July 18 - Week 7 in Ica ... Journal Entry

This is in an area se llama Bolognesi in Lima! We went to Lima for a training and then for migraciones and these were all the hermanas that were staying with us! In total by the morning there were 10 of us! It was so much fun! The park and the fog are just pictures that I liked a lot because Bolognesi is really beautiful!

Hermana Shylo Lawrence

We went to a chocotejería but they were really expensive so we didn´t buy anything but this place is really famous so we took some pictures! And it was really fun!

 

July 12 - Serving a Mission ... Do it!!

July 12, 2016                 Shylo’s Testimony about Serving a Mission

The mission is hands down the most amazing thing that I have ever done in my life. I have seen so many blessings both physically, and spiritually. Also not only to me, but also to my family. My thoughts? It is hard. So hard. But so pure. The work rolls forth no matter what anyone says, because the Lord wants it to continue. And so it does. My feelings? I am so blessed to be a servant of the Lord. I have the chance to share my testimony every single day. I have the testimony to go and meet people I have never seen before and share with them the knowledge that I have of my Savior. I can already see the blessings of my mission. First of all, I love studying and I know that this is something that is going to bless my life while I am in school. Second, my testimony is so much stronger than it ever has been. I know that my Savior lives. I know that everything that I am, have, and do is thanks to my Savoir Jesus Christ. The mission is hard, and it is the best decision I have ever made. I wouldn´t trade one day. I love the mission because everyday is a new opportunity to learn, and to grow in the Spirit of the Lord. I absolutely love my mission, the blessings I have seen are incredible. The house in Lander finally sold, my health is finally stable, my testimony is growing, My family is safe and healthy, and I am inviting others to come unto Christ. There isn´t anything else I would rather be doing. Nothing. I love this gospel. I know my Savior lives. I know that the Atonement is personal and that repentance is the most amazing thing that we have on this planet. And that is because repentance erases every scar, every bad thing we have done, every thing we aren´t proud of. Erases it, through earnest prayer, faith, and if necessary confessing. Repentance is for everyone. We shouldn´t repent just once or twice a week, we should be repentant. Daily. Repentance isn´t what I do, it´s who I am. I love this gospel. Every day I wake up more excited to work dilligently in this work. Satan will never win if we don´t give him the opportunity. The gospel will always prevail, it may not be what the world likes, but it is exactly what every person in this world needs.

Hermana Lawrence

July 11 - Week 6 in Ica - New Companion!!

July 11, 2016                 Week 6 - Ica, Peru

This week has been a pretty good week! Hermana Zuchel is off to Lima to open a new area and train and I am here in Ica with my new companion Hermana Mostert! She is the best! She is from California but has moved a ton like us! But to way cool places like Japan and China and Mexico. And her Spanish is perfect because her mom is from Mexico and they speak Spanish in the house! Honestly it is such a blessing to have her as my companion because I can ask so many more questions about how to say this or how to say that and she can answer back in a way that I 100% understand!

But this week we had some low numbers. Which was sad. But always the Lord is helping us, always. We ran into some really cool people while we were contacting and saw some really amazing miracles with people wanting to come back to the church. We are so blessed here. And we have been trying to work a lot harder with our menos activos because we have a lot and we really want them back in the church, but we had a lot of people that just didn´t want us this week! But it´s okay because we seguir adelante and continue to love them and work even harder. 

Woohoo for the stomach flu! But thankfully it was only 2 days long and passed like it never was there! But yes, it was the night of cambios and if the video will send, it is why I looked like death. 

But this week has been very humbling. I have seen more miracles this week with protection and also with help with the people from the Lord. It has been a great cambio and here is to Cambio 2 with Hermana Mostert! Woohoo for dilligent work and slowly but surely we are progressing! 

My new companion, Hermana Mostert

Cupcake and milk to celebrate Mom's Birthday ... Happy Birthday Mom!!

July 4 - Week 5 in Ica, Peru

July 4, 2016 – Week 5 in Ica, Peru

This week was a good, hard week! We started Monday off with the Haucachina! Which is an oasis in the middle of a desert! It was so fun! The hermanas from Pisco came up and we climbed to the top together! Hermana Giler and Hermana Pereyra. And after we finished p-day we taught the familia garcia. They are a family of investigadores. They had tons of questions but the questions were awesome! They were amazing and they just wanted to learn more! And then the rest of the night we were rejected so we just street contacted! 

But then Tuesday we taught a cute little family of investigadores also! The mom is Veronica and her son is 8 and his name is Omar and then she has a little baby girl. They were really interested because she wants to find the happiness and peace in this life. She is really sad right now because her husband cheated on her and then left her. She is the best and wants to learn so much, she said that she just wants to be as happy as we are. It broke my heart but we got to teach so much doctrine to help. Then we taught the Familiy Uchuya that got sealed the other week! We all talked about the temple and eternal marraige and how they felt and it was awesome! And we also taught our recent convert Carlos! Hes the best! He is preparing for his mission so we talked about the Patriarchal blessing and now he is preparing to receive it! Woohoo! 

And then on Wednesday we didn´t have a whole ton of success because no one was home! So we just knocked doors, and street contacted! But then later in the evening we prpared for an activity for Friday with our mission leaders and it was really fun! We got all ready for the people to come on Friday! And then we had a 2 hour long meeting with Bishop on monthly goals and how we are doing and more less active names. So now we have 24 less actives we are working with! Woohoo!

And then Thursday in the morning we had a meeting with the Hermanas de Family History via skype. We talked about how we can improve and how we can better work with our leaders to have more lessons in family history to help people get to the temple! It was good! And then we taught Fernanda our investigadora who is progressing! Woohoo! We taught her the restoration and invited her to baptism and she accepted but didnt accept the date. So hopefully through more knowledge she will accept. She loves reading the book of mormon!! And then we visited a lady in the ward named Carmen and she is an active member! But she is really really sick right now and the doctors dont know what is wrong. Pray for her please. And we received a reference from her so we get to contact another person! Woohoo! And then we also taught hermana Ismena Atala who is a recent convert! She is preparing for the temple and so we taught all about family history and what to do and why we do it and how it helps us and our past and future generations. And it was great!! She´s getting ready for september! 

And then Friday we had divisions and I was with Hermana Russell from Sandy, UT here in Ica! And we taught a little old lady named Norma who honestly is the best. She accepted baptism as well without a date. So we just keep working! We taught the restoration and showed her Thomas S Monson and she said that the organization of the church is just so precise! She´s so cute! And then we had the activity! And it was all about the spirit world after this life and it was really fun but also really spiritual. We had about 25 people show up and it was just the best! 

And then Saturday was a day that we walked, talked, and knocked a lot and just bottom line were rejected everywhere. Very good, very hard. 

And then Sunday we fasted and attended church and it was awesome! We fasted to have success with our investigadores, that they will accept the date and that more people will want to come unto Christ. We also had a lesson with Fernanda about Plan of Salvation and she loved it. And when we were talking about the Celestial Kingdom I think that she realized that she needs to be baptized. It was an awesome lesson full of the spirit. 

And today???? HAPPY 4TH OF JULY MY AMERICAN FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY WITH THE FIREWORKS!!!! Until next week!

Hermana Shylo Lawrence

Haucachina - an oasis in the middle of the desert!

June 27 - More pictures from the Temple

June 27 - Week 4 in Ica, Peru

June 27 – Week 4 in Ica, Peru

I can´t believe that it´s already been a month in Ica and in the mission field! Time is flying by so fast! I never have time so I wrote my letter down and will send it through picture so that way you all can know more about who I am teaching and what we have been working on for the past 4 weeks with getting our converts to the temple! This week was so fast and so fun! We taught a lot, walked a lot, and traveled over 10 hours in total to get to and from the temple with all of our converts. It was a fun week of service (breaking things) and teaching and learning. Enjoy the pictures!

Hermana Shylo Lawrence

Lima, Peru Temple - June 25