Week 46 - Juanes

June 27, 2016

Familia!!!

How are you all doing??? This week has been another great week in the mission…filled with its ups and downs and everything.

To start off the week, we did service for the mission offices…cleaning them because we are getting a new mission president tomorrow. Their names are Hermana and Presidente Li, and they are from Lima. Cleaning was super cool because we got to put up all the different companionships pictures in President's office. There are so many missionaries and it made me think about all the people in the world and that God knows each of them so personally and individually. It’s absolutely incredible!

We also had what is called San Juan on Friday. I figured out that it’s the equivalent of the American Thanksgiving. Everyone makes Juanes and Chica de Maiz (a corn drink) and then goes to pass the day by the river. It’s in remembrance of John the Baptist so that day I studied a little about him and it was so cool to realize that because of him we have the priesthood back on the earth again after he appeared to Joseph Smith and also that he baptized the Lamb of God. His role was incredible, but sadly they only celebrate his death...which is why they make the Juanes representing when they cut off his head. But the whole city was full of smoke the night before from literally everyone making their juanes!

We have been having a hard time finding investigators lately…we will find them, and then they will move or not want anything to do with it later… I got to thinking about if there was something I was doing wrong or in some way I wasn’t working hard enough or in the right way, but this week at church I realized God does answer our prayers; we may just have to be patient and wait for His timing. So,
we’ve been praying a lot for help and God really does hear and answer our every effort and prayer. We ended up receiving a few references from members who have people who want to hear and are prepared!

My companion and I also got sick this week from the crazy weather that has been going on here…it rains in the morning and then the sun comes out at a good 90+ degrees in the afternoon and then it gets “colder” again at night. So we are doing the best with what we can do and trusting in the Lord to help us.

I got to go work with a member while my companion was sicker than I was. It scared me not to have her with me  'cause I still am figuring out the area, but we ended up being able to help a family that hasn’t been eating food…I wasn’t feeling super great myself but it was so cool to see how as I lost myself in others I completely forgot about the fact that I wasn’t doing good.

That is what I want to emphasize today -  the blessings of service. As we lose ourselves in others, we are blessed by more and more love and a greater desire to keep serving. If we really want to show God how much we love Him, we serve His children…and it's so simple to do. Mosiah 2:17

Keep shining brightly and smiling…it is a service to the world as you lift each child of God up.

Love

Hermana Briggs

Answers to questions:

Ya, all the stuff we eat here is the same as in Pucallpa....people tell us it's different stuff but usually its just a different form of chicken and rice :) and we just room one companionship together which is super nice. 

Also this is a crazy pic of a pig that we saw being slaughtered on our street! So cool! sorry if it groses you out :)

The little baby chick that we buried last week!

Us with our Juanes J