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