I'm traveling again

we just got off a bus in Cusco and now we´re headed to Lima to do document stuff. Not sure what haha. no one tells us anything. But, I have a little bit of time to write you guys.

Things are good right now. I´m happy (but very very cold) in my sector. We finally have a house. We didn´t have a shower for 5 days... I showered more at girls camp than I did this week haha.

I will have more time on wednesday or thursday to write you guys, so I´ll say more.

I love you all!

well, we traveled a lot this week. Doing immigrations stuff... we ended up in Ecuador for a little bit.

 I´m exhausted, and now we have to get on a bus to Puno. I´m excited to be in the cold again, as weird as that might seem. Ecuador is HOT. 

While we were in the airport, we just got a really weird reality check... we will go home one day. I´m excited, but at the same time... Rent, work, school, awkward dating and the stupid emotional rollercoaster that is, real life where you don´t just teach people about Jesus all day. It makes me sick thinking I have to leave. I love you all, and I´m excited to see you, but the reality check was hard. I don´t want to leave.

I am loving my mission, and I loved being with Hna. Rasmussen for a couple days not having to stress about our sectors so much. It felt nice to be able to go on a trip without having to be in charge of everyone. We felt pretty free. 

I really don´t like thinking that there´s only 5 months left... real life is the worst.

I love you all

Hermana Allred

1-- makeshift shower

2-- it´s cold here. really cold.

1-- Africa. wait... this is Ecuador

2-- Rassmussen, me, and Coffey cruisin over the border.

3-- Tumbes (africa look alike) airport

4-- hna. Wahlen and I in Tumbes

1-- airport waiting... we did a lot of this this week.

2-- ecuador.

3-- we painted a lil girl´s nails in the plaza. she loved us. 

4-- inca ampitheater

5-- river

6-- jaguar camo shoes

7-- ampitheater in Tumbes

8-- the plaza

 

That one time I tracted near Machu Picchu

Well, once again, it was a travel week. This time to Valle Sagrado Zone. there are 4 hermanas there in 2 different sectors (45 minutes apart). It was nuts and full of trying to solve problems, but I felt good.

Hermana Hansen and I are such good friends and we got to talk all day. It´s nice to have someone listen to me and not expect anything. Ever since I came to Cusco, it has felt like we have no one to turn to (other than God obviously) when we are having a hard time. that´s OUR job. we are the listeners and problem solvers. I felt like that a little in the MTC when I had this calling, but not as amplified. Don´t worry, I´m fine, I just miss having someone in charge of me telling me what to do haha. 

We had Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday to work in our sector, and man... it´s really hard to get people to progress in 3 days each week. We are leaving at 7:30 tomorrow morning for Andahuaylas (on duh why lass) and we´ll be there until late friday night. It´s an 8 hour bus ride. remember how I get car sick on the way to walmart? well, prayers and pills will play a big part in this trip. sleeping too. 

My letters are so boring now. I have so much to say, and so much happens, but I just forget it all. I should start writing things down. 

OH! Val, Hna. Garrett, Chelsea Garrett, and Nessa, I got the letters and candy! I dunno if you sent a USB with music, but there wasn´t one when I got it. I ate all the candy already... Good thing it´s impossible for me to get fat. 

Today we have to pick up 2 hermanas who have to get set apart by our mission president before heading out to their missions. They are going to sleep in our apartment tonight, and we´ll ship them out tomorrow morning before we leave. 

This is my life now. I like it, but I miss working in my sector all day every day. It´s very different, and rewarding in different ways. I´m happy. 

Love, Hermana Allred

1-- My companion, and Hermana Olivarez (I went on splits with her this week in Ollantaytambo. Her sector is the closest one to Machu Picchu. There aren´t any missionaries in the town of Machu Picchu)

2-- Ollantaytambo (oh yawn tie tom bow). Can you see the ruins? This town is adorable and full of die hard catholics and tourists. Hands down the hardest sector in the mission. There are 8 active members there and NO chapel. they have to take a 45 minute bus ride to Urubamba to go to church. 

3-- This would be Hno. Thompson. He makes shoes. (he reminds me of the book you are special) He´s senile and thinks the world is out to get him. We are patient with him. And we love him. 

4-- I was walking home from buying groceries for the next day, and who did I run into? Maribel Corimaya from SICUANI!!! She is a less active we had been working with for a long time, and I didn´t get the chance to say goodbye to her when I got transferred. I ran up to her and hugged her so tight. Might have cried a little too. I was sooo happy to see her. God really does give us tender mercies when we need them most. 

1-- Door. 

2-- Hermana Hansen and I. We got to be companions for a day in Urubamba. (she is the one I found on the sister missionary facebook page and we went to the temple a couple times together before we left) No one was home, so we had LOTS of time to catch up and just have fun. I really loved being her companion. it helps that her iPod was FULL of good music. We are so similar, it´s scary. 

3-- Urubamba Hermanas

4-- Pensionista in Ollantaytambo. CHOCLO and some kind of weird meat. I just didn´t ask what it was cuz I was scared it would be llama. 

1-- Made myself a journal out of a notebook, because THEY DO NOT SELL JOURNALS HERE. We searched forever. It´s almost impossible to find lined paper too. Everything is grid paper. 

2-- Brian Regan. That awkward seat in the back that faces the other cars. Don´t make eye contact ahhaa. Panais... 

3-- Hermanas in Ollantaytambo´s door. I WANT THIS APARTMENT! it is adorable. 

4-- Their apartment. I love the cobblestone. 

1-- Gemelas Rubias. 

2-- A lil tunnel in Ollantaytambo

3-- another cat lady companion... WHEN WILL IT END!? Maybe God is trying to teach me something... my husband is going to be a cat person. 

4-- Valle Sagrado (Urubamba)

Choclo con Queso

This week was a travel week. We left Cusco Tuesday after studies, got to Quillabamba that night, worked Wednesday and Thursday with the Hermanas there, then came back Friday and kept working in our sector… I{m exhausted, but happy. I didn't even throw up once! 

Quillabamba is about 6 hours away, and BOILING hot. I did not bring clothes for hot weather on my mission, so I was suffering. But, my skin was silky smooth when I left J One perk of being in the jungle for a few days. It was fun to get to know more missionaries and help them where I could. I still feel really inadequate. I learn so much from them when I’m supposed to be teaching/helping them haha.

This morning we went to Sacqui Huaman (no idea how to spell that… flipping Quechua) and Cristo Blanco. SO COOL. It was super early, and I don’t really function well in the morning, so everyone thought I was depressed. Nope. It just takes too much energy to talk before 10 AM. I am NOT a morning person. 

JACKIE ARROYO! (I hope you're reading this) I got your dear elder! You are going to come to the mission in May, and I'll still be one of the Sister Leaders in Cusco, so I get to meet you your first day. Send me your email so we can talk more. I will be writing a post about missionary advice that I{ve been collecting the past 9 months pretty soon, so don't you even worry. You won't make the same mistakes I did. Also, we have a list of all the Hermanas birthdays, and yours is soooon. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

I love you all a million red m&ms. 

Love, Hermana Allred

1-- The roof of the Hnas house in Quillabamba

2-- again

3-- pollo a la braza because they don{t have a pensionista for dinner. not healthy, but I love it. 

4-- Less actives we taught in their radio station. so cool. 

1-- I{ve been wearing my boots most days in Cusco cuz it{s super cold and rainy, but in Quillabamba, I got to rock my clarks and oh. my. TAN LINE up the wazoo. In just 3 days. 

2-- Choclo con Queso. (Corn on the cob with cheese.) They sell it all over the place when we travel. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. The cheese plain tastes like feet, but with corn it{s great. 

3-- I woke up (one of 10 times on our 6 hour trip) and saw this out the window... look closely. What does it look like? THE SECOND COMING! Once my eyes adjusted I realized it was just snow, but man. You really never know when he{s going to come again. You might be on a bus in peru. 

4-- Distrito Santiago. 

1-- 3 sol pizza. Classic Ttio Hnas. dinner.

2-- Our district plus 2 more elders. this picture looks like something off the Hills haha.

3-- Saqsi Huaman or whatever it's called. lots of rocks (all the places we go to in Peru are giant rocks haha)

4-- Cristo Blanco

1-- Some guy trying to sell us an anonymous "herb". Yeah, no. 

2-- same guy telling us how pumas eat lil animals and doing the actions haha. i wish I could send you the video. 

3-- LLAMA. 

4-- View from one of the cathedrals. You can see my house from here! and the plaza.

1-- Hna. Gonzales. One of the Hnas. I went on splits with

2-- Hna. Gomez. Other hna. 

3-- Distrito Santiago :) The best.