The New Year

 It's transfers tomorrow. Over half the zone if going. Two new district leaders, new area, one fresh out of the CCM, and new roommate. Elder major gringo is going to Trujillo and we're getting another. It was a pretty slow week. Didn't have time to do much. Lots of meetings and devotionals. We went to a member's house for Skype and her internet was useless. I think I broke the camera on the phone. She was chatting with us on Sunday and said she can't use her camera. I don't think that was me. 

But after about and hour of figuring that out we only had a couple hours left. So we called the ward mission leader, ran across the area as fast as we could and did the skype. That was the hottest Christmas of my life about 90 degrees. I'm slowly dying here. But it all worked out. 

 We are really trying to work hard with the 30 less active members here. The work got really slow and difficult for some reason. But we'll keep persevering. We have a less active that lives with her investigator boyfriend. We taught them like crazy in the first three weeks, but as soon as we hit Chastity, we haven't gotten in the door. About two days ago, we stopped by, and it was just her and her nephew. We talked a little, and she told us she would like a calling. And we're thinking you can't have a calling if you live with your boyfriend! But we'll see how that works. The Jehovah Witnesses stopped by and gave her a pamphlet of apostasy. It said we shouldn't celebrate Christmas because it's a sin... I don't know.

Anyway, hope everything is nice and cold back home because I'm taking all the heat for you! Happy New Year!

Navidad

 I don't know who is taking my weeks away, but they won't stop. I can't figure out why I'm emailing again. It's difficult to understand it's already been 5 weeks here in Chimbote. We did lots of fun stuff though. We had an activity on Friday, they called it a Chocolatada. Don't know what it is, but there was singing and dancing and food. Us four elders lip sang Mary, Did You Know in front of everyone. It was ridiculous, but they enjoyed it. We had about 200 people there, which is 50 more than we had at church, kinda sad, like the topics for Sunday. It was missionary work.

Yesterday, we had a little meeting with Four Zones and watched videos, sang and then had lunch. It's fun to see everyone, well half of everyone. We also had a FHE yesterday and then got to set up their Christmas tree with them! It was the best. 

As a Zone we are going to eat and watch a movie on the 24th. The movie president approved was Elf.... So everyone is really excited! 

I'll be calling home on the 23rd in the afternoon, so please answer weird numbers. 

See you all on FRIDAY!

Merry Christmas!

Soy Peruano

 We started out the week with some FHE, and my comp made tacos. Mexico right. We had them Monday and Tuesday. The Peruvians were sweating like crazy! It's hard to find stuff that is spicy here. They're a delicate people. But we also had an FHE in the house we live about the Spirit and how it guides us. But the whole time, the members across the street were blasting music. But then we had banana splits which made up for it. Those members sure love to play their music everyday though, it makes planning tough. And the other thing that makes it tough is when the power goes out. It's a good thing I brought a little lantern.

My investigator that crashed his motorcycle healed like crazy. There is no doubt that the blessing we gave him helped him recover. But he is still riding his motorcycle. I always say he should sell it and get a car, but he doesn't want any of that.

On Friday, we had a Movie Night. We invited everyone we could to watch Meet the Mormons. We had popcorn and juice and about 50 people between two companionships. It was sad, but we had less active and a promising investigator come. So it wasn't a total waste. And I was able to understand much more of the language. It's getting better!

On Sunday we had the Primary Program. That's my third one this year! It's much better when it's in Spanish though, but also sad that these kids know bigger words than me. After church, I had to take a bus up to Trujillo. And then, on my P-day, had to fly to Lima, get my carnet thing that lets me live here, and then fly back. We spent the night with the AP's and woke up at 5 to get a plane at 9am to Lima, then wait 5 hrs to get the thing. By 2pm we ate chicken, and by 4 we were at the airport. And our flight was a 9pm. But! we met a kid from Trujillo going on his mission, can you guess where. He was flying to The CCM in Brasil for his mission in Manaus! His name is Elder Chen, and he is awesome, we spent from 4 to 9 together. This is more for dad, in the airport, there was a flight right before us going to Iquitos. And there was a white women wearing dad's sandals!!! With the toe thing, Chacos, whatever they are. It was too funny, the crowd in the Lima airport is weird, mostly the white people. There was a guy asleep in the middle of the hallway. But I'm Peruvian now.

So now I'm here, in the mission office emailing. I'm on the computer of the secretary in charge of lots of secret stuff, so I can't put in my USB. But next week I will send them! Love you all, HLJ HazLoJusto! Miss you all, see you on Christmas, maybe...

Lluvia!

 It Rained! Everyone said it was the first time in like a year. I felt right at home, except it was still hot. The ward council of a ward was cancelled because of it, but it wasn't more than a Washington drizzle. The dogs here are crazy! I see on average about 30 dogs a day. But one night after planning, we heard some squealing outside our window and we saw a large dog on top of a smaller dog growling. He was just growling at him. But then this large Peruvian woman on the sidewalk walked over, picked up a rock the size of my fist and hucked the thing right at his face! There was running and squealing, and the next morning the same dog only had one eye open... The people here are as crazy as the dogs!

 There is a less active member and her boyfriend who we've been teaching. She went down to Guarme to do some kind of animal thing for a week. But we continued to just teach him. But one day at about 6 we knocked on the door and he opened it with his face all torn up and blood all over his pants. He said he just got in a motorcycle accident at 12 noon. He thought he could go faster then a car through and intersection and lost. But! he still came to church with those scars! But we can't baptize him till he moves out or gets married. We'll see how it works. 

Another couple we've been teaching are very catholic or something. We tried to teach the Restoration. Everything was great! I invited the husband to be baptized. Then he went off about the example of Christ and I don't even know what happened or most of what he said. But somehow my companion brought up the work for the dead and the wife lost it! She said, ¨You can't do that, this is the only chance you get!¨(but in rapid Spanish) 

So we pulled out some 1 Cor 15 and she didn't want to hear any of it! So we'll see how it goes... 
Yesterday was the birthday of our pensionista's son and we had Perú cake! And threw a big party after fast Sunday. There a really nice family and shared the cake with us. But the weird thing is school is out until March. So during study it's pretty loud downstairs, so we're thinking about moving with a couple more in our area. We had a FHE with them on Saturday and she said she misses the missionaries and bought us pizza. We'll see how it goes. 
But everything is great, teaching everyday and always improving. Miss all of you!

Elder Willard v.3   

Week Two

 It's too hot! I just sweat from shower until bed! It's the worst. But I hope to adjust. Elder Uceda of the seventy came to speak to the missionaries of about 4 Zones. And he is awesome; he spent an hour talking about one sentence in D&C! He is so cool! And of 5 people, I was selected to have a personal interview with him! He asked about home and how I'm doing and then told me he sees a lot of potential in me. He said I'll grow as a leader and most of all in spirituality. Then he gave me a hug. He is too cool! Then later in the week, an appointment fell through and while walking away, an obviously drunk man called to us while standing at his door. We went over and started talking about Mormons. But he wanted to talk about the trinity. He however did not want to hear from my Mexican companion because he said Americans are more pure. So I told him that God is our Heavenly Father and Jesus is his son. But he didn't believe me, so we pulled out the Bible to Acts 7 and explained about Stephen and he then said he wants my Bible so he can read it. He said he is very lost and needs to find the truth. So my Comp made me give him my Bible from the CCM! And he said he will see us and church and didn't come. And now I'm out a Bible! I found out from a secretary to the President that my first comp got a stomach bug and had to go to the hospital. I haven't had any problems yet, but everyone says it happens. The other thing about this city is the danger. We were walking on the street and I got clotheslined in the face. I'm too tall. But it's been fun! Miss you all! 

El Campo

 I finished the CCM. They need to make that place worse to actually prepare you for the field. My flight from Lima to Trujillo was at 7:30am so naturally we had to be awake at 3:30. It was only a 45 minute flight. It is the tiniest airport I have ever seen. There was a big welcome wagon and then we got to go see the temple. Hermana Rios posted the pictures on the Blog. We then got to a chapel in Trujillo and had breakfast and talked about what to expect. Lunch was at the mission home and then after more talking we got our companions. 

Mine is from Mexico city and his name is Elder Rivera. He has been out for 11 months and his first son is my companion's  trainer. We chatted a bit, said bye and then got on a bus to our mission. My zone is Chimbote south in a area called San Luis. We met the Zone Leaders and they took us to our home. It's in the middle of the city and we live with two other elders and our pensionista's family. So there's four of us in the building and four people downstairs. There use to be only two missionaries, but they just split it in half, because it's huge! You don't have enough time to walk across the whole thing. But the most surprising thing is there is no water. We have to fill up a bucket every morning from a truck on the street, at about 6 to be able to shower that morning. But it's too fun! It's all so new! We've been running around teaching all we can and getting to know members. There are a lot of really nice people here, funny, kind, and helpful. We took a sister out with her two little kids to teach her friend. Too fun here. My Spanish has probably tripled from the time I left school. It's challenging but everyone has been so nice here. The Zone is great, everyone is fun and able to share great exp and ideas. Love it down here. Miss you all so much, wish I could help clean up from the storm. I'll take care of it when I get back! 

Ultima Semana

 I've made it! Flying out on Tuesday to Trujillo. Heard lots of great things about it and ready to get out there and look like a typical white missionary. We had another member from the fourth Quorum of the Seventy come to speak yesterday. Elder Viar who is from Lima and served in Lima a long time ago. He told many amazing stories. Baptism numbers don't matter, an Elder served in Europe and said his mission was a failure because he only got one baptism which was just a kid. But many years later, he met with a man in the States who was a general authority. 

He found out that was his baptism. He reminded us that we have a lot of people relying on us and who want our success. His son died at the age of four, and all his son wanted to be was a missionary. So the members of the ward put their plaques in his coffin. He went on to say we are like his son. He prays for us and wants us to do our best. Great guy! There has been such a great spirit here and so much learning. Going to miss my teachers and my district, but I'll see them on the flight back to Atlanta. Email you all as soon as I can!