Dear Mom,

I felt bad that I didn't send a real letter (I thought), so I went home and wrote a letter and sent it to you today. I assume you got the pictures yesterday. I forgot to write about what we did for pday (we went to the Catacombs in Lima), but that is what some of the pictures are from, and the others are of the baptisms we had this weekend. One of the girls is blind, and I've had fun teaching her. Also this week we have 3, hopefully 4 more. One of our planned baptisms for this weekend fell in one of the commandments, and we were pretty sad, but that evening, we had this experience. One of our investigators is guy who has cancer, and is bedridden. All his kids and his wife are members, but he wasn't interested until he got cancer. Now he spends all day reading church books. He wouldn't accept a baptismal date. One day the reason he didn't want to get baptized was because life is so uncertain, and he could wake up tomorrow dead, and we tried to get him to understand that he should want to get baptised for that reason, but he didn't accept. Finally yesterday he just said in the middle of the lesson-I want to get baptized. Hopefully we can work things out so he can get baptized before his surgery. Also, we have been visiting an old investigator, and something happened to her that made her want to repent and change, so we put a baptismal date on her as well. She said to us-do you really think I could be like you two? I felt like saying-I'm just me, you don't want to be like me, but I realized she saw in us the blessings that the gospel brings.

This week is Thanksgiving. I am thinking about making a pie for the pensionista and family, and I hope I can find the stuff to do it and I can do it well. It makes me laugh that Joanna is complaining about eating McDonalds for Thanksgiving. McDonalds is luxury.

I love you lots, and I am excitedly hoping to receive the packages. And I was able to open the pictures. I'm glad everyone had fun. And I hope Dad enjoys all his new toys and the new job.

Love,
Sarah

Dear Family,

While I'm thinking about it, I thought of some things I could use if you have any time and money to add to my packages. I left my watch in the temple the last time I went, and when we went today, they couldn't find it. I bought one here, but it already broke, plus it's ugly. And I would appreciate some piano music. I've seen here a book of piano music of the church that is all chained together, but I don't remember who arranged it or what's it called. Or just copies of some of the religious music we have at home. Yeah, you could send batteries too- AA.

I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures the pensionista sent. I don't have copies of them, so please don't delete them. The pensionista said that whenver I want to send pictures she will send them for me since we don't have much internet time. I've enjoyed the pension here a lot.

Yesterday we had the multizone conference. I enjoyed it like I always do. We had interviews too, so we spent the entire day at the church.

This week we have 3 baptisms programmed, and next week more. The family we have been working with is having trouble with the word of wisdom, and you have to be clean for a month before you can be baptized, so the parents can't get baptized this month. We are trying to decide how to handle the two kids because we want the whole family to get baptized together, but if the parents can never comply with the word of wisdom, at least the kids should get baptized.

We had ward conference in one of our wards. Over 200 people attended. I had to laugh because they had a special choir, and there was someone who just screamed out the song the entire time. I was grateful to hear the one verse that only the men sang. Also, the relief society made or bought tablecloths for the sacrament. They were just normal, except that the top one said in huge sparkly letters, SANTA CENA. I'm not quite sure if it is appropriate or not, but it made me laugh.

I'm glad things are going well at home. I got the family newsletter, and I have a question- where did Aunt Dianna and fam move? Love you all, and thanks for your love and support.

Sarah

Dear Family,
This was a really long week, but Sunday made up for it. The area is really big, and we have been walking a lot to try to get to know the area better, and plus we go running in the mornings for our exercise, so in the nights I am really tired, and my legs and feet hurt. Everyone we talk to gives us their address and we set up appointments, but they are never home, or they don't let us in, or they give us false addresses, so we spent some long days in the street. But yesterday we had a really good experience. After church we had an appointment before we went to lunch, but later the bishop invited us to branch council. We decided more important was the appointment even though all week we hadn't been accepted for a first discussion. We went and the lady let us in, was very receptive, and we taught one of the best lessons I've had. Also in church, the family we are teaching went, plus some members brought non members, some of whom are very interested. I guess the scripture about after the trial of your faith is true.

Hna Távara and I get along really well, and we are having fun despite the tough week. For pday last week we went to Barrio China, which I suppose is the Peruvian Chinatown. It was fun, but a little ironic that I have to go to Peru to go to Chinatown. I am enjoying the never ending feast of good things. This week we went to MCdonalds. It's across the street from our room. It was pretty much the same

Yesterday in church I almost started laughing during the closing prayer because the hermana who offered the prayer prayed that the Lord would touch the hearts of the government leaders in Peru because they don't work.

We were going to have zone conference this week, but it got postponed. I haven't asked Pdte Leyva about coming home for college transfers, but everyone I've talked to about it said that the hermanas can come home whenever they want, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Our internet time got cut to 30 minutes, so I probably won't send pictures or other letters much anymore. We now write to the president in the other 15 minutes. It's alright that you can't send clothes or knee highs. I bought two shirts this past week and new knee highs. You won't catch me at home wearing any of the clothes I bought, but in the mission, it doesn't seem to matter much as long as I look respectable. But you are welcome to send me the following- toffee, fudge, Butterfinger Jingles, shoe inserts if they are not considered clothing, my deo, other things you think I would enjoy. I got your letter with the stamps, and also a letter from Joanna with some pictures from her mission.

I love you all. and I'll keep the mentioned people in my prayers. I know the church is true, and the Lord takes care of us.

Love, Sarah

A Baptism in Tilda

With Sis. Waddoups

A baptism in Canto Grande

Sarah sent these via email on Monday and I got them on Thursday. While I am so thankful to be able to communicate via email, myldsmail does have it's glitches.

Dear Family,

Surprise, I got transfered again. I am now in Canto Grande, barrios Begonia and Santa Fe. It's a lot different from Huanuco and from
Tilda, more city, and the area is huge. I don't know where I am most of the time, so I just follow my companion around. She doesn't really know the area very well either, so we've gotten lost a few times. You definitely don't need to worry about me losing weight. The pensionista here distributes baked goods like cake, alfajores, cake rolls, cookies, and a bunch of other junk. She lets us eat whatever we want, whenever we want. Plus, there is a McDonalds on the corner, a Dominos Pizza across the street, a SuperWalmart type store, and a movie theater nearby. One day she brought home Dunkin Donuts. Despite all this, I don't really like being in the city very much. My new companion is Hermana Távara, from El Callao, a part of Lima in the South. I love her, and we get along really well. She is a lot like me, but the Latin version. I have realized that I can't eat as much as I used to be able to, but my compy can eat and eat and eat. It's alright though, because she likes to run, so every morning we have gone running in a park nearby. Hna Távara completed 9 months in the mission the day after I got here, but we are going to end together in August.

I was a little sad to leave Tilda. The area is one of the better areas in the mission I think, and the ward supports the missionaries a lot. I was also sad to leave the zone, because we all got along really well. It was fun having other hermanas in the zone. But yeah, now I'm here in Canto Grande. The wards here are good too though. One is a small ward, and the other is really big.

It's sounds like everything is going well at home. It's too bad about BYU. Maybe next year they'll really be good. I got a letter from you Mom. It's starting to get hot here, and the sun is strong. I'm hoping that since I'm in this routine of transfering a lot, I'll get transfered to Huancayo for the summer where it's cooler and it rains a lot. I'm willing to stay there for a long time. But they say in the mission if you ask to go somewhere, you get the opposite. Does that go for sisters too? because the President really likes me, and might be willing to send me there if I ask.

Can you send me a few more recipes Mom? Now I'm in an area where it's possible to actually cook real food, and the pensionista was asking if I knew how to make a few things. I was thinking about making peanut butter cookies.

I managed to take a picture of the baptism we had, so I'll send it so you can see my new companion.

Love you lot,
Sarah