Earthquake...Rotavirus.....Toxic Bug Spray......

They have the prettiest skies at night here :D

Hey Fam and Friends!

First happy Birthday mister Jackson! I can´t believe he is four years old tomorrow! That is sad. I hope you had a good bday Dad. Nate O´Brien is going to Arequipa! That is where Jesse Mahas is. That is awesome! Three wardies in Peru! Wow two earthquakes in Peru?! Haha I for sure felt one of them! I woke up in the middle of the night and my bed was shaking (I´m on the top bunk). I thought oh Kaeding what is she doing?...just shaking the bed. That´s weird. Then the next day everyone was talking about how they felt an earthquake the night before and that´s when I realized it wasn´t my companion having a seizure in the bed, but an EARTHQUAKE. Kaeding thought I was rolling on the bed and making it creek. Neither of us can put two and two together. That was the biggest one I have ever felt. I loved it! Thanks for the earthquake safety tips mom I´ll have to read up on my stuff ;)

 

 About to jump....

Another week flew by!

The Week Update from Lima.

-we all were forced to evacuate our bed rooms (in our pjs) at 10 p.m. because they had to spray our rooms with toxic bug killer spray

-earthquake

-bought some pants today. so it was a good day.

-new roommates! One is from Bolivia and she is the cutest little being. The other is from Mexico. We love them both! I told them I have two single brothers...

One of the first things I said to them when they arrived is, ¨We have the best BODIES in this whole place!¨ They just stared at me puzzled. That´s when I always know I said something funky. Except I never know what it was I said wrong. Then Kaeding came out of the bathroom laughing and said you just told them we have the best bodies, not the best ROOM! (Cuarpo vs. Cuarto) my mistake. We learn something new everyday here.

-I received my first letter thank you KATIE! It was the biggest surprise and made my day! She sent it a month ago. Letters are a slim pickin here.

-Our teacher´s latest philosophy is ´´if you don´t die here you will die in the field. So I´m trying to kill you now and save you from dying later.´´ Excellent philosophy. Then he went on to say ´´You´re going to get eaten out there.´´ Very comforting I´d say.

I have one week left here! Crazy. I am going to die next week. But I am excited to leave! I have met so many people here that I love. There are so many awesome sisters. Also I don´t think I will be able to email you next week because I leave next Tuesday which is my normal P-day, and I probably won´t have a P-day next week. So you will just have to wait two weeks to here from me. I know your sad.

Speaking of dying...my district just about died this last week. They all got Roto Virus--whatever that is--but Hermana Kaeding and I! We are invincible! We still got the sick treatment though. Our district was quarantined in the back corner of the lunch room for every meal. We had signs labeled DISTRICT 112. We had our own special silverware, plates, cups, cart and all! It was bit over the top. They even put us on a special diet consisting of yucky soup. Everyone is better now though so all is well!

A YSA ward came to the CCM on Saturday for an activity. I went and met with four YSA members. I got to know them and shared a short scripture/thought with them. I think it was the highlight of my week. It´s so hard to speak how you really feel and say all that you want to in Spanish, and it´s even harder to understand someone not in from the CCM because they speak real Spanish, not the slow CCM Spanish I am used to. But after I shared my thought one of the sisters had tears in her eyes and said she could feel the spirit and that was all that mattered. Without the spirit I am nobody. When I don´t have the spirit I lose my identity. Because my Spanish surely is not helping my identity. But luckily the spirit has always got my back. It´s in moments like those that I realize all I need is to be filled with the spirit. With it I can do anything--even in another language.

 

Another changeroo came this week right after emailing you last week. My teacher switched teaching companions again...it´s not like he does this to everyone. No one else here has even switched their companions once! I am not complaining though. It has been a good thing. I have been praying for an experience to grow more while I am here and it came. I am now teaching with another sister whose Spanish is about the same level as mine. It has been a blessing though because it has allowed me to talk more without worrying about a companion who knows more than I do or who cuts me off. It´s hard but much better this way!

I finished the Book of Mormon this week. I have never in my life truly loved this Book as much as I do now. I have never wanted or understood what it meant to FEAST upon the words, but I do now. As I was reading the last couple of chapters in the book (in Moroni) I just felt power in The Book of Mormon, it felt tangible in that moment. I know it is true. I know it. When we don´t read this great book we are putting our spiritual salvation at risk. Please, Please read it NOW. You will be so much happier. I still don´t know so much but I do know that it can change your life and bring a spirit of guidance and peace into your life that cannot come from anywhere else.

XOXO

Hermana Stringham