Monday, November 23, 2015

Hello family!!  Buenos dias.   One weird thing that happened this week was that about 5 people got mad at us in a two day span because we don't watch the news.  With the whole France thing they all got mad because we didn't know about it and they asked us and we had no idea what they were talking about and so they all got mad and lectured us about how we need to watch the news.

One good announcement.  So my ward mission leader is from Perú but he has lived in Utah for about 20 years but is here for 3 years working then back to Pleasant Grove.  So he has developed American traditions one of them being Thanksgving.  We have one American Elder in the ward.  ME.  And 2 Hermanas that are from the United States.  So our ward mission leader on Thursday is going to take us out to eat so that will be awesome.  

From this week we found a new investigator that is awesome!  He is this little old man and was super interested.  The first lesson we gave him was just reading the Book of Mormon.  3 Nefi 11.  We read it and the spirit was so strong.  It was incredible.  He accepted a baptismal date for the 19 of December and he said I am going to go to church with you guys tomorrow.  We said we would go get him and he said I will be here ready before you get here.  It was true.  We went and got him yesterday and we went to church and he loved it!  That was a great blessing to be able to find him.

One other thing that happened in our ward is that they changed the limits where our sector and the sector of the hermanas starts.  They cut a part of ours out and gave it to the hermanas and gave us a part of the hermanas sector.  The only problem is we had a bunch of investigators in this part that they cut out but oh well.  We will just have to find more to teach!  The leaders are called of God so I will trust in them and their decisions!!

We had a Multi zone this past week with President and his wife and it was awesome.  There is a video coming out for Christmas so get prepared.  We were able to see it but it comes out in a 6 days.  Get prepared, it is a good one!  Tthat is about it for this week family!  I love you all!  Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Monday, November 16, 2015

This week was a bit tougher than the last ones.  A bunch of appointments fell through this past week so that was a bummer but here in the mission we just have to keep on trying.  If we get down on one week the next one will be that much worse so we just have to keep on trying.  

This week was quite interesting in our room.  Haha so I had been sleeping on a very dirty mattress without a cover, but with a blanket covering the mattress and my sheets on top of the blanket.  And the mattress cover was full of garbage in the patio area of our room outside.  The room was not used for a long time so when the elders that cleaned it out didn't have any trash bags they used the mattress cover.  But Hermana Larson found out and I soon had a new mattress but all is well.  But this past week we threw out the big bag of garbage when it was dark so nobody saw us.  After that our sink broke where we used to wash the dishes.  So now we have to wash our dishes in the shower.

So since this area is full of tourests my companion said that sometimes we run into members from the United States and they want to buy us food.  And last night it happened.  We ran into this guy that called us over and was from Ogden but here for work for a day.  We talked for a little, I translated for my companion and then at the end he was going to buy us food but 1/ sabbath day.  2/ we had an appointment but hopefully this week we run into a member Monday through Saturday, that would be nice haha.  

There is a lady that we are teaching that could be baptized but is super sick.  The doctors know that she has a virus but don't know what virus it is.  For a month she hasn't been able to keep like any food down.  But we went over and we are going to read with her every night from now on so that she can have the desire to get baptized once she is better.  But the first night we went over to her house we started talking about guinea pigs and I told my story about my guinea pigs and she started laughing so hard that her stomach started to hurt again and she almost threw up.  Sorry kind of gross but it was funny.

One postive thing from this week is that we contacted some pretty cool people.  People that were excited to hear about the gospel.  One thing that I already knew but strengthened my testimony of is that if we serve people they will be more wiling to listen to the gospel message.  We were in a building on the fifth floor last night and these two guys in their twenties were taking a couch down to the first floor.  So when they first saw us they didn't really want to talk but we said that we were going to help them take the couch down and while we were taking it down we were talking and by the time we finally got to the first floor and we had taken the  couch out they were grateful and they were willing to listen to us.  So it is just like Ammon when he served the king Lamoni.  first he served, then he preached and converted.

Anyways, the time seriously flies by.  So many people are getting home but it is great to see the testimonies they have gained on their missions.  The mission is the best preparation that any young person can have for the rest of the eternity.  

Monday, November 9, 2015

So I totally jinxed myself.  Last week I said that I didn't want to get sent to a rich area here in the mission.  Well, me tocó.  I got sent to Santa Cruz.  Miraflores.  Which just happens to be like the richest and biggest sector in all the mission.  The video that we me and my friends made before the mission with all of our mission calls where it has the ocean in it and the coast - that is my sector.  Also if you want, you can put Larcomar which is a touristy spot in my sector.  

So anyway, I am here in Santa Cruz. The work is super different.  The people here are so cold.  For like the first time I am getting doors shut in my face.  Not just shut like people yelling.  We say buenos dias and buenas tardes to people and they don't even respond.  In the really rich areas apparently we can get tickets for talking to people and contacting them.  It is so different from my other sectors.  I must say that as far as that goes, I like my other sectors better where it was poor and dangerous.  Mom, don't worry about me getting robbed or anything.  With that being said, there are not a whole lot of people that we have right now to teach.  But this week we were able to find 5 new investigators.  So I guess the work will be steady and slow but we just have to work.   Haha we are in the richest sector but our room is not very nice.  Probably the worst one I have had haha.  Not complaining but it is just funny.  With the mixture of fungus and other bugs, won't be surprised if I get sick but oh well, the Lord protects his missionaries.  Another downside of this sector is that everything is wayyyyyyy more expensive.  Like super expensive so money will be a little tight.

My companion is awesome.  Seriously he is such an example for me.  He has 3 months in the mission and just barely finished his training.  His name is Elder Guevara.  He is from Bolivia Santa Cruz and has about 18 months being a member. He is the only member in his family.  What absolutely blows my mind is that in May of 2014 he was baptized.  One month before I left for the mission.  He has so little time but knows so much and loves the church and the Lord.  Seriously he is awesome.

As for the work this week in the sector it was a little slow.  It is a lot different from my other sectors.  The sector is gigantic and there are a lot of people that are here just for vacation.  It is tougher to contact because there aren't really a lot of houses.  More buildings and to enter in the building you have to know somebody so it is tough.  But this week we were able to have some success so it was good and next week will be even better!

Monday, November 2, 2015

Hola familia.  Another change has come and gone.  So fast.  Tomorrow we have changes.  This time it is more probable that I will have a change.  But who knows, maybe I might get lucky!  No offense here but hopefully I don't get sent to a rich place. 

Here this week there was more Halloween celebration than there was last year so that was cool.  There were a whole lot of little kids running around asking for candy.  We handed out pictures of Jesus Christ to the people that asked us.  Most of the members here think that you can't do anything for Halloween and that it is super bad to dress up and do all that stuff so I had to answer a lot of questions about Halloween in the states with the members.

This week was good.  I went and did another interchange with one of the elders in my district.  But before the interchange we had a service project in their sector and we were on the mountain moving big boulders.  It was hard and I got really burnt but it is ok.  Hopefully I will get dark.  

I love you all   Have a good week.    Elder Baker

Monday, October 26, 2015

So this week was awesome!  Yesterday we had a regional stake conference for all of Perù and all of Bolivia.  It was directed from Salt Lake City.  Elder Nash, Elder Soares, Elder Andersen and Hermana Esplin all spoke.  It was a good reminder for all the members here of what we need to do and the sacrifices we need to make to be able reach all the blessings of heaven. And it was fun to hear the Spanish of apostles.  Elder Nash spoke good.  Elder Soares did too - he is from Brasil, and Elder Andersen mas o menos.  But good for someone who served a mission speaking French.  Also Elder Juan A Uceda spoke.  He gave the members here 5 things they need to do.

1.  Put a picture of the temple in your house somewhere visible.

2.  Buy your temple clothes.

3.  Fill out the booklet of Mi familia. 

4.  Obtain and not let expire your recommend

5.  Go to the temple regularly.

This week I went on an interchange with an Elder from my district.  Elder Patiño.  It was great!  I was in his sector and we had a lot of success.  One thing is there is a convert from their sector and after he got baptized he fell in the Word of Wisdom.  So we found him and we dumped out the alcohol he had and took him back to his house.  We found him again in the morning and dumped it out again and went and bought him a little fruit juice instead.  But the thing that I learned from all of that is that Heavenly Father loves all of his children.  It doesn't matter who they are or what they do.  He loves all of them and we should to.

We had a joven in our ward who was accompanying us that is preparing to go on a mission.  We went and taught his friend and it was awesome.  We taught him and the spirit was so strong the whole entire time. He accepted a baptismal date for the 28 of November. So that will be such a good experience for this joven to baptize his friend before he leaves on the mission.  

The church is so true.  Every time I testify it is so clear that the church is true.  I love you all and hope you all have a great week.