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!

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.

City Slickin and Sky lining....

Happy birthday Tanna!

August 31, 2015

Well... it has been a change. 

I am in Chiclayo for the first time in my Peru Chiclayo Mission.... and I am just kind of dragging my heels about it all. It has been so rough to come to the city. I miss the dirt roads, the poverty, the humble people, etc. But maybe it’s time to become civilized a little more. 

I’m with Hermana Yucra from Puno, Peru who has 3 months in the mission. She is great! Not a very big talker, but has a strong desire to work. She was inactive until about 1 year ago, so its been fun to see her growth. 

Fun stuff about the area.... we live on the roof! On a fourth story building so we can see all of Chiclayo.. and the moon. I love it so much.

Also we go and play basketball in the morning, which is amazing...., love any way I can get outside haha. 

The highlight of the week was obviously when Elder Bednar came. It was amazing. He walked in and the spirit testified to me so strongly of his divine calling and who he represents, Jesus Christ. The tears just kind of flowed throughout the whole meeting. It was amazing. Him, Bishop Stevenson of the church, Elder Godoy of the seventy and Elder Suarez of the seventy all spoke to us. I was about 10 feet from the pulpit in the second row. I am so blessed. I learned so much from the spirit and was so uplifted. So many tender blessings of the Lord. 

I especially loved a few comments that he shared... 

He said "There is faith to cause, and faith to accept" he also talked about the simple truth of agency.... that we are just here to invite and inspire people to act and let Christ in. 

Also, he talked about when things are hard, it’s because there is something we don’t understand. And we should LOVE THAT. The opportunity to figure it out. Reminded me of the famous saying of my dad "figure it out." smart man. 

And that is what this week has been... a lot of figuring out. New challenges I have never had in the mission before, but it is fun to learn and rely and receive help from the Savior through it all. 

On Sunday we had a stake conference with Bishop Stevenson, the presiding bishop of the church. He talked about helping the missionaries. He had us all stand up and told the members that our families are praying that THEY will help us, just like they are praying for their sons and daughters. So we have to answer the prayers of each other and help the missionaries. I love him so much, sometimes that is the biggest struggle, when none of the members want to help. 

So please do your part ad help out the missionaries whose families are praying for them in your ward. It is all one big eternal round. 

Learned lots about the atonement this week, and am always so grateful to be a missionary, even when it is hard. 

Thanks for you love and support. 

Hermana Clegg

Gonna miss these comps!

My CCM group 

So happy to hear Elder Bednar!

First time using a straightener on the mish

The moon and the city