How Firm is Your Foundation?!

Monday after we wrote home and everything, we traveled back to San Ramon and I cut my hair. We then played Risk in our room. We went to this little restaurant called Oxon after our game. This business is owned by a lady from Britain. She speaks perfect English, but with the accent of course. I ate an amazing fudge brownie covered in ice-cream and hot fudge. It was just like home. Tuesday we honestly just worked. I gave district training on personal conversion and then went to work all day.

Honestly Wednesday and Thursday were two full days of hard work. We knocked a lot of doors and had a lot of meetings with new people. It has been very hot. The best thing is coming in after a full day in the heat and taking a cold shower. Thursday we visited some young men with Hermano Rios (young men’s president and our landlord) and Hermano Moya (1^st counselor and really cool). It was nice to see them out and about. Their involvement makes a huge difference!

Friday was a day filled with a few lessons and lots of contacting. I am really trying hard to find new investigators in the area right now. We have a lot of meetings the next few days so we will see how that all goes and how many people are actually going to progress. Friday night we also played volleyball. Saturday we found 3 new investigators. They are a family with a grandma and her daughter and then a daughter of the grandma’s daughter. I will keep you updated on them. We also did service again for the Espinoza family where we erected a wall inside their house with wood and clay bricks. Good old Peru. But it turned out well and it’s going to help them out a lot!

Sunday we had an attendance of 153. It was AWESOME!! It’s because the leaders are doing their visits. For example, last week there were 4 young men that attended and this Sunday there were 14. I also gave a talk about hastening the Lord’s work. I talked about the sons of Mosiah a little and how there are different kinds of missionary work. We found 3 new investigators on Sunday as well. Now the only thing to do is see if they are really interested.

Today we are going to go to that restaurant again and play Risk, I think. Maybe we will play some basketball. Not much happened this week. So I know for a fact that my companion is going to leave at the end of this transfer. so that puts me here at least until the beginning of December. But I love this place so I don’t mind. My comp is doing really well and is learning a ton and is loving this life.

We are in a new internet place this week and it is working awesome. I think I am going to be able to send recordings and more photos next week! I love and miss you all so very much. Thanks for everything and I will talk to you guys again soon!

"Who Wouldn't Love This Life?!"

Hey guys! Monday I picked up my companion. His name is Elder Barahona. He is not set apart as a missionary but prefers to be called Elder. He is 24 and is from a part of Huancayo called San Carlos. He was baptized when he was 10 but went inactive for 10 years. He recently was rescued six months ago because he had found a lot of problems in his inactive life and wanted to be better. He lives in Huancayo with his little sister while the rest of his family lives in Lima. He has studied 4 years of architecture and has one to go. He has decided to serve a mission because he doesn’t want to lose the opportunity. He is a really good guy. We went to the “el Tirol” waterfall because it’s easy and the new people wanted to see a waterfall. Tuesday I gave training on miracles and then had a good day of work.

Wednesday was a productive day. I received a call and got the news that the Hermana’s pension’s daughter wanted me to baptize her on Saturday. So that was fun. I also had the chance to give a blessing to the mother in law of the Hermana’s pension. She has cancer and is heading to Lima for a more powerful treatment. It was a cool blessing. We put a baptismal date for Jersy and his little brother, Kevin. They are really excited and I hope they keep these desires to continue learning. The date we put is the 17th of October. Thursday we did a service project for Hermano Wanambal (Jose) and his family. Jose is actually a returned missionary from Chiclayo. He served here in San Ramon as well which is kind of cool and met his wife during his mission (not so cool) then after the mission he came back for her. The service we did was scrape old paint and debris off his house and then poured some concrete to make a sidewalk outside his home. We had a normal day after that except at 8 pm I had to go pick up a missionary in La Merced. His name is Elder Hernandez from Mesa. He went to Westwood High School I guess. He had gone to Lima for migraciones and I had to go pick him up in the terminal when he was making his way back to Pichanaki, his area. He crashed with us for a night and then Friday we traveled to La Merced and sent him off to his area.

Friday we had some pretty decent success—five lessons and two new investigators. We found a SWEET family that I think is going to progress really well. They live in a little pueblo named Huacara, outside of San Ramon. The dad’s name is Fernando and the mom is Mercedes. They have been married 8 years and have six children. They are very, very poor... but seriously are such happy people. Fernando was like asking us how long we would be visiting them and told us that he didn’t want us to ever leave because we are like family. We had been there only fifteen minutes! It was a miracle to find this family honestly. Saturday I baptized Grisell Almendra Marquez Solis. Who is the daughter of the pension of the sisters. She also turned eight on he same day of her baptism. Which was cool she was of course terrified of the water. She cried coming out of the water and hugged me for like 10 minutes until I had to basically drag/carry her out of the font because she was so cold and scared. Her parents are members but her dad was not able to baptize her at this moment in time... after she was all dry she bore her testimony and said she felt a strong power and feels clean.

Sunday we had an assistance of 136 people. We had various less actives there and one investigator, the wife of Jose Wanambal. All in all it has been a good week. I am happy and working hard with my new companion. He is learning a ton and loves the life as a missionary. But let’s be honest... who wouldn’t love this life?!

I love and miss you guys a ton. I will talk to you guys again soon!

Room Inspections? Rats!

Monday we played basketball with those drug lord dudes and that’s basically it. Tuesday I received the news about my new companion.  I am going to be with a mini missionary from Huancayo. He is 25, I think. I am basically training someone who is going to leave on a mission but has not been to the MTC or anything. I am kind of learning not to care about transfers, but he is getting here today (the 14th) about noon. I have been in a trio with Elder Garcia and Bell all this last week in La Merced.

Wednesday we had to get everyone shipped off to their areas for transfers. Elder Bell is the new companion of Garcia and is doing well. Thursday we did a Service for the Espinoza family where we tore off their roof of calamina. It’s like a sheet metal roof. I also had a room inspection by President Henderson, Hna Hendersen, and the assistants. They are going around the whole mission checking everyone’s rooms.  Everything went well! Afterwards, we got to ride in Presidents car while we were heading to La Merced to check the other rooms. It had air conditioning and everything! It felt amazing! Later that afternoon I was able to actually work in my area with Elder John and Gutierrez, the assistants. It was fun and then we all went to this burger place called La Casa de Allen.

Friday and Saturday honestly nothing happened. Just went back and forth to San Ramon to try and get a little work done in my area while working here in La Merced. So, Saturday at night while we were planning, everything was normal when all of a sudden something happened. We were just sitting there when out of nowhere I saw this black thing out of the corner of my eye run under our desks. We all jumped up—it was a giant RAT! Elder Garcia had boots in the room so he threw them on and smashed its brains out. However during the process the rat ran behind boxes of pamphlets and got lost a couple of times. The sucker was like mega fast. Our room was filled with Latin’s screaming (because we had the elders from Oxapampa with us during that time) and a bloody floor.

This weekend was also stake conference for us. It was pretty boring but a lot of people came. President talked in every session. Sunday morning we had to help him act out a good Ward Council meeting and a bad one for his talk. It was me, Elders Bell and Garcia and the assistants. It was pretty funny. President was like cracking jokes and said I was the relief society president and John was the primary president. He told everyone that he hopes they have better looking relief society presidents. None of the people I am teaching came, because I haven’t been there, but this week will be better.

I am going to get my companion at 12 and then we are going to El Tirol again because everyone here is basically new. Hermana Medina in my district is training a girl from Arequipa and Hermana Paez left to Huancayo and now Hermana Brigman from Kansas is here with Hermana Asto. I am so happy that everything is going well for everyone. You have no idea how proud I am of all you. Dane is going to be just fine with friends as well as Rachel with her new math. it sounds like Kenna is just having the dream senior year and I am very proud of her. I hope the chocolate factory does really well for you guys and you guys receive the revelation necessary for our family. I will talk to you guys again next week. I love and miss you all more than you know! Talk to you guys again soon!

Farewell Father!

Monday we went to El Recreo Tirol and we had a lunch of chicken and french fries with Inca Kola. We played volleyball and cards for a bit. We then just kinda chilled and talked. Tuesday we did a ton of contacting because we didn’t have a guy to come with us to our meetings, so we couldn’t visit the girl investigators we had in our agendas. The rule of not being able to visit ladies alone sucks sometimes but the rule is there for a reason.

Elders: Toomer, Durante, Garcia, Torres--Hermanas: Paez, Asto, Medina, Olsen

Wednesday we had an alright day. We had like 4 meetings and they were all really good. I tried what is called Cebiche. We have a rule here in the mission that we can’t eat it, but when it is your last week in the mission you are allowed to, or if your companion is going home you can as well. So I got to try it! The only benefit of killing someone, haha. We ate it in our pension Wednesday and then at El Recreo Tirol on Thursday, which was much better! Thursday we had like a going away party for Torres in the church with members. It was a pretty fun time. The ward here is seriously awesome with the missionaries.

Friday we had a couple lessons but it was Torres’ last day and he wanted to say goodbye to some members. Guess what! On Friday I finished that black journal I brought for the mission. Now I am writing in another one. Saturday we had a last minute zone training. We learned about pride and the crap that can happen if we are prideful. At like 3:00 Torres left to Huancayo to begin his journey home...I went to La Merced to be with Garcia because his companion (Elder Toomer) is also going home—actually to Wyoming! Sunday I traveled to San Ramon ALONE to go to my sacrament meeting and then headed back to La Merced for the rest of the day. However we went back to San Ramon for my ward council at 6:00. Today we are going to play a pickup basketball game with some drug lords we found on the street yesterday while we were proselyting.

A scripture I like right now is D&C 98: 12-15