Haaaaappy Martin Luther King.

Nope, we sure do not celebrate that here. But Im gonna be pretty disappointed if it turns out mom doesnt make fried chicken and grape juice and waffles for dinner today.

So today has been a crazy week, partly because Hna Huancahuari is ILL. She is not okay. We are going to the Clinica for an appointment again... she had like her 20th blessing for health on Saturday.. its fun. We did another splits so I got to hang out with Wardle for a day. Thats always nice cuz shes got like 9 months under her belt and shes my sister leader so she can offer me advice and help IN ENGLISH and its just super nice.

But anyway... yeah. Huanca is a little mal. Not stomach bug.. like stomach infections and infections in her throat and intestines and shes got something new LITERALLY every week. WE´re working through it. Im patient cuz I know its hard for her. But the splits are still a blessing.

So... I don´t know. Oh! We went to the temple on Wednesday. That was nice. We get to go every 3 months or so so that was number one. It ws nice and we also got to bond as a district... 12-sole chinese food and for lunch 23-sole Subway. WHAT. So expensive. 23 soles comes out to about 7.50 in dollars but here a good price for a meal is 6 soles... 2 bucks. So im learning money management.

One last thing... Im earning my right to never ever EVER eat pineapple again after my mission... Pineapple juice made fresh? NOT a blessing in the mission nope nope nope. Also, know whats worse than pineapple pie? Being told that youre getting apple pie and then its pineapple. Know whats possibly worse than that? Being told its apple, expecting pineapple, and getting --wait for it-- HOT DOG PIE. This world doesnt like me sometimes.

Lol its fine. I cried in a lesson when I started talking about the blessings of the temple for families. That was pretty unexpected... cuz I havent cried about anything else, testimony or being sad, since Ive been here. Lol but I am defintely learning how important the temple is to me. Guess what? I super wanna get married in the Las Vegas temple... bonus points cuz it looks a lot like Lima´s.

Okay.. be good everyone.

PS: the latinas wanted to learn American dancing so I taught them 2 step and rave... yes. The thing teenagers do in a big group where they just jump up and down with their hands in the air. Americans are cool.

Lol okay love you all peace out.

A Day in The Life‏

6:00 Am: Wake up and exercise, because we have to leave early in the morning for showers since we have no water. Huanca is good about exercising...sometimes. I have cool muscles now.

6:30 AM: get to the Hnas, have a morning English speaking sesh with Wardle about life, shower, eat the Hnas food, come home and eat more breakfast.

8:00: personal study. Right now im reading 7 pages a day in the BOM  (DEFINTELY still in English) and some of Heritage and other random scirptures for persoanl thoughts in lesssons.

9:00 comp study of the same... or phone calls to members... or comp bonding. We reallly do try. Were not perfect. Sorry posterity.

10:00: TRAINING cuz im a noob for 3 months. Its okay.

11:00: an appt or knocking doors of lesss activees and investigaytors.

12:00 LANGUAGE STUDY or "Hna Reynolds banging her head on the desk for one hour".... I just dont like language study. I study via conversatoiin. Ive already taken 3 classes of Spanish. I know I defintely need it but its a patience lesson for me.

1:00 Lunch with Suqui and Wardle at Hna Leslie (our pensionista)´s house :D thats always fun. Hna Leslie is super cool and fun and nice and cooks such great Peruvian food its ridiculous.

2:00-9:00: Citas. We are busy all day. Ill send a pic of a day of my agenda. Its nuts.

9:00: Planning. We plan the next day out in detail and all the scheduled citas get actual lesson plans. We tak about what to study the next day. We report our numbers to the distict leader.

9:30-10:30 eating and Tiana Time. sometimes I get to write in my journal. Just kidding. I make time for that even if I dont eat. Its way important to me that I write everyday. Also more comp bonding. Ive got a good one. Shes got a good testimony.

LIFE IS SO GOOD.. I cant touch the animals even if I do. I use hand saitizer 1 billioin times a day. People park on the sidewalk. Dont worry about it. Police officers drive Sentras. Its casual. Traffic is Frogger. I am the Frog. Mission prep idea: dont forget to tell the kids LIFE IS SO HARD. Literally, we have a missionary psychologist cuz its hard, but people dont just go home cuz the blessings are 10000 times worth it. The happiness is 2000 times worth it.

I better go even if theres a million other things I could say...My comp is wonderful and takes care of me... love you all. Bye

Pics & Tidbits

Girls of San Martin Zone:

Hna Astudillo, Hna Capps, Me, Hna Wardle, Hna Huancahuari, Hna Suqui.

Mirella, a new convert.

FAMILY PAREDES IS MY FAVORITE. The dad is not amemeber and the mom is newly reactivated... 

Mariciello teçhe girl is hopefully getting baptized 2/15. Stephen is 6. This family is so great.

Huanca doesnt like taking serioius/good pictures but its fine.

We see Suqui and Wardle EVERY day and they are my favorite. I love them times 70. 

My life in a day.

(in Peru they do the day first then the month, so that was january 11th. This saturday.)

_______

Additional Excerpts from emails to Mom...

...Also, MY LIFE is visiting teaching so I feel you. I like it. The families with kids are my favorite. There are a couple that are strong even alone though. Its crazy. Im in a rich area....poor in money, but RICH in being ready for the gospel. We have 3 baptism commitments and a bout a million other things...

...And my kankles havent reappeared, we just did a lot of walking and climbing stairs one day. My feet are good cuz I always wear socks but I keep getting bug bites so now Im wearing bug sray. My favorite part is def persoanl study, the end where I get to write in my hournal, and time with families that have kids...

KANKLES‏

Yup. Kankles are a thing in my life now. Im never getting married. Lol... anyways. Life is good. Life is hard, but life is good. Im learning that life before a mission is pretty selfish. You get to nap and eat whenever and stay home and sleep. Here, you get to serve during lunch because theres a lady in a wheelchair who cant water her own plants. Here, you get to eat way way way too much food because there is no "no moreplease"anymore. Here, you get to spend your days visitiung families where the kids hide behind the couch until you come in and they jump out and you act surprised EVERY time even if its the same spot and the same kid EVERY time.

Life is so good. Life is hard, but it is so good. I'll send pictures. Ill also show you a pic of my agenda to give a feel for my life. Next week though. My language is improving, but I still sound like a 5 year old. Its an imrovement from sounding 2 though. Send me letters!! And notice, my address has changed. You can get it off my blog. Dont write to "Sister" Tiana. Only Tiana Reynolds, because the name has to match my passport. But please send letters :) I have more time to write. 

Okay, this week was more for family, but next week I think I can send a nice liong mass email. 

I love you all!!

From President Borg!

(01/03/14)
We (Tiana's parents) received a letter from the Mission President! I won't be posting it, but I am posting the pics that were attached. Oh how I miss that face! So proud of her!

In the field!

(01/01/14)
So... I{m finally here. It happened. Ive got 10 minutes to explain my life to you, but so far I know Im in a ward in an area in a zone and I have a companion. 

Her name is Hermana Huancahuayo. Say it: Wonka(like the candy)-Warry. Shes great so far. And Im the third person shes trained, and 5th gringa comp shes had. I think 5th. Shes from Huancayo tambien. 

I live in the ghetto-est part of Lima Central, which isnt saying much cuz Central is definitely the nicest Lima mission. Some of my neighborhood (the whole thing is prolly 1 km by 1km) is cobblestoned, the other part just paved. But even the ghetttoest parts of Lima have sidewalks.

I have 2 locks before you get to my apartment: the street one and then one into our actual apartment. They put us in a good place but Ill send pics later.

Oh,, by "good" I mean safe... we actually have 0 running water and my feet are way dirty if I ever take my shoes off. I also have to make sure not to lean too far out the window when I hear water running cuz my dowstairs neighbors dont have a roof over their shower. Lol uhhh.

GUESS WHAT. There was a particaular blog I stalked the most before my mission...of Lima Central anyway... it was Hermana------------.wordpress.com I believe. Well that girl is in my district and shes also liiving in the house we got to for showers and we also eat together so we see each other all the time. She also knows I stalked her. #tagcreepin

K I better go but thats the sitch. Pdays now on Monday. I love you peeps a ton and I only miss you when Im dreaming...no time for daydreaming and Im not awake in bed long enough to think then either. You guys are debest. Kbye :)

Today Is Not Tuesday‏

(12/26/13)

So... I forgot my notebook and wont be able to remember all the important things I wanted to talk about. First thing though: My last pday got changed to Thursday, because I moved to the Latino district. HARDEST thing at the MTC thus far. It was rough. My old district was family by the time they pulled me out. They gave me a new comp-- Hermana Solano. She speaks zero English. Thats fun.

 

Actually, no. It really is fun. My district likes me cuz I try and usually fail and they think its hilarious. I say sooo many things by accident but it is what it is. So, the truth is about the Latino ddistrict... you dont go there to learn the language. Its about the culture. I havent gotten an intesnily largeer vocabulary or understading of their congugation, I just have more confidence in myself. Thats really the only thing thats changed but it makes a gigantic difference. Im getting happier, but it was hard at first.

 

I have 5 days left in the MTC. Its NUTS. Which, by the way, means that I wont be writing at all next week Accept to tell my parents I got into Lima Central okay (on Wednesday is prolly when Ill write that, mom)Ill leave early in the morning on Tuesday, prolly around 6, and Ill be with 4 friends and a TON of Latinos. Plus they have the coordinators that dont leave us alone. Ill meet my president and prez wife that day, and my new comp, and ill prolly move in Tuesday night since I wont be doing a ton of traveling. Its getting real!

 

Im pretty sad to being leaving my north american district next week. Weve gotten soooo close... But we have plans to go to the lake and other shenangicans come 2015.

 

Fun facts: I miss apple juice.

Send me all the letters.

I got to visit Lima Central cuz I hadta go to Migration in the city and it was THE BEST. Its so beatuiful and huge and there are so many people. I am SO excited.

They had 2 live devotionals for christmas and I got to go to English speaking the whole time. WEEK. MADE.

 

Elder Bednar gave some advice: Wanna be a good missionary? Get over yourself and get out of the way. Lol quoted word for word. It was de best. Basiclaly, stop making this about what YOU get out of it, and realize this is you saying "okay I dont need a life for 2 years hit me" and the Lord will give us bad comps and bad houses and were gonna power through cuz who else will do it? I think its great, cuz in the end I will grow a lot out of forgetting myself and just focusing oon bringin some extra happiness to people.

 

Okay, I guess Ill talk again on the first Monday of January. 2014 WHAT UP. I love you all. Sorry I cant respond to many today. I love you!