Miracles of the week - Feb. 16, 2015

Satan just knows how great we are. Hermana Estes and I have been given girls with the MOST emotional problems and then when you focus on them, and neglect for so long their companions, they break down then too. Also, our district leader who is VERY difficult to understand told us the other week he thought we were robots. We felt really bad, really heartless. Like the tin man in wizard of oz and repented. Then when we couldn't do anything right our zone leader explained to us its because we aren't being specific enough with our problems that we write down on our informe de area. Elder Vera es SO hard to comprehend. Not because he speaks Spanish, but because he says one thing, but MEANS to communicate something entirely hidden in concept. Yesterday he made my comp. Hermana Estes cry, he told her to work on her Spanish, because the informe has alot of mistakes.......she has 16 months in the mission and this whole week people have been grilling us and our accents. It's just been a merciless week from all. Haha, also! one of the girls we went to visit, we heard she had another crying attack, so we went and bought cookies and chocolate and ran over to her house to see what was wrong with her. She told us, she doesn't feel like anyone loves her for real. That we are obligated to love her because it's our calling, and that none of her leaders really love her, its just what we're called to do, so it doesn't count. I feel like Hermana Estes and I have just given our all. Talents, time and HEART to these girls, and our zone and our investigators, and they just reject it all and say it was not done with sincerity. but its ok. Everything is alright, and there are still miracles that happen around us everyday.

Miracles of the week.

Carnaval. the good. the bad. and the ugly.
I mentioned before the holiday that starts in the beginning of Febrero and has no end right? Everyone has dirty water and paint that they just throw on anyone in the street. there is no mercy. So the ugly was the festival itself. We unfortunately had the party street. A radio station came to do the siging and beer advertising RIGHT in front of our house. and they sang off tune, and repetitively for 2 days straight. it started at 9 pm Saturday night, and then stopped at 4 in the morning Sunday. Then started back up Sunday at 2pm. and then wouldn't stop until 10:30 at night. It was so loud, Hermana Estes and I couldn't speak to each other and hear one another. The president even ordered all of the missionaries of Iquitos to stay and hide in our houses for the day. We had permission to go take the sacrament and split it. We had to have our food delivered to us in the morning before the party started. What we saw from our houses, was lots of dancing, music, beer, and wet brightly colored people. Oh and the most important part were the humishas. They're like opposite of Christmas trees. They bring palm trees from the chacra, and tie presents and new things onto the top, then secure them into the sand, and at the end of the night, the drunkards dance around the trees with machetes cutting the tree down and all the children collect the fruit and gifts that fall with the tree. We had 5 on the street of Yurimaguas. Demasiado era. the GOOD is that God loves us and does not tolerate wickedness. So RIGHT as 10:30 hit, when it was missionary time to go to sleep, He sent the rain :) and the radio station had to run to protect their equipment! yay! So we got to sleep last night.

Rosario.
She has schizophrenia. and the FIRST day she met with us, she didn't understand us. But not our Spanish, she didn't understand God, she didn't understand the doctrine. She told us she couldn't pray to God because she did not had money to buy more candles. (catholic tradition, i think?) but we taught her prayers are free! and not memorized! Little by little, we've seen a change in her. Then when she received the priesthood blessing. wow, EVEN BETTER! she smiles more! then, our fault, we were slow to give her a BOM because we have limited supply in mission Peru Iquitos, and she hardly could read our folletos. Miracle time. Thanks to the idea of our district leader, we brought her one. And that day, in entirety she read Enos and UNDERSTOOD IT! she explained to me what the word expurgar meant! She was learning what remission of sins was, and not just in meaning, but in practice. This was the woman who thought she had no sins, and that there were multiple Jesus`s. The Lord is changing her heart and her abilities! she is a miracle.

The reference.
We are teaching this awesome family, and yesterday we asked for references. The dad who is recently listening and telling us he wants to get married and baptized (miracle in itself) told us to visit his mom! So we went searching her house. on the street that is infamous for being a disaster of disorder. While stuck in the corner of the street, lost, a man walked up to us and asked why God permits so much suffering. I didn't know how to answer, if he was looking for a fight, or a real answer. Hermana Jiminez was quick and explained that He wants to allow all men their free agency, and in this way, can he judge and punish them according to their acts. He was satisfied and told us he was wanting to be baptized before, but the elders had transfers and left. We asked to visit his family. I asked for his direction and it matched the reference of Percy`s mom! I asked the man if he knew the mom, and said it was his tia! He showed us where he lived, and we taught him and his cousin, who are excited to be baptized!

The sloth find
Hermana Estes has a little sister who is SO determined that her sister find a baby sloth here in the jungle, and whats more. whats a picture! The Lord grants us all things if we ask in faith. So while walking through the markets of Belen, We found a member who helped us find a woman with a baby sloth. It was for sale. which is sad, she totes stole this baby from his home in the chacra. She was selling it for the US dollar equivalent of $20.00.
And idk if its the dress, its color, or just my essence. but after Hermana Estes held it, she let me take some pictures and the baby sloth fell asleep on my shoulder :)

Our area is growing! We are finding more people! I seriously love Hermana Estes. Shes from Alpine Utah, Abigail Estes. Shes so sweet and I have never worked so hard and so obediently in all my mission! the Lord is blessing us. No baptisms yet. but we're close :)

Take care all!
I love you, and I love the mission :)
Hermana Talbert