WOW That's a Strong Wind!!!

CCM Week THREE:

Hey Abbie, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I sent you a letter, you should get it...someday haha. So here we play soccer every single day (minus Sunday) (see pic below) and its so fun! I have lots of injuries though... like a jammed my toe, and huge bruises all over my legs... haha and here i am known for scoring goals, and taking people out... I think having older brothers did that to me... oops. ;) 

The other day me and my comp were studying, and discussing the El LDM, when she said, "You know what I realised? all we ever talk about here is birds, and gospel doctrine." hahahaha. But its so true. this place is INFESTED with birds. Fighting, pooping, flying, mating, tweeting, etc. its just disgusting. I don't love that too much... hahaha. There are also ants, everywhere! They don't do nothing to us though, just crawl and crawl. My comp thinks I'm weird because I like bugs... and there are lots here to like :) 

I am getting a wicked shoe tan!! and ctr ring, and watch tan! Speaking of which, PLEASE think my Whitlock grandparents for the watch. I wear it almost every day and I love it! and it gets a lot of compliments! 

Also! This is neat. Here people say these two words of advice a lot: "steady as she goes" and "poco y poco" -- which grandpa Leif's advice to me was the same two things!! (little by little) So, that man's a genius. Thank him please.:) 

More thank yous! thank Dr. Ricks (Uncle Dave!) for my jaw work. it hasn't been hurting nearly as badly! it locks sometimes but doesn't pop or drop (hehe) so that is good!!!! I just want to say thank you everyone who did anything to help me get here. I owe  a lot of thanks to friends and family! I know it!!! Like for instance, all you angels who wrote something in my red journal?! I was having a really hard night this week and I was reading it and my heart was bursting with gratitude for my AMAZING friends and family. I don't deserve you guys. Thank you. 

So the day after my hard day (I was sick, and feeling discouraged, I got a blessing and the things they said happened to be the things I was down about, it was AWESOME!) and then after that I got a letter from hermana Brooke Palmer that had the BEST advice. and THEN, I walked outside the next morning from breakfast and they were SETTING UP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. I literally almost cried with joy; it was a little embarrassing :) but everyone is real happy about it too. Also i think we are having some sort of thanksgiving feast Thursday! I will let you know. Hey, someone hug Abs real long and hard for me on thrs., okay!? 

ONE MORE THING! Yesterday around 1 or 2 pm, my companero y mi were doing our studying, and i noticed my clothes shaking, and then hers, and then our bench and I exclaimed, "Hermana! That's a strong wind!!!" Shortly after that, the entire ground started shaking hard for like 10 seconds... So yeah, I have lived through an earthquake in Peru! :) When it happened everyone had to come out of the buildings and wait a few minutes in case of an after shock, and some people where scared, but me and my companero just thought it was so fun... hahaha. :)

We listened to a devotional by Elder Holland last Tuesday that reallyyyy hit home. I just want to share a few quotes from it. He said that "Missionaries are the most prayed about people on EARTH" and that "people have the right to think you are perfect, and you do NOT have the right to make them think otherwise." It really made me want to be a "perfect missionary" in the eyes of my friends, family, and the people of Peru. I hope I can earn that title before I come home! It was a real tear-jerker talk. I loved it :) He also said that "ours is the day in which every prophet, priest, and king wrote and dreamed about." Wow. Ours is a sacred, HUGE responsibility, and I will never be a missionary to mess with that. He said a bunch of other great things, but I can tell you more about those in 18 short months ;)

Much-loved sports field

Lovely grounds of the Peru MTC (CCM)

ps. ALLISON put her papers in!!! Someone call her and tell her I love her for me!!!!!!!!!!

***To read the rest of the letter, click HERE***