I can't always speak, but I can Love!

Hello family! Thank you for another great letter. Congrats Emma on making the cheer team! Ah I am so excited for you! I know you will be great and I'm proud of you for trying different things through high school. I loved being involved with the school. Hannah that's cool you got to be in Hope of America. I never got to do that and Im a little jealous :) Also I'm glad you are able to finally ride your electric scooter outside and not around the house anymore. Tell Starszy I say hello and make sure you are doing his tricks with him. I miss that crazy dog a lot. The dogs here aren't nearly as cute or well trained as him. Dad I'm sorry you were feeling sick, but it's good to hear you are doing better. Thank you for the little lesson in the email. I look forward to your words each week. You always know what I need to hear. 

OK so now about my week. This week was another week full of hard work and new adventures. I say adventures because each day I am doing something new or experiencing things that I never thought I would. 

Hermana Guzman is a hard worker. She loves to keep our schedule full. So this week we were pretty booked with lessons. Because of this we had to do divisions twice. I've done divisions before, but it has always been with other missionaries or members of the barrio who have a lot of experience. But this week was different. 

(OK back story) Remember me telling you guys that there was a girl on my instagram from my mission that left a comment like "we are waiting for you Hermana Vernon?" Well yeah I met her this week! Her name is Romina Bosa and she lives super close to my area. I was at the capilla (I think Wednesday night) and right as we were walking out she grabbed my should and said something like she couldn't believe I was already here. It took me a second to realize who she was, but it was really cool to meet her. She also speaks fluent English so that is really cool. Anyway she gave us her number and said she would love to do divisions with us. So we called her Friday and I did divisions with her while Hermana Guzman went with a girl in the ward. Romina is just the sweetest girl. She is 17 but acts like she is 20. She has done little missions so she has some experience. She and I are friends on facebook and she said she has been seeing the pictures that you are posting of me.  She said that you guys are very proud of me and she can tell we are very close as a family. haha I will admit I got teary eyed when she said that because I know it's true. I am so so blessed to have you guys. Mom you can add her on facebook. She said she would love to keep you updated with how I'm doing. 

Anyway, so I did divisions with Romina on Friday night. We had lessons planned, but practically no one was home. So I kinda had to make different plans. We ended up visiting a family that is less active and we had a really good lesson. i am gaining more confidence to talk (slowly, but its coming). Also, we contacted probably half of Independencia. The truth is…..I dont like contacting, but it's becoming much easier. 

Last night we did divisions as well. I went with a girl named Allison in el barrio. She has her mission call and will be leaving in Junio. We taught two lessons, and then went to the park to contact. She is really nervous to contact. haha I told her I completely understand how she feels. But we ended up teaching a woman in the park about the restauracion and I was amazed how much I could actually say. I have SO much to learn. But I can see myself improving. 

So we spent a lot of time with our recent converts this week. We had dinner with Ema and Jordan Saturday night. They complimented me on my Spanish and said they can really see an improvement. That made me feel really good :) Ema studied in Italy for 3 years and knows Italian. So she told me that she understands how I feel trying to learn a new language. This week I feel like I really started to bond with our converts and investigators. haha its probably because I am starting to understand them. But now the work is easier when I have love for the people I am teaching. That is what has been my goal. I can't always speak, but I can love. My patriarchal blessing talks about me being a person who has the love of Christ. I am really trying to work on this and I have felt the help of the Lord. 

Also the little kids in our barrio love me. Probably because I am gringo as gringo can be, haha but I've made friends with the primary. They are also easier to understand and like to help me try to roll my Rs. Which I still can't do, but it is coming. 

So right now we are teaching a girl named S. She is 15 years old. She really wants to be baptized, but her mom is hesitant to give her permission. So would you guys pray for S and that her mom may be touched by the Spirit to let her daughter be baptized?

We have cambios today but we dont find out until later. However, I have the feeling I have one more cambio with Hna Guzman. Our district Leader, Elder Segura goes home tomorrow so this morning we had breakfast with the missionary couple in our area and all the missionaries in our zone. We had pancakes and scrambled eggs and all us gringos were in heaven. I have really bonded with my zone and it will be sad to have cambios this week. But I know President Erickson knows exactly where we need to be. Elder Segura shared a scritpure in Mosiah 28. The first few verses are about the sons of Mosiah and how they have a desire to serve. Verse three talks about how their hearts would ache if they couldn't have the opportunity to help souls come unto Christ. It was really cool to see how elder Segura has developed this same want on the mission. As missionaries we have the opportunity to be representatives of Jesus Christ. I'm trying not to waste a single day of the mission and take full advantage of the chance I have been given to help the people here in Lima Norte. 

Mom I promise I am taking care of myself :) and yes I am excited for the cooler weather. I will be honest I miss my sweaters. If you haven't sent another package yet could you send me one of mine? Just to have a little bit of home with me :) also possibly some scarves. I miss those as well. 

I love you all so much and can't thank you enough for you love and support. I am blessed with the best. 

Hna Vernon 

Selfie in apartment

Heather's feet! Is it a tan or dirt? Maybe a little of both.

A Week of Miracles (April 13th)

Hey Hey Hey Family!

Wow, what a crazy full week here in Independencia!

There are 3 new members in the ward! E, E, and D were all baptized Saturday night and it was really beautiful. There is a faunt here at the chapel so we didn't have to go very far. E was baptized by her husband J. He has been less active for a few years so while we were teaching E we were helping re activate him as well. They were also married on Friday, so they had a very full week. E was baptized by one of the brothers in the ward. He is about 35 years old and has one son. His wife is also a member and it's beautiful so see their family come together through the gospel. D was baptized by his brother. His brother was baptized a few years back and they are the only members in their family but their mom came and she is supportive. We didn't really have to plan the baptism because we have a ward missionary who is wonderful and helps a ton. He did a lot of the planning and we just had to make sure the people got there. Being able to see these people make convenants with our Heavenly Father was amazing. It helped remind me why I am here. Why I wanted to serve a mission in the first place. Also, the baptism was very beautiful in the Spanish language. I am to the point where I can understand quite a bit so hearing the covenants and also the testimonies after was beautiful. 

Sunday in church I had to give a talk. I usually don't get nervous talking in front of people, but yeah this was scary. I spoke on missionary work and how it's important for the members of the ward to be missionaries as well. There are some really great quotes in Preach my Gospel that I used. I also talked about in Alma where Ammon talks about being full of joy because he had the opportunity to be an instrument in the Lords hands. I felt really good about my talk and the members of the ward said they could understand me so thats a plus haha. 

I also had to do divisions (splits) twice this week with members of the ward. I was super nervous because it would be my first time going with a ward member. The first time I went, I went with the Young Womens president. She was a lot of help and a wonderful lady. Mom, she kinda reminded me of you. Then last night I did divisions as well with a girl in the ward that is preparing for her mission. She LOVES to talk and it was fun to be with her. We did a lot of contacting because we had extra time. I will be honest….I dont really like contacting, but it helps my Spanish a lot. 

The Spanish is coming. Slower then I would like, but its coming. However, whenever I teach or talk, people say my Spanish is really good for the time I have been here. I need to learn how to be more patient with myself. This isn't something that I have ever been good at so the Lord knew I needed to learn a lesson. I am gaining more confidence to talk and really starting to love the members of the ward and our investigators. 

Transfers in my mission are every 6 weeks. Hermana Guzman has been in Independencia for 6 months. There is a high chance she could be getting a transfer but we aren't sure because she is training. If she does transfer, I would get a new trainer who doesn't know the area. I would really have to step up my game and help. I am interested to see what President will do. 

Mom, my health is doing alright! The pills really helped my stomach but now that I am off them I am having a little pain again. Nothing terrible, so I am going to wait it out. If it gets worse, I will talk to Hna Erickson again. I think it's just my body adjusting. Lunches here are huge. That is when we eat the most and that is really different for me. I am really missing dance classes, but walking everywhere (with a million stairs) is helping me keep the weight off. I can't even begin to tell you about the mountains of rice I eat each day. 

Overall, I am doing better! This month has been crazy, but I have experienced things and felt the spirit like I never thought I would. 

Thank you for your email. Its great to know what is going on back home. 

I love you and pray for you!

P.S. I am getting the chance to play the piano a bit. I am the only one in my zone who does, so I get to play at meetings. Thank you mom and dad for making me take lessons :) 

Earthquake!

Hello family!! I send my love from the wonderful country of Peru! Thank you for the wonderful update on all that is happening at home. Ok so to answer questions about conference. We got to watch all the sessions which was really nice. It's a little different here and everyone in the Stake comes to the capilla (chapel) to watch. Obviously, it's all in Spanish and there is a translators voice over whomever is speaking. So I will admit, I missed hearing the prophets voice, but it was exciting to watch conference and see how much I could understand. Haha and you might wonder how much I could understand... well I could understand the overall message of each talk, but I definitely missed parts. So I would love the talks in English if possible. How amazing that the apostles focused so much on the family! Not a day goes by that I am not reasurred that my mission truly is a mission focused on families. It's truly amazing. Also, it was really exciting when they had two of the speakers speak in Spanish on Sunday. When that was announced everyone in the capilla sat up a little straighter. The people in Peru really do have so much faith. After conference one of the girls in the ward was asking me if I had been to conference in the conference building. When I told her yes she was so shocked and wanted to hear all about it. It's easy to take for granted what we have around us (there was a conference talk on this) and being here has taught me how blessed I am. 

OK the earthquake. Haha mom when it happened you were the first person I thought of. I knew you would worry, but all is fine! We were in the middle of our companionship study when it happened. Hermana Erickson has had all the missionaries prepare a mochilla (backpack) with food and water just in case there is ever a serious earthquake. So when it hit, we grabbed the backpack and stood in the doorframe like we have been told. It only lasted a few seconds and it really wasn't that bad. But it definitely was scary!! Hahah honestly I am having experiences here that I never thought I would have. 

So the Spanish. I am to the point where I am understand quite a bit. Which is a big blessing. Speaking is taking more time, but I am starting to become more comfortable. We had interviews this week with pres. Erickson. I asked him about this, and he said (like you guys) we simply need to open our mouths. We as missionaries are set apart from the world, and with that, we are given the gift of the Spirit to help guide our words. When I remember this it's easier for me to open my gringo mouth. The help of the Lord is very clear in helping me learn. 

So you have asked about my laundry. Every Tuesday we take our laundry and drop it off at the capital (chapel). Someone ( I dont know who) picks it up, washes it for us, and we get it back on Thursday. It's actually really nice and they do a wonderful job. The only downside is hauling our laundry sack full of clothes through the city. But hey, it's better than washing it ourselves. 

I received the package! Thank you! Oh it was so great. Don't worry I am not eating all the candy at once. I shared the cadburry eggs with some of the elders in my zone. They are from Peru so it was their first time trying it. Haha it was so funny to watch. The absolutely loved them. Thank you for the shirt mom! it fits great and I love it. 

I talked to Hermana Erickson about my health (stomach issues) and she got me on some medication. It has helped and my stomach is feeling much better. So no need to fret! I am adjusting to the food and actually really starting to enjoy it. It's still rice every meal and a lot of that purple corn drink. But it's better here in Peru than the stuff I tried before I left. 

So we have three baptisms on Saturday! E, D, and E. They are all very ready. Would you guys pray for them this week? Even in the short time I have been here it's amazing to see them accept our Savior. 

I love you guys! Thank you for your prayers and your love. Each day is getting a little easier. With the help of our Savior, all things are possible. 

Much love

Hermana Vernon 

These are two other Hermanas in our district. One is from Colombia, the other from Michigan.

This week Hermana Guzman taught the young women how to make empanadas from Bolivia. This is in the capilla. Yes, we used a ping pong table.

There is a mall really close to our area where we go on p days. This is what fast food looks like in Peru. It's called lomo saltado. 

I am trying my best to be brave! Letter from March 30th.

Hello my awesome family!!

Wow, what an amazing letter this week! Thanks so much for your words of encouragment. You guys always know exactly what I need to hear.

So good news this week... I am starting to understand a lot. I have a lot of fear to speak, but I am trying my best to be brave. Thank you for the reminder about the story about the bear. It put things into perspective a little for me. Nothing is going to happen unless I simply open my mouth. I have found when I do, the Lord is always with me and I am much happier. So my goal this week is to just talk and talk and talk.

So a little bit more about Hermana G. She loves to cook. Every time we go to someones house for lunch she is always telling them different recipes and how things are made in Bolivia. So not only am I learning the gospel and a different language, but I am also learning how to cook. Haha it's literally like she is my mom. I am very grateful for the chance I have to learn so much from a companion who has so much experience. She knows her scriptures so well! Because she does know so much, it is sometimes hard for me to even feel like i can speak because she usually says it all and then turns to me, and I feel like I don't have a ton to say. I know as I get more comfortable with talking, we are going to be able to split up the lessons more evenly.

So here in Peru, no one likes to get married. You will have families who are very happy, but simply don't want to be married because it is a really long process. So the problem we have a lot of the time is getting couples married before they can be baptized. Because of this, about every month we hold a civil wedding ceremony in the mission office and chapel. We got to help with it and it was really beautiful. There were 20 couples that got married. I didnt have my camera with me, but next time we go, I promise I will send pictures. It was fun to meet other missionaries as well. Talking with the other gringos is always fun. They promise me the best way to learn is to simply try and try and not to be afraid to make mistakes.

I was able to watch the Womens Conference! obviously in Spanish, but I understood the overall message. Mom is there a way you could send them to me in English? I could tell they were wonderful talks and I would love to read them. We will also get the chance to listen to General Conference. It will be in Spanish, but I am excited to see how much I will understand. We will be watching it in the capilla and we are taking some of our investigators with us.

We were supposed to have a baptism on Saturday, but there was an emergency. Hermano Es grandmother had to go to the hospital. However, we sent some elders over to give her a blessing and she is doing better. We rescheduled his baptism for the 11th of April. We have three baptisms that day! The other two are D and E. D is a 14 year old boy, and E is 22. Her husband is a member and he will be able to baptize her. Also, Ds brother is a member so he will be able to baptize him as well. It is so cool to see families come together through the gospel. I am starting to connect with my investigators. The first few weeks were really hard because I didn't understand what they were saying, or respond. But it's an amazing experience to start to feel the love for them and truly want to help them. I am also starting to love the ward I am serving in. The people here in Peru are very loving and are being very patient with me.

Ok so here are a few facts for the week!

-Whenever you greet someone here in Peru you kiss them on the cheek. So I am probably giving more kisses here on my mission then I did at home. Sometimes the men will go to kiss us on the street and we simply have to stick our hand out for a handshake. Haha we have had some close calls.

-You can't really find milk here. They have something very similar, but it comes in bags. So that has been a shocker for me.

-Sometimes we have the opportunity to ride in moto taxis. Haha and they drive crazy!! I feel like I am in a game of Mario Cart.

-Men don't believe in shirts here. I don't know why, but yeah. Shirtless men everywhere on the street.

Even though these first few weeks are hard, I see the hand of the Lord in everything I do. I was reading this morning in the first chapter of Jeremiah. I don't remember exactly but it talks about how he felt very young and like a child. That's how I feel some days. But the lord says not to worry and simply open your mouth and he will provide the words.

The spanish language is simply a tool. The spirit is the teacher.

I love you guys!

Hermana Vernon

P.S.  Mom, I am still having trouble with my stomach. Hermana Erickson is coming by tomorrow to inspect our apartment so I am going to talk to her.

All my love!!!

Members of my ward after the Womens Conference

My District

My District

I climb these stairs several times a day. I feel like I am climbing the stairs by the Richards building on BYU campus.