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