Monday, August 13, 2012

Letter #29 from Mary

Hey family! wow there is so muchg to say and no time. for christmas, I would love music. mo-tab, and classical. and candy, please. 
On Wednesday I got on a 13 hour bus ride to PUNO!!! I am still in puno, but i go back to puerto today. i came for the concerts,,, we had a concert in juliaca on friday, bellavista saturday, and puno central last night. we were on tv for puno on thursday morning and sang on tv! Then sunday, in the morning hrna martinez and i went to los uros... those are the floating islands on lake titikaka to go sing for the members! the church is made out of reeds too, it was amazing. We went just the two of us with the 2nd councelor of the mission. Also, i wasnt there for it saturday, but my two converts got baptized! I was sad i couldnt be there for it, but the most important thing is that they got baptized, and i am beyond happy about that. 
I have been so blessed, and i dont feel i deserve any of it. The people treat us like celebrities or something, and we were signing autographs for an hour, but to be honest i almost said last night i dont want to do this anymore. its hard, its stressful, and half the time i sing well, the other half i make mistakes. plus i never have been one to love the spot light that much, so much pressure. I am still going to finish out all the concerts, but its hard. there is so much going on in my area that i am missing. But i know that that in the long run, the concert helps gets tons and tons of references, so thats makes it worth it. If the lord wants me to sing, thats what i'll do. 

rach, send pictures of england! i cant believe you are going! also, i want pictures of my of my niece and nephews! love you all, i'll send pics of puno!!!!!

Hermana San Francisco!! Wow, me encantan sus fotos! Se acuerda de hermana creek? ella es mi companera! loca, todavia estamos en puerto trabajando duro. tuvimos dos bautismos sabado, pero, ahorita estoy en puno visitando para cantar! es muy chevere. Come un heladito extra en la playa para mi!!! Oiga, que paso con sus citas con los chicos! cuenteme porfa!!!!  quiero saber que esta pasando alli pue! le quiero mucho, cuenteme cuenteme! 

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Letter #28 from Mary

Hey daddy, that sounds like fun camping with david and chris. i sure miss cool weather, its so hot here all the time. i am going on 6 months here in puerto! my companion and i are doing really well. I love her so so much! We only speak in spanish, and are working hard. 

Here is the update. the peruvian postal service is on strike in lima... we can still recieve letters, but we cant send anything out! The worst part is i went to another service, and paid a bunch of money to send it out a few weeks ago to the us, and when we went back, they told us that their company doesnt send mail internationally. yep, so that means the cheif that told me he could just pocketed my money. awesome. sorry family and friends for not writing you all, i have tried, but it just backfired. BUT PLEASE STILL SEND ME LETTERS!! we can recieve just fine, just cant send. 

Things that have happened this week. in church, rosa and frank came! frank is a member less active, and rosa is his girlfriend who we are teaching, they live together and have a child. They both stood up and bore their testimony of the gospel with tears in their eyes-. it was truly a miracle to see. the whole branch was in tears. It was also so awesome to see almost all of the people i have taught and that have been baptized be in church yesterday... there were at least 10, and 3 investigators who have all accepted baptismal dates. Also, Vilma and her son werent there, but they are getting baptized too. Vilma had such a hard heart before and she has truly had such a change of heart. She is in puno this week, but is going to attend there!!! and be baptized at the end of this month. 

Also there is this little girl who we love, her name is angela. I have never seen a child with a bigger desire to go to church. everyday, when we walk by her, she chases us down and says, hermanitas!!! we are going to go to church on sunday!!! she is 3. yesterday, her mom didnt go to church, and when we passed by her, she ran to us, and said ¨are you going to take me to church? its sunday!? she had been waiting all week for us to pick her up. we forgot. church had already passed, but we figured we could invite her to see the church, but her mom said she didnt have time. Angela burst into tears. it broke our hearts. its so sad to see when the children have a desire to be righteous..and the  parents do nothing about it. ugh its frustrating. so sad. 

Wow it  sounds like so much has happened this week... I am so glad rachel went to help the sister with all those trials, how hard!!! if there is one thing i have learned, its that nothing is impossible, just difficult. if the lord gives us trials, its because its for our good. even though we dont understand them sometimes. i realize that i am saying this and here i am happy and blessed on a mission, but i still know them to true, and i will take that knowledge with me through out my life, and apply it whenever i have to ask, Why is this so hard? Anyway, i love you all. please write me, its been weeks since i have had even a letter. but my comp gets tons! love you! 

Burboa, y Villanueva! Uds estan en sus casas!!! espero que todo les vaya bien, y que siempre recuerden las cosas que han aprendido de la mision! voy a enviar las fotos que tengo a ustedes. ciou!

Hermana swartz.