Halloween!

Sara- She came to church this week! She showed up earlier than we did lol. She's actually really excited for her baptism, and so are we, she's been listening to the missionaries for a very very long time but she's finally made the decision. Elder Letham and I taught her a lot but she never wanted to be baptized and was scared, I've been able to see her progress a lot in the past couple of months, she's taught me a ton of patience haha. But I'm very excited for her, I think she was actually the first investigator I met in this area! 

Sandra- She also came to church! All the youth helped us out a lot by welcoming her in, I mean when a new teenage girl comes to church the young men are obviously gonna help;) She has a huge desire to be baptized, but her mom won't allow it, at all. We're working hard with her and her mom, just gotta keep trying, just like we're doing with Gabriela! 

Walter, Yaneth, Camila, Nicolas- They're reading the book of mormon every night together! It was adorable when Camila and Nicolas told us allll about it and how they're learning so much about Nephi and his family. We're super happy with them, just gotta keep working with the whole marriage thing and we're getting closer! Love that family.---We couldn't find Ivan this week which was pretty weird but I'm sure we'll find him this week. 

This week was good! Today we celebrated Halloween as you can tell by my gorgeous pumpkin carving skills. It was super fun to bring this tradition to the missionaries from South America haha. I hope you all have a good Halloween tomorrow!! Oh and I'm lovin all the news I'm getting this week my goodness! Chandler - Congrats on your mission call to South Africa! That's insane! I know you'll do awesome, love ya man. Mcrae - Also congrats for your mission call to Washington DC!!! Crazy that you already have your mission call, feels like just yesterday you were my junior homie;) Jake - Have to give a shout out to you too, your STI is gorgeous, enjoy the car, but I already know you will;) Westley- Another hat trick? Jeez dude let the other kids score;) Love ya dude keep wreckin it in hockey. 

Love you all!! Thanks for always being there!! ALMA 26:27-31 -it's long but the story's cool. -------The gospel is true!!!!!!----------

27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.

29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.

Imatataq Ruwashanki?!

There goes another week, it was a frustrating but a good one! There was no church this week! Yesterday was the national census where they go around counting people in their houses so everyone has to stay home the whole day, us included. Super relaxing day but we have to get back into the groove of getting our investigators to church again haha. 

Everyone's doing really well, Sara has a baptismal date for the end of November and she's sticking with it so we're excited for that. But other than that there isn't any big news with our investitors, but they're all doing really well, we're sad cause Herly isn't doing so well, his knees are super bad and he can't even leave his house right now so we're praying for him and hoping he gets better. But this week we found a new investigator from the sister's downtown, her name's Sandra, she's 17 and just straight up wants to be baptized, she loves the church and has been going every once in awhile but we found out she lives like down the street from us so we're going to start teaching her now cause she lives in our area haha, she's awesome, but...her parents don't want anything to do with the church. We've got ourselves another Gabriela on our hands and it's super sad. What's really hard about Puno is the adults are so traditionalists that it holds a lot of the new generation/kids back, it's super sad to see, but we gotta deal with it! Sandra is awesome we just gotta be patient again and not ever stop teaching her. 

I hope you all have a good week! Sorry I don't have a lot of pictures, I had some videos but they're not loading:/  

Love you all!!

D&C 133:58  
58 To prepare the weak for those things which are coming on the earth, and for the Lord’s errand in the day when the weak shall confound the wise, and the little one become a strong nation, and two shall put their tens of thousands to flight.

Blizzard

So today was transfers! But I'm staying! I'm gonna end up with 6 months in the area which is crazy, super excited, but not excited about the fact that it's just gonna rain here in Puno for the next straight 3 months. 

This week was good! We got a lot done even with all the hailstorms and rain, more than anything I'm just happy to stay in this area to keep teaching Walter and Janet's family haha, they're doing really well, we're taking it super slow with them but if there's progress that's all that matters. Ivan came to church again yesterday, love that kid, he's also doing well, he's just gotta a do a couple more things and we're talking 'bout baptism! We're also teaching this girl named Sara, I don't know if I've mentioned her but she knows the churcdh is true but she's scared to make a covenant with God, but recently we've been able to talk to her about baptism and repentance, we set a date for her baptism at the end of November and hopefully she'll be committed to it! She's had a lot of baptismal dates in the past haha. Gabrielas awesome as usual, we're kinda stuck with the whole parent thing but we're still trying, I won't ever give up on helping that girl get to baptism haha. 

This week we did some service for an investigator in another area, I've never painted so much in my life, I think we painted the entire inside of a house, but a ton of fun, service is the best on the mission. Happy Mother's Day to all those in Argentina! Don't know why it's a different day than a lot of the world haha but my companion got to skype his mom yesterday, we went to a member's house who served in Arizona and has a billion american chocolates so I was content waiting for my companion. 

On Wednesday Puno got hit with a massive hailstorm/blizzard (I actually don't know what a blizzard's like) Of course we were walking to Totorani when it came haha. But yah crazy week, as usual I'm learning a ton, time is going by really fast as well, grateful for all the experiences I'm having, even when they're hard. But not everything is easy! Hope you all have a good week! I know I will! 

Alma 37:36

36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

First pics are after and before a lightning bolt struck

1 Year in Perú

So this past Wednesday I hit one year in the mission, I had some time this week to be able to look over this past year and see what I've done and how much I've grown (ha) but it's been super cool. I've been able to learn so much in just one year, sometimes it's hard to tell if I'm actually learning or seeing my progress but after looking over the entire year I'm happy with what I've been able to do! I've learned so much about the gospel and pretty much just everything, I can't explain the awesome things I've experienced but I'm super grateful for it all, and also pumped cause I still got a another year to keep going. Burned my shirt on the roof and Angelica cooked hamburgers so it's been a nice mission birthday haha. 

Anyways!, we were able to meet with Walter and Janet this week, they're still talking about getting married and we're trying really hard to help Walter out, they want to take things really slow but they're so ready for everything, just gotta have patience. 

The entire country of Peru is going crazy for their soccer still, it's pretty hard to find people if there's a game on, actually it's impossible haha. But it's a cool culture, I've never seen so many people crazy for just one sport, and I haven't even seen an 1/8 of South America. 

Ivan came to church again yesterday which was sweet, we're talking about baptism still with him, he wants more time to pray and be certain that this is the true church, he went with a member to church which was so nice, it makes our job way easy, the young men are helping out a lot with him, there's not very many, but they're all helping and it does a lot! Hope you all are doing well and have a good week! 

HELAMAN 14:30-31

30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

Baptism / General Conference

What a week. First of all, Yssamar got baptized!!! (Found out during the baptism that that's how you spell it lol) She's so awesome. Everything went smoothly and she bore a very very powerful testimony after her baptism, I was super amazed. Elder Peña baptized her (one of our zone leaders) He started his mission in this area and was the first to teach her, super cool that he was here in Puno to do it. Was an awesome experience for everyone haha, we confirmed her the Holy Ghost the same day in her baptism cause that Sunday was general conference (I sugggested that we do it in front of the whole stake before it started). BUT we're super happy with Yssamar and all that she's done to get to this point in her life. 

General conference was amazing! Didn't get to see it in English which was a bummer, I can understand everything now but it's not the same without their actual voices! Actually very grateful I know english! Was very sad to hear that Elder Hales passed away this weekend, but we all know where he is! The talks were awesome and seeing general conference on the mission is really cool haha, just a different experience!  

So at the beginning of the week I turned on the shower and the water got a lot hotter than expected and instead of water flames started coming out, I've had a problem with the shower in every single area of my mission so far haha, Honestly don't know who's great idea it was to mix electricity and water together...and then have someone stand under it haha. But we got it all fixed and now just gotta wait till my next area for the next shower experience!

 So our Mission President gave us a new sweet deal, he told us to get rid of any music that's not made by the church but that'd we'd be able to watch certain Disney Movies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO today with the whole zone we watched Inside Out! Actually hilariously funny in Spanish. So yah it's been a good P-day! Good week as well. Hope you all are doing well! LOVE YOU ALL!! 

D&C 90:11  
11 For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ.

PICS- The sun was facing us so excuse the faces