TUMBES!!

Hola familia!

Well, sadly I am no longer in Tambo Grande... I have been transfered to a rather different setting it would appear!

I am now in area Zarumilla 1 of Zona Puyango. That is in TUMBES!! My district is the Peruvian side of the border with Equador. I swear they are sending me to the 4 corners of this mission. haha

My new companion is Elder Corpuna! He is from a town in Cuzco, Peru and has 6 months in the mission! He seems super stellar. We are going to work hard and make miracles happen.

Our District has Elder Rollins who just finished his Training here, who his new companion is from Chile, and wow... I have already forgotten his name even though I just spent a 5 hour bus ride sitting by him! The other companionship is Elder Moses and Elder Ponce! I know Elder Moses a little bit and he is a fun missionary. Us 3 companionships are all serving in the ward Zarumilla, so it would look like the work is really going well here!

I don't know too much about this place yet, but from what I know, it is a ward with about 150 members attending! So quite different from Tambo Grande and Sechura with casa capillas. It will be a new experience so I am excited to learn!

And the internet here is much much faster (I think anywhere outside of Tambo Grande is faster.. haha) so I will get to work next week sending some pictures!

Elder Plata is still in Tambo Grande now with Elder Vargas, From Lima Peru. I heard he loves to work and loves little towns. So he will do good in Tambo Grande. I left him a note on my desk saying that if he doesn't love the people and serve diligently that I will return and hit him hard. Just to add a little more motivation... haha

And I am ALWAYS in the same zone as Elder Miller, my companion in the CCM! He came up here to Puyango the transfer before! haha that's been pretty fun.

I am really going to miss Tambo Grande... My last Sunday we had attendance of 27... So it didn't exactly rise up... We ended up having to spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Piura to help the Zone Leaders with exchanges and set up a baptismal interview which in the end didn't follow through. That was a little frustrating having to leave Tambo Grande serving for a bit, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

But the 1st councilor of the Stake Presidency visited and gave some great messages and are setting up ways to better help Tambo Grande. I will always keep Tambo Grande in my heart. It is a very special place I will never forget. Maybe I didn't have any baptisms there nor did church attendance rise, but I learned a lot and served the best I could. But I feel pretty confident that they will have baptisms and rescued less active members in August through our efforts.

Well, here comes a new chapter!! I have a couple plans and goals: To ALWAYS follow up about their Book of Mormon reading (the key to conversion and retention), and developing the attribute of Charity. I am looking for another goal or two so I will be sure to set that up soon.

Well I love you all!! It was great to hear from seriously everyone about the raspberry shakes!! haha sounds like you are all having a blast. And who knows, maybe someday I too might have to run down to one of those Play productions to find a future wife too ;) hahaha

Keep reading and praying! The church is true! Jesus is the Christ! and God loves us!

con amor y felicidad,

Elder Collin Russell

With Elder Martinez in Tambo Grande