This week was the SEMANA SANTA here in Peru. It is the week that the people here in Peru celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the states, we celebrate a day (Easter), but here in Peru, the people walk around the streets all day, people go to church all day, every day for the whole week! Every church has something different that they do during the Semana Santa. Some people go to the center of Lima to climb this HUGE hill where there is a cross on top to ask forgiveness for their sins. Some people visit 7 different churches to show their devotion to Christ. NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE (members of the church included) eats meat...Just fish. They don't even sell meat in the markets. So I have eaten a good amount of tuna this week...haha. I never want tuna again! But anyway, we have had to face a lot of Apostasy this week. But it has been cool as well, because every time someone asks us what our church does for the Semana Santa, we get to tell them that we don't celebrate the Semana Santa, because we have the privilege of remembering Jesus Christ EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY of the year when we partake of the Sacrament. Christ is ALWAYS a part of our lives, not just one week of the year. I am grateful for the Sacrament and the covenants that we can renew every single Sunday :)
So we have transfers tomorrow! I don't know what is going to happen to us, but I will let you all know next week. It will be interesting to see what happens?!! I have LOVED my time with Hermana Lopez here in Los Olivos. I have learned things that I never thought I would learn. I have been able to develop some of my weaknesses, I have grown to REALLY love the people here, and we have had a lot of success. I love it here. Hermana Lopez finishes her mission in a month...So if we are separated now, it will be the last time I will see her. That is kind of freaking me out!! I love her a lot. She has helped me get to know my Savior and I will ALWAYS be grateful to her for that. She is my best friend :) She says Hi to everyone :) Mom, she says that you are a magic mom and she really wants to get to know you :) I always talk about your food, mom :) Because Peruvians are always like ¨food in the United States is gross because it is all from cans and McDonalds¨. Well, I have to defend my country...So I always tell them that my mom cooks SOO yummy and I always talk about your food...then they change their mind :) So Hermana Lopez says that she wants to try your food one day :) And she says HI to the whole family and that we are a great family :) And she says HI to Cameron too and she apologizes for her bad pronunciation in English haha :) But she thinks you are really cool :) So anyway, I'll let you now what happens next week!!
So, this week we have seen some GREAT miracles. We had 10 investigators come to church! We contacted in the street...like none other this week...and we saw results. People came to church and we were able to set some baptismal dates. We met a boy named Marco, yesterday, and he is WAY cool. He is 18 and he came to church with a friend. We set an appointment for that night and had him come to our pensionistas house to teach him. We started the lesson off by asking him how he liked church? Well, he started talking about how different it was from all of the other churches, and how we did weird things, and he felt strange and it wasn't anything that he had ever grown up with. As he was talking I was like ¨ahhhh, dang...one of these cases...super catholic that just wants to fight with us...¨ But after he finished saying all of his thoughts about the church he looks at us, his face lights up and he says, ¨I have never felt the way I felt in your church and I LOVED it.¨ Man, Marco is great. He loved hearing about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. He accepted the invitation to be baptized the 10th of May. So...we are excited to keep working with Marco, and be in this battle with Satan until the 10th of May. Our President always says that when we set a baptismal date, we are declaring war to Satan. I am excited to win this war :) !!!
Well, as always, I love being in this work. I love being a missionary. The mission is hard. And there are lots of challenges and really difficult times. Times where you feel completely alone and like there is nothing you can do to feel better. But in those times, Christ has always been there for me. In different ways, but I can ALWAYS feel him. And I love that. And I know that Heavenly Father is working with us and he loves us and wants us to learn and progress. We have challenges for a reason. He doesn't want to just see us suffer, but he wants us to learn, grow and develop. I am grateful for this gospel and the blessings I receive everyday from it. I love you all!! Until next week!!
Love,
Hermana Agle
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