Hermana Carli Stone's Mission: God is at the head of everything a missionary does

Family!

Wow. Fastest week ever. On Monday night we had family night with our favorite elderly couple in the branch. We played “hot potato”…the perus favorite game, taught them about prayer, and then the wife got up to make us herbal tea. We went into the kitchen and she had pulled out green tea. We looked at her, and then looked at each other…she said, “I have tea, and coffee…which would you like…oh wait…we can`t drink those, can we?” Ha. We were dying. Next lesson…word of wisdom.

Tuesday we had an awesome district meeting and planned out what we are going to do these next few weeks in Chivay so the members can progress, and the branch can continue to be strengthened. We went in the evening to visit the relief society president and let her know the changed we wanted to make. All three of us felt the spirit testify to us in that moment that our little branch will one day, in the Lord`s time, continue to grow and progress.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we were in Arequipa. Wednesday we got into Arequipa in the evening and went to the mission home, but none of the missionaries were there yet, so Hermana Weller and I just sat at the kitchen table with President and Sister Zobrist and talked, ate dinner, and played scrabble for a couple hours. Later all the missionaries that we going home showed up, and we stayed up talking and playing cards for a few more hours. Thursday we were in training for 7 hours. We talked a lot about goal setting, and success after the mission. After the training we went and walked around outside the mission home where I started my mission. It was so crazy to be back there. I loved it! That night we had a big dinner and our final testimony meeting. All the elders left the next day…yet for some reason I was the only person of 25 missionaries who bawled like a baby…or even shed a tear. Ha. The spirit was one of the strongest I had felt in my whole life. When it came to me, I stood up and couldn`t come up with any words to describe how amazing I felt. This work is without a doubt not done by us…God is at the head of everything a missionary does, and every footstep that we take we labor in His vineyard. Words cannot express how much I love these people, this country, my mission, this work and my Father in Heaven. I hope to do everything I can to live a worthy, service filled, obedient life, and each day become more like my older brother Jesus Christ...and Chandler. Haha just kidding. Sorry to ruin the spiritual mood. But seriously…”It`s all true people, it`s all true!”

Hermana Carli Stone

Ps. Happy birthday this week Chanman! Love you bro! Can`t wait to party with you in a couple weeks. WOOO!

PPS. I`ll send the pictures from this week later today...the internet stopped working.

LOVE YOU ALL!