Saftey for the soul

WOW the last two weeks have been GREAT FOR EMAILS and letters!! Dear elders are so GREAT!! Two from Sammie Krohn, and two DE DERITO!! you are lo Maxi mo!! 

So a lot of changes in a little time, but what happened is my sector didn't close and they replaced the elders with two new elders in our zone an elder Pittam DE salt lake and elder Cruz DE Trujillo. T Hey are so great! always making jokes and reading great hilarious scriptures! So my and my companion have only our sector which is good because it is huge and we have a lot of work to do in our own sector. Whoosh last minute changes but all is fabulous now! my companion is very sweet and we are always laughing about great missionary stories of her past companion. and the time when we were teaching the first lesson in a park and i was given a gift of the palomos right on my jacket. yes a bird dedicated on me during a lesson. Needless to say this past week has just been very happy and always an adventure. We have gotten lost many times (I am so glad to have a patient companion I know parts of our sector well and others not so well) but in the end we always end up smiling and meeting new people and seeing miracles. We went looking for a members house and we knew the street but the number we were given didn't exist, so we started knocking doors and her neighbor came out to help us and we got to talking and bam a new investigator! she is so wonderful and takes care of her mother who is 88 and has Alzheimer s! Such an amazing example of service and faith. 

Weeks are flying by and we are trying to keep time, but wow. so much to do in so little time! 

Another great experience this week is realizing how important this work is. As missionaries we are the spiritual 911 of our whole sector!! People call us and say they need to talk and we grab our bags and hop to it! Through the authority and power of God we invite people to be spiritually saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ. WE are resuscitating the faith of all the people and every time we share a message we are administering medicine for their souls!! How great is this calling! But just like a doctor or EMT we need to be prepared with scriptures and the word of God to help people in their trials and problems. All problems can be solved in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Faith repentance baptism and the gift of the holy ghost and persevering to the end! 

God is listening always and we are here in this earth to have the peace and joy and love of GOD every day in every moment especially in times of trial. keep your heads up and look for HIM because he is sitting with you in every low point!! I have learned a lot about this this week! Oh it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me, oh how wonderful wonderful to me! 

love you forever! have an inspirational week! I am praying for ya!

love hermana Atkinson. :)

Happy Fahters Day

FELIZ DIA DE LA PADRE!!! (Happy Fathers Day!) I am so grateful for the example my father is for me in serving a mission and always serving others and doing all things to help me in my life!! I am eternally grateful! I was thinking today how much Fathers love us. Our mortal fathers and our father in heaven, our fathers replicate our father in heaven by loving us eternally and wanting the best for us and showing us the way and guiding us. T Hanks Dad for always being there for me and guiding me in the ways of truth and light with your example!! 

AWWWWWWWW!!! OK down to the nitty gritty, in a very short time, as in the morning of transfers everything changed! I am now only in my zone with my companion and they have new elders in the other sector! Woosh a miraculous week! With lots of changes still. We had four elders and one sister leave our zone so many changes but I am so glad to be here. 

It's so nice to have a companion who is from Mexico and we have a lot in common with being in a new country far from our own, she is very happy and says really long prayers but wow she is great! She has six months this Tuesday and I currently have three months so we are relatively new together! It's a great learning experience for both!! Our new zone is great and was a week of miracles finding new people to teach one girl actually came running up to us and said I have a friend for you to teach and we went running to find a daughter of god truly ready for the gospel! I LOVE MISSIONARIES!! love you all until next week! 

PS enjoy your summer

love hermana Atkinson! 

Cambios

CAMBIOS (Changes) are this week!!! AHHHHHHH

LETS JUST SAY I KNOW GOD HAS PREPARED ME FOR GREAT THINGS. OK lets start at the beginning, I have three months in the mission, two of which I have been actually in Peru, one of which have actually been in the field. My first companion has taught me so much about how to serve and teach and love the people and what to do in hard situations and how to lead. She is headed home to Bolivia on Tuesday morning. really sad I have come to love her as a sister and it has only been six weeks!!

Entonces CAMBIOS!(Then Changes) WE are receiving less missionaries than are leaving so many sectors are closing (closing in that there aren't enough missionaries to go around so some sectors are now encompassing two sectors. This is what is happening to Salamanca. In our ward in Salamanca we have two sets of missionaries sister Quiroga and I and two elders. The elders are being transferred and I am receiving a new companion and the elders sector and all their investigators are now mine and my new companions. (Don't worry I wont be getting a greenie or anything, but my new companion will still be training me) It is what is called leading the sector. I need to know where all the houses of investigators are and how to get to point A to point B without being ran over by crazy drivers, in time and in the safest places of my sector and the totally new to me sector of the elders with a new companion. WOO HOO!!

When the president called my companion he said, ¨How is Sister Atkinson progressing?¨ Never a good sign. and ¨How is her Spanish¨. Then he said, ¨She has been prepared for this¨and BOOM cambios(changes). So This week is really going to be eye opening and Exciting and adventurous! It really is a blessing that I feel calm and ready for this. I am really excited to know a new sector with a CERRO!! (hill of houses!)) WOOT I have always wanted to proselyte on a hill! Aka: lots of stairs and lots of people and lots of houses on houses with houses in houses! Truly I am so excited to be able to work hard and I know that I have learned Spanish so quick and feel ready only because God has truly prepared me for this. My testimony is strengthened this week in knowing that every trial God gives us he has also prepared us. He will never command us to do anything save he shall prepare a way for them to not only achieve the goal but to have success!! Never the less pray for the new sector this week and thank you for you love and support always!

PS tell Brock I need pictures of CHINA!! WOOT and congrats Kaylea on the new one and ANDREA AND TJ best of luck you two will be great in Arizona! Grammy and Grampy Hi also!

EXITOS AND AMOR! (successes & love)

Love Sister Atkinson!

Talk about my element

My week has been relatively eventful we were able to help our pensionist this week with her house. Her son unexpectedly was coming home earlier than she thought and the new room was not ready at all. She was very down and sad.  

Entonces after consoling her and sending her to bed with some pills we rolled up our sleeves and GOT TO WORK!! We went out and bought rice and stuff for lunch and made ¨what we will call ¨american Chinese food¨ of ham fried rice and top ramen. Cooking up a storm and doing laundry. I was happier than a tornado in a trailer park!!! TALK ABOUT MY ELEMENT!! Not an air bender or a fire bender but a clean the house and love it bender!! After lunch and cleaning the whole kitchen we began organizing!! WOOT my favorite! Their new room in the back needed cleaned and the mountain of clothes in the parents room moved out to the cabinet in the new room and all the beds moved and re-compiled. Needless to say lots of heavy stuff to move and organize and clean!! I have never been happier in my life!! I just loved every second of it. I felt kinda disobedient that we didn´t get any proselyting done that day (yes all you missionaries can picture reporting our numbers for the day back to our district leader that night of one lesson in the street and none in houses or with members...) BUT then I thought what would Jesus have done? Would he have said, oh sorry sheepie, I know right now you are hanging over a cliff with despair and are burdened with a backpack full of rocks but wait right here for a little bit I have other people who need me elsewhere....NO he would give all to help the one. I learned alot about charity that day. 

WE worked hard ALL DAY! from eleven in the morning to eight o clock at night! But by the time we were done all the stuff for the returning elder was in the new room and everything was clean laundry done and beds made and whew! Talk about some tired missionaries, but i had never been so happy in my life to be able to serve the family that is basically like home for us here. Always they are going above and beyond to aid us as missionaries and daughters of God. What a blessing to be able to use my talents to help them and serve them! 

I firmly believe God prepared me and gave me these talents and sent me here in this moment to be able to help this family with their specific needs and wow. God knows best! I know I am here in Peru for specific people who have been prepared to hear the gospel from me and it may be that I am sent here to learn things from specific people (companion) to aid me for the rest of my life! I wouldn´t change coming on a mission for anything!! I have learned so much in the past month it is insane! and I still have 15 months to learn and grow and WOW! God knows all and is directing us to the people we need in our lives! 

This is my testimony of missionary work and I share it in the name of our savior Jesus Christ amen! 

Love you all keep your heads up and be happy.....why not? 

Love love love Sister Atkinson!