Eeres mas valiente que pienses

This week there was a funeral for a man in our ward who passed away from cancer. The bishop asked me to play the piano with an hour notice. Pretty sure I just made everyone more sad. I dont{ know why he keeps asking me to play. I just confuse everyone haha.

Buttttt, back to the funeral. What struck me the most is that all the non members were wearing black, and his wife was wearing all white, and the members wore colors. I like that. I love how sure we are of what happens after this life. It{s so great. Hermana Llacsa gave a talk on the resurrection and I told her to use my favorite lesson 2 scripture. Enos 1:27. I LOVE ENOS. It{s my favorite book. and not just because it{s 1 chapter. 

We were supposed to travel this week, but they sent us 7 hermanas to take care of. Doctor visits, trip to lima to get visas taken care of, and some other problems we had to fix. SOOO we were in Cusco all week running people around and going on splits. I spent more time in the Doctor/Stake President´s office. Always love those visits. 

Our district got switched up, so now Sheets and Del Rio are in our district. There are 6 hermanas and 2 elders... poor guys. haha. They all really like soccer, and I{m just... ya know... the worst athlete ever (anyone who has seen my wisdom tooth video knows what happened in 9th grade track). So we´ll see what happens on pdays now. I don{t play soccer... 

We didn{t get to teach a lot this week, but we taught a family we reactivated and we´re working on getting them to the temple in Cochabamba to be sealed. We taught them the plan of Salvation, and it just CLICKED. They understood the importance of getting sealed, and by the end of the lesson, they said "We want to get sealed as soon as possible." I said "well, we´ll talk to the bishop and try to make that happen" They have been struggling financially, but the bishop is helping them get there. The goal is March. They are so excited :) Man we need a temple in Cusco. 

It{s been a week full of learning and humbling and changing. Those are the hardest, but most rewarding. I love my mission. 

Love, HErmana Allred

1-- a lil turtle bread from a new bakery I found.

2-- I had a bum knee all week, so I stayed in for a couple hours one day cuz it was KILLING me. I got super bored. I just wanted to work. I stayed with Hna. Llacsa while my companion went with a member in the ward. 

3-- We have matching sweaters and didn{t even know until I moved to Cusco. 

4-- We{re the two best friends that anyone could have.

5-- I forgot to take pictures until last night, soooo you{re going to have to settle for this haha. 

1-- She{s special. 

2-- Del Rio Allred

3-- She just... ya know. Likes kissing peoples faces, and it{s weird to me. 

4-- testing out my holga cam effect 

5-- I went a lil overboard on the plaid

ohhh i´m happy transfers are over.

The title says it all. Estoy hecho polvo. We ran around like a chicken with its legs cut off for 4 days. (haha. sons of provo) All the hermanas that were supposed to go to Puerto Maldonado (the jungle by Brazil) got stuck here for 6 days because there are a bunch of landslides from all the rain. soooo we were on splits with 4 different hermanas all week. It´s fine, one day I´ll actually work with my assigned companion haha.

This week we´re going back to Urubamba and Ollantaytambo (the closest to Machu Picchu). 2 of the hermanas including Hna. Hansen got transferred. I´m excited to get to know the new ones better. 

apparently there are 15 new hermanas coming to the mission in May. That´ll be interesting to see where they will go, cuz as of right now, we are filled to the rafters with Hermanas in new sectors. Maybe we´lll open a new ZONE. 

Sorry I have no idea what to say in emails anymore. I´ll try to plan it out better with less boring details. 

I had my interview with President Harbertson this week, and as usual, it was great. he is my favorite person in the world right now, and I look up to him so much. Even when the things he says are hard to hear sometimes, I know they´re only for my benefit. I love him. 

I got the packages, mom! Thank you thank you. my wardrobe just doubled... from 4 skirts to 8. SO HAPPY! I really don´t think you understand how happy new skirts make sister missionaries. I´m very very happy. Also, since it´s transfer week, the chocolate was gone in a day. yeah. i have no self control when it comes to chocolate and stress. ha. 

Well, I love you all. Sorry I am boring and never say funny things. Maybe when I get home I´ll be funny again. ha. 

BYE!

Love, Hermana Allred

1-- A member´s cevicheria he let us cook in last pday.

2-- patacones. I hated bananas before, but I really like them when they´re cooked right.

3-- cute lil baby I couldn´t hold. dang it.

4-- A lil girl who has the SAME nickname as me (Boo Boo) was taking pictures on my camera. This is me talking about all the transfers. 

1-- Elder Hidalgo finished his mission last week. 

2-- I don´t know why I trusted someone to cut my hair.... first time in the mission, and she did a terrible job. The things we do to gain investigators trust. *sigh* I miss Patrick from Shep´s Salon. 

3-- after (You can´t really see how bad the layers are... it´s bad. 

4-- before

1-- Boo boo and Hna. Enriquez

2-- Mi hija y yo. She CHOPPED HER HAIR and looks like Julie Andrews when she was young. 

Antojos y caracoles

Well, This week was full of lots of learning once more. Went on splits with Hna. Thompson in her sector Tullumayo (still cusco) and LOVED every minute of it. I missed her and how level headed she is. She just gets it. I didn{t take a single picture, which is dumb. I will one day. 

Transfers are tomorrow, and only a couple people from our zone are leaving. SHEETS IS STAYING!!!! I am so happy about that. I will still get to send her love notes on a caterpillar. This means for the next 3 days, we will be shuttling people around again. YAYYY. good thiing there{s LOTS of chocolate ni this town. and ice cream on every corner. 

We had our Leadership meetnig with the president in his house this tuesday. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. also, i love his wife. They are so incredible. We were there with all the Zone leaders and other sister training leaders (4 in cusco, 2 in puno). I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! did I say that enough? nope. I love him. He is so inspired. After the meeting, I got to talk to him for a little bit and just get wisdom dropped all over the place. Then while hermana Enriquez was talking to him, I got to talk to Hna. Harbertson. She gave me life advice and just listened. I needed that. She is a great listener. 

I decided to start being more focused on helping the hermanas I{m in charge of instead of whining about my insignificant problems. About time, right? only 6 weeks later. 

Well, pray I won{t die this week. Our house is gong to have about 15 hermanas in it tomorrow and wednesday. i have to hide all my food and shampoo haha. It{s like college all over again. 

LOVE YOU ALL!

1-- All the Sister Training Leaders at the president{s house. Hna. Black (she{s in Puno), My companion, Hna. Huaman (also Puno), The mission president{s pensionista Vicky, Hna. Harbertson, me, Hna. Del Rio, Hna. Sheets

2-- There ya go, Dad. Finally a picture with my mission president. Does he not look like Steve Martin??

3-- Elder Hidalgo{s last district meeting. we ate cake. 

4-- Eating lunch at our pension. (it{s a member{s restaurant)

1-- I went on splits with Hna. Thompson, and the lights went out in the middle of their ward coorelation meeting. 

2-- I have been switching up the words from the Merry Christmas letters since New Years. It does wonders for my creativity. 

3-- 6 of my 8 planners. (MTC was boring and I didn{t make the first one). Grandpa was on the last one, and Val and Nessa are the stars of this transfer. Send me more pictures if you want to make the cover haha. 

4-- Acción poetica Cusco. They put poems on walls all over the city. I saw this one on my first day in this sector and felt so much better. it says "Breathe and keep going. It{s a bad day, not a bad life" and on the right it says "Only a Hero smiles when the heart cries."

1-- "Cusco. Bellybutton of the world" hahahhahahahahaha. I love this thing. 

2-- Dad, this is our ward council this week. just soak it in. Laugh. We have it after our sunday meetings, and everyone is dying of hunger, so our bishop gives us treats. this week, cake. It was noones birthday.... But I loved it. LOOK AT HIS FACE HAHAHAH! 

3-- dang teenagers..

4-- Speaking to a parrot. 

1-- This city. is my city. and I LOVE IT.

2-- "a poem is born in your eyes." I don{t really get it. but, that{s okay. it looks cool.

3-- This is our landlord Cesar and his son. They live upstairs. I like them. He just finished ETHER! We gave him a book of mormon less than a month ago. Get real. 

4-- I burned my choclo. but it was still good. 

5-- You are mine. Happy V-day

1-- Hna. Sheets creepin on my as I ironed my skirt... while wearing it. I didn{t want to take it off. 

2-- Happy V-day! 

3-- Sheets{ grandma sent a little caterpillar that skoots like a real caterpillar, and I send secret notes to her on post it notes. haha. so clever. 

4-- I LOVE CUSCO

Smelly Cat, what are they feeding you?

I have a cold and no voice.

I had 1 day in Cusco this week.

We spent a total of 24 hours on a cramped bus this week. 

I showered once because Andahuaylas has FREEZING showers.

I got bit by a flea.

I didn´t take many pictures.

I had a cold sore. 

Hna. Del Rio had to give up her guitar because we aren´t allowed to have them.

I am almost out of ice cream.

But I still have chicken nuggets, and I feel good. 

This week was full of stories and feelings that can´t be explained adequately in an email. I had a hard month, and a great last 2 days. My outlook on my whole mission has changed drastically. I am learning to not compare my mission to anyone elses. I am where I am for something specific, and I am starting to appreciate that. Even though I don´t really have investigators, and I don´t see hardly any little kids, I am happy here. After 5 long weeks of not understanding my purpose, I finally am happy. 

Miracle of the week:

We had the hardest time just getting on the dang bus to Abancay. We stopped there on the way to Andahuaylas. We forgot the tickets in the house, and couldn´t get on the bus without our Passports. Which are always in the mission office... 10 minutes away from the terminal. I never have my ID with me, and I was annoyed that we couldn´t just get on the bus, but the elders in the office saved us with 30 seconds to spare. On the way home from Andahuaylas, we got stopped by the police. They checked every single passenger´s ID thoroughly. I have no idea what or who they were looking for, but through what I THOUGHT was an inconvenience, actually saved me from a potentially very complicated and scary situation. I had my passport, and I wasn´t asked any questions. God was watching out for me.

I know I don´t say as much as you all would like in these emails, and I´ll try to remember to include some of the other stuff too.

To answer a few questions,

My companion is great. Always happy 24/7. I have never seen her mad or frustrated. Sometimes that´s hard for me because I´m so mellow, and I don´t talk until 10 AM, but she´s teaching me so many important things, and I love her for that. She´s from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and she goes home in August. She loves to sing while we walk, and loves music. not the same kind as me, but she loves music. She doesn´t like playing soccer (SCORE) and loves walking through stores without buying things (SCORE once again). She is so giving, and shares her tuna when I run out. We get along, and I like that. 

I still don´t have a picture with my mission president, but he looks a whole lot like Steve Martin. Like... exactly. He is the most incredible man I have ever met. We got to Abancay just before they ended their zone conference with the President. We caught the tail end where Pres. Harbertson talked about life after the mission. Ya know... marriage and stuff. Way to trunk us out president. haha. 

BUT He talked about his wife and how much he loves her and is grateful for her in his life and other really sweet things. When everyone else had left, he told me his wife has heard this talk about 12 times, and has never understood what he said about her. He asked me to translate it for her, and walked away. After I translated, she told me. "You wanna know how you pick him?" I was expecting something super long and complicated, but she just said "Pick someone who loves the Lord more than anything else, and everything else will work out. He will love your kids, he will work hard to take care of your family, he will be a good leader, and he will love you like the daughter of God you are." I just looked at her and said "I have never thought of it so simply." She is so wise. I have so many memories with her that I will carry into the rest of my life. I feel like I am in this mission specifically to know them. Don´t worry, I´m not trunky ahha. But I sure am trying to use all the things I experience here to change me into the person I need to be. 

I am going to love my family so much. 

I love the ones that already exist so much, and can´t wait to see pictures of baby Hixson in the coming weeks. 

I love you all more than words can say. Thank you for being my constant support.

Love, Hermana Allred.

p.s. Camille Rasmussen, I just barely got your dear elder, and you go into the MTC next week, so that doesn´t leave me with much time to give you advice haha. But just make sure you have a good long raincoat, a really warm down coat, and waterproof shoes. It rains a lot, and it´s cold here. But also, it´s hot in Puerto Maldonado and Quillabamba, so bring light weight clothes too. I´ll see you in Cusco in 7 weeks! Can´t wait to meet you.

1-- the view from my window the other night. 

2-- my bed when we travel. I really really like my bed at home. and hot showers. we are spoiled in Cusco. 

3-- We had just woken up, so ignore the faces. But, I GOT TO SPEND THE NIGHT AT ROUTSON´S HOUSE! I missed her and I love her.