Monday November 21, 2011: Hermana Bowles

¡Hola Familia!

Cambios came and went.....AND I`M STILL IN MOYO!!!!  Hooray!  Hna.
Nuñez and I weren`t too worried about transfers, but it`s officially
official that we`ll be here together in Moyo through Christmas.  Feliz
Dìa de Gracias!  Won`t really be celebrating here, but thought I`d
make a list with my twenty-two years of life of twenty-two things I`m
thankful for here in Moyo:

1. Misiòn Perù Lima Norte/ Presidente y Hermana Blunck
2. mototaxis
3. a mosquito net
4. el mercado
5. la bonita lluvia (rain!!!!)
6. giant statues of orchideas
7. my defined foot tan lines that only come from Moyo
8. unlimited supply of fruit
9. mi compañera, Hermana Nuñez and her unlimited patience
10. having a district of hermanas!
11. my parents
12. serving a mission the same time as Garrett
13. the Book of Mormon
14. internet...emails from home!
15. bug repellant/sun block
16. Spanish
17. miembros de la rama Belèn
18. music
19. beautiful, tranquil Moyobamba
20. cartas
21. cold showers
22. my Savior, Jesus Christ

Spanish rolled in on the list.....as much as I sometimes complain
about it, I really am grateful for my Spanish.  Learning a new
language has stretched me more than I thought possible.  It`s amazing
to read things in two different languages and to talk with families
about the gospel in Spanish.  I learn everyday how we`re really all
the same....families are families all over the world .

Best news of the week is that Presidente Blunck and sus asistentes
vinieron over the weekend!  They visited Tarapoto Friday and held a
zone conference with us Saturday.  Incredible. incredible.
incredible.......Presidente Blunck taught us alot about the Doctrine
of Christ and how we need to pray and fast to make it our own (how
Christ made it his own of his Father).  The Spirit of Zone Conference
is amazing, especially to be with this little army of missionaries in
a capilla.

Hna. Nuñez and I organized an activity with the Rama yesterday where
we cut up the directorio by calle (street) and had the members help us look for
people.  It was so effective!  Of course, 30 minutes before the
activity, the rain downpoured right on cue.  BIG.  Wet. Drops.
Luckily it let up just after 3:00 and we could still work in the
rama.With the few members that came, they were able to look over the
lists for people they knew and then divide and conquer in the streets.
 The directorio is gradually becoming an organized reality.

I went with Hna. Raquel and her sister Blancita around Moyo.  Want an
example of the ever-frustrating directorio.  AFter finally verifying
that the street one house counted with was the opposite calle of the
front door, we asked about her house number in the front of the house.
 "Oh no, that number isn`t valid.  Alguien me regalò la puerta." In
other words....the door was a gift and still had the number of the old
house....their house actually doesn`t have a number!!!  Wow oh
wow....sometimes I don`t know whether to laugh or cry with the
directorio.

The primary program was a hit.  They sang all their songs and everyone
remembered their discourses (talks).  Little kids and fast fast nervous Spanish
are about as cute as it gets.

Hna. Sanhueza is now training a newly released sister from the CCM gringa,
which means I have officially become old and no longer in the "newbie"
category.

I`m grateful for everyday I have here in Moyobamba and know it`s where
I need to be right now.

love always,
Hermana Bowles