Semana Santa!! April 1, 2013

Hooooooooooooooooola Familia! :)

I hope that your week was beautiful, and that yesterday you took a moment at least to remember the significance of Easter. I am SO grateful for the Savior, Jesus Christ and all that he did for us. :)

I dont have too much time to write today, BUT this week was crazy!! We didnt see too much of the touristy stuff of Holy week, but what we did see was beautiful! And a bit crazy :) I recommend looking up pictures on google images of Semana Santa in Ayacucho...because we dont have any. Haha. But oh man. This week there were so many tourists from other countries, it was great!

Also, we had the opportunity on Tuesday to have a zone conference with President Douglas (our mission president) And afterwards, we were blessed with the opportunity to have him accompany us all afternoon!! :) It was a way cool experience!

Also, on Saturday, Charo was baptized!!!! It was one of the most special baptismal services that I have had the opportunity to be a part of in my mission so far. It was SO beautiful! We asked her how she felt when she came up out of the water, and she said that the feeling was undescribable. She said that it is the happiest, and cleanest she had ever felt in her whole life. :D She was SO happy! It was SUCH a beautiful day :) Also, the brother that baptized her (they are dating) was SUPER happy and super excited as well, and started talking about being able to go to the temple in the future to be sealed for time and all eternity. I LOVE being a missionary!!! :D

Anyways, I think thats about all I have time for this week, but next week is transfers, so I might have some news the following week! Talk to you soon!

Con mucho amor siempre,

Hermana Elisheva Ali :)

 

Felices Pascuas!! March 25, 2013

 

Buenos Dias !!!!!!!!!

 

How are you all?? I hope wonderful, carefree, happy, enjoying life and receognizing the positive. :) This week, I forgot to mention in my last email is Semana Santa...or in english terms, Holy Week! The week before Easter ( Pascua ) Being here in Ayacucho during this time of the year is SUCH a blessing! Because it is like...the capital of all the festivities of Semana Santa...including Pascuatorro! On Saturday, there will be bulls running in the streets...kind of like in Spain, but a little less intense. :) Also, all this week there are celebrations, parades, and all sorts of presentations...also fireworks. A lot of fireworks haha. It is way cool. I feel very cultured. :)

 

Also, this week, I almost died. Well....not really. However, I thought I was going to die. So, we had service on thursday morning, as usual. We helped to clean up the backyard of someones house. Anyways, there are really random fruits here in Peru, that are super tasty. One of the trees in the backyard had a fruit called `higo`. Its super weird, but super tasty. Anyways, I ate a bunch, and one of them tasted really old...a bit rotted one would say. So I looked at it a little more in depth, and noticed (after I had taken a bite) that there were little white worms crawling around in it! Haha yep. So basically, I willingly ate worms...which are now in my stomach. Luckily, I didnt get sick though because my stomach is now accustomed! It was a good learning experience...and very exciting. :)

 

HOWEVER, more importantly that the pascuatorro, and the worms experience... this saturday is the baptism of Charo Guttierrez! She is SUCH an incredibly wonderful person. She is super receptive to the spirit, and has had a testimony of the gospel since the first day that we taught her. Her faith is super strong and she is suuuuuper excited for her baptism this Saturday! (As are we, my companion and I :) I just love how happy people are when they are able to build their faith in Jesus Christ even more and be able to make this covenant of baptism with our Heavenly Father.

 

Also...as everyone knows, this Sunday is also Easter! I love this time of the year...and Christmas, when we are able to focus fully, and completely on Christ, and all that He did for us. Sometimes, it is difficult to be able to comprehend all that He did for us through His Atonement, but it is incredible. Jesus Christ, being the Son of God, came to earth to suffer for our sins. As humans, we are so incredibly imperfect, and Jesus Christ was willing to make up for our imperfections, and give all that He was, and more to give us the opportunity to repent. If we have faith in Him, utilize His Atonement, are baptized, and endure to the end,  we are able to live with our Heavenly Father again, after we pass on.

 

I am SO grateful for all that Jesus Christ did for me. He was the perfect example in everything that is was, is and what He did. Because he was resurrected, we also are able to be resurrected and live in a kingdom of Glory. I know He lives. I know He loves us. The Atonement is real. :)

 

I love you all! Happy Easter!

 

Con mucho amor siempre,

Hermana Elisheva Ali

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day! March 18, 2013

Familia!!!!!!

 

I feel like I never have enough time to write everything that has happened this week! Haha but what an amazing week that we had!!! First things first, last monday, I forgot to mention, we went to Quinua!!!!! It is about an hour away from Ayacucho. It was SO beautiful! Super green and high up in the mountains: We also ate CUY---roasted guinea pig! Again :) But this time, it was cooked in a stove in the middle of nowhere on a mountain, in PERU! It was way cool, and pretty much super delicious!!! We also hiked up a mini mountain into a waterfall! It was BEAUTIFUL!! :) I love this place SO much! Attached are pictures :D

 

ALSO we had a baptism on Saturday!!! Danny Roccha. He is the best. He is only 11 years old but he is one of the most intelligent kids that I have ever known. Teaching him was SUCH a blessing. I really feel so blessed to be here and have this incredible opportunity!

 

We also have a ton of support from ward members with this work. Its the best. Yesterday, we had a special experience with one of our investigators - Cesar. We were teaching him of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. How we have the Priesthood authority from God again o the earth. He was talking, paused fir a minute, and said, I feel something that I have never felt before in my heart. It was so cool! We explained to him how the Holy Ghost works to testify of truth and he started to cry! It was SUCH a powerful moment!

 

In his closing prayer. he asked sincerely to our Father in Heaven to know if these things are true. Afterwards, he said, I really feel like they are. I believe Joseph Smith was a Prophet because I can feel something different.

 

It was SO powerful! ;) The spirit is real. He testifies of truth. Whatever thing we need to know, if we pray to our Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ, God will answer. I know it. :)

 

I love you all!

 

Con mucho amor siempre,

Hermana Elisheva Ali :D

 

 

 

My life is a blessing! March 11, 2013

Hoooooooooooola! I hope you are well. I hope that things are wonderful and that you are all happy! I dont have a whole lot of time again! Ah! But this week was SUCH a good one! Also...I didnt know it, but apparently March 8th is Woman´s day! Haha. We were gifted with peaches :) I love Peru!! Haha. I feel so ridiculously blessed to be here in Ayacucho, serving with the people I am serving with, working with the ward here. The pictures that I attached are on top of one of our hills in our area. And the view is INCREDIBLE. Im thinking that we should take a family trip here in a couple of years :)

I love my companion, I love this area, I love these people, I even love the hills that we have to climb every day! Haha. This Saturday, we have a baptism! Dani. He is super prepared and super excited! I will attach pictures next week :) His mom also has a baptismal date for this Saturday, but she might be the following Saturday instead. Pray for her- Yhovana :) They are wonderful!!! We are working wih a whole lot of really wonderful people right now who have a lot of struggles, but we are seeing their lives literally change with the blessings of our Heavenly Father.

I love how simple and clear the Doctrine of Jesus Christ is! If we have faith in Him, repent, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost and endure to the end,we will be able to inherit the kingdom of heaven. We had a really cool experience this week with one of our investigators- Charo. It was our first lesson with her. We explained the Book of Mormon, we explained the doctirne of Christ, and the spirit was SO STRONG. All three of us could not stop smiling. Our hearts were so full :D She said that she had never before felt the happiness that she was feeling and that she wants to follow Christ with all her heart. It was SUCH a cool experience that I wish I could describe better! Haha. She said in her prayer... ¨I know the church is true, because I feel it. ¨ It was incredible!!!

The spirit is real. He testifies of truth. Heavenly Father is aware of each one of us and our individual needs.

I love you all! Have an amazing week!!!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Elisheva Ali :)

I love Ayacucho!! March 4, 2013

 

I hope your week was phenomenally wonderful! Mine sure was! Can I just say that I thought Lima was way cool, but Ayacucho is INCREDIBLE!! :D It is soooooooooo beautiful here! The weather is amazing, there are rainbows, it rains on and off, it is super clean, the people are suuuper nice and suuuuper loving and oh man. I just love it! Also, my companion Hna Cahuas is the best! We get along super well and we have great unity and a whole lot of good times together! :) Basically, I feel really, really blessed to be here!

This week was way good! Getting to know the area, getting to know ward members and investigators and contacting abunch of people! The investigators that we have right now are so special and they are so ready to have the Gospel! These people here have such a desire to follow Jesus Christ, and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to help them know how. :)

About half the people here (mostly the older generation) speak Quechua! So...depending on how longI am here (hopefully for a while..:) I will be able to learn Quechua as well as Spanish! After 6months, I feel completely comfortable speaking and understanding spanish! Woot! WHat a blessing to be able to speak two languages! :)

I dont have too much time to write too many details, BUT I just want to say that I am so blessed to be here! This week the focus seemed to be in the power of the Priesthood, and how important this power is. The Priesthood, that was on the earth when Jesus Christ was here, again is on the earth, and only with this sacred power of God are ordinances able to be performed and be valid in the eyes of God.

I know this gospel is true, Presthood power is real and I LOVE being a missionary!!! :)

Con mucho amor siempre!!!!
Hermana Elisheva Ali

Ayakucho!!! February 25, 2013

Hola!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I hope you are all doing MARVELOUS!! I was super excited to receive your emails of love and news and support. Thank you :)

 

I have some SUPER exciting news!! :) I have been transferred to where I wanted to go! Haha Ayakucho!!!!! Its up here in the mountains! It is BEAUTIFUL. Pueblito means little town. And thats exactly what it is! Super cute! Well....its not exactly super little. But its a town that has the historic aspect of Peru. The women with their dresses and babies in their shawls, super hard workers, super humble, AND a lot of people speak Quechua!!! :D I have a feeling that I will be here for a while and I am super excited!! My new companions name is Hermana Cahuas! There are 12 weeks of training and she has only had 8 weeks. So in spite of my new area, and new language, I am also  training! Haha I am suuuuuuuuuper excited to be here!

 

Ayakucho is about 9 hours from Lima. It is super green and super beautiful. I encourage you to look up pictures on google. We left Lima last night at 9:30pm, had a bus ride of 10 hours...(the bus driver was suuuuuper slow) and arrived here at 7:30 this morning! I am pooped. But it was fun! And the drive was beauuuuuutiful! (the part that we saw with light this morning) haha.

 

Anyways...I dont have a super long amount of time. BUT I wanted to inform you of this exciting news!!! Next week I will have more news of new investigators, new family´s that we are teaching and hopefully I will be able to describe a little bit better Ayakucho! haha. I love you all!

 

Con mucho amor siempre,

 

Hermana Elisheva Ali :D

 

 

 

Livin the life! February 18, 2013 update

 

Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooola !!! :)

Soooo I havn´t heard too much from ya´ll in a while! I hope everything is going well and that your lives are full of happiness and good things. If you feel so inclined to give me a little update, feel free :) Haha I would LOVE to here from you. Anyway, as for me...this week was a good one! Again, it seems like this week flew and I was JUST writing you all. However, we were working super hard this week! We taught a whole bunch of lessons, found new people interested in learning about Heavenly Father´s plan of happiness AND we had a baptism this past Saturday! Luis Leonardo :) He is nine years old and is probably one of the funniest boys I have ever met in my life. Although he is young, he was so ready to make this covenant with his Father in Heaven, He bore his testimony afterward and the spirit was super strong. I love the spirit that young people bring. They are so innocent and close to our Father in Heaven, I just love it :) Attached are a couple of pictures from his baptism. 

We have also been teaching  a family that are related to a recent convert. Nellie, Angie, and Diego. Send them your prayers. Nellie, has never before believed in our Savior Jesus Christ, and is unsure if God exists. However, we had a lesson with them a couple of days ago, and we talked about faith and prayer. She gave the closing prayer in the lesson and she started crying because the spirit touched her heart. She told us that she was comforted, and felt peace in her heart. It was a super special experience. We are praying really hard for this family so that they might be able as a family, to be baptized and be able to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. :) 

We also had lunch on Saturday with a super adorable family. Attached is a picture of them as well. :) Haha. Something exciting also happened in Church yesterday. I was asked to give a talk...in Spanish! Haha I was super nervous because the only talks I have given, have been in English. Lessons are a whole different story because if I forget how to say something, my companion is there to help me out :) Haha but everything went well! I talked smoothly and I was able to share exactly what I felt I needed to share, repentance. AND to top that off, my companion and I also ended up teaching another class! Haha. But it was good. I am now confident in my spanish abilities and I can speak no problem! Woot! :)

This week, on Saturday, we have transfers again! This time, I am almost 100% positive that I will have a change of companions, possibly area, and maybe be training a new missionary. We shall see! I really want to go to Ayakucho, a part of the mission Lima South that is in the middle of nowhere with mountains, and sheep and where there are ¨pueblitos¨ :) We shall see where the Lord needs me to be! This Saturday, I will find out, and next monday, I shall let you all know! :)

Con mucho amor siempre,

Hermana Elisheva Ali :)