Semana 40 in 9 de Octubre (October 27th, 2014)

SO MUCH happened this week.

So cambios happened and I got changed! I'm back in my old zone 9de Octubre and i could not be more thrilled. Leaving Punchana and my companions was sad, leaving áreas is always sad, but I feel so happy and blessed to be back in my zone. Before I was here in 9 de Octubre in the área Las Colinas and now I'm in the area 9 de Octubre.  Me and my companion are the Sister training leaders for Zone 9 de Octubre and Zone Secada and get THIS: my companion is a gringa. Yeah so my life basically got turned upside down this week but I'm so happy about my new área and companion and also the chance to get to know and serve the sisters, we've got three other companionships of sisters here in 9 de Octubre and 2 more in zone Secada.  My companion hermana Burrell is from Texas/Utah and is super great and helping me learn everything I need to know.  We're going to do work visits this week and I'm excited also to get to do a work visit in my old área!

So 9 de Octubre may be in the same city as Punchana but I assure you that it is a COMPLETELY new world. I didn't get a chance to take pictures this week but it's the coolest área ever. We're right on the river and there's tons of hills and dips and rivets and bridges and Wood houses built on stilts...it's seriously a laberynth. It's small but there's tons of houses within a really compact área, under bridges etc.  So excited to work here. So here's the crazy part. In this tiny área that is like 8 blocks by 4, there are about 800 baptized members of the church.  The bishop here is so cool fore real, and we're really focusing in and strengthening the members here before we will be able to do anything and I know that if we work this way we will find tons of investigato as well.  The bishop asked us to help him with the President of Relief Society and the Ward Secretary...two callings which I've never had but hey, it's preparing me pretty good for future service in the church. 

I love Iquitos so much---and will always have a special place in my heart for 9 de Octubre and for that I feel like I won the lottery when I got transferred back here.  The Ward attendance is only at about 100 so we'vew got plenty of work to do and for real I am so happy, is it cool if I never come home?

Love you all,

Hermana Benyo

1. Me and my new compi Hermana Burrell (she's SO cool)

2.  A super cool abandoned ship in our área

3.  River so pretty here in 9 de Octubre

Semana 39 in Punchana (October 20th, 2014)

Well, not much to say this week.

As I mentioned our area got divided this week and we have the part now where we almost never worked so we are scouring this three block wide area for all it's got!  We've found some less active members that we're teaching and basically every hour of the day talking to everyone to find people that need our help.

We are teaching a sister named Sara that was listening to the missionaries 2 or 3 years ago.  Honestly I am so glad we found her because she has lots of challenges and needs the gospel, and I think it helps a lot now that we are Hermanas because before she was listening to Elders. I love listening to people, especial people who have had difficult challenges, and giving them the solution that will truly bless their lives: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It looks as though our trio is coming to an end. This week we had interviews with Presidente Gomez. I tell ya, I have never walked out of an interview with President Gomez on anything less than cloud 9 and ready to conquer the world. So greatful for him.

Well, it looks like our lovely trio is sadly coming to an end.  Today we find out about changes and one of us is going to leave.  I'll let you know what happens next week!

Short and sweet that's all for now folks, stay safe and try not to catch ebola please!

Love,

Hermana Benyo

1. My trio 'n me yesterday at church

2.  This was meant to be a dorky picture that turned our pretty

3. Luana, one of our pensionista's lovely grand daughters

4.  These niñas love to do this every time we try to leave the house

5. We're a happy family.

6. The district...was thinking seriously about cropping me out of this one

7. The zone Punchana

Semana 38 in Punchana (October 13th, 2014)

Wow wow wow

I realiza I'm a bit behind the rest of you, but General Conference was AMAZING!!!! Seriously so inspired I loved it! It lifted me up and inspired me like you would not believe. I am so greatful for the restoration of the Gospel and the opportunity to sustain the prophet and apostles and the true revelation that they receive from God.  So many new goals and plans met to tune up and self-evaluate.  I loved the speaker that said we should all learn frequent and joyful repentance because if we're not constantly learning form our mistakes and tuning up to be more obedient, we aren't progressing. 

And to throw the cherry on top of conference weekend, the Area 70 president Elder Uceda was here this weekend and had conferences with all the mission, woard councils, and stake presidencies in Iquitos. It honestly was SUCH a wake up call for everyone here. He  gave us some truly startling statistics:

The church here in Iquitos began in 1967 with a branch of about thirty members. Now in 2014, there are three stakes. However, on record, there are almost TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND baptized members of the church. Of that 25,000 less than 3000 regularly attend church. He said that Iquitos is in red alert  and that EVERYTHING, I mean EVERYTHING about the way we are working has to chang. The retention rates of  new converts are  dangerously low with lots of baptisms  and weak wards. With the number of baptized members there should be about NINE STAKES and we would be in the ranks for a temple. It was truly sobering. Like honestly yeah we know that there are tons and tons of less active members and that retention is a huge problem here but that kind of just hit us in the face. We are so concerned about baptizing baptizing that we don't even notice that  the wards are dying with about 60 to 70 every week and tons of inactive members walking the streets. Like we could keep baptizing but after 20 more years how many inactives are we gonna have if we don't get things in order?

Elder Uceda has proposed that we COMPLETELY and utterly change everything we are doing. He basically   (well, actually literally) called us to repentance and to change our mentality. We should be expecting the mission to change drastically.  He said that Iquitos is completely unlike any other mission in Peru or the area, so we have to work distinctly.  It inspired us a lot to realize the potential that this beautiful paradise Iquitos holds and  also animated the members to get to work with us in activation and retention--the work of salvation because we are in red right now. Truly exci ted to see what's going to happen. We have been in a shared area with the Elders and they told us today that it's now split to accomodate the new changes and it just so happens that the Elders have the side where ALL of our investigators live.  Our first reaction was to complain especially now that our area is like 3 blocks wide, but I know that this is like what Elder Eyring said in his talk, revelation that comes from a 70 and a mission president to help the saints in Iquitos. Maybe our first inclination was to complain but I know that this mandate comes from God and is going to allow us and help us to change our mentality and work in the way the Prophet wants us to.  I love serving in the Church of Jesus Christ and look forward to  continuing in this work throughout my life.

Another (paraphrased) quote I loved from conference ''Let's lose ourselves in rescue efforts of God's lost sheep, and we in turn will be rescued ourselves''

Let us all Press on in the work of the Lord, 

Love,

 Hermana Benyo

1. Me and my companions: Hermana Lozano, Cori (a girl in the ward), and hermana Tinta

2. My old companion, Hermana Centeno, reunited in the conference con Elder Uceda

Semana 37 in Punchana (October 6th, 2014)

Hey Everyone!

General Conference was so awesome right? Oh wait....I wouldn't know because I still havent seen it yet. There were elections in Peru on Sunday so church was cancelled and conference got postponed until next week. We went out and proselyted normal, woohoo!!! But I'm excited to see it, no spoilers please :)

This week I was so pleased to see AMAZING progress in Hermana Tinta as she is getting used to the life as a missionary. She mentioned that now she isn't thinking about her family anymore, but rather is focusing on our investigators and that is AWESOME! She seems a lot happier and the mood of our day seems a lot brighter with a stronger spirit.  She and Hermana Lozano are also getting along better, sure there's still some little struggles but we're definitely seeing big victories!

We're teaching a young lady named Glendy who is super excited and committed to be baptized on November 1st.  She went to the baptism of the Elders on Saturday and that got her really excited, we're working with the YSA to help her get to know the ward.  Monica is still really sad that she can't get baptized because her in-laws prohibited them from getting married and is thinking seriously about moving out or separating to be able to live the law of chastity and be baptized. Sure it's not ideal, but it's the best she can do.

We're trying to really get the members excited about missionary work and help them realize how amazing it is to help bring others unto Christ and be an active part in their conversion.  It's something that I want to do so much more actively when I finish my mission!

On P-day we went to every Iquitos missionary's favorite place to spend P-day: Quistococha. We used to go like every month but now that P-days have changed it's a rare treat.  It's like a little jungle zoo with a random beach and lagoon in the middle surrounded by wild jungle...(that's where we held the snake and ate the suri the last times)

Well I hope everything is good and know that I love you all,  and remember to stay anxiously engaged in a good cause!!

Love,

Hermana Benyo

Photos

1. At Quistococha

2. Me n' the monkeys (look closely)

3. Me and Hermana Lozano on the dock

4. Me and Hermana Linford being normal

5. My name plaque is getting dirty

Semana 36 in Punchana (September 29th, 2014)

I won't lie to you this week was hard.

I normally don't really say much to you guys in my letters when times get hard in my mission because I don't really feel like it's worth it because I know one day when I look back I won't remember them. The trials that we pass don't define our experience, they refine it!

My companions have been struggling a lot since we got together in a trio and sometimes I feel like the ref in the middle of the two trying to make peace between two nations. Hermana Tinta is having a really hard time and requires a LOT, I mean a LOT of patience. My capacity to love and my patience has grown so much. This week we had a small mid-mission crisis between the three of us that, to not give too many unnecessary details ended in all of us crying (me getting legitimately homesick for the first time since christmas!) and a long talk with the mission president. When all was said and done, we came out a whole lot stronger and President and Hermana Gomez are the BEST!!! For real I always say this and, mom and dad I don't want to make you jealous, but they are literally just like you two...with the same personalities and everything and it's a nice mom and dad substitution for a short year and a half.  But I think we left the offices feeling better about everything and Hermana Tinta and Hermana Lozano seem a lot happier and are really making an effort to love each other.

We have faced a LOT of adversity in our area and after three months it started wearing down on me amidst the problems in our companionship.  But I feel like the lesson that I am here to learn amidst all of this is patience and humility. Patience. Patience....Patience. But also hard work and dilligence to match it, knowing that if we continue forward with a good attitude and offer our whole heart, might, mind and strength on the sacrificial altar, good things will come our way.

A little tender mercy I had this week is that amidst everything, in my area here in Punchana, I ran into one of my convert families, Guido and Betsi, from 9 de Octubre. It was the sweetest thing ever and I gave Betsi the biggest hug, we haven't seen them since I left for punchana.  It was so great to see them, they are SOOO active in church, he is ward secretary and she is in the primary and planning their temple sealing for July of next year in the temple of Trujillo.  They made me promise I would be there and it hurt my heart too much to admit that I probably wouldn't be able to afford it so I told them I would do everything possible. I love those guys so much, they said they cried when I left and when the new missionery came who is latina, their little girls said I miss ''mi leche''!!! Haha I had no idea that they refered to me as leche..or milk...because I'm white, I think....

haha I love peruvian kids.

Hope all is well for you guys!

Hermana Benyo

Photos

1. Manejando mi motokar! ...just kidding it's parked

2. We helped a family move in on wednesday.  One of my fave photos of me and Hermana lozano...we call it Peruvian Gothic

3. If I'm not mistaken, a while back dad wanted to know that toilets are like in Peru....so uh, here ya go dad! 

Semana 35 in Punchana (September 25th, 2014)

This week was interesting to say the least.

The bad news is that Monica and Badick were all set to be married and baptized and SO excited but their parents said that if they get married they will kick them out of the house and not support them at all. They don't have much so this was a great challenge for them. From the moment they accepted I told them that absolutely without a doubt something would come up that would try to stop them from keeping this commandment and being baptized. They have very strong desires to do so but in the end decided against being married because the price was too big to pay. It honestly hurts so bad that I cried, and it wasn't a discouraged cry...it was just so sad that as a missionary you can come to love these people so much and give your whole heart and soul to help them change and make covenants with God and they even come to know that it's true...receive such a strong undeniable witness and still decide that it's not worth it. That they are going to keep the commandments when it is convenient for them, when there isn't a price to pay. There is always a price to pay in order to be obedient but the blessings that will come will ALWAYS make up the difference and beyond. Always.

It was a week of stress with our investigators and also trying to help my companions and wednesday night the Zone leaders called me to tell me that I would fly into Lima the next day for visa stuff. It was somewhat of a relief to know that I would have a day or two to forget the disappointment and stress.

Thursday evening my companions dropped me off at the airport, it's at the opposite end of Iquitos so it's a solid 30-45 minutes in mototaxi just to get to the airport. From there we flew in to Lima and got there late.  The choffer group that transports missionaries picked us up and drove us to La Molina, the district of the CCM and the Temple, but Lima is ginormous so that was like another 45 minutes in car and finally we got to the hotel and they fed us Papa John's (you have no idea how amazing that is after 10 months in the jungle, sweet sweet american food). And then we finally got to bed a about 1:00. At 2:30 they woke us up to go back to the airport! So like zombies we piled in and at the airport they gave4 us our tickets...I assumed we would be going to Tumbes again and cross into Ecuador, but this time when I looked at our ticket it said Tacna....Tacna is at the South boarder of peru.....So I guess that means we're going to Chile this time right? So we got to Tacna...it was soooooooo cold and we piled into a van and crossed over into Chile. At the boarder we waited in line to leave peru and enter Chile. So that was fun we stayed in Chile for a sec and took some photos and crossed right back on over to Peru. ahah but it counts right? Then we piled back in the van, drove back to Tacna and flew into Lima. Drove back to La Molina and oh yeah, at this point it was 7 pm we were running on and hour of sleep and they hadn't given us anything to eat all day. They took us to KFC (again YUM)  and we begged them to take us to the temple but they told us that we wouldn't be able to go.  Five minutes later they got a phone call and someone from the area gave them orders to take us to the temple!!! Woohoo we almost died of happiness! So we went into the temple so so happy and did a session and although we were like zombies it was honestly so awesome and rest for my soul.  I love the temple.  

We left happy and went straight to the hotel. And this is the part where the trip went south. Mom, please brace yourself.  I looked in my bag and my passport was not there. Immediate panic overtook me completely.  I searched my things 8,000 times. Nothing. The last moment I remembered having it in my hand was on the plane from Tacna to Lima and I was so sure I had left it on the plane but I was so deliriously tired and hungry that my brain broke a little bit.  So I basically cried and searched and cried and called the airport all night. Got put on hold a lot, no one wanted to help me because the airline offices were closed. One of the zone leaders that was there had his phone so we called the Mission secretary and that's when they told me about an elder who lost his passport in Lima and got stranded in Lima for SIX MONTHS. Thats when the waterworks really started. He had to change missions until he got his new passport because you can't fly without it and Iquitos is only accessible by air.   Seriously and our flight left that morning and we would heve to leave for the airport at 2 am.  Once again we did not sleep and I was panicking SO HARD. I CANT STAY IN LIMA FOREVER ITS SOOOOOOO COLD AND THE SKY IS ALWAYS GRAY WITH POLLUTION PLEASE NOOOOOOO. I prayed soooo hard that I would be able to make it safely back to the jungle and decided to put it in the hands of the Lord. That morning we went down with all our stuff and the Choffer from the area told me that I wouldn't be able to travel and to go back upstairs to sleep more. I cried some more and went back to bed, ALONE. It was soooo weird being alone in a hotel room for a bit as I haven't been alone since I started my mission. It was gross and weird.

At ten they picked me up to take me to look for my passport in the airport but they weren't much help so the area offices just had me go to do some papers to invalidate my passport and fill out some papers to get a new one. After that they told me I would be stuck in Lima for an undetermined amount of time and sent me off to stay in the Lima North Mission. I stayed there with some Hermana's that were really cool. About a year ago Iquitos was part of the Lima north mission and so we had a lot in common because the two missions are really similar. Many of the missionaries in Iquitos started their missions in Lima North so now I can say that I too was a Norteña :) While I was there I was just praying that God would let me go to sleep that night in Iquitos, not in Lima. I felt impressed to check the pockets of my missionary handbook and there I miraculously found my expired drivers license from when I was like 16....I don't even remember putting that there but it was the only form of ID I had and sufficient to be able to board a domestic flight!!! That night I got to fly into Iquitos and completely kissed the ground when I got back. Ahhhhh I almost froze to death in Lima and missed my blue skies and green and weekly rainbows. Not to mention the people, total cuties I love them.  I got back late and President and Hermana Gomez picked me up from the airport and my prayer got answered, I finished they day, went to bed in Iquitos--with a hot shower and a comfy bed in the mission home.

It truly made me realize that my heart is 100% in Iquitos. I cannot express how grateful I am for the Lord looking out for me, even when I'm dumb and lose my passport.

Love,

Hermana Benyo

ps mom I know what you're thinking, please don't panic my new passport is already being processed and taken care of 

Photos

1. Crossing the boarder into Chile!

2. Crossing the boarder into Chile!

3.  In the middle of the Chilean desert

4. So great to be back in Peru again...

5. The temple Lima, Peru!

6. Was a Lima Norte missionary for one day!! Greatful that it only lasted one day.....

Semana 34 in Punchana! (September 15th, 2014)

WOW. So much has happened since the last time I wrote you guys.

After three weeks of working without a companion We're finally seeing some fruits!  On Tuesday I had the COOLEST most spiritual lesson of my entire life with our investigator family Badick and Monica!  I honestly don't even remember what was said, it was 100% lead by the spirit but after weeks of denying baptism and matrimony, Monica took a complete 180 turn and told us that she felt in heart that it was what she was supposed to do. We prayed together, we fasted together, adn she has finally had a mighty change of heart. I love that SO much! An investigator that you truly see change and humble themselves and submit themselves to the will of the Lord after weeks of prayer and fasting and teaching.  I would take it any day over a golden investigator who decides to get baptized the first lesson. When they accepted I literally cried with happiness. Hermana Lozano is up and walking again so we've been working on the wedding papers this week! Love those two!

Our other big news is....WE'RE IN A TRIO!  TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY!!!! We were kind of shocked when they told us that but hey, I'm excited!  Our new companion is Hermana Tinta from Bolivia. We went to the meeting of the new missionaries. There were 18 new missionaries, 3 Hermanas and 15 Elders....and almost all the elders were really excited 18 year old gringoes, it basically looked like the Orem High School graduating class of 2014 haha. We're training one of the 3 new sisters, Hermana Tinta. Hermana Tinta is very sweet and a bit shy. She is a new convert as of two years ago and although she doesn't know much about the gospel and admitted that she really had no idea what to expect or what missionary life is like, she has a great testimony and a sweet spirit. So far getting used to the heat, the walking 9 hours a day, the food, the being away from home, and talking to strangers has been VERY difficult for her. But being her companion just these few days has honestly helped my heart grow like 3 sizes.  I have learned in my mission to be much more expressive and loving, and I owe it to my latina companions who for the most part need those kind of qualities in a companion.  Hermana Lozano is struggling a bit because, although she is latina, she is a rare exception and she has always expressed her love in other ways such as service. She is NOT about that hug-giving life, which has been fine because up until now all of her companions have been gringas, and she doesn't know what to do when someone is crying a lot and this will really be a trial to help develop more charity. But I see it as a great learning experience and I'm trying to do everything I can to help both of my companions, one who is really sad and having trouble adjusting and one who is feeling very stressed. But I know that if we are patient everything will be okay, and hey the Lord is blessing us with success in our area! We have a matrimony coming up on the 27th and another investigator named Hayde who came to church accepted baptism for October! 

The Lord is always going to bless us and always going to give us trials. Maybe before our trial is that we weren't seeing our fruits and this is our trial now, honestly I am very content but please pray for my companions!  God gives us trials to stretch our souls, to refine us, and to transform us. We on the otherhand must learn to drink the bitter cup without allow it to make us bitter. Be patient, be kind, have the faith to accept God's will instead of praying to change it.

I love both my companions and know they both will be ok!

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

p.s. After hearing all this awful news in the middle east, I'm pretty glad to be in an isolated island in the jungle surrounded by a spiritual bubble. Mom and Dad, Don't worry about me, I think I'm safer here than you guys are there! :)

Love,

Hermana Benyo

Photos

1.  Me and Hermana Tinta

2. Walking to our lesson in Bella Vista

3. Bella Vista

4. Monica--getting ready for the matrimony/baptism!!

5. It poured last night for hours straight

6. Basically all the houses in Iquitos got flooded in

7. The plaza got turned in to a makeshift swimming pool