Just Different

When girl grows up in community choked with Mormons, and when that girl happens to be a member of said affiliation, she comes to accept certain cultural beliefs as definite truths:

1.      Caffeinated drinks are equal to alcohol.

2.      If you can’t cook your family will suffer all the days of your life.

3.      Working outside the home is distasteful for a woman, at times is a necessary evil, but you’re creating a broken home if you actually enjoy it.

4.      Listening to rap music is like listening to Satan hum in your ear.

5.      Brigham Young University is the only acceptable institution of higher education.

6.      Women only serve a mission if you can’t get married and have nothing else going on.

7.      You will grow up to be married in the temple sometime between the age of 19 and 21.

a.       The man you marry MUST be Mormon- MUST be a return missionary- MUST be able to support 25 children… at least.

I would agree that caffeinated beverages are not healthy, cooking is a useful hobby, I loved having a stay at home as a kid and would hope to be able to do that for my children, I prefer mellow tunes, BYU (and its sister schools) are cheaper for Mormons, you probably shouldn't apply to serve a mission if you've got something else going on (like being on parole), and the mission is a good experience that will help anyone with future life problems. BUT if a person veers from this path it doesn't mean they took the elevator to hell.
I can’t say that I actually know many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that hold these ideas to be self evident truths, but I do think that it’s spinning in the back of many members minds.
Don’t feel bad if you can’t hammer out all your biases in one stroke!
Once upon a time the prophet Peter struggled with this problem. In Acts 10 he refused food that God set before him in a vision three times because he said that they were “unclean”. How Did God respond? He said “What God has cleansed, that call not thou unclean” (verse 15).
Even Joseph Smith “marveled greatly’ (Joseph Smith History 1:44) when he received a vision that overthrew all the cultural ideas of ‘truth’ that he had been taught.
Only our Heavenly Father decides who is ready to progress in His gospel and He does not base it off of who can make the best cheerio-spinach casserole. We do that. And we prevent others from coming to the church and progress by imposing these cultural beliefs on them.
So how do we stop ourselves? How can we be true to ourselves but accepting of the other vessels around us that God has called clean?

I don’t know, ask Him.

Sister Pugmire #51

Dear Family,

well from Dad´s letter it sounds like everyone is still alive which is always great to hear. 

I think I forgot to say that I cut my hair off a few week ago. but I don´t have any recent pictures to send because we forgot to bring the connector thing. so I´m sending some old ones. One at Bishops house and the other on p-day.

this last Friday the office elders called me to let me know that my new cell phone was in the office. In december all the zone leaders got new ones but I some how got forgotten. We went the office to pick it up. When I opened the box it was a touch screen blackberry. I was so surprised and made a pretty big emotional scene about it. Then an elder brought in a smaller box and said ´just kiding this is your phone´. no touch phone. They got me pretty good. At first I was pretty set on getting my revenge, but not being much of the vengeful type I got tired of planning it and left it to my comp, who is pretty set on getting them back.

Saturday we had a lesson with a sister named Lucila. She hadn´t read the pamphlet and I´ll admit I didn´t think the lesson would go every far. But when we were ready to leave she asked us to stay and teach a little more. as we talked about Joesph she smiled and laughed a little bit. we asked her why and she told us that she was at the point of giving up on God and religion but during this lesson she felt she had finally found the truth. she told us ¨sisters, I want to be part of this church but I don´t like wearing skirts!¨ the only problem is that she and her husband aren´t married.

Sunday stake confrence was broadcasted from salt lake to all of Peru . Elder Bednar (who spoke on repentance) and Elder Scott (sho spoke on the divinity of womenhood) presided. We didn´t get to hear all of Elder Scott´s talk because we got called out to help a sister who´s special need´s daughter stabbed her in the arm with a pencil during conference. This sister was just run down and feeling like she didn´t have any support from her husband and that her load (carrying for a special needs child and her other childern, and working full time) was just too big. Our bishop´s wife came in and shared some personal trials that we never knew she went through. 

you just never know what someone is going through by just looking at them.

today we´re going to make pizza as a zone. 

oh, and Tuesday I gave a health presentation to the new missionaries. I hope it went ok. I got to eat Pizza hut!

And an elder who pulled a tendon in his ankle was going through alot of pain these past 2 days. the pain pills weren´t helping. I didn´t know of any stronger pills so I told him to get a blessing. he sent me a message this morning that said that after the blessing he felt like a new person. The preistood works, go figure!

love ya´ll

Hermana Pug

Sister Pugmire #50

Dear Family,

This week Patty ALMOST got baptized. At the missionary noght we had she told us that she would start saving up her money to pay for her baptism. We told her it didn´t cost anything and invited her to be baptized saturday She accepted but saturday morning told us she wanted to wait for the next week because her mom would be back from vacations by then. Sunday we went to visit and her sisters were in town. They go to a christian church and pray like crazy people. They told us they didn´t understand why their sister would leave the church, blah, blah, blah. We left and said a pray. Then they asked if they could say a pray for us. They both spoke/ chanted at the same time and asked God to help us and they´re sister get on the right path. 

Afterwards Patty told us she felt paz when we prayed and like they were calling for the devil when her sister´s prayed. 

But she still likes going to the christian church more because she likes the way the pastor teaches. She has a testimony of the Book of Mormom, Jose Smith and the churhc but she doesn´t want to leave her traditions behind. 

We have her programmed to be baptized this week.

Congratulations to Roman and your lincense!! and happy birthday to Brent Thomas. I ´ll be thinking about you!!

And Isaac got his mission call to the same mission as my companion, hna Vargas, she ´s waiting for her visa for mexico. What´s Isaac´s last name?

Our mission night went really well, we got about 8 references out of it. 

I have more to say but no time to write. I´m sending pictures of us with Patty and bishops wife, Daniela. And of a stake activity we had in August, This is us helping with clean- up/ playing with the equipment

love ya´ll a ton

Hermana Pug

Sister Pugmire #49

Dear Family

Happy Labor day!! 

And happy late birthday to Mark, sorry I forgot to write it in last week, but I promise I was thinking about you. 

And happy birthday to Erik, your day´s a bit easier for me to remember because the day I went into the MTC. 

And happy grandparents day this Sunday. I sure am lucky to have the best grandpartents in the world!

This last Sunday we had a new investigator come to church, Davie. he understands everything we tell him. He reads the book of Mormon and marks is up. The only problem is that he says he has the whole Book of Mormon to know if its true. 

Patty didn´t come to church yesterday but we did get to have an appointment with her last night. We watched the Testaments with her at Lourdes house. Lourdes made popcorn and made me my own giant bowl, how embarrassing, but I ate the whole thing and a little bit of the community bowl. I´ve developed a great love for popcorn in the mission. (I think its because it reminds me of mom and how she´ll microwave a bowl of popcorn when she wants a snack, or pull out an orange cream sicle.) She had her baptismal interview last week but still doesn´t want to put the baptism to a date. 

We´ve started eating with our new pincion, Hermana Nora. She´s not a member but very sweet, and the food is very yummy, but she doesn´t give us as much food as Maria which is great because we don´t feel too bloated to walk. 

In our zone there a few women who sale second hand clothing from the States on the side of the road. There are few things that make me happier then seeing a goodwell tag that says $7 and realizing I bought it for 9 soles- I got it cheaper then I could at a second hand store in the states.

Well I can´t think of anything else.

Love ya´ll, and pray always for ya,

Hermana pugmire

PS mom I got a letter from you about 3 week ago that got missent to Thailand. So I got to read all about the wedding preparation about 2 months later! but it didn´t change how much I loved getting the letter and reading about the wedding plans.

Sister Pugmire #48

Dear family,

how is everything in Arizona? Happy anniversary to Jill and Scott, 18 years whoa-who! and Happy birthday to Kalanie, 9 years old is a big number... its also most 2 whole hands of fingers!!

This last Tuesday we had an interesting run in. We were walking back from our district meeting when a women stopped us and told us she had been looking for us for an hour. She was tired of living the way she was and wanted to find the peace. Turns out she´s been in a homosexual relationship, practiced witch craft and attempted suicide. Holy apple sause. I called our zone leaders and told them I don´t think we´re supposed to handle cases like this but they said to keep with her. We love her so much, she is a very sweet spirit but a handful. She calls us when she feels lonely or want to kill herself, etc. We brought her to church yesterday but it took all of our strenght. We literally pulled, dragged, pushed, and chased after her (running). As we were crossing the gate to the church building she bolted. I ran after her for a bit but gave up the chase. She didn´t want to come to church. She said she was afraid. Well gees every one has fears, and the only way to get over them is to face them. 

Also she has 6 cats.

Our big activity monday turned our pretty fun. I ate 3 completos and was so full. the pictures I´m sending are from the activity. 

These passed 2 weeks I´ve been teaching english class but its been a poor showing I guess we need time to get the word out. Either way I have a fun time teaching. One of our investigators, Patty, comes. She has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith but she hasn´t linked that to the fact that she needs to be baptized again. We´re trying to help her understand that the authority is in THe LDS church. 

We had a missionary night this week and got 2 new investigators out of it. Pamela is one of them and she came to church last week. We feel like she´ll be able to progress really quickly. 

And thats a bout it. I´m stil the nurse and every one still calls me. One elder went to the hospital this week and was told he had appendisitis. He was rushed into surgery where they did a echograph and found out it was kidney stones. That was a big scare.

have a great week everyone!!

Hermana Pugmire.

Sister Pugmire #47

dear family, 

how is every one? I bet Sam´s baptism was wonderful, I got my invitation Thrusday, sorry I couldn´t come. I hope ya´ll are saving your pictures and family videos for me to relive these moments. 

I´m in the computer early because my companion and i got nomianated to buy the stuff to make completos for our zone activity today. That episode of kids history about the completos makes so much more since now. 

Yesterday there was a juge crowd at the stadium just outside our area. When we asked about it we found out it was for a bull fight. But my companion and I didn´t see anything. The most interesting thing we saw was a dead stiff cat just outside the stadium. My companion has a phobia of cats so it was pretty distressing for her. And hearing her scream is always pretty distressing for me. 

This week I can´t remember anything to interesting happening. Our pincionista, Maria, is moving so we´ve had to look for a new pincion. The mother of one of our old investiagtors offered to do it so we´re at peace there. And she lives closer to us. 

We´ve been teaching a girl named Patty (and her siblings Helmer and Guadalupe) who is really interested. Its been a blast to teach her. She´s making real progress. 

I´m sorry this is such a short letter, I just can´t remember what happened this week. Everybody got sick, we taught great people, OH!- and hna Juana (a less active member) went to Lima and brought us back turron. I am so excited for October because that´s turron season. 

love you all so much, 

these are pictures of me with hna. Celestina, she a very faithful special needs sister in our ward who is committed to converting her family, 

love 

Hermana Pugmire

Sister Pugmire #46

Dear Family,

happy birthdays to Sam TODAY, and later on to Lily, Abney, and kaligh. what a big birhtday week. 

This last Monday I  gave my haelth presentation to the zone leaders. I don´t think I messed up too bad. We got to eat hamburgers with barbeque sauce. I actually perfer ketchup and mustard, but how often do you get to eat barbeque sauce? The most memorable part happened as we were leaving. We had said our good byes and were walking away when I realized I had left my camera above the kitchen sink. I ran back and ran into the glass door. It was just so darn clean. And everyone was right by the door. Its a miracle I didn´t fall into anyone. 

We had divisions this week with our sister leaders. I got to go back to Paucarpata and spend time with my cousin (in the missionary family). She also finished training my daughter after I had to leave to train Hna Vargas. Actually they never finished training. Before training was over Hna Cangalaya (my cousin) got called to be a leader Hna Rivas got called to train a gringa.. before she finished training!! Its cause I know how to raise them. or because they just come really prepared. I preferred the first thought

This last sunday we had a less active member come to church. he is one of the most interesting looking characters I have seem in Peru. I first noticed that he keeps his himno tucked into the front of the pants. then as I was sitting by him in the new miembros clase I realized he was wearing a choker, green eye shadow and black eye liner. it was fun to get to know him, and he siad he´s going to bring his GIRLfriend the next sunday. I´m excited to meet her. 

We had a big stake relief society activity Saturday of comidas tipicas de Arequipa. They asked the missionaries to come because lots of nonmemebrs attend. I finally got to try Rocoto Relleno. It was really yummy. afterwards my companion and I had fun cleaning up. I dont remember what its called, that thing you use to put lots of chairs on to 

anyways we worked but we also had fun taking turning taking rides, until the Zone leaders took it away and started playing with it. 

my week has been great, Hope the next one is good for ya´ll. 

love, 

Hermana Pugmire

ps don´t forget Arequipa day the 15th