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 :)