Monday, October 27, 2014

Hola from Bello Horizonte!!!  This week, I got a new companion.  His name is Elder Hernández and he is from El Salvador and has 20 months in the mission.  It is really strange getting a new companion.  I miss Elder Apaza a lot but it is ok because it is already normal between Elder Hernandez and I.  Once again, my companion doesn't speak English.  He speaks hardly any but I love it, and he isn't studying English, doesn't want to, so we can just speak Spanish the whole time.  It is great.  But with him not speaking English, he told me that he doesn't really like to talk, like he isn't good with his words.  AND since I am leading out the area I know all the people and the area and yeah.  So this past week, I have done so much more talking.  I have to start everything, end everything and I LOVE IT!!!  It is so fun and my Spanish, no joke, was pretty good before but it is taking off now and it's great.  Seriously the gift of tongues is real.  

We didn't have our baptism this week, hopefully we have it this Saturday.  We are hoping and praying but we will see.  ONCE CRAZY EXPERIENCE.  So we were teaching ____ last night and we were having him stand up and do this demonstration.  He was holding books out in front of him and we were seeing how long he could do it.  When he was doing that.... FLASHBACK...  Literally it is like this flashback punched me in the face.  I had a dream YEEEEAAAARRRSSS ago.  I was sitting in a room and there was someone in front of me.  They were holding books and the room in the background had these windows and a television and a sofa.  When ____ was holding the books, even though I didn't remember the dream before, I literally got smacked in the face like holy cow.  This is the same room, that is the same table and tv.  That is the same stack of books.  His shirt was the same and now I know it was the same person.  In this moment I could remember my dream so clearly.  It was crazy.  It was such a testimony builder.  I know that missionaries are called to be in specific places at specific times for specific people.  I know without a doubt in my mind that there are people here that have been prepared to listen to the message that I have to deliver.  This experience was so cool and such a testimony builder.  Always, we can have people around us that need to hear the gospel and we are the people that can give it to them.  

Spanish is better than English.  Well, in some ways,  Trying to teach English, wow, English is hard.  We have so many strange rules.  Spanish has irregular stuff and all but everything is clicking.  I can pretty much say everything that I want to now in Spanish.  I just have to get more words in my head now.  Spanish is so cool!!  

Other than that, this week was normal.  Just more work and all but it is so great.  It is making me a better missionary.  I hope that all is well at home.  I hope that you are all having fun and have a good Halloween for me.  I don't know if Perú celebrates it.  From what I have heard, no, but whatever.  It is chill.  THANK YOU FOR THE CANDY!!!  Especially the double stuffed oreos, they don't have them here.  and I forgot what they tasted like.  You are the best. 

And wow, throw this in the email too.  I ate raw chicken.  And I remember in foods class that the effects from a food sickness can be anywhere from 30 minutes to thirty days.  I took a bite and was like wow, this is not cooked at all.  Found a part that was cooked bit into it and realized it was just the top part.  It was literally raw chicken.  I hid the rest under a napkin and didn't eat it.  

I love you family! Remember to say your prayers and read your scriptures!!  

Monday, October 20, 2014

No baptisms this week.   ____ was not ready and so we had to push his date back.  It is scheduled for this Saturday but we are going to see if he is ready by that time.  So, we could have one this week but we might not, so we will just have to wait and see.  Ok, this story is crazy, we have a kid who is a less active.  20 years old and we have taught him a couple times.  We saw him and we were talking and his compañero de trabajo (co-worker) died.  He fell from the roof of the work and died.  We were talking to him because he never comes to church and we were like you need to come to church.  Then he was like ya, ya, I know but what do I have to do to be a member of your church?  My companion and I just looked at each other in shock!  He has been in our area book as a less active for quite some time and the first time he met with my companion before I got here he said he was a member.  But this time he said he was a member of the church Evangelica and was baptized in that church, not our church.  So, needless to say, he has a baptismal date for 29 de Noviembre.  

This past week we had an interesting experience.  This guy was using the phone outside the house of these recent converts that are 14 and 12.  We were teaching them in the doorway and this guy finishes his call and steps through us and says permiso and so all is well.  But, five steps more and he turns around and starts screaming at us.  He was saying how we don't use the Bible and we only use the Book of Mormon so our church isn't true.  And how only the Bible is the word of God and that we don't need more.  And he just kept on going and going and so we walked over to him and asked if we could talk because we didn't want him to yell at the conversos recientes and we walked to him but he started to walk away but then he turned around and kept yelling.  Walked to us and was yelling and he raised his hand and in my mind I was like oh it's about to go down.  Luckily he put it down and kept yelling and then walked away.  BUT, THE CRAZY THING IS, before he started yelling, we were reading with them in the Book of Mormon about how people will be mad and say that we don't need another Book because only the Bible is the word of God.  It is crazy because all of that mans anger was just a testimony to that scripture.   It just strengthens my testimony of the Book of Mormon.  

No more sickness this week, so that is good.  I don't really have that much to report this week.  Except for it is getting hotter and I love it because finally the sun can shine and I can get a nice tan line on my arms.  Hey, how are the Heat doing?  Send me some updates of the NBA.  That would be great.  Thank you.   And I will throw this in, we were teaching a lesson a couple weeks ago and through the wall a song just started blasting and I was like hey, I know that song!  Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi.  I started thinking of Dad and the song just made me start laughing.  Not going to lie, it was very difficult to hold in my laughter but it was hilarious.  

We have cambios (transfers) tomorrow and we are pretty positive that my companion is leaving.  We will find out in a couple hours but it is pretty much for sure.  So that means that most likely I will be leading out this area.  Crazy.  Hopefully I don't have to train a gringo haha.  That would be hard.  

Monday, October 13, 2014

Hola Familia!!  Conference was amazing!!  I got to watch all the sessions in English except for one because I sat with our investigator to answer any questions but that is ok.  The talks were so good and seriously you feel like some of them just punch you in the face but it is a good punch in the face.  It feels good when the Spirit smacks you.  Haha but really, conference was incredible and there was such a good spirit.

This past week I am glad to report that I was better from the sickness.  Then I got sick again hahaha.  This time it was worse though, but it was from the afternoon and I didn't really sleep that night but it is all good.  They think I ate something bad and had a stomach infection so they gave me these pills that I had to take for a couple days then I was all better.  And I am good now, no problems and I am not going to get sick again.  All is well.  More good news, I revived my camera.  Mas o menos.  I try to turn it off and it shuts halfway then if I press the button again it starts having a spaz attack and making a machine gun noise so I just have to shut if with my fingers and push the lens in so there is that.  but it takes pictures and all so I think we are good!  

One experience from last night was crazy.  We were about to be back in our room and BAM.  We get a phone call from these Elders in our district.  They were in our area searching for a guy.  This is an old guy in our ward and he has alzheimers.  He will walk around and forget where he lives.  He went to go to church in the morning and it was at the stake center so even farther away and he left at 6 in the morning and his wife called us at 8 at night!  So we are running around everywhere trying to find this guy and he could be anywhere and some parts are a little sketchy but oh well, nothing happened.  We searched for about an hour and couldn't find him.  So hopefully he gets found soon or has some ID on him so he can get returned to his home.  

This past week was good.  Nothing really exciting happened that is like WOW.  Ok I lied because the missionary work is incredible so everything is wow.  But from this past week the highlights are that _____ is still progressing and his baptism is this Saturday!  Out of the Elders in my district, we have 5 baptisms scheduled for this Saturday!  It will be an awesome day of seeing people be baptized.  Baptism is the door for all the other things we are going to do in our life.  It starts everything and we receive a gift afterwards that will guide us in everything!  For our whole life if we are worthy of it.  Also we have another baptismal date for the 25th with ____.  He is 15 and came with us to both sessions of conference yesterday!  Hopefully he continues to progress and feel the spirit in his life.  So ya, we have two baptismal dates and we received a lot of names this past week from the mission of menos activos that we have to go find.  Normally each area receives 20 names but... We received 83 and we have to contact them all by the end of October.  Luckily the names are divided between the Elders in our district so we have 33 that we need to find.  That will be quite the task.  We have changes on the 21st I believe and I pretty much know for a fact that Elder Apaza is leaving which is a big bummer.  I am going to have to lead out the area which will be a good experience but I just hope I am not training a gringo because todavía I don't speak Spanish!  But whatever happens all is well because it is the will of the Lord and everyone is called to a specific place at a specific time for a specific reason!  

Love you family, keep saying your prayers and reading your scriptures!  Love you all!!

Monday, October 6th, 2014

Ok wow, this week I am really a marathoner.  We have no time at all.  We went to the beach again today and went on the longest bike ride of my life.  With lots of hills and all that stuff.  I was tired, I thought I was in pretty good shape and all but.... Nope, guess not.  Oh well.  And bad news, no pictures, my camera broke.  I was giving it to someone to take a picture of me and it dropped in the exchange, I will take the blame for it, I tried to revive it, everything, but... it has moved on to the Spirit world.  

Good news, we got to work like normal on the Saturday and Sunday, we didn't have to stay in our rooms.  But, a lot of the people were gone voting all day.  The people don't just go to the closest place to vote, they have specific places where they have to go to vote so some people were gone all day long so that was a bummer.  I am glad the elections are over.  I was getting sick of all the signs and everything everywhere.   But, whatever.  I don't need to worry about that stuff because I am a missionary!!!!  And how awesome is that!!!  

This part will freak you out mom.  Well not freak you out but you won't like it.  Wednesday night I went to bed and my stomach hurt a little so I was like ehhh whatever.  At 230 in the morning I woke up with incredible pain.  Then I went back to bed and for 3 and a half hours I was in my bed rolling around in pain.  I don't know what it was.  And I threw up one time and ya, no fun.   My companion called the secretary the next day and I had to drink 1 liter of this nasty medicine stuff in one day, and it was so gross.  It was tough to get down.  But the next day I was better.  

On P-days we wake up and have study like normal in the morning until 10.  Normally we have activities planned as a zone.  Like the bikes today, last week we went to a park with fountains and the week before we went to a zoo, so we do fun stuff.  Ya,  I know, I am behind on pictures.  Anyways, that is why I need a new camera so I can send them.  So we have activities until 6.  At 6, we go back to work until dinner time then it is back to the room.  So from 10 in the morning until 6 at night we have p day.  Oh, and a lady in the ward does our laundry.  We pay her 35 soles a month and she does it.  The only thing is, we always run low on clothes because it is humid here, so things take forever to dry and it is not hot yet.  But ya, that is our clothes.

I am so bummed that I missed conference.  The rule was that if we had an investigator we could watch it at a members house.  Anyway, a family called us and said oh, we have an investigator for you!  It was their dad so we were like oh, ok sweet!  So we go to their house and start watching conference on Sunday morning.  We are watching and we saw the first two talks and then he left.  I think to go vote.  So, ya, we had to leave.  So that was a bummer.    But that is cool that people can give a talk in their own language.  What do they do for the people in the conference center??  We get to watch conference this weekend and I get to watch it in English!!  That will be sweet!  

This past week, nothing extremely special happened.  We had intercambios with the zone leaders because Elder Apaza is the district leader and so that was interesting.  I went to the zone of the zone leaders and we worked and we seriously knocked on so many doors that day and literally not one person answered.  They have a pensionista and that fell through and the consejo de barrio fell through - don't remember how to say that in English but ya.  So everything fell through that day.  But it was a good day.  There was a guy with us doing visits and he got back from his mission the week before so people would yell hi elderes and he would wave then go, ahhh I am not a missionary anymore, it was funny.

One thing, everyone who reads this, family, friends, EVERYONE.  Get a testimony of El Libro de Mormón!!  And if you have one, strengthen it!  it is everything.  Our whole religion, if it is true, our religion is true.  Joseph Smith restored the church, Thomas S. Monson is a prophet hoy en día that receives revelation for everyone and guides us.  It is crucial.  Get a testimony of the Book of Mormon and don't let go of it.  

Monday, September 29, 2014

Today marks exactly two months in Perú!  Time is flying by and also we are halfway through this change already.  It is crazy.  Ok, so _____came to church yesterday and has his baptism date set for Oct 18.  He is progressing so good.  He is 21, has a younger brother who is 14-ish and a sister that is 26 or so.  His mom just had her 50th birthday and we ate lunch at her house for her birthday with the other missionaries in our district. At church she asked us when her sons  baptismal date was  and we told her and she just got the biggest smile and started inviting everyone who walked past to her sons baptism.  And then she was talking to us and she started crying and told us how we are angels in her life.  Seriously I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to bring this joy to people`s lives.  It is such a blessing and learning experience and I receive so much joy from it.  Then afterwards, oh I forgot to mention that she is in a wheelchair.  So after church she wanted to do her visiting teaching.  And nobody has cars here.  And nobody could take her to do it.  So we took her to the houses that she needed to go to.  At one house we stayed and taught a lesson to the lady she was visiting.  But seriously, she is such an example to me of being Christlike.  She can't travel to do her visiting teaching by herself.  But still, she does it and loves the people.  We all need to be willing to serve like she is.  

Lessons this past week...  we had two days when we had 9 lessons scheduled and another with 7.  All with a thirty minute time slot for each.  One thing about Perú is that everything starts late.  But also, people bail on us a lot.  One of the days that we had 9, literally every single one of them fell through.  It was rough.  But that is what it is like a lot here.  We go to our appointment and all the people are busy.  So ya, our teaching time each day is 11 to 12.  Then 2 until 8.  Then dinner.  So in this time we are just out trying to teach.  Yes we can knock on doors.  A lot of times that is what we have to do.  Also, one thing that we end up doing a lot is when the person is not home in a house - there are a lot of rooms in these casas and so a lot of people aren`t family but live in the same house - it is hard to explain.  They will tell us oh, ya, they aren't here so then we will ask if we can leave something with them.  They will come down and we actually get a bunch of investigators like this.  

English this week was hilarious.  Not going to lie, there were a couple of times that I thought I was going to die because I would be trampled.  We were in the street one day and we saw this one girl that is like 12 and the sister of this kid that goes on visits with us so we say hi then before I know it, I am literally surrounded by, I kid you not, 15 screaming children.  "Cómo se dice en Ingles?"  Over and over and over and over again.  My companion was literally just laughing and it was funny but terrifying at the same time.  

I am so blessed to be able to spread the gospel and to see the joy that it brings into the lives of everyone.  It is truly incredible.  Never shy away from inviting people to hear about the gospel.  Everyone needs it.  This is the only way we can live with our families forever.  Help out the missionaries in the ward and stake, and encourage the people in the ward to do so also.  We are having problems with that in our ward right now.  It is tough but we are working through it.  I don`t get to watch general conference this week because of the elections in Perú so enjoy that!  I love you all so much.  

Monday, September 22, 2014

This past week was good but rough.  The week was all good, really good, and then we went to church.  We had families and all these people commit to come to church and they were excited.  Then we went to walk with them to church on Sunday morning and they either said they were sleeping and not this week or that they just didn't want to go.  That was discouraging.  Our investigator who came the previous two Sundays  didn't come to church either.  They had a birthday party for his mom the night before.  And Peruvian parties are nuts.  They literally last all night long.  And when I say all night long I mean all night long.  Like I woke up at 530 in the morning and heard the music from parties still blasting.  I don't understand how they go that long.  Go to bed people!  Anyway, so the party for his mom went all night long and we called him and went to pick him up but he was sleeping and didn't come.  So that was a bummer but he is still going good.  Progressing and keeping commitments so all is well with him.  The other girl, we aren't sure what is going on.  She told us that the Book of Mormon is true.  But this week we didn't have much contact with her.  Anytime we went to her house she was "not home", and we think her phone might have gotten taken away because she never answers it anymore.  Someone else does so hopefully we get things worked out this week.  

Other than that nothing else has really happened this past week.  Still progressing at the same pace with the Spanish.  I am starting to understand mostly everything.   One thing, I bought a basketball!  We are going to play today for p-day.   I will teach everyone how to play and they will like it.  And mom, you will be happy to hear this.  Anytime I show people the pictures of our family they say oh, muy joven su mamá.  This means that you look very young.  People are guessing in the low thirties for your age.  I think that is right isn't it?  :)  And dad, your compliment from people is, one guy said that you look very strong.  So hey, now I know where I get the muscles and the good looks haha.  I love you two.  

Yesterday we were waiting outside a house for a lesson and I hear GRINGO!!!  I look over and it was a little kid and then there were like ten more kids that ran around the corner to see the gringo.  If they came over I was going to say I am from Argentina.  Elder Apaza taught me the Argentina accent.  It is show soy Argentino.  yo soy Argentino but with show.   The writing doesn't do it justice.  Anyway that was funny.  I am gringo and proud of it.  I can't remember if I said this last week but a bunch of people think I am of Latin descent.  I have gotten told I look Argentinan or Venezuelan.  So hey, once I get good at Spanish maybe I can pull it off.  My companion tells everyone that I am from Cajamarca.  It is a place in Perú and apparently the people there are Peruvian but have lighter skin.  Everyone laughs so I don't know.  

I love you all.  Everything is going good in Perú.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Monday, September 16, 2014

This past week there were definitely a lot of ups and downs.  If there is one thing that I have learned is that the mission is not easy.  There are soooo many more downs than there are ups.  BUT, it is the ups that make everything worth it.  Seriously if one investigator keeps a committment or comes to church, we are seriously so happy.  It is incredible how much joy we can have from one righteous act.  The church is so true.  Anyway, the kid who I told you about last week is progressing so good.  His baptismal date is the 27th.  Here, they have to come to church three times before they can be baptized.  He has been twice and last night he basically asked us why he has to wait so long before he can be baptized.  He is awesome and is progressing so well and it is so cool to see him grow.  The other girl told us that the Book of Mormon is true.  But, one thing is that every time we go to her house she has a new scripture from the Bible from her family to show us so we are working through that.  She hasn't been able to come to church the past two weeks because she has had stuff but she told us all other Sundays she should be good to go. 

This past week we had to go to migrations to get our visas.  The first morning, Thursday we had a members friend take us in a taxi and it was 15 soles.  Fine.  Then we got there and when we were waiting in line, members of my district from the CCM were talking to this guy and struggling bad.  So I went over and helped and the guy told me, thank you, you can understand me, they don't understand.  It was funny but it made me feel good with my Spanish.  My Spanish is definitely a lot better, I have made a big jump this past week.  The gift of tongues is real.  It is definitely a gift of the Spirit and it is cool because we can all have gifts of the spirit.  We need to pray and ask our Father in Heaven.  He wants to bless us and all we need to do is ask.  In the Bible and Book of Mormon it says multiple times something like if your father knows how to give you gifts than how much more does your Father in Heaven know how to give you good gifts!  Anyway, back to migrations.  We talk to that guy and he lives in the north mission.  Bummer.  But I passed along the reference.  Hopefully Koji can teach him or something.  Afterward, me and another gringo, Elder Sok, who has bleach blonde hair, were trying to find a taxi.  The people were saying 40, 45, and 50 soles because we are gringo.  We finally got one for 28 so we took it because we didn't know how many other options we had.  Anyway, in the morning our companions came with us this time to find a taxi.  They literally made us hide around the corner until they found the taxi because if the driver saw me and Elder Sok they would charge more, so we hid, they got the taxi, and then we came and got in.  It was funny.

This weekend we had stake conference.  It was good, good experience.  Good spirit there, but it was really hot in the meeting and we were tired so we had to be sure not to fall asleep so we could be examples haha.  Also, it was my companions birthday that day so a couple days before I bought some stuff for my companion without him knowing and when he was in the shower Sunday morning I put it on his bed and bam Happy Birthday!!  Anyways, the week of general conference, we do not get to watch it.  We get it a week late.  That weekend in Perú there are elections.  Basically nothing is allowed because they want people to vote.  So the Saturday we have to stay in our room all day pretty much and just study.  It will be so boring but good to have that much time to study.  I feel like I never have enough time to study.  So that is a bummer that we get conference a week after the real thing, but oh well.  Better late than never I guess. 

That is all I have for this week!!  I love you family.  I don't have a lot of time to write everyone else.  But Mom, Dad, Blake, Kristina, I love you so much!!!!  And all other family too.  Keep working hard in everything you do and rely on the Lord.  Remember to say your prayers and read your scriptures.  I love you.