Lissa in Lima : Apresurando la obra de salvación!

Well this week was a bit different, but went pretty well. We had a pretty relaxed p-day on Monday, but on Tuesday we had a Multi-Zone conference in La Molina with 3 other zones which was way cool because I got to see other missionaries that I haven´t seen in a while like my good friend Hermana Ocampo and also Hermana Torres, who I replaced here in Salamanca and she is just amazing! Presidente Ardila taught us a lot about hastening the work of salvation by working with members and leaders in our areas and also Hermana Ardila gave a really great talk about helping people reach true conversion, which is a process that extends long after baptism. It was a really great day overall and I learned a lot of things that I took back to my area and am trying to apply. The photo I attatched is about a month early, but...FELIZ NAVIDAD de Zona San Luis!

Yesterday was a bit strange because they had elections here in Lima and we didn´t have church. We still had to proselite as usual, and the streets were packed with people, but they had all come from other parts of Lima. Everyone is assigned a place to vote, but its not organized too well and just about everyone has to go to another part of Lima to vote. Also here voting is obligatory! How interesting! But anyways, we still made some good contacts and had lunch with a family in the ward, so everything went pretty well.

Mirella didn´t make it to church the Sunday after her baptism because she got sick again, but this week we were able to get her confirmed while the Bishop was doing interviews Thursday night. It was a little stressful because if she didn´t get confirmed this week, she would have to be baptized AGAIN! After about 8 times the first time! Haha. But it all worked out well! She has now read all of "Leales de la Fe" (i don´t know what its called in English) and we gave her a bunch of Liahonas and she LOVES them! I´ve never met a 14 year old like her who is always always always texting but also likes to read so much! haha. She is a great little convert and we got to see her perform last Saturday when the youth of the stake put on a "teatro" and each ward acted out a different parable because seminary here recently ended in the New Testament. It was so cute!

On Saturday, Eliseo, Lupita´s son turned 8 and was baptized! All the hermanas that have been here in the ward got to come and see his baptism and it was super cute! All the missionaries there sang the Primary song "Mi Padre Celestial Me Ama" ("My Heavenly Father Loves Me") as a special musical number. Eliseo is like my little brother and it was a very sweet experience to share that moment with him and the Valladares family, who have been my family away from my family and take care of us so much!

We have two people here that we have been teaching for months and are super ready to be baptized, but have some obstacles to overcome to be able to do it (permission, etc.)... please pray for us/THEM! I am hoping to finish this transfer this week with them finally baptized and confirmed as members of the church :)

Mom and Dad, I´m super glad to hear you guys are helping out the missionaries there and I KNOW that they really appreciate it. I would exhort you (like Moroni... here I go with scripture language, haha) to help them as much as you can, ask them about their investigators, offer to have lessons in your home and befriend the investigators/less actives they´re working with. This applies to EVERYONE reading this! This work can´t move forward without the members. The Lord is hastening his work by sending more missionaries and every member has the responsibilty to be a part of this too. Elder Bednar says that the missionaries are full time teachers and the members are full time finders and missionaries for life! The work of salvation doesn´t just refer to non members, but to recent converts, less actives, etc. I can say as a missionary that members are CRUCIAL to success. Pretty please everyone do that for me! :)

Love you all and I look forward to calling a MONTH from today! :)

Hermana Bledsoe