CONFERENCE

October 8, 2012

Hey everybody I sure hope you watched all of the conference sessions because I sure did. But for me the Saturday morning session was something special for me every talk had something to apply to an investigator or to my life. I sure hope that Brandon and Landon heard Russell M Nelson's talk the Saturday session and if not they should go watch it. Because there was something there for them. When he said that the decision to serve a mission will change the destiny of you, your spouse and your future family forever. I hope that you realize that this great decision you are making is the greatest decision of your entire life. Also in the Sunday morning session when elder Jeffery R Holland spoke about conversion. I applied it to missionary service. Now that we have been converted and have served the lord. We have changed our lives and the lives of others. There is no turning back. You cannot go back to where you were before. You have been too close to the lord and you have walked with him as his servant. We love the lord. And we have chosen our path and we cannot falter. I think Elder Oaks just destroyed the whole world with his talk Saturday he hit so many crucial points in our society and that was something that the world needed to hear. And among other things the conference was amazing. I watched the Saturday sessions in English with Elder Flores my zone leader who is going back to Tombstone, Arizona in less than a week. And we watched the last three sessions in Spanish.

We have one investigator who has a baptismal date for this Saturday named Luis Huancho. He is a single man living here in Moyobamba for work, who is originally from a small area in Iquitos called Nauta where my buddy Elder Price is. Anywho, he is progressing very fast and I’m exited to get him in the church he really wants to change his life and he is doing all possible to do so. We have two other investigators that are right on the edge of baptism, but just need to come to church once more. The people here are really good and not keeping commitments, but it's fine we are getting there. We are living in a huge apartment with the zone leaders and it is a lot better living with four than with two let me tell you. So Seth and Jenn think about that ha-ha ;)

I cannot believe that I forgot to say anything about dad’s birthday and Brandon’s soon after. I had it all written out ready to remember in my agenda and I left my agenda in the apartment because we were moving that day. Man did I feel bad ask my companion ha-ha. But you guys know I didn’t forget. But ya what did I always tell Brandon about his mission. That he is going to the Deep South! How nuts that you are going to be in Atlanta ha-ha and Seth and Jenn are moving there as well. And shoot dang when I come home in a year and a half guess what airport I’m going through... Atlanta! Ha-ha we should all just meet there and say what up to Brandon and then take Seth and Jenn home for a week when I finish my time here ha-ha but let’s coordinate that in a few more months ha-ha. But on the real that is going to be a great place for him if he can stay faithful and remember his purpose as a missionary. He is heading in there quick we are only going to have an 8 month difference which is nice! And since he is going English he will get one more transfer in the field than I will. Bro ya needs to start reading the bible. New Testament for sure man hahaha! You have no idea how happy I am to finally know where Black Magic is going. I would like to end with a quote I heard in the MTC. I don’t remember where or who but it is for Brandon and Landon


¨let the Holy Ghost help you decide how to serve, because you already know where¨


You might be exited or bummed about your call I didn’t know what to think when I read Perú but the lord knows you and the people you need to find. I cannot think of another place where I could serve. Study and get ready because you need to hit the ground running because those eighteen year olds are coming in hot ha-ha.

Read the conference talks again and study them. They are revelation from prophets and apostles. So that means they are scripture.

MOUNTAIN DEW AND LUAU

October 1, 2012


Well Monday we had a free P day. Because no one in the zone has money ha-ha everything is so much more expensive here and our area is humongous so we have to take motto taxi everywhere so we lose our money in like a week. But I found a Mountain Dew. And let’s just say I enjoyed it a little too much ha-ha I almost started to tear up a bit. I bought 3 and drank two and I’m sending the other to elder brown in the jungle ha-ha hopefully he gets it. Any who Tuesday was just a normal day not much. This week went by super fast and not much happened. But what was really fun is we had an activity in the church to try and get investigators and less active members to the chapel. We had a luau, it was an idea from my companion, he had done this activity in all of his areas and they were all a success. The party went well but we didn’t have much support from our branch president and not much organization from the leaders. It was all done last minute and could have been better, but nonetheless we had a good group of people. It’s just hard to grow as a branch when the president doesn’t support us in anything and is negative. Yesterday we did divisions as I got to go with the second counselor of the branch presidency. Who is maybe the only person who helps us ha-ha anyways we talked a lot about missions and how he wants to go on a mission with his wife this next year. And I was just thinking how cool it’s going to be once Bain graduates and dad gets called as mission president in Scotland ha-ha. Because dad would be a great mission president. But other than that we talked a lot about how we can get more united as a branch so we can start getting more families baptized and not just fill the chairs in the primary. Because if the branch is united and the presidency supports it that is when the real missionary work begins. Like Gordon B. Hinckley says. So we will have to see what happens these next few weeks. But we are moving today we are moving in with the zone leaders in a new house because we have been having problems with people stealing our electricity. So we are going to live in their area. Farther away ha-ha I don’t know how we are going to survive we barely have enough money living in our area. I’m going to write the president to hopefully raise our funds. Because living in the center of a huge city is expensive. So let’s just hope that everything goes off without a hitch. Conference is coming up this week and we are all exited here. My branch and the zone leader’s branch are watching conference together the other two branches father away are watching together. And Elder Anderson is watching in his new little branch because they are so far away. I’m sure I will be able to go to the other room and watch conference in English. Well I hope, but we will have to see. But not much happened this week just working our butts off to try and get someone to come to church let’s just hope that we either see the success from our labors or we learn the lessons we need to from this time of difficulty.

CAVES AND BATS

September 24, 2012

This week started off with a trip to the caves de Palistina and there were bats and a underground river and this crazy type of bird that lives only in the caves of South America that fly like bats and use echo location. So that was cool. It’s like a missionary, when you are lost in the dark, just start talking to someone and something will bounce back and you can figure out where you are and then baptize them ha-ha!
On Tuesday we had our district meeting and we learned a lot about how to always be worried about the well being of our companions and then our investigators so we can work in more union in order to be more successful as a companionship. It was something that my companion and I needed to hear and we are becoming more like friends, but we still have a ways to go.
On Wednesday we went to Soritor, which is the new area in Moyobamba where my buddy Elder Anderson is serving. We went to help get the walls ready to be painted in their new house chapel. Which is humongous and they have the giant apartment above which is brand spanking new which the church pays for so let’s just say I’m super jealous of Mister Anderson ha-ha, but nonetheless it was fun sanding down the concrete walls with the zone.
 I was sick everyday this entire week and Thursday was no exception our zone leaders had to come and check on me with my stomach bacterial infection. After we talked to Hermana Blunck and I bought some antibiotics we had a little companionship inventory with the zone leaders and my companion and I got a lot of things off our chests. I think now we are working a little bit better together so hopefully we can keep it up and get some more baptisms.
On Friday we took our 3 hour bus ride as a zone to Tarapoto for a training with the president and I met a sister missionary named Hermana Bowles who served in my area 2 months before I got there who knows Bree. She went to Orem and told me that she heard that Bree's little brother was coming to the mission and I got to meet her so that was a cool thing. The training was really great besides the fact I was half dead sick. But I learned a lot about how to study better in my personal study and how to focus more on the investigators needs in my studies.
On Saturday we had a baptism! Kaira Ivon Piva Pasapera, who is ten years old. It was a surprise for me that she actually chose me to baptize her so that was a fun experience. Her father is a member but isn't active and her older brother as well. We have plans to get her mother and her father married in order to baptize her mother who really wants to be baptized as well.
On Sunday I felt tons better and a few of our investigators came to church so it was a successful day. We then did divisions like always to find more people. I was a little frustrated because a few of the members that told us they could go out tracting with us fell through, but nonetheless we found some families and some men that want to get baptized. So I’m hoping I can get back those baptisms here that I lost in Magnolias. I still haven’t heard from Elder Cruz about the other area, but I’m sure he got all the baptisms we had planned.
                I really loved the package I think that is what got me feeling better more than anything was a little bit of American food. I can’t wait for that awesome Christmas package that everyone keeps talking about. Ha-ha you all better get ready for conference because it’s going to be a good one. Watch out for blood sucking ants. And deadly hornets... o wait they are only here in the Amazon jungle. Ha-ha don’t worry then. The church is true.
--

WEEK TWO IN MOYOBAMBA

September 17, 2012

Week two in Moyobamba
This week started off with a BBQ with the zone which was a good start. We played some soccer in the Capilla, Elder Anderson, Elder Kenn from Woodscross and I. Tuesday we have our district meeting in Rioja which is like an half hour drive. Everyone is a good while away except for my area which is right next to the zone leaders. We have all been going to the gym and getting yoked my comp and the zone leaders, but mostly it’s just me getting yoked. It’s really hot here but it rains in the afternoon sometimes and they tell me it is going to start raining more here soon! I am also teaching English on Friday nights at 7:30 so that’s fun, super hard, but fun ha-ha. On Wednesday we called the district leader to give him the numbers and we realized that we had like 20 contacts. It was a for sure emergency so we did some divisions I left with Christian, who is a return missionary from Chiclayo, who served in Colombia. We started contacting like nuts! I was killing the Spanish and contacting like a mad man, but we couldn't get into a house. But lo and behold a family of Seventh-day Adventist let us in. I already knew why they wanted us to come in, they wanted to burn us about our religion because it was Saturday. But I was like whatever I don’t even care, bring it punk! Any who we prayed and taught and it was all good but there was a 80 year old man in a wheel chair who hadn't said a word who stopped me and said, ¨Excuse me, but I have read the bible 4 times completely and there is not a single place in the bible that says that the Sabbath day is Sunday, and if a church worships on Sunday they are a church of the devil!!.¨ He was getting very upset and I thought he was going to have a heart attack, but I calmed him down and opened my bible. I said, ¨If I can find a scripture that says that the Sabbath day is Sunday, will you guys let us come back and teach you guys again…¨ They said yes, very confident that we couldn't find one.  I opened up the bible of the grandpa and we turned to Leviticus 23:39 in the Old Testament. That says very clearly that the Sabbath day is the first day of the week and the 8th day of the week. Which happens to be Sunday. So let’s just say the rest of the lesson was pretty quiet and the prayer was pretty reverent ha-ha. They wouldn't let us come in Sunday afternoon ha-ha, I think I hurt their feelings. Christian was blown away with my scripture and I was too, ha-ha because I had only read that scripture once before, but it came to me right when I needed it. We did get all of our contacts, but we still can’t get our investigators to come to church before the sacrament. It is killing our numbers. But other than that, and a little stomach sickness everything is super great. It’s hot but I’m teaching better than before my companion is super direct, but he is great.

It was great to hear about Brandon and Landon. Make sure I’m the first person to know where Brandon is going.

Ciao from the jungles of Peru

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE - MOYOBAMBA

September 10, 2012

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE


Hey everybody, well I’m in the jungle in a area called BELEN in the zone MOYOBAMBA. My companion is Elder Castro from Lima and he was companion's with Elder Cifunetes my trainer and we have a lot of fun making fun of him. Every one of the gringos in my group is in the jungle, Brown and Geiting are in Iquitos and Price went there as well this change. Elder Stringham is in Pucallpa and Elder Anderson and I are now in Moyobamba. Elder Anderson and I traveled by plane to Tarapoto and from there the district leader in Tarapoto took us to a taxi station where we had a three hour taxi ride which was horrible, but the scenery was beautiful! Moyobamba is super junglely, but the area I’m in is right in the center of the city so it’s pretty rich ha-ha. There are more stores and stuff then in my area in Lima. The zone leaders are in the other zone in the city and all the other elders are in far off areas. Elder Anderson is in an area that just got opened up and they have about 40 members so he is going to be baptizing like a mad man. He is the first gringo to go to this area. All of the wards are branches and they are hoping by the end of this year to be a stake with wards. So if we get two more baptisms we will have as enough people needed for a ward here in Belen. This is elder Castors fifth change here so I’m sure he will be going this next change. So I’m trying really hard to learn the area so I can direct it next change.

After I met my companion we went and taught some families. The people here are super nice and it is easy to get in the houses especially when you have blue eyes ha-ha, but the hard part is finding the people a second time and to get them to come to church. But my apartment is pretty nice but we are thinking about moving to a different apartment because the guy we pay wants more money and we're like heck no ha-ha. There are bananas everywhere and we eat them at every meal. There are bats. Don’t worry I picked up a dead one. Ha-ha, I don’t want to get bit and get rabies. But there are parrots in the houses and huge bugs, its nuts. We were teaching this family and this girl took the diaper off her baby girl and sat her on her lap and the baby peed on the floor, on command. After the lady put the diaper back on and me and my companion with our eyes wide open and jaw to the ground. The lady said... yea I taught her that. Ha-ha it was something really weird, but pretty cool at the same time ha-ha dog training your children. On Sunday I gave a surprise talk in the sacrament meeting. So that was fun, but it was super easy. My Spanish is getting a lot better I just need to simplify my lessons because the people here learn a tad bit slower. The jungle is awesome it rains every day. You can see the stars. Everyone drives motorcycles. You can breathe the fresh air. And the only thing you can hear at night is the frogs and the thunder. Now I know why all the missionaries love the jungle so much more than Lima.

Only Sy would think it was a good idea to pick up a bat, not sure it is better that it is dead or not!!

MOVING TO THE JUNGLE

September 3, 2012

Hey everybody

Guess who has more tan 6 months in the mission... this guy!

Well I burned my tie for my 6 month day but the video I took is way too big to send so you will just have to wait. Ha-ha, but other than that this week was pretty cool we went to the center of Lima this last Monday and I bought a ton more gifts ha-ha like always. I saw some sweet Peruvian fabric high tops that I was going to get for Bainyboo, but I decided not to because I would have to lug them around for the next 18 months. But I will buy them later in my mission.  We also went to this crazy Catholic Church were they had catacombs underneath so I snuck a photo of that. So I hope you like it because I totally broke the rules ha-ha. I just found out I’m going to the jungle like two seconds ago. So I won’t be getting my baptisms this next month, I won’t be getting 8/4/2... I’m a little bit pissed. We had three families to get baptized and married this next month... but I won’t be…. But other than that. We had a meeting with Elder Christofferson this week so that was pretty awesome. I saw Elder Harrison Custer there so that was a great surprise I was looking like a hawk for Elder Brasher, but I couldn't find him. They sent the CCM missionaries out before I could see him. But it’s all whatever. I had an almost three day work-visit with Elder Harris, Monday Tuesday and part of Wednesday. Then he came and planned with us on Thursday because his companion is ending his mission and had to go to the offices. Then Friday we had the meeting with all the missions in Lima then Saturday we went to the bank. Then on Sunday he came to my ward with the stake Sunday School President! Ha-ha it was hilarious to see him every day and you know he tried as hard as he could to do so.

Hey mom I need you to do some work. I need to myldsmail accounts for these buddies

Brennan Adamson

Landon (when he leaves)

Peter Molnar

And some others ha-ha I can’t really think I’m kind of distraught with the news. I’m really sad, but I’m also really excited. I don’t know what to think let’s just hope I got to Iquitos so I can see Brown. Hah

I’ll write more next week love you all ciao!

God knows where we need to be. This is a big trail of my faith. He knows better than I do.

-- 

FUTBOL

August 27, 2012

So this week started off with a good old futbol game with Wiesse and we were getting killed. So I was like put me in goal and we started murdering and we ended up winning 7 to 3. Wiesse has 3 more companionships than we do and we still won yaeeer!! And my zone leader rode a llama. Any who later that night we got a call and my companion had to go to immigration with the new gringo in the district so we woke up at 5 to get him to the stake center to get those fools on a bus. So I played Ping-Pong with the zone leaders and the other elder that morning and I had bought a sweet awesome Ping-Pong paddle on Monday at a supermarket so needless to say I drew all over it and made it look sweet! With a straight up wolf on one side so ya it was pretty chill. And that day I went to Bayovar with the other elder and now I know every single area in the zone and every single pension and every single apartment… so that's pretty cool. We ate some delicious pollo ala brasa on Sunday like always so that made everything nice.


We now have two complete families that are getting ready to get married and baptized in September and if that goes down we will accomplish the mission goal of 8/4/2 and it will be the first time it has been made in the area and we both combined have a year in the mission, so that’s super cool. The zone leader just told me that with the numbers we have right now, every single companionship can get 8/4/2 in September. If that happens it will be the first time in HISTORY that a complete zone accomplished the mission goal... So let’s just say I’m going to be super obedient this next month ha-ha. So we pretty much find new families every single day and we found a family that just moved from Chile who I think Elder Jesperson was teaching. Because they said they were being taught by a Peruvian and a North American from Utah who looks kind of like me. And the same body size. But they couldn't remember his name, but they said something that ended in son… so I was like what!?!?!? Any who.


I tell all my investigators to look up my brother Seth on Facebook so they can talk to him in Spanish, so sorry if you start getting a lot of random Peruvians as friend’s ha-ha.


Peanut butter and jelly.