Dec. 18, 2011

                        Hermana Giron, Presidente and Hermana Calderon,
                                               and Hermana Blunck
                                             MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Dearest Family,

Here are a few notes for you.

Grandpa and Grandma Blunck-I`m going to miss spending Christmas Eve
with you.  I hope that you are safe and snug in your home and that you
feel of my love for you.

Sister Lazott-Thank you for writing to Sister Giron.  You are so
thoughtful.  She`s coming back from Cusco tomorrow and will be
thrilled to find a letter on her desk.

David and Sheri-I admire how hard you are working to be missionaries
in your community and I know the Benjamin and Hunter will be terrific
missionaries.

Dusty and Janeece-Mom sent me some adorable photos of my nephews and
nieces.  I know that you are fantastic parents and I look forward to
returning home to you.  I`ll be ready to play.

Mom and Dad-Thank you for the lovely Christmas package.  I`ve seen the
jewelry box but I haven`t opened it yet because I want to have a fun
surprise on Christmas Day.  Today I shared some of the cookies that
you sent with my zone.  The missionaries just about died.  They loved
the cookies. I think I might only have 30 mintues to talk on Christams
Day.  Make your list of what you want to share!

Stephen and Shara-Thank you so much for looking into the housing for
me.  I don`t know what I want as far as the social scene goes.  I`ll
ask Mom and Dad for their advice and then have them tell you my
decision.

I love you all very much!!!
Merry Christmas.

Love,
Hermana Blunck II

                       Hermana Blunck is currently serving in a jungle city,  
                                       Puerto Maldonaldo, Peru.
This city borders Bolivia.  She is training a new companion from Honduras, Hermana Giron.  This is a picture of a baptismal service they participated in. 

          Hermana Blunck is sporting a very short hair cut in all of  these photos.  Getting a haircut here in Peru is always an adventure, you just never know how it will turn out.  After a good cry and a few tears it was tiime to get on with the Lord's work once again.  Thank goodness our hair continues to grow!  Sometimes
                            we just have to laugh about life adventures. 
                         

                      Visiting Lago (Lake) Sandoval with President Calderon.

 Hermana Blunck and Herman Giron.

One of the Lord's newest memebers of His church.

Dec 12, 2011

Dearest Family,
This week is special because President Calderon is here to celebrate
Christmas with us.  Today he brought us to a lake called Lago
Sandoval.  Tomorrow we will have a Christmas dinner with him.
I`ve attached a few photos.  They include a few photos of our most
recent baptisms and from Lago Sandoval.  I need to take more pictures.
I`m super excited for the Christmas phone call.  I love you all dearly
and miss you!
Love,
Hermana Blunck II


Dec 5, 2011

Dearest Family,
After making a quick trip to Cusco for a trainer`s meeting, Hna. Giron
and I enjoyed a lovely Sabbath day.  Yesterday was a good learning
experience for me.  On Saturday night, we brought a couple from the
branch to meet one of the families that we`re teaching.  The couple
planned with the families to pass by on Sunday morning to go to church
together.  Yesterday morning, I felt devastated to arrive at church
and see the couple from the branch without our investigators.  It was
hard because the elders in our branch had a ton of investigators that
arrived and seeing them made me wonder if we`d been doing something
wrong.  Well, Heavenly Father had a lesson for me because our family
ended up arriving after the sacrament meeting.  They arrived late, but
they came!!!
The same thing happened in the evening, and once again I didn`t have
faith like God deserves that I give Him.  He never lets me down.
Hna. Giron and I planned with a family to go to the Christmas fireside
together.  When we passed by the couple`s house, it was locked up.  I
felt sad because I was so excited for this couple.  (Hna. Giron tells
me that one of my weaknesses is instantly giving my heart to the
people that we teach.)  In turns out in the end that our couple showed
up to the Christmas fireside a little bit late.  I feel a little
embarrassed that I get to worrying about things when everything always
works out according to God`s plans.
After our two experiences yesterday, I felt pretty humbled but
grateful for God`s patience with me.  I`m super quick to doubt, but He
still blesses me.
I hope that you have a lovely week.  I love you!!!!

Love,
Hermana Blunck II


Nov 28, 2011

Dearest Family,
Happy December!!!!  Thank you for your lovely emails.
The special and humbling event of the week was receiving news from
Yuli, a recent convert, that she is pregnant.  Yuli has not been able
to get pregnant for two years.   Over two months ago, my companion and
I were inspired to promise Yuli that God would bless her with the
opportunity to have another baby by marrying and by being baptized.
During my entire mission, I`ve heard that we have the authority to
promise specific blessings to our investigators.  When Yuli told us on
Wednesday that she is pregnant, I instantly felt humbled and reverent.
 God really honors the promises that His servants make to His
children.  I don`t share this experience to be proud.  More than
anything, I am humbled to know the God is willing to fulfill a
promised blessing that one of His servants, an imperfect servant,
gave.  Now I seek inspiration more than ever as my companion and I
promise blessings to our investigators.
Hna. Giron and I are getting along really well.  This helps us to work
effectively together and invite the spirit.  Yesterday we visited a
terrific family of four that is a reference from one of the sisters in
the Relief Society.  We both believe that this family is prepared and
will progress.  I`ll wrote more next week as we see the progress of
this family.  Hna. Giron and I are working hard to be able to receive
references.  We are in charge of the relief society activity this
Saturday.  We are going to make it a lot of fun, but we`ve also put
the entrance requirement of a friend or a less active member for the
sisters to be able to enter.  The relief society sisters are beginning
to trust us and that really excited me.
Funny experience--Hna. Giron told me this morning that I was sleep
talking last night.  In my conversation, I invited one of our
investigators named Lili to be baptized!!!  David and I are quite the
pair now.  While my companion recounts that I was inviting people to
be baptized in my dreams last night, I remember dreaming about our
home and all the Christmas decorations.  I hope the decorations are
coming.
This week I`m going back to Cusco for a trainer`s meeting.  I`m
excited to finally be able to participate in the mission trainings!!
I pray for every one of you.
With all my love,
Hermana Blunck II


Nov 21, 2011

Dearest Family,
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
I am thrilled to hear that Stephen is home and that he is healthy.  I
know that God really looks after our family, and so He blessed Stephen
to be able to have his surgery while in good health and with Shara and
Mom present.
At the beginning of the week I made a quick trip to Cusco to pick up
my new companion.  The church has a new training program for new
missionaries and President wanted me present in Cusco to receive my
companion and learn about the program.  The program is called `My
First Twelve Weeks.`  It is an amazing program that can really help a
new missionary develop terrific skills.  My new companion is Hna.
Giron.  She is from Honduras.
I felt really nervous when President told me that I would receive a
new missionary.  I feel very humbled because I feel like I yet have
many teaching skills to develop.  The good news is that Heavenly
Father helped me to overcome the nervousness quickly.  Rather than
feeling nervous, I now feel a great responsibility.  I want to teach
my companion `My First Twelve Weeks,` but she has yet to catch the
vision so it`s not something that she is anxious to do.  I can`t be
too strict with her, but I also feel responsible to guide her in the
right path.  I feel like it`s a fine line and I need lots of
inspiration.
This week we had a lovely baptism of the brother of our district
presidency`s first counselor.  He received the priesthood yesterday,
and that delighted me.  I know that this brother is a true convert and
will be a great leader.
I miss you very much.  I want to write you letters with more detail.

I send you all my love,
Hermana Blunck II


Nov 14, 2011

Dearest Family,
I realize that this week is a big week for the family.  Stephen and
Shara, I want you to know that I`m praying for you every day, even
while walking down the streets of Puerto.  I fasted for you yesterday.
 I would like to be with you to help you.  I pray that you`ll be able
to feel the Lord`s support as a sign that I have all the desires to be
with you.
We have changes tomorrow.  Hna. Grijalva and I were caught off-guard
last night because we were informed the Hna. Grijalva has a change.
Her change is the other sector of sister missionaries in Puerto!
She`s staying here but is changing companions.  I`ve been asked to
come to Cusco for a few days.  Maybe I`ll receive some training.  I`m
a bit nervous.
Something that I learned this week is that references do not come when
a missionary asks for them.  References are won by winning the
confidence of the members.  This week the brother of the first
counselor in Puerto`s district presidency will be baptized.  The
parents of these brothers are going to come from Lima.  I`m thrilled.
The brother that is the counselor in the district presidency gave us a
great reference last night as we taught his brother.
Right now we are low on investigators with baptismal dates, but I know
that I have to have a lot of faith.  Satan is working really hard on
me right now that feel fear.  I know that Hna. Grijalva and I needed
to be together for six weeks because she helped remind me that I have
to put my confidence in God.  Hna. Grijalva also helped me to remember
the fundamentals of being a Preach My Gospel missionary, which is to
use the Spirit to understand the real needs of every investigator and
to teach with the Spirit after listening intently to the
investigators.
I sure love every one of you.  I can`t read your emails without
tearing up.  I am blessed indescribably.

With all my love from Puerto Maldonado,
Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

 

Happy birthday to Grandma and Grandpa and Sheri!  I am with you in spirit on your special days this month!!!  I sure love you!!!

 

I want to thank you for writing me and thinking of me every week.  I feel very grateful and blessed.  There are lots of missionaries, including my companion, that never receive emails from their families.  Please forgive me for being behind on my hand written letters.  I will get them in the mail soon.

 

This week was a very good learning experience.  Hna. Grijalva and I have had some struggles, but I think we`re overcoming them.  The mission has helped me to overcome my fear to talk about problems.  When I started the mission, I tried to keep working without talking about the problems, but it didn`t help.  I think I surprise Hna. Grijalva a little bit when I regularly bring up problems in our night time planning, but it`s the best solution that I have when we don`t `llevar bien.`

 

We contacted two female attorneys this week.  I enjoyed the experience.  One of the ladies told us bluntly, `I don`t like your religion.` We gave the woman a little bit of time to explain her feelings, and she expressed that she doesn`t like that we don`t get up to clap and shout.  We responded to the attorney that what really matters in a church is the doctrine.  Everyone has different methods of worshipping.  I enjoyed the experience because I felt afterwards that the Spirit had really helped us to respond with an answer that was appropriate for the woman.  As an attorney, doctrine and principles matter to her.  I think that she will always remember that what matters about the LDS church is the doctrine, and I hope that someday she will accept the gospel.

 

 

Love,

 

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

I feel like I`m in Oregon.  The rains have set-in in the jungle.  Fortunately, I have my handy pair of rubber boots. 

President Calderon visited us this past week.  He gave several trainings to the leaders here and we missionaries also attended.  I really, really appreciated the trainings.  He also gave training to the missionaries that clarified everything for me.  I feel confident now that I can work as God desires and President Calderon will be happy with those efforts.  To put it simply, I can focus on looking for families to baptize even if that means that there will be less baptisms.

When I arrived in Puerto, Hna. Benites and I had several baptisms.  During some of the baptisms I felt confused because the Spirit was agitated within me.  I didn`t feel joy in the baptisms, but my mind couldn`t make sense of why I didn`t feel calm.  I thought, `They`re baptisms.  I should be happy.`  I expressed my concerns to my companion, and she replied that baptizing children is often a means of motivating parents to learn about the church.  This comment quieted me.  In fact, I felt a little bad that I hadn`t considered that perspective.

President Calderon`s visited helped me because he talked openly.  He said, `We don`t want to add the church`s list of inactives.  Few, few young people stay active after their baptisms.  They come to church mainly for the social interactions.  Even if the young people are intelligent and they like learning about the church, few of they will remain active.  Many young people excite missionaries because they are excited about the church, but the excitement quickly fades.`  I know what President Calderon told us is true because I`ve seen it a lot.  It`s a different story when children are baptized with their parents.  They stay active.

In sum, I realize that what the Spirit led me to feel with my previous baptisms was the Spirit talking to me.  The Spirit didn`t tell me exactly what was wrong, but I definitely felt confusion.  That confusion signified that not everything was as it should be.   I`m glad now, however, that I can finish my mission working towards what really matters most. 

Love,

Hermana Blunck II

 Dearest Family,

I want to send my love and support to David and Sheri.  I am sorry
that Preston did not come home with you.  You are in my prayers as
well as Marisol and Preston.

This Saturday was the best day of my mission.  I was an amazing day
because a family was able to be baptized, and I believe that Piter and
Yuli are real converts.  That gives me more delight than I can
explain.  Both Piter and Yuli have received real answers to their
prayers, and they`ve shared of their experiences with us.  Piter and
Yuli were baptized with their niece.

Another wonderful woman was also baptized on Saturday.  Her name is
Indira.  Indira gave my companion and I the surprise of our life by
showing up to our baptismal service to tell us that she wanted to be
baptized too.  Indira told us that the night before that she studied
and prayer all night and received her answer that she should be
baptized.
A sweet little girl was also baptized on Saturday.  Her name is Anely.

Thank you for all of you support.  I received several letters today
which was a sweet surprise.

I send you all my love from Puerto Maldonado,

Hermana Blunck II

                           

October 17, 2011

Dearest Family,
It`s been such a delight to read you emails and read about Preston`s
birth.  I have no doubt that Heavenly Father is blessing our family.
This week I had one of the favorite lessons of my mission.  We were
visiting our investigator that got married on Friday in the chapel and
will be baptized with her husband this Saturday.  On Tuesday, we
visited Yuli and we noted that she seemed discouraged.  Her fiancé`s
family was not being supportive of the wedding.  After Yuli expressed
her feelings to us, I felt the Spirit strongly.  I felt an urgency to
testify to her that she can have an eternal family.  I pulled out our
family picture from Stephen and Shara`s wedding, and I began to tell
Yuli that I wanted to tell her about a family.  While showing Yuli our
photo, I explained our family’s story.  I testified that Mom and Dads`
decisions to join the church have affected the lives permanently of
every one of their children.  I testified that the gospel truly
blesses the family.  While I shared my testimony, I cried.  I`ve felt
a great nearness to the family this week, and it could be because
Preston was born.  To put it simply, this lesson was one of my
favorite lessons because I had the opportunity to testify of eternal
families.
I love you!!!
Hermana Blunck II

October 10, 2011

Dearest Family,

I`m now with my new companion.  Her name is Hna. Grijalva.  She is from Guatemala.  I`ve attached a picture that shows all my companions that are still in the mission field.  Hna. Grijalva wears glasses.

It`s a great blessing to work with Hna. Grijalva because she comes from an area in Cusco.  There`s great ward support there, and now Hna. Grijalva and I are working to develop better relationships with the branch members here.  This last week we visited the district president, a district counselor, the branch relief society president, the elder`s quorum president, the primary president, and the young woman`s president.  With each of these leaders, we had family home evenings with investigators.  I love working in this way with the branch members.

Earlier this week was exciting.  I went to Cusco.  There, we had a conference for all the sisters in the mission.  There are 19 of us.  We listened to spiritual thoughts, and then we also got haircuts together. 

Mom and Dad, I just want to tell you that a missionary named Hna. Alcantara from Tarapoto talked to me this week.  She told me that her sisters always writes her about how well Tarapoto is progressing.  She says that all the missionaries in the Lima North Mission are super obedient.  This made me so proud.  I know you`re doing a great work.  I`m so proud of you.
 
Wtih all my love,

Hermana Blunck II
 

 Lynette just celebrated her 22nd birthday in the mission field. 

 A tradition in Peru.

                                       Sisters in Lynette's rama or branch.

                                  Noche de hogar or Family Home Evening

                             All of Lynette's companions during her mission.

Dearest Family!!!

I agree with all of you!  General Conference was fantastic.  It`s amazing how I receive different impressions from the talks as a missionary.  My perspective has changed.

I feel content because the last week has been full of opportunities for me to receive answers to my questions or confirmations of my ideas.  For example, I expressed concern to my companion a while ago that we were baptizing many young children.  She explained to me that baptizing children often helps parents to take a bigger interest in the gospel.  This comment quieted me because I hadn`t looked at the baptism of children in that perspective, but I still didn`t feel comfortable.  This week I received a letter from Mom.  She explained that Dad is encouraging missionaries to wait to baptize children when their parents get baptized.  It`s okay to wait for a baptism in order to baptize families.  These comments from Mom have touched home, and now I feel content.  Something that excites me is that I went with Hna. Benites this week to the municipalidad to work with one of our couples on their marriage paperwork.  It`s not as hard as I thought it would be to help couples in Puerto Maldonado to get married.  I have greater excitement now to look for families to baptize. 

My birthday was very lovely.  Thank you for your kind words and lovely gifts.  It was a delightful day because we had two baptisms in the night time.  I never imagined before that I`d celebrate my birthday with baptisms

I am without a companion now.  Hna. Benites is finishing her mission, so she`s already traveled to Cusco.  It will be interesting to see who my new companion is.  I feel nervous of course, but I know that "it`s better to look up."

Love from Cuzco,

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

Happy General Conference week!  I am super excited to watch General Conference.  We had the opportunity to watch the Relief Society broadcast on Saturday.

This week was lovely.  Two younger girls were baptized.  One of the girls is the daughter of less active parents.  We are still working with the parents to help them remember their baptismal covenants, but I am excited that the daughter chose to be baptized.  The couple`s son should get baptized this next week.

A while ago Hna. Benites expressed to me that she had an idea to have a companionship of missionaries in Puerto focus on less active families. Hna. Benites surprised me because that`s what Mom and Dad are doing, and she had the same idea.  I suggested to Hna. Benites that we propose the idea to President Calderon.  I wrote the idea in one of my weekly letters to President Calderon.  He hasn`t responded, but I really hope that he considers the idea.  I`d love to have that responsibility.

Everyone asks me if the heat kills me.  It doesn`t do me in like some of the other missionaries.  I feel very blessed.  For our preparation day activity last week, we rode in the back of a truck into the jungle to a place that has a soccer field.  We also walked into the jungle a little bit.  There, we all hung from the type of vines the Tarzan swings from in the movie. 

Happy Birthday Rita!!!  I can`t wait to talk to you!!!!   I love you very, very much.   Happy Birthday!!!!!

I`m not actually sure what I`ll do on Thursday, but I`ll definitely eat some ice cream!  Maybe everyone in Oregon can enjoy a piece of marionberry pie for me =) and some French muffin puffs too =).

Please say hi to everyone for me!

Love,

Hermana Blunck II

Hermana Lynette Blunck in Puerto Maldonado Peru.

September 19, 2011
Dearest Family,
How are you doing?  This week a wonderful investigator named Carina
was baptized.  Carina has been a testament to me that there are really
people prepared to receive the gospel.  They just don`t know where to
find it until we talk to them.  Carina is a single mother.  She lives
at home.  None of her family members came to her baptism, and before
her baptism they all told her that she was making a mistake.  Carina
didn`t let her family`s comments shake her even a little.   In her
testimony, Carina shared, ｴeven though my family didn`t come today, I
know that I have a family here.ｴ  This really touched my heart.

Love to you all,
Hermana Blunck II

Sept. 12, 2011

 Dearest Family,

 Thank you for writing to me.  I love hearing about your adventures.  Has everyone started school?  I can`t believe how the time is flying.

I`m really grateful for the time I spent in Urubamba because it`s helping me to have hope for our branch here in Puerto.  This week in Puerto was eye-opening.  I realized that the branch needs some support.  Missionaries before have worked hard to have lots of baptisms and they`ve done that, but the branch has been neglected along the way.  I`m not exactly sure what a good starting step is to help a branch improve, but I`m confident that revelation will come.  What ideas do you have?  Something else that I realized this week is that many of the baptisms that have been enacted were for youth.  Unfortunately, many of these youth have gone less active.  I continue feeling an urgency to look for families to teach.  This last week we actually found a promising family.  The mother`s name is Eve.  Even though we didn`t teach any lessons to the family before Sunday, the family attended church because we invited them.  I`m praying that this family can progress.

 This week has been a fun week discovering jungle fruits.  Hna. Benites and I have gotten to laughing really hard as we chucked rocks at trees in hopes of knocking down fruit.  This week we discovered guanabana and kaimito.  Kaimito is my new favorite fruit.  We also found coconuts, and a little girl hacked open the coconuts for us with a machete.  I was quite impressed. 

Love,

Hermana Blunck  II

My new companion in Puerto Maltonaldo,  Hermana Benites.
Sept.5, 2011
Dearest Family,

Thank you for your beautiful letters.  I am sweating it out here in Puerto, but I am content.  Puerto is a place very prepared for the gospel.  We have found many wonderful people to teach this past week and they are progressing.

The work in Puerto feels very different for me.  It`s less stressful.  Whereas my companion and I taught in all of Urubamba and the nearby cities before, now my companion and I only have our small area where we focus.  There`s a small number of members that live within our area, so there aren`t members frustrated with us because we don`t have time to visit them.  The fact of the matter is that we don`t leave our area.  Hna Benites and I don`t walk as much as I used to, but that`s okay.  I liked feeling that we have a little space in our agenda to contact well. 

 Love,

 Hermana Blunck II  

August 29, 2011

Dearest Family,

Thank you for writing me such lovely notes.  My new area is Puerto

Maldonado.  I`m about three hours away from the Bolivian border.  I`m

in the jungle!!!!!!!  I am super feliz!

My new companion is Hna. Benites.  She`s finishing her mission this

transfer.  I feel very privileged to be with her because she has lots

of experience.  Normally, missionaries with lots of time in the

mission are put with younger companions.  Thank you for remembering

me—this week I complete one year in the mission.  I`m not sure yet

what we`ll do to celebrate, but Hna. Benites and I are planning

something.

Hna. Villegas is in Puerto Maldonado.  I didn`t think that President

would send me to Puerto. 

I know that I need to have lots of faith and excited for the next few

months while I`m here.

I send you all of my love!!!!

Love,

Hermana Blunck II

 Lynette still is serving in Urubamba Peru.  Urubamba is located in the heart of the sacred valley of the Incas.  It has been an incredible experience for her to serve here.  Lynette has grown to love the people here and her companions.  Recently our son Stephen visited the Cusco region and was given permission to see Lynette so these are a few photos he brought back.  Her companion is from Chile, Hermana San Fransisco.  They have been very blessed to live near a senior couple, the Schellenbergs from Utah. 

 Every zone needs a zone t-shirt.  Here the hermanas show off theirs at the top of Machu Picchu where they met Stephen and his wife Shara. 

Stephen and Shara spent a wonderful preparation day with Lynette and her companion at Machu Picchu.  Lynette is fluent in Spanish and she is happy serving the Lord. The first of September she will have served one year.  Time had flown by. Sometimes the hardest things we do in life turn into some of our greatest blessings. 

Dearest Family,

 

Hna. San Francisco and I continue to work in the Sacred Valley.  We`re starting to spend more and more time in Ollantaytambo because there are many people there who are prepared to receive the gospel.  Hna. San Francisco and I even wrote to President Calderon suggesting that he put missionaries in Ollantaytambo.  We`ll see what happens.  Hna. San Francisco and I would love to be sent there.

 

For the past two months Hna. San Francisco and I have been visiting a senora called Mari.  Mari owns a restaurant here in Urubamba.  Mari`s told us that she likes The Book of Mormon and that she wants to come closer to God, but she`s never come to church.  We couldn`t figure out until yesterday why she`s never come to church.  Yesterday we visited Mari and shared with her the importance of obeying all of God`s commandment, including keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Mari then agreed that one can obey all of God`s commandments if she has the desire and will-power to do it.  Mari quickly changed the subject after she made this statement and started talking about how she likes the Book of Mormon.  When Mari changed the subject, I thought `Mari recognizes the power of will-power.  We can`t drop the subject of the Sabbath day so quickly.` With that thought, we asked Mari `Do you have the will-power to keep the Sabbath day holy`.  This direct question turned out to be a key for us.  We were scared to talk so pointedly, but Mari ended up explaining that she has problems in her personal life that she is trying to resolve.  We believe that Mari might get a divorce from her husband.  This problem is the overwhelming concern for Mari right now.

 

I have a bigger testimony now of the importance of talking directly.  First I learned with my companions that no matter how much it pains me, I have to talk honestly.  Now I`m learning that I have to do the same with our investigators.  I think it`s possible to talk pointedly and with love, it just takes practice.  Not talking is more painful than talking. 

 

Hna. San Francisco and I feel a little weighted right now because everyone (members, new members, investigators, and leadership) are asking us why we don`t visit them.  We are working our hearts out to visit everyone, but our area is quite big and consequently we can`t be with everyone all the time.  When I feel overhwhelmed I try to think about the Savior.  I know that he makes up for our weaknesses.  He helps us carry our responsibilities.  I know that what we feel is only a portion of what Mom and Dad feel, for example.  I can`t even imagine how the prophet feels.  What a blessing it is that we have a Savior that makes up for us when we fall short.

  

Can I ask you a favor?  If you`ve written me recently will you write me soon?  During our day in Cusco on Tuesday, the backpack of a missionary that contained lots of letters for me was stolen.  I feel a little sad that I didn`t receive those letters.   

 

 

I sure love you!

 

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

 

I hope you had an especially lovely weekend with Alison`s wedding.  Congratulations Kristin on your upcoming wedding.  I received the letter you wrote me today.

 

This week was terrific.  We experienced several miracles and had lots of fun in an event called Inti Raymi.  Inti Raymi is a festival that the Incas celebrated every year to worship the sun.  Cusco has an reenactment every year of this festival.  President Calderon gave us permission this week to take our preparation day on Friday to watch the event in Cusco.  The festival includes many dancers that are dressed natively and includes actors such as the chief Inca.  The festival takes place in three places, such as the Plaza of Armas and Saqsawayman.  We watched the event in all three places.  The photo I`ve attached shows Hermana San Francisco and I in Saqsawayman.  Saqsawayman is a huge temple complex which the Incas built.  It includes huge stones the are all cut to fit perfectly together.  It is really quite magnificent.

 

One of our miracles of the week relates to our day at the Inti Raymi festival.  After returning to Urubamba, we realized that we forgot our cell phone in the taxi.  This put us in an instant panic because cell phones are usually stolen instantly.  We just received the cell phone from President Calderon on Sunday practically brand new.  Hna. San Francisco and I ran to the terminal but the car had returned to Cusco for the night.  We called it and called it, and nobody answered.  On Friday night, we prayed our little hearts out.  On Saturday morning, we went to the terminal at 5am because we knew the we had to intercept the taxi as fast as possible.  Through the tender mercies of God, one taxi driver helped us to find the taxi we`d riden in because we didn`t see our taxi when it pulled in the terminal.  Once at our taxi, the driver told us that he`d just cleaned the van and didn`t find a phone.  We were heartbroken, but we called our phone and miraculously it started ringing within the car.  It had fallen way underneath the seats.  I can`t give all the details adequately to explain how many tender mercies we experienced in this event, but it was definitely a miracle.  Maybe this experience seems simple to you, but it was very special to us.  I know that God looks after us in every need that we have.  He helps us when we are doing His will.

  

I`d love to receive a few letters from you!

 

 

All my love,

 

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

I am with a new companion now!  Her name is Hermana San Francisco, but don`t be confused.  My companion is not from the U.S. =D.  She is from Chile.  I think it`s the most beautiful thing that I am having the opportunity to have companions from many different countries while in the mission.  President Calderon came to visit our zone right before the change meeting and named three different hermanas that could be my new companion.  When I heard Hna. San Francisco`s name, I got my hopes up that she would be the one.  We got to know each other a little bit while I was serving in Cusco.  It turns out the she was the one.  Hna. San Francisco just completed six months in the mission.  Speaking of time in the mission, I completed nine months in the mission this past week.  Can you believe it?!  I honestly cannot believe it. 

Quite honestly, I was nervous to begin this new change, but I`m getting over the nervousness.  Hna. San Francisco and I work well together.  We hadn`t practiced together, but during our very first lesson we were able to blend our teaching together.  My goal with Hna. Francisco is to have very open communication.    I told her right away exactly how I was feeling and I think Hna. Francisco appreciated it.  All of my life, one of my weaknesses has been speaking honestly with people who are not family members.  I believe that the mission is finally helping me to improve my communication. 

Hna. Francisco and I are trying to begin working with less active members.  I feel really excited about this.  We are also trying to plan our lessons with a purpose.  Of course, we are striving to do lots of contacting.  I pray that with these efforts, God will open the windows of heaven.   

Please send my greetings to all the extended family members.  I do receive their letters, so encourage them to keep sending them.  I try to write them as often as I can.   

  

 All my love,

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

This week was special for Hermana Villegas because Alejandro and Cerila married and were baptized on Saturday.  Their eleven year old daughter was also baptized.  Sunday was also special because another special woman was baptized.  We were not expecting her to be baptized this week.  The woman`s name is Eulalia. 

Something extra special about Eulalia is that her son is serving a mission in Trujillo.  He grew up in Cusco with his aunt and joined the church there.  The missionary sent the reference of his mom to the Cusco mission office and Hna. Villegas and I subsequently received it.    Eulalia does not read or understand quickly, but she had lots of enthusiasm to be baptized.  She takes care of an 86 year old man, who is still quite intelligent, and he helped us out a lot on Friday.  On Friday we visited Eulalia to invite her to watch the baptisms on Saturday, and the older gentleman encouraged Eulalia to go.  Eulalia was worried about serving lunch and the gentleman said, ‘don`t worry about it, we`ll eat early.’  I think it would be the sweetest thing in the world to baptize this gentleman.  His name is Alberto.  Eulalia also has a daughter that still does not want to get baptized, but we do lots of confidence with her so she will get baptized in time.

 Thank you for always expressing your confidence in me.  I know that God is with us.  I know that God is with me.  I feel that He has some families for me to find in the next few weeks.

Take care.  Happy Memorial Day to all of you!!!

Love,

Hermana Blunck II

In one of the photos I`ve attached, I am playing basketball in Huallabamba with a young boy we taught.  We met his mother and father in a park in Urubamba.  The boy, Brandon, loves to play basketball, so it`s a good thing that I had some B-ball practice with Stephen over the years.

The second photo is the family the married and baptized this past weekend.

The third photo includes Eulalia and Cerila.  Eulalia and Cerila have already started becoming friends.

Dearest Family,

I am sorry that I did not write you yesterday.  Thank you for all of your wonderful emails!  I leave the internet with the biggest smile in the world because of your letters.

Yesterday was a lot of phone.  The Schellenbergs put on an Olympics contest for our zone.  If you can believe it, I placed second out of our whole zone!  I won a cute Machu Picchu hat.  Some of the games in the contest were more based on luck than skill, but not all of them.  I did more crunches than all the missionaries in my zone and so I won that contest!  Aren`t you proud?  I also did more pushups than some of the elders in my zone.

This week the couple we have been teaching is going to get married and baptized on Friday or Saturday.  We are super excited.  The mother is returning today from a ten day trip to obtain the paperwork necessary for her wedding.  Bless her heart.  She`s been through a million of adventures.  Sometimes it is very difficult to get birth certificates and other legal documents from the little pueblos.  For example, Cirila couldn`t get some of her husband´s paperwork because terrorists had burned the city building.  Thankfully, Elder Schellenberg was able to work through the problem with Alegandro`s paperwork, so we`re still set to go. 

I think I should look into studying nursing because I gave Hna. Villegas a shot this morning!  Hna. Villegas fell on Sunday and felt a lot of pain, so we visited the doctor yesterday and he sent us back to Urubamba with pain reliever shots.  He showed me how to give the shot and gave me the assignment to give Hermana Villegas two shots today.  Quite honestly, I was nervous this morning, but we both survived.  Hna. Villegas isn´t paralyzed and I`m not paralyzed emotionally.

Hermana Villegas sends her greetings to all of you!


Every one of you are in my prayers!  Please take care of yourselves and be safe!!!!!



Love,

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

Happy belated Mother`s Day!  I hope yesterday was very special for every one of you.  Yesterday was wonderful for me.  During the afternoon and the evening, I had to resist the temptation to call Mom and Dad again.  I hope you appreciate that you can call Mom and Dad whenever you want and that you call them often!

This last week Hna. Villegas and I put on a talent show for our branch.  It turned out quite well.  A lot of investigators came, and most of them where the type of investigators that never attend church.  We`re hoping and praying that having entered the church for the talent show will help these investigators to attend church on Sundays.  

In the photo I`m sending, I am helping a ward member with her choclo.  Usually choclo is dried and then stored as individual kernals.  The corn is lots bigger here than it is in the U.S.  It is not quite as sweet.  Many people prefer to eat the choclo with cheese.  Something else that I learned to eat is corn stalk.  The inside membranes of the corn stalks are sweet, so the locals peel off the out layers of the stalk and the munch on the inside.  They do not swallow what they chew on.  They simply suck on the sweet juices and then spit out the pulp.  Interesting. 

Sorry this email is not very long.  Adding a picture takes quite a bit of time.  Thank you for writing me!  I hope to hear from you again next week!

Love,

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

As you can see in one of the photos, I am learning all sorts of skills in the mission.  For example, I learned how to gut fish and prepare them to be deep fried.  With the relief society sisters of our branch, we traveled to a fish hatchery on Saturday for a relief sociey get-away.  It was a lot of fun.  One of our investigators came and enjoyed herself, but the heartbreaker is that she decided yesterday that she does not want to get baptized.  I feel really bad for the senior couple in our area, the Schellenbergs, because they worked super hard to help this couple marry.  They dedicated tons of time with this couple. 

The good news is that a different couple is going to get married the eighth of April.  I feel wonderful about this couple.  We had a lovely lesson with this couple that will marry last Wednesday.  The husband arrived home just as Hna. Villegas and I were preparing to leave.  The husband immediately shared his concerns with us.  It was beautiful to see how much he opened up.  The man, named Augustin, was sincere and humble.  He explained that it bothered him how Elder Schellenberg had been so persistent that they marry and baptize quickly.  It was at this time that I understand why I had felt impressed to read Mosiah 11 in my personal study in the morning.  I had seen that reading Mosiah 11 was a personal study recommendation as part of chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel.  Even though I didn`t understand how this recommendation related to anything, I felt I should follow this specific recommendation.  There are two verses in Mosiah 11 that talk about how God is slow to hear our prayers when we are slow to repent.  Thankfully, Augustin did not take this scripture the wrong way.  As soon as we shared the verses, he said, -I understand.- 

Augustin also shared his concern with us that he desired to believe in the Book of Mormon, but it was a real struggle for him because it is so different than the Bible.  Hermana Villegas and I shared with Augustin about the sticks of Judah and Ephraim and the corresponding scripture in the Bible.  We cannot share this scripture with many people because they do not understand.  Augustin, however, immediately understood the significane of the scripture.  It was so wonderful to have a lesson where we could answer questions with scriptures and our investigator understood the answers.  It is so much better to answer questions with scriptures than with our own words.  There is a great sense of legitimacy with scriptures than with our words.

I really love my zone.  Hermana Villegas and I are the only sisters in the zone, but all of the elders are super great to us.  I laugh more than I laugh the whole week on our preparation days.  Elders are so goofy sometimes.  I`ve attached a photo of our amazing preparation day last Monday.  We traveled to Ollantaytambo together and hiked up to some Inca ruins.  There are other ruins in Ollantaytambo, which are much bigger, but it costs a lot to enter. 

  

Thank you for sharing your missionary experiences with me.    I know that the greater effort we put into being missionaries, the easier Heavenly Father makes it for us to do.

Love,

Hermana Blunck II

Dearest Family,

I hope you received this email alright because it includes lots of photos.  I know that pictures speak a thousand words.  I hope you can see in these photos that I am happy.  I also hope that you can get a taste of where I live and what the people are like.

This last week was beautiful because the family I`ve written about previously were civily married and they were baptized.  The father`s name is Eynar and the mother`s name is Soraida.  Eynar and Soraidas` story is a miracle.  One Sunday they simply showed up at the church because Eynar dreamed that his family needed to change.  He felt that he should bring his family to the LDS church.  With the help of the senior missionary couple in Urubamba, we taught Eynar and Soraida about the fundamentals of the church Christ established and how these fundamentals have been restored to the earth in our times.  We taught them that they can directly ask Heavenly Father in prayer if the church Christ established has been restored to the earth.  We also invited them to pray and ask Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true.  Eynar and Soraida, like me, received answers to their prayers.  For this reason, they chose to be baptized.  They are now beginning a very beautiful journey.  They are happier than they were two months ago.  They know what principles they need to teach to their children.  They know Heavenly Father`s plan for them in this life.  

I think my Spanish is progressing because I forgot this week the name `grilled cheese sandwhich.` A lovely lady served us a grilled cheese sandwhich one day, and when my companion asked me for the name in English, I couldn`t remember.  It took me ten minutes to think of `grilled cheese sandwhich.` 

I would encourage you to look up Urubamba and Ollantaytambo in the internet, so you can see some photos of where I`m serving.  There are lots of Inca ruins here.  I`m grateful to be in an area that really is a `Sacred Valley.` 

Here are a few explanations about the photos I`ve attached--

The photo of the couple dressed in white is that family that married and were baptized this week. 

There is one photo with two missionaries talking on the phone.  These missionaries are my zone leaders.  This image cracked me up so I decided to send it to you.  The missionaries are talking on there `cell phone.` In the picture, you can actually see that the phone is a traditional telephone.  The elders were hauling it around in their backpack like it was a call phone.  The goofy things we do in the mission!

In one of the pictures, there is a group of missionaries walking and also two traditionally dressed women beside them.  We see many women dressed this way in Urubamba and the surrounding pueblos.  In Quechua, these women are called `panais.` The missionaries in the mission jokingly call us sister missionaries the `panais.

The last picture is of my companion and I.  Hermana Villegas is from northern Peru in a town called Chiclayo.

  

Remeber that I love every one of you.  I am always pleading that Heavenly Father will bless you to feel of my prayers for you.  I am proud of you for working hard in your responsibilities.

All my love from Urubabma Peru.

Hermana Blunck II