Huaca del Sol y Luna

Monday, January 4, 2016

Happy New Years, all!

How did everyone's New Years pass? I can't believe we're already in 2016. Huanchaco had it's fair share of Sodom-and-Gomorrah-like activity for the occasion 😫 yuck. But we were tucked away in our cuarto and got to see the amazing fireworks that were blasting off in all the area of huanchaco, trujillo, and up to the esperanza we could see fireworks going off.

We had a lot of success this week in contacting references we've received within the last week or so. Just yesterday we found 2 GOLDEN families who I hope we can baptize. They are SO prepared and were nothing but the best to us. The Cruz Reyes Family is a reference from our zone leaders who contacted the father of the family in his taxi. His name is "Sugar Ray" who is a famous boxer apparently, and he is married, doesn't drink, smoke, and is a faithful husband and father. They've got 3 kids and his wife was so sweet to us (and she gave us the best chicha morada of my life 😋 ). The Salvatierra family, who we actually contacted the mother of the family (her name is Flor), has 6 kids and when we went to our cita with them, Flor was sleeping but her husband attended us. His name is Julio and he COMPLETELY understands what the Holy Ghost is. He has also had contact with the missionaries before and even has a BOM in english and spanish. Both of the families live in Huanchaquito, and I hope we can establish some more activity on that part of our area.

I love the scriptures I read in Mosiah this week. In chapter 4 I love the verses when King Benjamin asks the people: are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend on the Lord for our life and everything we have? Verse 17 sticks out like a sore thumb to me:

17 "Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—"

This verse hits cold to the heart. I cannot deny that I have passed someone homeless on the street and thought within myself, "perhaps he's had bad luck, but it's possible he's not trying to lift himself out of his situation." We are SO poor. We do not possess ANYTHING. We only possess that which was given to us, and nearly all of it is temporary and we will have to give it back. The only thing that I can think of that we won't give back is our agency and our experiences/memories. God is so good to us. Just look at what God has given us in our fallen state:

 20 "And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy."

Maybe we need to "pour out" and not skim out on giving what we have to others. We do it with prudence and with order (see verses 26 and 27) but what is not OURS we must give unto the Lord (our fellow men.) 

Oh. One more thing. We went to a historic site today as a zone. It's called Huaca del Sol y Luna and it's an old temple that archeologists discovered under tons of sand. It's ENORMOUS and we took a bajillion photos. I attached 1 of me in front of what's 7 stories of the temple. But the 7 stories are actually just 7 levels that compose the outer wall of 5 walls in total. Can't believe the work these crazy Inkas did. 

I also attached one of me and my hija inside the temple (:

Have a great week everyone!! 

*sorry family for not sending an email this week, I forgot to take photos of my journal and we are getting cut short today on our internet time!! :(

Love,

Hermana Furness