Your Daughter in Lima Peru West Mission

I was so excited today to receive an email from Jenna's mission President and his wife, along with a couple of pictures.

August 30, 2014

 Dear Ahern Family,
 We are happy to report that Sister Jenna Ahern has arrived safely in the Peru Lima West Mission after several weeks of intensive missionary and language training.  She arrives in our midst accompanied by the many prayers you have offered for her welfare and safety.  We thank you for your loving support of her service and encourage your continued prayers on her behalf. We now join your prayers with our own.  We love her and are eager to serve with her.  We sense in her spirit a tremendous desire to serve the Lord.  She has been assigned to one of the best sisters in the mission who will help to polish the skills she has already acquired.  She will grow to trust their experience and will develop tremendous love and respect for this first companionship in the field.  
 This new group of missionaries is a beautiful sight to behold, armed with a prophetic call to serve, and magnified by the spirit of the Holy Ghost.  Attached is a photograph of her with the new arrivals of the mission.  It is humbling to be in their presence.  We extend our gratitude to you for sharing her with us.  We will do all in our power to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of Peru. 
The people of Peru are loving, kind, humble, and are responding to the gospel message in joyful ways.  We recently celebrated the 100^th stake in Peru.  This is the Land of Lehi.  Your daughter is helping to fulfill the promises made to that great prophet when he was assured by the Lord that his descendants would not be forgotten.  She will be teaching the descendents of those children who sat upon the resurrected Savior´s knee.  We bear witness that they have not been forgotten by the Lord.  He is sending some of His most choice servants to find them and bring them back to His fold.  Sister Ahern is one such servant. 
Sister Ahern is very teachable and wants to give her best.  She has a great attitude and excitement for missionary work.  She will be a great asset to the other missionaries and to the Kingdom as it is established here.  Thank you for preparing her to serve at this time, in this place, and in this way.  We know that as she works hard, studies, prays, and humbly seeks the guidance of the Holy Ghost, miracles will unfold in her life and in the lives of those she teaches.  We marvel at the miracles performed by the Lord as He magnifies our young missionaries as they bear His message in His vineyard.  God bless them and you for sacrificing to become engaged in this noble cause.          
With gratitude and love,
President and Sister Archibald
Peru Lima West Mission  

Love her smile.  I am glad she is happy!!

Welcome to Lima

Hello Mother,
I made it to Peru.  We have met the mission President and have received a brief overview of what is going on. We had a super yummy breakfast for the first time in a while.  We flew through a lightening storm.  We went and saw the coast.  Things are good so far.  I have yet to meet my companion. 
Keep on Keeping on.    "heart" Hermana Ahern

I assume this picture is of her companion.  So the fun begins!!  Can't wait to hear where she is assigned and all about her companion. 

Adios to Mexico

So Hermana Olson (my roommate) is going to peru and apparently they changed the rule and you are allowed to have two checked bags instead of just one......so that´s a bummer.

 So today is the day - flying to Peru.  She sent a bunch of pictures.

 This is a pix of her roommates.  Her companion is heading to SLC South, but the other two are headed to Lima West with Jenna. 

This is the group of Hermanas that lived in Jenna's "casa."

 This is their morning teacher at the CCM.  I think Jenna is going to feel "tall" her whole mission!! 

They had an awards ceremony before they left and these are Jenna's awards...it seems Jenna has held to her normal, FUN self while studying and learning at the CCM. 

 An Elder in her district has a lot of talent.  He drew this.

Here are the hermanas sitting down to eat lunch.  Looks pretty good and it looks like Jenna wasn't going to waste any of it. 

So tonight, my phone rang and I looked at the number and almost didn't answer, as I had no clue who might be calling me from the number displayed.  Thank goodness I answered...it was Jenna calling from the airport in Mexico.  She was so excited to talk to Ember and Melanie - we had to wake Melanie up, but she didn't mind.  Jenna is excited to be headed to Peru.  She arrives at 6AM tomorrow morning.  I know she is ready even though she is sure her Spanish is not good.  She will be wonderful and I know she will grow and become more sure and strong in her faith and testimony.  I am so glad she has chosen to serve! 

Last P-day!

Well it´s weird to have p-day again so soon.  Not much has happened in the past few days.  It was Hermana Russell´s birthday yesterday so we kind of celebrated.  She got a lot of candy from people.  And the other Hermanas decorated the door.  She felt super special.  An Hermana in my casa and I went on exchanges and sang in the choir yesterday.  We sang "Grande Eres Tu"  or How Great Thou Art.  It was fun.  I miss choir.  We also got our flight itineraries.  My flight to peru is Monday at 11:50 PM.  Flying through the night and arriving in Peru around 6 AM.  That´s going to be a good time.  There are about 25 missionaries on that flight.  Everyone is getting really excited to leave, but also nervous.  It´s going to be hard to stay focused the rest of this week.  But things are good!  Everyone have a great week!

Great group of Hermanas at the CCM...time together almost over. 
Treat time!!  Hermana Russell had a birthday and they got matching shirts.  Hermana Russell is going to SLC South, Spanish speaking.  Here is a picture of where they go for gym. 

In Memory of Robin Williams

Well I´m glad everyone keeps me in the dark.  If I hadn´t heard the news about Robin Williams here, I wouldn´t know.  So I decided to name this email after him to honor his life.  Today is our last normal P-day.  We didn´t do much.  Cleaned out the shower drain....that was pretty gross.  But yeah this week will be a little bit more exciting because our P-day is on Wednesday and we have a bunch of training things on Friday.   And then we´re off.  

  So the highlights this week:  I had an awkward moment with an elder.  We were playing volleyball and we both were going for the ball and collided.  And in order to stop me from falling he grabbed on to me...so we kind of hugged.....that´s the most body contact I´ll have with a male for the next 18 months.  But, it was a close call...good thing we didn´t get sent home...  In other news.  There was a crazy cool moon on Sunday.  We watched it rise up from behind the mountain which was awesome.  There was also a nasty flu virus and that went around.  Hermana Russell and I avoided it so far.  Hopefully that continues.  Annnnddd....yeah we keep teaching our investigators and we hopefully are improving everytime so.  Things are pretty good.  Still a lot of rain and ugly birds....and also parrots all around.  So yeah, everyone have a great week!

 Elder from the other district is a Mad Artist and drew this for Jenna.  Pretty good!!

We´re not as cool as the Beatles.....

 

So that's it for this week.  It looks to me (Mom) like they have a lot of fun with their studies at the CCM.  I think Jenna will miss Mexico, but will learn to love Peru too.

I'm Halfway There

Well this week was week three, so I´m halfway done.  I´ve learned a lot, but I feel like I still have a lot to learn before I enter the field.  Our "investigators" are coming along nicely.  It´s always scary to teach, because they´re our teachers so they know everything we are doing wrong, so the pressure is on.  But I´m learning everyday.  The weeks seem to go by really fast.  Not much happened this week.  Kind of like every other week.  But I played soccer for the first time.  It was....an experience.  We cleaned walls for our service project this week.  And we studied a lot.  I´m definitely getting my fill of studying.  But it is beneficial.  Helps me learn quicker.  Well that´s about it.  Everyone have a great week.

Hermana Ahern

Jenna says thanks to those that have emailed or sent "hellos".  She really appreciates that.  She says they get their emails in the mornings so if you are going to send an email do it early or on Thursday.  She probably only has 2 more Pdays before she will be flying to Peru.  No pictures this week. 

The CCM, where birds come to die

Well this week went by way faster than last week, probably because it wasn´t 10 days in between p-days.  We got to go to the temple visitor´s center today.  It was great.  The temple is beautiful.  I´m starting to forget how to spell in English.  So I guess that means I´m starting to switch into Spanish Mode.  But we got a few more great thunder storms here.  We starting teaching a couple more "investigators"   But there usually isn´t that much to report because we basically do the same thing every day.  Our district is becoming closer and we always have fun. A lot of people have been getting sick.  I´m getting the beginnings of it, but I´m hoping it clears up before it gets bad.  I really don´t have all that much.  The devotionals are always fun.  I got a mosquito bite on my cuticle so that was a bummer.  There are mosquitos in all the buildings all the time.  We also get rollie pollies in our rooms.  We just ignore them basically, because there are so many.  There are also birds everywhere.  Like Idaho has squirrels, Mexico has birds.  And we see dead birds lyin in yards all over.  

  But since we went to the temple today, we finally got to go out into the world.  Mexico city is crazy.  I never want to drive here.  The traffic is mad.  I feared for my life.  But the city is pretty cool.  I would like to come here and actually get to look around and things, but yeah that´s really all I got this week.  So everyone have a great week! 

This is just a shot of Mexico City while they were out and about. 

Here is her district in front of the Mexico City Temple.  The temple is closed for renovations, but they were able to go to the visitors center. 

 Here is Jenna and Sister Russell at the Visitor's Center. 

So they went shopping at the Visitors Center for authentic Mexican shirts.  Favorite Hermanas at the CCM. 
 Love, Hermana Ahern