MY DREAM CAME TRUE ... I GOT TO BE A TRANSLATOR!

(EMAIL SENT JULY 6, 2015)

Hola Familia!

Alrighty, so I loved your pics from 4th of JULY!!! Looks like you guys had a blast, and love that you went with sweet Lizzie. Tell the McCleskey clan HEY from Sister CHUMway! And Aunt Shareen and her adorable family!!! And Grandpa and Grandma. Talk about a good looking group of people!!

This week started out with a bang! My first day in this area, we got called by our zone leaders that we were invited to help with a service project with AMERICAN doctors that were donating glasses to a pueblo that live in the mountains. OKAY ... I just about died!! I have always wanted to do something like that! So we headed out early in the morning and met up in town hall in a tiny town in the mountains. A huge line of people waited outside as we entered, and we received our tasks and got to work! So many glasses were donated and I helped translate for the group. I sent a few pics to show me at work but it was literally a DREAM. I need to do something like this when I get back! I don´t know how the missionaries got lucky enough to help out, but it was so incredible seeing how happy the people were to get glasses. This project included children and adults. It was just the best!

Okay, so the first things about Chulucanas is... my area is HUGE!! Oh man it´s big. But it is so cute. The town for some reason reminds me of the town on the Hidden Valley Ranch bottles - but I just feel like we are cute little group of people that are hidden from all the troubles in the world. And we are surrounded by EL CAMPO. A bunch of fields where they grow mangoes and limes. We are about one hour out of Piura so we have to travel to all of our meetings in Piura in a bus, packed with people. It's an adventure.

Our pencionista is the cutest. She is a new pencionista and is young and super energetic. WE LOVE HER! Her son Dylan is my new best friend! He is about 6 years old, loves teaching me how to make crafts, draw transformers, and reminds me of my sweet little Ashton boys! He pretty much talks to me our entire lunch about superheroes and anything that comes to his mind. Hahaha - It is so great!

We don't belong to a ward, but have a branch. It is just a cute little chapel, and this last Fast Sunday only about 30 members came to church. And ... I BORE MY TESTIMONY IN SPANISH!!! That was a huge step for me because I have always been scared that the people wouldn't understand me fully, but this last Sunday I went for it!! Maybe only about 30 people were listening, but hey, I did it! Ha!

I don't really remember who are our investigators, and who were the less actives that we taught this week and their names (yup, still trying to get to know the area!) but I all I can say is we are teaching a lot of investigators right now. The only things is when I went though our area book for the first time I saw that no one, of the 10 investigators we had, has a baptismal date! I have learned in my mission that we can teach a bunch of people during the week, but if we never challenge them to baptism, we will never see progress. SO ... this next week, I talked with my comp and we are challenging everyone of our investigators to baptism, and placing a date! It's like Parker taught me from his Preach my Gospel from his mission ... we have gotta "JUST DO IT". So we are going for it!

I love my area, my comp, and feel blessed to be here! The only sad news is they might shut our area down. They told us this last week. This means that they will take out the missionaries and the members here will have to travel to Piura for their church meetings. But, I am determined to do all I can so that that doesn't happen. I KNOW that there are people in this area that are ready to hear the gospel and that we CAN find them! It is going to be a little tricky, take some work, but I know we can do it!

Side fact, my shower water in the morning was like a warm-cold (usually is just cold-cold). It freaked me out a little. Hahaha - I haven't had a warm shower in 10 months! Just thought that was a cool fact to share.

Overall we are doing great! Oh another great fact - GRABIEL is getting baptized this week!!! I hope we get permission to go, but if not, I am absolutely thrilled for him! I just barely missed his baptism, but I feel so blessed knowing that we found him, and that I could see all of his progress. This work is just incredible, and it is all worth it when you get to see the people you love enter the waters of baptism!

I know this is the work of our Heavenly Father! We can't do it without him! I KNOW, I absolutely do, that this church is true. We have something so incredible in our lives, and we should share it with the whole world!

I LOVE YOU ALL ... have an incredible week!!

Love everyone, serve every day, and trust in your Heavenly Father.

XOXO, Hermanita CHUMway

P.S. Elder Russell is my Zone Leader! Cool right?!! This is his last transfer.

My wish came true ... I got to be a translator!