Hello friends! I hope you all had a great week! All is swell down here in Peru. This week was a good one! I want to start off by telling you that I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich last night for dinner and it was glorious. I hadn't had a pb&j in 11 months! Peanut butter isn't really a thing down here, you can find it in a supermarket but no one really eats it. We went to a members house, and their daughter was born in peru but lives in Bermuda and is visiting with her husband so we celebrated with pb&js! Also her husband is white so I got to speak english for a little bit..and I realized how much i stink at english now. It came out more like Spanglish haha bu

t I guess that's what happens when you go to another country for 18 months.

My companion and I are having a blast in our area! We have a couple investigators who are progressing and a lot of references from members that we still need to contact. There is one investigator, his name is Fernando, he's about 65 years old and lives alone. He is separated from his wife and his kids have gotten married and moved out of the house. He was going to get baptized in March, but didn't end up going through with it and the missionaries at this time stopped visiting him. My companion and I found his teaching record and decided to go back to visit him. He told us he was thinking a lot about going back to church and has the desire to get baptized! We have taught him a couple lessons and he is SO prepared. He understands everything we teach. He has the desire to learn more and read the Book of Mormon. These are the types of people we are meant to find as missionaries, the people who are ready to receive the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know I talked about this in my previous email but it is literally THE GREATEST thing in the whole world to see someone convert themselves to the gospel. There is no happiness that can compare to it! Fernando is going to get baptized on October 29, so keep him in your prayers (:

This next week we have transfers in the mission, which means my companion is probably leaving the area. She has been here for a while so her time is up! I'll update you all next week on what happens..

I want to leave you all with a scripture from the Book of Mormon. the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. In this part of the book, a prophet named Jacob is explaining the importance and the necessity of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He says..

5 Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him.

 6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.

 7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

(2 Nephi 9:5-7)

We learn from these scriptures that Jesus submitted himself to men in the flesh and died so that all men would be able to submit themselves to him. Physical death and the ability to sin are consequences from the fall of Adam and Eve, therefore the atonement was absolutely necessary to be able to redeem us from death and also from sin. The two things that impede us from returning to live with God are physical death and sin. And we cannot overcome these things without the help of a higher power, something beyond us. It is absolutely necessary to have a Savior. We cannot overcome these impediments without the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ. But here's the thing, we cannot and will not gain eternal exaltation if we do not APPLY the atonement in our lives. It all depends on YOU. You have to apply the atonement to your life to be able to gain what Heavenly Father has in store for you.

Take care this week! And meditate for a good time with what I've just shared with you (:

Love you all!

Hermana Celardo

Can I just start off by saying how much I love being a missionary? There's honestly nothing like it in the whole world! And I'll never have this opportunity again, so I'm trying my best to take it all in (: We had an awesome week! One of our investigators, Yilmer, got baptized! My companion and I were a little worried because he had been telling us that he has the desire to get baptized, but still had some doubts and didn't have a strong testimony. Every time we had lessons with him we would tell him that he needs to pray to ask God if what we teach is true. As missionaries, we teach what we know to be true. We teach the doctrine of the church. But our purpose is not to convince people of our message. The people we teach have to gain their own testimonies; they have to know that what we're teaching is true for themselves. We explained this to him many times but he would tell us he hasn't had time to ask, or he just hasn't recieved an answer. My companion and I said many many many prayers for him, to be able to recieve an answer for himself. The day of his baptism, he shared his testimony with us. He said the night before he kneeled down and said a very humble prayer and asked if the church was true. He said as he asked this question, a feel of peace came over him and he couldn't help but cry. In this moment, he knew he'd recieved his answer. As missionaries, WE LIVE for moments like this. Moments where our investigators are converted. Where they realize the truthfullness of what we teach. There are no words to describe the happiness we feel as missionaries when we see our friends come unto Christ. It's the best (:

So we're in springtime here and its HOT. We're at a super high altitude and there's no ozone layer in Arequipa so the sun just burns like no other haha. But I use sunscreen so don't worry yourselves (; I'm loving my new area! My companion and I get along great and we teach super well together. We live in the house of the patriarch of the stake here. I've have never met someone with more knowldge of the doctrine of the church. It's incredible! I've learned a lot from him. When we have breakfast we talk and talk and talk about so many different aspects of the church and it truly has strengthened my testimony that the church is true. As missionaries we have a couple hours in the morning for our studies, but when I get home I'm going to continue studying so that I can have the knowledge that the patriarch has! He's inspired me haha.

How grateful am I to be a missionary, to be a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. It truly is the greatest privilege to be an instrument in the hands of God.

One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon about missionary work is Alma 29:9-10.

9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

 10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

Have a great week and take care (:

Hermana Celardo

So first week in my new area, it was awesome! I'm still getting used to it, but I love it so far. My companions name is Hermana Rivero, she's from Aregentina and she's the best. Our personalities are very similar in that we're both super laid back but we know what we need to get done and we work hard! Also, everyone from Argentina drinks mate. It's like tea but not tea and you put the mate in a special cup and drink out of a bombilla (special straw) that filers it and it's sooo good. The tradition is that everyone drinks out of the same cup and same straw and you just drink your part and then add more water and pass it down to the next person. It's like a social bonding experience. But we drink it every morning and every night together to bond as compañeras(; We also do lots of exercises every morning which I love! My companion has a bunch of those insanity exercise videos so we do those every day.

As a sister leaders, we have leadership conferences with all the zone leaders, the sister leaders, our mission president and his wife and his assistents. We had the conference this last Thursday and Friday and it was super inspiring. We learned a lot. We will have a zone conference tomorrow so I hope we as well as the zone leaders will be able to convey everything that was taught! One thing our president focused on was keeping up our animos. I say the word in spanish, animos, because I cannot for the life of me think of what it is in english haha. Animos is like the desire to continue on, to always be happy and stay positive. If we don't have animos, we're not going to see miracles in the work we're doing. But if we keep our faith, stay positive, and animos animos animos we will see the good in everything! We will see miracles! I know this is true with anything in life. We have to keep our head up, even when trials come. We have to keep our faith firm in Christ. There's a scripture in the book of mormon that says..

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

(Helaman 5:12)

Keep your faith in Jesus Christ because he knows us and understands what we're going through. Trials in this life are inevitable, but with Christ they are bearable.

Take care folks!

Hermana Celardo

Hi there! All is good in Peru. We've actually had a couple earthquakes these last couple weeks and everyone is saying that a big one is coming. But they say that in California too and nothing has happened..so we shall see! I can't tell you all how much I love the people here. I don't know where I would be without some of the people that I've met on my mission, they've changed my life. I'm so grateful for the time that I have in the mission and for the time that I have left. The time is passing by way too fast.

Wow so many great things happened this week you guys! Our mission president always tells us, ¨obedience in the morning, diligence in the afternoon, miracles at night¨.. it has more of a ring to it in spanish haha but you get the idea. My companion and I have trying our best to apply this principle to our lives as missionaries and wow we have seen so many miracles. This transfer has been one of the harder ones for us. We've been working super hard so that the area we're in can progress, but we haven't seen many of the fruits of our labors, until this last week. We had a bunch of investigators come to church, the members here are supporting us more, we have baptismal dates for this month, and we have more people who have contacted us that want to learn more about the church. Along with this, I've seen so many miracles at home. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have the preach the gospel of Jesus Christ here in Peru. I've learned so much in my time here. I know that the capacity of the blessing we can recieve depends on our obedience to the commandments that God has given us. So be obedient!

Take care!

Hermana Celardo

Hey there friends! Well this week was a great one. One night this week there was a 5.5 earthquake! I woke up for about 5 seconds and then fell back asleep haha. Theres lots of little earthquakes here, just like at home, so I was already used to it. But this one was definitely bigger than normal! We're all safe so no need to worry! The weather is getting warmer here which I'm happy about! It makes waking up in the morning a whole lot easier!

We had the privilege as a mission to hear from Elder Renlund, from the quorum of the 12 apostles on Saturday and Elder Clayton, the president of the 70, on Sunday. WOW was is super edifying. Elder Renlund talked to us about aligning ourselves with the will of God. What was super neat is that this is something that Ive been thinking a lot about lately. I think a couple weeks ago in my letter home I talked about this! He shared a scripture in the Book of Mormon that I love, Mosiah 15:7

Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, theflesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Sonbeing swallowed up in the will of the Father.

This scripture is talking about Jesus Christ and his Atonement. He performed his great sacrifice to fulfill the will of the Father. We follow the example of Jesus Christ in lots of things, this being one of them. We have to align our will with the will of our Heavenly Father. He knows us so much better than we know ourselves, He knows what is best for us. Submit to his will, and you will be happy. We also had the privilege of hearing from his wife, Sister Renlund. She told us that her and her husband served for the church in the Southern Africa area. She said they were always in and out of airports, but in one closer to their home there was a phrase that stuck with her. It says ¨If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.¨ She then explained part of the doctrine of the church, that families can be together forever. Thanks to the temples that we have on the earth today, the priesthood, and the sealing power that was restored by the prophet Elijah, families can be sealed together for time and all eternity. I love my family so much, and I'm so grateful that we can be together after this life.

I can't express to you all how grateful I am for the knowledge I have of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know with my whole heart that it's true.

Cuídense mucho

Hermana Celardo

It was a great week here in Arequipa! Today, August 15th, is actually the dia de Arequipa. A little info about Arequipa, the people here are super pridefully of their city haha. Arequipa is like the Texas of Peru, everyone says that it should be its own country. So today there are tons of fiestas and parades and fireworks to celebrate! The people here also claim that the food is the best in the world! I will admit it's super tasty. In my area there's even a giant ceramic ricoto relleno and glass of chicha morada! (Ill send pictures dont worry) Ricoto Relleno is a stuffed pepper and chicha morada is a drink made from purple corn, it's a typical meal from Arequipa. But they constructed it especially for the dia de Arequipa!

So the climate here..It's bipolar. We are at a high altitude, and theres basically no ozone layer over the whole city of Arequipa, so the sun is really strong when its out. But when you stand in the shade it feels like you're in Antarctica. Theres no happy medium haha. Right now it's winter time, so Im just trying to prepare myself for summer becuse it's ridiculously hot here in the summer!

So this week is going to be THE BEST because there are 3 general authorities coming to Arequipa! Elder Renlund, from the quorum of the 12 apostles, Elder Clayton, the president of the 70, and Elder Montoya from the 70. On Saturday we are going to have the privilege of hearing from Elder Renlund, and on Sunday from Elder Clayton. The reason they are all coming is because the Arequipa temple construction is going to start soon! The area I'm in in Arequipa right now will be a 3 minute drive to the temple. Unfortunately, I will end my mission before the construction is finished but you can bet I am going to come back for the dedication!

I want to share with you my testimony about the scriptures. Before my mission I had a testimony of the scriptures. I read my scriptures. But I don't think I really READ them. The scriptures are awesome because there's stories that we can relate to to help us when we have trials, we can learn more about what God wants for us as His children, and we can learn more about our Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible contains the old testament and new testament, written by prophets of God and the apostles of Jesus Christ. The Bible takes place more or less in Jerusalem and in that continent. But what about the people in other parts of the world? We know that God loves all of his children in all parts of the world, so he would want to be able to be in contact with all of us. In John in the Bible, Jesus says, 

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

So we learn from this scripture there are other people in the world that will hear the voice of the Savior. We can find an account of this in the Book of Mormon. After his death, but before he acended to be with our Heavenly Father, he visited the American continents and ministered to the people there. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It was written at the same time as the Bible, by prophets of God, but here in the American continents. The Bible and Book of Mormon were written at the same time, but in different places, both by prophets of God. It is my testimony that The Book of Mormon is true. It was written by prophets of God here in the Americas. It testifies that Jesus is the Christ and that he is the Savior of the world. I invite all of you who may be reading this email to read the Book of Mormon. I know that when you read it, you won't be able to deny it.

Cuídense a todos (:

Hermana Celardo 

Hey there friends!

It was a great week in the Peru Arequipa mission! My companion and I worked super hard this week. We contacted like CRAZY. We talked to everyone. Strangers walking by, taxi drivers, people selling milk on the street, store owners, everyone! We saw a lot of miracles come from this. We have a lot of new investigators that are interested in our message! Hopefully this week we'll be able to meet with them and teach them more.

So last week I celebrated my birthday! It was so crazy, theres a tradition here in Peru that when its your birthday everyone cracks eggs on your head and throws flour on you and shoves cake in your face. And thats exactly what happened to me! I'm grateful that I'm only celebrating one birthday in Peru haha. There was a member who bbqed for us which was awesome! Later that day we had an activity with our ward and then a baptism! It was a great way to spend my birthday.

I have learned many things in my time as a missionary, but one thing that I think has changed my perspective on life is our agency, or our ability to make our own decisions. We make decisions involuntarily all the time, and we will always involuntarily choose the option that will make us happy. I've been thinking a lot more about the decisions I make, bigger decisions and small ones too. And if I'm making these decisions so that I will truly be happy, not just happy in the moment. Sometimes it's easier to make the decision that brings temporary happiness, or maybe it's not completely morally correct instead of choosing the right. There's a scripture in the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 3:19 that says, ¨For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.¨

The ¨natural man¨ that is talked about in this scripture is the voice in our head that tells us we're too tired, or too lazy, or too busy, or too scared, or not good enough, and entices us to choose the wrong, or choose what might not exactly be the right thing to do. The natural man is an enemy to God. Because of this, we have to put off the natural man. We have to accept the fact the God knows us better than we know ourselves, therefore His will is better than ours. We have to submit ourselves to His will if we truly want to be happy.

I'm extremely grateful for the time that I have as missionary, for the things that I have learned, and for the opportunity I have to preach the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I love you all! Until next week (:

¡Cuídense!

Hermana Celardo