September 12, 2016

Well family it´s that time of week again. It´s been an interesting week this week. 

First of all, weather. We had some heat with some cold snaps in the night. In Iquitos I just slept with a fan, no blankets or anything. Here, I have to actually use blankets at night! And during planning it is cold! 

In other news we had an earthquake this week! I woke up because I don´t remember why and was laying there wondering when the alarm was going to go off and then the room started shaking. I thought ¨Is this an earthquake? Or am I still dreaming?¨ Then I saw the light go on in the hallway of other people in the building that woke up so I knew it was for real. It was super small but we still got messages from some people asking if we were ok or not. In the talks on Sunday, one Hermano said that the earthquake was really cool and he thought it might be the beginning of the second coming. Not sure on that one haha

Learned a lot about humility this week. I think the hardest thing to fight within each one of us is pride. I really liked the article in the back of the Liahona this month about pride and how we don´t even realize how many things are pride in our lives and sin in ignorance. Pride really is the underlying sin in a lot of other sins that we commit. My companion and I are really trying to be more humble. 

We had a great lesson this week with Alan and Dayana. We went to their house at the beginning of the week and we had planned to teach something but as we started talking we felt impressed to share a little about our lives as missionaries and how we have learned to have successful companionships. I think having a companion is what humbles you more than anything! It was one of the most frustrating things at the beginning of my mission - to always have to check things by the other person, to not just be able to do what you want! i.e. Pride! But, I have really grown to love having a companion. When you want to make them happy and you are more focused on that than yourself then you both are happy. It´s such an easy trick. I love having someone to protect me, to highlight the good in me and help me carve out the bad. Someone to comfort me when I am sad and help me to reach my potential. It really is divine. We were able to share all of that with Alan and Dayana and we felt the Spirit so strongly and we weren´t really sure why we shared that with them. But then during our following visit they told us they had been having some difficulties in their relationship and our lesson had really helped them. I know the Spirit guides us through small and simple means and that every person is a beloved child of God and that he really is in the details of our lives. 

We also had a little cold this week but nothing serious so the work continues!

Also, as I mentioned before our branch council always has refreshments. At first it was just little sandwiches and some soda here or there. But lately they have really stepped up their game and are giving us full plates of food! They bring pots and everything. I think every week they are trying to outdo the others. 

- cooking up a storm

- Hermana Fitzpatrick-parrillada!! we had a whole slew of meat on that guy. Mine was the enormous chicken leg (shout out to Hna. Erika for being the best pensionista) 

 - eating a granadilla, my favorite fruit

Love you all lots! 

September 5, 2016

Well,

-walking in the middle of the street as usual 

 - double rainbow and the first full arch rainbow I have seen!

I´m honestly pretty much out of things to say about Tarapoto. It´s beautiful, it´s hot and my companion is awesome. We are striving to be completely obedient always and it is so true that miracles come from that. As far as studies go Mom we have a schedule that we try to follow for our companionship study:

1.start with a prayer

2.read 3 pages of the mission manual

3.repeat the mission culture and the 8 fundamental principles

4.watch a video from the District

5.share what we learned in personal study

6.make lesson plans for the day

7.do some practices

8.get ready to leave and head out 10 min before the hour

Sometimes it´s a race to fit it all in but I really enjoy companionship study because when we prepare beforehand the lessons go so much smoother and we are able to really get to the bottom of people´s questions and doubts. In my personal study I read the Book of Mormon, and I am trying to read the Bible too, study Preach my Gospel and then study other topics of interest. When we have some downtime here or there I like to read the Liahonas. I have really grown to love the words of the living prophets.

- my branch president and the elders in the branch

-some of my latin loves here

- our mission leader jajaja Roldan 

We have been on the search for paneton because I miss it and it is really yummy but it won´t be here until October for Christmas season :( we will just have to wait.

- a jungle hot dog! It´s a grilled banana and they fill it with peanuts, cheese, or fried pork. Yum yum! I like it with peanuts and it only costs one sol! A bargain. Literally sold on ever corner

- our ward council always has refreshments and they brought ají de gallina! my favorite! 

 I also tried cow intestine this week. Not bad but not my favorite. It´s called cau cau.

- meeting a turkey! 

- little turkey

 Still super hot and miserable but we asked for hats so we will see :)

Love the gospel. Love the Lord. Know this is His work. He heals us when we are sick and lifts us when weak. I know it.

Hermana Fitzpatrick 

August 29, 2016

Thank you mom! We will putting those exercises into practice.

Sounds like it was a little bit of a rough week for everyone. This week was a little better.

Update on the weather: SUFFOCATINGLY HOT. We have been dying this week. Turns out the rainy season is over and we are in the full heat of the summer. It is crazy hot. We are so burnt and crispy and tired every day. It reminds me of when I first got to Iquitos. Just super hot. My folletos are nothing against the heat of midday. Sun starts beating at 7:00 and doesn`t go down until 6:00. Mornings are brutal but at least there are plenty of clouds and we just pray they cover the sun sometimes. 

Oh ya, changes but I am still here in Tarapoto with Hna. Huaycho. It is my fifth change here so I will be here 7 months. It seems like a long time but it really has just zoomed by. I`m happy to stay and I will do everything I can to take advantage of being here in Tarapoto because I am probably going back to Iquitos after this :(  

We are focusing on finding families because it is something the mission is really struggling with and so we were really praying for that and we have been blessed with families this week! New ones. Fresh faces and new places to go. There are always new things, even after four changes in an area. 

Feeling good. Not much to report. Same old Tarapoto. Still living life and loving it. 

Love you all lots! Hope this week goes better! 

Hermana Fitzpatrick

August 22, 2016

This week was certainly a blessing. We had some ups, some downs, and made it all the way back around! 

- pink ladies! don´t worry, we planned it

First, weather update : infernally hot, so hot I think some times I am going to lose my mind. I was sweating in the apartment with my fan directly on me on full blast. Probably the sweatiest week of my life. But, today we woke up and it was raining! Finally! Sweet release. It´s actually chilly today. 

Enjoying the excercizes. We do them in the morning and it has really helped us to be more energetic during the day. Thank you Mom! My companion had a request for workouts for saddlebags / outer thighs. It´s a problem area. But thank you! It has really helped us out. 

Food front has been fun. My companion is from Arequipa and they are known for guinea pig and luck has it that her dad had a guinea pig farm and she prepares a mean fried guinea pig! We are both dying to eat cuy. The problem is that cuy is really expensive here so we have been planting the idea with all the members. We are going to see how many seeds we have to plant to reap our cuy. We have a couple takers but we will see who follows through. 

- picking some poma rosas off a tree because I was the tallest person. 

It´s also called mamai and they call it the jungle apple because it is literally everywhere 

 We were a little frustrated with the investigators this week. They still aren´t attending and aren´t able to see their answers. I was feeling frustrated and wondering what more can I do? We have done everything. Then I was reading in Predicad mi Evangelio where it says we can´t force the Spirit to respond just like we can´t force people to act on their responses. Kind of frustrating but that´s how agency is! 

Went to the castle out in Lamas again with the whole zone. Pretty weird that it was almost six months ago that I went the first time. 

- having a good time on top of the castle 

Today are changes!! Whoa. Probably staying here for another change, but we will see. 

Much love! 

Hermana Fitzpatrick

August 15, 2016

Thank you for the routines! We are going to put them in practice this week.

Wow this week was really crazy. Just one more week and changes again but I´m pretty sure I will be staying. This change has flown by though. Also it looks like it will be another change without new sisters. All the sisters are dying and no one is coming to replace them! We are in a drought!

We had interviews with Pres. Li this week and room revisions. He is such a good man and you can feel his love when he talks. His wife too is so sweet. Really great people and I love them a lot. We talked to President about Edwin and what we should do. He said he would accompany us on a visit so we passed by in the afternoon. It was an incredible visit! I was a little nervous to have my mission president there but it was so comfortable. They talked for about an hour and a half and we all testified and Pres. Li gave Edwin the most powerful priesthood blessing I have ever heard and Edwin cried. The Spirit was so strong. By the end of the lesson he agreed to be baptized in September and Pres. Li is going to baptize him! They are both excited and Edwin finally attended church yesterday! So many blessings.

I definitely see a huge change in me. I was actually talking to my companion about that and how even going to Spain wasn´t such a defining experience as this is. To come to the point of loving people so much I never thought I would get to. I told her they are things you can´t teach, you can only learn through experience and I can´t imagine how my life would be if I had never had this experience.

- finding flowers and being almost twins

  - with Gloria, a less active member, on her street all decorated for their neighborhood anniversary

- Alan and Dayana, some investigators, in their house

We don´t hear anything about the Olympics. Let me know how the U.S. is doing and the big news. 

Other than that not much to report. Finding blessings wherever we go, also scamming everyone into buying us pollo a la brasa! It´s so good!

Update: people still can´t pronounce my last name. One lady called me Hermana Hushpuppies this week.

Today we return to Lamas as a zone and we are headed back to the castle. Should be cool. I currently have a tupper of arroz con pollo and orange juice in my backpack.

- another work visit in Partido Alto

Love you all!

Hermana Fitzpatrick

August 8, 2016

Russ is looking good! So is Mikey! And Greg! Proud of you all trying your best to get along without me haha pretty snazzy 

This week has been difficult but also really great. Hna. Hauycho and I are just really focusing on conversion and having true converts.

We finally had some progress in Edwin. We had found him and he was not doing well. We had passed by a couple times and found him drinking and he was embarrassed and didn´t want us to come by anymore. But, we were able to share with him the Atonement and the gift of repentance and how we are all on the same path of trying and sometimes we fall. He agreed to give it another go and he was doing a lot better. We went by again and he had been reading and was excited to share what he had learned and went to church again and was feeling good. Then, on Saturday he burned his foot in his motokar and was crushed. He could barely walk and so he didn´t go to church. We went by after church and it was bad again. But, this time he asked for a health blessing! He is still reading and said he has to keep going forward; he can´t take a step back. He was really sad but he was facing this trial with faith! So, even though we had some setbacks we ended up seeing progress with him.

We also have a couple that is progressing. They had been progressing but then never attended so we left them. We went back a couple weeks ago and they are progressing again. Saturday we had an awesome lesson with them. They are really recognizing the Spirit in their lives. They told us again that they were going to go to church. We really felt they were going to do it. Then Sunday we waited and waited and nothing. I was praying so hard during the sacrament that they would show up. I just felt like we couldn´t do any more - they had felt the Spirit and recognized it! Then I opened my eyes and saw them enter in the back. My heart filled with gratitude. They came! It was a miracle. 

We also had the wedding of Cinthya and Miguel. Everything came together and they were married in the massive wedding. There were 37 couples and they did everything. It was a lot of fun and they are a great family. The branch is helping a lot with them.

-decorating the chapel for the wedding

-the happy couple (I promise they were happy even though they never smile. I don´t know why but a lot of people don´t smile in their pictures here) 

-the venue! They completely transformed this plaza so it was really beautiful!

-enjoying the show with Hna. Huaycho

We had so many appointments fall through this week and it was infernally hot and we walked and walked and walked and no one wanted anything. It was one of those weeks. Hard and hot and feeling like it wasn´t worth the pain. But this week definitely was worth the pain! We had ALL of our less actives in teaching show up at church and stay the three hours, we found more people progressing and we feel the Spirit directing us. Life is good and God is great. 

Trying to lose weight but the food is too good. If you have never had a salchipapa you really just don´t know true joy. And pollo a la brasa just calls to me. Panetón is my number one and it is just starting to show up in stores again in preparation for Christmas. One couple we taught this week was left incredulous when I told them I don´t eat panetón for Christmas in my country. They told me ¨But panetón is on a worldwide level! It´s famous worldwide!¨ I had to burst that bubble. 

There is also a little one year old baby boy in the branch who is afraid of people with clear colored eyes like blue and green. All I have to do is look at him and he starts crying and pointing at my eyes. It´s pretty funny actually.

My Spanish is getting pretty good! People have been asking me this week if I was Peruvian even though that is preposterous because I am the gringaest gringa that ever lived. But it did happen! I still don´t understand everything they say but I am getting better. Oh, also today I have 11 months! Time flies am I right? Next month I will have a year in the mission. It has been the hardest, best, most rewarding, most difficult year of my life. Wouldn´t trade it for anything. 

Les amo mucho. Sigan adelante! 

Hermana Fitzpatrick 

August 1, 2016

Thank you so much for the photos! I have been in a drought over here. You all look great and looks like you had a fun week.

- when pres li and his wife visited tarapoto

 - the whole zone. Not sure what this pose is but the elders made us do it

This week has been another incredible one. We have been working with this family that is going to get married this week. They literally have nothing and we were so worried about how we were going to get all the papers together but it was a miracle! We had a lot of help and a lot of stress but we were able to do it! All the papers are in and it is official! The wedding is Friday. We got everything together and the couple is from Lima and they don´t have any family here. Hna. Cinthya the wife was sad that her mom wasn´t going to be able to be at her wedding. But, then she told us on Sunday that her mom is coming from Lima! It was such a surprise and a tender mercy. I have seen the Lord´s hand work in miraculous ways this week. 

It was also independence day on the 28 so ¡Feliz fiestas patrias! They celebrate here by putting flags out, watching the national parade that goes on in Lima, and getting drunk. So, not that different than other days. I dressed up as the flag with my white shirt and red skirt and people loved my patriotism. Go Perú! 

Another great week coming up, learning more about faith and humility and repentance. 

- My pensionista went to the temple in Trujillo this week. It was her first time at the temple and she brought some pics. It is so beautiful! Members here in Tarapoto go to Trujillo which is 16 hours in bus. We had our first branch caravan to the temple! It was a success even though I didn´t go.

 - Next time! I sent my plaque with Erika though so I guess I already visited it 

Much love,

Hermana Fitz

ps. Mom would you mind sending me an exercise routine for like twenty minutes. We are in strict diet right now. Time to lose the gut.