Cambios!!!!! January 16, 2017

welllll, I can finally say that I´m saying goodbye to my first area after 5 months! So weird to think about!

On Wednesday night, Hermana Wright and I had a HUGE scare because the president´s wife called us and we were like WHAT IS HAPPENING. So you know, I answered with my sweetest voice and I was like Hello! And she told us that we were both going to finish training for the new missionaries! Soooo SURPRISE! I´m SO excited but like insanely nervous because I have such little time in the mission to be a trainer but like wherever and whatever the Lord needs, I´m willingly there! 

Before anyone asks, I have glasses because last week the wind was SO strong that literally every 5 steps I would take, I would have to stop in the middle of the road and rub my eyes until the rocks would come out... so really, it´s RIP to my eyes hahaha.

Well, this week was insanely long but like I´ve never been so dedicated in the work! I feel so ready and so excited for this new change and I´m even more excited to finally go to the coast! I´ll finally not have to bring a sweater or a jacket with me wherever I go! I have 2 options... I either go to Mazate, which is toward the bottom of Guatemala, or I go right into the city of Retalhuleu! So really, either one is going to be SUPER different but SO fun!! 

So we have to take "chicken buses" to Reu so we were coming back from Xela to take the cross over bus to San Marcos and I finally got a seat and my companion and I were sitting on 2 different seats, and these super scary men came and sat right next to the both of us and we just looked at each other and were like oh no... hahah but like the ride was fine (on my part... Hermana Wright was getting slept on... lol) but like 2 hours in, the guy next to me taps my hand and I have like mini heart attack and I´m like hehe what? Like suuuuper nervous because ya know, scary guy. And he turns to me and he´s like "Do you want a little bit of weed?.. it´s the good stuff... from Reu" and I literally freeze and I´m like haha... no gracias! that is very very kind of you..." Like can you NOT see the plaque???? So yeah so that happened and the elders behind us were just laughing soooo hard because they were like nooo way did that just happen hahahah.

Life here in Guatemala is such an adventure. I love the work here and the people just make everything so much better. I couldn´t be more happy to be in such a wholesome and beautiful place for the next year of my life! And I LOVE being here, being a representative of Jesus Christ. I feel SO honored to be able to share my absolute love and happiness with these faithful people! I love love love being a missionary. We literally have the light of the world in our lives and it´s our time to share it with everyone around us! 

I´m SO thankful for each and every one of you and I couldn´t be MORE happy to be here! 

Love the Lord and you will receive blessings beyond your imagination!

xoxo, 

Hermana Pereira ♡

 

 

No Letter this week :( - January 16, 2017

I´m not gonna send out a mass email because I´m lame and nothing cool happened this week hahahah. but if´d you like to know about my fiesta on friday, just ask mom! hahahah love you!

Feliz Ano Nuevo!!!!!!!! Jan 2, 2017

ahhh feliz feliz año!!! what a speical time to set goals and think of all the amazing blessings in your life! i´m SO excited to see what this year has in store for me as an missionary in Guatemala!

first of all, this new year´s was SO different but one of my favorites! since fireworks are the most popular "toy" here, we got to see all the fireworks going off at 12 AM! We ran on the roof and saw literally every single part of San Marcos and the 9875987 different types of fireworks going off!! It was SO cool! But I think the funniest part of New Years was when Hermana Wright and I were walking in the street and this guy came up to my comp and was like "Wow... you look JUST like Michelle Obama," okay first of all, my comp is blonde... and white... hahah it was SO funny. I will NEVER let that down.

Also, we met this man a couple months ago and we hadn´t seen him since then, and the other day he came up to me and grabbed my hands and was like "I missed you!!!" and I was like oh my gosh I am SO scared right now... and ya know, thinking I would never see him again, I kinda just laughed it off, and then yesterday he saw me and I ran in the middle of the street to avoid him and he came right up to me and gave me the strongest hug of my life... happy new years to me. 

This week I picked up a lizard and we were playing with it and then someone came up to us and was like "You should be careful! Those are very dangerous and are venomous!" So I almost got bit by a poisonous animal :))) Also, we found a dead on the next day and so I went to pick it up againnnnn (already knowing the danger) and I grabbed it by the tail and it just BROKE OFF. I felt so terrible... so here´s a pic of me with the tail hahah.

Other than those crazy stories... the work is going GREAT! We are working our tails off while fulfilling our hungry tummies with chocolate (thank you mama P!)!! I LOVE working with the people here and learning more about their culture and traditions! 

Today we hiked at the Quetzal Refuge for our Pday activity and it was SO beautiful! We didn´t see a quetzal buuuuttt we did get rejected by 3 chicken buses and then we jumped in an overly packed bus where I hit my head 4 times and almost lost my shoe :) Life here is SO adventurous and wonderful and I just love EVERYTHING about being a missionary!

I´m SO grateful for this opportunity to share my light and my testimony and my happiness!! I know that this gospel is the light of my life! I´m extremely happy working everyday and fulfilling my purpose in this mission and in my life! I can´t wait to meet more and more people that just need my complete love and joy!! I´m so thankful for this experience for the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Xoxo,

Hermana Pereira 

ps. got my Christmas package... that was THE BEST SURPRISE!!!!!!

Feliz Navidad!!!! :) December 26

Feliz navidad everyone! I hope you guys all had a super great Christmas with your favorite people! My Christmas was definitely a one to remember! Christmas in Guatemala is different, that´s for sure!

This week was filled with tamales and bombas (fireworks)! So first of all, my companion and I made a goal of how many tamales we were going to recieve this weekend... our goal was 6. Wanna know how many are sitting in our fridge right now? 16. 16 tamales are (literally) chilling in the fridge just waiting to be eaten. I´m pretty sure I´m going to come back as a literal tamale due to all of the masa I eat here!! Hahah but everything is so great here, I wouldn´t change it for the world! 

I took a picture with a pig this week and that was probably one the best things ever!! I seriously have the funniest weekly goals. And like the pigs here are HUGE it´s insane. Like 2 weeks ago we were offered the chance to help kill a pig and cook it ourselves.... I kindly declined the offer hahaha. Life is so different here, I seriously wish all of you could just walk around town with me and understand how amazing life is here!!! 

My companion and I took Christmas card pictures this week, and I wish I could send you guys them, they´re my favorite. The other hermanas in my zone all made cards and we all like competed to do the funniest ones. I think Hermana Wright and I won for the most creative that´s for sure!! 

Honestly, not much happened this week. I just now remembered that I had chocolate in my jacket pocket and I washed my clothes this morning... so I´ll let ya know if anything super terrible happens hahaha. 

All I know, is that this mission is the best decision of my entire life. I love learning and growing and just connecting with the people everyday. It´s such a blessing that I have to be able to spread this message of happiness with the people here! I can just feel like power of the Holy Ghost and the reassurance of the truthfulness of the gospel in my life everyday as I testify to the miracles that I have witnessed in my life. I´m super super super thankful to be learning Spanish and to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ established this church when he was on the earth and now we have the opportunity to learn more about the blessings that come from being obedient followers of Christ! Life is hard, but it´s SO worth it when you´re working toward an eternal family! 

Gracias for all of your help and support in my mission everyday! I can just feel your love as I walk down the cobblestone roads in Guatemala! 

Happy happy holidays and enjoy this special time!

xoxo,

Hermana Pereira