I Don't Fit in Here - But I Love This Place!

Buenas Tardes!

This week was sooo good. We had a five hour conference with Elder Grow. I was in heaven. He taught us so much about having faith in Christ, truly seeking for revelation, and setting goals. We all had fasted, studied A LOT, and came prepared with a talk. In the end he didn't end up calling anyone to give a talk. phew.....i was stressing. He also changed somethings for our mission. Now for an investigator to be baptized they have to attend church 3 times it's no longer 2. He told us that we should focus on families. If we want 12 baptisms in one month than find three families of 4. Hermana Rivera and I have a new goal. Every family we see in the street we HAVE to talk to them. I want to bring a whole family to the temple. That is my goal. Instead of giving us a goal for how many people we should be baptizing each companionship through prayer and personal revelation we are supposed to come up with our own number. After much prayer Hermana Rivera and I have our number. NINE. yikes! This number is for the month of June. I have so much faith and I want it so bad. I want a baptism soo stinkin bad! After the conference with Elder Grow I was soooo pumped!!!!

Remember how last week I was telling you about how I am baby still and can't talk to people. Well your prayers must have worked because my fear is gone. I talked to everyone I saw after hearing Elder Grow. I even got in a little arguement. Some guy named Jorge wanted to test my Bible knowledge. Haha he asked me what Juan 14:3 says. Yeah I didn't know. According to him I need to do a lot of studying (yeah I know). Anyway after the conference a member saw us walking and ran up to us and said Hermanas I have a family that wants to meet with you! We met with the wife, she said her husband doesn't want to meet with us though. But wow I saw how faith works.

Remember Maria? Her husband left her with three young kids, and she has almost ended her life a few times because of it. I love this family so much. Maria had a baptismal date that fell through. Well we have another baptismal date for her and her nine year old daughter Alexandra for June 14! But Alexander has Catholic school every Sunday during church. I don't how she can attend church but I have faith. Our other investigator that is progressing is Evelyn. She is 25 and has a two year old. She said she feels that our church is true, but her husband doesn't want her to join our church. grhhhh. It's always the men here. The women are so faithful, and the men just party. We have a lot of investigators but none of them are progressing much.

We had a ward activity this last week. It was supposed to be last week but very few people showed up, so we rescheduled it for this week. It was our (the missionaries) activity called Learning Parabolas. Every organization had a parabola to act out. Well no one showed up it was very sad..even less people than last time. Our investigator, Evelyn, came which was great! But inside my soul was clenching because no one showed up. It is hard to want to invite our investigators to activites because our ward is not very strong. No one supports each other. You can't count on anyone ever. 

We are working hard. I am filled with joy. I am a missionary!!! This is the greatest thing my life has seen. Really I am so HAPPY. Every day I look around and think where in the world am I. Then I smile because I think it's funny I am in Piura. I even put on a sweater this week! It was bloody hot but I did it for the outfit. I don't fit in here but I love this place. The men make kissy noises and I have learned to not look. My calves are strong because of my sandy surroundings. My hair is looking curly these days. I try to hide from the sun and cancer. I eat a lot of rice and pray that it doesn't stick. I pretend to understand jokes. I try not to sound like a 5 year old when I teach, but sometimes that's just the reality. This is the place. PIURA. Truly I couldn't be happier!

I love you all!!!

Hermana Stringham

COW STOMACH .................

Hermana Callysayas

Hoooollla Amigos

Another week has passed. I am sitting at the computer once again! I can't remember what happened this week...But all I know is that we need some new investigators and I need some more courage. We all get in our routine even as a missionary. To stop someone on the street is still not as natural as I had hoped it would be in the mission. But yeah...we aren't very good at street contacting. That is my goal this week. Just to TALK to people. Lots of the times I think as humans we justify every little thing. For example I justify not talking to every person I see because I can't speak very smoothly. Or at home I justified not sharing the gospel because heck I wasn't a missionary! But in reality we can't procrastinate all the things we know we should do! You can't justify not praying or reading scriptures as a family because your family is too busy. My lesson to you all and to myself is stop making excuses! haha I don't know why I am talking about this but I am trying myself to stop justifying my work. I can work harder, I can be better, TODAY not tomorrow or not when I know how to teach or speak Spanish.

Oh I forgot to tell you  I ate COW STOMACH. Ughh the texture was disturbing I felt like I was eating chewy flesh. My bishops family is amazing. His wife is my pencionista. And his sister is Analy. Today Analy resucued us from some park, fed us lunch.  Man the list goes on and on and on. Analy goes with us to almost every lesson, buys us ice cream everyday. Wow really there fam is amazing. just a side note about the people I love here.

Anyway, this last week we had inter cambios Hermana Callysayas came to my area and Hermana Rivera went to her area with her comp. Hermana Callysazas is one of the Sister training leaders. And wow she is amazing!! I learned SO SO SO much. She is such an effective missionary. When we are in a lesson she gets right to the core and speaks from her soul. While I stumble around my words and testify that Joseph Smith was a prophet haha. Well we had to teach the Law of Chastity...It was my first time teaching it in the field. Ouch. That's all I can say. At the end of the day I was really tired and felt kind of down with myself. I told Hermana Callysayas that I feel like I am not helping these people here like I want to. They have so many problems in their families it's unreal. I have never dealt with problems anywhere near what these people face and I was born in the church so I don't know how life is without the gospel. I have been so blessed in my life! She turned to me and said, your duty Hermana Stringham is to tell these people how amazing it is to have a family who is sealed in the temple and how happy you are even though you have never drunk, smoked, etc. Hermana Callysayas's parents are not members and haven't written to her once on her mission. For her it is really hard to teach about eternal families because she doesn't have that in her life. That is when it all clicked. Right then I thought of a line in my patriarchal blessing that says I will share with others the blessings I have receieved because of the gospel.

My purpose here is to share the joy of eternal families and the gospel. All I have to do is pull out the picture of my family in my scriptures and immediately there faces light up. It is so rare to find couples cealed here in Peru. The popular question here is ´´were you born in the covenant.´´ I feel so grateful to say YES I was. I am so thankful for a family who is all strong in the church and who support me, write me, pray for me. Because in the end nothing else matters. 

Elder Grow of the Seventy is coming this Friday to speak to us. President Rowley had us fast this last Saturday, because in all of the mission of Piura there were only 5 baptisms in the month of April. Ahh anway I don't much time to write more! But Maria our investigator was not baptized this last Saturday as planned.....we are working on it. 

I love you all! xoxo

hermana stringham

Hermana Callysayas and I :)

ELDER STRINGHAM, STRINGHMMY, STRINMAMMA

Hola Buenos Dias!

ADRIATIC NORTH MISSION SLOVENIA MISSION REGION! What the random!!!!!!?? That soo awesome Katie! I am so thrilled for you. Holy cow good luck with the language I can't even imagine----I can't even learn Spanish! Happy Happy belated birthday Grandma Lucy!!! I love you so much! Sorry I am late. But I think about you often and pray for you. Thank you for everything. I miss you! Tell Gramps hello. Tell Becky Sorenson Hello! She is the cutest. Kelly Nichols is soooo cute. I have thought about lining her up with Steve. She is the best. Thanks for the password Sam! haha youuuuuu. I will call next week at about 1:00 YOUR time (2:00) my time. But Peruvians are always running late so don't freak out if I don't call you right at 1:00. I am jealous you are in Florida with my peeps tell them hello. I miss those kiddos! Who is Alex Hall? I dont know if you know but McKay Roberts was called to Peru too! I think it is funny because me, jake bentzgten, nate obrien, and mcKay alll went to Cambodia with youthlinc AND ARE all serving missions in peru.

I made it half way through my training! WHoop WhoOOP!!!!! This past month was definitely one of the most trying times of my life. I still can't speak much or understand but I feel stronger. Cynthia told me in one of her letters that the ´´mission doesn't get easier you just become stronger.´´ It's definitely true.

My companion has had the biggest knot her neck for the past two weeks, so first one of the members did some acupuntcure on her....ouch I couldn't watch I don't know how in the world I can be a nurse. Then later this week she went to the hospital. I don't think I will ever tell a member that I don't feel good. They do weird things to us. Anyway while she went to the hospital we had divisions so I went with a member to teach our normal lessons. That was the first time the I have had to teach and direct the whole lesson by myself. I have gotten over the nerves and feel comfortable however a lot of the times I can't spit out the words I want to it's so frustrating! But after our lessons the member with me said I love when you speak Castillano. She said she can understand me but more than that she said she feels the spirit everytime I speak. I felt relieved when she told me that because most of the time I feel like a hopeless slug in the corner of the room who can only bear their testimony.

We have a member in ward who is basically my best friend. Her name is ANALY and she is hilarious!!! And she speaks English...but we can't really speak in English because yeah we just can't it's a rule. But she's always talking in English I just have to respond in Spanish. She goes with Hermana Rivera and I almost EVERY day to our appointments. Thanks to her we had eleven lessons taught to investigators this last week with a member present. Today she is spending her day with us also. We are going to go to lunch, shopping, and getting ice cream. Really she has been one of the biggest blessings. She makes me laugh which is just what I need. We are truly the 3 musketeers.

They like their fiestas here! This last week was labor day. Every corner in the streets was filled with people dancing, drinking, and blaring their hispanic music...eat,drink, and be merry...That's the life style here. Seriously every man drinks here if they aren't a member of the church. This is my first experience being around so many drunks. I am not a fan of alcohol that's FOR SURE. Lots of the times we can't enter houses of our investigators because the father is drunk and we can here him yelling. It is very sad.

FHE with Maria and her family

We have an investigator named Evelyn. She is so sincere and I know she feels that this church is true. She attended church on Sunday!! We have only taught her twice, but I can see her potential. I am trying to see people not as they are but as they can become. Lots of the time with investigators I feel like they aren't progressing and will never accept our message, but I am trying to not give up on people so fast and have FAITH.

Jose Correa--our golden family--said they need more time. So their baptismal date has been cancelled. They know it's true I know it. But they live with their mother who is a devote Catholic and I know she is the one who is influencing them. Such a bummer!!

My nicknames: My companion calls me Elder Stringham because I beat her in an arm wressel and I always accidentally slam the doors not meaning too haha, Analy calls me Spanglish because that is the lanuage I speak, others cannot for the LIFE of them say Stringham so it's usually STRINGHMMY, STRINMAMMA, or lately I just tell people to call me Hermana String. Who knew Stringham was so hard in Spanish?

The worst thing I have to eat here----OLIVES----Yuck yuck yuck. They are horendous. They put them in like every meal! Luckily usually only one BUT still. I gag everytime.

I know the church is true with all my heart. The spirit time and time again manifests to me of the truthfullness. I love my Saviour. He is my strength.

I hope you all have a fabulous week! I can't wait                                                                                  This is what I ate yesterday at a members house. Seriously I eat one meal here and I am full for the rest of the day. Thank you rice. NOT.to talk to you next week!!!!!!!!

xoxo-- Hermana Stringhhhhmannmny

                               

Analy. I love her!

Mother's Day = Day of the Drunks

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Oh Family

What can I say. Yesterday was the best day. It was SO GOOD to talk to you. And hard to, I try not to cry as I type. But really it felt like no time had passed since I talked to the fam. Talking to you lifted me up. Susie Astle thank you for  your letter!! It was an answer to my prayers. I loved the analogy of the blackberry bush. Things start out rough, ugly, but in the end a bush can bloom into something beautiful! Just like I know God is molding me into the person I can be. We cannot become the people we were meant to be without some heartache, prickles, and work. I know God is with me and His Angels are round about me to lift me up when I am down D&C 84:88 (thank you mom and dad). I often like to imagine my Savior walking by my side or Grandma Marian cheering me on as I lead the congregation in the worst hymn every  sung. 

Ward Activity

Anyway, this past week was a little slower than usual. We had a hard time finding people. One night all of our appointments fell through. No one was home.   Yesterday was Mother's Day...in other words a day

Tres Leches

of the drunks. They go crazy here every holliday. We are told to take advantage of the Saturdays and Sundays in the mission field because that is when people are home. yeah... no that is when the people fiesta all night longgg. Yesterday we tried to proselyte for an hour but no one was home and it is dangerous so we went back to the Agguire's house. They really are the best family. There house feels a little like home. They are also really good cooks. We have eaten at their house four times now. Everytime afterwards I feel like I have a rock in my stomach from all the food, but it is the best food I have found yet here. 

It's winter here yet it feels like the firely furnance. They call Piura ´´la ciudad de eterno calor´´----something like that. Basically it is the hottest place in Peru and I can testify of that. I sit in lessons and feel the sweat drip down my neck. It is great!  We had a mother's day activity with our ward on Friday. Hna Rivera, Analy, and I performed a skit. hahaha I wish you could see it. Peruvians love to make fun of each other and are brutally blunt. I played hna Rivera, Analy acted as me, and Rivera acted as Analy. They talk in my gringo accent. Things like COMO SE DICE ANALY? QUE ES TRABAJAR? YO TENGO PLATO PORQUE YO SOY AMERICANA. Everyone was dying of laughter. 

Maria attended church yesterday again! That is TWICE. That means she can be baptized this upcoming Saturday, but she is kinda iffy about baptism still. We have an appointment with her tonight and we will see where she stands. But I pray, hope,and have faith that she will be baptized. If not this week in the future. 

A toast to mother's at the Bishop's House

Another investigator we have who is progressing well is Evelyn. She said she prayed and feels that our church is true. She knows it. Yet she does not feel prepared to be baptized. We are trying to teach her to have faith. But how else can you help a person feel prepared to be baptized?

Kevin Olaya. Won't attend church because of his work.. He sells ceviche. But he too doesn't want to be baptized because he is afraid he will fall back into the same ways. He currently is sober but is scared he will mess up again after his baptism. 

Another investigator Rosa won't come because she sells fritos on Sunday. I don't know what fritos are but I don't think they are worth more than her salvation. We are going to teach her tonight. 

Milenka is 12 years old and very very excited about the church. But then again she didn't attend church..... 

That's the run down on the investigators we have others but they aren't progressing too much. We need to find new investigators this week. 

I am so priviledged to be doing the greatest work on this EARTH. Really this is the only time in my life I can consecrate everything I have to others and to Christ. The gospel is marvelous. I know it is true. I love my family so much.  Thank you for your constant prayers.  

xoxo Hermana Stringham

Maybe I Smell ;-D

Hello My Peeps at Home!!!

My life is so up and down. Really it is a rollercoaster. I remember Emily Nydegger saiying in her emails how in the mission you have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. So true. This last week I have learned a lot about prayer. First off I had to teach Sunday School yesterday! AHHH. And the topic was prayer. In the CCM I learned that whatever our investigator needs the missionary who is teaching also needs that message. Interesting but I believe it. I needed to study prayer. Giving a lesson to a room full of adults in Spanish was not as breezy as it is for most missionaries. Gosh I barely know how to say a prayer. Okay I am not that bad. Anyway I am learning I have to rely on the Lord. I have to ask him for help in everything, even help to finish the avocado on my plate. I am helpless without Him. I prayed to the Heavenly Father really hard this week. I couldn't make it through the week without His help. D & C 42:14 ´´The Spirit will be given to you by the prayer of faith.´´ I need the Spirit so so BAD, always. I know that when I have the spirit no matter how bad I slotter this language my investigators will feel something.

And prayers are answered. I feel my prayers answered more quickly here than I have ever before but only when I desire to have them answered and I have faith in the things I ask for. This past week I lost one of the pearl earings dad gave me before I left. I was devastated I wears those things everyday. It reminds me of my family of my dad. This things I love most. I prayed lots. That night I was sitting in my bed eating my cereal when I felt the tiniest little bump under my sheets and I knew exactly what is was! My day was made.

Another story this one is probably more important than an earing. We have an investigator Maria. She has so many challenges. Her husband cheated on her and left her with three young kids. She has almost taken her life three times. I love her so much and I can feel the love Heavenly Father has for this young mother. Anyway she has a baptismal date! Annnnd she attended church yesterday with two of her kids. POR FIN (FINALLY) an investigator assisted church! Really I have noticed when I don't have faith in my investigators nothing happens. I need to have faith as much as my investigators do. Side note----I invited Maria to be baptized. First off I said Hermonita Rosa usted seguira el ejemplo de Jesu Cristo...blah blah. Hahaha my companion nugded me ´´it´s MARIA!´´ Oh shoot. Yeah Rosa was the name of our practice investigator earlier that day when we were role playing. Then I starting apologizing in English and didn't even know it until we had left my comp told me I was speaking in English. After all that she still said YES and she went to church. booyahh. It is not for sure she will be baptized though she still hasn't fully prayed to know if this is true. So please pray for her. 

We had one day this past week where all the newbies in the mission got to meet with President and Sister Rawley and have our questions answered and feel a little better about ourselves. It was great! I got to see all my amigas in my old CCM district and be fed spiritually.

Today we went to a wheeler farm--raging waters type of place with our district. Okay maybe not as quality as raging waters. They only had one slide thank goodness the temptation was too bad to handle more water slides. I got to hold a dirty monkey and turtle! It was a lot of fun! Not a single person was there haha I hope business will make it. Anyways that was my week. I am doing great and learning every day. I am sooo grateful for this time in my life. It's hard yeah it's hard but it is oh so worth it. 

We had companionship inventory this last week like always except this time my companion told me I should probably wash my hair more. I guess every other day isn't enough. Maybe I smell? I shower everyday I promise!!! I get there someday.

Have a good fun filled week. I love you all so much!  

Our apartment. this is on the first day! its pretty nice i cant complain! other than we dont have a mirror. I get ready in the reflection of the window.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! Or Santa Sena here.

They don't really celebrate Easter like we do. I don't really know what they do just fiesta and drink I think--the usual. I didn't even know it was Easter, so my Sunday was just like any other. But oh how I love my Savior. I feel so much closer to Him. I understand the Atonement. I really did not comprehend the Atonement before my mission. But He really did die for me. He gave his life for me. I owe everything to Him. ´´I Stand All Amazed´´ truly.

This week was probably the best yet! We reached all of our goals! We work so hard with the less actives because there are SO many here. We have gotten two less actives to come back to church. I don`t even know how many we teach a week. We also found a lot of investigators this past week. Investigators with serious problems. One is suicidal because her husband cheated on her. Another is an acoholic who cried to us about how his family is suffering because of him and he wants to change but can't. Another has denge fever. Another`s son died. Wow so many people are suffering. I feel so blessed. All I have to worry about is learning a new language and teaching a lesson! Though it may feel sometimes discouraging and hard, I have nothing to complain about. I truly believe that the gospel brings so many blessings. I know that if these people will accept the gospel in their lives they can be so much happier.

´´Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until Heaven, but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.´´ --Jeffry R. Holland

There are so many blessing linked with living the gospel I know it and I see it. Embrace this gospel with all your heart and blessings will pour out upon you. But they are in God's timing. Everything is in his timing and his plan so trust in Him who knows all.

Sarah and Sister Roper

We had inter cambios this last week! Remember that girl's blog who I stalked before my mission?? Hermana Roper. Well I was paired with her!! We went to her area (Sullanas).  Wow it was like a little vacation on the mission. I got to speak my mother language and talk all day and all night. She was so fun to be with and I learned a lot from our little ´´sleepover.´´ Two white girls walking the streets of Peru though was a little bit sketchy at night so we went home a little early because we didn't have an appointment. God watches out for us missionaries I know it. 

I love my people at home! Thank you for your love and prayers! I feel of your love every second.

Hermana Stringham

Helpless - Not Hopeless

Buenas Tardes Familia y Amigos!

To answer your questions first:

My companion is so great. I feel terrible for her though because I feel so helpless. She does everything. I try to do my part though, but I am still trying to figure this mission thing out. She is a bit of a perfectionist. But she really is so patient and loving. I don't know if I could handle a hard companion right now. It`s hard to communicate with one another. I usually understand what she is trying to get me to do, but lots of the time I just pretend like I know where we are going or what we are teaching. hahaha. I think she can see right through me though. She knows I am a clueless American. She really is like my mom. Always telling me to watch out for the crazy drivers, or what I can and cannot do. Telling me to finish my rice..... but she is great and I love her!!! 

The hardest thing here is definitely the language. I didn`t think it would be this hard, but yeah at times it is frustrating and isolating. But I know with time it will come, I'm not worried. It is also so hard not to fall asleep in our lessons. It is so hot and I try so hard to concentrate on what they are saying but sometimes my mind wanders and my eyes fight every thing in them to keep open. I`m working on it. 

Our area is so tiny. We walk the same streets everyday. There is no city or anything in our area. It is honestly is made of up only sand and little houses. I truly am living in the desert. Our apartment is pretty nice though. Every morning we scream though because the shower is the coldest thing ever. We have to sweep everyday because we have a window that is always open and loads and loads of dust come in. I usually shower twice a day because my legs are covered in dust by the end of the night. 

We had Zone Conference last week. It was fabulous. My zone performed a skit. And they made me be the narrator because of course I have the worst Spanish accent. But I loved Zone Conference. President Rawley is really pushing us to using our family pamphlets and get people to do their family history work. 

Our ward had a talent show on Saturday. It was supposed to start at 5:30...didn't start until 8:00. Peruvian time. It doesn't exist. But it was a lot of fun! It was like an American Idol. I enjoyed listening to the Peruvians sing. They can't reallly sing actually, it's pretty bad. I thought I was tone deaf. No not even close. The missionaries (there are 6 of us in our ward) are not allowed to sing or dance so we did some small moves to The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars, it was actually pretty funny. I wish I could send you the video. While I was sitting there watching them perform I had an aha moment. It is so weird sometimes I think what in world am I doing sitting here with these crazy people!? But really I am so happy to be serving a mission. I know it is the best thing for me. 

Oh and sorry no pictures today, I forgot my camera cord :( 

The best part of my week was getting a baptismal date! Yayyyy!! My first one. We have a golden family. A dad and two kids (13 and 8 years old). Jose (the dad) wants to know his purpose in life. There is no doubt that God has prepared this family. I invited them to be baptized. I was so nervous and sweating greatly. Jose and one of the kids said yes to baptism! But then they didn't come to church. I know they will though. After I challenged them to baptism I was filled with the Holy Ghost. And that is when I finally felt the joy of sharing the gospel. I want this family to have the gospel in their life so bad. 

Today has been an excellent p-day. We went to the markets in another town and I bought a llama sweater :) 

I know more than I ever have before that this is the only true church. We are so blessed and we take it for grantid. I love you all so much really I do. 

Adios---Hermana Stringham