Thursday, May 28, 2015

5/25/15 Baptism!

What did Mckay, Alex, Tanner, and Mitchell say in their talks? It sounds like for Dallin's job, he's using what he learned on his mission with goal setting and all. What are you learning at work? 

E---- got baptized, I forgot to tell her about grandma E----! I'll make sure to point her out on my family history fan chart!
Two of our investigators showed up to the district conference. One of them is a single mom who lost her husband recently, she really liked President Archibald's talk and was asking to meet him and all. I made sure to let her know that he is in fact married haha...

We found a guy named Ivan who is using crutches because he got shot in his leg by some stray bullets and is currently recuperating so he and his dad received us pretty well. I'm pretty happy to actually have some potential priesthood-holders that don't leave for work for a month at a time or anything like that.
 

Thursday, May 21, 2015

5/18/15 Tithing, Keep the Sabbath Day Holy, and Ward Council

Our district conference was good. Yes, President spoke in every session, although we weren't in the Priesthood Session since it was in the morning and we, in accordance with the direction of our district leader, went to remind our investigators and help them get to the general session. 
President told everyone that the goal here is to become an independent stake in Zion so we would have all the necessary keys. He told them that in order to do that we must be honest in our tithes. 

At the adult session he spoke on tithing and during his talk he grabbed around in his suit pocket and my companion and I looked at each other and chuckled like, "oh man he's breaking out the candies!"  He then proceeded to use his usual way of teaching tithing and mimicked a child refusing to give up one of ten candies he'd just been given.  He said "espero que entendamos que cuando faltamos en diezmo, somos nños" (I hope we understand that when we fault on tithing, we're being like a child) as well as sometimes, people think that tithing is a commandment for the rich. He told the district that the Lord still has to bring his work to many places far poorer and with much more needy people than Peru.  He told them that we must be contributing so that we can be an example and teach our children. During the general session he spoke on honoring the sabbath day, also pretty strong and clearly. 

In the evening we had a broadcast from the area presidency, were training on how to run a ward council. The major part of it was Elder Wardell (1st councilor of the area South America Northwest) The other speakers were the bishop, ward mission leader, young women's president, ward secretary, and stake presidents from stakes and wards in our mission giving their comments about the purpose of ward council. They showed five videos that were filmed in our mission, which included some degree of explanations as to how members and missionaries work together that was given by a couple of elders in our mission. From reading president's weekly letter to us today I can see he's pretty excited that five countries have now seen the giant charts we make of the recent converts with different goals and steps, like receiving the Aaronic Priesthood, attending institute, receiving a calling, receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood, doing baptisms for the dead, with the eventual goal of being sealed in the temple.

One of my favorite quotes from all the conference was from President Uceda (president of the area) saying the purpose of His plan and the creation of the earth and of everything is to make eternal families. They also mentioned one thing that president always talks about which is starting with the end in mind. In this case: as early as looking for new investigators with the temple alter not just the baptismal font in mind.

What does Dallin in his job for BYU philanthropy? That sounds interesting.

You sent a picture of the Trujillo temple, did you see the open house sneak peek pictures that is on lds.org of the inside of it? Its a really pretty temple!
love you nos vemos chao


To his dad:
I know. I am naturally more direct in how I speak with people but I do know that it is important to not always be completely direct, not just in contacting but in teaching and inviting to commitments like you can't expect someone to say yes to "Will you be baptized on the 13th of June?" by itself. it requires a little "Do you want to follow the example of Jesus Christ?" "Yes." "If God asks you to do something will you do it?" "If he tells me, yes". "So when you come to know that The Book of Mormon is true and your Heavenly Father causes you to feel that it is true, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ?".....

I remembered the date I was baptized. Haha, well, I have to count to remember the year but I remember the date because I remember I did not want to wait another month haha

Oh I know that they're as loaded up with work on the other side just as we are here!
love you, till next week.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

5/11/15 Faith and Tithing

It was great to see you too, thanks. It sounds like you had a nice Mother's Day, I bet you were super upset to get cinnamon rolls and chocolate coconut pie that you can't refuse. 

Christ's first public miracle was done in the service of his mother at a wedding feast. 

How was Josh's homecoming talk?

Next Sunday is District Conference (like Stake Conference but for a district of branches rather than a stake of wards), which means no Sacrament Meeting and they have to be confirmed in a Sacrament Meeting so the baptism will be the next week so as to not have a week in between the two parts of the baptism. 

What are Dallin and Shalee's jobs? (that might have been my fault: I pray in Spanish and kept forgetting to look up the word internship in Spanish so I said it as job haha)

So we taught C------- and M---- (her mom) lesson 2 in the church like President Archibald advises (and I think that one comes from Elder Uceda the Area President) and they came to church on Sunday which was great and they were asking about the temple (even though we'd explained it to them in lesson 2 but people never really get things the first time) and so that was good. Which reminds me, I mentioned that the Trujillo Temple (the 2nd in Peru) will be dedicated soon and has a "first look" on lds.org and looks like a really nice one.
This week our convert had some problems with her ex-husband and not getting the money she needs so she received some help from the branch and in spite of that I found her filling out her tithing slip after church on Sunday for what little she did make this week.  It was a definite testimony to me that she understood the teachings and promises of Christ well enough to do that and to "try him" as we challenged her in the lesson on tithing.

My district leader is from Iquitos Peru way up north in the jungle near the border of Brazil and his companion, the new one, is from Peru too but i don't remember the name of the city.

Here are some pictures from my roof.




Here's your Mother's Day gift, but i don't know how to send that many flowers to California.....


The flowers were actually in the house of the sister who washes our clothes since she was selling them so we took some picture of them for you!
I love you!

To his dad:
I'm certain he's a great help in the same work I'm in, but among the spirits of the dead. (Rocky Gibson)
The suit is Marc Anthony and it doesn't say the size or instructions for washing or anything.  It literally just says "Made in China" in the coat and "Made in Vietnam" in the pants.

5/10/15 Mother's Day

It was great to talk to Chad!!!  3 of this friends came over to the house to see him... Dallin and Shalee went to my mom's house to Skype and the rest of the family was here at our house!  He looks great and is super excited to be serving the Lord!  I got a picture but it isn't very good...

Saturday, May 9, 2015

5/4/15 Be Ye an Example of the Believers

Yes tomorrow is transfers. My companion and I are both staying here. We didn't have a baptism this week but I think we'll be baptizing E____ this Saturday, we just have to arrange the interview and all. 

I like my new area; it is mostly dirt but it's cool.  They apparently farm sugar in the other part of the district in Paramonga. The branch is good, though a little small. For the dedication of the Trujillo temple they will be making the stake centers "extensions" of the temple for the dedication so more people can attend. I've never heard of that, but it sounds pretty cool. It will be mean a Sunday where, to go into the stake center, you'll need a recommend. They even can do recommends, specifically for the dedication, for anyone baptized and worthy, that is to say, including 8 year olds.

This last week we were going into the cemetery hoping to contact some of the huge number of people following a funeral service even though they had nothing to do with it and one woman walks up to us and says "are you guys Mormons?" "Yes" "Is it true you can be baptized for the dead? My husband died recently and I don't think he was ever baptized and I don't know what's going on with him..." We later found out that she is a friend of our investigator who is to be baptized this week and I feel that more of us should follow the example that E____ has set of a member missionary, when she isn't even a member yet.

Hawaii for Christmas in 2016? ¡que trunkazo! I don't think I have a calendar that goes that far to put that on but sounds like a good idea to me haha pero no se de donde viene plata asi... haha

To his dad:
We don't have a specific time that we will be making the call/skype home, so I'll initiate it and it'll probably be about mid-afternoon.