Sunday, October 30, 2016

Faith and Allergic Reactions 10/24/2016

Hola Familia!!!!

Well as you can see from my subject line this week has been an event in and of itself. First off I got bit by a really weird bug. Weird because I have no idea what bug bit me. Here's the worse part I had a really bad allergic reaction to the bug bite. I was on Benedryl for 3 days and my foot around the bug bite was swollen and walking was just plain awful. Haha I tried to take some pictures but they didn't really do the effect justice. I'm good now and I can walk normal, but I am really praying I don't get bit by this bug again. 

Now the faith part. So we have been busy helping the familia Aldabe get ready for their marriage on the 31st and we thought we had all the paper ready to go and then we got to the municipalidad and they said we need 4 more papers and we have to have them to the municipalidad by today. Well one of the papers needed is in Otusco. This city is a 8 hour bus ride away from where I'm at now. Now we panicked a little but then a member stepped up and said that he was willing to take the bus ride and go get this paper. As of right now he hasn't gotten back yet so we are definitely working with our faith here and praying a ton. But I believe it will all work out.

Jose Salinas said that he has the desire to get baptized!!! I'm so happy!!! All he has to do now is get divorced and then married again........... Im really feeling like I am a marriage counselor, I'm gonna marry all of Peru before I come home. But we were promised by a member because Jose is older that the process is going to be 10x easier. I'm excited to see how God works this out. 

I had an inter cambio this last week as well and it was good. My companion expressed before she left our area for the 24 hours that she really didn't have confidence that I could lead the area, I didn't really like that but I proved her wrong. Hermana Garcia and I worked really hard and we now have 3 new investigators because of this one day. I'm really working to help my companion have confidence in me I feel like that will help. Transfers are in 3 weeks and its very likely that she will leave so I am working really hard to get her confidence in me up. 

I'm grateful for all my experiences this week and I'm so excited for this next week!
I miss you all!!! Hope you all have a good week!!! And remember all things are possible through the Atonement!! 

Love Hermana McNamara








Hola!!!!! 10/17/2016

Hola Familia!!!

This week has been really good!!! I do feel however like I am a 40 year old person trapped inside a 19yr old body. I'm exhausted! hahaha its good though! 

I cant remember if I wrote about Jose Salinas in my last email, but he is a man we contacted this last week and he is honestly the sweetest 80 yr old man you'll ever meet. Now when I first met him I thought that he was 65 or 70 but no he has 80' years and he is still kicking trash! Anyways so we started teaching him and we learned that he's not married, ok that's cool, we can help him with that. Now we discovered in the 2nd lesson he isn't divorced from his first wife. Hes been living with his current girlfriend for 35 YEARS and he hasn't gotten a divorce. This is the challenge, because getting a divorce here in Peru is quite a task everyone we have talked has said that it can take up to 2 - 3 years for the divorce to be finalized and he can get married again. So we are praying really hard that one, he has the desire to get the divorce and get marred so he can get baptized and 2, that the divorce process goes really fast. God works miracles so I'm going to trust Him on this one. 

Now all of the Familia Aldabe came to church today and it was so amazing!!!!! I am so excited for their wedding and baptisms and the end of this month. Now we also have another family that needs to get married for the father to be baptized this is the family I sent pictures of. Me and my companion have decided that all the people that want to get baptized right now are all the people that aren't married and have no desire in the moment to get married. So I guess you could say we are marriage specialists. 

Anyways I don't have to much time but I love you all so much!!! I am so grateful for you all and all your support!!!!
Love you Bunches!!!
Love Hermana McNamara
 






Sunday, October 16, 2016

Well another week another dollar - 10/10/2016

Hola Familia!!!

OK so I have a lot to say and not a lot of time! 

So last Monday after writing we went to a members chacra and well basically its just sand but it really was so much fun!!! I got a nice watch tan line because of it! And there was this random seesaw in a park with a bunch of tires it was honestly the best!!!! I sent a picture of how many grown men we can fit on a 2 person bench in this mini buses that have here its pretty awful but hey the elders were happy to pose in a picture for me. 

This last week I was studying in Matthew 7 because the people here really know the bible and honestly I don't. So I've been working on getting to know that better. Isaiah hasn't been too fun hahahaha its like learning Spanish but I'm getting it bit by bit. I've been praying for the gift of tongues on that one. Anyways I have been studying in Matthew 7 and the part about the captain coming to Christ and asking for him to heal is servant really got me thinking. Jesus every time he performs a milagro he always always recognizes the persons faith. The captain is an example. But I realized Christ only could perform those miracles because of the persons faith. The same is for us. When we act on our faith here in the earth that is the only time that God or Jesus Christ can bless us. Thought that was interesting for you all.

Today  I got to have a pday in the morning with my mission president and he honestly in the bomb diggity! We played a bunch of games and got to know our president more!! Then after we went to the plaza and ate at TGI Fridays!! Yup they have those here in Peru and it was really good to eat American food!! 

Muchos personas here in centenario don't want to hear about what we have to offer. Especially coming from an American. Yesterday we talked with a guy that when my companion would talk was attentive and really interested. Then I started talking and he told us to leave and never come back.............................................. They really don't like Americans. Its all good though I love them anyways!!!! 

Love you all!!! Hope you all have a good week!!! Really jealous a lot of you will be getting snow!!!! I want some!!!!! Its starting to get really hot here and its miserable! We get crammed in the Combis and its even worse. Ha ha 25 people in a mini van is not very fun!!! 

Anyways Love you all!!! Enjoy the cold while you got it!!! 

Love Hermana McNamara
chacra = ranch
milagro = miracle
Muchos = many

















Monday, October 3, 2016

" Loose their Thumbs!"



Hola Familia!!! 
Well Everyone How are you all doing??? I am still a such a spiritual high from conference. This last weekend was so amazing!!! As you can tell from my subject line I really liked Elder Dallin H Oaks talk. Before conference though my companion was saying there was a good chance that all of conference was going to be in Spanish. I wasn’t panicking but I was definitely praying that I could watch it in English. I mean my Spanish is better but it is definitely not apostle good. Lucky me and 4 other missionaries we got to watch all of conference in English and it was the best!!! I loved loved loved the question President Hales asked " If we loved the Savior more would be suffer less?" Here in the mission you really learn what love is, and one thing I have learned about love is that if you don’t love the Savior or God we can’t love others. We can’t help people suffer less. At times it is so hard to love others, trust me I know. In the moments when my companion is not treating me the best or won’t talk to me that is when I’ve discovered it’s really hard to love my companion, and in these moments is when I’ve suffered less. Because I know in these moments that my Savior loves me and my companion and that is usually how I make it through to the next day. 

Speaking about companions... I am no longer in training as a missionary! I am officially a missionary whether I can speak the language or not. Also I found out transfer this week and......................... I’m gonna be in this area with my trainer Hermana Chaparro for one more transfer. I’m excited to see what God has instore for me and Hermana Chaparro in this next transfer. Now I am gonna be honest this next transfer is probably gonna be hard, and its gonna have its up and downs but as President Russell M Nelson said " my suffering was swallowed up in the joy of Jesus s is my goal for this next transfer is for my suffering to be swallowed up in the Joy of Jesus. I know through Prayer and through the help of my Loving Heavenly Father this next transfer can be one of my best even with its ups and downs. 

This last week we started teaching a family. Now the parents have lived together for 16 years and haven’t gotten married, so we really had to focus on that because they can’t get baptized until after a wedding. This October 24 is another massive civil wedding and so we told them about it and Hermana Yovanna (The mom) was like yea sure I’ll get married. Hermana Fransico (the dad) said that the date was really pronto and that he needs more time. Now we had a member with us in the lesson and His name is Hermano Jorge. Hermano Jorge use to be a Bishop and he pulls gospel doctrine lessons together in 2 minutes. He’s añsp very very chistoso! Very. So he turned to Hermano Fransico and I was expecting like a huge inspirational comment and Hermano Jorge only said " 16 years wasn’t enough time???" hahahahaha so Saturday we went back and Hermano Fransico and Yovanna are getting married the 24th of this month!!! And the whole family has a baptism date for the 29th! We are honestly so excited!!!! 

That’s all I got for you wonderful people this week!!! Have a good week! Trust God! Remember our stumbling blocks can become our stepping stones!!! 

Love You!
Love Hermana McNamara

P.S. This coming Domingo is my little Sisters 15 birthday!!! I’m doing the best I can from here, but I’d love it if y’all could send her a shout out this day!!! oh and she’s also getting her permit so watch out on the roads!!!! ;) Love you Clarisa!!!!!!! 

😘