Hola familia!
Well this has been a super duper week!! We got a lot of really fun stuff going on!
One adventure was Elder Plata and I one day searching for new investigators, which is something we need and I honestly do not have much experience in efficient finding. So we decided to do talk to a couple future investigators, and along the way we had three games coming from the answers to these questions: What is your favorite color? What is your favorite food? and What is your least favorite food? From that came the game. We needed to knock the door of ever orange or blue house (quite common here!), I had to mention chocolate cake in at least one of the contacts (my companion had to mention papa a la huancayina which is a peruvian dish), and if anyone we saw was eating chocolate or pinapple we HAD to talk to them. hahaha it was quite an adventure!
One of my favorite parts was we knocked on one of the doors and a lady comes to the door and opens the little bitty window. My companion says "Hello, we are missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints"
Well this has been a super duper week!! We got a lot of really fun stuff going on!
One adventure was Elder Plata and I one day searching for new investigators, which is something we need and I honestly do not have much experience in efficient finding. So we decided to do talk to a couple future investigators, and along the way we had three games coming from the answers to these questions: What is your favorite color? What is your favorite food? and What is your least favorite food? From that came the game. We needed to knock the door of ever orange or blue house (quite common here!), I had to mention chocolate cake in at least one of the contacts (my companion had to mention papa a la huancayina which is a peruvian dish), and if anyone we saw was eating chocolate or pinapple we HAD to talk to them. hahaha it was quite an adventure!
One of my favorite parts was we knocked on one of the doors and a lady comes to the door and opens the little bitty window. My companion says "Hello, we are missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints"
"We're busy." And she slams the little window shut. I think she started to walk away and I just thought I would be a little bold and shouted "What other day can we visit then!?"
Silence.
Then we hear a replying shout: "Saturday!"
"What time!?"
"4 o'clock!"
"What is your name?!"
"Rosario!"
"Thank you! Bye!"
We came back Saturday at 4:30 and a man answered the door, we asked for a Sister Rosario, and he said nobody lives there named Rosario. And he was also just about to leave, so that contact didnt really work out, but I got a thrill from it all. My companion thought I was crazy for all that determination I think though... haha but I am trying to make it fun for us. And I figured it would make a good story to send home. :)
The C. family is doing great! The Hermano in the last visit says he wants to be baptized, and so the goal is to get his wife feeling comfortable working with a date in mind. She also said if she gains a testimony she will be baptized. In the last visit it was just with Hermano and he said some very touching and fulfilling stuff. He explained he sees that everything is changing. His son apparently has talked in his sleep saying "Elderes, Elderes" and his grandson now asks when the Mormons are coming over. He explained that when he just gets full of all this pain and heavy burdened, he reads the Book of Mormon and prays and he feels so much better. He especially LOVES Alma and his stories from the books of Mosiah and Alma. Mosiah 24 was one of the first chapters we left for him to read and ever since he cannot get enough it seems. He loves to read. He says he sees the changes and we see it too as missionaries! We have a visit tonight so we'll see how it all goes!
Today we went to buy some food and there was a man there when we were buying drinks who was helping us with the prices and such. My companion still doesn't know what all the types of drinks are here in Peru so I was explaining a bit what they were and such. We are talking to this man too and he thought I was from Peru!!!! He was like, you know the foods of Peru, you talk like you are from Peru, you know the places of Peru (I later was talking to him about Sechura and Chulucanas and such) and I was like nope, I am from the US! Later in talking a bit more I think he picked up that my Spanish is far from complete though. :)
But it was still a real confidence booster. hahaha another story about my Spanish was there was a visit where one of the young women in the family kept saying she couldn't understand me. That is really a struggle for me when people say they don't understand... But then later in talking to the family she said "Oh, now I understand, you just talk really fast!" hahaha it is true... I do talk really fast, here they talk slow and as though they are singing sometimes, and I just talk fast. I dont know why though. haha
Church attendance was awesome!! We hit 56 in attendance!! Last week was 37. We measured church attendance for the month of March and now in May, and in all of the time reporting this number, that has been the highest I have seen!! So the work is progressing! I have the list of people in mind to work with so we can reach at least 80 before I get transferred away, so that is the big work ahead of us! I am dreading the day my change of area will come. I think I have 10 more weeks here, but transfers are coming up in 4 weeks... I hope I don't go yet. Even though I already have like 4 months here!
Yesterday we had a Family Search training session with our district and the district of Algarrobos Ward. Did you know on there I can trace my lineage back to Adam and Eve?! But there are some rather unsolid links. Just one name with the fact that they have passed away as the information. Also the name of Adam is "Adam the Red Man of Eden." Is that biblical knowledge that he was red that I have overlooked or what is that all about? Maybe you all can help me with that question...
I also looked for shoes today out of curiosity. They don't have over size 42 in the marketplace. Everywhere I asked for my 44s they would be like "noooo...." and it was quite comical for the crowd, myself included. It is like us tall Gringos are monsters or something. haha I love living here in Peru actually.
One thing I learned in Preach my Gospel this week was about the Spirit of Conversion. I am studying a lot about the spirit and my goal is to learn how to teach with a greater power of the spirit to accompany the lessons, since the Holy Ghost really is the key to missionary work. We are meant to just create the atmosphere in which the Spirit can testify to the hearts of those we teach. I am really learning about how to magnify that part of my calling. Really the big picture purpose in the lessons for me is 2 things: Invite the spirit and help them build the desire to act.
I know the missionary work is progressing and that what we teach is true. I invite you to continue DAILY in your spiritual growth.
Well I am out of time!! I love you all!
Con amor y felicidad,
Elder Collin Russell
Then we hear a replying shout: "Saturday!"
"What time!?"
"4 o'clock!"
"What is your name?!"
"Rosario!"
"Thank you! Bye!"
We came back Saturday at 4:30 and a man answered the door, we asked for a Sister Rosario, and he said nobody lives there named Rosario. And he was also just about to leave, so that contact didnt really work out, but I got a thrill from it all. My companion thought I was crazy for all that determination I think though... haha but I am trying to make it fun for us. And I figured it would make a good story to send home. :)
The C. family is doing great! The Hermano in the last visit says he wants to be baptized, and so the goal is to get his wife feeling comfortable working with a date in mind. She also said if she gains a testimony she will be baptized. In the last visit it was just with Hermano and he said some very touching and fulfilling stuff. He explained he sees that everything is changing. His son apparently has talked in his sleep saying "Elderes, Elderes" and his grandson now asks when the Mormons are coming over. He explained that when he just gets full of all this pain and heavy burdened, he reads the Book of Mormon and prays and he feels so much better. He especially LOVES Alma and his stories from the books of Mosiah and Alma. Mosiah 24 was one of the first chapters we left for him to read and ever since he cannot get enough it seems. He loves to read. He says he sees the changes and we see it too as missionaries! We have a visit tonight so we'll see how it all goes!
Today we went to buy some food and there was a man there when we were buying drinks who was helping us with the prices and such. My companion still doesn't know what all the types of drinks are here in Peru so I was explaining a bit what they were and such. We are talking to this man too and he thought I was from Peru!!!! He was like, you know the foods of Peru, you talk like you are from Peru, you know the places of Peru (I later was talking to him about Sechura and Chulucanas and such) and I was like nope, I am from the US! Later in talking a bit more I think he picked up that my Spanish is far from complete though. :)
But it was still a real confidence booster. hahaha another story about my Spanish was there was a visit where one of the young women in the family kept saying she couldn't understand me. That is really a struggle for me when people say they don't understand... But then later in talking to the family she said "Oh, now I understand, you just talk really fast!" hahaha it is true... I do talk really fast, here they talk slow and as though they are singing sometimes, and I just talk fast. I dont know why though. haha
Church attendance was awesome!! We hit 56 in attendance!! Last week was 37. We measured church attendance for the month of March and now in May, and in all of the time reporting this number, that has been the highest I have seen!! So the work is progressing! I have the list of people in mind to work with so we can reach at least 80 before I get transferred away, so that is the big work ahead of us! I am dreading the day my change of area will come. I think I have 10 more weeks here, but transfers are coming up in 4 weeks... I hope I don't go yet. Even though I already have like 4 months here!
Yesterday we had a Family Search training session with our district and the district of Algarrobos Ward. Did you know on there I can trace my lineage back to Adam and Eve?! But there are some rather unsolid links. Just one name with the fact that they have passed away as the information. Also the name of Adam is "Adam the Red Man of Eden." Is that biblical knowledge that he was red that I have overlooked or what is that all about? Maybe you all can help me with that question...
I also looked for shoes today out of curiosity. They don't have over size 42 in the marketplace. Everywhere I asked for my 44s they would be like "noooo...." and it was quite comical for the crowd, myself included. It is like us tall Gringos are monsters or something. haha I love living here in Peru actually.
One thing I learned in Preach my Gospel this week was about the Spirit of Conversion. I am studying a lot about the spirit and my goal is to learn how to teach with a greater power of the spirit to accompany the lessons, since the Holy Ghost really is the key to missionary work. We are meant to just create the atmosphere in which the Spirit can testify to the hearts of those we teach. I am really learning about how to magnify that part of my calling. Really the big picture purpose in the lessons for me is 2 things: Invite the spirit and help them build the desire to act.
I know the missionary work is progressing and that what we teach is true. I invite you to continue DAILY in your spiritual growth.
Well I am out of time!! I love you all!
Con amor y felicidad,
Elder Collin Russell
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