Week 20: Christmas in Colder Weather

My Zone!

Dear Friends and Family,

So this week was kind of stressful. The people that were going to get baptized this Saturday, we literally couldn’t find them and their cell phones were turned off. One guy ended up in the hospital and is still there. We went to visit him. I have decided that sick people make me really sad. I know that a smile can brighten someone’s day, so I continue to smile, but I just feel so helpless around sick people. I want to just cure them, but I can’t. Anyways, Pedro, who is sick in the hospital continues to have hope that he’ll be released and then can be baptized this next week.

Well, we finally found John after 4 days of trying to find him. He got a new cell phone and we talked with him and everything was going great. He was preparing a project on the Book of Mormon to give in his class because he loved it so much. He was baptized Saturday and it was so beautiful. He got up to share his testimony afterwards and was just so happy. He said that before he just felt so weighted down and that really through keeping the commandments, he just feels completely liberated.

The baptism of Yuri and John and 2 others in the stake!

Then Yuri. Yuri is awesome. There isn’t much else I can say. He has been coming to church for years and tons of missionaries have taught him. He has said that he’ll be baptized a few times and then didn’t show for his baptism. So kind of crazy. Well, his best friend lives next to us. He asked us if we could get permission to teach him because Yuri lives in another sector but he really felt that after praying a lot that maybe Yuri needed Hermanas. The cool thing was being able to see a different perspective. Yuri was baptized Saturday, but not really because of anything I did or my companion. We helped resolve a small doubt that he had, but everything else was a result of a bunch of other missionaries. Sometimes our lives are the same way. We work so hard and never see the results and someone else comes and finishes the very last part and gets to see the results. I know I have planted a lot of seeds that hopefully someday someone else will benefit, but I have also been blessed to see the fruits of others and all of it together is what brings true joy. Someone today found a nickel and gave it to me. I was reminded of what it says, ‘’In God We Trust.’’ I thought a lot about it and it’s easy to trust in God when everything goes as we planned, but the hard part is trusting in Him when your plans don’t go the way You wanted and that He knows better than us. So my invitation this week is to try and trust more in God and enjoy life as it is right now!

Lunch with the family I live with.  

I love you all and appreciate your love and support.

Love,

Hermana Carly Lang

Ps. EMAIL ME!!!! J carly.lang@myldsmail.net

The Young Adults at the house where I live after I received news that
 I would be transfered. They were all sad and cried with me.

OH….. and I have transfers. I don’t know where I am going until tomorrow night… so you have a week of suspense. I am super sad to leave the people here, but excited for what comes and am putting my trust in God who knows best! All I know is that I will be in colder weather for Christmas!!! Colder than Puerto Maldonado that is! Love you all and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Week 19: Letter Home

Dear Friends and Family,

So this week, I learned that I really don’t like Lamb’s heart. It’s edible, but it’s kind of weird the texture. My companion however loves it and so she ate all of mine! Love it when things like that work out.

This week, we did a lot and my patience has been tried a lot. My goal was to improve my patience this week. It may have been better to put that goal for a less stressful week, but too late. We taught a lot of people with trials in their lives and met some people that were a little bit rude or didn’t know how to stay on topic. It was a bit difficult to always respond in a polite way, BUT I feel like I did pretty great with my goal!

So John is a friend of a member who is super excited. His dad said that he believes that he’ll get baptized soon after his son if all goes well. John recently started reading his Book of Mormon and loves it. We left him the book the other day and when we returned, he goes that book that you left me is great! I read it and I just feel so satisfied afterwards and I actually understand what is happening and can retain the information. He said that usually when he reads things, he can’t retain the information super well. He’s super excited and is planning on being baptized Nov. 24^th!

Then we are teaching Stephanie. She’s got a bit of a different religious background. She thinks that God exists but isn’t quite convinced. She wants to believe, but she LOVES science and so when she thinks about all of the theories, she says it is often hard for her to believe in religion of any type. She also is the ex-girlfriend of Jose Luis who got baptized a few weeks ago (which btw, he is doing great! He loves the church and is always SOOOO happy. Before, he was in his room a lot and now, he is ALWAYS with the members playing sports or karaoke or whatever activity they have. He just says that he truly is a lot happier now. He’s preparing to receive the Priesthood in a few weeks.) But back to Stephanie, she met sister missionaries in Arequipa and is super excited to have us visit and calls our landline whenever she has a question. That is one thing that is tough. We don’t have cellphones which is odd because most missionaries now have cell phones. It makes things difficult to plan sometimes.

Then Jonas!!!! We met him yesterday. He came to church with a member and I noticed he already had a book of Mormon. We talked a little bit and then I found out that he wasn’t a member and wants to know how he can be baptized!! He loves reading his book of Mormon and the Bible! I just met him yesterday but hopefully next week I’ll have more to tell you!

We also have been trying to find a lot of the members who haven’t been to church in a long time. We are having a lot of success with these people! A lot of them simply don’t have a lot of support from their family and so we are working with their families and a lot of them are super receptive to listen and learn.

Well, I had to give a talk in church yesterday. Grace had been on my mind a lot. I shared that we are saved by grace AFTER all that we can do. I feel it went well. However, what I really loved was Elder Morales’s talk. He shared a story. There was a boy who was sick and he went to the doctor’s and through analysis of his blood, they found out that his blood had the cure to save thousands of other people. The doctors talked with the parents and asked if they could take his blood to save other people. The parents thought a long time about it because it would mean to give the life of their son to save thousands of others. After a long time and talking with their son, they decided they were willing. The son always was looking for ways to help other people. Many people were saved from this child’s blood and the people wanted to remember him. So every week, they got together to hold a service to remember Him. They met every Sunday in the church. Over time however, people got busy and forgot about the blessing, the miracle they had been give through this little boy and stopped attending the service of gratitude. He then compared this to Jesus Christ. It really struck me of why I go to church every Sunday. It is to remember my Savior. The Savior of the world. There is nothing too important that should keep me from this. I encourage all who believe in Christ to remember Him more often and those who don’t believe in Christ to study His life more and pray about it. I know that God answers prayers and if we have a desire, he will help us with that desire and give us knowledge.

That is about it for now. I love being a missionary! I have 2 more weeks here in this transfer and hopefully I get one more transfer after that! But we shall see. I send my love to you all and hope all is well.

Love,

Hermana Carly Jo Lang

carly.langmyldsmail.net

It poured the other day! How do you like my attractive outfit?

Week 18: Trip to Lima

In a small town somewhere between
Cusco and Puerto Maldandao.

Dear Friends and Family,

This email won’t be as exciting. I only worked half of the week. Last Monday night, I received a phone call that I was going to go to Lima to get my carnet de extranjera which is like my ID to be here. Anyways, it was kind of crazy. I traveled Tuesday morning in bus (12 hours) to Cusco. Then I slept there the night with 2 Hermanas. Then Monday morning early, a group of us flew to Lima. That day was rather boring. We talked to people in the ENORMOUS lines that we had to wait in. We were there over 6 hours. Then we had a little bit of time to relax (like 45 minutes) and… well, lunch made me sick. SUPER fun. But, I did get to go to the temple in Lima. However, we didn’t make it in time to do endowments, so I just did initiatories which was probably better because I was well… sick. Then Thursday morning, we flew to Cusco. Thursday during the day, I was able to rest some. I was at the house of a member there. She was super friendly. The hermanas in that area eat at her house and she was saying how she hopes that I get to serve there. Her husband isn’t a member but a really awesome guy. He comes to church every week! He just isn’t ready to do anything more than that. BUT, he told me that when he gets baptized, he wants me to come! Haha who knows when that will be. But we did laugh a lot. It was nice to be with a family. Then Thursday night, 10 hour bus ride back to Puerto Maldonado. Then Friday, I got to get back to work! J

We got to attend the temple in Lima!

So we’ve met a couple of really cool people recently. Jose Luis is still doing great. We found out that Stephanie (the girl who was meeting with missionaries in Arequipa) is his girlfriend. Then we met the older sister of a girl who recently just got baptized. Her older sister I guess was who the missionaries found first, but then she just was so busy. We talked with her for a while. Her name is Corali. Corali said that she really misses having religion in her life and what interests her most is that she really wants to be a missionary! How cool would that be for her to be able to serve as well? Corali is 19 I believe and super smart. Then we are also visiting John. John has a lot of interesting questions like can we progress to become like God? What happens after this life? And can I live with my family after I die? He’s only 20, but we found him because a member introduced us to him. John is super excited and comes to everything when he is available. He’s kind of quiet at first, but we have been meeting with him at a member’s house. Their son got back from a mission about 2 years ago and has helped John a lot just feel a lot more comfortable and make friends.

How we live. 

This week, I was really thinking about the impact people have. We have an impact on everyone. It can either be good or bad. I hope that I have a good impact on the people that I meet, but I also know that when we find good friends, they will help strengthen us for the better. My mom always says that anyone can be a good person, but if that person doesn’t make you a better person, then they’re not a good friend. I’ve often thought about that and I am truly grateful to have you guys who have strengthened me in one way or another. Our Heavenly Father has sent us here together to help one another. To strengthen each other. When we do this, that is when we find the joy and happiness in our lives!

I love you all and wish you the best this week!

Love,

Hermana Lang

PS. carly.lang@myldsmail.net