Spiritually charged!!

WOOSH This week was spiritually charged!! We had the temple this week and we are preparing to have Elder Christopher son sometime this next month! Talk about exciting! The temple always makes me SO happy, just smiling the rest of the day and then the next day too! Everyone in the zone just couldn't stop smiling! It was magical! WE also were preparing a young girl of nine years old for her baptism this weekend! I really feel like this family is a part of our family. We draw together and she was so excited about her baptism she read ALL her pamphlets and was even practicing the santa cena with cake and water. She reminds me of myself. Her mom and her little sister are just so wonderful and we are one big family. The spirit in her baptism was different than all the others. All her family came (which is a miracle cuz basically they are all inactive) but they all made sacrifices to come and see her get baptized. We tried so hard to heat water for the font, because there is only cold water, and it failed miserably the elder who baptized her said he definitely could not feel his toes or his legs, but she was so brave and was baptized anyways and she didn´t complain or cry. She was so brave. I think the spirit was definitely with her to brave the cold water and follow the example of Jesus Christ!

And it really is a benefit to share a sector with the elders in the offices! They brought me my package!!!!! SO AWESOME! We were SO HAPPY for the popcorn my companion just about cried! And I almost ate ALL THE PEANUT BUTTER with a spoon last night I was in heaven! The jump rope and skirt! (woot the skirt just in time cuz the zipper broke in one and I am not fitting in the other so it was just-in time!)

But the BEST PART WAS THE PICTURES!! Kandis now has at least four elders who want to write her and Meagan too. I just loved sharing ALL the pictures with all the missionaries and WOW TALK ABOUT GREAT PICTURES!! So wonderful! They were all in awe at Zions park and we all laughed at Brock and Conner's don't feed the wildlife and they think that the squirrel is our pet.....yep I have a pet squirrel! And the hand written letters and CANDY! Wow DERICK and Mati thanks a million! and Crystal too for the pictures! I am so behind in sending and writing letters but I hope to for the least send the ones I have this week...BA ha ha. But hey, always remember how much God loves every single one of you! Even if times are hard or sad or trying more than we think we can handle, God is always at our side telling us we can do it and that everything will be OK. Just trust in His judgment and it wont be easy but it will be possible!

Love ya TONS! SISTER ATKINSON of PERU!

Water Park!!

Hello everyone long time no see!

And long time I havent´written. This week in the mission has been very crazy! I can´t even believe how fast things move when there is something to go and do. We had the opportunity to go to a
WATER PARK!! Stop, yes I can imagine you are all thinking swiming suits and water slides, but this water park is more like a museum with different pieces of art that have to do with water and a show where they project the pictures and videos on the water of the cultural dances of peru, bolivia and districts of peru like cuzco y piura. It was really cool (literally) because of course there was interactive water spouts and running through water all day!! So excellent! And of course I got soaked in my shorts and t- shirt and winter in Peru everyone thought I was crazy and they kept telling me I was going to get sick. Ha!! A Utah girl? Not possible! And I didn´t get sick at all. We got wet then watched the water show and just had a BLAST!! So excellent. But we were very tired the next day. Then we had another invasion where we go to another district and all the zone knock doors to bring refrences for the misionaries in that district. That was great fun we ran into a VERY active evangelico who bascally told us to rip up all of our pictures of Christ because if we were truely christian we wouldn´t represent Christ in any form. How sad. There is a huge difference in worshiping pictures of Chirst and having them as a spiritual boost to help us remember him. We Don't worship pictures of Christ we live every day with him at our side. These photos we have are to help us remember he is always with us and we can talk to him at anytime cuz he is so near. We could only smile at this man and walk away with heavy hearts knowing what he had rejected. We had a multizone with presient Borg and sister Borg. We actually got to see alot of them this week my companion had an inverview to see if she wants to stay two more weeks than normal and we got to see them at the baptism of the Elders of Chakra Rios. President Borg got to perform his first baptism in the mission! We sang as missionaries a special number of Come Thou Fount to the words of another hymn and so cool! Elder Perez de Mexico is the coolest person in the world and has a marvellos voice! I couldn´t believe. To give our achievements of the week at times he sings us his songs of Mexico and oosh! So cool!

There is so much more to tell you but OOSH out of time like always! Tell Mary Gray, thank, you thank you thank you for her colorful letter! I just loved telling everyone how much my ward and relief society loves me! I feel so much support! Thank you thank you!

Love Hermana Atkinson.

Free Book

HEY EVERYBODY!!

This week we were able to walk the ocean for pday with my companion and WOW so AMAZING! We can forgive the ocean for giving us Super cold breezes all the rest of the week when we walk by the waves and can just really relax! So excellent! We have been working hard knocking doors and really getting the two step BIG TIME! Always the excuses are the same, Ï am occupied I am catholic, I am in the kitchen cooking, I don´t have time never ever in my week to visit with you. It is true the peruvian people are ALWAYS working and have the hardest jobs and work work work, but I can ony imagine how If Christ was knocking on the door (which more or less he is through us his representatives) and they would say sorry I am occupied, not interested or busy. It is just so sad for them that they don´t want to let the message in their lives. We really can only invite them and it really is all in Gods time that they will know and possibly accept the gospel. but God always shows us his hand in our days when all morning we are knocking doors and they won't even accept a book of mormon. This was so strange to me its a FREE BOOK!! People don't want a free book, so odd. but little by little we are working with the ward to activate the less active and ITS WORKING! We had more than 5 inactives come to church sunday and WHOOSH the miracles!

Also me and my companion made hamburgers this week and they were HUGE!! We put cheese and cucumber and onion and tomato and guacamole and aji and potato chips and basically had a banquet! My companion and I are are really CHEFS! We are so good we can't even fit in our skirts we are eating so much not to mention our pensionista always gives us a MACHU PICHU of food! She has six brothers and always gives serving sizes for six in one plate and we tried to explain that we were Sisters not elders, but to no avail. She is so wonderful and her food is so good!! It is a pleasure to eat it all but to walk after......hmmm a bit more difficult. ba ha ha. I may need three seats on the plane home for my bulk......ha ha ha yes that is a fat joke Natasha Chandler.

I have been reading the talks of general confrence this week (which we got in english POR FIN just before the next confrence) about sacrifice and how we can conquor our problems in life by forgetting ourselves and serving others! I really enjoyed the talk given by Elder Oaks about how the ultimate sacrifice was given by Jesus Christ and how when we sacrifice our time in service or to help others and sacrifice for our families we are learning how to be like Christ. Learning to serve and sacrifice is the school and entrance to the heavans, As said by Robert D. Hales, ¨WE become converted and spiritually self reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants, through worthily partaking of the sacrament being worthy of temple reccomends and sacrificing to serve others¨ How wonderful it is to be able to forget ourselves and go to work. we have the promise that when we serve others our own burdens are lifted and we are more greatful for the things we have and the blessings just keep comming!

Stay awesome! con amor Hermana Atkinson