Nuggets of Knowledge

Don't be mislead by the title, it's not real knowledge. Certainly nothing that can be used on a trivia game show. These are just a few...shall we call them realizations? Perhaps some are re-realizations.

1) I am not dedicated or focused enough to be a person that prefers online classes. It's true. I have found this semester that there are two types of people in this college going world; those who like online classes and those who hate them and think they are burning out their brain with the amount of time that must be expended in front of a computer screen to pass them. Turns out I am one of the latter.

2) I LOVE when worlds collide!

I live multiple lives. That's right, I am a clandestine government agent. Ok, probably not. What I mean is I have these different places or times that I associate (and maybe compartmentalize) people with. For example, there are my friends from Eagar, the ones I grew up with and have known forever. Then there are my friends from college, friends from Mexico (not necessarily Mexican, that is just where I met them and we came to be friends), friends from my EFY life, Ukraine, etc. I have a friend (from college, in case you were wondering) who hates "when worlds collide". I have had a lot of world collisions over the past few months and realize that I love it! When my friend I met in Mexico meets my cousin in Alaska, or when a college homie meets hometown friends.

At first it tends to be slightly awkward because they both know a few things about one another without realizing it yet. College friend has heard adventures from my life with Eagar friend and vice versa. Then it gets great! That is, until they start exchanging embarrassing stories about me because I am the link between them... Pictured is world collision. Karen (college) meets Liz, Alicia and Kassandra (Mexico) and it was marvelous!

3) Bitterness is an unproductive emotion

Sometimes "life gives you lemons" as the phrase goes. Truly there are just the two outcomes. Accept it, move on or let it fester and become embittered. You can always choose. Always. With that being said, why let yourself choose the second option? "Don't allow yourself to become discouraged. Sure, you are allowed to be disappointed...for about 3 seconds. Then, move on and move up." -A speaker from my MTC time whose name I cannot recall at this exact moment. It doesn't really matter who said it, it just matters that it is good solid advice. Plus, lemons shouldn't make people bitter, maybe sour or even zesty, but not bitter.

4) Think with an "eternal perspective"

It's amazing how often people sweat the small stuff. Really, just take a step back and think "Will this have an effect on my eternal salvation?" More often than not, the answer for me is "no". So, why get SO caught up in it? Do what you feel it right and own the decision.

5) Live in the moment.

It seems contradictory to number 4, huh? It really isn't. This time, right now, will never happen exactly the same again, not for the rest of forever. Even if you are not in your ideal situation, live it and love it. Don't live too much in the past or the future, it will rob you of the here and now. I know it sound so cliché, but perhaps there is a reason that certain phrases or ideas are repeated SO very often. They are real and there is not a single human life that isn't affected by it.

6)Finally, just because can do something, doesn't mean you should.

For example, I can eat taquitos and rocky road ice cream for dinner, that doesn't make it a good idea. Take it from me, it really is not a good idea. I can sleep in until 10 every morning, but that doesn't mean I should. I can be a hypocrite and not take any of my own advice and try to recapture the past and be bitter when the plans I have for my life get turned upside down, but that doesn't mean I will. It also doesn't mean I haven't. In all honesty I am putting this stinkin' post up in the hopes that someone will benefit from my foolishness. Even if it is just a future me who has fallen back into bad habits.

Cosmic Thoughts

Well, last night I decided to let my inner nerd out and stay up to watch a meteor shower. I had never experienced this thing before and I figured, "Aw heck, why not!" As I stood on my sister's porch alone, gazing up into the heavens I was struck by a few thoughts.

At first I felt the typical, "the universe is so huge and I am just one insignificant nothing in the grand scheme of things...blah blah blah" However, my perspective began to shift when I realized that, although the universe is grand and vast and I may feel like some little unknown, I have had so many experiences in my life lately to remind me that I am not unknown. There is a God in those heavens who knows me perfectly. Even in a world crowded with a population equally numerous to those points of glorious light, He is aware of the individual! Crazy isn't it?

Then I thought about all of the people in the world who don't know that. What a sad life that must be. When they start thinking that they are an insignificant nothing, they don't snap out of it to the realization of their worth as a soulful creation of a loving Father. It helped me to refocus on my desire to get back out on a mission. So many people are lost and wandering just because nobody has ever told them who they are.

Man, that was kind of preachy. Oh well, what can I say? Mission not yet complete.

OPERATION

Not just a classic Milton Brothers game. Currently the story of my life.

So, here's the story:

For those of you who for some reason still don't know, I am not currently in the mission. In fact, I am currently on my couch in Eagar. I've been home for a week last Wednesday. It was all VERY sudden. One day I was out teachin' and preachin' the next President Davis was in my room telling me how he hates to send missionaries home. I said, "Great! So don't." He just smiled and said he appreciated my humor and my desires to serve. Gee thanks. Then he kept talking and I was kind of zoned out not really listening. Then he said, "So, you'll be on a plane either this weekend or sometime Monday" What?! This was on a Thursday. He stood up ad told me that he appreciated my understanding and shook my hand. That's when I started crying...a lot. He ran and got his wife and had her hug me because he couldn't hahaha

The weekend passed without another word. Then Monday morning came and still nothing. I began to be hopeful that maybe in his packing up his house, he had forgotten me. No such luck. For our P-day on Monday we went to the mission home to give them a going away present from our zone. Still not a word. He and his wife just kept looking at me giving me a sad smile. Nobody in my zone knew except for my companion and my zone leader. As we were leaving to go to the city center for the rest of P-day, he came to shake my hand and said, "I'll be calling you...soon" and I said, "No thank you." He just laughed.

Well, he called that night and said "Hermana Elmer, you have an interview with me tomorrow at 10am sharp." I said "President, our zone interviews are on Wednesday, tomorrow is only Tuesday." He replied, "That's true, but yours is tomorrow." Great

As I walked in he began talking again about how he hates to send missionaries home. Then he got right to the point and said, "Well, here are your flight plans. You leave from Arequipa today at 6:30, meaning you need to be at the airport all ready to go at 5:30. From there you will fly to Lima......blah blah blah...and 24 hours later, you will be home in Eagar. I suggest you leave some time in your schedule today to get packed. We are hopeful that you can come back and serve here in the Peru Arequipa mission, but I just can't tell you for sure. You may be reassigned state side to a mission with cars, still Spanish speaking though!" Gee, that's great, thanks.

I packed and got myself all two blocks over to the airport. My companions and pencionista (lady that cooks our food) and her family and some ward members were there to see me off, along with President and his wife and a couple of office elders. I said my goodbyes and didn't even cry...till I got to the tarmac. I boarded the plane and was still crying. I looked up and everyone was staring at the sobbing gringa with the funny name tag. I took my seat and silently cried. All the way to Lima.

President was right, 24 hours of planes and airports later I was back in Eagar. This was Wednesday evening. As we pulled into town and drove past the Stake center I said, "Oh, is President Hunt there right now? I'm supposed to talk to him." He was and I did indeed talk to him. He said, "Well, you're released. Do everything those doctors tell you to and we will get you back out there soon..." "Any questions?" Only about a million that I suddenly couldn't think of. "Do I have to take my tag off?" "Yes" "Oh..." "Not right now, you could wait a minute or something"

I got home and took it off. It hurt. It all hurt. Leaving those amazing families and and missing baptisms. Just dropping everyone and everything within a few hours. All for some stupid operation that I really didn't immediately need. I could still walk, so why was I going home? I even asked President that once as I was begging to stay till the end of the transfer. "Well, if you were MY daughter......"

So I had said operation yesterday. Clear up until post-op I had been told that this surgery was to fix a torn meniscus in my right knee. Turns out my meniscus was perfect. Instead the doctor did something to realign my knee cap. It was completely to one side and that's what was causing all of the pain and popping and clicking and catching and inflammation. Weird right? This operation doubled my recovery and physical therapy time. 6 weeks was magically turned into 12. I've found in all of this to expect the unexpected, and that I really don't know anything anymore.

I have learned that I don't see the reasons. I can't keep asking "why" or I will actually just go crazy. Someone knows why. The Lord knows why. I have to trust in Him and His reasons. Maybe someday I'll get to know, maybe not. I'm along for the ride. Entonces, vamos a ver.

Lovin' the New Companion

Well my new companion Hna de Leon is just amazing! This week went super well and we have the most new investigators in our zone. We met so many families this week, just waiting to hear our message. Well, they already heard some of it but they are gonna hear a lot more. One of them is a family of Seventh day Adventists...interesting. The good news is we don´t have to try to convince they to keep the sabbath day holy, just to keep it holy on Sunday. We have a lesson with them tonight...Sabbath day observance. I´ll let you know. Percy received the marvelous gift of the holy ghost yesterday. What and amazing blessing! Their family has a goal of getting to the temple in Cochabamba Bolivia next year :) They´ll make it.

Well, the work continues to press forth and just count my blessings that the Lord is allowing me to be a part of it.

Strange Arequipa slang of the week: pata. The word actually means leg. How it´s used around here : Este pata! Ya el es mi pata. Friend, buddy, homies things like that. Strange.

I´m a little short on time today but just know that I love you all and thank you for your emails and prayers.

Con amor y cariño

Hermana Anna Elmer

Drum Roll Please....

To this mission was I called and in this mission shall I remain. Transfers were yesterday and I´m still here in Zamacola which means Peru Arequipa mission when it is split in July. I´m so grateful to still be here! Things are going so great! We had to drop Julio.

But, on a happy note, Percy Huaranca is now a baptized member of the true church! Yay! It was so great! I have never met a more earnest and humble man in all my life. Also, I must tell you about the "Matrimonio Massivo" Percy and his now legit wife Juana got married on Saturday in this ceremony...with 107 other couples! Don´t worry, it was just about the strangest thing I have ever witnessed. There was this background music playing the whole time and half of the songs were in Spanish and the others were in English. The ones in English were NOT wedding music. We´re talking Madonna singing Material girl. Haha Also there was a clown on stilts throwing confetti at the couples. Not on or around the couples, AT. With a vengeance. Hahahaha! So many people showed up to support Percy and his little family on Sunday. They have a goal to get to the temple and I really think they will make it. This is why we have the gospel. Eternal families and the happiness that they bring.

This other family we know is progressing. They came to church on Sunday! Yay! That´s such a victory. I don´t know why but trying to get people to church around here is quite the process.

Also, a new investigator, Virginia is doing really well. She referenced herself from Temple square in SLC. She is so very interested and came to church on Sunday too!!!!

Victory!

Well, times up. I sure love you all!

Hermana Anna Elmer

What Pineapple?

So Julio Cesar didn´t come to sacrament meeting this Sunday. That means he has lost his baptismal date...again. My companion told me he has had 4 others. Unless he has a really good reason for mot being there, we are going to have to drop him. He´s so great and he loves the messages and keeps all of the commitments but just can´t get himself to church. He´s what is referred to as an eternal investigator. Que piña. Speaking of, que piña is a weird slang here. Directly translated is means "what pineapple" the meaning that is transmitted however is, "Well that stinks". Haha crazy Arequipeños!

Percy`s wedding is set for Saturday and his baptism on Sunday. I worry about him though. He still doesn´t really have any testimony of Joseph Smith or the BOM. This is a problem. I asked him why he wanted to get baptized so badly if he didn´t believe those things. He said that his family is in our church and he wants to be with his family. While this is good, it is not enough. We have an appointment with him tonight to review a few things. I guess we`ll see. I´m praying for some serious inspiration.

Not sure what happened there but, to finish my email:

We met a new family, believe it or not, through my silly English class! Haha Two young boys and their mom. She is the sister of the 1st counselor of our ward. Thus, she has a pretty good base already, I really think they will progress!

So this time next week I may or may not be in another area. My companion has 3 or 4 transfers here so chances are pretty good that if one of us is to go, it will be her. I guess we´ll see!

Oh, it was brought to my attention last week that after I told ya´ll you could send me emails, I failed to share my address, oops. anna.elmer atmyldsmail.net. Haha I can´t get the "at" key to work on this kayboard...

Well, I sure love ya!

Con amor!

Hermana Anna Elmer

The Story of Julius Caesar and Other Great Tales

Well hello all! Guess what, we set the date to have Julius Caesar baptized (I know,I know, et tu Brute?). Anyway he is this great investigator and he has been getting the lessons from the sister missionaries for about 6 months now. The problem, he had to work on Sundays. However, he has a new job now and can come to church! He is so excited and he told us that he feels right. Oh yeah, his name is really Julio Cesar.

Oh hey, I´ve been a missionary for 3 months today! Cool huh?

To answer your question mom, no I didn´t feel any earthquakes lately. Oh yeah, I got a bunch of letters the other day so thank you to all of you amazing people who sent them! I have written most of you back but our zone leaders canceled our plans to go to el centro today so they will have to wait another week to be sent. Sorry.

Mom, you asked what I eat. Well the diet hasn´t changed much from the CCM. Still insane amounts of rice, chicken, and potatoes of every kind. It´s a good time.

We´re still waiting for Percy to get married, the date is coming up soon! Also, I can´t remember if I ever told you about Johnathan. He´s a new investigator but he´s talked to missionaries before. He´s really funny and always makes strange faces at me. I don´t know if it´s because he can´t understand my Spanish or because I´m a white girl. It´s really kind of a problem here. I´ve never been whistled at so many times in my life (and that includes living in Mexico!) The other day a man was trying to take my picture on his cell phone. It was really creepy and my companion and I ran away. She told me, "it will be like this for your whole mission" Gee, thanks.

Anyway, the work continues to roll forth and I feel so blessed everyday to get to be a small part of the miracle.

I sure love ya´ll

Con cariño

Hermana Anna Elmer

Oh yeah, I´m going to start teaching an English class this week to try to get investigators to the church. Wish me luck, I don´t have any idea where to start...

Questions

Well just another week on the lord´s errand. I love it so much! I wrote down some things that I wanted to be sure to put in this email to ya´ll and then I went and left this list in my room! Yikes. Anyway, I will try to remember what I can. Oh hey, if Percy gets married on Saturday the 5th he wants to get baptized that night! So, no matter how transfers go, I will still be able to go to his baptism! Yippee! I want to tell you a little bit about my area Zamacola. Zamacola is the part in the middle. There is also Rio Seco and Belaunde. If we are in Rio Seco and have an appointment in Belaunde, it takes about a 45 minute walk through Zamacola, up hill. However if we are in Belaunde and need to get to an appointment in Rio Seco, it´s a bout a 15 minute walk straight down hill. It´s still pretty toasty during the day for being almost winter but it´s all good. At night everyone asks me if I need a coat because they all think it´s cold. When I tell them no thank you, I´m actually a little warm they look at me like I´m from another planet (as if they don´t all look at me like that anyway...) Other questions that I get asked at least once a day : Are you German? Is your hair natural?(as if I make it look this way on purpose!) How many meters do you have (aka, How tall are you?) And finally Oh you´re from the United States, do you know Michael Jackson? That one is my favorite. Haha PS Peru, MJ died.

So we are teaching a woman named Claudia and she is so interested during the lessons then when we come back, it´s like we have to start all over again because she just can´t remember anything we talked about last time. Haha, it´s a work in progress.

I tried to send pictures but no luck.

Love you all!!!!!! Thank you for the pictures!

Con amor,

Hermana Anna Elmer

Married? Or Not Married? That is the REAL Question

So this week was great! Rayza got baptized on Saturday night and confirmed on Sunday (I´ll try to include some pictures). I got out of talking in church (through no effort on my part) and we had a multizona. What is a multizona you might ask. Well, I might answer that multizona = 7 hours of sitting. Bleh. But during this time of sitting I am also given counsel on how to be a more effective missionary, so I guess it all evens out.

Oh, I got a super great surprise this morning: a bright happy pink package from my wonderful ward! Yippee hooray! Seriously, that was so awesome, thank you to everyone who helped to put that together. Also, I got some dearelders! Lyndee, Ryan and Alicia, you each will be receiving a response shortly. Speaking of letters and responses and all that jazz, turns out that in my mission I can receive and respond to emails from anyone in the whole wide world!!!!...as long as they are not within the mission boundaries of the Peru Arequipa mission. Happy day huh?

Well, family, it was so wonderful to talk to all of you last night! Thank you for your love and support! I loved hearing all of your voices and hearing all about what´s new in your lives! Remember, pictures make missionaries awfully happy... :)

So there´s this investigator, Percy, and he wants to get baptized so badly! (believe me, we want him to get baptized as well) However, as is all too common the problem around here, he has to marry his wife first. I´m not sure where the distinguishing line is for the folks of Latin America but they call people their spouses when they are not actually legally married. I don´t know if it starts when they move in together or when they have their first child but somewhere in they they go from novios to esposos. Anyway, Percy needs to marry his spouse (who is already a member) and then he can get baptized. To get married around here costs an awful lot so they have to wait until there is a mass wedding ceremony on June 5th (the day before transfers). If I get transferred, I will miss his baptism by one single day. We will just have to wait in see how it all shakes out.

Well, I love you all! Chao!

Con amor,

Hermana Anna Elmer

In the Mission Field! Por Fin!

So I am here in my first area! Yippee Hoorah! It´s called Zamacola and it´s in Arequipa. We´re about 15 minutes from the mission office. My trainer is so great! Her name is Hermana Jimenez and she has a lot of patience, which I would wager is a requisite to be my companion. All is going swimmingly. She has been in this area for more than 3 months! Crazy. She seriously knows everything! I love her so much, we have fun. We are preparing a young girl named Rayza for her baptism on Saturday. She is so excited! I´m not gonna lie, so am I!

Oh, I got some dearelders! Yahoo! They were from Deva and Rebecca. Thank you so much, I can´t count how many times I´ve read them. Don´t worry, you are both getting real letters back, I just wanted you to know I got them.

This area is really great. My companion always says she´s cold. I don´t get it. I can´t see my breath, I´m not cold. Everyone always asks if I need a sweater.

Sorry this is so lame, I had all kinds of things to talk about but now they are not coming to mind. Oh yeah, in our next transfer, wherever we get transferred to will be our mission for the rest of our time. For example, if I get transferred to somewhere in the soon to be Cusco mission, that will be my mission for the rest of my time. If I remain in the boundaries of the Arequipa mission, then here I shall stay. All of heard from my companion is how awesome Puno (A city in the Cusco mission) is. She was there for 6 months and LOVED it. I really have no preference. Where ever I am is where the Lord needs me.

Well, I love you all! Thank you for you support and prayers!

Con amor,

Hermana Anna Elmer.

Oh yeah, I get to call you next Sunday Mom!!!!! Whoop whoop!

I Felt the Earth Move Under my Feet!

No longer just the lyrics to a catchy Carol King song. That´s right, I have experience my first earthquake! Cool huh? It was the middle of the night and I thought one of the hermanas was shaking me to wake me up. I rolled over to see who it was, turns out it was our planet! Neato. Then, I learned that we are just at the beginning of "earthquake season" like they have for hurricanes, only less predictable. Oh my goodness, my life is so cool!

So last Saturday ´s proseletismo was so great! At first it was a little bleh because nobody on our list was home or their address didn´t actually exist, little things like that. However, by the end of our few hours, we had managed to talk to a grand total of...3 people. On our way back my companion wanted to stop at this little tienda to get something for her gnarly blisters. The woman inside finished helping us and my companion turned to me and mouthed "contacto?" I smiled and said "si, contacto." We began to talk to this woman about her life and everything. She said that she reads the bible everyday and she just loves the word of god. Perfect. We told her about the Book of Mormon and Christs visit to the Americas. She was so interested and SO ready! Her and her father both said that they would read. They were just so excited to get started. Truly, the field is white! It was such an amazing experience and such a miracle to me. I was able to talk to her and not have to think about verb conjugations or grammar syntax, I just spoke. I think for just a moment the Lord blessed me with the gift of tongues. Actually, he probably blessed the woman we were talking to as well with the interpretation of tongues :)

So I have been translating meetings a lot lately. I like it! I can understand a lot more than I can say, that´s for sure.

So this time next week I will be in Arequipa! Yippee hoorah! Man, the time is flying! I think it might be a bit bizarre to not see Hermana Barlow everyday, she´s been with me since Provo. I will for sure miss her, we have a lot of fun together. Speaking of Arequipa, I met my mission president today at lunch. Cool huh? He´s such a happy guy. I think we will get along just fine.

Oh, have I ever told you all of the weird foods I´ve had here in the CCM? We´ve had some doosies! Por ejemplo, "pancita" aka cow stomach. Also, I ate octopus the other day. One of the main dishes here is seviche that´s spanish for "whatever crawls out of the ocean", and the list could go on but I´ll stop.

Well, I just don´t know what else to write ya´ll about. Keep the faith. I sure love you all lots and lots!

Feel free to send pictures just any old time! (hint hint)

Con mi amor

Hermana Anna Elmer

Oh yeah, pictures!

Some are from Provo time but I have to catch up now that I know how to send them! The first me is being cool like Samuel Smith, the next is me in the token mission map picture, gorgeous flower, this weird poofy plant thing that looks like the one from Horton Hears a Who, and finally, me and my tiny compañera Hermana Benites

Peru CCM and Temple Pictures

CCM Time, Ticking Away

Ok, let's try this again.

Well, hello! So this week has been interesting. The coordinating sister business is fun. It's like being an EFY counselor for big kids! I love it. My new compañera is so great! She is just this quiet little thing but she has opened up more and more each day. I just love her. She is quite possibly even smaller than Hna Reyes, I wouldn't think that that would be possible. Yesterday we had an "enseñanza"-teaching- with Elder Loli. He's a 70. As if that isn't rough enough, 3 districts were observing. Yikes. It went well though. It made me realize how much I just don't know. Teaching in general and teaching in Spanish especially. I have only 2 more short weeks here then I'm out to el campo! Whoop!

Our zone had an "English fast" yesterday. That was an adventure. No English, puro español. We figured that when it tells us to fast and pray often in the scripture, it doesn't say what kind of fast. It helped me learn a lot of new words for sure! I think that I'm doing ´pretty ok with the Spanish. They have me translate the meetings sometimes. I sit at the back of the chapel and translate for the new North Americans into a microphone and they have headsets. It's really fun I like it. Sometimes I get a little lost so I just have to give my best guess...Don't tell my faithful listeners though...

So today is the no more mail sent to the CCM day. From now on letters should be sent to my mission home address. I gave that to you a few emails past.

Here's a random story, yesterday one of the latina sisters was trying to ask her companion the sound that Americans think a chicken makes. Apparently south american chickens sound different or something. I told her companion what she wanted and she said was so confused so I just made the chicken sound. The latina sister thought that that was just about the greatest thing she'd ever heard and had me do it over and over again. Now sometimes missionaries will just come up and ask me for farm animal noises. I don't get it.

Well I love the work and I am so excited for another proseletismo this Saturday! We've only gone that one time. I will be sure to tell you how it goes! Hopefully something like D&C 112:19 :)

I sure love ya'll!

Hermana Anna Elmer

Oh PS, if any of you have sent me Dearelders, I will not get them until I got out to my mission home, I promise I'm not ignoring you!

Picture are working! Yippee Hoorah! There´s one of a groups of us sisters at the temple, one of my district, one of me in my official P-day shirt, the nutcracker one, and my new comp. (Thank you Wendy, Megan and Karen)

The Lord Is My Light, Then Why Should I Fear?

I´ve had that song stuck in my head all week and it seems appropriate. Wow, the people of Perú are ready for this gospel. Last Saturday we had this thing called proseletismo. We got to go out and teach, for reals! We were trying to reactivate less active and in-active members. Every single one we got to said that they would attend last Sunday! Yippee hoorah! Also, while we were out and about my companion and I were able to get contacts for the missionaries in the field of that mission. They were just so willing to accept the message of the restored gospel. They tell us all the time that the hearts are prepared but it was amazing to me to actually see it.

Also, it was a very sobering experience. Some people here have so very little, we got to one "house" and I was fighting back tears. I know that the gospel can improve lives and make life more joyful. It can't get these people out of their circumstances but it can help them to know that it's not all about this life. It can give them the stregnth and resolution to "endure to the end". Isn't that what we all need? Ah! I just love this all so much!

Oh yeah, I'm going to try to send pictures this week but I don't know how successful it will be...

Oh, fun story. Apparently I have bronchitis. Who knew. I have this gnarly cough hat makes me sound like a barking dog. It's really quite lovely. They gave me some no name mystery pills and said if your not better in a week, come see us again. :) Haha

So I want to share with you 2 things. One, a scripture that I came across and loved Psalms 61:2. Two, my Spanish blunder of the week. We were in an enseñanza "teaching" and my comp and I were being the investigators for some other missionaries. I was asking them about tithing and what it was for. I was trying to say "Do you pay your bishop? I know a lot of churches pay their leaders." I confused the verb pagar-to pay with the verb pegar-to hit. I was asking these poor elders if they hit their bishop. I didn't even notice my error until my companion broke into fits of laughter. Oops.

Mom, thank you so much for you e-mails! I love them so much. Thank you for your example of service! You are amazing to me.

In the package I could for sure use more knee highs just regular skin color. I go through them pretty fast... And an emphasized reminder to not send it here to the CCM! Mission home would be just fine though. :) Tell the ward members thank you for their thoughtfulness!

I lose my little hermanita this next week! Then I will have a new one for my last 3 weeks. I love Hermana Reyes just oh so much!

Oh yeah, letters, as in in an envelope, take about 9 days to get here and dearelders kind of just come whenever...just a thought :)

Sorry this email is so scattered! Just know that I love you all and am grateful for you everyday! "May the lord bless you and keep you"

With all my love!

Hermana Anna Elmer

PS, technology hates me and for this reason, the pictures were a failure...

More Than A Feelin'

Hola!

Bueno. Thank you so much to everyone for your emails! Uncle Mitch, your Spanish is outstanding! And thank you to Lyndee for the letter! Don't worry, you will get a legit response, I just wanted you to know I got it... So this has been quite a week. On Friday Hermana Whetten, the CCM president's wife, made me go to the doctor again. He decided that after two separate rounds of antibiotic that there was not longer an infection just a nasty cough. He told me I had a "bronco spasm" and gave me an inhaler. I found it funny that he should call me a spaz then have me carry around an inhaler to prove it. But, It did something right because my cough is practically gone! Yippee Hooray!

We didn't get to do proseletismos this Saturday because it was conference. A fair trade off. I love conference!!!!!!! Holy smokes, what a great 2 days. Each talk made me more and more grateful for 2 things. 1, that I am not raising a family right now, yikes, sounds like a tough business. And 2, that I have such wonderful parents! Ok, this cool thing happened during the conference. During one of the prayers, a brother was asking that the lord bless those in the armed forces and also...the missionaries. Not so uncommon right? But then, as he said it, I could feel it. I've heard missionaries say before "thanks for your prayers, I can feel them" But I had never experienced that before. It was amazing. So, echoing all missionaries I would like to say: Thank you for your prayers, I can feel them :)

So this is new. I'm the "coordinating sister" That's like the zone leader for the Hermanas. Yikes. Also, for the next 3 weeks my district and the other North American district are the antiguos-the ancients. The district that was here 3 weeks before us left this morning and we are now the old district for the new district that will arrive tonight. Did that make any sense? Oh well.

I think that just about covers it. Thank you for your continued love and support! Share this gospel with everyone! Help your local missionaries. There can be no greater work in this life then helping to bring souls to our Savior. I beg you all to never become complacent about this gospel. You have it, they need it. Don't ever be afraid to share it. "shall we not go on in so great a cause? Courage brethren; and on, on to victory!" D&C 128...somewhere.

Con amor

Hermana Anna Elmer

Once again, no pictures this week, because I am technologically challenged.

Peruvian CCM Week One, and All's Well

Dear Everyone!

So hello! I am loving my time here at the CCM. My companion is so so great! It's sad I lose her in two weeks. Then I will get a new Latina for my last 3 weeks here. This place is seriously SO funny! "Seriously funny" what an odd phrase. Anyway, everything is great! The language barrier always proves to be inserting but in a comical way. The other night at dinner, one of the other sisters was trying to ask her companion if she gets hungry at night and in Spanish, you say that you have hunger not that you are hungry. Anyway, this poor sister confused the word "hambre"-hunger for "hombre"-man. She kept asking her companion if she has a lot of men at night. I was laughing so hard I couldn't sufficiently translate for either of them! Things like that happen all of the time! I love it. I am now the official translator for my district. The teachers will be talking and then they will stop, look at the puzzlement on my fellow missionary's faces, the turn to me and tell me to tell them what we are supposed to be doing. It's an adventure. I'm not 100 percent sure about some of my translations but the teachers just nod and smile in agreement to whatever I say. I could get into trouble with that if I'm not careful.

I love the Latino missionaries! They are all so sweet! I told one of them that I liked his tie and he started taking it off to give to me! They are such sweet people. My companion is SO tiny! I just want to pick her up and squeeze her all the time, but I figure that is probably some kind of social no-no so I restrain myself. I find myself patting her head a lot though. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm bonkers. Sometimes I make up my own words in Spanish and she laughs then corrects me. We have a good time.

So, the gift of tongues is a real thing and I can testify of its reality! Communication is coming so quickly. The elders in my district are all learning very quickly as well! Oh, I love my district here! We are all lost together. Oh, Taylor Brown is in my district! It's so fun! People always ask us if we know each other when we both say we're from Eagar. Apparently none of them have ever seen the size of Eagar...

So, funny story, my compañera was asking me how to say different things in English the other day. She asked me "What is 'freaking'?" I told her that it's not very proper English and that only teenagers with poor vocabularies use it. Then she asked if it was bad or when to use it. I told to just not say it at all because it's not a very good word. Then she said " Oh, like -insert s word here-?" I was so taken aback by this! I said no, don't EVER use that word! Then later, when she couldn't see me, I was laughing about it. It's kind of funny what English words and phrases some of them know.

Mom, thanks for the pictures! They got to me just in time! I'm glad to see you got my package! Well, I love you all!!!!!

Love you eternally!

Hermana Anna Elmer

Oh, PS, today I have been a missionary for 1 month! My companion sang me a happy birthday song about it :D

PPS, Mom, are you checking my spelling and punctuation on these things before you post them to the blog? I have to type really quickly due to time constraints.