Well. Looks like Chalea is still smiling. The following is from her latest email.
This week, wow! So much growth, I couldn't even try to tell you all of it. Sometimes I feel like the prophets in The Book of Mormon that say they cannot even write a hundreth part of what is going on around them. Mama, to answer your question, we get to go through a temple session! :D I am so excited because the temple is in my mission, so I will be able to go often. Last week I did the session in Spanish, and understood quite a bit of it, this week I did it in English because I wanted to be able to ponder more. yesterday we were sitting in class and had a mild earthquake. haha! It was so cool! I was sitting in my chair and I felt in vibrating. I looked around, and the scriptures on Hermana Mack´s desk were shaking too.It only lasted about a minute and a half, but it was neato! :)
I still love the busses here. Don't worry, we are being careful. They do make a complete stop to let you on and off. They just hurry on from place to place. The Peruvian lifestyle, from what I have seen, is unique, but very cool. The people work are so nice, and they take time to enjoy things in life, yet they work hard and are outgoing. Examples: Today at one of the bus stops a man was crossing the street to catch the bus. The driver could have sped off, but they waited for him to cross the street and let him get on. Another thing, the people here who sell things, they have to make their living off what they sell, so instead of just sitting around, they are out working, really getting you to buy their stuff. It's kind of neat that they are so willing to do that and so confident in themselves.
So this past Saturday we went proselyting! That was a humbling experience. We met at a chapel in Lima, and then paired up with some members of that ward to go invite less active memebers to church and to see what we could do to help them. We also got paired up with Latinos (that is what they liked to be called here) as our companions. Yikes! It was scary at first, but I am glad we got to work with them. :) So we went out and the places we went to were so different than there in the states. One of the ladies just had a cement floor that was cracked with some tin sheets for a roof. That was humbling in and of itself. Another humbling experience was the language barrier. I could understand a good portion of what was going on, but it was scary to be the only white girl on the block and to share a message about the Lord with complete strangers. However, I did it! and it was a good experience. My compaƱera and I were able to share some scriptures with the ladies we visited and remind them that they are needed and loved. We also found a lady who wanted to learn more about the Church, so we gave her a pamphlet about the Plan of Happiness and we wrote down her name and address for the missionaries who are already out in the field. It was exciting.:)
Something I have been learning this week is how the Holy Ghost can work through us. There have been vairous times this week, during proselyting or when we are teaching our "investigators" where I have had thoughts pop into my mind of things I needed to say. I promise that as we live worthy of the Holy Ghost and take the time to listen, He is there to guide us in the things we need. Examples: During proselyting, I totally blanked on what scriptures my companion and I had wanted to share. I breathed and thought for a moment, and a scripture would pop into my mind. Another time, just the other day in fact, Hermana Mack and I were teaching one of our investigators. I have been having a little trouble thinking of thought provoking questions that will help our investigator get involved in the lesson. God definitely was aware of this because during that lesson, I easily had questions come to mind and pretty much jump out of my mouth, that helped our investigator learn more about our loving Heavenly Father and the plan that He has for us. It is such a neat feeling!
Well family, almost time to go. I think about you every single day. I miss you very much, but I am so happy and comfortable here. I learned this week that those feelings come from the Holy Ghost and that that is God's way of reminding me that this is where I need to be. I love you so much!!! Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Until next week!!!!
So much love!!!
Hermana Waite
P.S. Mom, Hermana Mack is from Arizona, but she speaks really good Spanish. We get along well! :)
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.