This is Not Goodbye...It's a See You Later :)

Hermana Agle lost her Grandpa Agle this week.  This photo was taken just 3 years ago on his 80th Birthday :)

This week has been a roller-coaster for sure...With the news of Grandpa passing away and lots of new things happening in my area. When President Archibald called me on Saturday, he first asked me if I had a little bit of help from the other side of the veil that day. Once he said that, I knew what he was going to say. President said that it is hard to hear news(death of a family member) like that, but really I am going to be able to see a difference in the work. He said Grandpa was going to be there on the other side of the veil working along with me. I have been able to feel that this week. I am grateful for the peace that comes from the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. Things that happen like this are sad here on the earth. But through Jesus Christ, we will be able to see Grandpa again. I know this is true. This is not goodbye, it's a see you later :) I know that more than ever right now. And during these days I have felt so much peace knowing that. I know Grandpa is happy right now and we will see him again :) I am grateful for this knowledge that I have :) I wish I could be there for the funeral to be with all of you, Grandma, Dad, Brad and Jeff. I hope you can all remember this knowledge that you have and the great Plan that Heavenly Father has created for us. We will see Grandpa again. I testify that that is true. 

This week we have been working with so many less actives and we have seen fruits! A family of 7, that has been less active for years came to church this week!! The mom is the reason they haven't gone to church. We met them last Tuesday and the mom told us that the members had offended her and that's why her family of 7 doesn't go to church. Well, Hermana Leyva and I were very direct with her. I felt so strongly that I needed to tell her the things the way they are and not pillow any of it. So we loaded it on her. And look at that, the Spirit knows what he's talking about! She opened up completely! She said that she is used to people just pillow talkin her but that we have ¨SPUNK¨ and that it is what she needed. So they came to church on Sunday and we are working with them to get them to the temple. They are the familia Soto Ore :) So I'll get back to them in the future.

On the 31st of May we have a baptism. Her name is Ofelia and she has a little boy named Snayder who is two. They are very very poor. They live on the coast of the ocean in a little tiny room with just a bed and a stove. They live in the same place as pigs and chickens and a whole bunch of guinea pigs. And Ofelia has a HARD life story. Really hard. She has suffered a lot. But it has been amazing to see the way the gospel has changed her life little by little. She has a little bit more light in her eyes when we visit her. Her love the of The Book Of Mormon is growing. She recognizes the Spirit she feels while at church. We are working on really converting our baptisms so that we are not just creating more less actives. And we are excited to finishing preparing Ofelia to be baptized the 31st of May :)

Well, Kaela is getting married this week and time is going super fast! I am learning to enjoy every minute I have here in Peru as a missionary. I am sad I won't be at her wedding but I know it will be a very very special day :) I am proud of her :)

Keep pushing on, reading your scriptures, praying, going to church and striving to be like Christ every day. Doing that will bring so many blessings into your life and you will feel so much happiness. I am grateful for this gospel :) This week I am going up north to Huaraz so be waiting for beautiful pictures next week :) And I will be waiting for beautiful pictures from Kaela's wedding :) I love you all! Have a great week and I will be praying and thinking about the Agle family all week. I wish I could be there but I will be thinking about you guys. I love you all!

Hermana Agle

Quick Note

(Very short letter this week...but we had an amazing call with Cami on Mother's Day.  She had the opportunity this week to have a personal interview with Elder Christopher Waddell of the First Quorum of the Seventy who is currently residing in Lima, Peru.  She was very excited to meet him, and was so enthusiastic about the work she is doing, and the people she has had the chance to teach.  It was a short call (30 min.), but we felt the Spirit as she shared many inspiring stories with us.  We can't wait to see her in October!)

Hey, sorry I have been in Lima all day so I didn't have time to write. And RIGHT as I sat down at the computer, President Archibald walked into the office and we started talking, and we ended up talking for like 3 hours...about the work. So, I don't have time to write you anymore...because I have to catch the bus back up to Barranca right now. But seriously, my misión President is AWESOME. I am leaving the offices just BEAMING, because of what he has just shared with us. I am so excited to get back to Limoncillo and really help establish the church and baptize lots of people! Big things are coming these next 5 months so get ready to hear about all of them. I am finishing off this mission strong!!! Love you all! I loved being able to talk to you. I know it was short but I loved it....and we'll be seeing each other soon anyway :) I love you all. Thanks for all of the support you give me!! Talk to you next week!

Ciao,
Hermana Agle

The SPIRIT always testifies

Hey family!

Well, it's been a crazy week like always! A lot of stuff has happened. Let's start with baptisms.

So, Edith and Jean Franco will be baptized this Friday. Because we are up here in Barranca, and we are so far from the city, the person who does baptismal interviews wasn't able to make it for this weekend. So THIS Friday they will be baptized! :)

Gloria...ASUMachhu. She is the FUNNIEST little girl on the planet. And so adorable. She was so excited to be baptized this Saturday. Everything was ready and set, we were just waiting for Saturday. Well, when we get there Saturday, her Dad was there. He said to us ¨I changed my mind. I don't want my daughter to be baptized and I am not going to allow it.¨ He and his wife had just gotten into a huge fight. He is not a member of the church and he refuses to listen to the missionaries. Gloria's mom is a fighter. She is a faithful member of the church and she is just such a strong woman with lots of problems in her life. Well, we told them that Gloria couldn't get baptized without her Dad's permission. But...we weren't just going to give up, so we stood there and talked with her dad as he angrily cleaned his lawn chairs. It was a very strange conversation. He ended up talking about science and how science and God can't exist together and science has proven that God doesn't exist. I told him that I was studying to be a doctor and he laughed at me and said that he was talking about MEDICINE, not miracle curing people. I was like uhhhh no, I'm studying to be a surgeon. I bore my testimony of God to him and we tried our best but he was just so bitter. It was awful. Well, it turns out Gloria and her mom snuck out of the house to go her baptism and they showed up to get baptized. It was awful because we had to tell her she literally couldn't get baptized. We didn't want to separate their family. So now we are going to go and teach her father with a LOT of power and authority and get that baptismal permission!! And while we do it, we are going to baptize him as well :) We will fight hard for Gloria!

Gloria made us balloon necklaces :)

So, bad news. Remember that bug bite that swelled up huge a few weeks ago that I had an allergic reaction to? Yeah, well guess what was happening to me as we were standing outside teaching Glorias dad?? These SAME bugs were attacking me!! I now have 63 huge red, infected bites on my legs and my legs are completely swollen! It is the worst. I have spent the past 48 hours scratching my legs!!! We went and bought a bunch of pills and creams and I have a treatment that I am doing but it's the worst!!! So I guess that was my bienvenida to Barranca :)

We had a really great experience this week that I would like to share :) In our carpeta de area(binder that was passed to us), there is a family of 4 with parents casados(who are married) and they have come to church before. But, there was not an address or telephone number and NO ONE in the ward remembers them! So Hermana Leyva and I have been praying a lot to be able to find them somehow. We didn't know how we were going to do it, but we had faith that we could find them. Well, one day we were walking with a member and we passed a house and she said, ¨I remember Hermana Munoz coming to this house to teach once. Lets go knock¨. So we went and knocked and it was them!! We were able to find this family!! It is a mom, dad, and two girls 14 and 11. So we are SO excited to start teaching them and invite them to be baptized again. Before, they had accepted a baptismal date but were not baptized. So we are going to teach and baptize this family of four. Heavenly Father is listening to our prayers here in Limoncillo!! I have felt the guide of the Spirit so strong here. I know there are a lot of families here that Heavenly Father needs us to find and we will keep looking and praying for them!!

Heavenly Father answers our prayers. I know it, because I have seen it a bunch in my mission! Sometimes he answers them after a while, sometimes immediately, sometimes we are happy with the answer and sometimes not. But He will ALWAYS answer our prayers. I have had a bunch of experiences with investigators where they have doubts about Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon and we just kneel down...right then and there...and ask God. And it works EVERY time. They always receive an answer. The Spirit always testifies. Every time. It is such a testimony builder to me. Yesterday I had the chance to teach the Gospel Principles class (Limoncillo is a branch so the missionaries basically do everything. Church attendance is about 80 people). I taught about the Holy Ghost and as I taught I just felt so grateful for the influence of the Spirit in my life. It has helped me make important decisions, and I have my testimony of this gospel thanks to the Holy Ghost. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost and prayer. We can feel so close to our Father in Heaven through prayer. 

I love you all! Have a great week!!
Hermana Agle

ahhh...the beach!

My District at Christo Redentor