Hey!

So this week was exciting!

My companion left a bag at the airport, so when we went to talk to the administration here about it they said we had to take a taxi back to the airport to get his bag. The car ride was like a 5-hour round trip and I don't think I can express how scary drivers are here and it is completely different in a small Toyota Camry than the big buses we were on before. Well our taxi driver didn't know a lick on English, so we really had to stretch our Spanish because we don't have phones and we weren't sure what we were doing when we left. We made it to the airport and our taxi driver said to meet him at the spot where he parked when we were done.  We had to navigate the airport to find where we were supposed to go. This airport is so different than other airports and the American companies and stuff are super hidden and impossible to find, so it took us like an hour to figure out "Okay, this is what we are supposed to do."

It was so fun using Spanish, even if it only was "puedo hablar in ingles," waiting for someone to speak English. Well, my companion and I were separated because I couldn't go where they were going, and I felt super on edge, like, 'I am in Peru alone now, not knowing the language or what can happen next.' While I was waiting, I noticed that there were a lot of people crying.  All of a sudden I got super depressed and felt so bad for them. Little kids were crying, adults were crying, I was so confused and sad. I tried talking to one of the little kids and make friends with her but I think she was too sad and probably didn't understand my terrible Spanish. So while I was waiting for my companion, I decided to just say a prayer to myself for those around me and I had a big feeling of peace come over me and even though there wasn't anything I could really do it was still cool to feel that spirit.

Time for the happy part of this email! So we are at the airport and we knew there would be a bunch of stores, so we brought all our money.

Once Elder Ramsey finally came back, we went to the bathroom.... which was really just to the stores where I found Snickers and Twix bars. I bought 10 candy bars, which cost me 89 soles.... which was a HUGE ripoff but I wanted them SO bad. I think that is like $30.  IDK, you can do the math. I gave one to my favorite maestro to be a teacher's pet to him and sold one to another Elder for 10 soles and now I have to ration them out for the remainder of the CCM!  Hahaha. I am such a dork.

A scripture that really touched me this week was Alma 17. We all go through hard things and even if it doesn't feel like anyone is there or cares about us, our Father is still watching and loves us very much. Be patient and long-suffering in afflictions, be good examples for others, and the Lord will make us instruments in His hands. He wants to play us, but we have to be in tune if we want our music to be beautiful. He is the ultimate musician and even the oldest, rattiest piano can play beautiful hymns that bring love and peace into our hearts.

Another one that helped me even more, and I know it had helped others through their challenges, is Alma 26. I am weak. I do not deserve to do the Lord's work. I am a sinner and I don't know why I am even here sometimes.

       "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak, therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which I will praise his name forever."

I know that if it wasn't for Father, I couldn't do anything that would hold any weight. Our life here is such a small speck of time in eternity, yet decisions here can affect eternity. What type of person are we gonna be? We are all weak, and we are nothing. But through the strength of the Lord, we can be something. Even Elder Bednar, an apostle of the Lord, felt inadequate when called. Watch his 2004 (I think) conference talk.  I don't know if this has made any sense.  I am sorry.  Haha.  I know that since being here I have struggled with feelings of imperfection.  How am I called of the Lord to be here with all my flaws as a human being? This helped me a lot, and maybe it can help you too.

I know this church is true, I cannot deny it. I know without a doubt that Christ is our Savior, Heavenly Father is our Father, not only a God but our Father. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet and we must learn to walk in faith and stand for truth.