Davi - 8/19/13 email

So I Am Peruvian After All!

Homegirl’s in Peru!!  Can you believe it?  I can’t.  

Wow, ok, first things first.  This keyboard doesn’t have a question mark and the vowels aren’t really working.  So, sorry.  [Don’t worry, y’all—Mama J has fixed all the issues for you!]

Oh man, it is so great here!!  I don’t even know where to start.  

So culture shock should be happening, but it isn’t....  maybe it will set in.  Mostly I just love it and it feels like home.  The main difference is that I get whistled at a lot more, but I can deal with that.  And I have to duck under things and explain my last name.  Really, worse things have happened.  The food is terrific; I haven’t felt even a little sick.  We live across the street from a party music place, so—much to my angel comp’s dismay—I dance in the apartment quite a bit.  I told her that’s the only way I won’t dance on the street, so she agreed.  She is so sweet.  It is taking a lot of patience for her too, to have a comp who doesn’t understand what she’s talking about, but she is doing so well.  She is seriously the cutest.  She has such a sweet laugh, and just gives so much to me.  

I sleep a lot.  Like, a lot.  I konk out exactly at 9:30 and don’t wake up once ‘til 6:30.  It takes a ton of concentration to understand what anyone’s saying, ha.  But it’s cool,  I see so much progress every single day. How can I not be so happy and grateful?  Heavenly Father is helping me sooooooo much.  His angels really are bearing me up.  It’s incredible to feel that promise so real.  He shows me His love for me all the time.  And through the people here.  

Oh my gosh, y’all!  The people are so incredibly sweet!!!!  They feel like they are mine.  There are these little kids who just will cuddle with you, and everyone gives you a kiss on the cheek the first time you meet them, which I just love, and they give you food and make sure you are happy and smile at you and everything.  Felix is getting baptized on Saturday, and he has the most incredible faith.  He studies the Book of Mormon every day, and takes notes during our lessons.  He is the cutest thing that has ever happened.  He just glows!!  He has this smile that takes up his whole face with wrinkles.  And Julie and Deymon, these kids I’m totally in love with.  Oh man.  And her sullon [ummm… sorry—none of us could figure that one out] who saw me cry once and took me under her wing.  

Like, so the whole Spanish thing...  Yes, I do feel like an infant.  But I have never really minded being taken care of.  My mom or Rachel or Coco or Laura or any of my roommates can attest to that.  And the people help me so much, and are so patient, and actually kind of love you for being bad at it.  You just have to be willing to laugh. Like when someone is telling you that there are only three legs on that chair and to not sit on it, but you think, oh it’s ok if it’s missing a duck.  In lessons, when I get stuck and can’t think of how to try to get something out, the investigator will finish my sentence, and then I just testify to what they say.  Who knew it would work out so well?  Anyway, I really am so happy here.  I love Peru dearly.

Remember Ann from Vegas?  She moved to Texas, and is getting baptized there.  She just emailed me all about it, and wanted pictures for Facebook to reveal her plan of baptism.  Haha, isn’t that the cutest? Oh, how I love her!

It’s just so cool!  I have a picture of my Vegas family that they gave me in my room, and I look at it all the time and just   [Don’t know what happened here. That was the end of her sentence. Dream sequence?]

Gosh, Heavenly Father is just the very greatest.  I’m seeing more and more that He is just so thoughtful of me.  I know all of this happiness is because He is taking care of me, thanks to His love, and all of the prayers being said for me.  Thanks for those, and keep up the good work!  

I know more than anything that this Gospel is true.  And if ever there is a person in need of anything, it is just more understanding of the Gospel and your place in it.  Everyone has a place—I am really just starting to understand that.  But Heavenly Father wants to show us our place, so we can understand more of how dear we are to Him.

You know, maybe the culture shock will set in, but it hasn’t yet, so I am just going to keep smiling at the speedy-mouthed Peruvians.  [:

Love you all soooooo much!  I am praying for you back!!  Keep being good, and Heavenly Father will show you why.

Hermana Johnson