Monday, June 29, 2015








Wednesday, June 24, 2015 ~" I LOVE PERU!"

Hey there! So week one down! Today was P-Day and how glorious it was! I figured out how to make the exclamation symbol work but I still can´t get some of the others to work yet. Thanks for all the emails!
Ok! Where to begin?! Oh, I know! I have some advice for Alex. First of all, dont take suitcases over 50 lbs. You have to lug them around yourself and carry them up three flights of stairs by yourself and just dont. Also, dont put all of your books in one carryon. You might take someone out while trying to put the bag in the overhead bin. Dad, they weighed all of our bags when we got to the CCM (MTC), and that duffle bag was 35 POUNDS!!! And I could feel it too! I was about to die! Add that to my suitcases and I was yanking over 100 lbs up three flights of stairs. No está bien! But that's ok. I'll never have to go to the store while I'm here...
 
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO DADDY AND GRANDADDY AND PAPA!!!! I love you all and am so grateful for you in my life. You are such wonderful examples to me!
 
I have so many awesome stories that I want to tell you but I dont think that I'll be able to type fast enough.
 
First of all, my companion is from West Jordan, UT. She went to Utah State for a year. She is super sweet and we get along great! She only took a year of Spanish in middle school, so she knows very little Spanish, but she is learning and I have been able to help her. I definitley see the Gift of Tongues working within her because she has learned so much in the last week and come so far. Our district is only girls. We have eight. The other people that came with us are in another district. We had about 25 people on the flight with me. They have 3 elders in their district. We are the only district in the CCM who doesnt have elders. But I kinda like it because I feel like we share more without them.
 
The people who work here dont know much English, so it's like all Spanish all the time. Which is good for learning but sometimes i just have to stare at them and be like what? But it's ok because I'm learning. I havent gotten frustrated at all with it. I'm just kinda like whatever. I'm putting forth my effort and it will come!
 
So the food! It's Peruvian! And different! It's all pretty good. The cooks here aren't members of the church but they just love us! They are so sweet! There is rice with EVERY MEAL!!! Oh my goodness! They just fill half the plate with it. I have to tell the "menos" so they dont give me as much. We have to eat everything on our trays or else they get mad at us. But, the best thing I've had was the CHURROS!!!! It was like a bread stick but it didnt taste like a bread stick and it was covered in cinnamon and sugar and had dulce de leche inside. BEST!!!!!!! My stomach is trying to adjust to the food. I haven't felt that great since Saturday, but I will get used to eventually.
AH I HAVE 10 MINUTES!!!
 
I don want to tell you about a really cool experience that I had yesterday. And then I will have to share my other stories later but this one was really cool.
So yesterday, we went to Interpol (the national police station) to do fingerprinting and stuff like that. We woke up at like 5:30 and were there for 5 hours. While we were waiting, H. Winward and I started talking to this British guy. We talked about the US and England and Downton Abbey and then he asked us about the logisitics of being a missionary. He asked us what kinds of questions that we get asked and we were like, we've only been here for a week. So I told him some of hte questions that I got asked in GA. He then asked us something along the lines of "Do you believe all Christians are saved?" And I responded with something like accepting the gospel in this life or the life after. He then asked us a really deep question about Christ and alpha and omega and I still dont get it. His number got called  before we could answer. When he finished his Interpol stuff, he came back over to us and said that he was thinking about out answer about salvation and that he really liked it and wanted to know more about the church and wanted to give us his email. So I took his email and gave it to the CCM secretary. Super cool right?! First real experience of being a missionary with a name tag.
 
Ok, they are kicking us off the computers now, so I dont have time to answer the questions. Hopefully they got answered above some.
 
I LOVE YOU!!!!
 
Hermana Elise Joyner!
 
P.S. I can't hear my rooster friend anymore because I am literally passed out every night!

Wednesday ~ June 17, 2015 - "I'm in Peru!"

ok, i dont know how to work this keyboard so forgive me. i have like 5 minutes.
 
im here. that should be an exclamation point but i dont know how to make it do that. we landed at 12 last night, got through the airport and left at like 1.30 and made it to the mtc at around 2.15. we got to bed at like 3.30 last night only to wake up at 7.30. they let us sleep in a whole hour. except i couldnt sleep because there was a rooster crowing all night but i will get used to that.
 
weve gotten our name tags and companions and will go to meet the mtc pres after this. this is all the time i have right now.
 
you can send this to cole. i tried to add his email but i dont know how to make the at symbol for an email. i added all of yours when i was at home but didnt know his email address.
 
all is well and peruvian.
 
love you and thank you for the wonderful notes and the picture book
 
hermana elise joyner