Lmaynallakashkanki!! April 22, 2013

Hoooooola Familia!!!

 

The title of this email is in Quechua!!! My companion and I are working hard to become fluent! It means ¨How are you?´ So I really have hardly ANY time this week! However, the news that I have doesnt take up too much time. Haha. We didnt have too many activities that happened this week except that we were working hard and found a lot of new investigators and families to teach!! ALSO the biggest news. This past week, we were planning and both of us felt a really strong impression that we should visit a little town that is about 40 minutes out of our area, but still part of our ward. Quinua!

 

So we got permission and went there to find people to teach. The people are incredible and SO prepared to hear the Gospel!!! It was a really cool, way spiritual experience. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but the many prophecies that Prophets have given since the beginning is coming to pass! The Gospel will be preched to EVERY nation, kindred, tongue, and people. I feel SO blessed to be  a part of it!

 

Also...attached are photos of the baptism of the last week, and Rashuilca! A touristy part of Peru that we visited last monday. :)

 

Love you all!

Pajarinkama! (See you later)

 

Con mucho amor siempre!

Hermana Elisheva Ali :)

 

 

 

The Atonement is SO real!! April 15,2013

Hola !!!!!!!!!!! I hope your week was incredible!!! Mine seemed to fly by as usual, but this time, we had days that were super stressful, but SO spiritual, SO wonderful, and even indescribable. First off, I want to say that I love my new companion! She is wonderful! She has a beautiful way of connecting with each one of the people that we teach. We are a good team and I am loving it :)

Ok, so this week was a bit short, because we got back to Ayacucho on Wednesday and begain teaching on Thursday! However, WOW! Haha. So We have been teaching an investigator for about a month and a half. Her name is Julia. When we first met her, she was one of the saddest, frustrated, unhappy people that I had ever met. She had a lot of guilt, a lot of shame for some things that she had done in her life. From the beginning, when we started teaching her, she just started to recognize her divine worth as a beloved daughter of God. We worked a lot with her, and taught her a lot of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the repentance process. This journey with her has been long and she struggled a lot learning how to forgive herself, and also let Jesus Christ take upon Him her sins, BUT the change has been INCREDIBLE! I have been able to be with her from the beginning, helping her to realize that we are here on earth to be happy. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be happy! This past Saturday was her baptismal date. However, the day of, it turns out that Ayacucho was in a bit of a drought... (I think thats how you spell that) So long story short, there was no water to be able to fill the baptismal font! So...we ended up going to a river!! About 30 minutes away....at 8:00pm! It was definitely one of the most beautiful, and special baptismal services that I have seen in my mission. She was also baptized with her son Yuri!

On the car ride back to the church, after her baptism, I was sitting next to her and the entire time, she had the biggest smile on her face that I have ever seen. Her entire countenance was changed. Her smile was even shining through her eyes. She said that she literally felt clean. Everything that she had done in the past is completely washed away thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I cannot describe in words the feelings that were felt at and after this baptismal service. All I can say is that repentance is real. Jesus Christ lives. He Atoned for every single one of our sins and if we only allow Him to, He is able to take away any guilt, shame, pressure, pain, sickness that we might have. It is so incredible. I know and I have seen this reedeeming power work in my own life, and also in the lives of each one of my investigators. :) What a blessing!!!

On Sunday, Alicov, Julia, and Yuri were confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the three of them received the incredible gift of the Holy Ghost. I LOVE being  missionary. It is seriously the most incredible opportunity that I have had and probably will have in my entire life. The opportunity that I have to see the change in so many people is indescribable.

 I have pictures of their baptism as well, and of me and my new companion, BUT the internet went a bit crazy for a moment and they disappeared. Next week I will do my best to send them! Also, today we are going to Rasuwilca (thats probably spelled wrong) a touristic spot about an hour and  a half from here. So I will have pictures of that too. :)

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Con mucho amor siempre!!!

Hermana Elisheva Ali :)

Changes!! April 10, 2013

Buenos Dias mi maravillosa familia!!!!! :)

 

Como están sus abilidades a poder hablar en Español? Espero que están practicando!! :) Haha this week SO much happened. I will try my best to be able to mention and remember it all. Here goes.

 

First things first, new rule, the first preparation day of transfers, is now Wednesday...that is why you didnt receive an email from me this monday. However, lets see. Last week was way good! Super spiritual and beautiful :) We have an investigator whose name is Alicov. He is 21 years old and is super shy, but a really genuinely wonderful person. Anyways, he originally had a baptismal date of March 30th. However, he didnt feel prepared for that day, so it didnt happen. However, the next week, he invited us over ( on thursday) and he told us a story. He said that he had been thinking about the fact that he hadnt been baptized and he was feeling a bit bummed about it. He was in his room cleaning, when he saw his baptismal invitations. He said that he felt something, like a loss and had a super strong desire or feeling that he needed to pray. So he kneeled down and offered a prayer to our Father in Heaven. He said that the feeling that he felt in his heart was the happiest most peaceful feeling that he had ever felt in his life. He asked if the church was true, and again felt this feeling in his heart. Afterwards, he said ¨I want to baptized the soonest that I can! ¨ It was SUCH a beautiful experience and the spirit was so strong! :) He was bptized on Sunday morning at 8am :)

 

Also, on Saturday night, we received transfers!!!! My companion, Hermana Cahuas got transfered to Chorrillos, in Lima, close to where I was before! And I am now training! A new Hermana that just got out of the Missionary Training Center. Her name is Hermana Zarate from Chile! Sunday night, we went to the bus station and drove all through the night! We arrived in Lima at about 7:30am and went to the office. Then, I ended up spending the day in Chorrillos with Hermana Cahuas and her new companion Hermana Riveros from Trujillo, Peru! It was fun. :) The next day (tuesday) we went to the office and I met my new companion Hermana Zarate! Then we had the chance to go to the temple while we waited for our bus!!! What  beautiful priviledge :) An elder that was with us took pictures...but he forgot his camera and my companions camera was out of batteries...so I have no pictures this week...haha but the next week I will!

 

Anyways, we arrived back in Ayacucho this morning at 8am and now we are ready to work this week :) This past weekend was General Conference!! The opportunity to be able to listen to the Prophet and his 12 Apostles.  I learned SO much! Also, I invite you, if you didnt know about it, or didnt have the chance to watch it to look for it on lds.org. You wont regret it I promise :) My favorite talk was by Elder Jeffrey R Holland of the 12 apostles. He spoke on the topic of faith, compared with belief. He talked about, without even a desire to believe, it is impossible for us to be ble to begin having a seed of faith. It is so important that we excercise this desire to believe so that we can strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. He also talked about the experiences that we hve already experienced through our faith-for example, it is impossible to deny all of the mirackes that have happened in our lives. Every one of these experiences is thanks to our Father in Heaven. It is SUCH a powerful talk. Look it up :)

 

Anyways, I think that is about all that happened. I probably left out a couple of things, BUT this week was amazing. I love you all. I love hearing from you and I pray for each one of you daily :)

 

Con mucho amor siempre,

Hermana Elisheva Ali :)

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 :)