I Love My Foot.

Remember how I almost broke my pinky toe? But then I didn`t, I`m just a klutz. It`s perfect ahora but the way.

This week my big toe (on the same foot) may or may not have gotten an infection and I had an ingrown toenail. No big deal to me until we had to go visit Dr Carrasco and then he had me sit on the... rolling bed table thing... dosed my foot with some pretty uneffective anesthesia, and cut my toe open and removed part of my nail that was digging pretty deep into my toe. No wonder it hurt :) 

On the bright side, (I`m almost six feet tall... haha. nope. Name that song...) it didn`t hurt that bad, I could just feel it pretty well because the anesthesia couldn`t affect the infection. Cool stuff. He gave me 5 different shots, but I didn`t even know until after it was over. I only felt the first one and the cutting of the toenail and such. Also on the bright side, since I`m panicky with needles and doctors, I really wanted a blessing, and then there were Elders right outside waiting to talk to the doctor about one of their backs! I`m so eternally grateful for the priesthood.

Hna Gonzàlez took some pretty nasty photos of my toe being injected with anesthesia and being cut, but I`ll save you from those. They`re pretty sick.

And then, thanks to the elephant sized dose of anesthesia, I couldn`t feel my foot or walk all day. It was a boring Tuesday.

Then the Hna Leaders came to visit (and because I worked with Hna Hunter all day I remembered what my height feels like in the states!) and it was awesome.

We had a great couple of FHEs and we`re slowly starting to find people. I love it.

Also this week, we had interviews and a training with President Harbertson. It was absolutely amazing. I was so spiritually charged and now I`m just ready to take on the world.

We have the best mission president and wife around. Sorry to the rest of you :)

Hna Yeshica, my favorite lady ever. She washes our clothes for us, helps us find things when addresses are crazy, we have FHE with her family once a week, etc. She`s INCREDIBLE. And when Hna Condie and I were transferred to Alamos and we couldn`t find anyone to wash our clothes, she was totally willing to wash them for free every month before she knew that we have that included in our money each month. She`s kind of like my Peruvian mom and I love her.

Hna Borja. One of the Hnas in our district. I love her to death. And she started her mission one change after I did, so I`ll be able to see her the whole time I`m here!

That one time after a FHE with the Familia Mandujano and they let me dress up like Elsa. #dreamcometrue

And Hna Gonzàlez dressed up like Anna. We dressed up like other things too, but those pictures are embarrassing so you can`t see them.

Plus, I loved being Elsa. How fun is that??

I`m happy. I`m safe. My toe is now doing well ;) and I`m THRILLED to be a missionary. There really isn`t anything better I could be doing right now. This really is the Lord`s work. And I love it.

Love and miss you all! Hugs.

And more hugs than anyone else to my Daddy. Cause it`s his birthday on Jueves. And he`s pretty much my favorite person in the world. Love you Pops :)

Hna Hill

Hiking`s My Favorite

Also - Finding. 

I love it. I really do :) While it`s fantastic to actually have investigators, I also love starting at the beginning with new investigators. Actually, I prefer a mix of the two, but I`m just thrilled to be here :) The people are amazing, as always. There`s humor, the Holy Ghost, the gospel, I live in CUSCO PERU, I`m in the work of the Lord, I have the authority to teach the gospel, etc. It`s just the best.

This week we worked with The Johnsons a couple of times :) They`re the greatest. They`re the mission Family History specialists. When I grow up`, I want to be like the Johsons. They`re so sweet, and funny too. And they love the gospel, which is always something I`m a fan of.

Nosotros and Hna Johnson

Last PDay we had our Zone Meeting-PDay again and it was awesome. Our Zone Meeting made all of us so excited to work harder with new and different ideas. There`s also a new iniciative coming out soon. Keep your heads up. #GraciasAQueÈlVive or... Uhhh... English... Something like #BecauseHeLives  maybe? That would make more sense than the literal translation. 

Remember how I said Elder Nicholls is an awesome Zone Leader because he doesn`t just plan soccer every Zone PDay? He gets more cool points, cause we went on another hike last week! It was awesome. Why am I such a fan of caves? I don`t really understand it, but there you go.

Caves. I love them.

Our district leader, Elder Calle. He`s hilarious. And can we just appreciate how awkward pictures are with Hnas and Élderes?

I live in this country! So. Gorgeous.

More missionaries. Most of them are in my district. I love them.

 

I don`t know how, but this happened with my agenda like 4 times in 10 minutes. So I had Hna Gonzàlez take a picture the last time.

Happy birthday yesterday to my amazing grandma Myrna and on Wednesday to my mission-mom Hna Condie! You guys are awesome. 

I love and miss you all bunches and bunches. Write me some things sometime, yeah?

Hna Hill

To Pops

(Kendall here)

The kid who is in Peru has the ability to make her old man cry from 4000+ miles away. I commented on the fact she is wearing her DMB/Guster/Ben Folds concert t-shirt in some of her pics, and she sent me this reply:

Hey Pops smile emoticon Love and miss you BUNCHES. Sorry my emails are sill so short. I`ll respond better next week smile emoticon I love wearing that concert tshirt from BNL, Guster, and Ben Folds Five because people are always like "whaaat?" and then I explain the beauty of BNL, and Guster, and how awesome it was to go to that concert with my dad for his birthday. Even if I did spend 60 dolares on two concert tshirts. Not one single regret with that money. It was well spent. That picture of us sticking our tongues out at that concert is on the front of my agenda this change smile emoticon In a lesson with one of our brand-spanking-new investigators, we were talking about how much our Father in Heaven loves us, and our families here, etc. It was our first lesson, so we were just getting to know her. She was talking about her dad and how much she loves him, how similar they are, etc and started to cry a little bit. I then started to cry a little bit and shared about how cool you are, and how you`re one of my favorite people in the whole world, showed her that picture on my agenda etc. and we talked about how if you, and her dad, are that awesome, and that loving and amazing, can you imagine what our Father in Heaven is like? Cause He is perfect. It`s hard to imagine when we have dads as awesome as you guys smile emoticon Just wanted to share that with you. Love and miss you bunches and bunches and a some oodles thrown in there too.

Keni

This is the pic she is referring to. It makes me feel all sorts of good that she can use our relationship in teaching people about the gospel.

Senior Missionary Love

(Kelly here)

One amazing Senior Missionary (and her husband) sent me the sweetest email and a couple of pictures. It sure does feel nice to know that there are mom and dad types out there who are looking out for my baby girl. Here's the email we received:

Hello from Cusco Peru:

We are senior missionaries in Cusco, working as the Family History (Historia Familiar) specialists.  We work with member families to assist in their Historia Familiar all over Cusco and the entire mission.  Since we have very limited Español language capability, we require young missionaries to make appointments, to help translate – and to find addresses in this crazy city.

We thought you would like a couple of photos of a pair of missionaries that we love working with.

Thank you for sending such a hard working, dedicated, and capable young woman to serve here!

Elder y Hermana Johnson

I`m Losing My Skills.

English Skills. 

You`re fortunate that you can`t hear the MAJOR pauses I have to make to figure out what I`m saying. It`s sad. Remember how I wanted to be an English major for about 15 years?

We had a dinner with a tourist family the other night. Their daughter served in Lima North, and finished about two months ago.

(Kelly here)

(Amy Nelson Murdock posted this on the Peru Missionary Moms Facebook page and I stole it!)

Explanation: Our pensionista`s husband works in tourism, and especially with RM`s and their families.

They were so cool! But THAT, my friends, was the moment I realized just how bad my English is. Speaking with other missionaries, no big deal. Their English is bad too. And those conversations are generally things that are easy to remember in English.

But with this family? It was all of the stuff that I`ve been saying in Spanish since I got here. Family, school, mission stories, spiritual thoughts, etc. And especially these last three weeks with Hna Gonzàlez.

I asked Hna Gonzàlez afterward if she could tell how bad my English was, especially when I was translating for her, because she understands everything, she just doesn`t speak it. Her response? Uhhh.... Nooo... It just... You just uh paused a lot?...

So family, be prepared for Mother`s Day :) It`ll be hilarious.

(Kelly here. Ohhhh, I'm READY for Mother's Day!!! I don't even care if I understand a dang word she says!! Can't wait to see that little girl.)

Other fun things:

Because Hna Condie is a Sister Leader, she has... concilio... with the President and other mission leaders every so often. And because I live in Cusco, I GOT TO SEE MY MISSION MOM! Best. Day. Ever. She stayed and chatted with me while Hna Gonzàlez was sick in bed and the other Sister Leaders went to eat at the mall. How sweet is she? She`s the best. I miss her.

One day it was so hot that I was sweating my face off, and then two hours later it was raining and I was freezing. Cusco. You`re the best. Can we appreciate the pictures of the dogs in the shade, and me standing in the rain were within 2 hours of each other? That is Cusco weather, my friends. Loco.

The Haslers (a senior missionary couple) live the floor beneath us, and they invited us over for lunch yesterday. They reshaped my whole view on meat and potatoes. I also could take a bath in balsamic vinegar, it`s so good.

I`m also so happy that we`re both healthy again. I just want to work hard. Continue to find more people and teach them the gospel :) I love this. I love being a missionary in the Lord`s work. There`s nothing better!

Nosotros, Danessda, and our ward mission Leader - Rony.

I love you all. I miss you all. Have the best week!

Hna Hill

OH! And happy birthday HOY to my very best friend Callie Hansen and to my Grandpa Dale! Love you guys!

Pretend This Says Something Clever

Hey, how`s it?

I taught "how`s it" to an Elder in our sector this week :) It was pretty great.

For one reason or another, we don`t have very much right now. We gave some of our investigators and recent converts to the Elderes because they`re single men and it`s difficult to get members to come to EVERY lesson with us, and when we don`t have another woman with us, we can`t teach them. Some investigators are impossible to find more than once a week, they "don`t have time" etc.

We`re kind of back in the "finding stage" that we were in 6+ weeks ago when Hna Condie and I opened the sector. 

Sometimes, it`s just hard. Sometimes, as many of you know, it gets to the point where you just walk all day. But the crazy thing is, you wouldn`t really want to change that. Because when this happens, when you keep working your hardest, you find new people who are perfectly prepared for you. You contact more of your references, you find the recent converts who are needing help, you find more of the less actives and start trying to bring them back, etc. At this point in the work, you truly become an instrument in the Lord`s hands. Your own pride, ideas, and whatnot don`t get in the way. And then you see miracles :) 

We`re still waiting and working for the miracles. We have one investigator, Araceli, who is absolutely incredible. We think she may be one of our miracles. We haven`t been teaching her for very long, and her esposo is very very catholic, but we see progress with her each time we teach, and we have high hopes that she`ll realize that she has her answer that the church is true, and she`ll get baptized :) 

You know, sometimes the miracles are small. Sometimes it`s that after a day that`s been long and hard, (and hot recently. Where`d the rain go??), sometimes the miracle is that your companion can crack a joke that makes your whole day change. (Hna Gonzàlez is probably my favorite Argentina - Aregentine? Argentinian? Someone help me out with that word in English) - in the world. Sometimes, the miracle is a Noche de Hogar (home evening) with a member family, and the dad nearly cries when he tells you how much of a difference you make in their lives, and how grateful they are to have missionaries in their ward. Honestly, I can`t describe to you how incredible this work is, even when it`s difficult. I`ve realized that while I thought these people are changing MY life, just maybe, I`m making a difference in theirs, too. That`s a really happy feeling.

I`m inviting others to come unto CHRIST. Everyone. Members, less actives, investigators, my companion, myself. What better way could I spend this year and a half? I love what I`m doing. Con todo mi corazón, alma, mente, etc.

Con MUCHÍSIMO Amor,

Hermana Hill

Pics: One of the families in our barrio, nosotros, and los Elderes who work in our sector too.

One of the recent converts we work with, his mom, and his niece. And an unopened cassette tape that has more years than I do.

(Oh. A spanish thing. You say "Tengo 20 años" or "I have 20 years" not I`m 20 years old. It`s a mistake I make a lot in English. Why not leave it in the email, right?) 

(Beautiful paintings she's gotten in Peru)

(Keni's photo wall)

If I Used the Same Title, Would Anyone Notice? #Chachachachanges!

My companion is Hna Gonzàlez, she`s from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and she`s hilarious. One night she stood in front of me with this crazy hat (which we`re not sure where it came from) for like five minutes talking to me while I was taping things in my journal. Obviously I was way too preoccupied and we laughed so hard when I looked up. I made her pose again so I could take a picture.

She also helps a TON with my Spanish. I`m coming to realize just how bad I am at conjugating Spanish verbs. The cool thing is, she understands almost everything in English, she just doesn`t know how to speak it, so when I have questions, I can ask her what the word is in Spanish. She has to correct me on the conjugating almost every two minutes, but I`m slowly getting better :)

I`m starting to realize that lots of big things are happening at home! Steph is now MARRIED (congrats, girl! I`m so happy for you!), other friends are in love, other friends are starting to come home from their missions in the next couple months, dad is moving, etc. How exciting! You all are so cute with your being grown-ups thing. 

I just have one request: Don`t all get married before I get home :) I want to be able  to go to SOMEONE`s wedding! Haha.

Also, I`m reading in the war chapters (capítulos de guerra!) in Alma in my English scriptures, and they`re so cool. I heard a quote one time that goes something like ¨we have the war chapters not to learn about their war strategies, but to learn about the people.¨ and it`s SO TRUE. You learn more about their characters and what we should strive to be, because they were striving to be like Christ as well, and it`s just amazing. I just read the beginning parts of the 2,000 stripling warriors. Talk about awesome. 

Continue to read your Book of Mormon, kids. There`s a power that comes from reading it that you just can`t find anywhere else. And I`ll testify of it`s truth, divinity, and power til the day I die. I love the Book of Mormon!

Ustedes son lo MÁXIMO. Hope your week is amazing. Love you to death, etc.

Con MUCHÍSIMO Amor,

Hna Hill

The NDH (FHE) that we had the night before Hna Condie left. Left to right - Oscar, Daniel, Shirlay, Hna Condie, Yo, and Danessda.

Our district last change.

Me and Hna Gonzàlez.

Me and my favorite view of this gorgeous city. I`m in love with Cusco.

The first letter I`ve received in the field! Callie Hansen gets five gold stickers for her forehead. 

A man selling books on the side of the street. Talk about temptation!

(Kelly here: Of all temptations that a girl can have, not buying books in this setting would be her most difficult to avoid. No joke!!)