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