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Monday, September 28, 2015

Spring is here

Baptism!


September 28, 2015
Highlights... 

The lunar eclipse!! I had on my calendar that it was a super moon, but when I saw it was an eclipse last night I yelled in the street and we watched it on the roof. I love the moon. 

Antonio got baptized... a guy Hermana Yucra was teaching before I got here but we passed to the elders! Super fun 

Womens broadcast. I loved every word so much. The lord answers prayers. 

Besides that it was kind of a long week, the start of spring and lots of sun and rejection haha... got to love the mission. 

We had a great investigator named Flor who is catholic and married into a family of Mormons. She has heard the missionaries forever, so we have just been trying to find her need and what is impeding her. We felt impressed to talk about the apostasy, and turns out she didn’t quite understand it and thought the catholic church had authority and other things... so with all the love we could, we talked about the restoration. She got mad, then asked, "and what’s going to happen when you die and find out that all this isn’t true?” I bore my testimony and the spirit witnessed so strong that that would NOT happen. That this is the truth restored and the plan of God. It was hard to lose her, she cried and told us not to come back.... I just wish I could do more sometimes. 

But besides that we have a couple families that are going well. On Saturday we started a game of excuses and if you guessed the excuse correctly that the pĂ©ople behind doors we knocked would say, you would get a point. It was pretty fun because everyone kept saying "I’m cooking" or I’m catholic" like the last 10 months of my mission haha... 

But I love it. What a great opportunity it is to represent Jesus Christ every hour of everyday. Even though at times I don’t do very well, He loves me just the same. I’m so grateful for the tears and the hard times to learn and overcome. This cita (quote) from the conference stuck out to me. 

Live. Learn. Overcome. 

What a great adventure we are all on. 
Love you all!

Hermana Clegg 
Watching the eclipse on the roof


Thursday, September 24, 2015

To the top


Top of the Cristo

September 21, 2015
Well, today we went to the top of this huge Cristo statue in our area without getting robbed and it was SO PRETTY. It was amazing to see the beach, and see all of the bazillion areas I have had in this little city. Chiclayo has taught me so much. 

This week we had a noche de hogar (FHE) with Hermana Vilma, a recent convert who doesn’t really ever get out and made smores with her which was so fun! However while we were cooking a GIANT BEETLE flew in and freaked us out, we turned on the light, she grabbed the beetle, took off her flip flop and stabbed her heel into it and squished it back and forth. DISGUSTING. Peruvians are so great. 

On Wednesday my agenda fell out of my backpack into a moto, and I got a call from president that they wanted money for it, so he told me just to get a new one haha... so Hermana Yucra got to lead everything which was fun! 

Also we found a great family helping bring in some supplies for their store! Service is always so great. They are MARRIED and have 3 kids. Two of them came to church on Sunday! It has been so fun to teach the simple truths with them and see the spirit light up their faces. We are so blessed. 

And... I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting! Bishop asked me to speak on faith, and since that is all we studied for Elder Bednar it wasn’t too hard. However on my way up I thought " I’ve never given a talk in Spanish before! What am I doing?" then realized that is what I do every day, and it went really well thanks to the spirit. 

This week I have just realized how blessed I am to figure it out. Heavenly father loves us so much sometimes he just doesn’t give us the answers, but gives us the confidence and nudges to keep trying and searching and eventually the pieces start to fall into place. I have learned so much about charity and what it really means to love your enemies this week, and also just how blessed we are to have the power of prayer. That is one thing I am always grateful for and ever trying to improve here in Peru. Such a sweet and tender blessing. 

Thanks for all of your support, keep up the good work! 

Hermana Clegg
Star gazing

smores with Vilma

Monday, September 14, 2015

When cochroaches fly

Me and Hermana Yucra in a moto


September 14, 2015
Well.... this week was NUTS. Straight up. I’m loving my new area, but either the Lord is just trying to teach me a lot, or Satan is getting really fired up, it has been a little rough. BUT the blessings and tender mercies have never been so evident. 
Highlights… Flying cockroach in our bathroom.... Hermana Yucra was screaming so loud hahaha... finally trapped it in a water bottle, but it got loose, and was running through our room so I chucked my shoe as hard as I could and killed it on the spot. Super fun. 
Made smores on the roof and looked at the stars, so fun! 
Got bit by a dog.. ... again. But it didn’t break the skin but left a straight up bruise of teeth marks and HURT. But, miracles happen, grateful that it wasn’t worse. 
And here comes the deep part haha... 
What happened this week was I realized that this is pretty much like slalom skiing. 
When you start out, its so hard. You just get dragged in the water and can’t seem to get up or hold on to the rope, you want to give up, but the boat keeps coming around... "yeah, ill go one more time" is kind of like the start of the mission and through our lives. Then when we finally develop enough patience and TRUST in the boat to pull us up, it’s cake. Learning to trust in the lord and HIS timing is not easy, but always helps you to get out of the water. Then you realize you have NO IDEA how to slalom ski, but you keep trying, you learn how to make cuts, gain speed, and the challenge becomes a thrilling adventure. 
But there are many times in life and in the service of the Lord when you fall down. HARD. You get bruises, you get bloody noses, you skip across the water and you slap your hand on the water and say "this is too hard, I will never learn how to slalom ski." 
But then you keep doing it. You listen to your dad and family who give you tips and advice, but more than anything they give you encouragement. You get better. And then at one point you get out of the wake and realize you are free. That you are in the middle of a paradise gliding through beauty and feel happier than you could have ever been if you hadn’t kept trying. 
And you realize it’s not the perfection that makes it fun. It’s being content with improvement every time, even though some runs are better than others. And just to enjoy the fact that it may take 50 years to get to the point of success that you want, but you accept the timing that the Lord gives you. 
At least that is the only way I am able to understand the plan that the Lord has for each and every one of us. I was impressed with the article on Pres. Packer.... HE CHOSE to give all he had to the Lord, he wasn’t skiing for money , to get it down, etc. He wanted to become a better skier, and from that choice, the Lord made him better. 
Kind of wonkish, but through the hard times and the good times, the investigators that we drop, the struggles with companions, that overwhelming feeling of peace and love from our Heavenly Father is always there. 
I LOVE THE MISSION. I really do. The hard times, the horrible times, the tears of joy and the chance to be an instrument and bask in the spirit everyday. 
Thanks for all of your love and support. 
Love you all! 

Hermana Clegg
Smores!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Chiclayo, chiclayo, chiclayo...


Hermanas that stayed with us from Jaen


September 7, 2015
Well, this week has been good. Highlights... 
Found a store that sells "bombitas" a really thick churros with manjar blanco in the middle, and it totally reminded me of a doughnut!! Forgot all about those... super good, try not to eat too many haha. 
We visited a convert family and the aunt was there rubbing and egg all over the six year old girl to get rid of the bad spirits because she had been frightened.... Peru. Sometimes it is just hard to take the culture seriously. 
But this week was good.... my companion is very quiet, but little by little we are learning to have conversations and how to work and have fun together. 
We have been finding lots of people to teach and helping them learn more about the gospel. One lady we are teaching is named Patricia, and we have a date for her to be baptized! She has two little boys and lived in the states for a while, although she doesn’t speak much English. But she has such a strong desire to learn, and the spirit always just takes over the lessons when we go. Excited for her and hopefully can help her keep progressing. 
Besides that things are going well. This week I have just learned a lot more about the power of prayer. The power of the Holy Ghost, and the power of the atonement. That even when things aren’t okay... they are! haha And the love that our heavenly father has for each of us. So grateful for the good and bad times in the mission to learn and grow. 
Know that I love you all and am thankful for your examples, hope you have a great week! 

Hermana Clegg

The view every morning... so blessed!

Me and my pensionista from Pomalca

With a recent convert from my last area

With the bishop's family from my last area

T-shirts from "the fam" in Pomalco with our name on the back and...


they put their family name on the front! So cute.