September 28, 2015--------Already Second Cambio

Hola Familia y Amigos!

This week was full of joys and disappointments.  The Guizado family was excited for their baptism, but, unfortunately, there wasn’t water in the chapel so we weren’t able to hold it.  We did everything we could to find water, we ever considered having the baptism in a river or swimming pool, but nothing worked out.  After a lot of prayers we came to the conclusion that we should postpone the baptism.  Because of General Conference this next weekend they have to wait 2 more weeks to receive this ordinance.  We know that this is God’s will, because we received a confirmation, but Satan tried to use this to discourage us.  It is interesting the way the adversary works.  He seems to take something good then distorts it.  As we learn to recognize this, it becomes easier to withstand temptation and turn to God when we have negative thoughts and feelings.

We’ve been learning a lot about the importance of daily family prayer and scripture study as well as Family Home Evening.  Every time we teach a family who is struggling we ask if they’re doing these things and without fail the answer is no.  On the other hand, those families who are thriving are those who are striving to read and pray together. My invitation for this week is to read and ponder The Family:  A Proclamation to the World. for family home evening tonight in preparation for General Conference.

I finally made it to 3 Nephi where Christ visits the Americas.  I swear it gets better every time I read it.  Everything seemed so much more real than before.  I was especially touched by the compassion that Christ showed his brothers and sisters.  I love the part where he blesses the children.  I may have shed a tear or two when I read the phrase, “He wept.” In Preach My Gospel, speaking of God it says, “He weeps when we suffer and rejoices when we do what is right.”  That’s pretty amazing to think about.  It’s impossible to comprehend the love that our Heavenly Father has for us.  Alls I knows is that it’s a whole lot.

I am SUPER excited for General Conference this weekend and I’m really hoping I’ll understand the talks in Spanish.  The work is coming along and the church is getting truer... haha I love you all!  Have a great week!

Con amor,

Hermana Harris


This is the Guizado family in their home with President Quispe from the Branch.  They cook all of their food over fire.  It makes the flavor so much better! 


Last P-day we went to the top of a mountain and ate mote con queso with the Guizado family.  Mote con queso is eaten just about every day here.  It's giant corn with nasty cheese that is warm.  haha  I'm learning to love it though.  Eliza asked how the cows look here.  So here's a picture of a cow...  

September 21, 2015----Hello Again

Hey everybody!

This week my companion and I learned a little about the power of prayer.  We’ve been praying for specific things and we’ve received specific answers.  I know that the Lord listens to our prayers and is so excited to bless us but we need to ask in faith with real intent, that is, really intend to accept the Lord’s will and timing. 

The family Guisado that we’ve been teaching is getting baptized this Saturday!  The Lord has truly prepared their hearts to receive the gospel.  The dad used to smoke, but decided to stop when he had kids.  Also the parents randomly decided to get married about 2 years ago, which is kinda rare here.  Their oldest son passed away a few years ago and they are excited to go to the temple in the future.  Every lesson we teach seems to ring true to them, because the Lord has prepared their hearts for baptism long before we began teaching them.

My companion and I have been talking a lot about the gathering of Israel in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ.  I honestly don’t know very much about Israel nor do I fully understand the significance of this gathering, but something inside me is drawn to this concept.  I have a firm testimony that we are preparing the world for the second coming and as missionaries and members of the church we have the great role of gathering scattered Israel into the fold of God.

I read a talk from Presidente Harbertson yesterday about our Apostolic Responsibility.  I was touched by the story of Boyd K. Packer who held a little Peruvian boy on his lap during a Sacrament meeting here.  He said, “A voice from the dust, perhaps from the dust of those small dirty feet, whispered to me that this was a child of the covenant, of the lineage of the prophets.”  Then later he testifies that “the day of the children of Laman and Lemuel and Nephi has come.”  How cool is that??  What an awesome responsibility we have to find the descendants of the Book of Mormon. 

The scripture I put on my missionary plaque is in 3 Nephi 5 which talks about the gathering of Israel.  I love the promise which says, “And then shall they know their Redeemer who is Jesus Christ the son of God.”  Sometimes when I feel tired and I don’t want to work, I think of this scripture.  There are people here who don’t know their Redeemer and as His representatives we have the Apostolic responsibility to find those who are kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.  How great is our calling!

Sending my love from Peru,

Hermana Harris

       

September 14, 2015--Oh, Peru...

Hola Familia y Amigos!

So the other day our pensionista looked at me and said, “You have white hair.”  I was like, “I thought I had brown hair.”  The she said, “No, look.”  Then she pulled a gray hair out of my head…WHAT?  She found two more too.  I’m too young to have gray hair.  My parents don’t even have gray hair yet.  What is happening to me??

Ok this week was awesome!  This is what happened:  About a month ago we contacted a woman named Marisol.  We made an appointment to stop by that week, but when we went she wasn’t home.  We went back a few days later and, again, nobody was home.  As these weeks passed by I couldn’t get the name Marisol out of my head.  I knew we had to go back.  Finally this week we stopped by and she was home!  She said, “I have been waiting and waiting for you to come.”  She said she had been reading the pamphlet we gave her and it said beautiful things and she wanted to learn more.  She called her husband and kids in from the field and we taught all 7 of them.  It was so special!  They came to church yesterday and it was the best thing in the world!  We’ve been praying so much for this family.

Their family is insanely poor and the parents don’t have much education nor religious background.  They can hardly read and we have to explain things very simply, but they are super humble and have so much faith.  As I thought about this, I remembered the story of Joseph Smith.  He could barely read, but through his faith and the power of God, he translated the Book of Mormon.  What a miracle!

The Lord works by small and simple means to carry out his purposes.  D&C 1:23 says, “The fullness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the earth.”  I know that this is true, because I feel very much weak right now.  But I have great confidence in the Lord.  He has a plan and His plan is perfect.  How blessed are we to have a knowledge of our Savior and to be found among those who have the fullness of His Gospel.

Love ya'll tons and tons!

Con amor,

Hermana Harris

 We went on a little hike and played some games as we ate food and looked out over the city of Andahuaylas. It's quite the view!

August 31, 2015----We Had Our First Baptism!

 Hola Familia y Amigos!

We had a baptism this week!  It was so special.  She invited her family and after many of her friends and family asked us to come teach them.  It is amazing to see how God prepares the hearts of his children- both missionaries and investigators.

The culture here is so different than what I am used to.  Everything is so new, but each day I try to find something new to love.  In ward council yesterday we were discussing how we could serve an older lady in the ward.  She was having problems with her cats eating her guinea pigs.  I don’t know why I thought it was so funny, but I couldn’t help but think how different the ward council probably is at home.  I laughed for like 10 minutes.. oops  Haha

When the Hermana trainers came to do changes this week they gave some great advice.  One thing I love is that they said to memorize a part of my patriarchal blessing.  I have always thought my blessing said nice things, but it has never spoken to me like it did yesterday as I read it and pondered which paragraph I was going to memorize.  So many things are specific to what I am doing right now.  It totally talks about my mission, but I never would have known had I not chosen to serve, because it doesn’t bluntly say, “on your mission…”

We had interviews with Presidente Harbertson this week in Abancay.  It is about a 4 hour ride from here. I got SO sick.  I curled up in a ball and tried not to puke the whole way.  I looked awesome by the time we got there...  President said some really powerful things in my interview.  One thing that stood out is that he rarely puts a Latina trainer with a gringa and when he does he thinks and prays very carefully.  He said, "When I interviewed you for the first time I saw something in you and I knew immediately your assignment.  The Lord knows your potential and needs you to learn spanish quickly.  The Lord has great confidence in you and, Hermana Harris, I have great confidence in you." Eeeps!

This whole mission thing is so hard, but the Lord never ceases to send me tender mercies.  I read in “Jesus the Christ” this week that a disciple of Christ gives everything and doesn’t look back.  I try to think of this every time I get homesick.  The Lord is good.  His gospel is true and I am so grateful to represent my Savior every day for 18 months.

I love you all so much!  Until next week.

Hermana Harris

 The missionaries in our zone are SO weird.  haha I love it!  Elder McKay and I are the only North  Americans in the whole Zone.

Got to see Hermana Hansen my best buddy in the CCM in Abancay.  The mountains are huge here!!

August 24, 2015-----I Ate Guinea Pig.....

Hola Familia y Amigos!

This week flew by!  Days feel like an eternity, but I swear yesterday was P-day.  So much is happening here that I want to share, but I’ll just try to pick a few of the highlights.

About 2/3 of the people here wear normal clothes and the other 1/3 wear killer awesome native outfits.  Like skirts and sweaters with top-hats.  We are “teaching” this OLD lady named Sarafina, who only speaks Quechua.  We have a Book of Mormon in Quechua, but she can’t read.  We try to bring members who can translate for us, but this week we stopped by twice without a translator.  We just go in and say, “Mama, Ora-chon mama?” Then she says “Si Mama.” Then she prays and we sing a hymn then she prays again.  It’s flipping chevre.  The older people here add “mama” to the end of every sentence and “cita” to the end of every word. 

I want to learn Quechua so bad, but I should probably learn Spanish first.  Apparently Quechua is a lot easier for Gringos to learn than for the Latinos.  It is super simple because it doesn’t have any conjugations.  But every word is a mile long.  The Book of Mormon in Quechua only has a few parts of the actual book, because it is so hard to translate.  Crazy.

On Saturday, 8 year old Sol de Jesus was baptized.  About three minutes before it started, my companion and I were asked to speak.  I was SO scared because I don’t really speak Spanish and I don’t know how to write a talk in 3 minutes.  But I am trying to humbly accept the Lord’s will in all things so that he can strengthen and teach me.  My companion spoke about Baptism and I spoke about the Holy Ghost.  I don’t even know what I said, but with the help of the spirit and the gift of tongues I was able to face my fears and share my testimony about the Holy Ghost.  Also, during the meeting they asked me to play the piano for the hymns and for the special musical number.  I am really not very good at the piano, but I am trying to serve in all aspects that I can.  Latinos sing so loud and so off key and I love it!  I hope that they don’t judge too harshly that I stink at playing the piano.

Our investigator Jeidy is getting baptized this Saturday!  She is so great.  Every time we go to teach a lesson, we start by asking what she learned from reading the pamphlet and she literally teaches the whole lesson.  She knows so much and she is really excited to learn more about the gospel.  She is 22 and she is talking about going on a mission.  Her family doesn’t really want to learn about the gospel, but we’re hoping that they will see her example and how happy the gospel makes her.

Oh yeah so we got home from church yesterday and Raul was in the kitchen chopping up a guinea pig.  So yeah… I ate Cuiy.  It really didn’t taste so bad, but it had fingers and nails and eyeballs and hair on it.  Oh geeze.  I am getting pretty good at eating just about anything.  Most of the food here is so good, but there are some pretty nasty things.  Members and investigators always give us missionaries food every time they see us.  It is terrible sometimes, because they dish up the biggest portions and watch us eat every bite.  I exercise every morning and we walk all over the place, but I just can’t compete with the giant portions and the faces of the people who prepared the food for us. 

I still feel like I have no idea what is going on, and I still don’t speak Spanish, but I am getting better.  I can’t roll my R’s which is awkward, because you have to roll the R in Harris.  It is super frustrating that I memorize words then I forget them in 10 minutes.  My companion keeps telling me to “Confiar en el Señor.” (Trust in the Lord).  It’s cool because confiar means trust, but every time she says it I think of the word confide.  I have been really trying to confide in the Lord because I really can’t confide in anyone else here.  God is good.  The church is true.  I love you all. Until next week!

Con amor,

Hermana Harris

August 17, 2015-------First Week in the Field

Holy cow!!!!  I have so much to say, but I am trying to come to terms with the fact that it will be impossible for me to describe everything.

Well, on Wednesday we got up at 3 30 am and headed to the airport to fly out to Cusco.  We encountered a little problem leaving the CCM.  There was a car in the way so our bus couldn’t fit.  The elders just jumped out and picked up the car and moved it.  Haha no problem.

The flight to Cusco was incredible.  I really didn’t like Lima all that much.  It was always smoggy and there was zero vegetation or mountains and we never saw the sun or moon or stars.  Anywho, the flight from Lima to Cusco was literally straight up.  It was only an hour and a half flight and we went from 0 to 11,000 feet in elevation.  The mountains are HUGE!!  It is so cool.  When we first landed in Cusco I was worried that it would be like Lima, but it is so much better.  We got off the plane and President Harbertson and his wife as well as a bunch of Elders were waiting for us.  Hermana Harbertson went to Weber High!! What?  We immediately drove up to the Cristo Blanco and looked out over the whole city.  A native man told us about the history of Cusco as we drove around the city.  I didn’t get altitude sickness very bad.  I just got out of breath a little bit quicker.

We then went to the Mission Home.  It is very very beautiful.  I was super surprised, because everything here is pretty crappy.   Everyone is so poor.  We spent the night in a hotel…not sure why?  Then the next day we met at the chapel and were given our trainers.  I am the only North American with a Latino trainer.  Her name is Hermana Eva Lozano.  She is from Columbia and she has only been out 4 months.  We are serving in Andahuaylas (And-uh-WHY-lus).  It is about nine hours away from Cusco.  The bus ride was incredible.  We wound through the most majestic mountains I have ever seen.  Like I’m sure Machu Picchu will not even compare.  We passed through little villages where people were working in their fields on the hillsides in their traditional clothing.  It was so awesome!

I honestly don’t know much about Andahuaylas.  I have no idea what the Altitude is here or the population.  I pretty much never have any idea what is going on, because, well, my companion doesn’t speak English, and I don’t really speak Spanish.  It is such a blessing to have a Latina companion because all of the North American companionships speak English to each other.  If I don’t understand a word in Spanish, my compi explains it in Spanish.  It is super helpful…  But basically I just feel lost all the time.

I love the people here!  Our pensionista is the owner of a little restaurant.  Her name is Sheyla and her Husband is Raul.  They have one daughter named Hellen.  They are all so adorable!  They are my family away from home.  They make the most amazing food.  Most missionaries hate breakfast here, but I love it!  We eat a lot of avocado sandwiches which I love.

Raul just got called to be the branch president. (I think… it is rama in Spanish and I am just assuming it is branch in English).  Peruvians can NOT sing.  Haha it is awesome!  Also nobody here knows how to play the piano so I am going to have to practice to be able to play for sacrament meetings.

We have some awesome investigators!  My very first lesson here we invited Geidy to be baptized and she accepted.  She is super great!

There is only one other north American missionary in our Zone.  His name is Elder McKay and he is somehow related to the McKays in Huntsville.  He is from Arizona.  I kinda feel bad because every time I see him I talk my guts out in English because he is the only other person in this whole city who speaks English and I am pretty much mute all day everyday. 

We are only given one hour to use the internet and we are required to write our president for 15 minutes so I have even less time to write here than I did in the CCM.  Also, it costs a lot to send letters from here.  I just want to explain every single detail, but it is impossible.  I guess you’ll all just have to come to Peru.

The mission president and his wife are so different than I imagined but I really love them.  His wife went to Weber and both of them know Huntsville pretty well.

I love Cusco!  I hope that I will be able to serve there at some point in my mission. I want you guys to come here, because I just can't explain what everything is like. I will be in Andahuaylas for sure for the next two transfers, but probably more.  I don't even know if I have an address.  I think the safest way to send letters is through pouch mail then my zone leaders will give me letters every once in a while.  I'm sorry I am always lost.  I pretty much have no idea what is going on ever, because everyone speaks Spanish.  haha

My companion is super loving and very much like a Latino.  She calls me princessa.  She is super sweet and wants to work hard which is awesome.  She is a really good missionary which is why she is training after only being out for four months.

Our apartment is nicer than I expected.  We have a living room, bedroom, laundry room and a bathroom.  The shower has a nice head on it, but for some reason the water just trickles out of one little hole..  So it's like I am showering under a little sink.  haha But the water is warm so I can't complain.  We can't flush our toilet paper which is so disgusting to me, but whatever.  We can't drink the water, but we have nice filtered water bottles and we are able to buy or boil water too.  Randomly though, the water just shuts off and we can't shower or flush the toilet.  It usually only lasts for a couple hours thought so it's all good. I'll try to take pictures of the apartment for next week. 

I had a cool experience the other day.  We were going to teach a very poor family and my companion handed me some cookies to bring to the kids.  I was starving and, honestly, I really wanted to eat the cookies myself.  When we got to the house though, the kids looked so hungry.  They were so excited when I pulled the cookies out of my pocket.  They just kept hugging my legs and saying “gracias Hermana.”  I think my heart changed a little.  I wanted to dig through my bad and give them all the food I could find, even though I was super hungry.  Serving means so much more when it requires some sacrifice.  I have already seen the Lord changing me.  I have so much to learn!  This is the hardest thing I have ever done, but I am so grateful for this opportunity.  I am learning more about my Savior and how much he loves all of us.  

Love to all!  I hope things are well in the grand US of A.

Con amor, Hermana Harris

August 12, 2015----Safe Arrival in Cusco

Dear Parents,

As you can see in the attached photo, your daughter has arrived safely to the Peru Cusco Mission! We are thrilled to have her here! She looks great, a bit tired from the travel, but ready to go! Thank you for allowing us to watch over her for the next year and a half. She has promised that she will be a missionary we can trust, and we have now given her that trust. As well, you can trust that we will do everything that we can to care for her and to help her to become a successful missionary.

Con Gran Amor,

Presidente y Hermana Harbertson

August 5, 2015----Last Week at the CCM

This is my last week in El Centro de Capacitacion Misional and I'm kinda freaking out. I don't think I'll get to email next week because here my p-day is Wednesday, but in the field it will be Monday and I fly to Cusco on Tuesday so I'll just miss P-day there and not quite make it to P-day here. Anywho, next time you hear from me I will have already spent a week in some part of Peru that is now known only to God.

There is not really such a thing as time here. For me, it goes P-day, Sunday, P-day. The other days blur together. Sunday is my favorite.

I was dissappointed in the lack of festivities for Peru's independence day last week. On the 4th of July, the CCM was decked out with red, white, and blue balloons and streamers and flags and for the 28th here, they just put up like 3 Peruano flags and fed us some rice and chicken.

Oh ps... somebody needs to teach me how to eat meat with bones in them, because they don't debone anything here and I never took ¨Carving a chicken 101.¨ Every meal is like a lab and sometimes we try to make skeletons by putting all of our bones together. haha jk but really...

I don't know if I explained this, but our teachers pose as ¨progressing investigators¨ and we teach them the discussion in these mini houses and prepare them for baptism. We just baptized our investigator Ana and in class the other day our teacher Hna. Altamirano asked if we had any questions about Ana. We were like, ¨what? why? Ana was fake.¨ She then explained that her middle name is Ana and that she was posing as herself when she was investigating the church. The concerns she shared with us were her real concerns before being baptized. And the questions she asked us were real questions she had asked the missionaries when they were teaching her. The coolest part is that she said some of the things we said were the exact same words the missionaries had used when they taught her. That hit me hard because sometimes I forget that I am a real missionary. We teach our teachers who are just pretending to be investigators, but my calling is real and the spirit is real.

Ok nobody tells us anything here. The world could be on fire and we would have no idea. We got to watch a devotional live from Provo and President Nelson spoke. We were all like, ¨Did we get a new Prophet?¨ That devotional was amazing though. He talked about our role as missionaries to gather Israel to the temples and to prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. It made me stoked to be a missionary. 

 

This is so awesome! Love to all.

 

Love, Hermana Harris

 

 

 

We got special permission from the CCM president to go to Papa John's today.  It helps that the Zone leaders are in our district. (Elders Noel and Williams)  

 

 

This is my "I can't even contain my excitement face".

July 29, 2015

 

 

Holy cow!  I am now in the advanced group of the CCM... haha how the heck did that happen?

 

Ok so this week I had a life changing experience.  We got go to proselyting with REAL missionaries in the Lima East mission on Saturday.  We went to an area called Chiclacayo and my companion and I were assigned to proslyte in the poorest area on the top of the hill.  The mountains don´t have vegetation on them so they just look like giant mounds of dirt and rocks.  The poorer people live higher up on the hill and their houses are made of whatever scraps they can find.  We took a 45 passenger bus that was stick-shift... Wha??  I was so impressed that we made it up the hills.  Everything was super dusty and I had a layer of dust in my lungs after.

 

Side note:  The highways here have speed bumps on them, so we´ll be going 50 mph then they slam on the breaks to go over a speed bump #party!

 

Anywho, we went to the top of this mountain and we literally walked up to a board and knocked on it.  This kid walked out and invited us to come in...  You guys. I have seen pictures and heard stories of places like this, but never in my life have I seen such poverty.  I couldn´t even listen to what he was saying because I was trying to hold back tears.  The ¨walls¨ were see through and the roof was a scrap of tin.  The couch was some stuff piled up with rags covering it.  A nasty dog came and sat on my feet during the lesson.  We went to several more houses like that and I began to realize that this was normal for people.  They were all so happy and they literally had nothing.  Here they call it ¨humildad¨ which means humility, rather than poverty.  Everytime ask a new Latina Hermana what she thinks of the CCM they always say that it is beautiful.  Now I understand why.  To me the CCM is simple, but to them it is so fancy.

 

Think of the crappiest part of Ogden and that would be about the nicest area you could find in Lima.  I am SO grateful to have grown up in the United States.  Why me?  Why did I get to grow up in a place where people have running water and are able to sleep on real beds and have real floors? I have been so blessed.  Please don´t take for granted what you have.  I am a changed person.  I will be forever grateful for this experience that has opened my eyes.

 

I love you all and I want you to know that Jesus lives and he loves us.  He loves the people in Peru just as much as he loves the people in the USA.  I am so grateful to be a missionary and to wear the name of Jesus Christ over my heart everyday.  Have a great week!

 

Love,

Hermana Harris

 

p.s. (Taken from Jenny's personal letter and added to this post.  Something this good should be shared. he he)  So the other day some hermanas were looking at my scripture case with the family picture on it and I heard one of them whisper, ¨She has a hot mom.¨  

 

 Haha everyone loves these crackers called Kraps.  They make for excellent puns.

 
My favorite aisle in the grocery store is the cookie aisle.

 My district loves to play beach volleyball.  It's the closest thing we've got to a real beach.

 

July 22, 2015

This week was fabulous!  My companion and I had to pray in sacrament meeting in Spanish.  I was SO nervous because Presidente Gonzalez was there.  Guess what? I survived!!  haha

 

I had a really neat experience this week.  We had a fireside on Sunday given in spanish.  They gave us translators but mine didn't work.  I prayed to have the spirit with me and it was the most amazing thing.  I wrote PAGES of notes from the guy´s talk.  I literally have no idea how I knew what he was saying other than the gift of tongues.  I was taking notes furiously and I was following along in the spanish Preach My Gospel and spanish scriptures.  His message was exactly what I needed to hear so I know that God helped me understand.  He spoke about spiritual gifts and obtaining the attributes of Christ.

 

A common phrase in my journal this week was ¨They´ve gotta stop serving compote de frutas.¨ They used to make the most amazing desserts like cream filled churros.  Then one day they served this unappetizing compote de frutas and nobody took it so they put it out the next day and nobody took it again.  Eventually people started to take one for the team and would get one so that they'd stop setting out the same ones, but these poor people had to eat those nasty things because we eat everything on our plates here.  Last night we finally got to the end of the compote de frutas and they gave us the most nasty dessert I've ever had.  It literally looked like snot and tasted worse.  The lady told us that it was good so I took one and had to eat it.  I almost threw up...no joke.  I want my churros back!  It's OK though because they have a freezer full of ice cream sandwiches from the Gods that I access daily...

 

I went to the temple today for the last time for 18 months because the temple is closed for the next two weeks.  The past 2 p-days I have placed Books of Mormon.  I don´t talk to strangers and I don´t speak spanish so giving out a Book of Mormon is quite the accomplishment.

 

I still don't speak much Spanish, but understanding is getting easier.  I feel so blessed to be learning Spanish because it is also forcing me to learn the language of the Spirit.  I know these things are true but I am literally unable to share that without testifying of simple truths and relying completely on the spirit to relay the truthfulness of the message to the hearts of God's children.  What a blessing!

 

I know that God is good and that he has a plan for each of us.  Life is good.  I love you guys!

 

Con amor,

Hermana Harris

 

 They have a map with all of the missions on it and mine is definitely the coolest mission!!

 I still look down and see my name-tage and jump.  When did I turn into a missionary??

This was our last trip to the temple.  Our amazing teachers are Flor Chacón and Cindy Altamirano.

     

 

July 15, 2015

  
Week 2 in Peru:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIZA!!!! I've been thinking about you all week!

So when I moved to college, I seriously doubted my decision to go to USU.  I wanted to give up, but I stuck to it and had the most amazing experience.  I met wonderful people and loved every second of it.  I also learned and changed so much.  

Likewise, the first week of my mission was super rough and I was prepared to take the next flight home.  (I conveniently had a return flight scheduled for the 30th for immigration purposes that I didn't want to waste. ) haha

On the way to the airport to drop me off, my family was running late then we ran out of gas so we stopped at a station and the pumps didn't work.  We drove for a while and went to another station, but again the pump didn't work.  We went to yet another station that had problems, but eventually we were able to get gas.  I had a powerful impression that Satan did not want me to go on a mission.  I had forgotten about this until this last Sunday...  I may have gotten un poco ill.  (Don't worry, the doctor told me I had a strong heart beat so they didn't need to rush me to the hospital.  So comforting.)  haha but really I'm fine.

Anywho, I tell you this because Elders Noel, Williams, and Hafer gave me a blessing.  Elder Chaz Hafer was the mouthpiece and he said, ¨Rachel, you Heavenly Father wants you to know that he has a plan for you that is different than anyone else's.  Never doubt.  There are people here who need to hear your testimony and your experiences.¨ It was so powerful.  I can do this!  

I know that God is good and he knows what he is doing. I know this church is true and that Christ is my Savior.  I wouldn't have moved to Peru if I didn't know that.  Satan doesn't want me here because I know that Christ is preparing the world for His second coming and I am going to shout it from the roof tops.  There are people here who need to know that families are forever and that truth is on the earth today.

¨We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness.  We've proved him in days that are past.  The wicked who fight against Zion, shall surely be smitten at last.¨

I love being a missionary.  It's hard, but so special.  These are exciting times. Thanks for your prayers.  Love to you all!

Con amor,

Hermana Harris 


So the Book of Mormon in Quechua is insane...  These are the sisters going to Cusco with me who get to learn Spanish and Quechua.  So stoked!!

My district is AMAZING!!!  Half of us are going to Cusco and the other half will be serving in Lima Central. Oh and Elder Frehner is going to Iquitos.  Whenever we tell people that we get to serve in Cusco, they get super excited and say it is beautiful.  When Elder Frehner says he's going to Iquitos everyone says, Hace calor en Iquitos.  (It's hot in Iquitos)  So we have this joke that whenever someone is hot they say It feels like Iquitos in here.  haha

 We literally had a futbol camp for our district today, because soccer is a must in South America and none of us girls are very good.  Instead of our Elders getting mad at us, they decided to have a ¨soccer camp¨ to teach us how to play.  It was super fun!  (ps to grandma and Jenny I´m not sun burned... I was just running really hard.  It is impossible to get sunburned here because I never see the sun.)  

July 8, 2015

 What the heck.  I can´t believe I finally get to write!!  This has been the longest week of my life!  Honestly, this is the hardest thing I have ever done... but also I have never laughed so hard and so much in my life.  I don´t have a lot of time, so I won´t be able to respond to every email, but I love you all!

First off, Peruvian drivers are insane.  Like they just zoom around at like 90 miles an hour and cut everybody and their dog off.  They drive 3 inches away from each other and never stay the lanes.  It´s terrifying, but also I´m super impressed with their skills.  They have to be way more aware of the cars around them than we do in the USofA.

The food here is amazing.  I am SO sick of rice though and it has only been a week.  We eat rice for every single meal.  Rice and chicken for dayzzzzzzz....  I love when they pull out the ice cream machine.  Yeah, I've already gained weight, nbd.  I blame the CCM people though, because they told us we are required to eat everything on our plates, so if we can´t eat all of something we shouldn't take it.  The only problem is that they dish the food for us.  What can you do?

Ya know how it gets overcast and warm when it is just about to rain?  It literally feels like it is just about to rain all the time.  I have not seen the sun, moon or stars since I've been here.  It´s constantly overcast.  It has only rained once and it was just mist.  It´s super weird.

They announced that Boyd K. Packer died last week and I cried.  He´s my favorite!

The people in my district are amazing.  Elder Cole Noel from Eden is my district leader.  He´s super great at it too.  He used to be a punk, but I love his guts.  Elder Barry is this kid from Cali who is in my district and he´s probably the funniest person alive.  We just laugh all day.  

We have two main phrases here in spanish.  Que en el mundo, and que bueno.  When we don´t know what to say we just say ¨que bueno¨.  (This keyboard is impossible)

Spanish is so hard.  We study it all day and I still don´t speak an ounce of the language.  We were put in companionships so that there is one person who has taken some Spanish in school and the other person hasn't.  I´m supposed to be the one who speaks Spanish, but I most definitely do not.

We teach lessons every other night to this fake investigator named Sara in these little tiny fake houses.  My companion and I have to write a script down in Spanish and just try to read it to our investigator.  She tells us about her life and we have to try to help her in Spanish.  It is the most frustrating thing in the world because I know what she is saying and what she needs, but I don't know how to say it in Spanish.  Our first two lessons were so bad and I just felt horrible after.  The spirit wasn't there.  My companion and I decided we needed to try to change that.

We both were given blessings and the next lesson we prayed about what we should do.  We decided to share our simple testimonies using all of the Spanish we knew.  Somehow we were able to share the feelings of our hearts and the lesson went really well.  It was a miracle.

We had to stand in line all day yesterday at the international police station so my district decided to talk to the people around us and try to share the gospel in our terrible Spanish.  We ended up giving out several books of Mormon and pamphlets.  It was super scary!

I want to share the biggest thing I've learned this week.  I used to want to learn Spanish so that I could talk to the people of Peru, but I've come to realize that I need to learn Spanish so that the Lord can talk to the people of Peru through me.  Like this has nothing to do with myself.  It´s all about being an instrument or mouthpiece for the Lord.  That has made learning Spanish so much easier.

On the fourth of July all of us Americans wore red, white and blue.  It was awesome!  The Latinas all wanted to practice their English so they would say, ¨happy four uh July.¨  The lunch ladies decorated the comedor with balloons and American flags.  The best part is that they fed us hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and pie.  It was amazing.  I cried.

I love that speaking only Spanish has helped me to go back to the basics of the gospel.  We only know how to say simple things so our testimonies and prayers are simple, but powerful.

I love being a missionary!  It is so hard and I´m tired all the time, but when we all stand and sing called to serve there is such power.  It is crazy how much I feel the prayers for the missionaries. 

I´m sorry if this isn't making sense.  I have a thousand things to say, but no time.  I love and miss you all so much!!!!

Con amor,

Hermana Harris

 We play volleyball everyday.  The Latinas love to tell us how to play.  haha

July 1, 2015

I got to sit by Elder Sheanshang on the flight to Atlanta!!  He is my favorite!  The lady on the other side of me was watching an R rated movie....  hahaha awko. So in Atlanta we met up with a bunch more missionaries then we flew down to Peru.  I had to pull a grandma Harris and buy some motion sickness medicine...  I got pretty nauseated on the first flight.  

The flight to Peru was so long, but I got to sit by the window.  Hna. Walker sat next to me.  We got to eat a salad for dinner on the plane and I was so excited.  I loved looking out the window, especially flying over ecuador.  The city lights were majestic.  

We didn´t get to the CCM until 3 am and we had to get up at 7:30.  I am SO tired.  

Yeah so Peruvian drivers are insane!!!  They just zoom everywhere and when they come to a stop light they just honk and plow through. Also the stop lights have a count down so you know when the light is going to change... genius.  Haha so the bus ride was awesome from the airport.  

The whole immigration thing is SUPER complicated.  We had to go through immigrations and customs and tell them that we were here for training and we needed to be here for a minimum of 90 days.  I didn't get hounded but some other missionaries got asked tons of personal questions. 

Peru is nothing like America.  This will take some getting used to, but I love the people.  There are so many fun Elders and Sisters here.  There are 5 of us from Weber High. The buildings are all made of concrete and it is way humid.  I feel like I am  in a cold sauna.  My companion is Hna Barfuss.  We had pizza and hot chocolate for breakfast...?  hahaha  I love you all so much!  I will get to write for an hour next Wednesday, which is my P day.

con amor

hna Harris

Farewell

Rachel's Talk:

Sister Harris and I were asked to share our thoughts on Alma 12:9-11. I’d like to focus on verse 10, which says, “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.”


The heart is a symbol of the mind and will of man and the figurative source of all emotions and feelings. In the scriptures we learn that revelation is closely linked to our heart.


I love what Elder Lund shared in the April 2008 conference:

“The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others, deadened by sin, and softened by love. Early in our lives, we learn to guard our hearts. It is like we erect a fence around our hearts with a gate in it. No one can enter that gate unless we allow [them] to.


In some cases the fence we erect around our hearts could be likened to a small picket fence with a Welcome sign on the gate. Other hearts have been so hurt or so deadened by sin that they have an eight-foot chain-link fence topped with razor wire around them. The gate is padlocked and has a large No Trespassing sign on it.”


Nephi taught, “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” Elder David A. Bednar noted the use of the word unto: “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.”


‘Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us.’

So how do we open our hearts?


To me, opening our hearts really means turning our hearts to Christ. True disciples of Christ are teachable, diligent, and humble.


The best way I can think of to open our hearts to God is by praying to Him and letting him know the thoughts of our hearts. In Mosiah 24, the people of Alma were commanded by Amulon not to pray. There were guards keeping watch over them who would put them to death if they were found calling upon God. Verse 12 says, “And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him, and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.” This is when the Lord was able to help and comfort them.


I love this poem about a missionary who tells God the feelings of his heart, and then he is able to be taught:



The alarm rings at 6:30; I stumble to my feet. I grab my companion's bedding and pull off his sheet. A groan fills the room, is it already time to arise? It seems like just a second ago I was able to shut my eyes. The morning activities follow - study, prayer, and such. When it's time to leave the apartment, I feel I haven't accomplished much. "We have a super day planned," my comp says with a grin. I lowly utter a faithless breath, "Yeah, if anyone lets us in. "With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street Prepared to face another day of humidity and heat. It's 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through; My companion and I are riding home, not accomplishing what we thought to do. We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot. Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate "Air Box." We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete. The only thing to show for our work is a case of blistery feet. It's past 10:30 PM, my companion is fast asleep. Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep. In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray; I need to talk to God, but I'm not sure what to say. "Oh, Father," I begin, "What happened to us today? I thought we'd teach somebody, but everyone was away. My hands, my aching hands - worn, hurt and beat; If our area was any smaller, we'd have knocked every street .." "Why on missions are the days so much alike? The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike. Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me. I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes; It's very hard to see." "Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn't your protection enough? People always laugh at me and call me stupid stuff. Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack; I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back." "And what about my family? They don't have much to say, I'm sick of not hearing from home, day after day after day. Oh Father, why am I here, am I just wasting time? Sometimes I just want to go home, I'm sorry that's on my mind." "My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me? The way he rides his bicycle, I don't think he can see. Now you have it, I can't go on I don't know what to do; That, my Father in Heaven, is the prayer I have for You. "My prayer now finished I stand up, then jump right into bed. I need my rest for tomorrow; we have another long day ahead. Sleep starts to overtake me; I seem to drift away, Then it seems a vision takes me to another time and another day. I'm standing alone on the hill, the view is very nice; A man walks towards me and says, "My name is Jesus Christ." Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet, "Arise," He states, "Follow me to the shade - you and I need to speak.

"My attentions toward the Savior, total and complete. He says, "Your mission is similar of what happened to Me, I understand how you feel, I know what you're going through; In fact it would be fair to say I've felt the same as you." "I even know how you felt when no one listened to you. At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do. I know you don't like to ride a bicycle, for you a car would be sweet; Just remember the donkey I rode wasn't equipped with 21 speeds." "I understand you don't like sweating, in fact it's something you hate; I remember when I sweat blood from every pore, oh the agony was great! I see you don't like your companion - you'd rather have someone else. I once had a companion named Judas who sold my life for wealth." "It's hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you. I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews. So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack. I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back." "Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day. I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way. It's hard not to hear from home when your family's not there to see; I lost my communication on the cross and cried, "Father, why hast Thou forsaken Me." He embraced me with His arms, His light filled me with His love, With tears in my eyes I watched as He went back to the Father above. I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head, I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed. My companion let out a groan, "6:30 already, no way!" I sat up and said, "Come on, I'll even carry your scriptures today!" No matter what you go through, when you feel we can’t take more; Just stop and think about Jesus Christ. He has been there before.


I love how this missionary poured out his heart to God and was then humble enough to be taught by the Master!


As we continually open our hearts by praying to our Heavenly Father, studying and pondering the scriptures, and remaining steadfast in the commandments, then the Lord teaches us and we are able to know the mysteries of God.


One of my favorite scriptures is Doctrine and Covenants 50:24 which says, “That which is of God is light and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”


I like this verse because it teaches us that God will reveal things to us line upon line. When I was deciding whether or not I should serve a mission, I prayed a lot and God didn’t tell me the answer all at once. I had lots of little experiences that led me to make the decision to serve; then I had several more experiences where God let me know that he was pleased with my decision.


My testimony has come the same way. Thousands of tender mercies from God have helped me to know that Jesus is the Christ. I know he lives and loves us. It is because of him that I can be sealed to my family. I am grateful for my Savior and His Atonement, which changes me.