Officially Started My Mission!

11-19-2014

Today is not my normal P-day in the mission anymore, today it is just because of transfers and coming out here. So after this week it will be on Mondays from now on.

I didn´t write out any points this week or pre write my blog so it is going to be kind of brief probably. I´m not sure.

But I left the CCM yesterday morning early. Went about 35 minutes to the mission home, met up with all the other North American missionaries that are new that came from the Mexico CCM and we had Capatación (training) pretty much all day.We had a short interview also with our Mission President to see who we would be good to be companions with and what area of the mission we needed to go to. I was actually the first one he interviewed out of about 40 or so missionaries. I got my assignment and left yesterday around 4:45 in a taxi to the bus station, then we rode the bus for about 3 hours. And now I am here! ...Now that I postponed where I am long enough I will tell you.

I´m in CAÑETE! It´s pretty close to the beach along the coast. We actually planned in our zone meeting today to take one of our P-days in Decemeber and go. Which will be way fun. I´m actually in a smaller little area of Cañete called Imperial. You can all go look it up on Google Maps if you desire. It´s quite different here. I have decided I´m never complaining about pot holes or a bumpy road ever again because a guarantee all the roads here are awful. Imperial has a lot of dirt roads as well. (Which I did expect to some extent) But it is pretty poor here too. Its interesting because there is a ton of run down buildings with dirt roads and garbage and dead animals everywhere in one area and not that far away is another more public area that's a lot nicer and not that bad! Also, there are a zillion dogs, and they KEEP THEM ON THE ROOFS here! Very interesting. But I am embracing all the cultural aspects of it while I am here.

OH, so I thought it was going to be an adjustment to be in a companionship instead of in a trio like I was in the CCM, but guess what? I´m in a trio YET AGAIN. I do have mixed feelings about this but I am determined to make it the best! One of my companions is from California and the other is from Mexico City. They have both been out almost a year and have been in a companionship for like 3 months.

Our apartment is quite nice! Hermana Saucedo (Mexico) said it is like New York. It actually is very clean and quite nice. Very small, but nice. I will send pictures next week. I didn´t know we were stopping here to email so I didn´t bring a way to send pictures. (I´m sending this email from a small room/street store thing. You just walk in and tell them you want an hour and then they unlock one of the computers and put your time on it. There is about 12 computers in here that just basically go right out into the street.I definitely haven't seen anything like this before.

Church wise, I had a District and Zone meetings today. I understood most of what everyone was saying but speaking correctly is difficult. I don't know near as much as I thought I did. But it is okay. We just barely were standing in the street, my companions and some other Hermanas from the zone were getting ice cream and this lady just comes up to me and asks me if we come visit people at their houses! Of course I said yes. But after that I didn't understand much else she said.So the other Hermanas started talking to her and got her information since she lived in their area.

This week I leave as a spiritual message just my testimony because I don't have my english scriptures to look up a scripture to have the exact quote and I'm sure you all don't want them in Spanish.

My testimony is this. I KNOW this church is the true church of Jesus Christ here on the earth today as it was when he was on the earth. It has brought me a lot of peace and comfort and knowledge to know where I have come from why I am here and where I am going. I know Jesus Christ is our older brother and our Savior. That he suffered and died for our sins so we would be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven. I know this mission is going to be the most difficult thing I´ve ever done but it is so worth it to me to go without the comforts of the US for 1.5 years so I can preach the gospel and help bring others to a happiness that I have and a knowledge that I have and ultimately be able to live in the presence of Heavenly Father again. I am so grateful for this opportunity.

With Love,

Hermana Kiser

Lima South Here I Come!

November 12, 2014

So this week the new Latinas got here, and they are AWESOME!! They are all super nice and we have become actually really good friends with them. It’s nice, because the last group of Latinas hardly talked to us even though we tried to with them and kind of ignored us, but these ones are VERY willing to interact and be friends. It’s great because they want to learn English and we want to learn Spanish so we just help each other out!! One day we spend like 1.5 hours talking to them and learning different words, talking about insects and critters here in South America and they also were helping us learn how to roll our Rs better! I wasn’t very good at it before I got here. The only way I could do it was if I sounded like a machine gun. The Latinas gave me a little riddle that helps and I have gotten SO much better and can actually do it with words now. 
Its "r con r cigarro. r con r barril. rapido corren los carros y las ruedas del ferrocarril.
I will definitely miss these Hermanas for sure. Two are going to Bolivia La Paz mission but one is going to MY MISSION, Lima South! :)
One Hermana, who I talk to the most, Hermana Lopez, from Colombia, always shares her candy with us, and the other night she gave me her bracelet from right off her wrist. She is so cool and sweet. I pray that I will get a companion as patient and chill as her.
So this Sunday Elder Evans is coming to the CCM. I guess he's in the 1st Quorum of the Seventy, right under the Apostles as far as missionary stuff goes. But nobody knows who is speaking in sacrament meeting with him this Sunday, so we all prepare talks and then they call us up right then and there (very much like the Hunger Games) so this week since I am an Advanzado I have a VERY high chance of getting called on. It would be cool to speak with him, but I am very nervous as well, because of course, it has to be in Spanish! On the upside of him coming I am singing in the choir that day, a super beautiful version of "I Need Thee Every Hour".
So since it is Spring it’s the time of new life here! This week I found a nest in a bush at about waist level with a momma and 2 baby birds!! They are SOO cute. I definitely check on them every day. ha-ha :)
It’s weird to think this is my LAST EMAIL FROM THE MTC!! Next week at this time I'll be who knows where within the Lima South Mission, with a completely new companion! :) I am VERY ready to get out of the walls of the MTC, but I am definitely not prepared. And I am going to miss my district here SO much. They are all such a great bunch of Elders and Sisters. If I could I would totally serve my whole mission with them. (But I most definitely do want to have Latina comps too though). Goodbyes here won’t be fun at all...
Well, I've had a splendid time here at the CCM in Lima, now it is time for my mission to REALLY begin!
I hope all is well wherever you all are! Remember you are a child of God and he loves you SO so much and wants the best for you.

Love, Hermana Kiser :)

                       Baby birds I found in a bush here. Havent named them yet.

Lima Peru Temple

My district with our morning teacher Hermana Oliveros at the Lima Temple.

I am an Advansado...! Only 2 more weeks in the CCM!

Not a whole lot happened this week at the CCM... or at least that I care to disclose in this blog ;) haha So I am just going to do a couple bullet points of things I could come up with. And AFTER there will be some pictures because we just found out we can now email pictures!!  :)

 

--This week one of my companions accidently pulled a chair out from under my other companion and she fell to the floor. I felt awful, but I'm not going to lie, I thought it was quite hilarious.

 

--We had the delectable churros in the cafeteria here TWICE this week!

 

--I have now tried asking 2 North Americans where they are from in Spanish, thinking they were Latino, only to get a completely clear answer of California and Salt Lake in English.  haha Whoops!

 

--I saw a big slug today at the Temple

 

--The new Hermanas got here last night and one is from Cardston, AB!

 

--The CCM President and his wife are nice, sometimes, but they are super scary. 0.0

 

Yep, thats honestly all I could come up with for this week... Its just been classes and practice teaching! Pretty routine...

 

I hope you all enjoy the pictures and have a wonderful week!

 

Hermana Kiser

 sisters in my district also all my room mates. 

                                                     the beds is of course my room

 

a picture of me with the soccer field.

The flowers are here at the MTC. I just liked them so thought I'd send them 

the 3 of us (my companionship) at the temple 

district selfie at the temple 

 the one of all the people  in front of the MTC sign is my district doing the "page 33" sign with straight faces. this is a MTC joke. Page 33 is the page in the missionary handbook that talks about interactions of elders and sisters. 

 

the one building of the house is just becuase. its a nicer part of town, just an example of what a house looks like.

 

the street and palm trees was out the back of the bus today on p day.