Walk into a house of investigator or member this week,
Where are you from?
Colorado.
Ohhh Batman...
Sorry to hear about that tragedy up there in Colorado. Hopefully the missionaries up there are teaching lots of people about the Plan of Salvation.
This week was a pretty average, great week. We found some new investigators who seem really eager to hear about the gospel. Yesterday I felt my second earthquake here in Peru (the first was in the CCM here). During the third hour of church there was a little rumble and then a jerk of an earthquake. It was pretty tiny but you could feel it, crazy!
Well honestly I hope things are going well up there in the States. I hope you all are enjoying the heat of the summer, because it´s the cold of the winter here. I don´t have much more to say. The work is coming along down here. I had my first interviw with our new mission president, President Douglas. He really is a GREAT president. He gave me words of wisdom that have changed my mission, I love him and his family and am so grateful for the sacrifice they´ve made to come down here and serve (it´s him and his wife and his daughter who is 16 and son who is 11). I know it´s not easy to make a change like this, it was hard for me at first that´s for sure. But I´ve honestly realized that this is the best thing I could be doing for the next 18 months and have and will put my heart, might, mind and strength into serving the Lord everyday.
Best wishes to you all!
Love,
HERMANA HARBISON
Monday, July 30, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
July 26, 2012
Greetings from Peru!
Hope things are going good for everyone that reads this. Life here is going by a little too fast but everything is great! I love the members of our ward, we get to have lunch and dinner with them every Saturday and Sunday. They are all so great and willing to serve us missionaries! I've also been thinking...I haven't found a dish that I don't like here in Peru :):) Everything our pensionista cooks is delicious, along with all the food the members cook. I love Peru!
We have an investigator named Milagros. She isn't progressing because she's not married to the guy she's living with, BUT she's super receptive to our message! Her boyfriend is an inactive member and her "sister in law" is a member. She told us that she's always excited to have us come over and she's also been going to church which is great! We'll see how things go, hopefully we'll be having a wedding here soon :):)
I've decided to send a picture every week. This week is of me and my companion on my very first day here in the field. Her name is Hermana Riveros and she's from Trujillo, Peru.
It was a pretty normal week this week, nothing out of the ordinary. Hope everyone is enjoying the Summer time up there in the States, because it's winter here and when the wind blows it gets pretty chilly, but not that cold.
Have a great week!
Love,
HERMANA HARBISON
Hope things are going good for everyone that reads this. Life here is going by a little too fast but everything is great! I love the members of our ward, we get to have lunch and dinner with them every Saturday and Sunday. They are all so great and willing to serve us missionaries! I've also been thinking...I haven't found a dish that I don't like here in Peru :):) Everything our pensionista cooks is delicious, along with all the food the members cook. I love Peru!
We have an investigator named Milagros. She isn't progressing because she's not married to the guy she's living with, BUT she's super receptive to our message! Her boyfriend is an inactive member and her "sister in law" is a member. She told us that she's always excited to have us come over and she's also been going to church which is great! We'll see how things go, hopefully we'll be having a wedding here soon :):)
I've decided to send a picture every week. This week is of me and my companion on my very first day here in the field. Her name is Hermana Riveros and she's from Trujillo, Peru.
It was a pretty normal week this week, nothing out of the ordinary. Hope everyone is enjoying the Summer time up there in the States, because it's winter here and when the wind blows it gets pretty chilly, but not that cold.
Have a great week!
Love,
HERMANA HARBISON
Monday, July 16, 2012
July 16, 2012
This week was a really good we because we had 2 baptisms! My first baptisms as a missionary! We were afraid they weren´t going to happen because problems with the interview. But after a second interview on Saturday morning everything was good and they were ready to be baptized. I could tell because they were really sad when they couldn´t set the day for sure after Thursday´s interview. But in 5 hours we called everyone we could in the ward and had a great baptism! MILAGROS!
I learned a lot this week in my personal study. I was reading in the January 2012 Liahona a talk by Elder Christofferson about how everyday we need to ask for our daily bread because the Lord´s hand is always stretched out and we just need to use it. This applies to us as missionaries especially me when it comes to the language. Everyday I have to ask for the gift of tongues and everyday the Lord blesses me with it when I try my hardest. Also I learned the a smile really is a small act of service. While waiting for my companion in the waiting room of the doctor´s office I smiled at the only other person who was there and she commented that she had a rough day and to see my refreshing smile really helped her and then we started talking about things and the Gospel and what not and it was all great. Another way the Lord´s hand is always stetched out is helping me talking to random people even though I don´t know Spanish that well. On the bus this week I was sitting next to a stranger and I was determined to talk to her about the gospel because I knew I had to do. I said a prayer in my heart and the Lord helped me to talk to her and understand what she was saying and I gave and explained to her the pamphlet of the Plan of Salvation. It was so great and I learned that fear really is of the Devil becuase if I continued just sitting there debating in my mind whether or not to talk to her I wouldn´t have done what was asked of me. The Lord really does love and bless me and I am so grateful for that!
Everything this else is going good. I found out this week that the toilet paper isn´t biodegradable... WHAT!?! So I noticed that there was a lot of TP in the trash can and I asked my companion why and she said ti´s because it´s not biodegradable and the toilet can´t handle that. So we have to put our TP in the trashcan until we run out and buy TP that is biodegradable. Adventure of the mission, no complaints just adjustments.
I´m grateful everyday to be a missionary and to learn new things. Hope everything is going good for you wherever you may be.
Love Always,
HERMANA HARBISON
I learned a lot this week in my personal study. I was reading in the January 2012 Liahona a talk by Elder Christofferson about how everyday we need to ask for our daily bread because the Lord´s hand is always stretched out and we just need to use it. This applies to us as missionaries especially me when it comes to the language. Everyday I have to ask for the gift of tongues and everyday the Lord blesses me with it when I try my hardest. Also I learned the a smile really is a small act of service. While waiting for my companion in the waiting room of the doctor´s office I smiled at the only other person who was there and she commented that she had a rough day and to see my refreshing smile really helped her and then we started talking about things and the Gospel and what not and it was all great. Another way the Lord´s hand is always stetched out is helping me talking to random people even though I don´t know Spanish that well. On the bus this week I was sitting next to a stranger and I was determined to talk to her about the gospel because I knew I had to do. I said a prayer in my heart and the Lord helped me to talk to her and understand what she was saying and I gave and explained to her the pamphlet of the Plan of Salvation. It was so great and I learned that fear really is of the Devil becuase if I continued just sitting there debating in my mind whether or not to talk to her I wouldn´t have done what was asked of me. The Lord really does love and bless me and I am so grateful for that!
Everything this else is going good. I found out this week that the toilet paper isn´t biodegradable... WHAT!?! So I noticed that there was a lot of TP in the trash can and I asked my companion why and she said ti´s because it´s not biodegradable and the toilet can´t handle that. So we have to put our TP in the trashcan until we run out and buy TP that is biodegradable. Adventure of the mission, no complaints just adjustments.
I´m grateful everyday to be a missionary and to learn new things. Hope everything is going good for you wherever you may be.
Love Always,
HERMANA HARBISON
Monday, July 9, 2012
July 9, 2012
Hola Familia y Amigos!
Hope life is treating you all well! Life here in the field is going along pretty good. The beginning of the week was a little discouraging but the end just got better and better. We had a lot of appointments fall through, but then we met some new people and have started teaching them. Also, 7 investigators came to church yesterday which just made the week that much better, becuase none came the week before.
Confession Time: I, Hermana Harbison, am sorry for ever making fun of people who cry in the middle of testimony meeting or anything like that. Becuase now that I'm a missionary I cry over the little things when our Heavenly Father shows His love towards His childern. I was reading an article in the March Ensign over breakfast and started to tear up... My heart has been changed and I'm afraid I'm going to start crying in movies when I am no longer a missionary... But I have a year and a half so we'll see. Maybe I'll cry all my tears out here on the mission becuase Heavenly Father shows His love every day. There you have it folks. I'm not crying because I'm sad or because I miss my Family (don't get me wrong I do miss them) but because I'm so happy. Cheesy? Check. Do I sound like a Sister Missionary? I hope so :):)
Everything is coming along. Spanish is slowly coming. I've learned that I truly have to rely on the Lord to have the gift of tongues and ask for that gift. Because when I do I understand Spanish so much better and progress.
There you have it for the week. Hope life is treating you all well. Until next time!
HERMANA HARBISON
Hope life is treating you all well! Life here in the field is going along pretty good. The beginning of the week was a little discouraging but the end just got better and better. We had a lot of appointments fall through, but then we met some new people and have started teaching them. Also, 7 investigators came to church yesterday which just made the week that much better, becuase none came the week before.
Confession Time: I, Hermana Harbison, am sorry for ever making fun of people who cry in the middle of testimony meeting or anything like that. Becuase now that I'm a missionary I cry over the little things when our Heavenly Father shows His love towards His childern. I was reading an article in the March Ensign over breakfast and started to tear up... My heart has been changed and I'm afraid I'm going to start crying in movies when I am no longer a missionary... But I have a year and a half so we'll see. Maybe I'll cry all my tears out here on the mission becuase Heavenly Father shows His love every day. There you have it folks. I'm not crying because I'm sad or because I miss my Family (don't get me wrong I do miss them) but because I'm so happy. Cheesy? Check. Do I sound like a Sister Missionary? I hope so :):)
Everything is coming along. Spanish is slowly coming. I've learned that I truly have to rely on the Lord to have the gift of tongues and ask for that gift. Because when I do I understand Spanish so much better and progress.
There you have it for the week. Hope life is treating you all well. Until next time!
HERMANA HARBISON
Monday, July 2, 2012
July 2, 2012
Hello World!
I´m offically a missionary. I´m out here in the real world teaching real people and let me tell you it´s not easy. Period. But it´s so rewarding because I´m learning so much about EVERYTHING.
My companion´s name is Hermana Riveros. She´s from here in Peru in Trujillo. She´s great and she´ll be my companion for the next 12 weeks to do my training and what not. We live in a re done garage of a member´s house. It´s actually pretty nice considering it´s a garage. However, there is a legit rooster that lives across the street and crows at 3 in the morning and throughout the entire day. That was a great surprise my first night. But now I´m used to it haha. The area I´m in is called Surco. It´s pretty nice and the members and great. We have a pensionista that cooks us lunch, which is the biggest meal of the day here, and then for the weekends we eat at member´s home and they provide delicious food. For breakfast and dinner we just eat at home.
It´s been an adjustment learning about all the different investigators and how I could help them be baptized and know of the truth. Even though this work isn´t easy it´s totally worth it. I can´t wait to help more people and baptize them.
Well that´s all I´ve got... Until next time, hope everyone has a great Fourth of July, believe it or not they don´t really celebrate that here which is too bad. But I´ll be updating some more next week on my P day.
My mailing address is:
Felicia Lynn Harbison
Peru Lima South Mission
Av Jorge Basadre 592, Oficina 604-A
Edificio Torre Azul, San Isidro
Lima 27
Peru
I´m offically a missionary. I´m out here in the real world teaching real people and let me tell you it´s not easy. Period. But it´s so rewarding because I´m learning so much about EVERYTHING.
My companion´s name is Hermana Riveros. She´s from here in Peru in Trujillo. She´s great and she´ll be my companion for the next 12 weeks to do my training and what not. We live in a re done garage of a member´s house. It´s actually pretty nice considering it´s a garage. However, there is a legit rooster that lives across the street and crows at 3 in the morning and throughout the entire day. That was a great surprise my first night. But now I´m used to it haha. The area I´m in is called Surco. It´s pretty nice and the members and great. We have a pensionista that cooks us lunch, which is the biggest meal of the day here, and then for the weekends we eat at member´s home and they provide delicious food. For breakfast and dinner we just eat at home.
It´s been an adjustment learning about all the different investigators and how I could help them be baptized and know of the truth. Even though this work isn´t easy it´s totally worth it. I can´t wait to help more people and baptize them.
Well that´s all I´ve got... Until next time, hope everyone has a great Fourth of July, believe it or not they don´t really celebrate that here which is too bad. But I´ll be updating some more next week on my P day.
My mailing address is:
Felicia Lynn Harbison
Peru Lima South Mission
Av Jorge Basadre 592, Oficina 604-A
Edificio Torre Azul, San Isidro
Lima 27
Peru
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
June 20, 2012
Well I've been here for a week and it has been an adventure. Here you have 2 sets of companions a Latina and a North American. You teach with your Noth American together in your district. Mine is named Hermana Giles, I was originally solo but then I got a companion. Then I have 2 Latinas, Hermana Huamani and Gomez that are both here from Peru. They're all great, no complaints.
Also something that's new is that I'm going out into the field on June 26th, a week earlier than I was supposed to. This is because my mission president is going to be changing the week I was supposed to go out and that would have been too much or something. Which is totally fine with me because in class I've learned everything they're learning right now and its all a review. But I don't mind continuing my learning becuase I;m sure I'll miss it here once I go out...
The food's great here at the CCM. Which makes me nervous for the field because the food in the real world is probably totally different than here. We shall see next week though!
Today for P-Day we got to go to the temple which was AWESOME! It's a beautiful temple but kind of sad because I don't know when I'll get to go to the temple again since it's not in my mission. It was an adventure getting to the temple today. We had to run across the street and catch the bus which is this little tiny like 15 seater bus and we all (those in my group) crammed in there and headed off with a crazy driver haha.
Well that's all the news I've got! Next email will be from the field of Lima South!
Love Always,
HERMANA HARBISON
Also something that's new is that I'm going out into the field on June 26th, a week earlier than I was supposed to. This is because my mission president is going to be changing the week I was supposed to go out and that would have been too much or something. Which is totally fine with me because in class I've learned everything they're learning right now and its all a review. But I don't mind continuing my learning becuase I;m sure I'll miss it here once I go out...
The food's great here at the CCM. Which makes me nervous for the field because the food in the real world is probably totally different than here. We shall see next week though!
Today for P-Day we got to go to the temple which was AWESOME! It's a beautiful temple but kind of sad because I don't know when I'll get to go to the temple again since it's not in my mission. It was an adventure getting to the temple today. We had to run across the street and catch the bus which is this little tiny like 15 seater bus and we all (those in my group) crammed in there and headed off with a crazy driver haha.
Well that's all the news I've got! Next email will be from the field of Lima South!
Love Always,
HERMANA HARBISON
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
June 13, 2012
Hola, From Peru!
Yes you read that right I'm here in Peru! On Monday morning I got called down to the Travel Office, not wanting to get my hopes up again Hna. Cardenaz and I slowly walked down expecting nothing. But surprise surprise I got my Visa and they gave me my travel plans to leave the next day, Tuesday. I was so excited but so sad at the same time because I love my companion soooo much. Well I got all packed pretty fast and then went on with my day, saying goodbyes and what not. It was for sure bittersweet because I became such good friends with my district.
Tuesday morning came way too fast and I had to be at the travel office at 5 am. I got on the bus and was on my way to the airport to go to Peru. Our lay over was in Atlanta and I got to call my parents, awesome! Then hopped on the plane to Peru for a 6 hour flight. Most of the flights I slept and read, couldn't watch the movie but that's ok. 20 of us landed in Peru at 11 pm, made our way through Customs and what not and then were on our way to the CCM by about 12:30. We didn't get to the CCM until 1:30, found our room and slilently made our bed real quick and went to sleep. We got to sleep in until 9, which was great and then get pictures taken and what not and now I'm here emailing.
The CCM is way nice. The rooms are way nice, you can tell a million people haven't gone through here before. It's pretty small here there are only about 30 sisters or so. I haven't met my companion yet, but she's from Peru so that's going to be a fun adventure. The weather is pretty cloudy right now, humid but sitll pretty warm, no complaints at all.
I'm going to miss my district in Provo, but it's all alright because they're leaving to go out into the field on Monday and I know they'll do great. It's been said that the Gospel comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. Obviously I was too comfortable in Provo, but I learned so much about my self and other people, more than I would have if I would have come to Peru on May 22. I feel I'm truly ready to lose myself in the work and endure, with the Lord helping me the whole way.
I don't know when I'm leaving the CCM, I've heard July 2nd or June 26th, but I'll find out soon enough. Until then I'll be learning more Spanish and getting aclimated to this country I already love.
Hope everything is going great there in the States! Have a great day!
HERMANA HARBISON
Yes you read that right I'm here in Peru! On Monday morning I got called down to the Travel Office, not wanting to get my hopes up again Hna. Cardenaz and I slowly walked down expecting nothing. But surprise surprise I got my Visa and they gave me my travel plans to leave the next day, Tuesday. I was so excited but so sad at the same time because I love my companion soooo much. Well I got all packed pretty fast and then went on with my day, saying goodbyes and what not. It was for sure bittersweet because I became such good friends with my district.
Tuesday morning came way too fast and I had to be at the travel office at 5 am. I got on the bus and was on my way to the airport to go to Peru. Our lay over was in Atlanta and I got to call my parents, awesome! Then hopped on the plane to Peru for a 6 hour flight. Most of the flights I slept and read, couldn't watch the movie but that's ok. 20 of us landed in Peru at 11 pm, made our way through Customs and what not and then were on our way to the CCM by about 12:30. We didn't get to the CCM until 1:30, found our room and slilently made our bed real quick and went to sleep. We got to sleep in until 9, which was great and then get pictures taken and what not and now I'm here emailing.
The CCM is way nice. The rooms are way nice, you can tell a million people haven't gone through here before. It's pretty small here there are only about 30 sisters or so. I haven't met my companion yet, but she's from Peru so that's going to be a fun adventure. The weather is pretty cloudy right now, humid but sitll pretty warm, no complaints at all.
I'm going to miss my district in Provo, but it's all alright because they're leaving to go out into the field on Monday and I know they'll do great. It's been said that the Gospel comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. Obviously I was too comfortable in Provo, but I learned so much about my self and other people, more than I would have if I would have come to Peru on May 22. I feel I'm truly ready to lose myself in the work and endure, with the Lord helping me the whole way.
I don't know when I'm leaving the CCM, I've heard July 2nd or June 26th, but I'll find out soon enough. Until then I'll be learning more Spanish and getting aclimated to this country I already love.
Hope everything is going great there in the States! Have a great day!
HERMANA HARBISON
Friday, June 8, 2012
June 8, 2012
Hola!
This week has been a pretty normal week, nothing too exciting happened. We got to host the new sisters who came in on Wednesday again and that was tons of fun!
However, this rotten deal happened to me on Thursday:
So on Tuesday I went into the travel office asking if they had any info on my Visa, which I do about once every week. They said we would call you down if we had it or put something in your mailbox. So we start class on Thursday and in the middle of the prayer the speaker in our room comes on and calls me down to the travel office. We quickly finish the prayer and Hna. Cardenaz and I speed walk down there. The second I walk in they tell me, "Sorry we still don't have your visa."I ask if they're serious and they say yes. I then ask why they called me down if they didn't have anything new. So they basically just told me something I already knew. No new info. Let's just say it was a roller coaster of emotions. Well they're like we just got a bunch of Peru Visas and yours wasn't in there but we can give you a phone pass and you can call to tell your parents. In a fog, I said yeah I'll take a phone pass to talk to my wonderful parents. So no new news on my Visa, got a little tease thinking I was going to get one and then I got a phone pass to call my parents. Tons of emotions to say the least....
Other than that it's been a pretty normal week! My companion is still awesome and the best ever. We got new Hermanas in our zone and they're living in our apartment so that's something to get used to. But Hna Carrdenaz and I are doing great and enjoying our short time together, because in a week plus a few days she'll be headed to Costa Rica. Sad and happy all at the same time.
Hope everything is going great where ever you may be!
This week has been a pretty normal week, nothing too exciting happened. We got to host the new sisters who came in on Wednesday again and that was tons of fun!
However, this rotten deal happened to me on Thursday:
So on Tuesday I went into the travel office asking if they had any info on my Visa, which I do about once every week. They said we would call you down if we had it or put something in your mailbox. So we start class on Thursday and in the middle of the prayer the speaker in our room comes on and calls me down to the travel office. We quickly finish the prayer and Hna. Cardenaz and I speed walk down there. The second I walk in they tell me, "Sorry we still don't have your visa."I ask if they're serious and they say yes. I then ask why they called me down if they didn't have anything new. So they basically just told me something I already knew. No new info. Let's just say it was a roller coaster of emotions. Well they're like we just got a bunch of Peru Visas and yours wasn't in there but we can give you a phone pass and you can call to tell your parents. In a fog, I said yeah I'll take a phone pass to talk to my wonderful parents. So no new news on my Visa, got a little tease thinking I was going to get one and then I got a phone pass to call my parents. Tons of emotions to say the least....
Other than that it's been a pretty normal week! My companion is still awesome and the best ever. We got new Hermanas in our zone and they're living in our apartment so that's something to get used to. But Hna Carrdenaz and I are doing great and enjoying our short time together, because in a week plus a few days she'll be headed to Costa Rica. Sad and happy all at the same time.
Hope everything is going great where ever you may be!
Friday, June 1, 2012
June 1, 2012
Hello Everyone!
This week has been an exciting week. To start off, I got a companion! Her name is Hermana Cardenaz and she's the best! Here's the story: We get to class on Tuesday and one of the head teachers informed us that we would be moving to a new district. Elder Baker and I moved two doors down to a district in our zone that's two weeks ahead of us, which is nice because I already knew most of the Spanish we were learning and this little boost will be nice. However, our other member of our trio moved to a different district who is 3 weeks behind us or so, which is probably good for him, because he was having a really hard time with Spanish and actually speaking so hopefully that will help him. So this same day Hna Cardenaz's comp. left to go home and she was left to be the only sister in her district. So when they combined districts we became companions. It's so nice because we were already roommates and got along from day one pretty much. She's a great missionary and I've learned so much from her. Couldn't have asked for a better companion to be my first one! Plus we (Elder Baker and I) have new teachers now and I've had to get to know the investigators Hna Cardenaz was teaching so that's been an adjustment. Also, when it comes to what I might have missed with the 2 week lag, my new teachers are way helpful in catching us up and making sure we understand. (The only concept I didn't know that we missed was the subjunctive form in spanish so they're helping us withthat). With this new move, I also got a new mailbox number, now it's 106 instead of 133. Just an FYI, missionaries LOVE letters! :):) Also, on Wednesday we got to host the new Sister Missionaries coming in. Which means you take them to their residence, get their name tags and welcome packet, get their books, and then take them to their classroom. It was so much fun doing this!
That's all the exciting news I have here at the MTC. No word on my visa yet so I'll just be hanging out here until I get any word. Today we went to the temple early in the morning. Now we're going to enjoy the rest of our P-Day.
Have a great day!
Love,
HERMANA HARBISON
This week has been an exciting week. To start off, I got a companion! Her name is Hermana Cardenaz and she's the best! Here's the story: We get to class on Tuesday and one of the head teachers informed us that we would be moving to a new district. Elder Baker and I moved two doors down to a district in our zone that's two weeks ahead of us, which is nice because I already knew most of the Spanish we were learning and this little boost will be nice. However, our other member of our trio moved to a different district who is 3 weeks behind us or so, which is probably good for him, because he was having a really hard time with Spanish and actually speaking so hopefully that will help him. So this same day Hna Cardenaz's comp. left to go home and she was left to be the only sister in her district. So when they combined districts we became companions. It's so nice because we were already roommates and got along from day one pretty much. She's a great missionary and I've learned so much from her. Couldn't have asked for a better companion to be my first one! Plus we (Elder Baker and I) have new teachers now and I've had to get to know the investigators Hna Cardenaz was teaching so that's been an adjustment. Also, when it comes to what I might have missed with the 2 week lag, my new teachers are way helpful in catching us up and making sure we understand. (The only concept I didn't know that we missed was the subjunctive form in spanish so they're helping us withthat). With this new move, I also got a new mailbox number, now it's 106 instead of 133. Just an FYI, missionaries LOVE letters! :):) Also, on Wednesday we got to host the new Sister Missionaries coming in. Which means you take them to their residence, get their name tags and welcome packet, get their books, and then take them to their classroom. It was so much fun doing this!
That's all the exciting news I have here at the MTC. No word on my visa yet so I'll just be hanging out here until I get any word. Today we went to the temple early in the morning. Now we're going to enjoy the rest of our P-Day.
Have a great day!
Love,
HERMANA HARBISON
Thursday, May 31, 2012
May 31, 2012
Hola Familia y Amigos
This week has been a rollercoaster of a week to say the least. Ready to get up close and personal and all spiritual with Hermana Harbison?, well here you go:
So when I teach our investigators (our teachers acting like investigators from their missions) I used to teach with E. Jacobsen, because I am still a solo Sister. So this Monday we were teaching our hard investigator Mario, he's hard in the sense that he has a hard heart and tends to argue with us on whatever we say. So we decided we wanted to crack him, get to know his past and why he is so argumentative. Well we did, he told us that he needed money to pay rent, he wants to go to school but he can't afford it and all these other things in his life right now. Then I explained to him that through the gospel miracles and blessing could happened and he flat out told me that miracles could not happen to him. And I started to cry because I just felt so bad for him that he didn't think that God loved him and could help him through the gospel and through faith. Yes I said I cried in the middle of a practice lesson here at the MTC. My companion (a 19 year old guy) looks at me with an expression of whoa you are really crying. Then our investigator went on and explained his past, parents leaving him and his sibilings and then moving from foster home to foster home and praying all the time and not getting the answer he wanted. Well we went on to explain to him about how people suffer but God has a plan for us. We read him some scriptures and challenged him to pray to know if he has a loving Heavenly Father with the actions found in Moroni 10:4. Well we finished and I was just so pumped because he was so much more receptive and willing after that. BUT THEN, the next day my teaching companion left to go down to the Peru MTC (he doesn't need a visa because he's only in Peru a few weeks and then goes to Ecuador). So since I didn't have a comp to teach with, I couldn't teach my investigator anymore, but instead had to teach with the other companionship in our distict. And this is how it's going to be until I leave. This was hard because I got so far with Mario in my lessons and just loved him and wanted to help him so much that it was hard to lose him and start over fresh with a "different" Mario. So then I had to teach this "new version" of Mario and get to know where these other Elders were in the sense of what they have taught him and what they want to teach him. That is a whole other story that I don't have time to type in my 30 minute email time.
Well there's my story of my investigator this week. Pretty long, but a great experience and good practice for out in the field when I might get so far with an investigator and then have to leave to go to another area. And learning how to work in a trio has been a challenge too but we're getting the hang of it!
Another story for you all: So this week Elder Rasband of the 70 came for devotional and had visitors he introduced to us before he started. He said they are going to be the Mission President (family) of the Peru Lima South Mission. He then had all of us who are going there stand up (I only saw 2 others). I was so excited that after devo we went down and talked to the family and they were so excited too! It was great and they seem like a nice family and will be getting there about a month after I will be out in the field, or so.
Thanks for reading this long story and I know that we can be blessed if we have faith and rely on Him when needed. Hope life in the real world has been treating you all great, love hearing from you all!
This week has been a rollercoaster of a week to say the least. Ready to get up close and personal and all spiritual with Hermana Harbison?, well here you go:
So when I teach our investigators (our teachers acting like investigators from their missions) I used to teach with E. Jacobsen, because I am still a solo Sister. So this Monday we were teaching our hard investigator Mario, he's hard in the sense that he has a hard heart and tends to argue with us on whatever we say. So we decided we wanted to crack him, get to know his past and why he is so argumentative. Well we did, he told us that he needed money to pay rent, he wants to go to school but he can't afford it and all these other things in his life right now. Then I explained to him that through the gospel miracles and blessing could happened and he flat out told me that miracles could not happen to him. And I started to cry because I just felt so bad for him that he didn't think that God loved him and could help him through the gospel and through faith. Yes I said I cried in the middle of a practice lesson here at the MTC. My companion (a 19 year old guy) looks at me with an expression of whoa you are really crying. Then our investigator went on and explained his past, parents leaving him and his sibilings and then moving from foster home to foster home and praying all the time and not getting the answer he wanted. Well we went on to explain to him about how people suffer but God has a plan for us. We read him some scriptures and challenged him to pray to know if he has a loving Heavenly Father with the actions found in Moroni 10:4. Well we finished and I was just so pumped because he was so much more receptive and willing after that. BUT THEN, the next day my teaching companion left to go down to the Peru MTC (he doesn't need a visa because he's only in Peru a few weeks and then goes to Ecuador). So since I didn't have a comp to teach with, I couldn't teach my investigator anymore, but instead had to teach with the other companionship in our distict. And this is how it's going to be until I leave. This was hard because I got so far with Mario in my lessons and just loved him and wanted to help him so much that it was hard to lose him and start over fresh with a "different" Mario. So then I had to teach this "new version" of Mario and get to know where these other Elders were in the sense of what they have taught him and what they want to teach him. That is a whole other story that I don't have time to type in my 30 minute email time.
Well there's my story of my investigator this week. Pretty long, but a great experience and good practice for out in the field when I might get so far with an investigator and then have to leave to go to another area. And learning how to work in a trio has been a challenge too but we're getting the hang of it!
Another story for you all: So this week Elder Rasband of the 70 came for devotional and had visitors he introduced to us before he started. He said they are going to be the Mission President (family) of the Peru Lima South Mission. He then had all of us who are going there stand up (I only saw 2 others). I was so excited that after devo we went down and talked to the family and they were so excited too! It was great and they seem like a nice family and will be getting there about a month after I will be out in the field, or so.
Thanks for reading this long story and I know that we can be blessed if we have faith and rely on Him when needed. Hope life in the real world has been treating you all great, love hearing from you all!
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