Dec 20, 2010
Dearest Family!
I hope you have a very, very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!. I am thinking of everyone of you in this special season. I know each of you are thinking of me because I received nine letters today! Thank you so much for taking the time to write me and email. me.!!!
Yesterday was wonderful. First of all, Hermana Cuenca and I have the opportunity to baptize Ciprian. Ciprian is the spouse of Martha. Martha and Ciprian were recently married in Dec. 11th thanks to the hard work of my former companion Hermana Pizarro. Ciprian has been coming to church for about four years with his wife, but he could not receive the ordinance of baptism because he and Martha were not married. There was a special spirit at the baptismal service. It made me excited to continue working with my new companion Hermana Cuenca so that we can help other people in our area receive the eternal blessing of baptism.
Hermana Cuenca is a hard worker and is very focused on her purpose... to invite others to Christ. The doctrine of Christ is clear, the necessary first step is baptism. I like this because we are extending the baptismal invitation a lot more. I am feeling more comfortable inviting people to be baptized. It is an invitation to others to take some action in their life to come unto Christ.
I am excited about the plan Hna. Cueca and I have for the week. We are going to contact all of the people in our area book who have attended church before but have not been baptized. We hope that now might be the right time for some of these people to be taught.
Yesterday I also had the opportunity to give a five minute talk in sacrament meeting. The bishop let me choose the theme. My theme was the Book of Mormon is the best gift we can give to our families and friends this holiday season. I think the bishop likes me more now because he met Mom and Dad at the temple. It's pretty fun because he's starting to joke with me. Even greater than my opportunity to give a talk, was the opportunity to participate in two performances of a major Christmas program that the two stakes in Cusco and the Cusco Mission have produced, entitled "De Nosotro, El Mayor." For this program, a combined choir from the two stakes sang the songs composed by Kenneth Cope about Jesus Christ. We have Kenneth Cope's CD at home. While the choir sang, there were continuous video clips and images of Christ displayed on a huge screen above the choir. The missionaries joined with the choir to sing the final song about the second coming of christ. We all dressed in white tops, and we were supposed to represent the angels declaring the second coming of Christ. The program was a huge success. We had one performance on Saturday and two on Sunday because so many people showed up for the Saturday performance. I loved singing in this performance. The spirit was incredible! Every person who attended the performances knows we believe in Christ.
Here is my huge story of the week. Hna. Cuenca and I went to talk with Martha on Wednesday about the baptism of her husband, Ciprian. When we arrived, I noticed that Martha had a friend over. I tried to strike up a conversation with her, but she appeared unattentive and distracted so we preceeded to talk with Martha in Martha's kitchen. A while later Martha's friend, Yanida, joined us in the kitchen. We talked to her for a while, and then she started crying. She told us that she was three months pregnant and she had almost taken a pill to abort her baby but "could not do it". With that, she opened her hand and threw a pill on the ground. I was in complete shock at this point. When I had said hello to Yanida, it was moments before she was going to take this pill.
Yanida almost aborted her baby because she is in extremely difficult circumstances. Her husband is a drunk and spends all of their money on alcohol. He is violent when he is drunk. He always promises he will change but he does not change. Yanida feels badly for bringing a baby into the world when there is no money to provide for it. Hna. Cuenca and I did our best to inspire Yanida. We commended her for saving the special spirit within her. I think the experiecne with Yanida will forever be in my memory. I could literally see the pain, the poverty, and the humility in Yanida's face. I was heartbroken for Yanida.
Every time I think of Yanida's story my testimony of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are reinforced. There is a reason why we marry in the temple. There is a reason we go to church. There is a reason we live the word of wisdom. Truly the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring us happiness in this life and in eternity!
Remember I love you!!!!!!!!!!!
Hermana Blunck II
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Dec. 13th
Dearest Family,
This Friday and Saturday was pretty crazy. Our couple that we were trying to help marry needed to sign paperwork on Friday. The sister never arrived at the municipalidad
to sign the paperwork. We went to her house and she had forgotten. We dashed off to the municipalidad again with only thrity minutes to spare until the municipalidad closed, and blessedly she was able to sign the paperwork. There is a lady in the municipalidad that is a true angel. She could go directly to the celestial kingdom for how nice she has been to us in our frantic moments.
Saturday morning was kind of the same situation as Friday. The couple arrived forty five minutes late to the marriage ceremony. This is so Peruvian, arrive when you can. I was a nervous wreck until they arrived. Saturday was also fun, because I was able to be one of the two witnesses in the marriage of this couple. Can you believe I was a marriage witness?
The spouse ultimately decided that he did not want to get baptized on Saturday like he had planned. His baptism is tenatively planned for this next Saturday. It was heart breaking because he can finally be baptized now that he is married. The big problem that exists in Peru is a lot of couples live together and have a family together but they haven't been married by law. Peru does not recognize church marriages. We can not baptize them until they have been married by the state, as we believe in living the law of the land.
Here is my favorite experience of the week. I was riding in a combi ( a small van they pack a lot of people in) and I started up a conversation with a man in his fifties. He first informed me that he solely believes in God. Shortly there after this man named Juan started asking me all sorts of questions. All of his questions centered around the first lesson we teach. So, in the bus I shared the first lesson with Juan and gave him a Book of Mormon to read.
All the questions Juan asked lead me to believe that Juan believes in more that just God. I think he made that statement becuase he did not want me to be pushy with him. I tried not to be pushy. Rather, I tried to honestly answer Juan's questions and sincerely share my testimony of the message we share. One of the questions Juan presented, which I loved , was how is your church any different than the Jehovah's Witness church. I explained that we believe in personal modern day revelation and that we have a living day prophet. I also explained that we do not ask the people we teach to believe our words as missionaries or as a church. The promise in the Book of Mormon is very clear in that every person can pray and ask to recieve a witness from God in their hearts if our message is true and if the Book of Mormon is true. Everyone can find out for themselves if the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ. The one thing that saddens me is Juan doesn not live in my area. The elders I have given Juan's name to are lucky. Juan asked some great questions. I think Juan could be a very strong investigator and member of the church.
The news is in, I will remain in Raymi for a least another six weeks. Tomorrow I am going to meet my new companion. I don't feel nervous to meet her. My only hope is that she is not finishing her mission at the end of six weeks. I hope to have a companion that I could potentially work with a couple of transfers in Inti Raymi.
Mom and Dad, I can't believe you met my bishop at the temple in Lima. How awesome! Heavenly Father's tender mercies are truly amazing. Of all days and hours to be at the temple at the same time.
I am thrilled Janeece has our house in Oregon decorated. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I can envision it perfectly in my mind.
All my love,
Hermana Blunck II
Dearest Family,
This Friday and Saturday was pretty crazy. Our couple that we were trying to help marry needed to sign paperwork on Friday. The sister never arrived at the municipalidad
to sign the paperwork. We went to her house and she had forgotten. We dashed off to the municipalidad again with only thrity minutes to spare until the municipalidad closed, and blessedly she was able to sign the paperwork. There is a lady in the municipalidad that is a true angel. She could go directly to the celestial kingdom for how nice she has been to us in our frantic moments.
Saturday morning was kind of the same situation as Friday. The couple arrived forty five minutes late to the marriage ceremony. This is so Peruvian, arrive when you can. I was a nervous wreck until they arrived. Saturday was also fun, because I was able to be one of the two witnesses in the marriage of this couple. Can you believe I was a marriage witness?
The spouse ultimately decided that he did not want to get baptized on Saturday like he had planned. His baptism is tenatively planned for this next Saturday. It was heart breaking because he can finally be baptized now that he is married. The big problem that exists in Peru is a lot of couples live together and have a family together but they haven't been married by law. Peru does not recognize church marriages. We can not baptize them until they have been married by the state, as we believe in living the law of the land.
Here is my favorite experience of the week. I was riding in a combi ( a small van they pack a lot of people in) and I started up a conversation with a man in his fifties. He first informed me that he solely believes in God. Shortly there after this man named Juan started asking me all sorts of questions. All of his questions centered around the first lesson we teach. So, in the bus I shared the first lesson with Juan and gave him a Book of Mormon to read.
All the questions Juan asked lead me to believe that Juan believes in more that just God. I think he made that statement becuase he did not want me to be pushy with him. I tried not to be pushy. Rather, I tried to honestly answer Juan's questions and sincerely share my testimony of the message we share. One of the questions Juan presented, which I loved , was how is your church any different than the Jehovah's Witness church. I explained that we believe in personal modern day revelation and that we have a living day prophet. I also explained that we do not ask the people we teach to believe our words as missionaries or as a church. The promise in the Book of Mormon is very clear in that every person can pray and ask to recieve a witness from God in their hearts if our message is true and if the Book of Mormon is true. Everyone can find out for themselves if the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ. The one thing that saddens me is Juan doesn not live in my area. The elders I have given Juan's name to are lucky. Juan asked some great questions. I think Juan could be a very strong investigator and member of the church.
The news is in, I will remain in Raymi for a least another six weeks. Tomorrow I am going to meet my new companion. I don't feel nervous to meet her. My only hope is that she is not finishing her mission at the end of six weeks. I hope to have a companion that I could potentially work with a couple of transfers in Inti Raymi.
Mom and Dad, I can't believe you met my bishop at the temple in Lima. How awesome! Heavenly Father's tender mercies are truly amazing. Of all days and hours to be at the temple at the same time.
I am thrilled Janeece has our house in Oregon decorated. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I can envision it perfectly in my mind.
All my love,
Hermana Blunck II
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Dearest Family,
Did you enjoy the Christmas Devotional last night? I got to watch it
in English. It was so much fun to think that all of you were watching
the broadcast at the same time as me. What I love about being a
missionary is that it totally changes the way you think. For example,
Elder Eyring said something that really stood out to me as it applies
to missionary work. The majority of the truths we know about Christ,
and how we worship Him in this season, have come thanks to the
restoration. Because a fourteen year old boy had a lot of faith, we
know during this season that we worship a Christ who is a distinct
being. We can read about Christ in the Book of Mormon.
Here is an update on the three families we were trying to help turn in
all their paperwork last week for a marriage on December 11. One of
three families will get married on that date. In the afternoon, the
father of the family, who is the only nonmember of the family, will
get baptized. The man`s name is Ciprian. His spouses` name is
Martha. It is funny because I did not expect this family to be the
one to follow through with their paperwork and make a marriage a
reality in their lives.
I have fallen in love with Ciprian, Martha, and their family. There
have four kids now and are expecting a fifth. The kids love to speak
to me in English. This family is probably the poorest one we are
teaching. (I helped them wash their laundry a few weeks ago and sent
a picture). I would love to introduce you to this family. I think I
will forever have pictures of them in my mind.
I am trying to do lots of contacting like Dad encourages his
missionaries to do, but I am still waiting to receive the fruits of my
efforts. Many people and families are nice and say ´come to my home,´
but then they reject us when we come to their doors. I am not going
to give up on contacting with everyone, however, because it saddens me
when we missionaries do not share our knowledge with everyone.
All my love,
Hermana Lynette Blunck, Hermana Blunck II
Did you enjoy the Christmas Devotional last night? I got to watch it
in English. It was so much fun to think that all of you were watching
the broadcast at the same time as me. What I love about being a
missionary is that it totally changes the way you think. For example,
Elder Eyring said something that really stood out to me as it applies
to missionary work. The majority of the truths we know about Christ,
and how we worship Him in this season, have come thanks to the
restoration. Because a fourteen year old boy had a lot of faith, we
know during this season that we worship a Christ who is a distinct
being. We can read about Christ in the Book of Mormon.
Here is an update on the three families we were trying to help turn in
all their paperwork last week for a marriage on December 11. One of
three families will get married on that date. In the afternoon, the
father of the family, who is the only nonmember of the family, will
get baptized. The man`s name is Ciprian. His spouses` name is
Martha. It is funny because I did not expect this family to be the
one to follow through with their paperwork and make a marriage a
reality in their lives.
I have fallen in love with Ciprian, Martha, and their family. There
have four kids now and are expecting a fifth. The kids love to speak
to me in English. This family is probably the poorest one we are
teaching. (I helped them wash their laundry a few weeks ago and sent
a picture). I would love to introduce you to this family. I think I
will forever have pictures of them in my mind.
I am trying to do lots of contacting like Dad encourages his
missionaries to do, but I am still waiting to receive the fruits of my
efforts. Many people and families are nice and say ´come to my home,´
but then they reject us when we come to their doors. I am not going
to give up on contacting with everyone, however, because it saddens me
when we missionaries do not share our knowledge with everyone.
All my love,
Hermana Lynette Blunck, Hermana Blunck II
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Mom and Dad met me at the airport when I arrived back in Peru. I was so glad to see them. The MTC president in Peru gave them permission to see me and to have lunch with me on occasion. I call myself Hermana Blunck II as my mom is Hermana Blunck I.
In the middle is Hermana Haggard, she was my Provo MTC companion, to my left is my first Latino companion, she is from Chile. She was a huge help in teaching me more Spanish.
Look out Cusco, here I come. Cusco is located at 10500 feet elevation. My lung capacity is really going to expand while I am there. The good news is, the air is crystal clear. All the homes in Cusco have red tile roofs. Many of them are made out of abode bricks. My mom took this picture when she visited.
My first companion, Herman Haggard. She has been terrific. She is a kindred spirit.
A visit from Mom and Dad. I am proud they are able to serve a mission. Great blessings have come to our family because of their decision to serve a mission. A big thank you to all my siblings for their support of them which allows them to serve.
Before we boarded the bus to the airport, I needed one final shot of all the American sisters at the Peru MTC.
Here I go, off to Cusco! It is about an hour flight from Lima. For the next 16 months I will go where ever the Lord wants me to go and and I will give my all to Him. I am excited to meet the people of Cusco, to love them, serve them and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Let the jouney begin.!
Llamas are an animal I should see a lot in the Cusco area.
In the middle is Hermana Haggard, she was my Provo MTC companion, to my left is my first Latino companion, she is from Chile. She was a huge help in teaching me more Spanish.
Look out Cusco, here I come. Cusco is located at 10500 feet elevation. My lung capacity is really going to expand while I am there. The good news is, the air is crystal clear. All the homes in Cusco have red tile roofs. Many of them are made out of abode bricks. My mom took this picture when she visited.
My first companion, Herman Haggard. She has been terrific. She is a kindred spirit.
A visit from Mom and Dad. I am proud they are able to serve a mission. Great blessings have come to our family because of their decision to serve a mission. A big thank you to all my siblings for their support of them which allows them to serve.
Before we boarded the bus to the airport, I needed one final shot of all the American sisters at the Peru MTC.
Here I go, off to Cusco! It is about an hour flight from Lima. For the next 16 months I will go where ever the Lord wants me to go and and I will give my all to Him. I am excited to meet the people of Cusco, to love them, serve them and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Let the jouney begin.!
Llamas are an animal I should see a lot in the Cusco area.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Dearest Family,
It was wonderful to hear from you. There is never a dull moment in life.
I´ll do my best to recap some of the highlights of the past week. One
of the biggest highlights was having the opportunity to proselyte for
a full day last Saturday. We drove two and a half hours away to a
city called Huaral. There, Hna. Haggard and I proselyted and looked
for ten inactive members with our teacher. It was a great experience.
We were not able to find most of the inactive members on our list,
but we did find one person. This person´s name is John. He is about
18 years old, and he and his father are inactive. We we first started
talking to John, his facial expressions indicated that he was not
thrilled to listen to us. After my companion brought up the subjects
of serving a mission and entering the temple, John´s facial
expressions completed changed. It was amazing to see. John felt the
spirit at the end of the lesson, and he quickly agreed to attend
church last Sunday. Hna. Haggard and I have an appointment to teach
him again this Saturday. We are going back, and I pray that he will
remember how he felt last Saturday so he will have a desire to receive
our message. It was an incredible experience to teach a real person.
I cannot wait to enter the field next Tuesday.
Here´s one more story about last Saturday. We made a contact with a
woman sitting in a mototaxi. At first she was not very interested,
but she become interested when my teacher invited her to read Alma 40
to learn about where her child is, who has died. We walked by this
mototaxi about 45 minutes after making the contact, and the woman was
still sitting in the mototaxi. To our delight, we saw her reading
from the Book of Mormon with a friend! I think this picture of a
woman sitting in a mototaxi reading a Book of Mormon will stay in my
mind forever.
Another highlight of the past week was seeing Mom and Monday. It was
amazing because I had felt on Monday morning a deep yearning to see
Mom. I was thrilled on Monday afternoon when a missionary told me
that Mom was sitting outside the caferia. It is like Mom read my mind
and heart. Last week was a little challenging, but that is okay. In
one devotional Elder Holland gave to missionaries, which we recently
watched, he said some profound remarks. He said that missions, of
necessity, must be hard so that missionaries can be worthy to wear a
nametag with the name of Jesus Christ on it. He said that
missionaries must take a least a few steps in the Garden of Gethsemane
so they can appreciate Jesus Christ. Please, do not get me wrong!!!
I did not share these remarks because I am feeling sad. I simply
shared these remarks because I believe they are very profound.
Hna. Haggard and I continue to get along great. It will be hard to
leave her, but I also know that it is what I need to do. I can´t wait
to be speaking Spanish all the time. On Monday, we had an English
fast where my whole district spoke only Spanish the whole day. I
loved it and wanted to say ´Why don´t we do this all the time?!¨´
Last week, Hna. Haggard and I had a meeting with the CCM president.
We wanted to know how we felt about our instruction here. We were
positive because we have loved our experience here, and we also shared
a few ideas about how it could be better. It was a little difficult
for me because I have the hardest time talking openly when I fear I
could hurt someone, but I am glad we did it. It was a very good
learning experience for me. I honestly cannot believe how much I am
learning as a missionary. I am learning about myself, the world, the
Spirit, other people, and news ways of thinking. It is so funny
because I thought I had life and the gospel figured out pretty well
before I became a missionary.
Thank you for all of your love and support!
Love,
Hermana Blunck II
It was wonderful to hear from you. There is never a dull moment in life.
I´ll do my best to recap some of the highlights of the past week. One
of the biggest highlights was having the opportunity to proselyte for
a full day last Saturday. We drove two and a half hours away to a
city called Huaral. There, Hna. Haggard and I proselyted and looked
for ten inactive members with our teacher. It was a great experience.
We were not able to find most of the inactive members on our list,
but we did find one person. This person´s name is John. He is about
18 years old, and he and his father are inactive. We we first started
talking to John, his facial expressions indicated that he was not
thrilled to listen to us. After my companion brought up the subjects
of serving a mission and entering the temple, John´s facial
expressions completed changed. It was amazing to see. John felt the
spirit at the end of the lesson, and he quickly agreed to attend
church last Sunday. Hna. Haggard and I have an appointment to teach
him again this Saturday. We are going back, and I pray that he will
remember how he felt last Saturday so he will have a desire to receive
our message. It was an incredible experience to teach a real person.
I cannot wait to enter the field next Tuesday.
Here´s one more story about last Saturday. We made a contact with a
woman sitting in a mototaxi. At first she was not very interested,
but she become interested when my teacher invited her to read Alma 40
to learn about where her child is, who has died. We walked by this
mototaxi about 45 minutes after making the contact, and the woman was
still sitting in the mototaxi. To our delight, we saw her reading
from the Book of Mormon with a friend! I think this picture of a
woman sitting in a mototaxi reading a Book of Mormon will stay in my
mind forever.
Another highlight of the past week was seeing Mom and Monday. It was
amazing because I had felt on Monday morning a deep yearning to see
Mom. I was thrilled on Monday afternoon when a missionary told me
that Mom was sitting outside the caferia. It is like Mom read my mind
and heart. Last week was a little challenging, but that is okay. In
one devotional Elder Holland gave to missionaries, which we recently
watched, he said some profound remarks. He said that missions, of
necessity, must be hard so that missionaries can be worthy to wear a
nametag with the name of Jesus Christ on it. He said that
missionaries must take a least a few steps in the Garden of Gethsemane
so they can appreciate Jesus Christ. Please, do not get me wrong!!!
I did not share these remarks because I am feeling sad. I simply
shared these remarks because I believe they are very profound.
Hna. Haggard and I continue to get along great. It will be hard to
leave her, but I also know that it is what I need to do. I can´t wait
to be speaking Spanish all the time. On Monday, we had an English
fast where my whole district spoke only Spanish the whole day. I
loved it and wanted to say ´Why don´t we do this all the time?!¨´
Last week, Hna. Haggard and I had a meeting with the CCM president.
We wanted to know how we felt about our instruction here. We were
positive because we have loved our experience here, and we also shared
a few ideas about how it could be better. It was a little difficult
for me because I have the hardest time talking openly when I fear I
could hurt someone, but I am glad we did it. It was a very good
learning experience for me. I honestly cannot believe how much I am
learning as a missionary. I am learning about myself, the world, the
Spirit, other people, and news ways of thinking. It is so funny
because I thought I had life and the gospel figured out pretty well
before I became a missionary.
Thank you for all of your love and support!
Love,
Hermana Blunck II
Dearest Family,
Last Saturday was the greatest day ever because I received a stack of
about12 dearelder.com letters. Thank you for taking the time to write
me every week. Thank you Sister Lazott for sending me all of those
general conference recaps. They are inspiring.
On Sunday, our branch president shared his testimony and
he said he was a tough investigator. I can picture him being a
challenging investigator because he is also an intimidating man. I
also know, however, that this man has never deviated from the gospel.
He has been a faithful member and a leader in the church since the day
he became a member. Thanks be to those missionaries that lovingly
taught this man.
To switch gears...last Wednesday we went on a short tour of Lima. It
was wonderful. Hna. Haggard did some shopping, and I handed out lots
of pass along cards. I was very encouraged because it was not as
scary as I thought it would be. The people of Peru are genuinely
nice. On our tour, we stopped at the coast and saw lots of surfers
(yes, there is great surfing here in Lima). We also stopped in
downtown Lima. I had never been there with Mom and Dad, so I loved
seeing it. There are lots of beautiful buildings dating back to the
1500´s. Hna. Haggard and I went inside one old church that has
catacombs underneath it. The catacombs were pretty crazy, but I
actually loved the rooms of the church more than the catacombs. One
of the rooms is a library. It has books that the Spaniards brought in
during the 1500´s. Some of the books of huge. I just love seeing
such history. I have a big appreciation for old churches ever since
going to Israel. They funny part of the experience is the Hna.
Haggard and I went a Spanish speaking tour because we had little time.
We had the best time acting like we understood everything our guide
was saying.
The Latino missionaries here call me Snow White. It´s fun. I am not
sure to take their remarks that my skin is very white as a compliment
or an insult =D.
Feel free to email me next week, but send dearelder.com letters to the
Cusco mission.
Love,
Hermana Blunck II
Last Saturday was the greatest day ever because I received a stack of
about12 dearelder.com letters. Thank you for taking the time to write
me every week. Thank you Sister Lazott for sending me all of those
general conference recaps. They are inspiring.
On Sunday, our branch president shared his testimony and
he said he was a tough investigator. I can picture him being a
challenging investigator because he is also an intimidating man. I
also know, however, that this man has never deviated from the gospel.
He has been a faithful member and a leader in the church since the day
he became a member. Thanks be to those missionaries that lovingly
taught this man.
To switch gears...last Wednesday we went on a short tour of Lima. It
was wonderful. Hna. Haggard did some shopping, and I handed out lots
of pass along cards. I was very encouraged because it was not as
scary as I thought it would be. The people of Peru are genuinely
nice. On our tour, we stopped at the coast and saw lots of surfers
(yes, there is great surfing here in Lima). We also stopped in
downtown Lima. I had never been there with Mom and Dad, so I loved
seeing it. There are lots of beautiful buildings dating back to the
1500´s. Hna. Haggard and I went inside one old church that has
catacombs underneath it. The catacombs were pretty crazy, but I
actually loved the rooms of the church more than the catacombs. One
of the rooms is a library. It has books that the Spaniards brought in
during the 1500´s. Some of the books of huge. I just love seeing
such history. I have a big appreciation for old churches ever since
going to Israel. They funny part of the experience is the Hna.
Haggard and I went a Spanish speaking tour because we had little time.
We had the best time acting like we understood everything our guide
was saying.
The Latino missionaries here call me Snow White. It´s fun. I am not
sure to take their remarks that my skin is very white as a compliment
or an insult =D.
Feel free to email me next week, but send dearelder.com letters to the
Cusco mission.
Love,
Hermana Blunck II
Thursday, October 14, 2010
I only have three weeks left until I finish my training and fly to
Cusco. Is that unimagineable? My companion from Chile left yesterday
for her mission after three weeks of training. My new companion is
Hermana Haggard, who I have known and loved since I entered the Provo
MTC. There are not enough Latino sisters for us to have Latino
companions. Our goal is to talk to each other in Spanish all the time
so we do not lose the Spanish vocabulary we have recently learned. It
was not too hard for me to say goodbye to my companion. I think this
is Heavenly Father´s way of assuring me that I am doing the right
thing, and I need to keep moving forward with faith.
Last Sunday, I halfway sang a duet with Hermana Haggard. Aren´t you
proud of me? I say halfway because when we stood in front of the CCM
audience, nothing came out of my mouth. All I could do was shake, and
my shaking became really bad when I looked over and saw Hermana
Haggard shaking horribly too. At least something came out of her
mouth. The reason why we were singing a duet is because our district
volunteered us to sing the first verse of I Know That My Redeemer
Lives by ouselves. They joined with us for the final verses. I have
lots of opportunities to sing as a missionary. It is good for me
because I have never done choir before.
Hermana Haggard and I were felt very grateful and humbled on Monday.
We taught a lesson in Spanish to our teacher who was pretending to be
an investigator about the priesthood. There Spirit was there, even if
it was a pretend lesson. We felt humbled because only three weeks ago
we felt stressed about having to get to know someone in Spanish for
ten minutes. Now we are teaching 20 minutes lessons in Spanish and
sometimes on topics that we never studied intently.
Here are some thoughts I have had recently about faith--
As we have faith in Jesus Christ, specifically in the reality of His
atonement, He comes to us.
Christ may not comes to us physically, but he does manifest himself
through the Holy Ghost, who works wonders and miracles in our lives.
-2 Nephi 26:13
In the words of Elder Bednar, ´The Savior said he would come to His
apostles. Let me suggest that one fo the ways whereby the Savior
comes to each of us is through His abundant tender mercies.¨
I used to feel sad that the people in the scritpures literally saw the
Savior and I had not. What I am learning is that I can see the Savior
in my life everyday through the wonders of the the Holy Ghost and the
tender mercies I experience.
Thank you for your love and support! I saw Mom and Dad yesterday when
they picked up a few missionaries who were entering their mission.
Mom and Dad look great. They are in the jungle today and come back
tomorrow.
Cusco. Is that unimagineable? My companion from Chile left yesterday
for her mission after three weeks of training. My new companion is
Hermana Haggard, who I have known and loved since I entered the Provo
MTC. There are not enough Latino sisters for us to have Latino
companions. Our goal is to talk to each other in Spanish all the time
so we do not lose the Spanish vocabulary we have recently learned. It
was not too hard for me to say goodbye to my companion. I think this
is Heavenly Father´s way of assuring me that I am doing the right
thing, and I need to keep moving forward with faith.
Last Sunday, I halfway sang a duet with Hermana Haggard. Aren´t you
proud of me? I say halfway because when we stood in front of the CCM
audience, nothing came out of my mouth. All I could do was shake, and
my shaking became really bad when I looked over and saw Hermana
Haggard shaking horribly too. At least something came out of her
mouth. The reason why we were singing a duet is because our district
volunteered us to sing the first verse of I Know That My Redeemer
Lives by ouselves. They joined with us for the final verses. I have
lots of opportunities to sing as a missionary. It is good for me
because I have never done choir before.
Hermana Haggard and I were felt very grateful and humbled on Monday.
We taught a lesson in Spanish to our teacher who was pretending to be
an investigator about the priesthood. There Spirit was there, even if
it was a pretend lesson. We felt humbled because only three weeks ago
we felt stressed about having to get to know someone in Spanish for
ten minutes. Now we are teaching 20 minutes lessons in Spanish and
sometimes on topics that we never studied intently.
Here are some thoughts I have had recently about faith--
As we have faith in Jesus Christ, specifically in the reality of His
atonement, He comes to us.
Christ may not comes to us physically, but he does manifest himself
through the Holy Ghost, who works wonders and miracles in our lives.
-2 Nephi 26:13
In the words of Elder Bednar, ´The Savior said he would come to His
apostles. Let me suggest that one fo the ways whereby the Savior
comes to each of us is through His abundant tender mercies.¨
I used to feel sad that the people in the scritpures literally saw the
Savior and I had not. What I am learning is that I can see the Savior
in my life everyday through the wonders of the the Holy Ghost and the
tender mercies I experience.
Thank you for your love and support! I saw Mom and Dad yesterday when
they picked up a few missionaries who were entering their mission.
Mom and Dad look great. They are in the jungle today and come back
tomorrow.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
It is my preparation day again. The best way to describe how time passes on a mission is 'A day feels like a month, but a month feels like a day.' I have been on my mission over a month now, which I can hardly believe! The good news is that I got my first nap in today. It was very needed and rejuvenating. I know I am really becoming a missionary because I am now waking up before my alarm goes off, which is around 6am. After a year and a half, I don´t think I will be able to sleep in very late =D.
My Spanish is coming along. I know I say this every week, but I do not know how else to describe it. My Spanish is usually its clearest when I teach because Heavenly Father is blessing me. Last Wednesday, for example, I was feeling pretty tired when I began my practice teaching appointment, but Spanish somehow came out of my mouth. After the lesson, a Spanish elder actually explained that his 'boca was abierta.' This means his mouth was open as my companion and I talked. I love rereading my notes from the blessings I received in the months preceeding Sept. 1 because I can already see how they are being fulfilled. I was blessed in three different blessings to be able to learn Spanish quickly so that I could 'understand the people I serve and form some eternal relationships.' I am grateful to be experiencing the fulfillment of these blessings.
Here is my favorite experience of the week. I was outside studying, and I felt prompted to talk to the gardner working close to me. I talked with him for a while, and then he opened up a gave me some amazing advice. He said, 'Don't tell the people of Cusco that you want to share a message about God because they believe they don't need anything more. Tell them the truth. Tell them that you have a message that will help them be better spouses, students, and parents. Tell them you have a message that can lead them to be with their family forever.' This man's advice was perfect.
My companion and I still get along very well. She will be leaving on Tuesday for the mission field. She told me that she does not have any fear about entering the mission field, but she does have fear about getting a new companion. I can understand where she is coming from. Next Tuesday night, Hna. Haggard and I will be the only North American sister missionaries here because the Latinos will be gone and so will the other American sister missionaries. New sister missionaries will come next Wednesday, and I will get a new companion then. I learned today that next Wednesday the CCM takes us on a tour or Lima. I am very excited because the only place we usually go on preparation days is the temple and a local grocery store. I hope that we can go to the olive tree park near Mom and Dad's apartment when we have our tour of Lima.
This week I had the lucky opportunity is participating in a Jillian Michaels type of workout. I went out the play fĂștbol on Monday for exercise time, and there was a man in the field rounding everyone up. He put all the missionaries who had exercise time at that moment through a rigorous workout. He had us running sprints, doing burpies, weaving through cones, doing tricep dips, etc. It was hilarious. I could not stop laughing. I could not breathe either, but it was hilarious to hear some of the missionaries moaning and to hear a coach type of figure cracking down on everyone. It turns out that the CCM had invited this man to come, and he will come twice a week from now on. I am still sore from the workout, but it felt so good to exercise really hard. Sometimes I feel my body craving an intense workout.
Aren't you proud of my for playing f'utbol with all the elders? Mom and Dad helped me realize that the elders wouldn't expect me to be good anyway, so it would not matter if I made a full of myself. Maybe I will be good at soccer by the time I return to the U.S. My announcement is that I headed the ball yesterday. I also made a goal last week =D.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Love,
Hermana Lynette Blunck
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Back Home...in Peru!
I am in Peru again, and I am thrilled to be here. It is so reassuring to be close
to Mom and Dad. Last night, I was sweetly surprised by Mom and Dad.
They met me at the Lima airport. The MTC president gave them
permission to meet me there. Talk about a fun reunion. I feel
humbled that they came because it is a long drive for them to and from
the airport. They got home very late last night. Mom and Dad were
able to meet some of their Lima North missionaries in the airport. I
believe the missionaries were pretty surprised to see their mission
president when they arrived in Peru. I am sorry that I did not call
everyone yesterday. Our layovers were not very long. My companion is
from Chile. I know that I have much to learn from her. She talked to
me this morning and I feel like I understood 5% of what she said. I
am excited for my Spanish to improve rapidly while I am here. There
are 5 American sisters in the CCM and 14 Latino sisters. My preparation day
is next Wednesday, so send emails before then if you want me to respond.
Emails will be the best way to communicate with me.
Here is my address for letters:
(It is a little different than what I e-mailed you a few weeks ago)
Hermana Lynette Blunck--Peru Cusco Mision
Av. Melgarejo 159
Urb. Campo Verde
La Molina, Lima, Peru
to Mom and Dad. Last night, I was sweetly surprised by Mom and Dad.
They met me at the Lima airport. The MTC president gave them
permission to meet me there. Talk about a fun reunion. I feel
humbled that they came because it is a long drive for them to and from
the airport. They got home very late last night. Mom and Dad were
able to meet some of their Lima North missionaries in the airport. I
believe the missionaries were pretty surprised to see their mission
president when they arrived in Peru. I am sorry that I did not call
everyone yesterday. Our layovers were not very long. My companion is
from Chile. I know that I have much to learn from her. She talked to
me this morning and I feel like I understood 5% of what she said. I
am excited for my Spanish to improve rapidly while I am here. There
are 5 American sisters in the CCM and 14 Latino sisters. My preparation day
is next Wednesday, so send emails before then if you want me to respond.
Emails will be the best way to communicate with me.
Here is my address for letters:
(It is a little different than what I e-mailed you a few weeks ago)
Hermana Lynette Blunck--Peru Cusco Mision
Av. Melgarejo 159
Urb. Campo Verde
La Molina, Lima, Peru
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Loving the MTC
This week has been fantastic. I have honestly been amazed by the level of happiness I feel as a missionary. There are hard moments, but there is an amazing feeling of peace when doing the Lord's will. Last Sunday, Sister Elaine Dalton spoke to the sister missionaries in Relief Society. She encouraged us to pray and ask Heavenly Father how we personally receive revelation. I was blown away that we could be instructed in the MTC by such a woman. We had a devotional on Tuesday. It was incredible as well. The MTC is truly a special place because we missionaries are continuously taught by very inspired people.
In our Spanish lessons this week, we learned how to speak in different tenses. I can speak in present tense okay, but I still have lots of work to learning conjugations for other tenses. I really love learning Spanish. I cannot wait to get to Peru because I believe my Spanish will improve exponentially then.
On to my travel news. I will fly out of SLC next Wednesday morning at 6am. I will fly to Texas, on to Miami, and then to Lima. I am going to have some layovers. They will not be long, but I want to call as many of you as I can. Only one of my two companions will be coming to Peru too. My companion who has her call to Bolivia has not received her visa, so she will complete her MTC training her in Utah. I feel badly for her because I know she is anxious to learn Spanish, and it is challenging to be fully immersed in Spanish here in Utah. My companion who is going to Peru is on a different flight than me, which is funny. This means I will be flying by myself with a bunch of elders. I'll just have to ask them who wants to adopt me for the trip.
Last night, we taught a pretend investigator. We got to know him in Spanish, and then we taught him the first lesson in English. It was a very good experience because he asked many questions based on the Bible. I imagine the people of Cusco will be a little more simple minded than him so their questions will be different, but I am still glad for the experience. What I loved about the lesson is that I literally felt my mouth being filled with words. The investigator asked a question about Joseph Smith being so young when God appeared to him, and instantly Heavenly Father helped me to remember Samuel from the Bible. I talked about how he was young when he received revelation from God. One of my companions then talked about Moroni from the Book of Mormon and how he was only 10 years old when he was called to be a prophet.
Here is a funny story one of the elders in my district related to me about his teaching experience. He was testifying about Joseph Smith, but he became confused so he started saying "Yo soy JesuCristo." He was trying to say "I know that Joseph Smith..." but he was actually saying "I am Jesus Christ." He said that when he said this his investigator looked at him increduously and asked, "You are Jesus Christ?" This story made me laugh so hard last night. One of my companions laughed so hard that she snorted and my teacher, who is Columbian, gave her the oddest facial expression.
The good news is that I laught a lot everyday. My companions are wonderful. They are having there challenges right now, but I am feeling at peace so I am able to listen to them and support them.
I sure love you all!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
My Address and a Few Pictures
I went with Stephen and Shara to take pictures in front of the Missionary Training Center sign, and it was missing because of construction! |
On Saturday, Stephen, Shara, and I went through the Salt Lake Temple. It was my first time inside this temple. The Salt Lake Temple is beautiful! |
Shara and I in front of the missing Missionary Training Center sign =D |
Outside the Missionary Training Center. I am amazed that there are at least 335 missions in the world. |
Stephen and Shara were so kind to me. I loved spending a week with them in Provo. |
In front of the Provo temple with Stephen. |
Stephen and I missing the Missionary Training Center sign. |
The beautiful Temple Square grounds in Salt Lake City. My MTC Address:Sister Lynette Marie Blunck MTC Mailbox # 239 PER-CSC 1103 2005 N 900 E Provo, UT 84604-1793 My Mission Address: |
Peru Cusco Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
***This is a pouch mail address, so only single sheet letters, folded into three panels, and taped at the top can be sent to this address. Write the address on the letter. Do not use an envelope.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Called to Serve
I am called to serve in the Cusco Peru Mission starting September 1, 2010. On this blog, my family will post my weekly letters and hopefully pictures too.
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