September 29, 2014 Email and Picture

 Happy Birthday Bethany, Jared and Jessica

My comp and i have gotten WAY sick this week.. but this time for food poisoning (i think) I was stuck in bed (and the bathroom) almost all week.. which is way not fun by the way! And so, there is not much to tell! We are both doing much better! and are planning on busting our buts this week to make up for so much time with out working! we both LOVED the conference as well! I have been really thinking about something these past few months.. that kind of worries me... I know that my time is coming to an end here in the mission.. and am fully aware of the fact that life after the mission will not be the same, i wont have a companion there to watch over me all the time, or an exact schedule to follow every day... so, how do i keep this new spiritual level with me always? how do i adjust, and not allow the world to influence me? i have seen so many less active returned missionaries! and that scares me! so, i think the answer is simple... temples! That is the only way! go to the temple regularly so as not to lose my focus! anyway, i just loved the conference! it was the high light of my week! and i hope to be able to see the next conferences in english! its going to be even better! anyway, i love you so much, and send you all my love! and blessings!
love
hma alford

September 22, 2014 email and pics

 Karaphurka! Or stone soup! a typical plate of  potosi!

My comp and i eating the stone soup! ;)

 The day we made empenadas with sister fuertes! Her name is so perfect for her! fuerte in spanish means strong... and she is just that! she has been suffering from cancer for about a year... and is just now about to finish the treatments... it hurts her so bad! and i remember about a week ago she was on her way back to cocha to do another chemo... and she just about broke down in tears at just the thought of the pain... the love the ward showed her that sunday, brought my own tears to my eyes! let us be just as loving as those sisters who showed their love in such a beautiful way! love you all!

Making empenadas!!! YUM!!! They are kind of like meat pies... but WAY YUMMIER!!!

 Holding a Cows HEART!!!!! WOW!

 

karate comps! hahaha !

hugging green!!!!!!!!! ;)

 my comp and i this sunday! (when we thought there might be transfers coming up)

my comp and i and the pizza for my 15 month mark! ;) yum

i am glad to hear that brandon finally got his eagle! thats awesome! as for the transfers, i am staying here! and my comp as well. I have to say, i had hoped to train, but its going to be great! this next month and a half is going to be awesome! especially seeing as we have already figured out our differences well! anyway, this week has been kind of crazy! we have been working hard, and have found some really great people to teach! and we´ve been doing a TON of service! we learned how to make empenadas with sister p f(the bishops wife who has cancer...) she has been wanting to make yummy stuff for her family for a long time now, but hasnt been able to because of all the chemo and such... she doesnt have the strength left to do it on her own... so we have been helping her cook! we also made cow heart!!!! I have an awesome picture, but dont know if ill be able to send it... ;( still having problems with my camera! anyway, its been kind of great! ;) oh, i also made 15 months in the mission this week! we had a pizza to celebrate! YUM! And today, i finally tried the karaphurkra..or stone soup!!! ;) it is a thick soup that they put a HOT rock inside so that it is still boiling when you eat it! And man is it spicy! and so yummy!! ;) hahaha! oh, and i am now in the choir! ;) we are practicing for a conference we will be having soon! fun! hahaha! so, as far as brown.. its still quite brown, but spring has begun.. and it seems to be getting a bit more green! woohooo!!!!!!! anyway, all doing good on this side of the world! ;) love you lots and lots and lots mom! hope you have a great week!
hma alford

September 15, 2014 Emails and pictures

My comp and i at the zone conference! 

 

 my hair cut dry! ;)

 Burrito night! ;)

 the elders had  a baptism this saturday!

 My comp and i with sister hansen in sucre!!! ;)

Heading back to potosi after the conference! A LONG RIDE!!!

Love you too mom! ;) I have been doing well! ;) the cold is letting up a bit... but still cold! ;) my comp and i are doing better... and now transfers are coming up this sunday! Anyway, we had zone conference in sucre this week...  man that was a long day! we got up way early in the morning, and were off in the bus for a LONG TIME... got to sucre, and oh my goodness was i happy to see TREES! AND GRASS!!! AND FLOWERS!!!!!! ;) I COULD BREATHE! Well, lets just say i hugged about every tree i could find! haha! and then the seventy, elder waddel, spoke to us! WOW! It was pretty great! And i learned a TON! The elders had two baptisms this saturday, miguel and henry. And we did a theatre night in the ward which was quite the hit! Anyway, everything is doing great down here! a bit crazy, but great! yep, it was kind of a crazy idea to go up the dang hill.. .but its almost an obligation in the cochabamba mission to go to the zone activities... dont know why.. but thats how it is. Anyway, i am so glad to hear from you! and hope things are going great... mom, i ve got a question... whats up with the states? everyone keeps asking me if ive heard about the war or threat or something like that... just asking.. not fun to wonder! love you lots mom! I am praying for kady and hope everything can be figured out with her health! tell everyone back home i said hi!
love you !
hma alford



So, here in the mission, i have seen some things that i will never need a picture to forget... really beautiful moments, and others that just make me want to cry. Like the other day, as we were eating in a small restaurant here in potosi... and a little old lady came up to our table with a little plastic bag in her hands... begging us to give her the scraps from our table. I almost cried as she happily and eagerly placed our scraps, the bones we were about to throw away, in that little bag as if it were a great blessing... thanking us with tears in her eyes. Or when i saw a group of about five men and women surrounding a dumpster here in potosi, looking  for something to eat... or wear... anything, to keep them and their children alive. Those are a few sad moments you know.. but then there are lovely moments as well... as they smile and laugh with their friends, or come closer to God. I dont know, but these moments are just so hard to see... and yet so very important to me now. And the feeling of joy that fills me as i share the little i have.. there is no substitute... i invite you all, to say a prayer of special thanks this night... for all you have.. and try to find a way to help another smile today! dont waste anything! because someone else would do anything to have the little you have.
love ,
hermana alford

September 7, 2014 Alecia's emails and pics

Alecia's Hair Cut

 SO, as you can see in the pic, its not too short but much healthier!

 My new jacket i bought.. the skirt was hma lees, my comps last comp who finished her mish and left a TON OF CLOTHES! ;) Now, its mine! ;)
oh, and the sister training leaders and my comp and i! :)

another traditional bolivian dance...

This is called the diablada i believe... interesting right?

 a bolivian tradtitional dance! Dancers in chutillos!

 My comp and i in the streets of potosi!

M....... Baptism!

 M........ before the baptism! she is so sweet !;)

 dads right, this place is cut out like swiss cheese!

 Another pic going up the mountain! ;)
cerro rico, again! ;)

 so, here i am about to go up a mountain... that should tell you that i am doing much better in the altitude thing! haha! although it was NOT EASY! HAHA !

 VICTORY!!!!!!!! ;) I MADE IT TO THE VERY TOP! I AM A BOSS! Actually, it would not have been possible if the angels had not been there to help me up... ;)

 going up the mountain!CERRO RICO!

The bishop and his family from when we made tacos! ;) Please, pray for sister f.. the bishops wife, she is in chemo even as we speak... and is so scared of the pain.. she cried this sunday as she told us she was going back... ;(

Thank you so very much for the prayers and the fast, i havent been able to fast because i am on medication. turns out the reason its been so hard for me to get used to the altitude is that i have intestine problems... and being sick takes the energy and defenses out of you.. so i havent been at my best... but, the good news is that i am fixing the intestine problems to be able to fix the altitude problems. this tuesday i finish off the pills and should be good to go! I feel SO much better! not perfect, but slowly better.. anyway, i am sending pics!!! FINALLY!!!!! ;) You have no idea how crazy this has been.. heard my package is on the way!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! SO HAPPY I ALMOST SCREAMED IN THE INTERNET CAFE!!!!!!!!! ;) Anyway, had some great exeriences too this week! m..... wa baptised! the baptismal service went off with out a hitch.. we had french toast as refreshment ( my comp loves that stuff!!! ;) and m........ cried as she left the font.. she bore the sweetest testimony! ;) also, we went up cerro rico this morning... the highest point in potosi!!! HARD! But really kind of cool. I was so scared as i went up, but the only way back down... was on the other side! so i had to make it to the top to take the safe way down.... why we didnt take the safe way up, i will never know! Anyway, i was praying the whole way up that the angels would watch my feet for me! and they did! and as we went down, i did not have my water bottle with me as another elder had been carrying it for me and went a different way... i felt so faint and weak, that i knew i couldnt make it much farther. I told everyone we should pray that some nice man would drive by and take us in his car.. they kind of laughed at me and made a few jokes about how a car would just fall from the sky... So, i just said the prayer on my own.. and even screamed out through the wind, [ ALGUIEN TIENE UN AUTO????] ( SOMEBODY HAVE A CAR!!!) And three minutes later, two men in a giant truck stopped by and took us down the mountain.. .at no charge!!! Everyone looked at me, and got in the car thanking the lord for his help! ;) Also, my comp and i are doign great! We even had a pillow fight last night and ended up sleeping together to get some warmth!!! haha! ;) so, this week has been full of miracles! and i would really like to remember forever the great time i have had! love you mom! Mom, i love my area... i will probably never love potosi...its not pretty, and not a place for tourists... haha! but its got great people, and for that i love it! keep being awesome! thanks for sharing me the miracle!  i love to hear them... love hma alford

August 25, 2014 Emails and an interesting article that she likes

Shirley Temples??? Smile smile smile! ;) I am doing the best i can! And trying to love this new area! We have a baptism coming up the sixth of september! And my comps birthday as well!! the 23 or 30 of august... long story... but her real birthday and her legal birthday are two different dates!!! haha! anyway, we are slowly gaining the members love and confidence and we are finding a number of new people to teach! anyway, thats what we have been up too... i have been suffering from some MEAN head aches, nauseau, random heart spasms and such lately... part of the lovely altitude change im afraid! Anyway, i already called sister hansen and she told me to go buy some altitude pills and drink more water and eat less food... so thats what i will be doing down here for the moment. and as for the cold, i think i am getting used to it... not sure. anyway, we saw the bolivian president this morning! he came up to talk to the miners or something like that! and i had to take a spanish test this morning! like an hour trying to figure out the headphones, and all that craziness! and this computer is SO SLOW! HAHA! anyway, got that over with and now i am writing you guys! and then off to play pool... i love you so much mom! ill ask sister hansen if shes related! haha! and thanks for the recipes! ... the sad thing is there isnt much canned food here.. but ill be on the look out... theres only one supermarket.. about the size of macs within a 6 hour radius of where i am!!! hahahaha! anyway, so i will be trying it out! love you mom!
hma alford


https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/07/young-adults/becoming-perfect-in-christ?lang=enghttps://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/07/young-adults/becoming-perfect-in-christ?lang=eng

hey mom, sorry i couldnt write more! the dang spanish test took up all my time... and the owner of the internet place is kicking us out right now... i havent been able to send any pics... and i dont know if i wrote every one... love you all though! and hope you have a great week! talk to ya next week!
love hma alford

August 18, 2014 Potosi (New Area)

ARCOR (A FABULOUS BRAND OF CHOCOLATES!!!)

 Our free meal!!! YUM! A real quesadilla! its gigantic!!! ;)

 we got desert half free too!!! ;)

 Saying goodbye to my comp! ;(

 

my new room! 

 

Hermana quispe! My new companion! shes great!
 

Hey mom!
okay, so, yet another not overly easy area... we are pretty much starting from scratch because of a whole bunch of craziness from before. Hermana q( my new companion) was with her trainer hermana l( a gringa) here before.. but hermana lwas sick, so they didnt get to work much in the area... then a whole bunch of craziness happened, and for the last month or so they havent even been in the area as hma l was in the hospital and eventually sent home! (she had some kind of stomach infection) anyway, in the end, neither i or my comp know the area! Its been just a whole lot of knocking doors and talking to people in the street...  ;( anyway, trying to do the best i can... I want to work so hard and do so much... yet my body doesnt seem to want to cooperate! the altitude is ridiculous! 4,300 kilometers above sea level!!!! OUCH!!! Anyway, the cold is also quite horrible... and almost all week we havent been able to do much as my body adjusts! Anyway, working, sleeping, and trying to do the best i can... we finally found a pensionista for lunch... but shes too far away to go at night time (really dangerous that late here...) and so... WE ARE OUR OWN NIGHT TIME PENSIONISTAS! HAHAHA! hermana hansen said it just makes more sense seeing as we cant find anyone closer! so, now we will be making our own dinners.. can you send me some fun little easy recipes??? that would be so great!!! anyway, we also got to know the bishop and his family a bit. He is such a jokester! haha! His poor wife has cancer though... she spoke in church this sunday,and the spirit was so strong! she is such a sweet and kind person! you can just see it in her! what else? not much... we have  a GREAT house! a gas run stove, water heater, and a fabulous heater for the room! anyway, havent eaten any chuño yet... they actually even serve less food than they do in cochabamba... I am enjoying lots of soups and noodles! and the best cakes i have eaten since i came out on the mission!!! (there is a sister in the ward who  makes cake!) I have bought quite a few sweaters to put on below my coats.. IT IS SO COLD HERE!!! I might be buying boots as well... and gloves and a hat... and leg warmers.!!! haha! Anyway, its just way cold out here!
 love you lots mom! keep being awesome!