Mi Siervo Eres Tú (Thou Art My Servant)

Wow what a week. I am completely exhausted out of my living mind. To start things off hot and heavy, we're gonna have a baptism this Friday!! CHEEHOO!! Remember how I commented about our recent convert here, Yesenia, and how she wouldn't let her kids get baptized.. and we challenged her to pray and she went to the temple etc., etc.. Yeah, so she prayed and she received her answer! Out of no where on Sunday the bishop calls us to his office and goes, "Elders, we`re going to have a baptism this week." My companion and I were both kind of like.. Yeahh, okay, so they want us to help out with a ward baptism. Then he goes, "No, Ashley wants to get baptized." We both go, "Yeah, we know, we`re working with her mom so she will accept." And he goes, "She accepted! I just finished talking to both of them. Yesenia approved and Ashley wants to get baptized this Friday before Elder Rokovitz leaves and she wants Elder Rokovitz to baptize her." WHUUUT! Literally a huge miracle! We are super hyped. She is 13 and literally knows more about church history than I do. We are so happy because we`ve been working so hard with that family. This week they took us to their chacra (farm). We ate pacai and they took us that same day to a huaca that no one knows about. We found pottery and dug up some bones.. pretty lit! Also we went to watch Ashley and Ostin`s cultural dance performance for school. I know why I came here to Chimbote. What a blessing it's been to get to know this family and now be able to baptize Ashley. 

                                                                               

Me with Ostin from his cultural dance.

Me with Ashley, on the right, at her cultural dance. She is the one who will be baptized on Friday. 

Anyway, now we`ve got that down, like I was saying, this week has been a great week but also exhausting. Tuesday we visited a less active family. They invited us to eat chicken but I politely told them I wasn't feeling well and I couldn't eat it. We passed by again on Thursday and they wouldn't even look at me. Haha, they were upset with me for not eating their chicken. 

Speaking of chicken, we walked into an unknown service on Saturday. We show up at a member's house and just as they were about to kill a hen, but it was straight girls and they didn't want to. I got to kill it. Sunday they invited us over to eat "Caldo de Gallina" from the hen I killed. (It's like a hen soup.. pretty good actually.) 

Monday I played my last game of fútbol in Perú. Pretty sad about that honestly. I've come to love soccer for sure.

Wednesday we got to meet the new president and his family, Presidente Rebaza. I can tell he is going to be a great president. I already love the guy. He is a very powerful guy and very loving as well. He likes boxing too so that's cool. His brother is in the 70 (Elder Taylor Godoy) and his parents live in Orem. There's your run down. 

                                                                              

Presidente Rebaza with his wife and three children.

During the multi Zone conference we had with him, he opened up to Isaiah 41:9-13. After reading verse 9, he stopped and asked each missionary to stand and say the words, "Mi siervo eres tu (our name)" (Thou art my servant..") I was about halfway in the line up. As I watched each elder and sister stand and recite the phrase, I felt as though everything was in slow motion, like in a movie. I felt the spirit so strong. Not only that, but it obviously hit me harder knowing the amount of time I have left in the mission and all the time I have spent in the mission. As it got to me, I stood, and tried to say the words... I could not open my mouth nor work myself up to say the words. The room stood still and quiet and nothing but tears flowed. I couldn't open my mouth to say a word. The spirit was overcomingly strong. I stood, speechless, in tears and in silence as everyone stared at me for almost a full minute. As I looked my president in the eyes from the back row, he and his wife both beginning to tear up, smiled at me. I was finally able to open my mouth and say the beloved and powerful words: "Mi siervo eres tu, Elder Rokovitz." (Thou art my servant, Elder Rokovitz.) I have never felt the spirit so strong in my life. What an amazing thing to know I am a servant of The Almighty God, here on earth, and that I have faithfully served Him for 2 years, sacrificing my time and my talents so that He could add on to my talents, abilities, testimony, etc. It has been a long ride in these past 2 years, but I have absolutely no regrets coming here. 

                                                                              

Isaiah 41:9

After the meeting, Elder Greer, Elder Olsen, Elder Moran, Hermana Quezada, Hermana Higginson and I were able to share our final testimonies. What a powerful day it was that day. A day I'll never forget. 

God loves me and will always be with me. I know this for a fact. I am so greatful for the opportunity I have had to serve the people of Perú. This work is the work of God. Jesus Christ is His Son. Russell M. Nelson is the prophet in these days. And THIS IS the work of the Lord! Thank you all for your prayers, love and support over these past 2 years. I'll see you all soon.

Con amor, Elder Rokovitz


                                                                                

Classic Perú - A donkey pulling corn husks.

A pretty, but also ugly, duck.

Huaco (Incan pottery)

Looks like a normal rock....

Look closer.... It's granite. All the rocks in this area are huge rocks of granite on top of the Huaca (Incan temple).

The cloth from the bones we dug up.

Bones we dug up that were wrapped in cloth and animal skin.

Pacai.

Pacai - This is what we ate with familia Aybar.

Familia Aybar - Me, Yesenia, Elder Fernandez, Ashley, Patrik and Ostin.

Yesenia's husband, Carlos, is in this picture.

Little actors.

Elder Vilchez on his happy birthday.

Who does he look like? A mini Elder Cruz, one of my former companions.

Showed up just in time for chocotejas!

Big man, little car.

Emotions

Welp, I'm exhausted out of my mind. This has been a great week. Starting with this week, Monday we went to the fair here because it's “St. Peter`s day.” (It's a Catholic holiday here for the saint.) Bunch of cool stuff though. We were at the fair walking around and a member called us over who we didn’t even know and invited us to lunch because they were happening to be at the fair catering. Good stuff. Hashtag:Blessed. 

                                                                                

Wednesday I had some lit studies at night. I felt I should read something out of the Liahona from this last conference. I opened up and read the talk from President Nelson that he gave in priesthood session on magnifying our calling. It hit me hard as I was reading how little time I have left. I couldn’t even read well because my eyes were filled with tears… (now I'm crying again…) It really impacted me when I read the words, (forgive me if the translation isn’t perfect, I'm reading it in Spanish haha) “We are the men that have been called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the presciencia of God through our exceptional faith.” After reading that spiritual powerhouse of a talk, I read old journal entries from Chao when I first came out on the mission.. oh boy, have I changed. It's amazing the changes that are brought to pass through serving a diligent mission. I am so blessed to have had such loving parents, family members, priesthood leaders etc., who helped me to get to this point and pushed me to come here. And oh how greatful I am. 

Speaking of my emotions, Saturday as we were walking to a lesson, a less active we had recently met a couple weeks ago, was selling “picarones” (something similar to scones.. I guess.) They live on the highest part of our area and in a very poor part where the houses are made of woven bamboo, roofs of plastic sheets or the woven bamboo, and sand floors. As I sat there eating the picarones and as we walked back down the hill I fought back tears (not very well) as I looked around, knowing I would miss all this. I felt like in a movie in slow motion looking at everything: The woven bamboo houses, the dirty kids running around playing futbol, everyone in their humble sandals, the dirty dishes, even the drunk guys laughing and playing their music at 120 percent. I love this place. I'm going to miss it. Right now I feel stressed, nervous, scared, excited, sad, bawling at night, absolutely EXHAUSTED, a little of everything. I sure miss home but I sure am going to miss everything about this place. We are so blessed for the things we have.

It was weird knowing President Rios left on Saturday. We will get to meet Presidente Rebaza this Wednesday in a multi zone conference.  

This week we taught a powerful lesson to a recent convert, Yesenia, who is the only member of her family. Her husband wasn’t baptized and she, for some reason, hasn’t let her 2 eligible children be baptized even though they literally know more than I do referring the gospel. We felt inspired to teach 1 Nephi 8. We had a super powerful lesson! We could see the love in Yesenia's eyes toward her children. We invited her to pray to know if they should be baptized this 14th of July. She was able to then go to the temple with the ward for her first time this Saturday. Sunday she explained how hermoso (beautiful) is the temple. And said, “I can't wait for my children to come with me next time.” We have a cita (appointment) with her this Tuseday. 

Sunday was great because I got a good surprise as we were leaving church. Ana and the family showed up out of no where! I was not expecting to see them for another 2 weeks at the airport. It made my day seeing them! We stood and talked to them for almost 2 hours. I sure do love them. They are easily my second family more than anyone else. 

                                                                                 

That’s about it for this week. Perseverando hasta el fin (persevering until the end.) I love Perù and this work, but oh boy, do I miss my family and the land of the free, home of the brave. I'm an emotional mess. See you all in 2! (Weeks)



Love, Elder Rokovitz

                                                                                   

Fresh fruit at the fair.

Chillin' with San Pedro.

Too many fun things to buy at the fair.

Some cool bread that was at the fair.

Visited Paris this week.

And Italy.

Cevichecito

P-day futbol time.

For Uncle David.

After futbol with the elders.

Last time playing futbol in the hood (sad face.)

Shaking hands with Elder Stevenson at our multi mission conference a couple weeks ago.