So last p-day was a blast. We played futbol (soccer) for like 4 hours straight and we actually played hard this time and it was super fun. Then that night we had a lesson with Julten and then Manuel y (and) Melissa treated us to pollo a la braza!! It was my favorite p-day, minus the beach, so far!
Me and Elder Harper getting ready to play futbol (soccer) with Magnu, Lucy and Marilu.
After futbol - hot, sweaty and dirty.
Manuel and Melissa (in front) took us out for pollo a la braza - a BBQ type chicken that I love.
Elder Harper se fue (he went). Sad day. The guy is a stud and he's going to do great things in Chimbote! Elder Alarcon is my new companion. I had to go all the way up to Trujillo to get him. I was supposed to have a blood test there because I was having some sharp pains in my bladder/stomach so I was told to come up to Trujillo instead of Viru to do that.. turns out they told me to just do it in Viru... after I got in Trujillo, haha, so I just chilled there for a bit until my new companion came. (Cory didn't elaborate on the stomach pains, so what you read, is all we know. He was off-line before I could ask more. Hopefully things are ok.)
My new companion, Elder Alarcon. Elder Valasquez (Elder Harper's old comp in Chao before me) said that my companion kind of looks like Nevil Longbottom from Harry Potter. Haha I can see it. (We think Elder Alarcon is from Chili, but Cory didn't confirm that in this email.)
Elder Stroud's new companion from Columbia - brand new in the mission field, Elder Stroud, Elder Alarcon and me. The four Chaocinos.
Elder Alarcon is super great! He's just chill and sometimes quiet, especially in the street at times haha, but he's pretty cool and just layed back. But also super strict on times and stuff. He's a stud and he's taught me a lot about contacting and just talking and helping people in the streets. Before, me and Elder Harper just usually walked appointment to appointment and didn't really stop to talk to many people. But Elder Alarcon does that a lot and it has really helped.
We found 6 solid new people to teach this week. One of them (Kevin and his wife Asulema), Kevin asked, "Why is Jesus called the Father and the Son?" And I was just thinking - OH HECK YEAH! Because Dad gave me this answer 3 or 4 weeks before haha, so I just whipped that doctrine out on him and he was all like Woooowww. Yeah, I felt like a bacanaso! (sort of slang for "cool" or something like that.)
The first few days with Elder Alarcon I was super exhausted because I had to show him the area, make sure he knew everyone, make sure everything was right and had to do it in pure Spanish. Haha it's super hard sometimes to talk in pure Spanish but I can already see it has helped me progress a ton! Sometimes he talks in a way that it's hard to understand and fast and a little slurey but after asking him what he said 5 or 6 times I can usually understand. But now I'm all good and everything is going great!
Wednesday we had the first District meeting with Elder Alarcon. It was different. I got the taste of an actual District meeting. Elder Harper always made them super fun and then killed us with some super spiritual deep doctrine or something! But this was straight up, the whole time.. and I kind of miss Elder Harper's District meetings.
One day last week when we were contacting in the street, one guy we started talking to asked where I was from. I told him and he said, "Oh okay, so you studied Spanish a bit before you came out here right? Like a few years?" And I was like, "No.. I learned all my Spanish here on the mission in 4 months." The guy was like, "WHAT?? Wow! Four months!! Wow you must have a gift from God! Your Spanish is almost fluent and you've only been here for four months!" Haha so that was pretty cool. I said, "Yeah I have a gift, called the Gift of Tongues", then tied that in with the gospel and pulled a cita (appointment) with him. We are going to visit him this Sunday, I believe. The guy is super cool. His name is Perci, and his son's name is Perci. They're great. He said he wants to come to church! So yeah, we will see.
That night it was Ani´s birthday (little Ani at the restaurant, daughter of Catty.. the one in that picture sleeping from last week) and so she was going to have cake for her birthday. At 9:10 p.m. we were about to leave and Catty said, "Oh you guys have to stay for cake!" We were like, "We can't, sorry, we have to be back by 9:30 p.m. and she goes, "Oh you guys can run, right?" Haha we were like.. "Ugh, yeah sure..", so we hurried and sang Happy Birthday and then they cut us some cake and we started to run back to our room at 9:23 p.m.! And our room isn't close.. haha, so we started sprinting to our room and as we were running, Elder Alarcon´s cake fell, haha, he didn't notice until like 2 minutes later! We made it back right at 9:29 p.m., it was crazy!
Ani's brother, Joseph, sleeping.
The next day was looong. We only taught one lesson and it was super short. I was so exhuasted from walking haha, and it was hard because my companion didn't talk much the whole day. The lesson we got in was with a new lady. We started to talk and she said, "I only listen to Catholics" and crossed herself. We said, "Oh can we just offer a prayer in your house?" After a minute, she finally let us in. We got in and talked a little then asked if she would say the closing prayer. After asking a few times we decided we would just do it. So we asked if we could say it and she goes, "Oh no no no, I'm Catholic, I only listen to Catholics." Hahaha we were like, what the heck, we said an opening prayer? But after she said that, she just got up and left.... and after a couple minutes of sitting there confused, we just left hahaha. It was super weird. I guess she really didnt like to pray with us.
Sunday was awesome. My spanish was good and we taught Eldon's ex-girlfriend and her mom. Her mom, Diana, is super nice and friendly and just loves the message! The whole time she listened and when I told her the Joseph Smith vision, she was just so interested and was just like, wooow, the whole time. She loved it! Which is pretty rare, most people don't get it. But she got it and it was amazing!
Something I wanted to share from my studies was Matthew 27:27-31 (Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.) It just opened my mind completely. Like yeah, I always knew that Christ endured so much, but this time it just completely opened my eyes. I just realized how horrible it was for Him. How horrible the mockery was, and everything that he went through for me. And the whole time, He was doing the will of the Father. Not once did He think of Himself. It really was amazing to have that understanding this time. I just can completely testify of His love for us and how much we can learn from His charity and love and selflessness. I've learned that a ton here on the mission. That it's about other people. That I'm so much happier when I serve and am not all "me, me, me" and focus outward like the Savior. I can testify of that!
That's all for this week! It was a great week! I have to go now. I love you all and have a good Christmas! Enjoy your snow. There's no snow here.. just dirt.. dirt is fun, I guess. Anyway, I love you all! #CRISTOVIVE (Christ lives)
Me and Elder Hernandez and Elder Rodriquez.
My Christmas stocking hung on my bed.
That nasty fish that I told you about.....yep, that's its eyeball.
