The Harvest has Begun

Not a very eventful week but I've been getting to know the members and our investigators a lot this week and I'm lovin it. We're teaching a million people and it's the best, a lot of them are families where only the mom, only the dad, or only the kids are members and are baptized. It's awesome cause the members of these families want to help each other out or are very interested. We're teaching Anhelo who's 15 and Victoria who's 13, they're parents are members but don't really want to go to church anymore but their kids are soooo interested, we talked to them the other day and they told us that they want to get baptized as soon as possible, (we can arrange that). We took them to english classes downtown in Andahuaylas and they had a blast, they also saw the baptismal font and asked if that's where they're gonna get baptized...we're just lovin it haha. This week we'll be planning with them their baptismal date and of course the rest of the lessons that we need to teach them. 

We've been teaching a couple, Jessica and Franco, they have a little daughter who's like 2 years old I think, but Franco isn't a member and loves having us over and reading the book of mormon, Jessica really wants Franco to make the decision to join the church it's really cool, Franco came to church the past two Sundays with suit pants and everything. I'll keep you guys updated on them:)

We helped our investigators Eugenia and Juan harvest corn the other day, I don't know why but I just thought it was funny, they gave us a sickle (I think that's what it's called) and said get to work haha. It gained a ton of their trust though and they were just making jokes the entire time about how we were doing it terribly when it's honestly just ripping giant corn stocks out of the ground haha, good time. 

Growing and learning everyday, finally adjusted to the new area so I think this coming week will be a good one, excited to see what happens with the people we're teaching, we've got a ton to do. I hope you all have a good week! I love Perú!

Alma 53:20-21 

20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

Paintballing in Andahualyas

This week has been so tiring my goodness. Still trying to get used to everything, But I'm here! the trip was longggg and twisty and terrible but really pretty. We went into the clouds for half the trip so that was cool. So first I'm in a branch called San Jeronimo it's right before you actually get into the city of Andahuaylas, Yesterday about 60 people came to church which actually is really good for this branch so we're happy about that. It feels good to go back to a branch, it's obviously way more stress and you have to do everything and you're basically the first and second counselor of the presidency but I love it. Reminds me of when I started my mission in the Yunguyo branch. 

So we live pretty close to our Pensionista mama Yola! She's awesome and she loves Elder Letham so I got close to her pretty quick haha. (She's next to me in the baptism pictures with the baby.) So yah we had a baptism on Saturday! I literally just got here so I had no idea what was happening but her name is Monica and she actually lives in Mama Yola's house, only taught her once but she has a strong testimony and she's cool! 

My companion Elder Calle is really cool, he's been in the mission for about a year and half so we've got experience on our shoulders and we're gonna do some good stuff here. We're teaching a ton of families that aren't all members, it's going really well but like I said I don't know everything yet so next week I'll talk more about them!!! It's been taking awhile to adjust to this place, don't really know why but I think I was just really comfortable in Sicuani being with Mami Mery and having such a strong ward. It was hard to say bye to everyone there, especially my comp Elder Sanjines, seeing him start his mission and grow and all that good stuff. 

Pretty good start to being here, we got to go and play paintball today in the forests higher up in the city, super fun, especially when everything's ghetto and I could throw the paintballs faster than they come out of the gun haha, loved it though I thought it was a blast. 

I hope you all have a good week! I'll explain even more next week, excited to start something new here in San Jeronimo, got a lot to do. Till next week!! Love you all. (thank you for the birthday wishes) 

Literally being God's Intruments / TrAnSfErS

This has been an insane week so I'll just start from Tuesday until today-

Basically Tuesday until Thursday were normal days, we got to visit some towns that are further out than our normal city routine so that was really cool, lots of walking. We were able to talk to this guy who was sitting outside playing his guitar and I was just waiting for the question if I knew how to play haha, he asked and then we talked a lot about music and of course the gospel, you can always connect with people, I think it's something I need to do more, try to find at least one thing I have in common with these people and be able to share the gospel through that.

Friday we went to Pitumarca as a District, Pitumarca is another little town pretty far away that mostly only speaks Quechua, there is a "Casa-capilla" there with about 40 members. Very very humble people, we did a cool little misison night where we dressed up as prophets and talked about them. I was Joseph Smith and Elder Bolduc was Moses haha, super fun. I'll send some pictures of the church, very humbling and kinda made me think a lot. 

Saturday the other missionaries had a couple baptisms so we helped out with that, then we went to our ward's mother's day activity cause they wanted the missionaries to do a talent or something so I played the guitar and we sang some trunky songs:) 

Sunday I got to talk to the fam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I had a blast talking to them. (Love you guys!!) Pretty crazy how fast time goes. Hope all you Moms out there had a good Mother's day!!

Okay...Today is trasnfer day and I'm leaving!! I'll be going pretty far out kind of towards Lima to place called Andahualyas, I don't really know too much about it but I've heard it's different haha, I have to travel to Cusco, then 6 hours to Abancay, then 3 more to Andahuaylas. My companion will be Elder Calle, (Elder Street haha) He's also from Bolivia! I've heard he's cool so I'm sure we'll get along fantastic, I'll let you all know how it goes! Pretty excited. Actually, Elder Letham has been in the exact same area where I'll be going so I'll be working with some of his converts and all that good stuff! Hopefully everything goes well! excited to see how my new area is, it'll be a branch which I'm actually happy about, I really like working in small branches and it'll be something different from the giant ward I'm in right now.

 I'm sending pictures of a couple that have been super awesome about helping the missionaries out, when Elder Sanjines and I came to the ward brand new it was kinda hard starting everything up again but Nefi and Daisy were always there to help us out. They're due a baby girl about right when I go home:) 

Wow I wrote a lot this time, but I'll be pretty sad to leave Vilcanota and my companion, it's been a good run, I love this ward a lot, also being able to see Fany, Raul and Nathaly be baptized was awesome, hopefully someday I can see them again. The mission is super bipolar, excited for the new change but sad to leave. Also gonna miss Mami Mery a ton, it's been a blast.

 I hope you all have an awesome week!! Alma 37:7

7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

Week 23 In Sicuani

Peru. Peru. Peru.

I feel like I'm always writing you guys time goes by so fast. But this week was really good, nothing too exciting going on so this won't be very long, but we've been teaching the Colque family (Fact- Colque means money in Quechua) and they've been loving it, Ivan and Carlos went to church yesterday so we're veryyy happy about that. We've been trying to help them a ton with prayer, it's so different for me that they don't have a concept of how to talk to God, literally everyone here is somewhat Catholic and know a little bit. But I'm soooooooo grateful that I get to help them, really cool. 

We talked to Maricela the other day, she's been super busy traveling and other things but she's been reading the book of mormon and the pamphlets and she said she's learning lot, we're trying so hard to get her to come to church. She's awesome but she has so much to do and it's hard for her to get there, we're praying really hard for her. 

Nathaly just introduced us to one of her good friends Viviana, she's 13 and her parents are Jehovah's Witnesses so she knows a lot about religion but she wants to learn more, yesterday we taught her and her brother and it went really well, they loved getting to know us more and learn about God.

I hope you all have a good week! I get to Skype my fam this week!! But Happy Mother's day to all the Moms out there!!! and especially to my Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alma 31:35 

35 Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.

Im just gonna send random pictures cause I didn't take any this week I'm really sorry, I'm awful at that. :)