TIOYACU - ALLIGATOR

November 12, 2012

Monday Tioyacu!!! Tioyacu is a tourist attraction that we went to which has like a ton of fresh water pools to swim in... But we didn’t go swimming. Aalso there are a lot of cool areas to take pictures so it was nice to go see some sights. We then had a barbecue which was delicious. I found an alligator named Hank that a took a picture with, which was enjoyable. After returning home we took a nap and then went to work like normal. Then that night the whole zone came to the house to sleep because we were going to Tarapoto the next day bright and early for a training with the President. So needless to say me and Brown and the other gringos stayed up all night talking in English and making the Latins angry. The training in Tarapoto was all about using the doctrine of Christ to protect the baptismal dates, which is something I need to utilize more in my area because our dates keep falling. Also we talked a lot about strengthening the branches and wards. Which I feel also was directed towards me because my branch is now down to less than 45 in the chapel. We are trying real hard to fix all the years of problems in this branch. But that night my companion and I found a complete family of 5 that also have 2 older sons. Which was a nice blessing. On Wednesday as we were searching for inactive members we realized that almost all of them have moved away. My area has had the church for almost 20 years now and the directory has never been revised haha. Its OK because through our searching we are finding families and learning the area more. So we found 2 more families on Wednesday so we are focusing a lot on the families which is the goal of the mission so I hope that through our efforts to focus on these families we will be blessed and get them baptized.

Friday was my companion's birthday so that was fun eating the cake from Hermana Blunck and smacking a egg on his head before we ate our rotisserie chicken. Then the next day happened to be Elder Cruz’s birthday so with the zone leader's phone I called my Mexican taco and wished him a happy birthday and learned that he did baptize the three families I left in Lima so that was a little birthday gift for me. On Saturday we searched for everyone of the investigators and found a few. We found a natural spring in our area that has pure water which was tasty. Then came Sunday, Seth's birthday which I hope was wonderful, and being that is was the 2nd Sunday of the month we as missionaries had our talks to give. As I talked about membership support in the missionary work many eyes lighted up and through the talked about references that my companion gave the few members that were there in the chapel started to offer their help. I hope that they will continue with this excitement for the work. Not a single investigator came to church so we will not be baptizing this change, but we plan on having a lot in the water in November. In the afternoon we taught a man named Gerges who is the husband of a very active member. He has rejected the missionaries all his life and has recently started listening to his wife. So I bolted over there with the Restoration movie that he wanted to see. And we taught. This man was so strong in his beliefs he would not hear a word he was talking nothing more than blasphemy and me and my companion bore the strongest most power testimonies in this world and through this man's own agency he chose to deny it. I was so heart broken. All of the prayers and the words. But I know that through that same agency he will one day accept Joseph Smith as a prophet and come to the truth. We do not convert people the spirit does. Our job as missionaries is to teach and to invite them to know for themselves and if we do that then we have done all we can do and the rest is for the will of the lord.

HOSPITAL IN PERU

 November 5, 2012

So Monday we were going to go on a cool nature hike but we didn’t because we didn’t get our baptism goal so me and my household made completos. Yes like the video on Kid History. The hot dogs are called
completos here in Peru so that was a great surprise and they were delicious. We enjoyed a lovely P-day taking naps. Tuesday was a normal day, but I woke up with the strangest headache. District meeting was
difficult to get through, I was feeling very sick. And Halloween was no different, we went on divisions that day and I went to the zone leader's area with the new zone leader feeling worse than ever. We somehow
managed to get 6 lessons which was awesome. I think because I felt so sick I tried as hard as I could to focus on the lesson so the day would go by faster and I ended up teaching better than normal. But
with the constant migraine that had not yet ceased to haunt me and the rising fever we decided we would go to the hospital and after I fainted when they took way too much blood they told me I have a blood
infection (which I don’t believe because they suck at taking blood). So they gave me a ton of pills and I rested for like 2 day and watched a lot of church movies. So I felt fine and worked on Saturday and
Sunday and I climbed a tree which was fun well I hope these pictures get through if not I’m sorry. This letter is so small I had a problem getting the pages loaded so ill write more next week so hopefully I will
actually not be bedridden this week so I can get some stuff done. Nils couldn't make it to church because of his schooling, but we still got to teach him a few times so that’s good. He is progressing so very fast we just
need to find a way to get his bum to church he wants to go but cant. It’s always like that the ones who can come to church don’t and the ones who can’t come to church want to. o geez
Don’t drink the water.

DRAWING OF ZONE

October 29, 2012

Well Monday started off with a relaxing P- day with hamburgers and Mormon movies in the chapel with the zone. Me and Brown and Anderson left to go search for mountain dew like always. Then after we decide what we would do for the rest of the transfer and I was given the responsibility to design the zone shirts and with the counsel of my zone leader (who wouldn’t let me do anything cool) we have a design ha-ha. So Tuesday in district meeting I took a photo of the zone and drew ourselves for the backs of the shirts I'm hoping it will look good on them but we will have to see in a few weeks when the shirts are printed (if we can find a place cheap enough to do so). Anyways after a long Monday night of playing phase ten we decide to play phase ten again on Tuesday. I still have only lost once in the 6 games we have played let’s just say my zone leader wasn’t prepared for the years and years of Lake Powell training that I have at phase ten. Wednesday we did service in this ladies house in the other branch and we moved a humongous stack of bricks in the pouring rain and mud. I had a great time, but the other elders didn’t ha-ha. I found a salamander and it bit my ear but the picture is on a different elder’s camera. So Thursday work visit with my district leader we walked the whole day so he could realize how giant my area is and how difficult it is to find people, let’s just say he got the message ha-ha. So low and behold we get home that night and guess who the zone leader is doing a work visit with… yea Elder Brown so we all played phase ten and I won on the tenth phase by points ha-ha it was a close one but yea clutch no big deal. Then Friday my companion gets sick. He has an internal fever from the food and we got to take a day off. So I practically read the whole New Testament while we tried getting his fever down. Saturday we left and tried visiting all of the investigators that just might come to church, only found one. Dang it is said we have tons of baptismal dates, but we can find anyone to remind them and to excite them to come to church. Let’s just see what happens tomorrow. Sunday morning we are late to the church ha-ha took a long shower. So we get in the chapel and Marisol Vera is sitting with a member her 3 kids weren’t with her but hey she was. Then we were like dang that’s sweet and right at that moment mister Nils Alacin walked in with his backpack on without fear. Nils is a 19 year old kid who I found on a work visit with my zone leader. This kid is more prepared than anyone I have met in the mission. The kid always reads the pamphlets and he is always at home when we have appointments and when he can’t make an appointment he calls us and re-schedules. The kid's questions are always about the next lesson and I think this kid will be a missionary. So I was pretty pumped on Sunday after a week were no one was in thier house. So this week we are all healthy and the zone has baptismal dates. In October we didn’t make the goal, but November we have the potential of surpassing it.

Realize the little miracles in your lives every day. God is a God of miracles. He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. He cannot change or He would cease to be God. Pray for miracles, pray to recognize them in your lives. Ask and ye shall receive knock and it shall be opened unto you.--

NEW COMPANION - ELDER BUSTOS

October 22, 2012

New change.

So Monday we were three me, Elder Castro, and Elder Casteñeda. So Elder Castro left with a member after the P-day internet to say goodbye to all the people he wanted, so me and Elder Casteñeda had some nice peace and quiet for a change. We went and got some sea food and took a nice nap then left the house to proselyte. So P-day was pretty nice so we got home and Elder Castro wasn’t there, it got to 9:30 and he still wasn’t there, it got to 9:50 and he wasn’t there. We were about to call the assistant when he walked through the door with hamburgers… so my zone leader yelled at him and said all that he needed to say, then we all ate hamburgers. My companion and I stayed up all night packing his suitcase. He couldn’t fit all of his stuff so we had to make a few boxes that the zone leaders are going to send to Lima. Well Tuesday morning. Peace out Castro. So I’m in a trio with the zone leader and Elder Robles. So we have a district meeting hangout a bit and eat lunch. Start proselyting in my area and I’m lost ha-ha. We pick up my companion and the new zone leader at about 2, my companion is Elder Bustos from Chile. He is super chill nothing like my old companion and we are getting along great, but I’m still lost in the area. So we are like where is Elder Brown, he didn’t show up with them. So we went contacting because all of my appointments fell and we went to the taxi station to wait for him at 6. We waited and waited. I also had Elder Brown's tie on which was a nice touch. And it got to 8:30 and he wasn’t there. So we called the zone leader and they called the other zone and they said he left at like 8 from Tarapoto which is where the airport is. Which is 3 hours away? So we headed home planned and waited for Elder Brown. The zone leaders left and picked him up and he obviously couldn’t go back to his area at this late hour soo shoot dang he and his companion need to sleep in our huge apartment!. So let’s just say that I and Elder Brown had a good night talking about all types of things.

So me and my companion hit the ground running we have the spirit and we are both lost in the area. So we contacted and found so many awesome people I’m teaching so much better than before it is so much easier to teach when you like your companion and you have the responsibility or directing the area. Elder Bustos has 18 months in the mission he is in the same group as my last companion. He reminds me a lot of Taylor Wilkins so that’s pretty cool Bree. We get along well and we will see if we can change this area because from what I see we are going to do some good work here.

Friday, the assistants came to Moyobamba and stayed with us for two days because we had our interviews with the President so we bought pizza 2 days in a row and it was delicious, but I’m all out of money for the month ha-ha and the assistants owe me some green. But the interview was great. Right now I and my companion are focusing a lot of our efforts on finding inactive members. Not just asking the active members for references but asking them to help us find inactive members because if we can reactivate a family we will also find someone in the house or in that family that isn’t a member. So we are trying hard to work harder with the members so we can grow as a branch and become a ward.

On Sunday we had district conference and the chapel in Rioja was packed full of people it was nice to hear from the mission presidency and to see the entire district united. Elder Anderson and his area just officially became a branch yesterday so that’s exiting they now have a branch presidency his companion is the 2nd counselor and Elder Anderson is the secretary to the branch so that’s something kind of nuts.

Our zone has 4 missionaries that all started the same day. Me, Brown, Anderson, and Amaya our whole zone is young new and pumped to go. This area is going to change and we are going to be on the top of the mission every elder here has a past of success in areas that didn’t baptized so we are all here to change this zone. Everyone says that Moyobamba is the hardest to baptize. That might be true. But that’s why he put all these studs here.

A buddy of mine recently referred to a scripture in his farewell talk, ¨many are called but few are chosen¨ we are the missionaries that were saved for this time on earth because we are the most powerful we need to live up to the millions of years of training that we have.

All you missionaries that are about to leave on your mission. Know that God loved you so much and trusted you so much that he saved you for this time. The time when the world is the most corrupt. Make your Father in Heaven proud.

























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EATING ANTS

October 15, 2012

Well everybody my first change in the jungle is over and man did it go by fast. Man was it hard and man is I grateful for it. We just heard the transfers and my companion is going back to Lima and I am getting my new companion on Tuesday. My zone leader Elder Flores, just ended his mission and is leaving for Arizona today so my companion will not be traveling alone. But there is a nice little surprise there is a third person coming to Moyobamba my best buddy in the entire mission Elder Clinton Wayne Brown is coming to Moyobama! So Brown, Anderson and I will be here together for quite some time I believe. And o man did it not come at a better time, man am I scared to direct this area ha-ha. I barely know it myself, but hey the last time that happened I got a ton of baptisms, so let’s just see what happens. And right as my companion and I were figuring things out we get changed. But hey that’s what companions are for. To learn the things you need to change, then change them, then teach better, and be a better missionary.

OK let’s talk about what happened this week because there is a pretty big miracle inside.

Monday BBQ for Elder Flores. Then it started to pour a huge jungle storm and us gringos and a few of the Latin’s played soaking wet soccer which was magical ha-ha. Tuesday district meeting tons of new rules so tons of new changes in the house so that’s good, gots to be obedient. Wednesday we teach Luiz and verify his baptismal date. Perfect he is ready. Baptism nice. Two weeks of teaching prepared by the lord, ready! But Wednesday night. Phone call. Luiz lost his job. He is moving to a different part for work because he cannot pay his rent he has two days to find work or leave. We search search ask ask and we find a few options for him to work. But he moved. To work with his buddy. But he had his interview and he committed to be baptized. Thursday night. Rat in the house. But we can’t find it. I saw it but it disappeared ha-ha. Friday can’t find Luiz. Discouraged searching praying fasting. Everything we can do. We made peanut butter with my pension; I toasted the peanuts and ground them up myself in the grainer. O heavens was it delicious. A great way to end a fast. Saturday, scared, tired don’t know what to think. We ask our pensionist´s husband (the buddy of Luiz whose is going to do the baptism) if he would go looking for Luiz in the area where he lives. Because he knows who it is he is working with. So we trusted the lord and went to the church. But we can’t get a hold of Luiz his phone is off. We can’t get into the church because no one has the keys. We walk to the pension’s house to see if they found him. And we were walking sad and lost. When we see Luiz and the pension's family driving to the church. We turn right around and start running with big smiles on our faces we get to the church, the keys are there and we get him baptized. Jose the penionsita's husband was so excited to baptize him. He had been preparing all week to do so. It was something special. I’m not going to lie I didn’t think we were going to get him baptized I doubted my faith. But when you are at your most vulnerable that is when the things happen that strengthen your faith. All we have to do is be obedient and have faith and we will be blessed. The gospel is so simple. It’s not all large epistles and fancy words. Its love the Lord. Keep the commandments and receive blessings. Nothing more. Then after the baptism we went back to the pension and ate ormigas (giant ants). The ants live below the earth and only come up in October when it rains a lot. They are a delicacy and o my were they good. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t eat it myself, but they were actually very tasty. They sell them for ten soles for a little bag. So everyone just hunts their own. I crave them now ha-ha. Elder Flores left Sunday morning after church and I have been in a trio with my companion and my other zone leader. The new zone leader is an Argentinean so I will be in my apartment as the lone gringo ha-ha my Spanish is going to get good ha-ha.

I’ve restarted the book of Mormon over and 1 Nephi is all about overcoming trials, being obedient, and trusting the Lord. I encourage all of you to read 1st Nephi and study chapter for chapter there is so much doctrine in the beginning of the Book of Mormon because it is what the people read most.

I pray that I will be able to direct this area. The other zone leader and I have only one change here so we are just going to start it all over and change this zone. I am so grateful for your prayers and they are getting through, I see those blessings every day I love you all

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.