Goodbye Begonias, Hello Bello Horizante

Hello!!

Well, I am writing from a new internet cafe because, I was transfered! I am now in la estaca San Felipe, zona Collique, barrio Bello Horizonte. My companion is la Hermana Valdivia from Tijuana Mexico. She has 4 months in the mission and is really great! We get along really well and my new ward is very welcoming. My first night here we had a lesson with a less active member and the relief society presidency accompanied us. They were talking to the Hermana about how in the church everyone is welcomed and loved and that we are all here to look out for one another. She then said, take Hna Shelton for example! We just met her a couple hours ago but we love her already and it feels like we`ve known her much longer than that. It was really sweet :)

It was sooooooooooooooo hard to leave Begonias. I am pretty sure I cried all day Monday, and most of the day Tuesday :P Saying goodbye to everybody broke my heart in several little pieces that were left there with all those I love.

But, I`m good. I really do like my new area and things are good. The only problem is that here we have less time to write and they are about to kick us off! Sorry I don`t have any more time to write. I promise a better letter next week :)

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

11 months, today!

Hi all!

So as of today I have lived in Peru as a missionary for 11 months! How crazy is that? Time is just flying by so fast. 

Things are really good. Cambios are today and I could be leaving, or I could be staying, I could be getting a new companion or she could be staying! We don´t know yet but whatever happens I know I will be where Heavenly Father needs me to be. 

I have kind of been saying goodbyes just in case I leave and its been really sad. Hna Aquino and I have cried in like, 3 or 4 of our lessons these past few days. This really is that hardest part of the mission for me I think. Is just getting so close and so attached, and then having to say goodbye. Last night we were with Hna L. and N.

, and with the other sister missionaries in our ward, and I shared the scripture in Alma 17 that says, "And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken."

Ok. I should say that I cried my way through sharing that scripture. Its fine though. We were all in tears. And I just bore my testimony that one of the hardest parts of our mortal existence is having to say so many goodbyes, but that the beautiful thing about the gospel is that they don´t have to be forever. And that one day we are all going to be together in the celestial kingdom with Heavenly Father if we just stay faithful. So we all cried together and then took pictures, and kind of laughed cause I was like, hey! maybe we don´t have cambios tomorrow and we´ll be doing this again in another 6 weeks! haha, I hope so! :) 

The bishops wife also said something super sweet to me yesterday. After church she gave me a hug and said she hoped that I wasn´t leaving yet. And she told me that the bishop told her that he hopes his son grows up and marries someone like Hna Shelton. Aw. That was one of the sweetest compliments I´ve ever recieved. 

We had a baptism this week! La Hermana J. She is the mom of one of the members of our ward. And she doesn´t actually know how old she is. We had to do some math and figuring to get an estimate on her birthday and age for her baptism record. She is about 70 years old and is super sweet. Hna Aquino and I just laugh and laugh with her in our lessons. Its a blast. She has a hard time hearing so when we taught her we had to take turns sitting super close and talking really loud in her ear so she could understand us. And if she didn´t understand what we said she gets a really confused look and her face, leans in and says, "¿como?" haha. 

This week has been super good! We had a lot of really good lessons and a couple families that we are really excited about! The work is moving forward in the good ol' barrio begonias. I love it here so much. Remember 4 and a half months ago when I said I knew I´d come to love it here as much as I loved Independencia? Its true. My little Peruvian family is just growing bigger and bigger. 

Well, I feel like I wanted to tell you more but I can´t remember now! I´ll have more news for you next week!

The pictures are from our baptism and the six missionaries in our ward with the bishop, his wife, and two of his kids.

Talk to ya´ll next week! Love you!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Shelton

Surprise!

Well, it’s not a surprise for my family cause I told ya`ll on Thursday that we`d be writing today but to everyone else,  surprise! We are writing our emails today because this Monday we are having a mission wide P-day and will be going to Tahauntisuyo to have a "Mini Mundial" (Mini world cup) between all the missionaries. It’s gonna be sweet. But we have to leave super early in the morning for travel time and so we can get it started early so Presidente told us to all write today. 

It’s kind of weird, especially cause we`ll be talking tomorrow as well, but oh well! 

So I have to update ya`ll about our little mouse friend.

Turns out he has lots of family, and friends, that have moved in with us as well. This week has been very interesting.

It all started Monday night. I was in the bathroom and saw something brown pass underneath the door. At first I thought it was the hand of Hna Aquino because whenever the phone rings she passes it to me under the door cause she doesn`t like talking on the phone but then I got a closer look, and a brown, furry mouse and I had a little stare down. Well, I screamed, it ran the other way towards my companion who screamed as well. We didn`t sleep well that night.

The next day after lunch the six of us missionaries came back over to our apartment because Elder Kramer was gonna set up two more traps and we also bought some poison to go with it. When we got in Hna Crow decided it`d be a good idea to pour water down its hole to try and drown it. So she started pouring in the water and it just kept going in, more and more! we had no idea the hole was so deep. We were all standing around the hole as she started pouring in the sixth bottle of water when all of a sudden a little gray head appeared and came running out, then another, then another, then another, and another! What happened next was absolute chaos. Brooms were flying, people were screaming, and 7 little baby rats were running around our feet. My companion was on my bed, with her hands covering her eyes, Elder Naranjo was super sick and out of it so he was just sitting on a chair, Elder Kramer and Hna Sauceda started trying to hit them with the brooms, and stomping on them and I also had a broom but someone yelled, "get the camera!" so I ran and got the camera and got some of the action on film. About 5 minutes later the 7 babies had all been stomped on, and it calmed down. 

It was probably 5 of the craziest minutes of my life. and definitely an unforgettable experience.

Unfortunately, we only got the babies. There are still at least two more that have been running around our apartment the past few days.

We are looking for a new apartment. :)

After they had all been killed we gathered them up into a circle to count them. And take pictures :) 

The first picture is me with them. First, you can look at my cute new shoes. (They were only 20 soles! That’s like....7 dollars. I love Peru) Ok, now look in front of my shoes and zoom up real close.

Gross, huh?

The second picture is for you, Mom! I saw this sign on P day when we went to Plaza Norte. It says, "Mama, tu me inspiras"! Feliz dia de la Madre! :)

Well, ok. I can`t wait to talk to you tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!! I think the plan is still 6 your time, 7 my time. But Hna Rochie has to leave to a meeting that night, so if it’s ok, I might call like a half hour earlier, esta bien? 

SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Shelton

Introducing...the moto taxi. Our main form of transportation.

Me and one of my favorite little families.  

Me and Hna Rochie during the ward activity last week

Hna Crow and I at Plaza Norte.  We took this picture for our Mamas as well!  Sending our love from Peru!

Happy Mother's Day!

A little graphic.. but here are a couple of the of the dead mice. 

Elder Kramer and Hna Sauceda after "the killing"

Check out the new shoes... and the dead mice.

Service activity to clean up after a fire in an apartment building by the church.
Some of the ward members live there.

The zone after zone conference on Thursday

Happy May!

Hey all!

Well, I feel like I don`t have much to tell you about this week, mainly cause we`re gonna be talking face to face in less than a week! woo! I`m so excited!

This week has been good, normal. Nothing too exciting. Thursday was a holiday here in Peru (Hna Aquino said in Bolivia as well, maybe in other Latin American countries as well?) It was Dia del Trabajador (labor day) and everyone had the day off, so we decided to have a ward activity! There were a bunch of different activities, volleyball, soccer, basketball, ping pong, foozball, karaoke, play station, checkers, chess, etc.... and it was a big success! The purpose of the activity was to be able to invite investigators and bring those who are less active, and also so the ward could get to know the missionaries, and all went really well! We had a lot of fun :) The missionaries were all team captains for a volleyball tournament, and.....my team won. No big deal :) I`ll send some pictures.

A ver. What else.... 

This last week we had a blitz in our area. Also, I don`t know if I mentioned it before but we have a little mouse friend who has moved in with us. Uninvited of course. And he keeps getting away, the dang thing! So when the Elders came over for the blitz they set up a trap for us, (we put peanut butter on it and everything!) But he still lives. Its ok. Today we`re going to buy two more traps and cheese and hopefully he`ll fall for it. 

Ciao raton!

Also, one of the pictures I`m sending is from our service activity this last week, and the week before. We hiked up to a house in the cerros in one of the areas of the elders and we helped them break up big rocks from behind their house and carry them down the stairs and to the other side of their house. Just so happens that this day the only ones from the zone that could come were....the sisters. Ha. So we carried them all, no big deal. The two elders and the sons of the family broke up the rocks and we carried them all out. It was fun. The picture kind of says it all :)

Well, thats all I can think of from this week! Que aburido, lo siento! Pero bueno. Vamos a hablar Domingo, si? Mama, dijiste que en la tarde seria mejor, no? Voy a hablar con la Hna Rochi porque vamos a usar su computadora para llamar y tenemos permiso para hacer un ``prellamada`` para confirmar los planes. Les voy a llamar uno de estos dias durante la semana para fijar la hora.

Haha. I actually just realized I was writing all of that in Spanish. I just meant to write the ``lo siento`` and I guess my mind just flipped to Spanish. Oh well. 

Send my love to everyone! Les quiero un MONTON.

ciao for now!

Hermana Shelton