to him which was amazing! We are going to continue to work with him!

We are starting to teach the son of Ana Nunes (recent convert) and NOW they seem so ready to listen and do everything they can to have an eternal family! 

Oscar (recent convert) received the Aaronic priesthood this last Sunday and he was so excited! Edson is still in Lima and called us and said that he had baptized many, many names and sounded so content on the phone!

So many miracles that are happening in HIS TIME! I am so grateful to be here and I am so, so grateful for the influence that each of you have had on my life and you are STILL influencing me! I love you so much! Keep smiling! 

Love, Jess

Bonfire with the zone the last night of changes

Breakfast

Hna. Toti (our Pench) being a missionary and putting the pamphlets on the tables in her restaurant

Our zone - Elder Wagner trying to push the timer on his camera....and didn't quite make it! hahahaha