Well the air is a little different! 07-10-2017

Hola Familia!!!!

Ok so I'm transferred. I got moved up to Cajamarca and that is about 8 hours away from Trujillo. The only difference really is that its green here and that its really really really cold and the people and the culture is different. So basically its a lot different then Trujillo. But I like it. 

This last week we were teaching an investigator named Wilmer and he said something pretty nifty that I liked. he said 

¨Never take a step back, even to gain momentum, everything forward¨

I really liked this because its what I've got to do right now. My new area is huge and the members here don't trust the sister missionaries very much, and so my goal right now is to gain their trust and then show them that every missionary is a good missionary. Yes they have their faults but every single one is working for the same cause!

We have been contacting and teaching like crazy this last week and honestly I feel like we are gonna get their trust real soon. But sadly these people have more trust in the missionaries that have baptisms so we are gonna work to help more people enter the waters of baptism. People here are really close we are just helping them get over their fears!!!!

I'm never gonna take a step back , I'm just gonna keep going!!!!!!

Anyways I hope you all have a great week, thank you so much for all the love and support!!!!

Love Hermana McNamara  

Wait what?!?!?

Hola familia!!!!

Ok ok ok so I have got a pretty cool experience from this last week. 

So Tuesday we didn't really have a lot of appointments so we were like hey lets go find some of the old investigators from the area book. So we made a bunch of plans to go find a guy named Luis Enrique, a guy named Julio and a girl name Ganela and two more people. SO when we were walking to go find these people we met a guy in the street and he was out walking with his 1 year old son and I was like ¨ I'm gonna contact him and give his family the gospel¨ so being sneaky like usually I commented ¨oh how cute is your baby!! How old is he and he answered so that started the contact and we got to work getting to know him and we ending up going in the same direction! And he was like, well my sons name is Santiago and when we were about to leave he was like oh and my name is Luis Enrique and I live at this address...... I almost had a heart attack! So we set up an appointment for the next day and after he left I went flying through my agenda looking for the direction I had put down for the Luis Enrique that we had planned to visit and it was the exact same person!!!!!! Wait what?!?!?! ya but wait there is more to this destiny story. The next day we went to the appointment and we got talking with him about the Book of Mormon and he remembered a lot!!!!  Not only that but 2 days before we met him he had been taking with a friend in England and she was like well if you really want to know if the Book of Mormon is true read a part of it and pray about it! Then two days later we met him!!! And he told us. ¨I wasn't going to leave with my son, and I had no reason to cross the street to cross paths with you guys but honestly I feel like this was destiny....¨and I was just like Brother you have no idea how prepared you are for this message!!! 

IT was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo amazing!!!!!! and was definitely the work of God! 

Guys God is preparing people to hear the gospel message and its so amazing!!!!! 

OK literally when I was writing this first part of my email I got a phone call that I'm getting transferred this week so next week I'll be writing you from freezing cold Cajamarca......

Well I will have a ton of adventures to tell you about this next week.
Love you all so much!!!!

Love Hermana McNamara

Potatoes & Lizards... 6-26-2017

Hola Familia!!!!

Well these last two weeks have been super crazy but super fun!!!!

First off this last week I fell out of bed and almost fell on a lizard that got into our room!!! How horrible!!! That was my first thought too. But then went I caught it and went to go set it free  outside 

(because I didn't have the guts to kill it) my pension was like no that's really good luck leave it in your room!!!! I just stared her after kinda confused, but she was serious!!!! But being American I took the lizard outside and set it free.   This was a first for my life and hopefully the last. 

Also this last week we met a new investigator named Pierre Valdivieso. He is so cool!!!! He's got quite a history!!! So he was a reference from a member who he worked with and after a little bit of time that he met this member he was doing another business agreement in another city and the person from this business  gave him a Book of Mormon. Then about a month ago he had the desire to quit smoking a pack of cigarettes everyday and to stop drinking completely. He also said that he is happy living alone, but he just feels like there is  a hole in his heart that he thinks can just be filled with God. He literally has been prepared by God to meet us! He is very much excited to go to church and all and I'm honestly so excited to teach him. Not only because this message we are sharing is  pretty great but also because I know with all my heart this gospel is going to fill his heart!!!! Is going to fill that hole!!!!! 

It's gonna be a great week!!!!!

Love you all and thanks so much for all the support!!!

Love Hermana McNamara  

Potatoes on her face to reduce swelling from a troublesome tooth!

Cassie's Testimony - 06-12-2017

This week Cassie didn't sent home a group letter, she asked me to send out a message.  In my letter to her I had sent here the lyrics to the song "Let it Be".  (Gentri had just released their version of that song and they are her favorite.)  Anyway, her message is in response to those lyrics.   She starts out with expressing their stressful schedule:

Today we are gonna play volleyball as a district so I am gonna pretend that the ball is my stress and I'm just gonna hit it away. Like you said I'm just gonna "Let It Be" and hope for another day. 

I like this part of the song let it be, And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be but I'm gonna change she to He and He being Jesus Christ because there have been so many dark hours here in Peru, so many you don't even know about and every single one I have felt almost like this song saying "in my darkest hour HE is standing in front of me, giving me his wisdom, so i can let it be".

My testimony of my Savior has grown so much here in Peru and this last week I looked back and I saw the progress of my testimony and a lot has been during my time with Hermana Soldevilla, when its been hard and I've had the darkness caving in around me and I decided to fight back, in those moments when I knelt down in prayer and many times through tears and tears and tears I've told my Savior "I accept these words of wisdom, please help me let it be" That's when my testimony has grown. Like the scripture says in 

Ether 12 : 6

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because

 ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

I know that this is true because I have gained my testimony in my trials. I don't need to depend on other peoples testimonies now because mine is strong! Ya it took me a lot longer than some other missionaries but unlike some missionaries I can say. I know that this church is true I can say that I know My savior Jesus Christ suffered for my sins. I know all of this and I can testify and not lie. I met a missionary the other day who said I'm still not sure if God exists and it shocked me, but i am so grateful that I know he exists and that really he loves me. You can share this with whoever you want, but I testify with all my heart that Jesus is the Christ, Savior of the world, and this darkness that is around me everyday, I know through the power of my Savior I can see the light again. I know IT's all true and I will never deny it!

Love you all so much!!!!! Thank You so much for all the support!!!!! 

Love Hermana McNamara