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!

Week 16 - Monoperu

Wow yet another week here in Sicuani but it was a great week with it being Christmas and being able to have the joy of Christmas around. I was able to Skype the family and it was amazing and so nice to see how everyone is doing. Just made the week so awesome and so worth it all, definitely miss everyone so much and so glad everyone is doing great!

Well our numbers this week honestly sucked because things for Christmas were in the way but we were able to still visit people and help people out. But Christmas Eve was the time in which I skyped all the family, with dad and with mom. So happy to see almost all the family there in both places and seeing the progress of everyone. Wyatt I saw for the first time, and the other growing nieces and nephews! So crazy how big they are all getting. But it seriously was so great talking to everyone and just such a nice break to talk. So now I can't wait until May for Mothers Day!! haha

Well Christmas day was great but it was awesome to visit the family of Shiomara and Jhon and give them a gift as a family. So we gave them a whole chicken, and a Paneton. Which Paneton is huge here, basically a fruit cake but better and they eat it all the holiday season. I like it a lot. But it was great seeing them with their smiles on Christmas. That night before we stayed up all night waiting for Christmas with our Pension and her family, then had a gift exchange too. I was able to get Monoperu! A Peru addition of Monopoly and it is pretty sweet. And when midnight hits, things here get crazy and it is kinda like New Years, with a bunch of fireworks! Crazy! We couldn't sleep even if we wanted to do so, so loud. Honestly but overall, a great Christmas with talking to the family and seeing how things are going, food especially Paneton, and enjoying our time with other people celebrating about Christ. Which is the most important part.

That is about it and cant wait to see what the new year has in store for us, only two weeks left in the change. And today I am in Cusco visiting and seeing what is with everything, so I will update on that next week on how well it went. Well talk to all of you guys next week!

Week 15 -- Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone!! Merry Christmas!! Can't believe that this week is going to be Christmas and that I get to Skype all of you guys.... :)

But my week with Elder Martinez was not very successful honestly but we still had a great time trying our best to work. But our numbers were not good and it sucked honestly when most of our lessons fell through and we ended up just walking around all day. This is definitely not fun. But we did get an investigator to church this week and we got a lot of help from the members to support her and she loved being at church. So we are hoping for this to continue and her to progress. Also I got the chance to work with our district leader Elder Sanchez and he is super cool. We actually had a pretty good day with all the lessons but that was our only day that was good. But love working with other people at times and see how things work and how they teach. So my teaching skills are growing more. Lessons are no problem now, I can basically teach all the lessons pretty well it is just when I have to have conversations with people that is the hard part. But I am working on that and hopefully get better soon.

But right now the weather is SUPER RAINY!!! Seriously it rains every afternoon now and it just sucks to walk in it all day. Our clothes are being soaked every day and it is just wet all the time. Really annoying. But other than that our week was normal, Christmas here is not too big but there are decorations and music, but I really miss all the good food and desserts from the states. What they have here is Paneton.....or a cake like thing with fruit but not like our fruit cake. It is actually super good and it is so popular here. When we have a visit at a house, this whole week we have gotten a piece of Paneton and hot chocolate too, soooooo good! But I can't wait to have Christmas, we are having a gift exchange with our pension and the district so hopefully I can find stuff to buy today.

And finally hope everyone has a great time this Christmas and I can't wait to talk to mom and dad and the family!! Merry Christmas everyone!!

An alpaca hat

The same hat inside-out

Elder Martinez broke the bed

Working in a "chacra" or little field of a member

Week 14

Wow another week here in Sicuani!! Pretty good week of work and getting things done and really enjoying my time here. First is that we had a baptism this week!!! So awesome to see Shiomara accept baptism and go through with the whole thing. But it was the most awesome because I got to baptize her! How exciting is that, to be able to help someone enter into such a great covenant with the Lord!

The baptismal service was great with hymns, great talks, and many people came to support her. It was difficult at first because the water was sooooo cold because the heater wasn't working for the font. So we had the baptism in freezing water. But she was very scared at first b/c of the cold, but we eventually helped her in the font and we quickly were able to perform the baptism. But it was so relaxing with the whole thing and I could definitely feel the Spirit in the room. I luckily remembered the prayer in Spanish and everything went well. It is just so crazy that I was able to perform this and be a part in this special moment in her life. Also she has considered me her Godfather, so not too sure what that entails, but we will find out haha

Other than the baptism the week was normal with lessons and work with investigators. The other part is that we had splits with the zone leaders and it was great to work with Elder Jackson. He gave me so much advice and it was so nice to see how others teach and see how things go, so I had a good time with him. And to finish it all off, I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish!!!! I went crazy this week to finish it and it feels so nice to say I did it in another language. And I understand most of the things going on too, so my studies are going real well. Other than that, not much has happened and we are just hoping for the best in the week to come to get more baptismal dates and more lessons with investigators. Well hope everyone does well on finals and does well with preparing for Christmas! Until next week!

Elder Black and Elder Allen

I got to see Elder Kline at the Christmas Dinner. He is from my CCM group.

The primary did an activity where they shined our shoes.

Our wonderful Christmas tree.

Shiomara's family

Cheesing with Shiomara

Crazy kids of the Macedo family

I found this nice dead Alpaca after church

Playing some rope game with some neighbors.

Week 13 -- Christmas Dinner in Cusco

Wow, what a week it was! Loving it more and more here and so excited to get going more in the mission. But overall it was a great first week of the change.

To start off, we had the chance to go back to Cusco on Thursday and Friday. We had a Christmas Dinner for 3 zones, so it was pretty fun. The dinner was amazing and it was great seeing a bunch of friends already. Got to hang out with Elder Kline, who was in my district in the CCM. While we had free time, I got to go to Real Plaza, which is like a modern mall with everything in it, and it was nice to just get a piece of America again. But we got to have a great devotional about Christmas and hear from many missionaries and the president speak. It was a great chance to feel the spirit and learn more and more about the importance of the Savior this Christmas.

Well after that, the next day we stayed in Cusco because we had interviews with the president. While we were getting interviewed, we received some training from the assistants....and it was pretty great training honestly. We learned more about baptismal interviews, companionship inventory, and many more things to better us as missionaries. Overall, great time in Cusco and received some great training and info about many things for this Christmas season.

Finally, about the investigators and my studies. Well, right now my goal is to finish the Book of Mormon by my training, which I am ahead and just finished Helaman, and now in 3 Nephi. So excited, because 3 Nephi is full of stuff about the Savior and I just love to learn more about it. Then our investigators, well first off, Shiomara passed her baptismal interview and we are having her baptism this Saturday!!!! And it is crazy that I get to baptize her and it is just crazy! I am just loving the opportunity though. All of our other investigators are doing great, we are getting lessons pretty easy and our area is doing really well. Can't wait to see who can get baptized next....should be a few.

Well, overall a great week of lessons, investigators, and training for sure....Can't wait to be able to Skype for Christmas and see how everyone is doing next week! Have a great week!

Week 12 -- 2nd Transfer Down!

Wow, again another week here in Peru and now finished my 2nd transfer in total and the first one in the field! Crazy! Time seriously is nothing here and it just goes by so fast. But this week was a pretty great week for Elder Martinez and I with a bunch of lessons and finally got another person with a baptismal date!

But this week again is really awesome, especially for me. Well, we have been working with this family whose mom is less active but is almost back to full activity, and the son is Jhon who was baptized a few weeks ago. And we finally got his sister to accept baptism for the 12th of this month now! So we are super excited to see this family be totally members and full activity. And the best part is......I am going to baptize her! So my first baptism!!!! Woah! I don't know why she asked me, but she really enjoys that I am a gringo, and I am so excited and honored to baptize her. So that is definitely the highlight of my week! All of our other investigators are doing well, we are trying to work on another family to reactivity and baptize the daughter too, but it is hard with their work on Sundays, so they never attend. But overall, we are doing pretty well with our work here and enjoying teaching all of these people.

As I said, that tomorrow is exchanges for the mission, so we will be seeing if we are getting new people in our zone and new missionaries in the mission too. But Elder Martinez and I are staying because I am still in training....so 6 more weeks in Sicuani. But most likely we will see changes in the zone and some others in our leadership. But not much change for me, but I am glad because Sicuani is treating me super well and I am loving it here.

Not much else is happening here, but we are excited to start working this holiday season and especially teaching about Christ. Crazy to think that it is December now and that Christmas is coming around the corner. Missed Thanksgiving for sure and definitely gonna miss the holiday season with all of you guys! Enjoy your days in the states and until next week!

A selfie while making bread

Elder Martinez with Jhon, Shiomara, and family

Jhon y Elder Martinez