Semana 2

Me and Hermana Talbert at the Lima Temple 

My companion and I bought these awesome peruvian genie pants from a street vendor in Lima today.

Last night with our fave latinas! Hna Castro from Peru, Me, Hermana Garcia from Mexico, Hermana Talbert from Indiana (my comp), Hermana Amador from Honduras, and Hermana Rivera from Chile

Lima Peru Temple!!!

HOLA MI FAMILIA!!!!

Okay so week 2 in the CCM has gone by pretty quick!

This last satruday we had the opportunity to go tracting in north Lima and it was quite the eye opening experience!! I got to go with one of my sweet latina roommates and we went visiting people with some of the actual sister missionaries. North Lima was very different than anything I´ve ever experienced. It´s very poor and theres tons and tons of houses built up the mountains, and they look like shanty little boxes stack on top of eachother. You have to climb up all these stairs to get to them. I have noticed that the people here in Lima Peru are SO friendly and kind. They are always willing to listen to our message and are so happy when we came to visit and check up on them. We visited some of the less active members and shared a lesson with them about the importance of coming to church to partake of the sacrament there as well as the strength they would receive in doing so. It was really difficult for me to understand the peruvians however. They mumble and just laugh at me because I´m just a little gringa that has no idea what they´re saying. I don´t know why, maybe I just get nervous because I have no problem whatsoever speaking to the latinos here in the CCM, but hopefully it gets better! I got to share my testimony and some scriptures about baptism and sacrament and the people were very kind!

One funny thing that happens here in the CCM is that all the Latinos and North Americans play a game where the north americans teach the latinos funny things to say in each others language, and have them say it to other people. Like for instance the other day Hermana Talbert and I were just walking and these latino elders walking past us were just casually like "whats up, chicken butt?", completely matter of factly. Hahahaha we died, they are all so sweet and hilarious. Oh mom, you´re gonna love this. I found out this week that "your mom" jokes are SUPER not ok here. I said it in spanish to my latina roommates and they all gasped and died laughing. It was really funny and I´m glad I learned it with them hahahahaha. Hermana Talbert and I are so sad that our latina roommates left for their actual missions already. They are such good missionaries, always help us with spanish, and just genuinely good friends.

The food here is super good still. There´s this awesome fruit they give here called granadin. Its sort of like a pomegranate but has the consistency of slugs. Its pretty good.

We had p-day again today and got to go to the Lima temple again, it was really really good. It´s weird being outside of the CCM bubble in actual Lima and the driving is NUTS! There seriously so efficient with roadspace I would be so scared to drive here.

But anyway, I miss you all very much, and we had a really fun little thanksgiving dinner, american style!! Also, the sun here is pretty intense! I´ve gotten burned so quick!

This week I read an AWESOME talk by Brad Wilcox called "His Grace Is Sufficient". Its a good reminder that although we can never be perfect, he expects us to try our best and show gratitude for the sacrifice that Jesus Christ has made for us. "There should never be just two options, perfection or giving up. When learning piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? no. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long suffering, that change is a process and that repentance is a pattern in our live. His strength is perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace is not the light at the end of the tunnel, but the light that moves us through the tunnel."

I know that this is true. For me and Hermana Talbert lately, it´s been esy for us to think that we aren´t good enough and that spanish isn´t coming fast enough, but we need to remember how HE sees us. Our father in heaven loves us and like a piano teacher and his student, He doesn´t get angry when we mess up a few notes, He expects us to keep trying.

I love you family and I pray for you on the daily!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Benyo