called to serve

called to serve

Monday, February 13, 2017

My dearest family,
This week was incredible. I cannot tell you about all of the miracles and blessings we have received since we got here to our new area. I am so happy to be here in Independencia and be with Hermana Solis. It took us a few days to get used to each other and for me to adapt again to the Peruvian culture, but I think we are going to be the best of friends. Our area is super big and there are lots and lots of people. I miss Metapan and Hermana Martinez but I am so content here in my new area! To answer some quick questions you asked:
Hermana Martinez did stay in Metapan, but I will still see her when she comes here to Santa Ana. She is super shy still, but I know that she can handle the area and she is a super good missionary so i don't even worry.
My responsibility as a sister leader is to support the other sisters in their areas that they can have success. Its basically like being a zone leader...we call the sisters at night to ask them about their investigators and see how we can help them and give them tips and see if they are healthy and happy. haha We also do interchanges every week with the sisters, so i will have many many companions over the next two changes.
I would love to send pics....but i cant! They told me that the computers here have a bunch of viruses so i cant plug my camera in...so you will just have to wait to see me until may. sorry. hahaha but i will take all the pictures i can!
My area isn't all to dangerous. Its just like every other area...you have to be super careful where you go and to stay out of dark places....but i think i should be good. There are a whole bunch of places where there is drug trafficking  here, but we stay out of those areas and our ward mission leader already told us where we need to avoid. The city is a little more dangerous, but nothing like my first area ;)
The weather here is a little cooler than Metapan...but we are just starting into the hottest months of the year here, so we will see how that goes. March and April are pretty brutal. I will send you some heat if yall can send me some snow.
My companion has 13 months in the mission so not many less than I. She will go home in July. She is showing me the ropes as a sister leader as she had been a leader one change before I came, just that she was in another area and they closed her area. So, we are both lost here in our area...but she knows our responsibilities as STL. She is super super cool. I feel like i gained her confidence last night as she started to share some secrets with me. haha So I think from here on out, we are going to be super good together :)
 We have been blessed with a good ward mission leader who wants to help us and has shown us around the area. We also received a good welcome from most of the members in the ward. I feel like this ward has had many problems in the past with the missionaries and don't have alot of confidence in us, but we are going to work and serve all that we can to help change their feelings about working with the missionaries. There is so much potential here in this area.
 I feel so happy and grateful this week for the way that the Lord has answered my prayers. I know We were able to meet a new investigator named Sandra Alvarado on Thursday. She was a reference from the sisters in Palmar and her boyfriend is a return missionary in our ward. We had a super good first lesson with her teaching the restoration and then on Sunday, we had a lesson in the chapel with her. We explained the vision of Joseph Smith and explained to her the fruits of the Spirit. It was key having her boyfriend Angel there with us as well. We invited her to kneel down and pray with us to know if the church was true and if she should be baptized. As she knelt, Angel reminded her that she could receive a answer in the  same moment as she prayed. After the prayer, we sat down in silence and she started to cry. After much silence, we asked her how she was feeling and she told us that it was something she couldn't explain but that she felt her heartbeat. We had her write down in the same moment the feelings that she had so that she could always remember them and she asked us if she could feel something like that again. We assured her that she could and that she would as she kept reading, praying and attending church. She accepted a baptismal date for March 11th.
There were many many many more miracles that we received this week. We only have 5 days here but we now have 2 baptismal dates! Every thing I have done this week, I have tried to do with my mind set in the glory of God and I feel so happy for the work that HE is doing here with us. We are only instruments is his hands and I have learned that when we truly look at it this way, HE works miracles through us.  And I know that through our obedience and prayers we will see many more miracles over these next few months. This promise in doctine and covenants has really come true in my life this week: D&C 103:36 All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith. I have never prayed more in my whole mission than i have been praying this week and I have seen a big difference. I just hope that the Lord can keep preparing me for the good harvest and that I can help the other sisters here in the mission have the same excitement that I have to work right now. The Lords hand is in every place that we look, if we are diligent and if we are obedient to his commands. I LOVE THIS WORK WITH ALL MY HEART. I know that this is HIS true and only church here on the earth and this is the work of salvation that so many prophets talked about in the olden days. AND I AM BEYOND GRATEFUL to be a part of it.
Love you all and I hope that you have a SUPER week!
Hermana Stoor

Heres just one picture that Hermana Martinez sent this week:
​The biggest hill in all of my mission...you cant really tell...but its a killer. 

 ​Goodbye breakfast with Omar and Jorge. Omar went to church with us a few times and is going to be baptized for sure!!!

​We also went to dinner to meet his mom on Monday...so here's another picture with Omar. 

​and a random mirror pic that he took of me while i was talking on the phone in his moms house.....its kinda cool :)

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