Jungle Birds

This week was a lot better than last week and I am super grateful! I enjoyed every minute of it! 

We had a little bit of an unfortunate experience this week but it was really funny! We were out teaching with a member named Celide and we found a bird with a broken foot. Celide thought it would be a good idea to give the bird to someone so they could have a pet... it was a really pretty bird! So we thought of Nieves, the Sister who has been giving us food this month, because it was her birthday! We gave her the bird and we got it into a little cage and gave it something to eat, and then she felt that she should put the bird by us so we could keep an eye on it while we were having lunch. All of the sudden we saw the bird stretch, it sang a little, and then.... it died. We all couldnt believe it!! We had the bird for less than ten minutes!!!! We thought it was the best gift ever and instead of enjoying her cute little bird we had a little funeral for it. It was super unfortunate and now I dont want to give people birthday gifts! 

Then when we were walking home we found a parrot that was sitting on the tree next to our house and it started whistling at us! So many jungle birds! 

I went to leaders councli in Iquitos this week and I got to be in the same city as Sister Griffith and Sister Felshaw for the first time since the beginning of our mission and we were so happy! I loved getting to talk to them and hear how much we have grown. Leaders council was amazing, because we learned about how we can guide our mission better and help all of the new missionaries become great teachers! We set a bunch of goals for this month and it was just what we all needed! I love being able ot think about the needs of the misson, its amazing to see so many people in one room recieving revelation. This is something Ive been able to be better at here. The spirit really guides us when we are praying, fasting, and listening! I love being able to recognize it more in my life. 

We went early today to finish all of the wedding papers for Osler so they can get married on Friday and then Baptised on Saturday and he was so happy. He just said how he cant wait to be able to recieve the Priesthood to bless his family and help everyone. I just know he is going to be a bishop one day!! Jose is also getting baptised on Saturday  and he told us that he knows its what he needs to be saved :) He is such a sweet old man and he loves to tell us stories of living in the jungle for so many years :) Im glad to see that when we work hard, God blesses us. I know that when we trust in Him everything works out how it should. So often we want things to go fast, but its so much more beautiful to see how our Heavenly Father has things planned! 

I am so thankful for all of your prayers. I am so glad that I get to be a missionary because I know that this gospel is true with all of my heart and I know that Jesus Christ is our saviour and that because of Him we can all have eternal happiness. 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce

All is Well

I have had so many amazing weeks in a row that it was about time to have a not so easy week! It all started when my companion had to go to Iquitos for a few days so I had to sleep on the floor of the other Sister's home and I caught a cold so I have been with a bad cold pretty much all week!! Then we got a phone call from Sandra saying that she isnt sure about her baptism and she cancelled her baptism date for this saturday, and Osler couldnt have his wedding or baptism this week because we didnt get his birth certificate on time! So many little not so great things happened that I was thinking, "What did I do wrong?" But then I realized how important it is to go throught a few trials so that we can learn and grow and it really made me appreciate a lot more all of the really good weeks I have had here in the mission! 

The experience that made everything better was sitting in sacramwent meeting and seeing my convert, Wills, passing the sacrament. It made me cry tears of joy seeing someone I taught the gospel to using his priesthood power to bless the lives of others! Thats what the mission really is about. Sometimes we have doors slammed in our face, sometimes we get a little sick, and sometimes there are a few more trials than expected helping someone prepare for baptism, but when all is said and done, if we could help even one person accept the gospel we have had success. To quote 17 miracles, " If we gave our all, it was for something." 

I feel like I have really given my all this week and I was happy to see that all of the people I have taught here came to church this sunday. The most special was seeing a huge family that we have been helping to reactivate come to church for the first time in TWO YEARS! I am so grateful for the little miracles that happened this Sunday becasue they made my whole week! No I just have to hope that this cold can go away and all is well! Osler is now getting baptised on the 8th of June. A man we are teaching named Jose is also getting baptised ont he 8th of June and we are going to work some miracles to help Sandra get baptised too! I love the mission even when we have trials, because I know that Christ and His gospel can help us through anything!

I hope you all have an amazing week! I love you all!

Hermana Toponce

Mateo 11:28-29

Faith in Every Footstep

It was an interesting week this week thats for sure. I get to stay here in Pucallpa and Im super excited about it! It is definitly and answer to my prayers. I had to organize a ward activity last minute because my district leader got sick and he was in charge and didnt show up so I worked with the ward leaders to have a good activity and everything worked out great! There were games, food, and a powerful message and investigators came so I say it was successful. In all of the lst misute planning we also were going to visit investigators and we got a phonecall from President saying that he wanted to come with us to visit a family that were teaching and that we had to meet him in the church in a half hour. We were on the other side of our area and we literally had to run to get there on time and when we greeted president we were sweating and out of breath! But it was an awesome lesson and our investigator Lessy came to church!!  It was her first time and I know it was because President shared his strong testimony. 

I got bit by a dog for the third time here in Yarinacocha and it ended up being a miracle! W knocked on the door of our investigator and her sister told us that she was sleeping, so we decided to knock on her neighbors door and thats where the dag was. I screamed and our investigators family came out to see if I was okay and our investigaotr heard me scream and woke up too! So we totally ended up teaching her and she acepted baptism!!! Sandra is getting baptised in June!!! I never thought I would be happy about getting bit, but I really am. I knew we needed to teach her that day! :) (Also seriously no worries, I am not injured just scared of dogs a little)

Life is going good. We are workin on finsing new investigators and helping Osler to be prepared for his baptism this saturday. Sandrea is getting baptised in june and another one of our investigators named Jose is about to accept a date! I know that God is preparing His children here in Yarinacocha and I am so beyong happy that I get to serve here still!

Have a great week everyone. Be careful around the wild dogs, and look for all of the little miracles that happen everyday!!

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce

no pictures this week... camera problems

Did You Think to Pray?

So many things happened this week I dont even know where to start!

I was super happy to be able to talk to my sweet family yesterday for mothers day! They are the best! Its so weird to think that I will talk to them next when I see them in person in a few months. It goes by so fast! Happy Mothers Day to all of the sweet moms I know! 

ROCIO GOT BAPTISED! It was so great! Her family was so so happ for her and they had a huge dinner for her and for us after her baptism to say thank you. It took a lot of work to help her get baptised. We had to organize an interview with president, while I was in Iquitos and my companion was an hour away in Pucallpa, but with a lot of prayer we had a miracle happen and Rocio was able to have her interview and get baptised. Now she is excited to keep preparing this year to go to the temple with her family!!

Elder Falavela came and had a zone conference with us and it was amazing! He told us that we have been called on a full time mission and that we shouldnt be part time missionaries. He also explained the Atonement of Jesus Christ to us and it helped me to understand even better how much Christ loves us. I am so grateful for the saacrifice he made for us and for the example He has given us all so that we can return to live with God again. Elder Falavela said that the atonement is the motor in Gods plan because without it we cant keep going in Gods plan. I was so glad to hear his teachings and learn more about Gods plan.

We left right after the zone conference to the airport so that we could go to leaders council in Iquitos and we got there just in time to catch our flight! Leaders council was awesome because Elder Falavela came too so all of the Zone leaders, Sister Leaders, the APs and President were there and we set goals for the mission and made plans. It was an amazing experience to recieve revelation together to help the mission Improve! 

After the conference was over we went to the airport and our flight was delayed for two hours! I got to Pucallpa just in time for Rocios baptism! We had to run from the airport in the rain to get there but we made it! It was a busy busy week, filled with so many miracles. If anything my testimony of prayer was strengthened this week. I know that when we trust in God and pray with faith, He helps us to have success. Prayer helped everything work out just right this week.

I hope you all have a fantastic week and dont forget to pray! There is power in prayer!"

Con Mucho Amor, 

Hermana Toponce

ALMA 37:37!!!!!!!!!!

When Faith Endures

Hello, Hello! Happy almost Mother's day! 

I am feeling super grateful this week. I am so beyond grateful that I was called to serve in this mission and I know that God knows us, and knows what we need to do to become more like him. I love Gods plan. 

This week I felt that we should go to visit one of our old investigators named Rocio, I really didnt want to go becasue she has rejected baptism so many times it hurts, but I kept having her name pop into my head. We went to visit her, and we taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ and the spirit touched all of our hearts and she said... "I want to be baptised this saturday. I finally realized that everything you've been teaching me is true. I want to ba baptized for my family." ROCIO IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!! I am so excited for her and I am so happy that she FINALLY recieved an answer. This was just yet another testimony to me that we have to acceot God's timing. Sometimes we dont understand, but if we follow him we will always be doing what is right. She is seriously so excited to be baptised that she said she is going to name her first daughter after me, and she asked me to be the Godmother of her son and her mother in law was so happy that she gave me tons of hugs and kisses. It scared me a little bit, but Im happy that the Gospel has made them happy! I sure love their sweet family and I know that Rocio really truly has recieved a testimony of the restored gospel. 

I finished the Book of Mormon for the second time in Spanish thi week and it never fails to impress me. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and I know that it is the word of God and more importantly that it testifies of our savior Jesus Christ. I know that if we are obedient we will recieve blessings and I know that the spirit can guide us. I have learned these things and so much more by reading this wonderful book! I have a big testimony of this little book and I hope that all of you can read it too! It has changed my life!

Coming up next week: 

Highlights from our zone conference with area president Elder Falavera of the 70.

Leaders Council in Iquitos

Rocio's Baptism

Mothers Day

15 Months in the mission!

Stay tuned. haha

I know that the Gospel is true and I know that Jesus Chrit is our Savior and that His church has been restored. I love you all! Have wonderful Mothers day! Sending Besos from Peru!

Hermana Toponce

The Happy Day at Last has Come

I am finding some gems while Im looking for email titles in the hymnbook. haha! I found this hymn and I thought! How perfect to describe the baptism of Hermana Fidelia :) Her baptism was super sweet. A ton of members came to support and we helped her to her hair and she said she felt like a queen! She cried tears of joy when she got out of the water and I felt so happy that she finally received this saving ordinance of baptism! She is such a sweetheart and even thought she has hardly anything she gives all that she has! I want to be more like her one day.

The other family that got baptised is an awesome family that the elders have been teaching for months! They have come to chrch every sunday for months and couldnt be baptised until they were married. They finally raised enough money to be marriend and got baptised finally! They have become good friends of mine especially Liz the mom of the family. She sits next to me in relief society every sunday :) I am so happy for every one of them! It total we had 7 people get baptised in our district this week. It was amazing! I am super proud of all of our hard work. 

We found an old man in the street this week who was cry ing and we asked him if we could do something to help him and he asked us to pray with him. We prayed right there in the street and he was so grateful that he said he was going to come to church. I didnt give it much thought because they always say they will come but... HE CAME!!! I couldnt believe it! We are now going to start teaching him. His name is nicholas. 

I love this area tons. I am learning a lot and I am loving my mission. My companion is seriously the best! She might be new in the mission but she is so prepared and she is a powerful teacher! It makes training so much easier.

Next week we are having a General Authority come to the mission and its a suprise as to who it is going to be, but Im excited and then right after I will be traveling to Iquitos for leaders council to talk about the needs of the mission! Lots of fun things are coming up. 

I hope oyu all have a great week! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! They really do help so much. 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce

Today, While the Sun Shines

So this week has been great! It has been super sunny and we have been a little sunburned, but happier as ever. We have found so many new investigators, so many that our zone leaders asked us what we have been doing becasue they want us to train the zone! I am so happy with the work we were able to do this week :)

We were in a motokar this week and the roads have been horrible and there was a giant mound of dirt in the middle of the road blocking our path and isntead of turning around to find another way the motokarista went straight over in and almost tipped us over. I was a little terrified but we made it out alive! Im glad we didnt get hurt... I have learned to be more careful choosing a motokar to go it!

We found an adorable sister named Fidelia who is going to be baptised this Saturday. She has been coming to church for years, but she isnt baptised! She started coming one day and everyone thought that she was a member but it turns out she hasnt been baptised so we are going to baptise her! I am so happy that she will finally get baptised and recieve this saving ordinance. 

We were contancting and we walked by a house and I had the hymn famillies can be together forever pop into my head and we decided to knock on the door and sure enough an adorable family opened the door and we are now teaching them! They have accepted baptism and will be baptised in May! All we have to do is help them prepare and come to church. Their names are Hani and Armando and they have so much excitement about the gospel. I am so happy that God led us to them. 

We are also teaching a man named Osler. Its the future stepdad of my recent convert Junior!! Osler had a dream six months ago that he wasnt prepared to meet god and he prayed so that his family could accept the wordof god in their home and sure enough we baptised junior and now Osler is getting married and baptised in May as well. I am so excited for him and for his whole family. I know that god prepared Osler so that he could accept the gospel at this time and I know we were guided to find him as well. 

I have loved the work this week and I cant believe that we have accomplished so much! We are going to baptise! I just know it! We just have to keep working hard to prepare them :) I know that this gospel is true. I know that God has a plan and I know without a doubt that He prepares His children to recieve this restored gospel. I am so happy to be a missionary!

I hope you all have a fantastic week and look for ways to share the gospel!! I also want to hear your experiences!

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Toponce

no pictures again..... next week I promise!!!!!