Pater, Padre, Father (June 22)

Dear President, 
I didnt mean to send that last email without anything. I just feel so rushed in this email time. Anyway, this week I have learned so much, and my testimony has really been strengthened. This week me and Hma, Tuquerres really put the goal of finding 10 nuevos to the test. We began contacting more, asking for more references and names in every lesson, and chatting with our lider missional and new branch president about plans that we could set and follow to help in finding these 10 nuevos. At the end of planning yesterday, the total was 3. Although I was a little dissappointed that we didnt meet this goal, I really felt more motivated than anything to make myself better. To make this area better, and become better missionaries, it requires alot of faith and diligence. That is shown through doing all these things that I was probably no fully completing, like street contacting, like asking for names,many things. I feel like you set that goal with us to elevate our faith, and help us to really be better missionaries, and realize that God also has everything already included in His plan for us. So thank you, President. Other than that, the temple dedication was amazing, and I feel so priveleged to be in Peru in my mission at this time. God knows exactly where I need to be, and its here. 
I feel motivated to work even harder and apply the atonement in my life! 
Sincerely, 
Hermana Addington

That was the resume of what happened this week mission wise. The last part was my favorite. This Fathers Day,  the Trujillo temple was dedicated. It is a representation of the beauty, faith, and dillegence not just of all the people from Trujilli, but all the Peruvian saints, misisonaries, and helpers that made this amazing temple possible. Although we couldnt be there physically in the city with President Utchdorf, Elders Bednar, Wadell, Uceda, and countless others, we were able to view everything from our small but holy chapel. It was treated like a temple for a day. When we entered, there were hymns playing, videos of amazing temples, and I just felt the spirit hit me like a wall. I literally felt like I was inside a temple.
As we watched President Utchdorf seal in the cornerstone, he talked about the significance of fathers day. I couldnt think of any better way the celebrate what our Heavenly Father would want on His day. I thought about my father Phiklip Addington, and all the sacrifices he made throughout my life so that I can be strong in teh gospel, and the constant guidance of my mother. I thought about my companions parents who had just been baptized , and what they must be feeling for their daughter- pride, love, mostly love.
I am so grateful, Dad for everything you have given me. Never stop listening to the counsel of your Heavenly Father, he will always tell you what to do!
Happy Fathers day to Fathers everywhere and in heaven. May the example Heavenly Father sent us always be out guiding light. Ether 12:33 is amazing, read it because I dont have time to type it.

One of life's great questions is “Who am I?” A beloved Primary song helps even little children answer this question. We sing, “I am a child of God, and he has sent me here.” The knowledge that we are children of God provides strength, comfort, and hope.

Scholars have long acknowledged that the view of God held by the earliest Christians changed dramatically over the course of centuries. Early Christian views of God were more personal, more anthropomorphic, and less abstract than those that emerged later during Christianity’s creedal stage. The key ideological shift that began in the second century, after the loss of apostolic authority, resulted from a conceptual merger of Christian doctrine with Greek philosophy.

Latter-day Saints believe the melding of early Christian theology with Greek philosophy was a grave error. Chief among the doctrines lost in this process was the nature of the Godhead. Latter-day Saints hold that God the Father is an embodied being with the attributes ascribed by the earliest Christians. That belief is consistent with the early Christian views of God, yet it differs from the later creeds.

We are all literally children of God, spiritually begotten in the premortal life. As His children, we can be assured that we have divine, eternal potential and that He will help us in our sincere efforts to reach that potential.
Love,
Hermana Addington

Vuelo de su Vida (The Flight of Your Life) (June 8th)

Okay, so this email is going to be a little short. I literally have 2 seconds to type something. I am so happy that I was able to be a misisonary this week, and am so happy that MEG GRADUATED, AND DAN GOT MARRIED! AND ABBY IS GROWING INTO A YOUNG BEAUTIFUL WOMAN! 
 Thank you always for your support, your love, and I hope everyone has a good week. Dad thankyou for helping me figure out my bank account stuff. 
Cuidense mucho! I promise I will write more next week! 
Shmermana Addington

The last interview with Pres. Douglas before Pres. comes,our zone picture (The lady who took it didn't tell me when she was ready! my plaque got caught in my hair) 
And the best church misisonary activity EVER called El Vuelo de Su Vida. (The flight of your life.) 

The amazing Fowlers (missionary couple from Pennsylvania in Nazca) with their activities and shannagins. We played this game called water bomb. Basically you justrun and try toi hit somebody with a water balloon. It was the best. 

Pollos and the Family (June 1st)

Right now I am in Ica, in a very questionable internet palace. Why do they all call them Internet palaces here? Its like a motel compared to a hotel. This week me and Hma. Tuquerrez visied alot of really great families. At first we only had 2 investigators progressing, and then one day we knock on both their doors and find their husbands. Roger, Luz husband( well theyre not actually married. Dropped that sucker punch on  }us at the last second.) BUt he is really anxious to learn more. He told he he felt happy whn we shared the first vision. He wants to read and pray and actually kno }w if its true. Thats somehting he never would have thought about doing if he hadn't decided to let us in and tach. The same for another new investigator, Jonathan. He is Diana"s(investigator) husband, and had already listened to the missionaries as a teenager. But he felt like they were just teating him as a number and not a person. But now he feels like coming back to church, now that he has a family. And hes married! At least thats what they both told us. You can never be too sure in Peru. We really do have high hopes for the both of them. 

My testimony on the family really has been strengthened the longer I have been in the mission. Really, the benefits are pretty obvious  to the members of the church, if not to the whole world. I commemorated L. Tom Perry this week by re reading his conference talk on the Family. And he really was a great and true writer. I know that his family is just persevering for the way when they can all be together again in the celestial kingdom. But that thing I love about church doctrine, is that it continually focuses on learning by faith and repenting. Even after this life we are going to continue working as missionaries, temple worshipping, everything we have done here. That's why we have to attain his growing desire to learn right now, so that it strengthens as we die and pass onto the next life. 
We are all in this life preparing for bigger and better things. 

And I am so happy to hear my family an friends" stories about making new families of their own,. passinonto college, making new friends. having new jobs. Although we might forget things from time to time, God wants us to keep trying no matter what. I have realized that the more time I have in my mission, the more focused and curious and humble I need to be. Because I still have so many hings to get done, and apply afterward. Bu for now, I am going to stay by the tree, like Michael T. Ringwood said. 
I hope everyone has an amazing week! Work as hard as you can! Thats the cure for any disanimated mind. 
Love, 
Hermana Addington

This is the pollada that me and Hma, Tuqerrez did a couple weeks ago to help one of our converts raise money. You basically just saw the least gross pics. I was there for it all, the slaughtering, the de feathering, the cleaning, and finnally, the cooking. We were fasting while all this happened. Thank goodness. It was a fun and gross experience, like watching current Nickelodeon shows. 

Then we celebraed Hma. Tuquerrez" 22 nd bitrthday! 

Miracles happen when you decide that you are not that smart and need God"s help (May 25th)

Dear President, 

Thank you for your constant prayers for all the missionaries in the mission. I can say with confidence that this week they have been answered, at least for one experience that me and Hma. Tuquerres had. I was feeling that we needed to make a change in our area, and after the zone meeting, we were feeling really anxious to improve in our finding efforts. But for the first few days, it seemed nothing was really sticking with the people we taught. Then we decided to fast and consecrate our efforts. Then, one night where all our appointments fell through, we decided to pray. Pray for a new solution, pray to find a family that was waiting for us. After the prayer,I still wasnt sure where to go, but we thought to visit an old investigator. Right next door, we found a golden investigator. Her name is Luz( symbol), she"s married with one son, and understands the doctrine perfectly. She and her sister Marley, who also knows the doctrine perfectly as well, both came to church this Sunday, and Luz accepted to be baptized but not with a date yet. I am so grateful for this amazing blessing, knowing that the only way to obtain the rocio del cielo is trough the spirit. I am so willing to follow every impression I have from now on. I know we have to continue working, but this experience really has strengthened my testimony of the Savior and hope. 

Have a GREAT WEEK PRESIDENT!

Response:

"Thank you for sharing your expierience of faith on Saturday night. I pray for families for you to teach and resuce in Nazca. We love you!"

I have decided to begin all my letters with something I wrote to President, so that ya"ll can all see my efforts in the mission and not just think I am over here petting llamas and eating chupettes. (Peruvian popsicles) And also sometimes I just don"t know how to begin a super good and memorable letter.
Weas you have read, me and Hma. Tuquerrez had a miracle this week finding Luz and her sister Marley. They really are golden investigators. All of these little things that we had learned this week about contacting, teaching better, being more consecrated, following the spirit just clicked. We were so happy after that first lesson we had with them both that we sent a text to Pres. Douglas that night, thanking him for all his constant suppot. He sent us back another saying he was impressed we follow the spirit. Never had I had an experience in the mission I thought worthy enough to send to Pres. Douglas in a message. But this really was amazing.
In other way this week has also been really great. because Agusto RECEIVED THE PREISTHOOD. That man is gonna be a member of the seventy if I have anything to do about it. It really has been great seeing his change though. Sunday he came to church with all the chairs set up, a haircut, his new white shirt, lcutching his book of mormon. I wanted to cry, because he really is getting better everyday. Before we had found new inv. this week, he was kinda like our little burst of adrenaline, someone we could see when our spirits were a little down. But now, no more! But seriously, this week I have learned a good lesson. You can"t get water out of an empty bottle. "No puede sacar auga de un bottella basilla."
In order to keep constantly baptizing, we have to constantly find new investigators, and in order to teach better, we have to constantly study. Its all a pettern we have to follow in life.
This is something I have to constantly keep in mind, both in and out of the mission. God wants us to be more like stairs, and less like elevators. Instead of having an inconstant success, he wants us to be continually improving. There is no such thing as stagnant.
Speaking of things not being stagnant, I heard SEAN GOT MARRIED ALREADY! THATS AMAZING IM SO HAPPY ! Seriously, it is an amazing blessing to find the person who completes you in all ways. I think Sean and Ezekiel are that kind of couple.
Also, Meg graduates in a couple days, and DAN GETS MARRIED AS WELL! As my companion says "Tranquilla!" Seriously, I am way impressed by these milestones people are taking. It really is amazing.
I hope that this weeks stays fresh for everyone! If I forgot to mention anybody forgive me., because this internet place is the the worst place for concentration.
P.S. Thanks Mama and Dad for sending me money. I m sorry I have been so stressed about that lately. I promise to spend it with prudence.
Cuidense!
Love,
Hermana Addington

Hermana Bailey and I. She's a queen!!!:)

Augusto Ore"s Baptism with the familia Coche (May 18th)

Only the best and most spiritual baptism EVER. 

The Power of the Book of Mormon (May 18th)

Dear loved ones, 
(Blegh what was that about?) 
Although I did not receive not one correspondence from ya"ll this week, I will assume that a crazy robot wiped your memories last night and caused you to forget. And I will forgive you only on that condition. 
Anyway, bygones be bygones, this week was really great. Hmo. Agusto was able to be baptized with another family the elders were teaching, and as you can see in the pics, it was a pretty happy occasion. Looking at him, Agusto seems like a very timid person, but he has a testimony of the Book of Mormon like you would not believe. Everytime we began a lesson, he shared a scripture he has learned that day, and how he wanted to apply it to his life. When he gave his testimony afterward, holding his BOM in his hands, he was almost at the point of tears, sharing about his repentance, his willingness to make more sacred covenants with the Lord in the temple, (the best part), and how he is going to use the book of Mormon everyday to overcome the tempations waiting for him. It was literally like listening to a person being born again.Theres this scripture in Alma that says we were preordained with specific talents and responsibilities, and that its our job to develop them while here on Earth. I know Agusto is here for that. The next day, me and Hma. Tuquerres came to the chapel 30 mins early, and found Agusto setting up all the chairs in the sacrament room. He was dressed in all white, just ready to try on his new white shirt and tie the Elders Quorum brought him. 
In the last general conference, someone gave a talk about Shiblon like service, the type of service not motivated by titles or rewards, but pure love for the people you serve. Agusto right there was Shiblon. But it made me think if we are all willing to serve one another in that way. Honestly before my mission, I wasnt that aware of what other help was needed, so I didnt always offer it as freely and willingly. But now I have the firm determination to better that. 
I know we can find more people like Agusto here, who are willing to really put their time aside in order to act and learn by the spirit and faith. It isnt going to be easy, because after every baptism its literally like starting from Zero, new investigators, new baptismal dates, new everything. But I know that God only gave us this trial so that we can learn from it. 
Time is flying so amazing fast here. This last week President Douglas gave his last training with us. He taught lke normal, but when it came time for him to give his testimony, we were all crying, (even the so called tough elders.) He told us despite everything, he just wanted us to remember his as a president who taught doctrine of Christ. It seems like something normal, teaching doctrine, every president does it. But he taught me more than anything how to apply it. How to open my mouth and not have fear, how to really be a representative of Jesus Christ. In order to do that, we have to live like Christ lived.Alway serving, always telling the truth, always being faithful to his followers and his Father. President Douglas really has been that person. For all of yall who have served missions, you get me. (alls i can say about that.) 
I really hope that everyone is doing okay this week, with all your jobs and studies and whatnot. Grandma Judy, tell me the names of my ancestors please so I can put their names in my Fam History book! 
Also, Ames, I know the schedule doesnt get done until June, but I really want to take a piano class and a swing dance class. If theres no room, you could do either or. I think I really want the dance class first though. Girls just wanna dance. 
Also, I am not accusing you of not doing it yet, but I really hope yall put mony in my account so I can buy soiuvenirs today. If not its cool, it would just be better to get this done sooner than later. Theres nothing worse than going through a Peruvian store trying to buy stuff at the last second. All the vendors look at you weird. 
Okay, I love everybody! 
Chaio! Read Moroni 7 and Alma 13, and you will be glad you did! 
From down under Peru, 
Hermana Addington

One Last Swing Around the Playground (Photos) (May 5th)

We made one last swing around the playground of our house, and also took pics at church