Victoria and Rosmery's baptisms

February 24, 2014

mom!

This week was pretty crazy and stressful hahah.  In the end however, we came out victorious with two baptisms!!! (will send photos in a bit!)  this week really flew by because we had a bunch of stuff going on, so it was good.  La hermana Victoria y su hija Rosmery were baptized yesterday after all of our efforts!  I also had a bunch of visitas de trabajo this week because of various reasons, which was interesting, but again, I learned a lot and worked hard as usual.  My district leader taught me something pretty cool that I thought we could use in our lives.  I was asking him how he teaches so well and he said he just focuses on the necessity because they necessity is like an anchor and if we don't pull up the anchor we won't go anywhere.  It was pretty cool because I thought that we will all have anchors, but if we focus on our anchors or disabilities, we can move on and be stronger.  I'm actually still somewhat stressed out because we have transfers tomorrow and I think I am leaving hahah.  but I am doing good, and just going to keep working hard!

 

 

El Dia de Amistad

February 17, 2014

mom!

Sounds like you guys are pretty busy out there!  Elder Chamorro and I are also pretty busy out here also!  We have two baptismal dates for this week so we are pretty stoked about that!  Everything has been really good this week.  We had a zone conference with president, went out to lunch Tuesday (5 month mark) and it really was just a good week.  Everything is pretty calm out here, I got like 4 packages this week hahah (one from you guys, Grandma Jeanne and the Dickman's sent me two)  pretty awesome and I REALLY appreciate all the support!! I don't really know what else to talk about rally hahah everything is just moving along.  My companion is good, and yes the do celebrate Valentines Day (el dia de amistad)  and its pretty much they same, but Peruvian so not quite hahah.  kind of a weak email, but I really don't know what to write about!

 

A few of Jake's other emails this day---

I was trying to think of something, but came up dry.  really was just thinking that we should always try to improve our lives and change for the better.  I read the story of Lot and his wife and that's just what I thought about.  It's in Genesis 17 I think.....  if we just look forward and focus on our goal we will be much happier.  That's also what I have learned out here, if we don't have goals and do things with a purpose, we will just drift around in circles with our lives. Just some things I've been thinking about!

hahahah something elder quille always told me and taught was about the two most powerful things in the world..... the atonement and the decisions of the people.  a lot of times we don't think too much about what we are doing, but its the little things that do big things!

 

 

         We made a sweet staircase at the top of a mountain and a lady let me use her hat hahahah

           I honestly don't know why they live so high up there, but they do..... there's houses,

            but they just climb the hill so we were helping them out!

 

I love this ward and the members!!

February 10, 2014

mom!

Sounds like this week was crazy!! that's so crazy about dad too!!!!! so awesome!  did they change the whole bishopric (I killed that word sorry) or just dad?  that's just crazy!  this week was pretty cool, pretty much a normal week.  we did lose one of our baptismal dates which was kind of rough, but we should have two for this week.  just really hope they don't fall through!  everything else is going good though!  we had a birthday party for our bishop this week which was sweet, and the ward here is seriously so awesome!  Vicente's brother gave me a triple from the 80s from Guatemala with a Mayan scripture case and its probably the coolest thing ever!  I feel so blessed to be here its awesome!  its just really hard to describe the members here!  we had splits this week and I was with the district leader and it was crazy. he taught this lesson that was so cool.  he compared the story of Joseph of Egypt and how he interpreted the pharoahs dream and how we have to do everything we can in this life to prepare ourselves for the next life.  I pretty much butchered the description, but it was like the coolest lesson ever!  other than that not too much is going on!  I got two huge packages that were unreal!!!!!! thank you so much for all the support you give me! so awesome. but yeah that's my email for the week!

 

 

Carnavales

February 3, 2014

hey mom!

Pretty solid week this week.  Went by pretty fast too, but kind of strange.  We had divisions with the zone leaders and our district leader so I was only in our area for a couple days.  however, we are working hard as usual and getting pretty close to a couple baptisms!  The zone put a goal for 45 baptisms this month, which means everyone has to get at least 5 in the zone..... kind of crazy but we are just working really hard!  Elder Chamorro and I are getting along pretty good, I've just found that a lot of the latinos have many different customs and to relax a little hahah....  everything is pretty calm over here though, just working as usual.  Carnavales (not sure how its spelled haha)  started this week in Peru which is a holiday were they pretty much just throw water on people hahaha so Elder Chamorro and I are being cautious hahah.  really nothing new is happening though.... just working hard and enjoying the mission! sorry if its kind of short, just not too much to say really. Love you guys

 

 

Making brownies....

January 27, 2014

hey mom!

I would have to agree with you about this week, a bit long hahah.  everything is going well out here, definitely still getting used to my new companion............ which is a struggle hahah but other than that everything is good.  that's pretty crazy about Kathrine, when does she leave?  we had 35 lessons this week, but I am really trying to work on being more effective in my lessons.  I would definitely love some girl scout cookies!!! I do like all of them but I would have to go with the samoas as my favorites like you said hahah.  Alli and Ashley look good in their pictures..... really weird though, I feel like everyone is so old.  sounds like it will be a fun week for Alli with her finals hahah and hopefully Ashley scores some sweet reading counts points hahah.  that's too bad about grandpa Neil, but everyone has a time and everything has a purpose!   plus its not the end so it may be a little bit sad, but in no time we will be with him again!  I'm glad to see I'm still invited to family dinners hahahah.  everything is really going good out here though,  we gave special sacrament to a member yesterday and them made brownies!  the ward is really so awesome!  just trying to get elder chamorro excited about it which is a little rough hahah. but everything is really good!  I really am enjoying my time here and am learning a lot!  both in Spanish and the gospel!  one thing we did this week which I was proud of was we went on splits with the members and I led the lesson and everything! pretty sweet stuff haha anyways, that's my report for the week!