Mission Week 59, Areqiupa Mission Office

Wooohoooo! Way to go Jake. I have been praying a lot for him. I sure do miss them a bunch. That is great to hear that Madison did well in her 800. I was always terrible at track and cross country.... I guess I was to lazy... Today is going to be a great day. Finishing off one of the best weeks in my mission. This week we have struggled to get into the doors of investigators but the members have opened up to us like never before. We were having lots of success on our own but now our focus is on the members. Helping them have spiritual experiences with their family members and their friends because it is extremely selfish of us not to invite them to participate. This week we had a lesson with the family Damiani, they are all members but some are not super active, However, they have two daughters who never stop sharing the gospel. Louisa is an amazing example of someone who does everything she can. She no longer sees but that does not darken her day. She enjoys teaching a primary class every single Sunday and always shares her testimony in every moment. She is constantly telling jokes and lightening the mood of all those who are close to her. I hope that one day I will be able to say that I will be able to develop and share the Hope and Joy that she has. Louisa has a little sister who has always been more of a shy person. This last Sunday she gave a talk and shared her mission call and took the whole world by surprise. She is determined to help her friends know the gospel before she leaves.

 

There is another Family that I need to tell you about. It is the Family of Karla Pacheco. Karla is the one of the strongest converts I have ever met and that is saying a lot because Umacollo is FULL of amazing converts. She and her son are members and they have not missed a single day of church since they got baptized. They are amazing examples for the siblings and parents. The assistants are teaching the family but hermana Karla always asks that the four of us go to the family home evenings and we always have an amazing time. They are the ones who own the farm and they have given me the nickname José Maria. The nickname comes from the father of the family who says I look like his cousin. He has offered the keys to his farm house to me many times saying "Stay here and work for me on my farm and you will live great" The Family says that they are going to adopt me, Especialy the Hermana Claudia and Mama Amparo. They are so close its going to be hard to leave them. Today we are going to go visit the farm but it will be very different because it will be my last time going to the farm of the Familia Pacheco. Today we are going to take pictures and I will get them sent next week do not worry I know I have been terrible about sending pictures. It will be very cool because it will be the first time Elder Acosta, the assistents and Elder Sharp get to go. Who is this Elder Sharp? He is my re emplacement. I am getting sent back out into the field. Woah. I have no idea what the lord has in store for me but it should be a lot of fun. I look forward to  getting back to the normal problems of a missionary and teaching all day long. I will miss the office and Umacollo will always be one of my favorite places to be but I do believe I am ready to leave.

 

Mission Week 58, Areqiupa Mission Office

Today we went to Chivay! Its a tiny little town. We actually went up yesterday night and we stayed the night in the missionaries old house. It was a ton a fun. It was a little bit not fun but we had a lot of fun moments. We went to Colca It is the worlds largest canyon. IT IS TWICE AS DEEP AS THE GRAND CANYON! I am pretty wiped out from the trip and I am glad to be back in Arequipa! I bought maddy a shirt made out of alpaca! Still have to send that package 

I did get some pictures I will be sure to send you some do not have them with me at the moment...

I want to talk to maddy! I feel UBER tired... I am wiped out from that trip.

I called my re emplacement today to tell him that he had an emergency change. that means in three weeks I will finally be leaving the office... can you believe it. It was like yesterday that I got here. The mission is just flying by. This next area will be my second to last.

Chivay is three hours away. It is probably one of the most dangerous roads in the mission... There were four TERRIBLE car accidents on the way back luckily we were not participants of those accidents. How are the HIghtowers doing? I have not talked to paul in over a year!

Mission Week 57, Arequipa Mission Office

Hey Mom,

 

I want to say thanks again for that spiritual boost last week. This week was really hard... We have had a few emergencies come up and we have not been able to get out of the office as early as I would have liked too. I really miss Elder Holguín he changed my mission. I loved conference, I got tons of good notes! It was a lot of fun! I have lots of new Ideas for the new bulletin. I do not think that I told the family but I design the Bulletin of the mission. Its a laminate that has a list of all the people leaving and those who are coming in the changes. It also has a few spiritual thoughts and what the mission is focused on. They are going to have me design them until the end of my mission. I always thought that my skills in terms of art were nothing but it is a lot of fun and I enjoy it a ton! When I helped designed that one flyer I liked using the program! I could not believe how much fun it was. I will send you the bulletin so you can tell me how to improve also tell Maddy I want her to grade it and send me her remarks on how to improve it!

My companion loves to play chess, he thinks I know how to play chess hahahahaha. Funny thing the last time I played was in fourth grade in north star charter school. I beat him one time and the other time he beat me... He actually knows how to play chess... I guess I just have luck... I hate playing chess because I get super Nervous!!! I pit out!! Its so weird I can be Playing Paintball and I am completely calm not sweating a drop as someone is trying to shoot me in the face with a paintball that feels like a bee sting but I do not get jumped at all, HOWEVER playing a pointless plastic chess game MAKES ME PIT OUT!!!

Mission Week 56, Arequipa Mission Office

Hey Mom!

 

I want to let you know this letter had me in tears. I was not expecting something like that. I have think of Maddy Daily. I wish I could just give her a big hug. I want to talk to her so bad too. I cannot believe that I only have ten months left in the mission... I will be home before I know it... I never knew that the mission was going to get this good and I did not think I could feel my family so close being so far away.  I pray for that one every now and then! I pray for Maddy A lot! She has gotten so grown up and she really needs a good friend in this time of change. I hope she goes to Weber so we can hang out and go to classes She would only be a semester behind me!

 

This week Elder Holguin left.... I will miss him a ton! He was the best missionary I have ever met... He did the right thing no matter what and he taught me the importance of doing all the things we can in the time that we are given. I am now with Elder Acosta he is a good guy! We are getting along while teaching. We have progressing investigators. I will really miss Elder Holguin. He was a completely honest person. Sometimes that honesty hurt but it was always the best thing I could hear. I will try to follow his example always. I hope that this next change brings change for the better. I am focusing on being a more positive person who loves serving.  This is a quote that I am going to try and apply especially in this change and live the rest of my life...

"I shall pass this way but once; any good, therefore, that I can do or

any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now.

Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

We do not have much time to do the necessary things in this life. I realize that being in the office. There are some things that we have to do (Work, Sleep, Eat) so we can get to the things we need to do (Read scriptures, Pray, Go to church, Serve others, Share the message of the gospel) even thought there are a bunch of things that we want to do (Relax, watch movies, play video games, build Giant Aquariums(I have made the decision to never have more than one fish)hanging out with friends) we must balance our lives and depend on god to guide our footsteps. I love the phrase that Elder Acosta uses to get people moving spiritually. "God cannot guide your feet if you are to afraid to take the first step" We can never stop moving.