Nov 14-25

Nov 14, 2018

I have scripture study right now so I will type fast! Today we went to the temple and did an endowment session in Spanish! I still love it! This place is awesome! After the temple we had 4 hours of free time so I put on my people clothes and it was the first time I have worn jeans and a t'shirt in a month! so everyone was super shocked to see me! Huff got another package, he got root beer and Coke I asked for some but he dodged my questions. I love you guys goodnight!

Nov 15, 2018

Today was a nice day! Typical eggs for breakfast and chicken and rice for lunch and dinner. Physical activity time we played volleyball and that was really fun! I am really loving the scriptures right now! I am flying out to the field soon and I am really excited! A girl from my mission says she lives there and I asked how the city was and she said it's not that great and it's super hot... but the people are amazing! hahaha I am excited! I love you guys and hope you stay safe and warm! Goodnight! oh and PS I had a sip of Huff's root beer and Ii forgot how good it was!

Nov 16, 2018

Today was rough, I was really impatient with everything Huff, language, myself, so that was really hard. Then we taught a fake lesson and it didn't feel good but Huff kept saying how good we did. Later he gave me his second root beer and I was so happy! Then I played volleyball at physical activity time and that was pretty good. We had a work shop with the zone and the Latinos, it was all Spanish and I got to see just how little I actually know! Feeling down I saw that Koogath went home today.. the weird companion from day one that I didn't like was going home early. I cried for about 20 min my heart broke and filled with love for this man, he had done so much. I walked with him and his district to the car and we all sung till we meet again. Everyone was heart broken to see him go. As we continued the song Elder Blake a man who won sate for piano played along with us. It was the most majestic piece of music I have ever heard with a heart felt song. Serving a mission in a foreign language is hard, but making the call to come home early, now that might be the hardest thing ever. I love you guys and I'm so happy to be out here, I pray for Koogath. His mission was to find a family and bring them closer unto Christ, and that is exactly what he did. I love you! Stay safe and love what you have, the good and the bad, as you will miss it once it is gone.

Nov 17, 2018

Today was a much better day! I got up and had a great breakfast, later me and Huff taught a fake investigator and challenged her to baptism and though it was a fake lesson it felt awesome! The rest of today was a lot of Spanish study and scripture study. Nothing too exciting happened today but that is all right. love you!!!

Nov 18, 2018

What a spiritual day. Today ended just how you might think, all the men singing till we meet again in Spanish. I am loving this work! We had our last district meeting for our ccm family, these men and women I have grown to love so it was quite difficult to say goodbye, one of the elders quoted Andy from the office and said he wished he knew he was in the good ole days before he left them. It is safe to say I am in the good ole days right now! I have had my ups and downs here at the cm but one thing I will never forget and never stop feeling is the love of this gospel! Dallin H. Oaks said we do not teach and preach to bring people into the church or to increase the membership. We do not teach and preach to persuade people to live better lives... we invite others to come unto Christ by repentance, baptism, and confirmation in order to open the doors to the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. THIS no one else can do. I know this is the true church, I know Joseph smith translated the plates of gold, and families will live together in heaven. I am a representative of these of which I have said. I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Nov 19, 2018

Today was hard, lots of goo byes to my best friends. Honestly I have never loved a group of guys like these ones! Constantly picking me up and pushing me to do my best. Sadly Elder Blake went home, he struggles with depression, he played the most majestic and spiritual piece of music on the piano for his good bye. We got our last good byes with our teachers. The ccm will forever be a grand memory and big part of this chapter. Well after the goodbye we went up stairs to pack and with the nervous excitement and jitters I didn't go to bed until 1:30 AM  and then I woke up at 2:15 AM for the plane ride to Chiclayo

Nov 20, 2018
Today and yesterday have blended together! We got to the airport and on our plane. Today was filled with many more goodbyes. Huff, 5 others, and I got to Chiclayo by 7 AM and went to the President's office. He interviewed us and made us breakfast after that we had a meeting and went to President's house and had lunch/dinner! It was such a nice dinner in a beautiful home. My heart breaks at the majority of the living conditions of the people down here. Well we came back to the office and we found out where we are going... I'm going to Bagua! It sounds like bawa. Well it's a 7 hour bus ride and the furthest zone from the mission home... so that is awesome! The last of my friends left to their zones and that was sad. But Hufl and l have the longest trip. We boarded the plane together at Atlanta to go to the same mission, and now to the same zone even! Speaking of companions my new companion is already there and his name is E. Espanoza he's Columbian and speaks no English! He served a 3 month mission but had to go home to serve in the military and then he came back! What a freaking legend! Well me and Huff leave tomorrow so me and Huff went proselyting today. I fell asleep during all the prayers... and a house they taught at had the most genuinely nice people! Honestly I love them! Their house was about the size of the concrete pad for the pigs and like 7 feet tall. it was made out of dirt so that was new! The daughter kept flirting with me because she loved my eyes! haha that made my day and for the record she was 6! The thing everyone said was it's the poorest zone, 40-50 c year round, beautiful, and really hard communication.  President sends missionaries he has confidence in out there, so that made me feel good. Afterwards we slept at the AP housing and it's a nice apartment! We had KFC and soda! It was the first fast food in a month! I'm tired so I'm headed to bed! Love ya!

Nov 21, 2018

Well finally some good sleep after my longest day ever!

Or so I thought. We had some more then shady cereal but it filed the stomach, just didn't fill the soul. We went to Interpol here and I taught 3 people the first lesson and gave one a book of Mormon and invited them to church! Afterwards we got on a bus and drove for 7 hours, I didn't know if president liked me, or didn't like me to send me 7 hours away, seeing the people and the area I know he loves me! I'm in Jean right now and you say it high'en, it is amazing! It rained for the first time today and I loved it! I saw a woman walking with a big bundle of sticks on her back and was holding a machete! It was such a sight to see! Ok love you I'm headed to bed!

Nov 22, 2018

Today I woke up and had chocolate milk for the first time in soooo long and it was delitioso! I had some cereal and then we went to play volleyball at the church, that was fun. Well later they loaded us up in a van and me and Huff made our way to Bouga Grande, there we waited forever for the zone leaders. But when they asked, I said we only waited 10 min. We went to the chapel and waited for the new companions, mine is really nice he served a 3 month mission and went home to serve in the military in Columbia, 22 years old, and finishes his mission in February! He's tough because he speaks no English and I get upset when I don't know what is going on! But all is good, I just speak English and he sees my confusion, I usually talk about pizza. But it was a loooooong day, we got to the zone and we are both new here so we don't know who the investigators are and stuff, or where stuff is. Love you guys!!!!

Nov 23, 2018

Well today was rough, I forgot my scriptures on the bus coming to Bouga... I cried. then I got mad because I do not know what anyone is saying. But after some time I felt good, bought a sketchy ice cream and a kid followed us with Google translate open, he's a member and our cook's son. Some things to know, the water here will kill Americans so that is stressful. It's dirty water, like I can't see the bottom of the baptismal font. No ice in all of Peru, especially here the hottest zone in Peru. Itss close to the Amazon and everyday I tell myself jokes about the heat because no one else understands me. Like we started the AC in our room today but the fire went out... the others are not appropriate. haha jk! The shower is so cold though so that is nice, no hot water with it, it is a PVC pipe in the wall with a red switch like the one on the water slide. I drink that water because it is cold. I love you and I'm excited to send this long letter! haha It's so hot here 24/7 oh and I saw 5 woman breast feeding in the streets and one started during our lesson.. that must be the norm here... I made a joke and I say I'm elder gringo and the people laugh, but that is all the jokes I got haha girls yell hey handsome a lot because I'm the only white guy in a town the size of Hillsboro. But we got 6 new investigators and are going to baptize 10 this transfer! Well that is our goal!

Nov 24, 2018

Today was a good day! I have a lot of blisters but we are talking to a lot of people and making good progress! I'm improving with the language, gave an old man a blessing but I hope I wasn't too late... he looked like the old lady from spongebob.. we went to a baptism tonight so that was great! Tomorrow my cook is making me chocolate milk and we are having bread! I miss it so much! I'm not allowed to have soda in the field because its so hot we might pass out if we don't stick to our strict water diet! It might be worth it.. they have 4 liter sodas here! But my trainer is a stickler, he tried to throw away my backpack because it says a side bag in the Manual. Stuff like that, but I listen! Love you I'm headed to bed! Goodnight

Nov 25, 2018

Still mourning the loss of my scriptures... but today a member drove 10 hours to the temple to buy me a new pair! It's a 3 pack so no bible but I love it! I asked a member to re-hem my suit pants, mens warehouse is fired! haha But the highlight of my day was teaching this man who had a Bolivian accent so he talks like if Darth Vader was a smoker and had a kid with Stephen Hawkins, and in Spanish. So I did not know what he was saying, and he couldn't hear, so I'm yelling my testimony in Spanish at this guy and he starts hacking up a lung then looks at me and gurggles something. It was so funny! Then I gave him a blessing. We have an investigator and I'm going to ask her to be baptized, the date my companion had in mind was december 29, but i was reading the bom an I had the strongest prompting from the spirit to do it sooner, so I said a week earlier and my companion was like "okay... why?" and I had no clue but you do not say no to those feelings! Love you tons! Goodnight! 

Today I cooled off with a cup of hot chocolate.. literally!

I ironed my cloths today, I was the ironing board.

There is a law on procreation here due to fire dangers. My shower today was hot sand, it was refreshing! 

Honestly though its 80 in our room 24-7 and worse outside! haha love ya