2 Weeks in 1 Email!

Sorry for last week. That was crazy!

We were all here at Internet, and then our zone leader got a call from our Mission President saying our P-day was going to be cut short, because we had emergency exchanges. All I really understood was that we had to finish emails in like 20 minutes and by the end president would call back or something with who was being changed. Kinda freaky! So at the end of our shortened email time, one of the AP called and told us the details. Apparently about 80% of the Central American missionaries are being sent out of Perú because they have problems with their Visa or something like that. Luckily, everything is find with my companion, So she didn't have to leave. But sadly our zone leader, Elder Carrera, had to leave. He's from Guatemala, and he's a crazy Elder! Our district had a little good-bye thing at a members home. (He's the one the Elder's are picking up in the picture) But it was sad having to say good-bye to him. His new mission is in Columbia.

My District with Elder Carrera

 Anyways, I'll quickly explain last week, then move on to this week! So last week, we (Hna. Espinoza, Romina, and I) went to the temple! It was so wonderful! Rominda, the girl in the pictures. Is a member from Hna. Espinoza's last area and she wanted to jpin us. She was great! She spoke English, or at least she's learning English so she wanted to talk to me a lot. But it was a great day for us! Friday night we had a "lesson" at a recent converts house which was really just a birthday party for my companion. Pretty much the entire ward was there and it was super fun! One of the traditions I find so funny, but I know I'll hate it when it's my birthday, is that you have the opportunity to have everyone smash eggs on our your head for every year when it's your birthday. So, my companion had 20 eggs smashed on her head. I know I'm not going to like that tradtions in February. Well, that pretty much sums up the pictures from last week. Not on to this week!!

Hermana Espinoza and I just having Fun

Well, I have officially made it through my first transfer in the mission field! Yes, I've been in the field for 8 weeks, and transfers are only 6. So let me explain. I entered the field in-between transfers. 2 weeks before the last transfers, so this has been my first COMPLETE transfer. Time is flying by!

On Thursday, Hna. Espinoza and I had a work visit from the sister leaders. And I was paired with one, Hna. Michel, and I went and worked in another area for the day. It was fun! I learned a lot from Hna. Michel too! She only has one transfer left and she knows a lot! I even had one of the investigators ask me if I was from Brazil! So yes, the language is getting better I guess! 

Sadly, we aren’t having has many baptisms as we want. But we are teaching a ton of less-active members! Our Bishop (or I guess our old bishop since we just received a new bishop yesterday), told us that since we started focusing on the less-active members we have brought church attendance in our ward from about 155 to about 195-200! We have also re-activated 3 of our less-active families! It's actually really exciting! One of our "families" that we've been teaching has grown so much! Dany Rodriguez who is 37 and his mother, Juana. When Hna. Espinoza and I first started teaching them, they were both so shut off from us. He told us that his baptism was a mistake. He was young, 14, and dumb as he put it. And Hna. Juana didn't really say much at all.- But now, about 6 weeks later, and they are both re-activated in the church, and every lesson with them is amazing!! He participates in the lessons, asks questions, and now he HOLDS THE PRIESTHOOD! It's so wonderful! This is why I'm a missionary. To bring the light into peoples lives. Or I guess with them, bring the light back into their lives.

So other than that, mission life is just grand! Teachin' and preachin' and workin' as missionaries do. I hope as always that this finds you all happy and well, and you all know that I miss you all a ton!!

Con amor,

Herm'ANNA' Karratti

Preachin' in Perú

Hola again!

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day! I got a beautiful feeling, everything's going my way! 

Hola everyone! It's another beautiful day here in Lima Norte. How's everyone this fine day? I hope this finds you all happy and well and that you know that I miss you all! So, what new adventures this week? This week has been pretty grand I must say!  Celebrating my companions birthday, visiting the temple, and many others! 

Happy Birthday Hermana Espinoza

Frosting Fight at Hermana Espinoza's Birthday Party

First off, sorry that this letter is short. We're having emergency changes today and we have a short time. Missionaries from Central America are having problems with their Visa papers. So, they are sadly being sent out of Peru! How sad! I hope my companion isn't one who is sent out. But we'll find out later! Ahhh!

Anyways, I'll attach the pictures and explain them quickly! The stories I'll explain next week! 

Me and Hermana Espinoza at the Lima Peru Temple

At the Temple
Me, another Hermana from my companions last area, and Hermana Espinoza.

She Speaks English!  How Great is That?

I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!!

Miss you!

Con mucho amor,

Herm'ANNA' Karratti

Preachin' in Peru

Jesucristo sufrio por nuestros...Pescados??

¡Buenos dias familia y amigos! ¿Como estan?

I hope and pray this finds you all well and happy. Well, first of all I want to tell you something super great. I SHOOK DALLIN H. OAKS HAND!!!! Yes, this past Saturday my entire mission was together to listen to Elder and Sister Oaks. Oh my goodness! They were amazing! And one other thing, Elder Oaks has such a sense of humor. I would have never guessed it from his General Conference talks. They're always so serious! But he spoke to us about how more than half of the members in the world are native Spanish speakers, and how he wishes that he would have studied Spanish more. He also shared this really funny saying:

English is the language of Commerce.

German is the language of Science.

Italian is the language of Music.

France is the language of Love.

Spanish is the language of Prayer.

And when you pray in Spanish... the Lord answers in Portuguese. 

Anyways, they were wonderful! And, the person who played the piano wasn't half bad either. "hint-hint" Me!

On Our Way to Hear Elder Oaks
Some missionaries in my District on the bus ride to listen to Elder Oaks

Okay, about the subject line. We were in a lesson about 7 at night the other day, and we hadn't had dinner yet, and needless to say, I was really hungry! All I was thinking about was food. Anyways, we were teaching about the atonement, and it was my turn to speak. I said, "Jesucristo sufrió por nuestros pescados." When is should have been,"Jesucristo sufrió por nuestros pecados." Because pescados is the word for fish, and pecados is the word for sin. So all in all I told them that Jesus Christ suffered for our fish. Yes... it was embarrasing! But the family was so great! The dad responded as he was laughing, "did he suffer for chicken and rice too?" We all got a great laugh out of it. 

Speaking of "Pescados"

BLUE FISH ... I FOUND IT!!!

Oh!  One sorta exciting but super nerve racking at the same time thing! Yesterday, right before Sacrament meeting, our Bishop asked my companion and I to speak in church, THAT DAY! So, with like no time to prepare a talk, and with it having to be entirely in Spanish, I was so stressed!  But, I somehow made it through.  Hermana Espinoza said it was good and that you could understand me.  I honestly don't remember much of what I said, all I really remember is this quote I said, "Individualmente, somos fuertes; junto con Dios, somos invencibles." -Rosemary M. Wixom  but in English it means, "Individually we are strong, together with God, we are unstoppable."  I just love that quote!  Because with God, all things are possible!

Well, the language is slowly getting better. But hey, there's one great thing about having English as my first language. I'm asked all the time to say words in English and to teach people English all the time. My favorite is when the kids in my ward ask me to say their name in English. It reminds me of when Bryant asked Brandon what his name was in Chinese. "Bryant!" Ha, the names are pretty much the exact same. I like being the teacher for once! 

Anyways, teaching lessons this past week has been pretty difficult. Not because people aren't home, because they are! It's because their T.V is on. But more importantly, FIFA is on. FIFA is the huge world wide soccer tournament. And it's basically a month and a half long Super-Bowl party. And when a game is on, it's like the world stops. It's the weirdest thing, walking around the street at about 2:30 in the afternoon and there isn't anyone in the streets. Everyone is so focused on the game. And as we're walking, we can tell if a goal has been made. Because everyone in their houses start cheering like crazy!!

But, in the few lessons that we were able to have, were wonderful! About a week ago we started teaching this family. Santos, Vilma (10), and Maribel (13). Santos is the mother to Vilma, and Maribel is her niece who lives with them. They're great! They are always so excited when we arrive, and I love it! But the best part was is, we commited them to baptism! My first one!! My companion told me before the lesson that I would be the one asking them, and I was so nervous! But I did it!! And they accepted! I'm so excited for that! Please keep them in your prayers! 

Multi-Zone Activity - Hermana's Only
Last P-day we had a multi-zone, but solo Hermanas activity.  It was really fun!! 

Well, I'm really excited for this upcoming week! Because Friday is a very special, special day. It's my companions birthday! Woo!!! And we're going to the temple on that day as well. So it's even more special! I'm super excited because in our mission, we're allowed to attend the temple 2 times a year. Because the Lima temple is in the Lima East mission which is a little over an hour drive away. But we're going on Friday! Happy Birthday Hermana Espinoza!!

All in all, I'm so happy and blessed to be a missionary at this time. I love it sooo much! It's the best! The spirit is the greatest, and everything is wonderful. Yes, it's hard! The hardest thing I've ever done. I wake up every day thinking, "Is it time for bed yet?" I'm so tired! But it'll all be worth it! Really, being a missionary rocks! It's the bomb.com (ask your mom) I'm so beyond blessed to be serving here in Perú!

I hope again that this finds you all well and happy and you know that I miss and love you all! Pray for the missionaries! We need it! Also send letters! They're the best!

Love you all!!

Con mucho amor,

Herm'ANNA Karratti
Preachin' in Perú

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!!

¡Buenos dias familia y amigos!

 What a wonderful wintry day it is here in Perù. How is everyone else enjoying their summer? When I'm sent all the pictures of the beach and what not it just makes me miss summer! Still a little strange to me that it's June and cold outside. I don't know if I'll ever get used to this weather. Well, I guess I should start with the weekly run-down. 

Monday night during a lesson, Lima had a little earthquake. Here we are watching a DVD of La Restauracion and the TV starts shaking a little. I was so shocked! It only lasted a few seconds, but I don't think I will ever get used to earthquakes. They are super weird... No me gusta!

Wednesday we had a service project which was actually a lot of fun! We cleaned a members garage. And let me tell you, this garage had about 5 inches thick of dust on everything! But one of the Elder's in my zone made it a little better when he started putting dirt and dust on everyones faces. 

Service Project
Me with Elder Delgado.  Look at our faces!!  He's the one that started the "dirt fight"

It sorta ended up in a dirt fight. It was a lot of fun! I've attached a picture of some of the sisters. My companion is sadly allergic to dust, so she was inside helping another member clean things. Poor Hermana Espinioza!!

Service Project
Dirty Work is Fun with the Sisters

On Thursday while Hermana. Espinoza and I were walking to an appointment a car passed by us. And this car just so happened to be a blue, Suzuki, station wagon. My car! The BlueFish lives on in Perù! I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but I started freaking out and laughing about how that's my car! And I my comp. just started laughing at me. Because here I was just jumping up and down freaking out about a blue station wagon. Next time I see the BlueFish I'll get a picture. :)

New Familia in our Ward

Other than those fun adventures, nothing else too exciting has really happened. This Saturday we'll have Elder Oaks here. And I'm playing the piano! Yikes!!! But everything is great. I love being a missionary and teaching! I love seeing the light in my investigators eyes when something just clicks. It's the best! I love love love LOVE being a missionary!!!!

I hope everyone is well, know I love and miss you all terribly!!

Con mucho amor,

Herm'ANNA' Karratti

Preachin' in Perù

Preachin' in Perú

¡Buenos dias mi familia!

I hope this email finds everyone well and happy! This week was definetly a lot better than last week for Hermana Karratti. Thank you so much for your prayers! Okay, lets see. Where can I start with this week? I guess just start typing and hope it all makes sense. So, first of all, I'm sorry if this email is kinda everywhere. First of all, there is a little special needs boy who lives on our street. And every single day for the past 2 weeks, he comes to his front door at 11:30when we walk by and we have the exact same conversation, every day.

Hola! (Hola Hermanita!)

Buenos dias! (Buenos dias Hermanita!)

Como estás? (Bien Hermanita!)

But it's the best way to start every single day. I love it!  But one thing I'm not loving is the cold weather. Tempurature wise, it's not that cold. But, because of the humitity, I am FREEZING!  And it's like no matter how many layers I have on, the coldness seeps through. No bueno!  But it's really throwing off my brain, it's June and everyone is wearing jackets, scarfs, beanies, and the kids are in school. My brain is getting so thrown off by it all!

Hermana Espinoza and I and a Broken Down Car on Our Street
Her idea was to decorate the car and MORMONIFY it!

So last Monday, after writing our families my zone went to a members house and we all watched Monsters University!  Woo!  I have to say, I don't think I will ever get used to watching a movie where their mouth doesn't match what they're saying. It's so weird. But the voices were pretty funny! And on Monday night, Hna. Espinoza and I were asked to teach at a Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) and I didn't know this before, but we ended up teaching at a 13-year-old Birthday Party. Kinda funny and weird at the same time. We taught the gospel to a bunch of 12-13 year olds and their families. But hey!  We got a lot of references from that. So, I'm not too upset about it! :)  So, because of those references, our week has been very busy teaching lessons. Which I love!  I love actually teaching, and not just knocking on doors all day. One funny thing happened at one of the houses we were teaching. Well, first of all, at almost every house after a lesson. We are given food of some sort. At this one specific house, we were offered Coffee. I took a picture with it just for keepsakes. I bet you can all guess what our lesson with this investigator was about. Yep, the Word of Wisdom. Always fun times here in Perú!  

Hermana Karratti and her Coffee

Another fun... or I guess it actually wasn't so fun, was on Thursday. The water was shut off here in our neighborhood (or districts as they call them here), and we didn't have water for about 2 days. So, I can now officially say that I've showered with a bucket! Weirdest experience ever! Ha! Nothing more to really say about that. Just very.... interesting!

But again, this week has been a million times better than last week. I'm loving my mission!  Honestly truly, it's the best!

My District - Carabayllo

I hope you're all doing well, and know that I miss you all so much and you're all in my prayers. I love you all!!

Love always,

Herm'ANNA' Karratti

Preachin' in Perú

P.S. If you love me.... SEND GOLDFISH CRACKERS PLEASE!! You have no idea how badly I miss Goldfish!

Another eventful week for Hermana Karratti

Yes, this has been yet another fun and very eventful week for Hermana Karate-Kid. First of all, my entire barrio (ward) calls me Hermanita Karate-Kid. So that's kinda fun. And I am finally starting to recognize members. That itself has been so helpful! 

Our Weekly Selfie
Hermana Espinoza and I do "Insanity" workouts every day!  Bleh!!

Secondly, this week has been a little bit of a struggle. I want to learn this language so badly, because I really don't like sitting in lessons where I only understand about 30% of what is being said. I even got yelled at by somone we were trying to teach. It wasn't anything too bad. Just a new investigator and I was struggling a little and trying to tell him something about the Plan of Salvation and I couldn't remember a few words, and he got frustrated and told me, "Why are you in my country and you can't speak my language?" Yes it was a little frustrating to say the least. But every day is getting better. 

Guess Who I Saw Last Week?
Elder Harrison Miller from back home.

I actually believe that God has a sense of humor, because after that certain lesson. My companion and I were running a little late for our next lesson with a less active member. So to be faster, we decided to take a moto-taxi. Which is a taxi, but a little smaller. It only can fit like 2-3 people and it's a little easier in the small roads here. Anyways, we asked the driver to take us to Calle 8. And he said okay. Then he drove, and drove, and drove. My companion started freaking out cause we had no idea where we were! She kept asking the driver, "Where are you going?" He would say, "Calle 8. Calle 8!" But we had no idea. I don't exactly know why... But I just started laughing so hard. Because we weren't in our area anymore. I knew that for sure. Finally Hna. Espinoza just said, "Okay! Our stop is right here." So we got out, and walked up to someone to ask where we were. He recoginized us as missionaries. And then he said, "Are you new missionaries to this mission? Because I haven't seen you two before" And we asked what mission he was talking about. We were in freaking Lima West Mission! We weren't even in our mission anymore! When he told me that, I literally almost fell to the floor laughing so hard. I couldn't stop laughing! I was just way too funny!! We took another moto-taxi back to our mission, and it was just a hilarious night. Exactly what I needed after our lesson. 

Moto-Taxi
This is what a Moto-Taxi looks like.  In case anyone was curious.

Other than that really fun experience, my week has been good. We are starting to have a few investigators, and one of our investigators speaks English! So it's really nice to talk to her and teach her. The only really hard part is that I don't know the lessons in English. That's hard to teach. But when I want to explain something better, I can do it in English and that's really nice! We also have another investigator, Jhon, yes spelled like that. And honestly, he reminds me of Dad, Uncle Kimo, and Uncle Ed all in one person! When we first met him it sorta freaked me out! 

I Got Pictures/Letters!  One Happy Missionary Here!

But really, it's been a great week! I love being a missionary, even though the language is tough. But I love it! I miss you all, and I hope everything is well for everyone!

Con mucho amor,

Herm'ANNA' Karratti

Preachin' in Perú

Another wonderful week in Perù!!!

Oh my oh my!

So many wonderful things and not so wonderful things have happened this week! For those who didn't know, I was transerfed right after I emailed last week. Literally right after! 

Anyways, now I'm with Hermana Espinoza from Honduras, and she speaks little to NO english! So we've been helping each other a lot. Because our Mission President wants all the native spanish speaking missionaries to learn English, while all the others try to learn spanish. So everyday we're helping and listening very closely to each other. I guess sometimes, that's not a good thing though... Because I accidently taught my companion the word "FETCH" and she says it all the time. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Sorry Hermana!!

Hermana Espinoza and Me

Oh! Something super exciting is happening next month! Elder Dallin H. Oaks is visiting Perú and guess which Hermana was asked to play the piano for him in a special devotional he's having for all the missionaries? Yep! Hermana Karratti! Kinda nervous to play but really excited at the same time!

But as we've been contacting all this week, Hna. Espinoza and I are whistled at constantly, I quickly had to teach her that when a group of men whistle or cat call at us, it's not because they want to hear the gospel. We usually just ignore them and keep walking by. A little different, but this place is very different!

 

I SAW A MONKEY!!

My area is: Carabayllo My ward: Carabayllo My District: Carabayllo... Kinda funny, huh? Anyways, my ward is wonderful! And they love the missionaries. And it's a lot like the Polynesian culture. They feed you all the time! Many times this week, I've had 3-4 dinners. And they have HUGE portions. Bleh!

All in all, I love it in my new area. I wasn't too happy at the beginning because I really loved my last companions, but Hermana Espinoza is wonderful!

I got the package Mom!  THANK YOU!!

Hope this finds you all well and happy! Love you all! And I miss you tons!

Con mucho amor,

Herm'ANNA' Karratti

Preachin' in Perú