Hello
All!
So last week we ``broke
free`` from the mission, and it was so great! It was fun to see the historical
parts of Lima. We went and visited the catacombs in the super old Catholic
churches and it might have been the creepiest thing I have ever seen. No joke.
We went on a tour of a cathedral from like...the 1600`s or something and we
went down into the catacombs where they told us that about 25000 are buried
down there. There were piles of bones everywhere. It was all dark and
underground and small. I was feeling a little claustrophobic and all the skulls
staring at me didn`t help. Oh well. It was still interesting :) I`m gonna try
and send photos.
Hey Ky! I saw your
pictures from your blog. You look beautiful! What a cool experience.
Hey, has there been anything
in the news about an earthquake in Peru? We felt a really strong ``little
earthquake`` last night and they said there was one in another part of Peru.
Anyways.
This week. It’s been a
good one! I got your package! Yay! Thank you for all the notes, you are all
wonderful! Kristen, you look AWESOME! I hardly even recognized some of the cousins;
you are all so grown up! :) I read each and every one of the notes, and
translated them all for my companion :) Thank you everyone!
I would like to share
just one experience with ya`ll this week. On Saturday we were walking down the
street when a man walked up to us and asked if we could direct him to a place
where he could hear the word of God. We told him where the chapel was and said
we would be there the next day, Sunday. He looked a little disappointed and
said he needed to find one to listen to right that minute. So I said, well if
you have some time we could share a message with you right now. He looked at us
with hope filled eyes and said, ``would you?`` He then proceeded to ask us if
it was alright to commit suicide. Whoaaaa kay. We were like OK yes, please come
with us, let’s talk. He then proceeded to tell us one of the saddest stories I
have ever heard. He is originally from Piura (the north part of Peru) and he
had a wife, and 4 daughters. He was the owner of a restaurant and said he was
living happy until one day the police came and beat him up and took him from
his house. They had found a bunch of drugs hidden under a table in his
restaurant and they were blaming him. He had no idea they were there, he was
innocent, but they didn`t believe him. They took him from his house and gave
him 25 years in prison. The things he told us about his time in prison I won’t
repeat. But just know that the conditions where inhumane and that word does not
even give justice to what he told us. He was there for 15 years without any
contact from his family, nothing, until they finally realized that he was
innocent and let him go. Just, let him go without giving him anything, or any
money to get back to his home. He has no idea if his wife and kids are even
alive, does not have any way to find out, and is living on the street trying to
find a job to get money to go home. He then told us that some men had offered
to give him 50000 soles if he would kill a man for them. They gave him the gun
and everything but he said that he could not do it. (At this moment my
companion and I got a little nervous but we looked at each other and both felt
a strong impression that we would be alright, that he was telling the truth,
and to keep listening to him) He said he did not feel right with using ``dirty
money`` and he said he was a good man. He has always believed in God and he had
served 15 years for something he hadn`t done and he was not going to do
anything to send him back there. So. He escaped. and just started to walk
without any direction. He prayed to find direction, to find help, and to find
God. And....not even 5 minutes later he saw us walking down the street.
As he was talking I
couldn`t help it. My eyes filled with tears, and they just poured as he talked.
And we all cried together. It was the saddest thing I have ever heard. But we
were able to testify to him of many things. First, that he is a son of God who
loves him. He said he knew that was true, that he knew he was helping him. That
he had led him to us. We had a good talk, gave him a pamphlet and he promised
that as soon as he got back to Piura he was going to look for the church and
start going with his family. I don`t know if I will ever see him again, but one
thing I do know. Heavenly Father is always watching over us, he knows all of
our situations, he knows it all. He loves ALL of his children. That experience
is one I think I will never forget.
Well, Ok. Gotta go. Love
you all!
Que tenga un buen semana
y que nunca olviden que tienen un Padre Celestial que les ama.
Hermana Shelton
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