Week 27

Buenas tardes from Alto Moche!! Clark, are your cheeks still chubs from getting your wisdom teeth taken out? Rex, your such a BOSS for having so many of your friends come to church!! Keep up your awesome job at all of your football games. I love all of the post-its you sent, especially the one with a weight and “no days off”. 

 Here`s how everyone`s doing:

Luis. Had a BOSS lesson with an incredible member last night and he bore such strong testimony. Luis just needs more confidence in members and that this church is different from any other, truly the Lord`s church restored on the earth. WE`re continuing to teach with a lot of variety of members so that he really feels like he knows the ward, can rely on them, and that they can help him with the challenges that he faces.

Eduardo. Still awesome, we gave him a tie from Elder Romney who went home. Mamma Transito`s doing well, not sure if she`s going to Chimbotu or not and making sure that she truly understands the doctrine cause she`s 80 and it just takes longer to grasp the principles of the gospel.

Adrian. HUGE break-thru, he came to church with us yesterday!!!!! He`s been taught by various sets of missionaries for quite awhile, but yesterday was the 1st time that he`s ever attended sacrament mtng!! Ahh it was bliss. Trying to get other youth his age to really reach out and be his friend.

Maria Mendoza. A little bit slower with learning, but we taught almost the whole family the word of wisdom and I think with some time and  parent`s permission, she`ll come thru and develop her own testimony.

This week, we`ve been going thru every name in the ward directory and trying to update it—esp. Since many of the names don`t live at the listed address or have died. Meeting and strengthening a LOT of less-actives and their families. I know that if we reach out and  look out for all of God`s children, he`ll bless us and we`ll be able to strengthen the ward and other`s relationships with God. It`s good to get to know more members and families and build a confidence and trust, that has been helping us with knowing more people that we can ask to accompany us for lessons. Its kinda funky, we can leave our area to visit less-actives, recent converts, and others that are in the ward. Consejo de barrio and coordinación misional are getting better and better, more communication with our ward missioary leader and the bishop. 

Unfortunately, our 2 main hnos. to accompany us to lessons are unavailable nowone left for his mission and the other moved for work. We`re already missing Jean Paul and Super Mario, as we call him. 

Man Spanish is really humbling. Right when I think that I`m starting to get it or make significant progress…psh yeah not really. Plus Peruvians are so blunt and open to just staring at me when I try to talk or ask a question, then look at my companion in order to understand what I just had barely said. Writing down all the words that I don`t know and just pleading in prayer for the ability to communicate with the spirit and to more fully understand what people are saying so that I can know how to best help them with what their struggling with.

Going along with Spanish, working on having more patience. Patience with myself, companion, the ward, investigators, and improving in general as a missionary. Man the mission is so HARD, but also unlike any other joy that I`ve ever been blessed to experience. 

 

Thanks to Rex`s package, I whipped up some dirt pudding dessert thing with gummies. 

 

The family really liked it! And I showed them the boy`s make it rain you tube video before we showed them a Mormon message. Haha I should show it to more families, its awesome to see all the boys and dad! Man I miss you all so badly sometimes. And the States.  It`s funny, Peru`s become my new home, but others make me feel like a complete stranger. Oh the cat-calls and yells of the few English words they know..never get old. But you know what does? RICE!! Aaaah man. Peruvian food`s alright, its just been a tad rough on my digestive system. 

My companion has talked about papusas, a typical dish in El Salvador for nearly the entire transfer and this week we finally made some! But ingredients here were different than El Salvador, so they turned out kinda weird. But I know how to make them! Plus we had Luis AND Adrian there, at a member`s home-which was incredible.

 

Oh I forgot! We got a senior couple in the mission and I sat next to them at the Multi-zone mtng that we had last week. Really nice and from Kaysville. I asked and they don`t know the sykes.

As a mission, we all fasted together this week for the physical and spiritual health of all the missionaries, la obra de salvacion, and our individual districts and areas. 

As a zone, we played an awesome game of futbol one morning in Moche and played a siick game of volley one morning at our chapel with Adrian!! So fun. Teaching them to use their HANDS for volleyball, haha kicking it is more natural I guess.

Well love you all lots and thank you very much for all of your encouragement, thoughts, and prayers. I really appreciate it!!