Picture post!

Well these pictures I couldnt open on the computer the other week so here are the pictures.

Well these are when I climbed the super tall mountain the other week and had a great time. Enjoy the views that I was able to view.

The others are a small alpaca in a members home that they have.
The other is our pensionista cutting open a guinea pig for us to eat the other week. Enjoy haha.

Week 20

Another week, another week gone by super fast and I can't believe the time here. Seriously, the time this week seemed like only 4 days and the days just blur together. People don't understand it really does go by so quick and its true, the mission will fly by! Almost at my 5 month mark. Wow!! But couldn't be more happy to be here and working in this great work!

This week wasn't very exciting either, not much happened and I don't even have pictures that are good to send this week, only like 2. But this week was full of work to do and getting used to the new companion with Elder Stradling. But he is great, loves to work and always wants to get things progressing with the investigators. So we spent a lot of this week really focusing on the investigators and finding new people to teach and new less actives to work with. So I actually contacted like 5 families this week, which is better than every other week in my whole mission. Pretty excited, kinda scary just walking up to strangers walking on the street and saying we are missionaries and want to come by their homes and teach them. haha I would be freaked out though haha. Also we have progressed really well with two investigators and gotten a few new ones this work week too. Janeth is progressing but didn't come to church, but we are certain she can come next week because we have some great support from the members here in picking up investigators for church. But she is reading the scriptures and praying, and has a testimony of the Gospel. We have a baptismal date for the 21st, but she just needs to attend first. Also we have been working with a young man, Eddi, and he is GOLDEN! Really, he is so attentive and knows that these things can change his life and he is attending every week. The only problem is just having permission from his parents for baptism....which is difficult. They are very hard to find with them working all the time, but we are praying he can get to that point soon.

Again, not much happened this week, got to work with my district leader for exchanges this week Elder Ticeran. He is super cool to work with and he taught me a lot of things about the mission that I didn't know about and it was great. Super fun day with him. Also, we ate guinea pig this week and it was DELICIOUS!! You guys need to try it hahaah!! Other than that, nothing else happened and now are just chilling the rest of Pday today. We get to go to Cusco this week for a big multi zone conference, so that will be exciting. Yeah, about it, hope everything is going well back home and all of you are having a great Winter!! haha The snow and cold I am not missing! haha But good luck with everything and hope your week is great too!! Love you guys!!

Week 19

Yet another week down here and cant believe all the changes that have happened here this week. First of all, I have been working with my new companion, Elder Stradling all this week and it has been great. He is great, a hard worker and lots of experience in the mission field. He is from Missouri, so he gets some of the stuff the Midwest has to deal with and it is great haha. But overall, he is a great missionary, wants to work, follows the rules, and we are just getting to know each other more this week. Kinda a nerd, but we get along well, just trying to still speak in Spanish each day and not just talk in English because we are gringos. So that is about it with him, just getting used to each others teaching styles and all that. Also we got 2 other new elders in the district and both are ending this transfer, so we hope they will work hard to end the mission. But a lot of changes, just getting used to it all.

Well, this week was alright and just continuing to work with all the things here in Sicuani. Our investigators are doing well, our goal is to find more people this week to teach because we need more people, new investigators. But Janeth is almost to a baptismal date, she just needs to pray about it and receive an answer for herself before that happens. But she is progressing in doing all the stuff, just needs to attend to really progress. Also this week we are trying to search for a lot of less actives and get them back to church. We were able to actually find and teach one family, just hoping that all goes well with them. Other than that, we are trying to just progress with a few other investigators and get people to attend church, that is the biggest and hardest thing to do.

Finally, this next month I get to go to Machu Picchu and see all that stuff, so I am super excited!! I am going on the 16th. Our whole district is going and we should have a great time seeing all the tourist spots and seeing such a beautiful spot. Cant wait to see it all! Other than that, the work is going and continuing and cant wait to see more progress here in the months to come in Sicuani. I could get transferred this change but Elder Stradling ends his mission in April so I could stay with him til then and continue here after. So potentially a long time here in my first area! haha But it is all good, Sicuani is great and I just love working here. Well have a great week everyone!

With Elder Largent

Saying by to my papi Elder Martinez

Elder Mann and Elder Allen

New companion Elder Stradling

Week 18 -- Farewell Elder Martinez

Wow, yet another week here down and my 3rd full change in the mission finished!! Crazy how much has happened and I cant wait to see what happens next for sure. So today is exchanges, or when we find out if we leave or if we stay. So I found out that I am going to stay in Vallecito 2 in Sicuani but I am getting a new companion. So Elder Martinez is leaving and I am getting a gringo named Elder Stradling. Don't know him yet but I will let you know how everything goes with the changes this next day or so. Also, the other 2 trainers from our district are leaving and we will be getting a new district leader and basically a new district. So it should be exciting.

Well this week was a great week for Elder Martinez and I!! We had a great week with numbers, lessons, and overall success. But we were able to work with a good amount of investigators and find a lot of new ones too, so we are hoping to be successful with the new investigators. But this week we worked a lot with Janeth and she is the daughter of a recent convert. We are hoping she can progress, we think she can be our next baptism for sure. Also working with her father and her family, they were baptized last year but are kinda inactive, but they have been attending more often and truly are trying to change their ways. They are trying to truly come back to Christ. Finally, we have a sister that is in a part member family, but the only problem she has is that her husband doesn't want to change or get the lessons so she doesn't want to get baptized. We hope that she can change and truly come to know the gospel, just need to get to her husband. That is about it for the investigators, our work is finding families right now to teach and reactivating less actives. But our success will hopefully grow more.

But overall a great week, my studies are going well, a little hard with a companion that just wants a change, so I usually do my own thing when he doesn't. But it is fine, still learning a bunch from the scriptures and Preach My Gospel. Reading in the New Testament right now in Matthew so I want to try and finish that to know more about the teachings of Christ way better. Also reading in D&C and trying to understand more of the church history, but it is slowly going and can't wait to be able to just recite scripture knowledge in Spanish haha.

But that is about it, we cant wait to see what happens with new companions and cant wait to have a new experience with the new companion and just grow more in the Gospel. So I will let you all know the first week with a new companion and how everything goes....haha Miss all of you and hope that you all have a great week!!

At a chicken joint with our ward mission leader. It was pretty good.

I'm making the same face as the chicken.

My new nickname is "chicken face" and they're taking it literally.

Jhon with his cousin.

Week 17

Hey everyone!! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years! Mine wasn't too bad with New Years, almost the same as the United States, waiting for 12am and then fireworks when the time hits. So crazy that it is already 2015!! Like where has the time gone?? But it made me ponder on the times of 2014, and honestly I think I could say that it was the best year of my life. So many things have happened in this past year but I cant wait to see what this year has to offer as I will be in Peru for this entire year. Overall, good transition to 2015.

Well last Pday I went to Cusco to visit some site, shop around at the mall, and visit some investigators of Elder Martinez, but it was super cool and loved it so much. I was able to buy a few ties, a jacket, and especially some American food in Real Plaza. So I ate Papa Johns and also had Starbucks, sooooo good! So excited to have Starbucks again, kinda missed it haha. But we visited Plaza de Armas and I was able to see the historical part of Cusco which is super cool. Then for this Pday, in the morning, Elder Sanchez and Elder Mann, and 2 members and I climbed the giant mountain next to our house. It took forever but the views of the top were amazing and it was the highest altitude I have ever been at in my life. So tired now, but the climb was worth it with the pictures, and then going down there were waterfalls and again the views were breath taking!

Then finally, this week is Week 6 of the change, so we will have companion changes next week, and I think I will get another companion because my training will be over and Elder Martinez has been here for more than 6 months. So I am assuming I will stay in Sicuani again and get another companion, but I will have to see next week. So I will let you know if I change for sure. That is about it, not much happened this week, our numbers were crap again and we are hoping the final week will be a good one. All of our investigators are leaving for vacations, because when school is out, it is out until this March. So probably wont see them for awhile. Well that is it, hope everyone has a great start to 2015 and enjoys their time in the states!