December 16th Letter

Dear mom :) first your questions, haven’t had to reapply that spray because well here there are no bugs, the mosquito spray thought stuff you got me is buenaso, it’s amazing if I have ticks fleas or problems put some of that stuff on and problems solved. But no you can’t find either here. second mom if I don’t get to talk to you today you need to be online Christmas eve at anywhere from 9-11 o’clock, cause that’s when I’m going to be on and we need to coordinate a time Christmas I can call you with, all of our Skype information etc. :)

So first off, I’m doing great it’s a little hard and yeah still miss home, but I’m really happy. This week was tough and facing a lot of problems, but got through them ok :) glad you got my package haven’t received anything yet but I might this next week. We haven’t got the call from lima yet so as of yet I might still be ... have the privilege, of being with Elder Zavala for 6 more weeks. Anyway Utah sounds great with snow and everything. Running behind… so but yeah missing home. 

The North American horse

So week started out amazing. Had a p-day with our stake president in the morning she feed us pancakes so amazing!! then I talked to them and there planning a trip in Utah in 2 years, and I said they could use my bed :) they{re stoked, and going to cook us Peruvian food :) after we went to the chapel to play baseball and my secret Santa of the zone gave me brownies and French toast, obviously it was one of the sister missionaries but it was amazing. afterwards we went proselyting and ( a common theme for this week) were met by many pastors, Catholics and priests who yelled and bashed us, told us of their  miracles and healings. when we got back home my companion wouldn’t talk something was bugging him, turns out in his other church he witnessed a lot of these (healings) and well his faith was a little down cause he hadn’t seen any in our church. I thought a lot that night and prayed and these week have really looked for miracles and the god of miracles lives, I testify of that.

First off the family mom and baby we blessed in the hospital returned to their house this week, second we found a new place to live with a new lady to cook for us, and then we found a family!!

The next day I found my companion talking to a girl in our ward on the phone in the bathroom, with the door shut. we had a companionship inventory in the night lasted for 2 hrs., and well I feel almost like this 12 weeks have been in vain, he’s still filled with the same hatred. But I definitely have grown a lot in love and understanding. After this well he didn’t talk to me the next day but a family called us up for service we went and killed 2 pigs, pictures included, skinned with a razor blade... FOREVER, and gutted it (we ate the intestines the next day: P but the meat was amazing) that night went to a members house and feed us tocush and egg whites whipped up with sugar (really good) 

tocush I’m going to devote a little extra special attention

tocush is a potato or corn they have dug a hole in the ground next to the cold river and place it in the mud and water rotting and well sitting for months, when they pull it out, they use rubber gloves cause the smell is so potent it will stick for weeks they prepare and eat it outdoors, it’s for medicinal purposes, and well she heard I had a cold and gave it to me, I hold the record as the first white missionary in Huarez to ever stomach tocush :) :) and earned the nick name el Norte Americano cabello, cause they claim I’ll eat just about anything including alfalfa :) 

Anyway then another miracle: walking in the street a door opened ELDERS; ELDERS; ANGELS OF GOD; huh? Not our usual reception, his name was Louis, abandoned as a child in the jungle he’s has cerebral palsy and has lived his life begging because people think he was deviled. He eventually made it here where a woman took compassion and more hiding than caring put him in this house. He apparently has been baptized by missionaries of Trujkllo and prays to god every second but the town shunned him. He’d been praying that day and god said, Louis open the door, I’m knocking. He stood up and struggled to the door and there we were.... sometimes gods hand can be plainly displayed in our lives

Than we gave one of our investigators a fecha, scared to death to lose her but she accepted! The next morning was spent blowing up balloons for a girl’s party, the elders help wherever they can :) than Sunday we had a family we found Thursday and invited to church come, but with not much faith. But then they came! We were stoked they really enjoyed it and were going to invite them to be baptized this week. To end my letter Merry Christmas, also dropped my alarm clock (hit it) and now it’s stuck on RED RIVER VALLEY and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, who knew it had different tones! Oh and then yesterday I was appalled to see my companion reaching into the toilet taking out my used! Toilet paper! he flipped (needless to say I did the same) and well turns out they don’t flush toilet paper here... they put it in the trash can.... merry Christmas, peace on earth and a can of air freshener ;)

Elder Grow