Alpaca My Bags!

Love My CCM Companion Sister Updahl

Last Week in the CCM!

Hola once again from Peru!

Can you believe this is my last week here?! As of next Tuesday morning, I'll be out in Lima West as a REAL missionary! Well, I'm missionary now, but just a baby missionary in training :) Its so exciting! Everything is happening so fast! 5 weeks ago, I couldn't understand a lick of Spanish, now I can get almost everything the Latios are saying (if they talk a little slower!) But just the other day, me and my companion, Hermana Updahl were playing volleyball with a bunch of the Latios and I could talk and laugh with them 'cuse I could understand them most of the time! Its crazy. Sometimes I just think 'holy crap, I'm in PERU speaking SPANISH' and my brain explodes. LOVE IT.

My favorite ladies of the CCM--only one more week together

So as another week goes by so does another week of classes: LOTS of Spanish grammar classes and other classes that just teach us how to be the best missionary we can! Always something new to learn. But I can't WAIT to get out there and teaching real people :) Also, something cool this week, we had a member of the 1st quorum of the 70, Elder Ulisses Soares, came and give a devotional! It was amazing. He talked about exact obedience and how it is through obedience that the Lord can bless us. Makes me realize how much I need to work on, but through Christ, everything will turn out fine. So cool.

I love all the flags flying outside the CCM!

Along with all our learning, my district always finds ways to laugh everyday! Once when were in the computer lab doing our computer language program thing, Elder Campbell fell asleep spread out on 5 computer chairs with his face in his Book of Mormon! We were all laughing so hard when he finally woke up. Also, my companion's camera broke so we all tried doing camera surgery and took the whole thing apart..... buuuut we still haven't gotten it to work again! Oh! And the other day, a big group of primary kids came and walked through the CCM AND THEY WERE SO ADORABLE!! Yo derrite (I melted). All the girls came up and gave us little kisses and hugs and I just loved it! Some were kind of shy, but so cute.

Well, that's about it for this week! But to end I want to share an awesome scripture I came across this week. It's in the Book of Mormon Mosiah 24: 13 - 15. This is the story of the people of Alma who were bound in slavery and had to bear terrible burdens. But through their prayers and faith that somehow things would work out, the Lord blessed them. It says in 15 'the Lord did strength them that they could bear their burdens with ease and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord'. Sometimes God won't take the burdens from you, but will give you the strength you need to carry them. He knows better than anyone what you can handle and what will make you stronger. And I just love that!

So, have a great week!

-Hermana Stephenson