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.