It RAINED!!!

 (Collin and Elder Walker in Sechura - I'm working on Collin to step it up in the sending new pictures department :)

Hello family!

Well all is just fine and dandy here in Tambo Grande! Probably one of the most wonderful things that has happened is that it RAINED!!! Last night and the night before it rained, and it feels so nice, the nights are always pretty cool and it always feels so nice. I sure do love the weather here, although the mornings can get pretty hot and humid!

Well, one fun thing we do on P Days is we go and play soccer with some members and their friends, this including, for the most part, little kids, most around 7 years old or something. haha it's fun, and it helps me not look TOO terrible at soccer. :)

Bummer you couldn't find Guaraguas on the Internet... Maybe villages with 40ish families are hard to come up. haha! The thing is, it is within the branch area but I don't know if it is within our area of proselyting or not. It´s possible, since missionaries used to spend two days a week over there, but we actually went with the permission of the Mission President. But we are planning another Branch visit and also President Rowley of the mission plans to come visit them with us one of these days too! I am super excited for that!

Here in Tambo Grande we are working well! We have good investigators, all with their own problems for why they can't get baptized just yet, but we are working on all we can. From marriage to parent approval to constantly harvesting Mangos, we are trying to figure things out. Yesterday we actually found a new investigator that was a reference from a member, and I think and really hope that we can get some good progress with her. She is really cool and I am excited to get to know her!

Well, a little about the branch. There are a little over 300 members. Currently, about 40-50 tops, are attending. That is because it is Mango season. I hear after March, they all start to come back, or start working in the Avocado season that follows. haha so since that is the big industry here, there is a lack of Church attendance. The leaders who attend are SUPER AWESOME. They work very hard and are enthusiastic in the work. 

This week I attended a District Leader Training Meeting and that was VERY amazing. I learned a LOT and it's helping me feel like I can do this a little bit more effectively! I am far from perfect but everyone is being patient with me! One thing I learned during the meeting, I appear to have the least amount of time that any of the others have, and it is very rare that I haven't been a trainer before District Leader. I know God called me to be District Leader for a reason. And I think more than anything it is so that I can learn and be taught and humbled. I am growing, I am realizing my weaknesses. And that is just like Ether 12:27. So off I go to have Him help me grow, and I am so grateful for all of His help. I know I couldn't get through this life without my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost who helps me know they are there.

Well, I love you all! Thank you mom for the Valentine Package! I actually got it my last week in Sechura! And one thing I learned, the people here LOVE tootsie rolls, especially my Pensionista, it would appear! hahaha! So thank you, and we might need some more tootsie rolls, since I ran out rather quickly... :)

I love you, keep reading the scriptures and praying. I am learning how much I depend on Prayer now. It is awesome, the Lord really does help when you pray and ask for help. I feel like I am growing and learning every day, and I hope I am helping Tambo Grande, since it sure has been awesome!

Love you, it is great to hear from you all! Keep up the great emails. I always LOVE getting the details of back home life!

Con amor y felicidad,

Elder Collin Russell

Short and Sweet :)

Hello family!                                              

I am so sorry I don't have much time to write today... the internet is quite slow here in Tambo Grande, and I had a lot to write to the president and also had to transfer photos to give to Elder Tamani this Wednesday when I see him in the district leader training meeting.

But Tambo Grande is awesome!! I feel pretty good about knowing the area so far and the people too. This week we totally rocked the numbers of visits to less actives. Now we just need to work on finding new investigators.

The branch leaders here are outstanding! I love them, the active ones are VERY active and work hard to invite others and serve in the missionary work. We received news this week that we need to start looking for land to build a chapel here!!! That is SO awesome, the casa capilla here is quite humble.

We also had a visit to Guaraguas, a town 40 minutes away to visit members, and WOW the drive there was one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever experienced. You´ll have to look up the town and this area, its so beautiful.

I am so sorry I have so little time! My companion is awesome, all is well here in Tambo Grande! Other than the fact that this keyboard is sticky, the internet is slow and I have a LOT to write and do in so little time!!

I love you all!! I am thinking about you all the time!

Keep praying and reading your scriptures!!

Con amor,

Elder Collin Russell

I'm Off to Tambo Grande

Hey there family!                                                         

Well, hopefully you get this email... the internet place I am at is the slowest I've ever seen, its kinda ruining my speed writing! But I hope you all get this just fine.

You have probably heard from your Sechura facebook friends, but yes, I am no longer in Sechura. I am now in Tambo Grande, it's northeast of Piura closer to Sullana, you should look it up! I am now with Elder Martinez, born in Columbia but when he left for the mission he was living in Lima, Peru. He has 4 months, just finishing his training, so I have just one transfer more than him. So yep, I was called to be Senior Companion! I am in Zona Algerrobos, which happens to be the zone of my Mission Dad, Elder Inocente!! I also believe we might be in the same district! Now, the twist... I was also called to be District Leader! THAT one caught me off guard! Only 5 months and I´ll be honest, I did not feel ready to hear that one. But I think with this humility and a lot of fervent prayer I can do what the Lord needs of me. I already know with a surety that these next couple months will be a time of AMAZING growth for me.

Ok, Tambo Grande. I don't have a ton of time since the internet has been so slow... but I´ll do my best to describe it all to you. Pictures are sure to come, I only have 5 hours here total so far. Haha But every person I told that I was going to Tambo Grande told me two things - VERY hot, and LOTS of Mangos. Hotter than Sechura, they told me, and yep, I feel it! More humid, at least. But yeah, the road to Sechura was an hour trip from Piura through Desert. To Tambo Grande it was an hour and a half from Piura through plantations of Mango, Grapes, Bananas, Rice, yep. It´s very, very more green here. and actually on the road here, I saw in the distance, MOUNTAINS!! That was a highlight, but they are quite far away.

Here one of the coolest things, there is a giant Christus in the center, there is a big hill that you can see from almost every part of Tambo Grande, and it is sweet! I think we are going to go check it out after we write these emails. Tambo Grande is bigger than Sechura I would say, even though I don't fully know it like at all yet, but the downtown area of Sechura is much more developed. But, Tambo Grande used to be two areas until this last transfer, so my area is now about double the size of my last one it sounds like, and I thought that one was huge!! a 30 minute walk from one corner to the other was Sechura, we´ll have to see about this one.

Here is also a branch with a casa capilla, smaller than Sechura I have heard. Very humble, as Elder Arce told me in Sechura. Elder Arce was in my district, Sechura was his second area. and Tambo Grande was his first so he was very excited for me and now I have the list of people to contact. Haha  I hear the Branch President always has juice of some sort when you visit, so I am SUPER excited for that!!

Elder Martinez is 18 years old, he turns 19 in May. He is the 4th of 5, his younger brother is 7, and the 3 older brothers have all served missions. His parents are not members and are separated I think I heard him say, sometimes I still have slip ups in understanding like that. But I already have so much respect for him that he is on a mission and I hope that we can grow together and help one another as we help build the branch here!

Sechura had a farewell party for me and Elder Arce, everyone went around and said their remarks to us and good wishes, and that was nice. Then we got a face full of cake, I think I still have frosting up my nose, they really got me good... haha but it was sad to leave! I am really going to miss them over there, the district, Elder Tamani was AWESOME, we had a blast together, and I had to keep reminding myself that I was leaving because I would keep making mental plans for the next week on what we needed to do, so that was a bit of a reality check! It is so true what they all say, you get used to the people and the area and then they send you somewhere else! But I am also very grateful to be here, I look forward to all the new adventures!

Well, next week I will have more info on the area and all the new things I am doing, I am sure that if you asked the facebook friends for pictures they will have lots.

Love you all!! Have a great week!

Elder Russell

A few photos from the farewell party in Sechura...

...and a little cake in the face!

I Love Being a Missionary!

Dear Family,                                                    

Happy February! Man, it´s crazy how time is starting to really whirl!

The weather here this week has actually been pretty nice! Really windy which cools it down a lot. February is usually where they get lots of rain here in Piura region, but so far there has been nothing. One crazy thing was Thursday morning. We were doing our weekly planning and about to finish up when it started to blow just a little bit stronger outside, and the tin roof panels on the house next door started to rumble a little (My companion thought it was just some cats or something, which is common too) then it started blowing a little more, then WHOOOM! Out our window all you could see was dust and tin roof!! A twister had made its way down our street!! It was a crazy sight, and now over half the roof next door is gone! Luckily right now it´s vacant and nobody lives there, but that was something else! But other than that little thing, the weather is GREAT!

Our baptism for this next Saturday has been moved, since she has to be in Piura to help her family while her sister has a surgery or something. She is so ready, her desire to learn what she needs to do is so admirable, so setting the date a week or two later doesn't have me too worried, but we are trying our best to keep in contact while she is out of town.

Well, things are all going great down here, I think I´m really getting in the hang of things here, at least for the most part. Right now we are gonna check out the sand dunes that are like 6 km out of town and have some fun as a district! I´ll be sure to take pictures!!

OH!! A Good experience this week... So last week we passed by a less active member and we asked him why he isn't coming to church. He said I´ll tell you honestly (love it when people are honest about their needs!!) his deal is that he knows the Bible to be the word of God and he believes strongly in the importance of Jesus Christ. Then in our church we spend so much time focusing on the Book of Mormon and the restoration and don't use the Bible. If we could show him where it says Joseph Smith's name in the Bible (JS-H Genesis 50 cough, cough, but we can't exactly use that since we need to show him in his own Bible) and stuff like that.

So we became, this week, masters of that doctrine. I now know several prophesies about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and how to explain them, coming from Isaiah, John, Ezekiel, Revelations, Numbers, and so on. We taught him and in the end all he could say was, yeah, I guess that could happen... We taught him with his own Bible, truths and principles of doctrine of the Restored Church. But I learned something very important - more important even - too. In the beginning, Elder Tamani asked him if it would truly help him if we showed him the evidence. We started the lesson in personal testimony that the only true and lasting affirmation of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and the Restoration would have to come from personal prayer in faith, and study.

Dearest family, I know this is true. We doctrinally ROCKED that lesson, but leaving I knew that the true manner for him to grow to know will have to come through the Holy Ghost. I know that is the only way how we can truly receive testimony and I know that we CAN receive this testimony and answer from the Holy Ghost.

I love being a missionary, I love it so so much!! I love you all and hope you are all doing well! NEVER forget your daily prayers and scripture study, you will grow to be spiritual giants if you do this.

I love you all!!! Talk to you next week!

Atte.

Elder Collin Russell

(Good to see they're getting an occasional polish :)