Hey Family,
It was so good to read about all your experiences this past week. Every Monday I get anxious to read about all your lifes. Early on in the mission I was more worried about what was going on at home than I was about what was going on in Peru. Now, I still love you all deeply, but I'm a little more worried about the people we're actually teaching and trying to baptize. But, the fact of the matter is that I'm not a perfect person and I do think about American sports. So I really have to thank my little brother for the sports updates on Mondays. I'm happy that the Jazz aren't getting blown out all the time and that they are a pretty respectable team now. I can't wait to go to a game. I actually really wanted to go to the Bees first, but I'm getting back in November so I doubt I'm going to be able to live out that dream. Everybody keeps telling me that there's hardly any snow this year and that the end of the world is coming soon, sorry about that. Out here in Moquegua it actually rained!!! We left a lesson at like 9:20 and had to run back to the room. Luckily we didn't have to go up hill so we got there in time. But I was pretty surprised that it rained.
This week was sooo good. After reading about all your prayers and can really attribute what happened this week to you guys. So, I'll try to tell the story. Cristian is a kid in our ward, he's like 19. One day in November we were walking and he stopped us in the street. He told us he had a reference for us and asked if we could teach the reference at 4:00 in the afternoon that day. We were pretty surprised and of course we went to the lesson on short notice!!! He introduced us to his friend Nely. She's going to college here in Moquegua but she's from a place called Puno. Her whole family lives there. She's super shy and when she talks she pretty much whispers but she accepted the gospel really quickly. She was about to get baptized in December but her Dad got really sick so she went to go see him. Then she came back but then went back home for Christmas. Then she said she was going to be home for two more months. We took down her adress becuase she said she really wanted to get baptized and we gave the adress to the zone leaders to pass on to the other mission in Puno. We were happy that at least somebody could baptize her and she could progress. We thought we wouldn't see her for another two months but it turns out she came back early. The first thing we asked her was if she got baptized in Puno. She said no, so we said,"We're having a baptismal service this Saturday, what does the Spirit say you should do?" For the first time in a lesson, she started to cry and was so overwhelmed. She said she would get baptized this Saturday. I was like WOW!!!! I felt the spirit soo strong and I know it was the right thing to ask her in that moment. We had her baptism on Saturday and people actually showed up. It was a good day and at the end of the baptism she bore such a strong testimony. It was the loudest I've ever heard her speak!! Thank you all soooo much for your prayers, I know that the Lord blesses us according to our faith and desires. I love the people here in Peru and little by little I'm learning a lot about their culture.
Well, that's about it for the time. Sorry about not writing a whole lot, but that experience with Nely really touched me. OH, the title is from the car that we had, just in case you were all wondering. My package still hasn't come which doesn't really surprise me. Turns out I might not ever see it so let me know if it gets returned to the States. I hope we can have another baptism this week. Its a couple where the wife is a member but the husband no. He's cool, he just wants a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon. Have a good week and be an example to those around you!!!
Love,
Your Son and Brother,
Elder Child
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Conference is Awesome!
Hey Familia,
What's up guys? I hope this email finds you all in a good mood and in good spirits. I was happy to hear from all of you. I was thinking a little bit in all the people that are getting married after the mission: like Adam and Josh. I wouldn't be surprised if Dallin comes home in July and gets married in like August before I even get home. Time is seriously going by sooo fast. I don't really know what happened to this week it just kind of flew by. I was super stoked to hear about all the blessings that you guys are recieving up there in the States like jobs for Karyn, jobs for Alex, winning churchball, speaking in Church, being in the presence of children who are sinnless in primary, not a ton of road problems from the lack of snow, and of course the Jazz winning. I really am strengthened by your testimonies everyweek, written or unwritten. Its pretty interesting how revelation works, especially this week. I wasn't even trying to think about home at all, but every time I kneeled down to pray at night I felt the impression to pray for the physical welfare of my parents (specifically in the job aspect). I really hope that all is well and that you're not too stressed out or anything.
Well, to start off, Im pretty much grasping for things to write this morning. I really hadn't planned anything to tell you all just because the days go by so fast and the mission isn't quite as new and fresh as it used to be. But this week was a good one. We had a lot of lessons, we found some interesting people and heard crazy stories and experiences from all the Peruvians. I laugh at all the stuff they tell us in their door. Like how they think Joseph Smith is our Jesus, or how the Spirit came upon them like somebody shooting them with a bow and arrow. Or, how God is a telephone. Its definately never a dull experience knocking doors. We also had a pretty cool experience with a couple we are teaching. They really like to listen to us but have no intentions of getting baptized or even praying about the Book of Mormon. I was just about ready to drop them and not make anymore appointments. After the last appointment the wife called us the next day and said she actually did pray and said that for the first time she had a powerful dream about us. Turns out that her husband did too but he's a little too prideful to tell that to us to our face. They actually came to church too. It was pretty cool becuase the husband (Fernando) knows a lot of members and was deeply touched by one of his classmates who gave a talk in sacrament meeting. We are going to try our hardest to help them get baptized this saturday.
Another interesting thing that happened this week was the splits we did with the zone leaders. I went with a Northamerican from Washington D.C. We had the same trainer so thats pretty interesting. It was the first time that I did splits with a Northamerican and we didn't speak a single word of English!! I was pretty shocked actually. You know you've been in another country for a long time when you'd rather speak spanish than English.
I've seen the lord's hand in my life even more this week and Im eternally grateful to be a part of this work. I've been reading the conference ensign every day this week and I'm always moved by the words of the prophets and apostles. I was seriously impacted by the talks from President Eyring and the Prophet. I love how good of an example these men are for me. Sometimes I ask myself, how would I work if Thomas S. Monson was my mission president? How would I work if Henry B. Eyring was my companion? But then I realized that we are always companions with somebody even more perfect. Jesus Christ will always be by our side, we just have to pay attention and think a little bit more of him.
Well, that about sums it up for this week. I hope I get my package by next week. There was a mix up in the Mission office and I have to send another permission letter to an elder so that he can go get my packages. Hopefully they can do me that favor by next monday, I'm getting more and more anxious to see what's in there. Have an awesome week.
Bye,
Sincerely,
Elder Child
What's up guys? I hope this email finds you all in a good mood and in good spirits. I was happy to hear from all of you. I was thinking a little bit in all the people that are getting married after the mission: like Adam and Josh. I wouldn't be surprised if Dallin comes home in July and gets married in like August before I even get home. Time is seriously going by sooo fast. I don't really know what happened to this week it just kind of flew by. I was super stoked to hear about all the blessings that you guys are recieving up there in the States like jobs for Karyn, jobs for Alex, winning churchball, speaking in Church, being in the presence of children who are sinnless in primary, not a ton of road problems from the lack of snow, and of course the Jazz winning. I really am strengthened by your testimonies everyweek, written or unwritten. Its pretty interesting how revelation works, especially this week. I wasn't even trying to think about home at all, but every time I kneeled down to pray at night I felt the impression to pray for the physical welfare of my parents (specifically in the job aspect). I really hope that all is well and that you're not too stressed out or anything.
Well, to start off, Im pretty much grasping for things to write this morning. I really hadn't planned anything to tell you all just because the days go by so fast and the mission isn't quite as new and fresh as it used to be. But this week was a good one. We had a lot of lessons, we found some interesting people and heard crazy stories and experiences from all the Peruvians. I laugh at all the stuff they tell us in their door. Like how they think Joseph Smith is our Jesus, or how the Spirit came upon them like somebody shooting them with a bow and arrow. Or, how God is a telephone. Its definately never a dull experience knocking doors. We also had a pretty cool experience with a couple we are teaching. They really like to listen to us but have no intentions of getting baptized or even praying about the Book of Mormon. I was just about ready to drop them and not make anymore appointments. After the last appointment the wife called us the next day and said she actually did pray and said that for the first time she had a powerful dream about us. Turns out that her husband did too but he's a little too prideful to tell that to us to our face. They actually came to church too. It was pretty cool becuase the husband (Fernando) knows a lot of members and was deeply touched by one of his classmates who gave a talk in sacrament meeting. We are going to try our hardest to help them get baptized this saturday.
Another interesting thing that happened this week was the splits we did with the zone leaders. I went with a Northamerican from Washington D.C. We had the same trainer so thats pretty interesting. It was the first time that I did splits with a Northamerican and we didn't speak a single word of English!! I was pretty shocked actually. You know you've been in another country for a long time when you'd rather speak spanish than English.
I've seen the lord's hand in my life even more this week and Im eternally grateful to be a part of this work. I've been reading the conference ensign every day this week and I'm always moved by the words of the prophets and apostles. I was seriously impacted by the talks from President Eyring and the Prophet. I love how good of an example these men are for me. Sometimes I ask myself, how would I work if Thomas S. Monson was my mission president? How would I work if Henry B. Eyring was my companion? But then I realized that we are always companions with somebody even more perfect. Jesus Christ will always be by our side, we just have to pay attention and think a little bit more of him.
Well, that about sums it up for this week. I hope I get my package by next week. There was a mix up in the Mission office and I have to send another permission letter to an elder so that he can go get my packages. Hopefully they can do me that favor by next monday, I'm getting more and more anxious to see what's in there. Have an awesome week.
Bye,
Sincerely,
Elder Child
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Transfers
Hey Family!!!
Well for starters I just want to apologize for the lame title, it
happens every six weeks but I kind of didn't know what else to write.
So to stay on the topic today is transfers day. But nothing really
exciting happened. I'm staying here in Moquegua with my same companion
Elder Parra. At the end of this transfer I should have a total of
almost 6 months here! I actually am really excited for that. I really
do love it here. We have two wards and the one ward is really
improving and I'm super excited to get to work with the members even
more. I really have realized just how important it is to work with the
members. There is instantly a support system put into play when we
teach references. Instead of having to go pick people up for church,
the members do that, so it makes our lives a little bit easier. I'm so
grateful for all the people that share their testimonies and teach by
their example to their friends. I know its pretty hard to share the
gospel with people without a name tag on so thank you for the
sacrifice. But I'm reminded everyday of our eternal responsibility to
share this gospel and to live by the same things we preach.
This week was a good week for missionaries. It wasn't that exciting
with a ton of cool stories but something even more important happened.
Paola got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. It was such a
good sight to see her get baptized by her father and to join the rest
of her family in the church. She is a really good person and I know
she'll be a faithfull member for the rest of her life. What actually
surprises me about her is that she has a pretty strong testimony of
the church even though she doesn't know all that much about the story
of Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, the significance of the apostasy
or those kinds of things. Her testimony reminds me of a talk by Elder
Kazuhiko Yamashita (yes, I had to copy that from the Ensign to
remember his name) where he says that he got baptized becuase he felt
the love from the missionaries. Paola experienced the same thing
becuase we were there for her when she was going through some trials
and that softened her heart. I learned that conversion to the gospel
and salvation doesn't depend on the amount of knowledge we have of the
scriptures, but of the Spirit we feel. He converts us, not people on
the earth.
I'm glad to hear that all is well back home. I'm also glad to hear
that the Jazz are doing well in spite of their in experience and
youth. I hope they keep winning and I can't wait to actually go to a
game again there in Salt Lake. I wish I could fully thank you all for
the packages and the letters and things but the truth is I haven't
recieved anything yet. I know the lord is just trying my patience and
I hope I don't go crazy waiting for that stuff to get here. Well, I
hope you all have a good week and that you have time to strengthen
your testimony by diligently seeking to do so. I konw this church is
true and I know that it brings happiness to those that not only hear
it but that live it too. Something that I really liked from the
Preisthood class in the life of George Albert Smith was a story about
when someone told him that his coat had got stolen from his car one
winter. His response was pretty cool, he said "oh I wish we knew who
it was because he was probably pretty cold. I wish we could go give
him some food too and maybe some money, i hope he's okay." President
Kimball said that President Smith was one of the few men he knew that
actually practiced and lived what he taught. Imagine the impact we
could have on other people if we looked for opportunities to help
people and made charity the focus of our lives and not necessarily the
material things in life. I wish you all the best this week and just
know that I'm always praying for each and every one of you.
Love,
Elder Child
P.S. Its a TOTALLY different experience talking to a british man in
english about the gospel. That happened this week and let me tell you
it felt weird. Also, DO NOT try to do pull ups on the bunk bed when
your comp is reading the Ensign, things break!!!!
Well for starters I just want to apologize for the lame title, it
happens every six weeks but I kind of didn't know what else to write.
So to stay on the topic today is transfers day. But nothing really
exciting happened. I'm staying here in Moquegua with my same companion
Elder Parra. At the end of this transfer I should have a total of
almost 6 months here! I actually am really excited for that. I really
do love it here. We have two wards and the one ward is really
improving and I'm super excited to get to work with the members even
more. I really have realized just how important it is to work with the
members. There is instantly a support system put into play when we
teach references. Instead of having to go pick people up for church,
the members do that, so it makes our lives a little bit easier. I'm so
grateful for all the people that share their testimonies and teach by
their example to their friends. I know its pretty hard to share the
gospel with people without a name tag on so thank you for the
sacrifice. But I'm reminded everyday of our eternal responsibility to
share this gospel and to live by the same things we preach.
This week was a good week for missionaries. It wasn't that exciting
with a ton of cool stories but something even more important happened.
Paola got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. It was such a
good sight to see her get baptized by her father and to join the rest
of her family in the church. She is a really good person and I know
she'll be a faithfull member for the rest of her life. What actually
surprises me about her is that she has a pretty strong testimony of
the church even though she doesn't know all that much about the story
of Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, the significance of the apostasy
or those kinds of things. Her testimony reminds me of a talk by Elder
Kazuhiko Yamashita (yes, I had to copy that from the Ensign to
remember his name) where he says that he got baptized becuase he felt
the love from the missionaries. Paola experienced the same thing
becuase we were there for her when she was going through some trials
and that softened her heart. I learned that conversion to the gospel
and salvation doesn't depend on the amount of knowledge we have of the
scriptures, but of the Spirit we feel. He converts us, not people on
the earth.
I'm glad to hear that all is well back home. I'm also glad to hear
that the Jazz are doing well in spite of their in experience and
youth. I hope they keep winning and I can't wait to actually go to a
game again there in Salt Lake. I wish I could fully thank you all for
the packages and the letters and things but the truth is I haven't
recieved anything yet. I know the lord is just trying my patience and
I hope I don't go crazy waiting for that stuff to get here. Well, I
hope you all have a good week and that you have time to strengthen
your testimony by diligently seeking to do so. I konw this church is
true and I know that it brings happiness to those that not only hear
it but that live it too. Something that I really liked from the
Preisthood class in the life of George Albert Smith was a story about
when someone told him that his coat had got stolen from his car one
winter. His response was pretty cool, he said "oh I wish we knew who
it was because he was probably pretty cold. I wish we could go give
him some food too and maybe some money, i hope he's okay." President
Kimball said that President Smith was one of the few men he knew that
actually practiced and lived what he taught. Imagine the impact we
could have on other people if we looked for opportunities to help
people and made charity the focus of our lives and not necessarily the
material things in life. I wish you all the best this week and just
know that I'm always praying for each and every one of you.
Love,
Elder Child
P.S. Its a TOTALLY different experience talking to a british man in
english about the gospel. That happened this week and let me tell you
it felt weird. Also, DO NOT try to do pull ups on the bunk bed when
your comp is reading the Ensign, things break!!!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
From Saul to Paul
Hey Family!!!!
This letter is going to be a little short, sorry in advance. I sent some pictures to Nicole so I hope she gets them and shares them with you all. My comp totally loves his hair and sometimes it frustrates me! But I love him like a son. He had a hilarious joke for christmas that I forgot to tell you guys. "Enjoy this Christmas as if it was your last. Signed-The Mayans!" I thought it was funny. Anyways, thank you so much for the updates from home. I really loved the pictures of Grandma. That reminds me of a lesson that I had with a couple we are teaching. The husband is Catholic and the wife is Evangelist. They are really cool and they like to listen to us but they don't want to get baptized becuase they think they have all they need in their religions. So I testified of the sealing power that was restored through the Prohpet Joseph Smith. I testified that I know I will one day be able to see my Grandmother that I don't even know. I have heard stories about her and seen some pictures but I've never talked with her. I really felt the spirit so strong and the wife was really surprised that their marriage could last after death. I know that families can be together forever in this gospel.
So ever since I got to this area I have been teaching this family. The parents got baptized right before I got here. Then we quickly baptized the oldest daughter. The other daughter on the other hand was soooo hard to talk to. She fought on every point of doctrine. She absolutely didn't want to accept Joseph Smith as a prophet or the Book of Mormon. We've been visiting her off an on for the last four months. This past week she completely changed!! She told us she always wanted to get baptized but she was super prideful and didn't want to admit it to her parents. She finally felt the spirit and she prayed and knows now the truthfullness of the gospel. Her name is Paola (hence the title, I think I'm pretty witty.).
I've seen the Lords hand this week in my life and I know that His work will go on until it fills the earth. We just barely got the conference edition of the Ensign and I love it! Can't believe there's going to be 16 temples in Utah. Have a good week everybody. Possibley my last week here becuase of transfers but I'll keep my fingers crossed I really don't want to leave yet.
Love,
Elder Child
This letter is going to be a little short, sorry in advance. I sent some pictures to Nicole so I hope she gets them and shares them with you all. My comp totally loves his hair and sometimes it frustrates me! But I love him like a son. He had a hilarious joke for christmas that I forgot to tell you guys. "Enjoy this Christmas as if it was your last. Signed-The Mayans!" I thought it was funny. Anyways, thank you so much for the updates from home. I really loved the pictures of Grandma. That reminds me of a lesson that I had with a couple we are teaching. The husband is Catholic and the wife is Evangelist. They are really cool and they like to listen to us but they don't want to get baptized becuase they think they have all they need in their religions. So I testified of the sealing power that was restored through the Prohpet Joseph Smith. I testified that I know I will one day be able to see my Grandmother that I don't even know. I have heard stories about her and seen some pictures but I've never talked with her. I really felt the spirit so strong and the wife was really surprised that their marriage could last after death. I know that families can be together forever in this gospel.
So ever since I got to this area I have been teaching this family. The parents got baptized right before I got here. Then we quickly baptized the oldest daughter. The other daughter on the other hand was soooo hard to talk to. She fought on every point of doctrine. She absolutely didn't want to accept Joseph Smith as a prophet or the Book of Mormon. We've been visiting her off an on for the last four months. This past week she completely changed!! She told us she always wanted to get baptized but she was super prideful and didn't want to admit it to her parents. She finally felt the spirit and she prayed and knows now the truthfullness of the gospel. Her name is Paola (hence the title, I think I'm pretty witty.).
I've seen the Lords hand this week in my life and I know that His work will go on until it fills the earth. We just barely got the conference edition of the Ensign and I love it! Can't believe there's going to be 16 temples in Utah. Have a good week everybody. Possibley my last week here becuase of transfers but I'll keep my fingers crossed I really don't want to leave yet.
Love,
Elder Child
Monday, January 2, 2012
Feliz Año Nuevo!
Greetings to the whole Child Bunch!! (Don't think I've ever started an
email with the word "greetings" just trying to mix it up)
Hey family! Its so good to read all of your emails about the past
week. I'm glad that you all passed an awesome new year and that you
spent it as a family. I'm very happy to hear that the Utes beat the
Yellowjackets (yes, I do remember Georgia Tech's mascot) in overtime
and that they could reclaim a little bit of credibility. I was also
very elated to hear that Lindsey is finally off to the mission. I know
that her life will be blessed so much as she goes to serve the Lord in
Iowa. I made a friend here in Moquegua, Elder Hansen. He is the
Cardinals fan and he lived in Iowa until he was 18. He just told me
how FREEZING COLD it gets there becuase of the horrible wind in the
winter, have fun with that Lindsey. No, I know from experience that
the Lord will bless us for sacrifices.
Although I thank you all for the good news, I'm sorry to hear about
Keith Yocum. He was such a good man and a faithful member. I remember
how he would watch me and my little bro play basketball in the back
yard and how he was always outside with his dear wife doing things in
the yard. I can't say that I knew him SUPER well but the things I do
know about him makes me look to him as an example. I'm glad that he
didn't have to suffer very much and I know that he will be able to see
his family again one day. Really, that is what this gospel is about.
We talked to one of our investigators yesterday and whe asked her what
she expects (or wants) from our Father in Heaven. She told us that she
wants more than anything to be able to live with her son (she's a
single mom) forever. That made me think about all the wonderful
blessings this gospel gives to us. Now, if she would just apply the
gospel to her life and be obedient to the commandments, she could get
baptized in two weeks.
This week was pretty crazy with new years. A sister from the ward gave
us dinner at like 8:00. Then at like 10 another sister wanted to
deliver food so we said, ya come on over and drop it off. She didn't
come until 1:30!!! I was like dead asleep and as we were talking at
the door somebody lit off a hand grenade in the street and that was
kind of annoying!! They go pretty crazy with the fireworks here in
Peru. They were doing that stuff until who knows what time. Lets just
say that yesterday was the first time in my mission that a sacrament
meeting started without more than three priesthood holders (us and the
bishop). It was interesting.
As I look back on the year its so interesting to see my progress. Just
today we had to run uphill like 6 blocks to go get something at the
house that we forgot. I usually run with my backpack loaded with
scriptures and other things and it's kind of heavy. I can usually go
like three blocks up the hill before walking but this time I went
almost the whole six. When we take off our "backpacks" we can really
see how much we've progressed. But we always need to do more. AS a
mission we baptized 1746 people this year and we're happy because
that's the most this mission has done for 4 years but we need to
always improve.
Thanks for all the support and prayers. My package has yet to come but
I still have hope, kind of. My book of testimonies came and I was
deeply touched. I will write more about that next week.
With Love,
Your,
Elder Child
email with the word "greetings" just trying to mix it up)
Hey family! Its so good to read all of your emails about the past
week. I'm glad that you all passed an awesome new year and that you
spent it as a family. I'm very happy to hear that the Utes beat the
Yellowjackets (yes, I do remember Georgia Tech's mascot) in overtime
and that they could reclaim a little bit of credibility. I was also
very elated to hear that Lindsey is finally off to the mission. I know
that her life will be blessed so much as she goes to serve the Lord in
Iowa. I made a friend here in Moquegua, Elder Hansen. He is the
Cardinals fan and he lived in Iowa until he was 18. He just told me
how FREEZING COLD it gets there becuase of the horrible wind in the
winter, have fun with that Lindsey. No, I know from experience that
the Lord will bless us for sacrifices.
Although I thank you all for the good news, I'm sorry to hear about
Keith Yocum. He was such a good man and a faithful member. I remember
how he would watch me and my little bro play basketball in the back
yard and how he was always outside with his dear wife doing things in
the yard. I can't say that I knew him SUPER well but the things I do
know about him makes me look to him as an example. I'm glad that he
didn't have to suffer very much and I know that he will be able to see
his family again one day. Really, that is what this gospel is about.
We talked to one of our investigators yesterday and whe asked her what
she expects (or wants) from our Father in Heaven. She told us that she
wants more than anything to be able to live with her son (she's a
single mom) forever. That made me think about all the wonderful
blessings this gospel gives to us. Now, if she would just apply the
gospel to her life and be obedient to the commandments, she could get
baptized in two weeks.
This week was pretty crazy with new years. A sister from the ward gave
us dinner at like 8:00. Then at like 10 another sister wanted to
deliver food so we said, ya come on over and drop it off. She didn't
come until 1:30!!! I was like dead asleep and as we were talking at
the door somebody lit off a hand grenade in the street and that was
kind of annoying!! They go pretty crazy with the fireworks here in
Peru. They were doing that stuff until who knows what time. Lets just
say that yesterday was the first time in my mission that a sacrament
meeting started without more than three priesthood holders (us and the
bishop). It was interesting.
As I look back on the year its so interesting to see my progress. Just
today we had to run uphill like 6 blocks to go get something at the
house that we forgot. I usually run with my backpack loaded with
scriptures and other things and it's kind of heavy. I can usually go
like three blocks up the hill before walking but this time I went
almost the whole six. When we take off our "backpacks" we can really
see how much we've progressed. But we always need to do more. AS a
mission we baptized 1746 people this year and we're happy because
that's the most this mission has done for 4 years but we need to
always improve.
Thanks for all the support and prayers. My package has yet to come but
I still have hope, kind of. My book of testimonies came and I was
deeply touched. I will write more about that next week.
With Love,
Your,
Elder Child
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