I AM A MISSIONARY!!

Hola Familia! How is everyone? So I am in Lima! But some news- my mission has been switched! I will now be serving in the jungle of Iquitos! Crazy huh?! Ok so much to say!

At the airport I met up with 12 other missionaries- three elders and the rest sisters. We all looked scared out of our minds, but we were in it together! We got off our flight and headed straight to the CCM and finally arrived at 2am! They do not know how to drive here so Hermana Shill and I were holding onto each other the whole way there! Day one at the CCM was a lot to take in! We finally got our badges and oh my goodnes, BEST feeling in the world! I immediately felt so much love from my Heavenly Father once i put on the badge. Officially Hermana Hunter! My companion is Hna. Arroyo- yep the girl from the youtube video! So funny! Our branch president made me senior companion! yay! My roomies are the best. Hna. Bean and Truman are the older girls that leave next week and Hna. Truman is from Australia so we make her talk all the time. Then theres my comp and me and Hna. Davis and Hna. Purse. We are all crazy and weird so we are always having a good time together. We met the CCM president and his wife and something that Pres. Gonzales said something that stuck with me. He said "God will test you in the CCM to see if He can trust you in the field." So I really am trying my hardest every day to become a bettter missionary, even when it is reallly hard. My district is the first all Hna. district! GIRL POWER!! We have too much fun together and both our teachers are women so it really is the best. The food here is mostly good- we dont really ask what we are eating and even president doesnt know what the juices are half the time. So there is this group of 3 elders that are in the intermediate group that have been messing with me from day 1. I must have a target on my back or something because not a day goes by that they play a joke on me. Its fun though we are all best friends already! 

So it really hit me hard this week that I am a real missionary. I have been set apart as a full time missionary to be a representative of Christ and bring others unto Him. I love this feeling, it really is the BEST feeling in the world! So here at the CCM there is only 84 of us. A lot of them are Lationo and Latinas. Every day my comp. and I sit with the Latinas and try our best to talk to them. They are the cutest and funniest girls ever! I love them so so much! I learn a lot from them too and I will be sad when they leave in a week! From day 1 our classes have been in ALL SPANISH. Yep. No english. Its stressful, but we have already learned so much. I understand a lot more than I can speak, and I am surprised at how much Spanish I can remember! But I know its because the Lord is with me. Even though I am constantly stressed in class, I feel this peace and comfort through it all and I know its my Heavenly Father helping me every step of the way. I felt it since I got on my flight. I am never alone and I have never been SO happy and felt so sure that this is where I am supposed to be. All the Hnas. in my district struggle with Spanish and its awesome because we just laugh through our pain. We all make it better by singing songs from Frozen, Sound of Music or joking around. Needless to say, we all go to bed giggling. 

Sunday was the BEST day! It was fast Sunday and oh my- you get a room full of about 50 missionaries and have them bear their testimonies... the spirit was so amazingly strong I was just crying the whole time. That night all the Norte Americanos gathered together outside and we had another testimony meeteing- seriously just a huge spiritual boost. We all struggle with similar things, but we all know that since we have the Lord on our side everything will be OK! Monday we went to immigrations and the guy literally just dropped us off and said he would be back later. So we all gathered together and I said a prayer for the group of us 12 missionaries and we were so blessed! we somehow communicated with the Immigration people and even got TWO INVESTIGATORS! One from Brazil and another guy was a worker there. We shared a scripture, pamphlets and they both want to learn more and meet with missionaries! That made all of us so excited to get into the field, but we kinda need to learn more Spanish first. 

This morning we woke up at 5:30 and went to the temple. So cute and small! All in Spanish, but the spirit there was the same. No matter where we are in the world, the gospel is the SAME! I love it here so much. We ride on these buses and we have to cram in there and hold on to the bars for our dear lives and hope that the driver doesnt kill us since no one can drive here, but the whole time we are just laughing our heads off because we are flying all over the bus! We also visited this place called Tittos which is like a nicer version of walmart. On our way there I asked Elder Livingstone if hes been proposed to yet and he said no, but that man wants to marry you and I looked over and this short Peruvian man was full on staring at me and said "Now that is a beautiful woman" All 18 of us just busted out laughing. These people make us all stand out too much! but I love Peru already. It is beautiful and so are the people! and I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I love you all and I hope everyone is doing well.

Ive had eternity to prepare for my mission and I will have eternity to reflect on my mission, but I only have 18 months to live my mission!

love always,

   Hermana Hunter

Ps. HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!!! CUSCO FOREVER!!!!