Maddy on a Mission: 4-7-14 God protects his missionaries!!! and gives them SUPER cool stories to tell. :)

Because of time limitations, I am going to skip most of the week until Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

But first, a shout out to Treyson Lewis and Brooke Palmer HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I Love you guys!!!

Second, have I ever told you all about the Peruvian dogs here!? They are dark grey or black, skinny, and have NO hair except the top of their heads. They are SOOO ugly. Look them up :)

Third, Monday night I had one of the most sincere, long, pleading prayers I have ever had. I needed help with my area, my spirits, and my comp. (there are some problems going on) can I just tell you. GOD LISTENS. The very next day, my comp came into our room and asked me what she could do better and we had a wonderful 3 hour long talk about how we can both improve and have a better companionship. It was a direct answer to my prayers. I know our Father listens. I know it. He also was able to help me boldly testify to my companion about a few things she needed help on. EVERYONE read Alma 26. One of my favorite chapters ever. I know God listens and wants to help us. Even if its in his time and according to his will, he is GOING to answer your prayer. I have full confidence in this.

Fourth, please pray for my area and my comp and my investigators. They need it. :)

Okay, now for STORY TIME!!!

Thursday a group of 10 of us missionaries traveled to Lima. Friday we spent most of the day getting our Peruvian DNIs. Then we went and got pizza and ice cream. It was very happy. :) THEN, we went to the temple. Normally, groups don't get to do a session, but we were able to do one!!! I was so extremely happy. I love the temple. That night we were able to have a lot of fun talking, eating, and staying up late (not our fault haha) it was about 1:30 or 2. Then at 4:30 that morning, we get a call to be ready in 25 minutes to leave!!! What!? Our bus doesn't and didn't, leave until 9:30. We still don't know why that happened. Haha but anyway, we were driving to the bus station, and the whole car smelt so badly of gas. Then after a while, our driver stopped the car and jumped out! For a split second, I thought we hit someone. Then, I saw our car on fire. We all jumped out and for an hour or so watched our car explode, and catch more and more on fire. It was CRAZY! Luckily, everyone, including kind citizens who helped us, stayed safe. Even the stuff of the missionaries in the back was unharmed, only smelt like fire. It was VERY exciting. The news came and everything :)

My car, on fire. (5 elders and 2 sisters where in this car)

Then, we got to the bus stop around 6:30 and waited a long time to leave. During the bus they played a very terrible movie. I just tried to sleep during it. However after, they started another very nasty movie. After about 5 minutes of it, Hermana Overly and I decided that we weren't going to let this happen. So we went and I politely explained to the lady on the bus that there was 10 missionaries and we couldn't watch this kind of stuff. She was kind of reluctant, but 2 passengers on the bus said, go ahead, let them! It was very awesome. So we picked out a different, less nasty movie (pg13) haha for the bus. After this movie, I was afraid they would start another bad one (they only had bad movies!) so Hermana Paisley and I decided, lets see if they will let us all watch the restoration.... hahaha. Well, she said no. Because people thought we were Satan worshipers. I told her that was fine, because this movie would inform them we are indeed not. I said its just a beautiful movie that lots of people like to watch!!! She thought for a while, then said.... okay!!! So our entire bus watched the restoration with us. :)))) However, at about 6 or 7 at night, we had to stop because the road was blocked with an avalanche. (of rocks) We all got out and decided to walk past to a town. A lot of events happened, and I am out of time, but as we were walking, a ton of rocks started falling again, we heard CORRE!!!! And I looked and saw a crowd of people running at us. Me and another sister tripped on some rocks, and we fell. I was ran over by some men (got some nice little cuts on my leg :) but the other hermana got it worse. She really hurt her foot and couldn't walk. So we went back and just waited.

Cuts from falling and getting ran on :)

On and off for an hour or so rocks began falling. At first little ones, then HUGE rocks. It was awesome, but very scary. We decided we needed to get to the other side to walk to the town. Hermana Overly and I carried/walked with the hurt hermana and the plan was to walk slash run very quickly. While we were walking, rocks started coming down again at us 3 (going a little slower because we were helping her) it was just a crazy few minutes of people yelling and feeling like we could die. But before any of this began, we said a prayer to keep each of us safe and to get us across. Well, we had to climb under an overturned truck, and other stuff, but we made it!!

Overturned truck

Then we walked about a mile into a little town to look for a car to take us home!!! We had a lot of drunk men trying to help us and others trying to rip us off, but finally we walked far enough to a police station and a police man helped us get a car. We got home around 11 at night. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, I just really wanted to tell you how crazy the mission life is sometimes. :) And how I KNOW God hears and answers our prayers. And protects his servants. It was a very scary, fun, interesting day for all of us. I am safe though, don't worry!!! I love you all and hope you have a week even half as exciting and faith promoting as mine. ;)

con amor, Hermana Whitlock

ps. send me your favorite parts and what you learned from conference and your favorite quotes or scriptures!!! everyone get a Preach My Gospel and start reading and applying it!!! its a very inspired book. I was only able to watch Sundays because of the trip to Lima, but I loved it. Every single one. I am going to re read and work on applying each talk, changing, becoming more loving, more grateful, patient, applying the atonement in my life, and exhorting others to do the same. I love this gospel. I know its true. I KNOW IT.