Smile today, because tomorrow you might be missing a tooth :)
Ha ha, don’t worry, I’m not missing any teeth. It’s just a joke I saw.
sonrie hoy porque manana tal vez te falta un diente
Any wheedles, this week was super! Monday we went to the beach, Tuesday we had a great district meeting and we walked a lot, Wednesday we went to angamos. That’s a story I’ll tell you when I get back home. Then we had a work visit from the zone leader. He’s going home in 5 days and all he talked about was girls and home... helped me a lot ;) Then, Friday and Saturday we worked hard and started our fast.
Our Mission President asked us to find new people in 10 different ways and that we’d get at least 10 different new people. So we started all week and well same old ….by Saturday we had 4 was all. We had a miracle contact Saturday. We started talking to someone looking for a directions and when we knocked on the house and Alan answered, he is studying quantum physics, and the man we were looking for doesn’t live there, so we talked about Einstein, and some science theories and how the apply to the gospel. My companion looked a little bored so we invited him to church and we left. The next day Sunday after fasting only 3 people came to church. :) I was a little down but then who walks in? Alan! With a note pad in hand to take notes! jajaj he had a great time and we talked to him a lot gave him a Book of Mormon and he promised to read it and accepted a fehca for 2 of Nov. Then the other sister missionaries AFTER church walked in with a woman who had mistaken wards and attended their entire ward. So literally we had 5 insacs!! Exactly what I’d been praying and fasting for! The sister missionaries wanted to do tours of the church... a kinda of silly fun idea so we took off... we started touring and a family of 7 came to church! We ended up Sunday with 14 new people for the week!
The blessings of God were with us, it was amazing! In the end my companion and I are really happy! I’m learning a lot about patience and love from Elder Maldonado, and well we’ll see how this next week goes, because we won’t be having church, because of elections, its canceled. it’s kind of a weird ley, so we’ll be watching conference the next week
:) I’m loving and learning a lot.
Elder Grow :)
Monday, September 29, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
Dress Shopping
9/22/2014
Have you ever walked into a dress shop with 4 girls to go shopping? You walk to the first stand and there’s one, its perfect color size and it’s modest. They’ll take it off the rack try it on, walk out; they love it. You get all excited; yeah it’s time to leave! Then 40 min later of wandering around in the same store, 5 stores later and you wasted an entire Saturday, and in the end they’ve decided not to getting anything at all and wait to see if anything else comes on sale...
Well the mission is a lot like dress shopping and am I grateful that I have had 4 lovely girls in my life teach me that principle.
Tuesday we had a great lesson with a new family and a pf, who has a brother in the mission and we were able to give her the first lesson and invite her to be baptized, her name is Pati. We then had the opportunity to meet with Alexander, the son of a less active in our ward he is super animado to read the Book of Mormon, but he didn’t end up coming to church. We then had the opportunity to meet with a reference from the Stake President, a family that we met with and they are progressing, all 3 of them! They came to church only missing the mother, she wasn’t able to make it. Everything was going good till we reached Friday for the baptism. We got there and there was still water in there from a month ago... so we tried to drain it and it wouldn’t drain. So we grabbed buckets and all day long draining cleaning and filled the baptism font. We then had a good baptism. His family backed out last minute, they didn’t want anything to do with it, threatened him up and down, but Joel came, and told them if they wanted to join him they could. They ended up coming, and it was a great baptism! The next day we did service in their bread shop and it was really good. Sunday he was confirmed a member and 4 people came to church.
La expierncia, es esta semena orando para strengthened my testimony in Jesus Christ. The spirit told me, “Who am I willing to follow?” How can we be willing to testify or know of Jesus Christ if were not willing to follow him? I hope that we can be humble enough to accept him as our Savior,
Elder Grow
Have you ever walked into a dress shop with 4 girls to go shopping? You walk to the first stand and there’s one, its perfect color size and it’s modest. They’ll take it off the rack try it on, walk out; they love it. You get all excited; yeah it’s time to leave! Then 40 min later of wandering around in the same store, 5 stores later and you wasted an entire Saturday, and in the end they’ve decided not to getting anything at all and wait to see if anything else comes on sale...
Well the mission is a lot like dress shopping and am I grateful that I have had 4 lovely girls in my life teach me that principle.
Tuesday we had a great lesson with a new family and a pf, who has a brother in the mission and we were able to give her the first lesson and invite her to be baptized, her name is Pati. We then had the opportunity to meet with Alexander, the son of a less active in our ward he is super animado to read the Book of Mormon, but he didn’t end up coming to church. We then had the opportunity to meet with a reference from the Stake President, a family that we met with and they are progressing, all 3 of them! They came to church only missing the mother, she wasn’t able to make it. Everything was going good till we reached Friday for the baptism. We got there and there was still water in there from a month ago... so we tried to drain it and it wouldn’t drain. So we grabbed buckets and all day long draining cleaning and filled the baptism font. We then had a good baptism. His family backed out last minute, they didn’t want anything to do with it, threatened him up and down, but Joel came, and told them if they wanted to join him they could. They ended up coming, and it was a great baptism! The next day we did service in their bread shop and it was really good. Sunday he was confirmed a member and 4 people came to church.
La expierncia, es esta semena orando para strengthened my testimony in Jesus Christ. The spirit told me, “Who am I willing to follow?” How can we be willing to testify or know of Jesus Christ if were not willing to follow him? I hope that we can be humble enough to accept him as our Savior,
Elder Grow
Monday, September 15, 2014
God loves a Champion and life lessons learned dress shopping….
God loves a Champion and life lessons learned dress shopping….
This week started off on Tuesday with a district meeting where comemos pizza for el first time in 1 year! Oh it was divine. Then we had a reunion de districto that went pretty good. Then on martes we, well... we walked all day... and continued to walk.
Wednesday we had a work visit from the other area, and he stayed up till 2 am, spilling a lot of stuff. I did what I could to help. We past the next day with a few lessons and then I called the President in the night. This other companionship was having problems.. (made my companionship look a lot better :) We all changed back the next day and planned for the week.
We taught Walter Ramirez who is reading the Book of Mormon but his wife doesn’t want to hear anything. He owns a little restaurant which is why he can’t come to church.
We taught the parents of Joel Ojeda. He is our baptism for this week. A joven who has 20 years, his parents aren’t married so they can’t be baptized, so that is why other missionaries never bothered teaching them. So now their 20 year old son wants to be baptized and the parents aren’t happy. So we passed by to teach them. They own a bread shop and we told them we would make bread for them this Saturday.
We then taught a less active that has 18 rueben ballacios. His family doesn’t want us to teach him. He is a great kid.
Then we stopped by a less active. She has 3 kids. One of 19 years that lives a part. They’ve never got along good, and she doesn’t even want him to listen to us. We invited him this last week and he’s super excited and preparing to be baptized this October.
Friday we had a capcatiacion were our Mission President changed my view. He said, “God Loves a Champion.” He said, not a winner but a champion. A BYU technical coordinator said that to him years ago, and it changed his opinion. He used a bunch of examples like Messi or Michael Jordan, it was like a half time football pep talk, and now I left with fire! Whoo! The rest of the day we didn’t have one lesson. But we are super excited! It made me think a lot about how I was raised (and with the exception of AP physics or calculus my senior year) quitting or 2nd place wasn’t an option. You always taught me to do my best and that’s what we are striving to turn around here along with focusing on the families, not baptizing little kids. The investigator has to come to all 3 hours of church for 3 times, AND make a donation, whether it is fast offerings, or another donation to help retain the converts. I first saw it as a really hard thing, but sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, and we should see an increase in success.
The President, looking at the numbers, asked me and my companion how many less actives were in our ward, 800. So we are dividing the area, and 2 new missionaries are going to come! We spent the rest of the day looking for houses for them. The next day after finding nothing the entire zone came into our area looking for new houses and we still haven’t found anything for the new companionship.
The rest of that day we had a noche de hogar with a family with the smiley face. One of the 3 min lessons we do. We also found new people. That’s our biggest problem. We haven’t found any new people.
Sunday I gave a good talk in church, I thought it went well. We also stopped and gave a great lesson with Alexander.
My companion and I are doing great. I’m learning a lot personally with patience and helping instead of criticizing. For example he got up to a family in the street and just yelled “HEY CAN WE GIVE YOU A PAMPLET”... the percentage of the people that turn and run expecting a robbery is quite high ;) We are working on it. The other day we came back to our house at 830 and we walked through the door and I thought, “Wait, there’s some more time till 9”, so I asked if we could go back out. He’d already taken off his shirt and tie and was lying in bed so he said no. I prayed and asked again, and to my surprise he got up and left. So we started contacting a bunch of families and none of them were from our area but all 3 had family who were Mormons. It was a great experience. I’m learning a lot. My area is great, it’s just the weakest link is us finding new people. The scriptures say that the puretas de infierno estan abiertos, and I’m a testament of that because well IT’S SOO HOTT!!! It’s ridiculous, I’m leaving a dessert. The people here, they make me laugh, they told me, because of the heat earthquakes will start happening... I questioned them and they said it is it soooo hot that the earth tries to shake off the sweat, I am laughing because their logic makes no sense... until last night when we had a little tremor! They are not earthquakes per say but the earth just shakes a little. Enough that if you aren’t paying attention or looking at something you wouldn’t even feel it. Any way…So I think this week we are going to work really hard on finding families, pray for that, that the families will come. And remember, God loves a champion. The person who says winning isn’t important is a liar, because Satan has lost, and that’s why he’s struggling, because he doesn’t want to lose, No one does! But God loves a champion that struggles and that gets back up. Someone that in the final 3 seconds on the shot clock throws in the three, that tells his team give me the ball, I’ll do it. God loves the champion that with 30 seconds on the clock calls for the hike shotgun formation and throws the hail Mary for 100 yards. God love the champion that in the 120 minute divides the defense and pulls a chalakaka into the goal! God loves a champion that beaten bruised and has nothing left to give, falls on his knees a prays for more, thanks God for what he has and looks into his eyes and like Caleb the 90 year old Israelite in Joshua 14:12 says,
12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.
May we all say the same, Give ME THIS MOUTAIN, because the Lord WILL be with me.
Love you all and praying for you, it’s crazy here thousands of miles away to see the answers of my prayers and to look at how much you’re being blessed.
Elder Grow
This week started off on Tuesday with a district meeting where comemos pizza for el first time in 1 year! Oh it was divine. Then we had a reunion de districto that went pretty good. Then on martes we, well... we walked all day... and continued to walk.
Wednesday we had a work visit from the other area, and he stayed up till 2 am, spilling a lot of stuff. I did what I could to help. We past the next day with a few lessons and then I called the President in the night. This other companionship was having problems.. (made my companionship look a lot better :) We all changed back the next day and planned for the week.
We taught Walter Ramirez who is reading the Book of Mormon but his wife doesn’t want to hear anything. He owns a little restaurant which is why he can’t come to church.
We taught the parents of Joel Ojeda. He is our baptism for this week. A joven who has 20 years, his parents aren’t married so they can’t be baptized, so that is why other missionaries never bothered teaching them. So now their 20 year old son wants to be baptized and the parents aren’t happy. So we passed by to teach them. They own a bread shop and we told them we would make bread for them this Saturday.
We then taught a less active that has 18 rueben ballacios. His family doesn’t want us to teach him. He is a great kid.
Then we stopped by a less active. She has 3 kids. One of 19 years that lives a part. They’ve never got along good, and she doesn’t even want him to listen to us. We invited him this last week and he’s super excited and preparing to be baptized this October.
Friday we had a capcatiacion were our Mission President changed my view. He said, “God Loves a Champion.” He said, not a winner but a champion. A BYU technical coordinator said that to him years ago, and it changed his opinion. He used a bunch of examples like Messi or Michael Jordan, it was like a half time football pep talk, and now I left with fire! Whoo! The rest of the day we didn’t have one lesson. But we are super excited! It made me think a lot about how I was raised (and with the exception of AP physics or calculus my senior year) quitting or 2nd place wasn’t an option. You always taught me to do my best and that’s what we are striving to turn around here along with focusing on the families, not baptizing little kids. The investigator has to come to all 3 hours of church for 3 times, AND make a donation, whether it is fast offerings, or another donation to help retain the converts. I first saw it as a really hard thing, but sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, and we should see an increase in success.
The President, looking at the numbers, asked me and my companion how many less actives were in our ward, 800. So we are dividing the area, and 2 new missionaries are going to come! We spent the rest of the day looking for houses for them. The next day after finding nothing the entire zone came into our area looking for new houses and we still haven’t found anything for the new companionship.
The rest of that day we had a noche de hogar with a family with the smiley face. One of the 3 min lessons we do. We also found new people. That’s our biggest problem. We haven’t found any new people.
Sunday I gave a good talk in church, I thought it went well. We also stopped and gave a great lesson with Alexander.
My companion and I are doing great. I’m learning a lot personally with patience and helping instead of criticizing. For example he got up to a family in the street and just yelled “HEY CAN WE GIVE YOU A PAMPLET”... the percentage of the people that turn and run expecting a robbery is quite high ;) We are working on it. The other day we came back to our house at 830 and we walked through the door and I thought, “Wait, there’s some more time till 9”, so I asked if we could go back out. He’d already taken off his shirt and tie and was lying in bed so he said no. I prayed and asked again, and to my surprise he got up and left. So we started contacting a bunch of families and none of them were from our area but all 3 had family who were Mormons. It was a great experience. I’m learning a lot. My area is great, it’s just the weakest link is us finding new people. The scriptures say that the puretas de infierno estan abiertos, and I’m a testament of that because well IT’S SOO HOTT!!! It’s ridiculous, I’m leaving a dessert. The people here, they make me laugh, they told me, because of the heat earthquakes will start happening... I questioned them and they said it is it soooo hot that the earth tries to shake off the sweat, I am laughing because their logic makes no sense... until last night when we had a little tremor! They are not earthquakes per say but the earth just shakes a little. Enough that if you aren’t paying attention or looking at something you wouldn’t even feel it. Any way…So I think this week we are going to work really hard on finding families, pray for that, that the families will come. And remember, God loves a champion. The person who says winning isn’t important is a liar, because Satan has lost, and that’s why he’s struggling, because he doesn’t want to lose, No one does! But God loves a champion that struggles and that gets back up. Someone that in the final 3 seconds on the shot clock throws in the three, that tells his team give me the ball, I’ll do it. God loves the champion that with 30 seconds on the clock calls for the hike shotgun formation and throws the hail Mary for 100 yards. God love the champion that in the 120 minute divides the defense and pulls a chalakaka into the goal! God loves a champion that beaten bruised and has nothing left to give, falls on his knees a prays for more, thanks God for what he has and looks into his eyes and like Caleb the 90 year old Israelite in Joshua 14:12 says,
12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.
May we all say the same, Give ME THIS MOUTAIN, because the Lord WILL be with me.
Love you all and praying for you, it’s crazy here thousands of miles away to see the answers of my prayers and to look at how much you’re being blessed.
Elder Grow
Monday, September 8, 2014
Putting Peanut Butter on Everything....
September 8, 2014
Hi family. I don’t have a lot of time to write you this week. I’ve been super busy typing up some forms. I am doing great. The city has stopped chocking me by the neck… Mostly because I’ve grown a second chin :) Ha! Not really. I actually the same still I think. I GOT YOUR PACKAGE. If you’ve lived with me 18 yrs. you guys have figured it out… but my companion walked in and stating the obvious... “you’re a boob”. :) Of course I am. I INDULGED myself in peanut butter! I’ve put it over everything and rice :) Ha Ha!
This week has been a little tough. My companion has never worked so hard in his life, he says, and were contacting like crazy going up and down and walking all day. Very few families are letting us in but it’s great to have some. We have a fecha for this Friday! Joel Ojeda. His parents aren’t supporting him, and we haven’t had time to talk to them much yet, but he’ll be baptized. My district is great. My companion... he’s wonderful. He just gets mad at me for every little thing. It’s been a great learning experience on patience and love.
I am reading a lot about repentance and I’ve had a lot to do this week... no I’m not referring to the repentance of eating all the peanut butter. But it’s going good. I hope that I can write you all letters soon. Your package will be coming! I can see clearly now for the first time in 100 year with that glass cleaner :) and I’m having a blast.
I haven’t taken many photos but I’ll try for some more. I love you all!
Elder Grow
Hi family. I don’t have a lot of time to write you this week. I’ve been super busy typing up some forms. I am doing great. The city has stopped chocking me by the neck… Mostly because I’ve grown a second chin :) Ha! Not really. I actually the same still I think. I GOT YOUR PACKAGE. If you’ve lived with me 18 yrs. you guys have figured it out… but my companion walked in and stating the obvious... “you’re a boob”. :) Of course I am. I INDULGED myself in peanut butter! I’ve put it over everything and rice :) Ha Ha!
This week has been a little tough. My companion has never worked so hard in his life, he says, and were contacting like crazy going up and down and walking all day. Very few families are letting us in but it’s great to have some. We have a fecha for this Friday! Joel Ojeda. His parents aren’t supporting him, and we haven’t had time to talk to them much yet, but he’ll be baptized. My district is great. My companion... he’s wonderful. He just gets mad at me for every little thing. It’s been a great learning experience on patience and love.
I am reading a lot about repentance and I’ve had a lot to do this week... no I’m not referring to the repentance of eating all the peanut butter. But it’s going good. I hope that I can write you all letters soon. Your package will be coming! I can see clearly now for the first time in 100 year with that glass cleaner :) and I’m having a blast.
I haven’t taken many photos but I’ll try for some more. I love you all!
Elder Grow
Monday, September 1, 2014
Yours truly, sincerely lost, out of country, not a city man, too big for the taxis...
September 1, 2014
The things I could tell you this week!
They took me out of norte chicho!, I’ve had one solid, glorious year of farms and mountains, and the happy life AND they put me IN THE BIGGEST CITY IN ALL OF SOUTH AMERICA! (also for you history buffs it’s the 2nd biggest city built in a desert next to Egypt)
We went to changes and sitting with my companion… it was probably the last thing I wanted to do… leave, and probably and the furthest thing from my mind …. but they called me to be district leader of Ventanilla. and even more of a shock when they put me with a fairly new elder from Argentina, and EVEN more of a surprise when I went to hug him and he planted a kiss on my face, AND EVEN MORE of a surprise when he started talking and it sounded something like this… “ sho me shamo elder maldonado shamos a shegar la areshea de ventanishhhsa sha?...... “
Sometimes God has a sense of humor.
This first week was passed getting to know the new area getting to know the people. consejo de rama renuinones for lideres. I’ve realized through all of it I unrighteously supposed that I wanted to be called to be an Elder over other elders, now I have quickly been humbled and informed it is not like that for God. I have a lot to learn, it’s a huge huge huge change for me, being in Lima. Its... it’s going to defiantly be a different mission now. It really is a totally different mission. My companion comes from Argentina and they speak Spanish differently. I don’t even understand him, but he is a great kid. We live with an old grandma who always wants to serve me breakfast or etc.
Sunday we passed the whole day in capactiaion with the President, Bishop Davies, and Elder Uceda. We were in the same chruch Elder Uceda was baptized in 42 years ago, what a powerful testimony. It really is gonna be a great change.
But I’m doing great!
Yours truly, sincerely lost, out of country, not a city man, too big for the taxis,
Elder Grow ;)
Ok, I got a joke for you.
I’ts a killer here in Peru.
The prophet went to visit the pope the other day. He offered him some Brazilian coffee the prophet with a smile declined. The pope surprised said you don’t drink coffee. The prophet politely explained the word of wisdom. The pope than brought the finest wine from Italy. Also declined. The pope astounded informed the prophet if he didn’t drink coffee or wine he had never lived.
The prophet carried a polite conversation on a little longer than got a phone call and informed the pope he had to go. The pope confused asked him where he’s heading. He told him his wife had called and she needed him. The pope shocked asked YOU HAVE A WIFE. The prophet smiling as he closed the door, What you don’t have a wife? Oh friend you have never lived :)
The things I could tell you this week!
They took me out of norte chicho!, I’ve had one solid, glorious year of farms and mountains, and the happy life AND they put me IN THE BIGGEST CITY IN ALL OF SOUTH AMERICA! (also for you history buffs it’s the 2nd biggest city built in a desert next to Egypt)
We went to changes and sitting with my companion… it was probably the last thing I wanted to do… leave, and probably and the furthest thing from my mind …. but they called me to be district leader of Ventanilla. and even more of a shock when they put me with a fairly new elder from Argentina, and EVEN more of a surprise when I went to hug him and he planted a kiss on my face, AND EVEN MORE of a surprise when he started talking and it sounded something like this… “ sho me shamo elder maldonado shamos a shegar la areshea de ventanishhhsa sha?...... “
Sometimes God has a sense of humor.
This first week was passed getting to know the new area getting to know the people. consejo de rama renuinones for lideres. I’ve realized through all of it I unrighteously supposed that I wanted to be called to be an Elder over other elders, now I have quickly been humbled and informed it is not like that for God. I have a lot to learn, it’s a huge huge huge change for me, being in Lima. Its... it’s going to defiantly be a different mission now. It really is a totally different mission. My companion comes from Argentina and they speak Spanish differently. I don’t even understand him, but he is a great kid. We live with an old grandma who always wants to serve me breakfast or etc.
Sunday we passed the whole day in capactiaion with the President, Bishop Davies, and Elder Uceda. We were in the same chruch Elder Uceda was baptized in 42 years ago, what a powerful testimony. It really is gonna be a great change.
But I’m doing great!
Yours truly, sincerely lost, out of country, not a city man, too big for the taxis,
Elder Grow ;)
Ok, I got a joke for you.
I’ts a killer here in Peru.
The prophet went to visit the pope the other day. He offered him some Brazilian coffee the prophet with a smile declined. The pope surprised said you don’t drink coffee. The prophet politely explained the word of wisdom. The pope than brought the finest wine from Italy. Also declined. The pope astounded informed the prophet if he didn’t drink coffee or wine he had never lived.
The prophet carried a polite conversation on a little longer than got a phone call and informed the pope he had to go. The pope confused asked him where he’s heading. He told him his wife had called and she needed him. The pope shocked asked YOU HAVE A WIFE. The prophet smiling as he closed the door, What you don’t have a wife? Oh friend you have never lived :)
Monday, August 25, 2014
Service "Rocks"
August 25, 2014
This week started out rough! We had a service project. The family Haro had called us and their son had a work project and asked us to help… it was moving rocks. Rocks the size of small piglets... No, that’s not the best comparison, they were rocks the size of..... Well on a scale of 1 to Elder Grow’s sense of humor ;) it’s a 7.9 (My sense of humor has shrunk considerably with Spanish:) We had to move some so big we had to get at them with levers and sticks. Anyway we rocked it ;) There are so many good rock jokes that just don’t translate.
We then had a work visit to Paramonga. It’s another lugar here in the district. I went with a new gingo Elder in the mission. We said a prayer before we left, that we wanted to find a family, and we wanted God to show us that family by putting their baby in a carriage. They had to be married and family de 3. So we left y poco despues I’m talking 4 doors down, we saw a baby carriage! We took off running AND…. it was a doll :P We looked like idiots but we knocked on the door and out came a kid about 12 years old. We talked to him and he called his mom who’d been married for 18 years and was living in this house as a family of 3!!!! Her best friend is a Mormon and had invited her to come play volleyball with the ward that same Friday!!! MIRACLES!!! It was like a Rocky Balboa moment if I’d ever had one.
We returned to our area and we taught Raul Estrada a lesson. To symbolize the plan of salivation we needed a string so while I was teaching, my companion slipped off his shoe lace... almost unnoticed:) anyway he has accepted a fecha for this 13 of September and CAME TO CHURCH this Sunday... wait for it... EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first investigator I’ve ever seen do that... he came before the president of the rama or the members!! It was glorious.
The next day we had a capacitacion with the president and pizza, because we had reached the meta! It was great! Then I challenged everyone to a hot sauce contest... your son has grown considerably and it came to the point where no one will challenge him. It’s like the phrase, NEVER GO UP AGAINST A SICILIAN WHEN DEATH IS ON THE LINE!! Never challenge Elder Grow... but someone did... Hermana JIMENEZ, a Sister missionary who comes up to my waist, from Mexico......... 11 spoonful’s of hot sauce latter and 5 spoonful’s of red hot chili pepper... I lost........ I lost to a sister missionary.... it was extremely painful to an hermana... but well when she started crying and still wouldn’t stop I had to give up (not counting my own tears). My first lost in 1 year.
Then we had our first computer class of pativilca branch and we didn’t have any internet. I was really bummed so I played with the cables a bit... (jiggled and yanked jiggled and yanked) and said a prayer, but nothing. I walked down the hall and there was internet, in a matter of seconds God had answered my prayer. We had a great lesson with Enzo Perale but he’s too busy with elections to really have time for us. Then we went to church. Walking from church a member called our name. A Johevn who’s family had always lived in the other area, and so we never visited. Their dad is blind and their mom, a less active, but we stopped by wondering what they’re doing there. Turns out their being separated. We had a great lesson and put a meta that they’ll pray together as a family. We then had a great new lesson from the family Liz Siancas they’re both professors in a catholic church, and their familia are priests for the catholic church but they’re fabulous and promised to read the book of Mormon.
I’m doing great cambios (transfers) are here today well see where God sends me. Woke up this morning at 4 am to go to the local market to offer service to a less active but the night guard, an 80 year old man with a stick wouldn’t let us in… but yeah, I’m doing great :) God answers even the smallest prayers. We just have to be willing to accept when he doesn’t. :)
Love,
Elder Grow
(As a side note, just as Elder Grow was about to log off the computer for the day, he recieved word he is to be transfered to Lima!)
This week started out rough! We had a service project. The family Haro had called us and their son had a work project and asked us to help… it was moving rocks. Rocks the size of small piglets... No, that’s not the best comparison, they were rocks the size of..... Well on a scale of 1 to Elder Grow’s sense of humor ;) it’s a 7.9 (My sense of humor has shrunk considerably with Spanish:) We had to move some so big we had to get at them with levers and sticks. Anyway we rocked it ;) There are so many good rock jokes that just don’t translate.
We then had a work visit to Paramonga. It’s another lugar here in the district. I went with a new gingo Elder in the mission. We said a prayer before we left, that we wanted to find a family, and we wanted God to show us that family by putting their baby in a carriage. They had to be married and family de 3. So we left y poco despues I’m talking 4 doors down, we saw a baby carriage! We took off running AND…. it was a doll :P We looked like idiots but we knocked on the door and out came a kid about 12 years old. We talked to him and he called his mom who’d been married for 18 years and was living in this house as a family of 3!!!! Her best friend is a Mormon and had invited her to come play volleyball with the ward that same Friday!!! MIRACLES!!! It was like a Rocky Balboa moment if I’d ever had one.
We returned to our area and we taught Raul Estrada a lesson. To symbolize the plan of salivation we needed a string so while I was teaching, my companion slipped off his shoe lace... almost unnoticed:) anyway he has accepted a fecha for this 13 of September and CAME TO CHURCH this Sunday... wait for it... EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first investigator I’ve ever seen do that... he came before the president of the rama or the members!! It was glorious.
The next day we had a capacitacion with the president and pizza, because we had reached the meta! It was great! Then I challenged everyone to a hot sauce contest... your son has grown considerably and it came to the point where no one will challenge him. It’s like the phrase, NEVER GO UP AGAINST A SICILIAN WHEN DEATH IS ON THE LINE!! Never challenge Elder Grow... but someone did... Hermana JIMENEZ, a Sister missionary who comes up to my waist, from Mexico......... 11 spoonful’s of hot sauce latter and 5 spoonful’s of red hot chili pepper... I lost........ I lost to a sister missionary.... it was extremely painful to an hermana... but well when she started crying and still wouldn’t stop I had to give up (not counting my own tears). My first lost in 1 year.
Then we had our first computer class of pativilca branch and we didn’t have any internet. I was really bummed so I played with the cables a bit... (jiggled and yanked jiggled and yanked) and said a prayer, but nothing. I walked down the hall and there was internet, in a matter of seconds God had answered my prayer. We had a great lesson with Enzo Perale but he’s too busy with elections to really have time for us. Then we went to church. Walking from church a member called our name. A Johevn who’s family had always lived in the other area, and so we never visited. Their dad is blind and their mom, a less active, but we stopped by wondering what they’re doing there. Turns out their being separated. We had a great lesson and put a meta that they’ll pray together as a family. We then had a great new lesson from the family Liz Siancas they’re both professors in a catholic church, and their familia are priests for the catholic church but they’re fabulous and promised to read the book of Mormon.
I’m doing great cambios (transfers) are here today well see where God sends me. Woke up this morning at 4 am to go to the local market to offer service to a less active but the night guard, an 80 year old man with a stick wouldn’t let us in… but yeah, I’m doing great :) God answers even the smallest prayers. We just have to be willing to accept when he doesn’t. :)
Love,
Elder Grow
(As a side note, just as Elder Grow was about to log off the computer for the day, he recieved word he is to be transfered to Lima!)
Monday, August 18, 2014
Sending love and Scooby Snacks....
August 18, 2014
This week has been a great one. We started of this week with a cumpleñons de un miembro menos activo and we had an interesting lesson. Then we tried calling the Familia Pauca but they couldn’t have us stop by. We went to the beach to visit the statue of Jesus Christ and we met some pelicans, they were eating some fish. I grabbed a fish and tried to contact the pelican... and he bit me ;) hahah! Never been bit by a pelican before :) Then we were walking by and some snot nose kids challenged us to a football game, we smoked them :) (football as in soccer ;)
Tuesday was an interesting reunion de districto, and we met a Viuda (widow) mother of 2 who wants to listen to us... but doesn’t want to pray :) We spent the rest of the day contacting. We also taught the 10 commandments.... the teenager we were teaching said that it was more interesting in the movie ;) We also visited the Familia Pauca that night, and they aren’t too sure about what they are feeling so they declined the fecha (date) and said they would come to church... fast forwarding they didn’t come. That night we got a call not to plan anything for the next day.
We spent all day in a capacitacion from the president.. the man is the lucky charms of Kellogg’s cereal company! I love him! He’s my favorite! So we got to this training and he taught us a lot of stuff it was like 4 hours of pure revelation and just what I needed. In the end he opened up the discussion to us for our questions no one raised their hand... so I gently put mine up and told him I had one question but that it’s not that important and kind of stupid but maybe he could answer, who would Mary be married too Joseph or God? Some of the latinos I guess didn’t know that the church had even practiced polygamy at one point... so it opened to quite the interesting capacitacion but he tied it in really well. He told me afterwards that my question was inspired… I just felt like a ding a ling ;) Anyway that took up the entire day.
The next day was my one year mark! ... and we spent it working. We had 0´s for two day straight! We couldn’t get anything done it seemed like. We went to a baptism of the liders of districto but it was miscommunicated and we showed up for their wedding party! Anyway, we met their family and they had slammed the door in my face 3 days earlier ;) It made for an interesting conversation. They are a little more willing to listen to us now :) We had a consejo de rama and the ward is ... progressing as fast as a pelican runs away from a gringo trying to hit him with a rock after he’s been bit.
Anyway, we spent the next day capcacitaging some people in our ward about family history and visiting members. We had a family let us in. In the tarde a man called us, we picked it up and there was nothing on the other end so we called him back and he must have butt dialed us but he asked us if we could visit him, so we stopped by. His mom had left him, he’s living alone and he wants to find God. We taught him and he accepted a baptismal date. “Butt dialed” miracle.
Sunday no one new came to church but we had 60 people attend which is more than in the past. Monday we had received a reference from Alfredo Haro, the son of the family we baptized. He is serving his mission in Puno. Anyway, he had sent us some references, some kids he went to elementary school with! …. like a long time ago :) So Sunday we stopped by one of them named Wilmer. He opened the door, let us in, and listened to every word. He accepted a fecha and said an amazing prayer. He is also a miracle and its interesting how God works with us and through us. It’s been a great week. We haven’t found any families but we are progressing. This week instead of classes of English, I’ll be teaching computer classes! I’m going to teach the older people in our ward how to use a computer so they can do family searching... One man told me he refuses to touch one ever since it bit him... this should be fun!! ;)
We are still looking for those families. Our area seems to be progressing. Elder Jimenez has said some funny stuff this week like…. “Oh my gosh Elder Grow, you’re like a puppy! Everything you do! You sit there and you are like, did ya see that did? Did ya see that? Did ya see that? …Wagging your tail asking for a Scooby snack :) (translated) I laughed so hard! Another time we got back and he didn’t want to plan. He claimed he was too tired. I told him I’d done just as much work as he had! He snapped back, “no! You haven’t had to listen to yourself talk all day!!” :)
This week I learned the 10 commandments include almost all the other commandments. Thou shalt not kill, includes yourself, even if it’s little by little one glass of beer or cigarette at a time. Thou shalt not steal, includes not robbing God in tithing. Interesting :)
Sending love and Scooby Snacks,
Elder Grow
This week has been a great one. We started of this week with a cumpleñons de un miembro menos activo and we had an interesting lesson. Then we tried calling the Familia Pauca but they couldn’t have us stop by. We went to the beach to visit the statue of Jesus Christ and we met some pelicans, they were eating some fish. I grabbed a fish and tried to contact the pelican... and he bit me ;) hahah! Never been bit by a pelican before :) Then we were walking by and some snot nose kids challenged us to a football game, we smoked them :) (football as in soccer ;)
Tuesday was an interesting reunion de districto, and we met a Viuda (widow) mother of 2 who wants to listen to us... but doesn’t want to pray :) We spent the rest of the day contacting. We also taught the 10 commandments.... the teenager we were teaching said that it was more interesting in the movie ;) We also visited the Familia Pauca that night, and they aren’t too sure about what they are feeling so they declined the fecha (date) and said they would come to church... fast forwarding they didn’t come. That night we got a call not to plan anything for the next day.
We spent all day in a capacitacion from the president.. the man is the lucky charms of Kellogg’s cereal company! I love him! He’s my favorite! So we got to this training and he taught us a lot of stuff it was like 4 hours of pure revelation and just what I needed. In the end he opened up the discussion to us for our questions no one raised their hand... so I gently put mine up and told him I had one question but that it’s not that important and kind of stupid but maybe he could answer, who would Mary be married too Joseph or God? Some of the latinos I guess didn’t know that the church had even practiced polygamy at one point... so it opened to quite the interesting capacitacion but he tied it in really well. He told me afterwards that my question was inspired… I just felt like a ding a ling ;) Anyway that took up the entire day.
The next day was my one year mark! ... and we spent it working. We had 0´s for two day straight! We couldn’t get anything done it seemed like. We went to a baptism of the liders of districto but it was miscommunicated and we showed up for their wedding party! Anyway, we met their family and they had slammed the door in my face 3 days earlier ;) It made for an interesting conversation. They are a little more willing to listen to us now :) We had a consejo de rama and the ward is ... progressing as fast as a pelican runs away from a gringo trying to hit him with a rock after he’s been bit.
Anyway, we spent the next day capcacitaging some people in our ward about family history and visiting members. We had a family let us in. In the tarde a man called us, we picked it up and there was nothing on the other end so we called him back and he must have butt dialed us but he asked us if we could visit him, so we stopped by. His mom had left him, he’s living alone and he wants to find God. We taught him and he accepted a baptismal date. “Butt dialed” miracle.
Sunday no one new came to church but we had 60 people attend which is more than in the past. Monday we had received a reference from Alfredo Haro, the son of the family we baptized. He is serving his mission in Puno. Anyway, he had sent us some references, some kids he went to elementary school with! …. like a long time ago :) So Sunday we stopped by one of them named Wilmer. He opened the door, let us in, and listened to every word. He accepted a fecha and said an amazing prayer. He is also a miracle and its interesting how God works with us and through us. It’s been a great week. We haven’t found any families but we are progressing. This week instead of classes of English, I’ll be teaching computer classes! I’m going to teach the older people in our ward how to use a computer so they can do family searching... One man told me he refuses to touch one ever since it bit him... this should be fun!! ;)
We are still looking for those families. Our area seems to be progressing. Elder Jimenez has said some funny stuff this week like…. “Oh my gosh Elder Grow, you’re like a puppy! Everything you do! You sit there and you are like, did ya see that did? Did ya see that? Did ya see that? …Wagging your tail asking for a Scooby snack :) (translated) I laughed so hard! Another time we got back and he didn’t want to plan. He claimed he was too tired. I told him I’d done just as much work as he had! He snapped back, “no! You haven’t had to listen to yourself talk all day!!” :)
This week I learned the 10 commandments include almost all the other commandments. Thou shalt not kill, includes yourself, even if it’s little by little one glass of beer or cigarette at a time. Thou shalt not steal, includes not robbing God in tithing. Interesting :)
Sending love and Scooby Snacks,
Elder Grow
Monday, August 11, 2014
Food, more food & walking....
August 11, 2014
This week started off with eating 4 lunches and covering 2 houses with mud. It just got better from there. Monday passed by good. Tuesday every house we went to people gave us food. It was painful. The rest of the day we spent walking. Wednesday we got off 2 lessons by the skin of our teeth, including a new lady but she is also scared to progress for fear of her pastor. The other days this week we’ve spent visiting menos activos (less active members). We spent the rest of the week walking and walking and knocking on doors. The work here is going a little slower. Our recent convert got a calling... gathering the hymn books :P Anyway he’s also becoming a home teacher.
The thought this week is this: on pressuring the work of God. I remember when my Uncle Steve was coming from Virginia, we cleaned the house and got everything ready. When he called in Farmington and we weren’t finished my mother hurried us along even faster. We got everything ready when they walked in the door. Well it is the same with Jesus Christ. He’s told us he’s coming and now it’s so close. We are getting the church and the work in order for his coming. Now it can be applied to our lives. If there’s a change we need to make, a friend we need to forgive, or ourselves, or something we haven’t done, we should do it. And apreciar la obra of God (Appreciate the work of God).
Love,
Elder Grow
This week started off with eating 4 lunches and covering 2 houses with mud. It just got better from there. Monday passed by good. Tuesday every house we went to people gave us food. It was painful. The rest of the day we spent walking. Wednesday we got off 2 lessons by the skin of our teeth, including a new lady but she is also scared to progress for fear of her pastor. The other days this week we’ve spent visiting menos activos (less active members). We spent the rest of the week walking and walking and knocking on doors. The work here is going a little slower. Our recent convert got a calling... gathering the hymn books :P Anyway he’s also becoming a home teacher.
The thought this week is this: on pressuring the work of God. I remember when my Uncle Steve was coming from Virginia, we cleaned the house and got everything ready. When he called in Farmington and we weren’t finished my mother hurried us along even faster. We got everything ready when they walked in the door. Well it is the same with Jesus Christ. He’s told us he’s coming and now it’s so close. We are getting the church and the work in order for his coming. Now it can be applied to our lives. If there’s a change we need to make, a friend we need to forgive, or ourselves, or something we haven’t done, we should do it. And apreciar la obra of God (Appreciate the work of God).
Love,
Elder Grow
Monday, July 28, 2014
And on the 8th day God made pancakes... but his syrup keep falling off the pancake so, on the 9th day God made waffles....
July 28, 2014
And on the 8th day God made pancakes... but his syrup keep falling off the pancake so, on the 9th day God made waffles.
Well family I’m doing super great! :) I’m doing wonderful. I read and studied a lot this week on perfection, I learned a lot. I learned that God sent Jesus Christ to save us. Before we came to this world we pretty much were taught none of us would be able to do it on our own but that if we accepted and choose to follow Jesus we could all come back. It was interesting, I’ve been having some problems with my companion getting bad or flying off the handle and I realized I haven’t been happy because I was judging him and everyone else including myself. Then I did something, I forgave him. I forgave him his faults and the ward and the area. I just forgae them all and do you know what happened? I was super happy! God had forgiven me. I learned a lot. Then we got to work.
Martes, which nothing ever happens on Tuesday here… it’s a day where we aren’t entirely sure what to do because everyone is out and about. It’s a great day but we just struggle Tuesdays :) That morning we said a prayer that something would happen and without any citas, we planned to contact for 5 hours... joyous :) The second we left we got a call from a man who is in another ward who called and said he’s here in Pativillca and he’s got a lot of references for us. So we went out and visited the governor and his son, and all the candidates for the governor. He’s a press man. We ended up with 9 nuevos families, all married and although we got rejected, it was a great day.
So then Wednesday we took off and Thursday too… Pretty uneventful the rest of the week… until Friday when the family Pauca who can’t come to church this week… Their baptism date is the 16th but they aren’t praying enough, I don’t think. We visited a less active family and gave them 2 Books of Mormon. We visited another less active family. She’s afraid of dying and started asking so many questions about death so we tried to answer as best we could. We just need them to come to church. Then the family of Enzo and Silvia and said if I could just see the plates it’d be a lot easier to believe. We are working with them. Maybe he’ll come and play basketball with us today.
Sunday after 75 people came to church last week we had 15 this week....my companion got sick half way through sacrament meeting, went out and puked. We gave him a blessing and he recuperated quickly. We had 3 investigators come to church Sunday but none of them we knew! They were all members that brought friends so we have scheduled visits with them and we can’t wait to go and meet there families. We visited Enzo Sunday too and he’s reading more. This week went really great. We learned a lot about love and it’s interesting to me the quote that I found, it said, “Compare perfection with the atoning love of Jesus Christ. It’s offered freely to all”, so why was I reserving it? We’re making huge progress!
Your funny stories for the week are as follows. I was walking through the streets I found an old Chinese man (there are a lot of immigrants here) with some electronics for sale. One of them said WAFFLE. I jumped and looked at it but it was just a grill he said so I opened it up and it had WAFFLE SQUARES I asked him VERY causally… What are those for?.. He says.. I don’t know it’s a funny looking grill to me… So I offered him 30 soles (9 dollars) and he jumped :) and I CAN NOW MAKE WAFFLES!!!!!:D... God is great! Life is good! And I’m happy :) Keep your head up!
If I could do anything it would be to go and visit every single member of this church or everyone investigating it I’d give them a huge hug, I’d look them in the eye and take their hand and I’d tell them “YOU CAN DO THIS; I promise you can. God will help you. Now how about we go and get there together” :)
Frio frijoles
Elder Grow
And on the 8th day God made pancakes... but his syrup keep falling off the pancake so, on the 9th day God made waffles.
Well family I’m doing super great! :) I’m doing wonderful. I read and studied a lot this week on perfection, I learned a lot. I learned that God sent Jesus Christ to save us. Before we came to this world we pretty much were taught none of us would be able to do it on our own but that if we accepted and choose to follow Jesus we could all come back. It was interesting, I’ve been having some problems with my companion getting bad or flying off the handle and I realized I haven’t been happy because I was judging him and everyone else including myself. Then I did something, I forgave him. I forgave him his faults and the ward and the area. I just forgae them all and do you know what happened? I was super happy! God had forgiven me. I learned a lot. Then we got to work.
Martes, which nothing ever happens on Tuesday here… it’s a day where we aren’t entirely sure what to do because everyone is out and about. It’s a great day but we just struggle Tuesdays :) That morning we said a prayer that something would happen and without any citas, we planned to contact for 5 hours... joyous :) The second we left we got a call from a man who is in another ward who called and said he’s here in Pativillca and he’s got a lot of references for us. So we went out and visited the governor and his son, and all the candidates for the governor. He’s a press man. We ended up with 9 nuevos families, all married and although we got rejected, it was a great day.
So then Wednesday we took off and Thursday too… Pretty uneventful the rest of the week… until Friday when the family Pauca who can’t come to church this week… Their baptism date is the 16th but they aren’t praying enough, I don’t think. We visited a less active family and gave them 2 Books of Mormon. We visited another less active family. She’s afraid of dying and started asking so many questions about death so we tried to answer as best we could. We just need them to come to church. Then the family of Enzo and Silvia and said if I could just see the plates it’d be a lot easier to believe. We are working with them. Maybe he’ll come and play basketball with us today.
Sunday after 75 people came to church last week we had 15 this week....my companion got sick half way through sacrament meeting, went out and puked. We gave him a blessing and he recuperated quickly. We had 3 investigators come to church Sunday but none of them we knew! They were all members that brought friends so we have scheduled visits with them and we can’t wait to go and meet there families. We visited Enzo Sunday too and he’s reading more. This week went really great. We learned a lot about love and it’s interesting to me the quote that I found, it said, “Compare perfection with the atoning love of Jesus Christ. It’s offered freely to all”, so why was I reserving it? We’re making huge progress!
Your funny stories for the week are as follows. I was walking through the streets I found an old Chinese man (there are a lot of immigrants here) with some electronics for sale. One of them said WAFFLE. I jumped and looked at it but it was just a grill he said so I opened it up and it had WAFFLE SQUARES I asked him VERY causally… What are those for?.. He says.. I don’t know it’s a funny looking grill to me… So I offered him 30 soles (9 dollars) and he jumped :) and I CAN NOW MAKE WAFFLES!!!!!:D... God is great! Life is good! And I’m happy :) Keep your head up!
If I could do anything it would be to go and visit every single member of this church or everyone investigating it I’d give them a huge hug, I’d look them in the eye and take their hand and I’d tell them “YOU CAN DO THIS; I promise you can. God will help you. Now how about we go and get there together” :)
Frio frijoles
Elder Grow
Monday, July 21, 2014
Survived another transfer.... still in Pativillca
July 21, 2014
Well family! I’m still here in Pativillca :)
This week I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’m still here to tell about it :) The week started off a little rough. I had my new zone leader come in, he’s from my group. I struggled with that I think inside. I worry that I’m still here and not progressing as much as a should. I got the STRONG impression to read a talk and I got back the next day and read it. It was from Elder Bednar. He pretty much told me I needed to humble myself and repent.
We went out that same day and we met a man, who had lost his wife. In his old age she’d left him alone with his handicapped son. He invited us into his house and proceeded to yell and attack every point of our doctrine. Left and right, he attacked everything. I felt so horrible. He ridiculed my Spanish my faults, things we had said incorrectly and everything.... I left him with my testimony, stopping when he informed us he’s happy God had chosen me to answer his prayers because he didn’t feel he had answered his personally. He’d never prayed so hard in his life to keep his wife and he felt God had taken her.... I’ve never felt so sad for anyone. It hurt. I left that meeting questioning my faith and everything. I’m grateful they didn’t send me to Europe or any other mission.
We walked on several times that week after we had several people reject our message and I felt horrible. I read something and received some really personal revelation. God doesn’t require us to be perfect. The quote I like said we should define perfection from the atoning love of Jesus Christ and knowing He gave his life even though we are not perfect.
Anyway I learned and grew a lot. I am dedicating some prayers and the mercy of God to a family we found, the family Casado. Se llama Peralez Oncoy and accepted a fecha for 23. The family Pauca Sanchez accepted a fecha for 16 and our consejo de rama…. EVERYONE BROUGHT THEIR FOLDERS! I’ve made them folders to bring their papers and no one brought them before but this week everyone did! :)
I’ve been so great and happy this week. I’m glad to see your all doing so well :) We had 9 menos activos come to church. One of them we met, they were recently baptized. They really wanted to go to the temple but were afraid they weren’t doing everything to get there. You can imagine the joy they felt going to church Sunday and learning that they’ll be able to make it! I’ve had some ups and downs this week but grown a lot. I love you all :) Thank you for your prayers.
Pativillca will have another family baptized at the end of August!! .. if God permits... but He will :)
Love,
Elder Grow
Well family! I’m still here in Pativillca :)
This week I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’m still here to tell about it :) The week started off a little rough. I had my new zone leader come in, he’s from my group. I struggled with that I think inside. I worry that I’m still here and not progressing as much as a should. I got the STRONG impression to read a talk and I got back the next day and read it. It was from Elder Bednar. He pretty much told me I needed to humble myself and repent.
We went out that same day and we met a man, who had lost his wife. In his old age she’d left him alone with his handicapped son. He invited us into his house and proceeded to yell and attack every point of our doctrine. Left and right, he attacked everything. I felt so horrible. He ridiculed my Spanish my faults, things we had said incorrectly and everything.... I left him with my testimony, stopping when he informed us he’s happy God had chosen me to answer his prayers because he didn’t feel he had answered his personally. He’d never prayed so hard in his life to keep his wife and he felt God had taken her.... I’ve never felt so sad for anyone. It hurt. I left that meeting questioning my faith and everything. I’m grateful they didn’t send me to Europe or any other mission.
We walked on several times that week after we had several people reject our message and I felt horrible. I read something and received some really personal revelation. God doesn’t require us to be perfect. The quote I like said we should define perfection from the atoning love of Jesus Christ and knowing He gave his life even though we are not perfect.
Anyway I learned and grew a lot. I am dedicating some prayers and the mercy of God to a family we found, the family Casado. Se llama Peralez Oncoy and accepted a fecha for 23. The family Pauca Sanchez accepted a fecha for 16 and our consejo de rama…. EVERYONE BROUGHT THEIR FOLDERS! I’ve made them folders to bring their papers and no one brought them before but this week everyone did! :)
I’ve been so great and happy this week. I’m glad to see your all doing so well :) We had 9 menos activos come to church. One of them we met, they were recently baptized. They really wanted to go to the temple but were afraid they weren’t doing everything to get there. You can imagine the joy they felt going to church Sunday and learning that they’ll be able to make it! I’ve had some ups and downs this week but grown a lot. I love you all :) Thank you for your prayers.
Pativillca will have another family baptized at the end of August!! .. if God permits... but He will :)
Love,
Elder Grow
Monday, July 14, 2014
Knocking on all of the white doors....
July 14, 2014
Well this week started out wonderfully! We had 2 days of unprecedented walking :) Then we cruised on to a surprise capcitacion with the President. He’s preparing us for the coming of the apostles. We’ll have 3 coming soon and 6 more a little later. We are the highest baptizing area rescuing and hastening the work in the entire world!!!! The Brethren are coming down here to see what we’re doing.... it’s just amazing because I don’t think I’m doing anything!!
He told me some great things in an interview and I have a lot of faith, that he receives revelation for us. He told me I should try lifting my faith and instead of just knocking doors and praying for families, I should start telling God what doors I’m going to knock on. So I was still struggling on the faith a little and I told God I was going to knock all the white doors on Friday. We found 1 family with a special needs son and an addiction problem that are looking for God in their lives....
You can imagine how much I’m learning and growing this week. I still don’t know if there is changes this week but I’m happy to be part of this work. Sunday we gave Rodrigo the sacerdocio (Sacrement?). Hermano Haro participated in the santa cena otra vez and the Famila Pacuca came to chruch! We’re going to invite them to baptisms this week, we should’ve done it before but…. we all make mistakes.
I am really hoping and praying that this next year goes by slower and but know I’m super happy :)
Elder Grow
Well this week started out wonderfully! We had 2 days of unprecedented walking :) Then we cruised on to a surprise capcitacion with the President. He’s preparing us for the coming of the apostles. We’ll have 3 coming soon and 6 more a little later. We are the highest baptizing area rescuing and hastening the work in the entire world!!!! The Brethren are coming down here to see what we’re doing.... it’s just amazing because I don’t think I’m doing anything!!
He told me some great things in an interview and I have a lot of faith, that he receives revelation for us. He told me I should try lifting my faith and instead of just knocking doors and praying for families, I should start telling God what doors I’m going to knock on. So I was still struggling on the faith a little and I told God I was going to knock all the white doors on Friday. We found 1 family with a special needs son and an addiction problem that are looking for God in their lives....
You can imagine how much I’m learning and growing this week. I still don’t know if there is changes this week but I’m happy to be part of this work. Sunday we gave Rodrigo the sacerdocio (Sacrement?). Hermano Haro participated in the santa cena otra vez and the Famila Pacuca came to chruch! We’re going to invite them to baptisms this week, we should’ve done it before but…. we all make mistakes.
I am really hoping and praying that this next year goes by slower and but know I’m super happy :)
Elder Grow
Monday, July 7, 2014
#Miracles
July 7, 2014
I love reading all of your letters. Sometimes it’s just great to see you all smiling. This week went by fabulously!
So I received a call on Friday from an Elder wishing me a happy Fourth of July. The conversation went something like this:
"Hola! Am I talking with Elder Grow?"
"Si, con quien hablo?” (Who is this?)
"This is Elder Lewis. Happy fourth of July!!"
"Uh... Thanks?"
"Yeah ok! Sorry I’ve got to go. Bye"
"Chow"
- I hung up the phone and my companion asked me the following:
"Who was that what did they want?"
"Elder Lewis, wishing me a happy day"
"Why?”
"I don’t know actually.... "
(Me 5 min later)
“OHHHHHHHHHHH it’s the "4TH of July!!! Like the fourth-of-July like THE Fourth of July!!”
That’s pretty much how I celebrated!
Anyway this week went by fast. Monday we played…. soccer :)
Tuesday we walked and walked and walked and everything literally fell. We ended up walking for 9 hours!!!! Walking and talking. My companion got home and back flopped in to bed saying it was the most exhausting day he’s ever had. I asked him why? He told me BECASUE IF we are not preaching the gospel you won’t ever stop talking!!! Hahaha!! He claims the only time I ever shut up is when we are eating, studying, praying or teaching. The next day I tried to do a lot more whistling instead!! ;)
The next day we had some great lessons. We built a bar. We talked to a man with 95 years. He is a member who is preparing to go to the temple. We then went to a new area and we met a family there. This is a family of some prayers. When the Mother saw us she just starred in awe. She said that her son had died two years ago, and she had a dream last night where he came to her with two men in white shirts with a book telling her he was busy studying.... I pulled out the Book of Mormon. You can imagine what we felt!! So grateful to be part of that!! They are not married and cannot read either but we have a lot of hope for them.
We then met a family that night and I invited him with a fecha but my companion didn’t, he claimed he didn’t want to even though the president has told us he wants all missionaries inviting with a date the first lesson. So it took a lot of conversation and swallowing of some pride but we sat down and said a prayer asking for God to guide us. Soon after our zone leader called asking us how everything was and if we had a question....
You can imagine what I’m feeling after that day. #Miracles.
The next day we visited Cesar Espinoza (who the missionaries have visited for 10 years) a member,but his family isn’t sealed and he only comes to church occasionally. We’ve been working a lot with him (I’ve mentioned him before) anyway so we taught a wonderful lesson on tithing and he’s not only agreed to pay his tithing but has agreed to pay all the tithing on back log too. We then had some great additional lessons with him.
The next day was a true test of my patience.
Friday we volunteered service with a man in our ward (with 95 years) and we were plowing his garden, a pretty big one, like our back yard. Well I started digging furrows and had 6 good strong rows when one of the missionaries from Venezuela said…. “You’re doing it wrong….” I stopped.... he claimed that that’s not how it’s done. I kind of laughed and said, “Ok well you show me”. He went making his furrows. Well then the other missionaries like his way better and started criticizing my farming!! You must understand I’m standing here looking at them.... You’re teaching me about farming?? MY Dad, his Dad and his Dad and his Dad were all farmers. I’ve gardened my whole life. You’re telling me this is wrong,...(the ancestral blood of the Grow’s raged through my rippling muscles as I picked up the pick axe and call upon the powers of the farmer and plowed the entire field in one swipe!!! (Great story huh?) I just remembered God then I said a prayer, stepped back and watched while also swallowing my pride. I got to work and loved. Anyway than the man came out and said it was all crap and whoever had done those first 6 rows was right... (Victory dance in my head!!!!)
Sometimes it’s not even with the investigators that you have to practice love its other missionaries, your companions and the members that are hard! I’ve grown a lot in this one week. Sunday was when it came…. Hermano Haro blessed the sacrament and he also got up and bore a powerful testimony. I thanked God to be part of this work. Then Hermana Anabel (the esposa of Cesar)shared her testimony about how God is answering her prayers for 10 years. I realized it’s not me. I haven’t done 1 iota of this work. It’s all God! I’m just grateful to be here.
Anyway then we met a family, we are contacting for a Carlos (different Carlos) but his name conveniently was Carlos. We walked in taught him and his wife and they both agreed to be baptized and get married. A very powerful lesson! Then she told us we’re marrying her sister too!! Turns out the missionaries in the other area are teaching and getting ready to marry her sister!!!
Anyway the message this week is that God is with us. He really is. He stands by us, loves us and fights for us. He will guide and help and direct us….Only when we are willing, and ready. Part of that is being humble enough to follow, and love Him enough to show that love to everyone in your path so you can bring them along closer to Christ.
Love you all,
Elder Grow
Monday, June 30, 2014
Missing Organs? Jed's to blame.... (Not really)
June 30, 2014
Well I got a lot of stuff to tell you this week and I have a little bit shorter time to tell you :)
So primero. This week started off great! We played soccer in the big football field of Pativilca. The stadium. All because I’m white! When we first walked in the secretary told my companion no but when I asked she told me of course! So Yep…. We got to play for freeeee!
We had a district meeting Tuesday and said goodbye to the 10 missionaries leaving our mission and the almost 100 others being deported from Peru. Some good friends left. We did a lot of walking and contacted a lot of families. Later that night I made PIZZA in the microwave! :)
Wednesday we finally had our first correlation mission al de pativillcal. That was great! They started burning the fields of sugar in our area and it’s like Pompei; the ash just reigns down :) Later the lights went out so we ate and planned that night by candle light :)
Thursday we had a great lesson with the family Haro. It went by kinda fast. We have had some trouble contacting this week because of the fish tacos (that’s how it sounds in English). PISHTACOS…. So here is what has happened….
There is an old legend here and it says when the gringos first came here with all their factories, they used the oil of human bodies to grease their machines, (it’s a story they use here to scare their little children). The other day they found a girl not too far from here (supposedly) left with nothing. They’d taken out all of her organs. So now everyone is talking about the pishtacos... and I’m the only white guy within miles of this little town so you can imagine the attention I’m getting....
Friday we gave a lesson with two members to a family Pauca. They are getting ready to baptize. We entered thinking and feeling like we should talk about the Word of Wisdom. We gave a great lesson and gracias a dios the Spirit was really strong. Really strong. The man shared his testimony about how he was a recovering drug addict and almost died selling everything he had for the drugs. He shared how thanks to God, today he’s alive with a wonderful family. You can imagine the spirit we felt being in this lesson, it was wonderful!
Also on Friday I had the best lesson on faith. Chile played Brazil in the world cup. My companion who is trying really hard to be obedient at a huge sacrifice on his part, decided not to watch it. That day we saw a lot of people praying to God that their team would win but he didn’t watch and would just pray in the streets while we passed by every television set. In the final second they lost in penalties.... He then said a prayer thanking God excepting His will. Faith is like that, just trying your best to be obedient and praying with a real heart. However in the end accepting whatever God sends you. USA plays tomorrow :)
On Sunday no one came to church but we had the Stake President come because of a stake meeting he had. 1 man came from the entire stake ... and he wasn’t even supposed to be there, so they came talking in our ward instead. We met an uncle of a kid who is preparing to serve a mission and he’s read 15 chapters of the Book of Mormon already and has accepted to be baptized. It’s not what you say, it’s the Book of Mormon that converts them.
I’ll end the letter this week with this thought…. it was shared a lot this week. When trying to come unto (or bring others unto) Christ…. In 3 nephite it talks about how Christ told the people to bring all the sick and the afflicted to Him. It says that in the end He blessed those that brought them as well as the ones in need. To come closer to Christ, you need to bring someone. Let out a hand, serve and love others and you’ll find in bringing them to Christ you’ll find yourself and them at His feet being blessed by His hand.
I love you all,
Elder Grow
(and I swear I don’t have a box full of little children’s organs in my closet…. despite the rumors)
Monday, June 23, 2014
Thank you for your prayers.
June 23, 2014
This week started out playing soccer.... as usual. The United States won! .... which surprisingly, brought a lot of nasty comments. On Sunday half of our members didn’t even come to church. I was super excited though. The rest of the day passed normally until we went to meet with the family Haro. They are the family which we just baptized. The family was waiting for us sitting down with the two sons who have never listened to us before (Alberto y Diego). Alberto hasn’t left the house in 3 years. They came out to the living room and they sat down to listen to us. They commented how their Dad was a changed man. A friend came by with a thing of beer to watch the game and then the Dad sent his little boy out with a sol. Shortly later he came back with some soda and the Dad said “why don’t we drink some of this instead”. His son again commented on how his dad had changed; so much that he never believed it could happen. They both are now reading the Book of Mormon. One has accepted a baptism date.
Miercoles we got some interesting news, the mission is sending a bunch of missionaries out, almost 100 missionaries from Peru and the surrounding areas for visa problems, including missionaries from my group. I’m praying for them and also I’m super grateful to be staying where I’m staying.
Wednesday was a work visit and we found a new family. Thursday there was a member whose family told us he was drinking. We had been teaching his family dia de reposo but we wanted to touch on the drinking subject, though just not sure how. We went to his house said a prayer and when we finished we asked him if he wanted to go to the temple? He responded, “Yes, but first Elders, I’ve got to quit drinking and start paying my tithing and going to church”. Lessons are a lot easier when the Spirit teaches them.
We visited a family and invited them to be baptized. They didn’t know. It was a little rough but he said they’d pray about it. We gave a lesson with a family who started fighting in the middle of the lesson and just cut us off and turned on the television watching the virgin maria... We kind of just snuck out without being noticed :) They weren’t paying much attention. We’re going to go back another day a little earlier before their program comes on :)
The next day we visited with a member preparing for their mission. That was a great day. Then we had another meeting with the family Haro. 6 people came from the ward to support them. That was super wonderful! We taught about the sacerdocio (sacrament?) then we played some fun games :)
The next day, Saturday, we went and talked to the hno pauca. (The family we invited to be baptized and they were going to pray about it.) He said mas adelenate but that he felt really peaceful. We told him this was an answer and he said he’d try. I opened the scriptures and said a prayer and then came across Moroni 7:30… If you have faith you will have the power to do anything that’s prudent. It was an answer to my prayers and the man who read it and said he needed to go to church Sunday.
Domingo (Sunday) almost no one came to church except hno pauca. He stayed long enough for the first talk. It really touched him he said. Our recent convert received the priesthood. We visited his house and he taught his 30 year old son how to pray and then they read the Book of Mormon together. In his prayer the only thing he asked of God was to bless his brother in the mission. It was a great day! We visited 2 new people, placed almost 25 Books of Mormon this week, had 13 new people (all families), 7 lessons with a member…. It was a great week. Although our consejo de la rama has almost become inactive and no one has been to church for 3 weeks. At the beginning of the week it started out easy to complain but I learned quickly that a happy face and a lot of prayers helps. I felt your prayers this week and thank you so much for everything. It was wonderful and I’m happy and grateful to be here.
Elder Grow
Monday, June 16, 2014
I know and I am grateful for everything I have. If it’s a little, it’s a little....
June 16, 2014
This week has been one to count your blessings and keep moving forward. I’ve included this photo hope it doesn’t take up a lot of room but this week has been a good one.
It started out kind of slow. We went to the beach to play soccer as usual…. Then they started the world cup. We had a zone meeting were the Hermanas talked to us. They had 21 new people this week... putting my 1 person week from last week (practically the lowest any missionary has ever had in Pativillca) to shame :) They told us even if it’s awkward you just need to talk to everyone that’s part of a family. With that we left and walking outside our pension for lunch we saw a man with his girl walk by. I opened my mouth but I froze. They walked past and ah, we felt so bad. I looked at my companion, he looked at me, I hiked up my pants and cinched my belt, whipped out a family pamphlet…. We both laughed and took off running like mad men. We ended up contacting him (after the Dad calmed down from what he thought was a robbery) and we’ve been doing the same this entire week. Running back and forth contacting whoever. It’s been fun but we’ve yet to see or have someone listen.
We entered 6 houses (all preachers of different faiths) who needless to say, were very courteous but politely told me I was going to Hell. It’s been one of those weeks were the only thing in the entire world that could make it better is a 3 Musketeers and a brown gravy mix! My package came and it was a super boost for me.
Friday started off with service where we spackled a rough with mud. All day. It was great fun and I took the longest shower in my life trying to get it off. Saturday rolled around and we had a wedding to start it out. Everything was wonderful until they served the cup of ceremonial wine…. The man that was about to be baptized cried out SALUD and drank it.... You can image where I’m coming from in this moment. I was devastated. I almost cried. We calling our leader to see what we should do. All day long I was looking for the words to tell him he couldn’t be baptized. Following the council of the leaders, we went to his house and we explained it to him. After talking for a long time the Spirit told us he was still ready for baptism. We got to the baptism and I baptized him.... It took me 5 times to get him under. When we came out there was about 40 people. They’d all come to see. Then we had the wedding party and ate cake.
Sunday was their confirmation and my talk (I found out when the speaker didn’t come…. they called me from the audience). Only 2 people came, the rest were out buying or selling or working for Father’s Day... it was really hard and it hurt a lot but I know that it’s not my job to judge or punish them (but a good old sock to the jaw of the president of quorum de elders would make me feel better) but then again the faith of everyone will be tried.
My companion and I had a hard day after with the mundial. Every house we entered was watching (soccer) and my companion entered more than one just to watch. Who’s going to listen to a gringo when Messi is playing (they call him a God here…. I never understood the apostasy much until now. After standing up and leaving every house we found a family and contacted some new ones.
This week has been a little rough for me, trying my faith on what makes a missionary and where I am and who I want to be, why being so obedient when other missionaries (who aren’t always) are having more success…. my companion struggles a lot with that. I know and I am grateful for everything I have. If it’s a little, it’s a little. I know that I’m not perfect I’m far from it, but I’m happy. It’s been wonderful. Now we have to work on this man so he can get the priesthood next week and serve the sacrament.
I love you all, and I’m wishing you a happy week. Thank you for your prayers.
Elder Grow J
We entered 6 houses (all preachers of different faiths) who needless to say, were very courteous but politely told me I was going to Hell. It’s been one of those weeks were the only thing in the entire world that could make it better is a 3 Musketeers and a brown gravy mix! My package came and it was a super boost for me.
Friday started off with service where we spackled a rough with mud. All day. It was great fun and I took the longest shower in my life trying to get it off. Saturday rolled around and we had a wedding to start it out. Everything was wonderful until they served the cup of ceremonial wine…. The man that was about to be baptized cried out SALUD and drank it.... You can image where I’m coming from in this moment. I was devastated. I almost cried. We calling our leader to see what we should do. All day long I was looking for the words to tell him he couldn’t be baptized. Following the council of the leaders, we went to his house and we explained it to him. After talking for a long time the Spirit told us he was still ready for baptism. We got to the baptism and I baptized him.... It took me 5 times to get him under. When we came out there was about 40 people. They’d all come to see. Then we had the wedding party and ate cake.
Sunday was their confirmation and my talk (I found out when the speaker didn’t come…. they called me from the audience). Only 2 people came, the rest were out buying or selling or working for Father’s Day... it was really hard and it hurt a lot but I know that it’s not my job to judge or punish them (but a good old sock to the jaw of the president of quorum de elders would make me feel better) but then again the faith of everyone will be tried.
My companion and I had a hard day after with the mundial. Every house we entered was watching (soccer) and my companion entered more than one just to watch. Who’s going to listen to a gringo when Messi is playing (they call him a God here…. I never understood the apostasy much until now. After standing up and leaving every house we found a family and contacted some new ones.
This week has been a little rough for me, trying my faith on what makes a missionary and where I am and who I want to be, why being so obedient when other missionaries (who aren’t always) are having more success…. my companion struggles a lot with that. I know and I am grateful for everything I have. If it’s a little, it’s a little. I know that I’m not perfect I’m far from it, but I’m happy. It’s been wonderful. Now we have to work on this man so he can get the priesthood next week and serve the sacrament.
I love you all, and I’m wishing you a happy week. Thank you for your prayers.
Elder Grow J
Monday, June 9, 2014
Do what is right let the consequence follow
June 9, 2014
I love you all so much and thank you so much for your emails. This week has been super difficult and joyous. We had a ….not fight…. but a discussion with the other Elders of our ward to start off the week. There were two gringos that kept saying how we were super fun but boring and if we would just lighten up on the rules the ward would like us better (preface we’re having some difficulty with the members because they are not doing what they’re supposed to) Me and my companion insisted that if we keep being obedient the blessings will come.
Then the irony from heaven…. the next day we got a call from someone asking for the number of the other Elders…. he had a baptism for them. They got a freebee baptism. My companion and I were a little confused :) We have the faith and confidence in the blessings from God…. Just if He’s sending them here to Peru I’m sure that it will take at least 2 weeks extra to get here because well the world cup is starting and the entire country has come to a dead halt. It’s amazing. Not even in the Usa do we celebrate the super bowl this obsessively. We can’t even walk into a house without hearing about it, so no one wants to hear about the gospel it seems.
We are walking about 20 miles every day, and contacting with our charm, and the Spirit of course. It’s hard work. We’ve had 15 lessons (an area record) with less actives and rescued 1 and gave another 2 callings. All was going great in our ward till we walked passed our pinchanista (who has a restaurant on the main floor) and saw our bishop with his wife eating out... it seems like we are the only two people in this entire city that want to follow the rules or are even worrying about them and frankly the only two people who are dead tired with nothing to show for it :)
Well Rocky came from a little town in Philadelphia and won... like 5 times... in 5 different movies, Michael Jordan made a film with the Looney Tunes! Miracles happen and they will! Just trying our faith. The lesson is from President Holland…. the bumper sticker question …. What Would Jesus Do?.... doesn’t always bring a popular response. Do what is right let the consequence follow
Love,
Elder Grow :)
Monday, June 2, 2014
I will keep fighting and believe as should you, because we’re going to win! Its already been decided!
June 2, 2014
If this week were a joke, it’d be the following:
Movie Plot:
ACT 1
500 airplanes drop 500 lbs of bombs on vatican city
ACT 2
1000 planes drop 1000 lbs of bombs on the vatican
ACT 3
1500 planes drop 2000 lbs of bombs on the vatican
So what’s the title of the movie?
puré de papa (pope) ...... hahahahahahah (it means mashed potatoes)
Today was a wonderful day, and today was cambios (transfers) and.... IM STAYING IN PATIVILLCA! :)
I’m super happy. The week started out... very bad. It’s one of those ones were you just want a mission change to Australia :) …. but then you realize that you just have to keep on walking :) Monday, we did nothing but played football. Tuesday we visited the family Manchego. They are trying to reactivate and having some difficulties because of his work. We promised if he´d pay his tithing and prayed, that God would bless him. The next day we stopped by and learned he lost his job. He was able to come to church on Sunday.... God answers prayers but often in mysterious ways. After our visit there we had practically else until Saturday; we had zero lessons. Zero. No one listened to us.
Wednesday, we had A WEDDING! We’re marrying the family Haro! They want to get married! :) I was so happy. Then we visited Luis Banifacio. Saturday came and we visited a new family. They promised to read the Book of Mormon. We then had one of our 5 min family home evenings, but I hadn’t brought any candy so we broke some french bread into little pieces and played a game.... it was pathetic, but great fun!
Sunday came and once we were at church we saw the family Manchego had come; also Hermana Valentina and Irwin Ortiz (a less active member we had visited) who stood up and bore his testimony for the first time in 6 years! I was so happy! We ended the night with tacos.... Well…. meat in bread with tobacco. Sooo good :) It was just a really good day :)
AND Today!!!! …. well I’m not leaving!! :)
The message for you today is that miracles are real! They exist!! There is no other explanation! I know because I’ve seen them pass into the lives of the people here. I will keep fighting and believe as should you, because we’re going to win! Its already been decided :)
I’m super happy. Me and my companion are working hard and loving life and hopefully everything will go by good this change :)
I love you all and I’m super happy :)
Love,
Elder Grow
Monday, May 26, 2014
God lives and works miracles....
I'll keep it kinda of short this week do to time.
I KNOW God works miracles when you have faith.
So this week was kinda long but kinda great! I had some rough spots with my companion but its all good. We started the week out by going to a Jaredite burial ground. It turns out I'm literally living in the wilderness of the land desolation.
I'm doing great and walking and walking and well.... yeah it gets a little tiring :) We had some great lessons and taught very powerfully this week. Sunday came and we had our conference. I guess I should mention that this week was our ramas conference so we had activities all week from typical plates of food from Peru where almost all the rama burst into tears trying to stomach all the Tabasco sauce. Then karaoke where Elder Grow did a fabulous rendition of One Direction and Waka Waka de Shakira :) Then we ended on Sunday. It was a rough day at first. There is a family who have out right rejected keeping the commandments of God, but at the Conference the family Manchego came!! It was a miracle! There is no other way to describe it. A less active family that we had pretty much given up on, we haven't even visited them this week!
Then I was crying for joy when we went to a lesson where I watched a man change. The spirit worked on him and he made the decision right than and there to follow god from the inspiration he got from a prayer. I know that God lives and works miracles in the lives of these people and it was wonderful!!
Love,
Elder Grow
I KNOW God works miracles when you have faith.
So this week was kinda long but kinda great! I had some rough spots with my companion but its all good. We started the week out by going to a Jaredite burial ground. It turns out I'm literally living in the wilderness of the land desolation.
I'm doing great and walking and walking and well.... yeah it gets a little tiring :) We had some great lessons and taught very powerfully this week. Sunday came and we had our conference. I guess I should mention that this week was our ramas conference so we had activities all week from typical plates of food from Peru where almost all the rama burst into tears trying to stomach all the Tabasco sauce. Then karaoke where Elder Grow did a fabulous rendition of One Direction and Waka Waka de Shakira :) Then we ended on Sunday. It was a rough day at first. There is a family who have out right rejected keeping the commandments of God, but at the Conference the family Manchego came!! It was a miracle! There is no other way to describe it. A less active family that we had pretty much given up on, we haven't even visited them this week!
Then I was crying for joy when we went to a lesson where I watched a man change. The spirit worked on him and he made the decision right than and there to follow god from the inspiration he got from a prayer. I know that God lives and works miracles in the lives of these people and it was wonderful!!
Love,
Elder Grow
Monday, May 19, 2014
Working with the less active & Conquering the hot peppers
This week has been wonderful. and long. :) We spent Monday through Wednesday looking for a map, directories, names and everything. We wanted to get to all the less actives, as much as we possibly could. Then we started to work. We worked vising all day looking and asking; we set out to find everyone! The days flew by and we had a lot of success! We were visiting, talking to people who "were members of the church" little did they know ... they still are ;)
I had a lot of struggles and questions but almost all of them seemed to be answered as I helped these people come back to Jesus. :) It was a great week following the promise of the area authority.... we would find people to baptize. :) One of the days, I think it was Thursday, we were super tired so I saw a rock in front of a house and I sat down (after previously harassing my companion for doing the same) he responding in impacients vamos! I knocked on the door.. giving me an excuse to sit for an extra 5 seconds.... AND a family walked out! They literally asked what we wanted, invited us in, listened, and promised to read the Book of Mormon :) Miracles!!
Sunday we had the pleasure of seeing 4 menos activos come to church for the first time in forever. It was amazing! I gave a talk on the family, how missionary work begins in the family. I couldn't help but cry about how blessed my family is and how happy I see them, just from serving God. :) Then a lady, who I passed judgment on previously, started to cry. Her husband works and can't come to church. It was a testimony to me that God knows everyone and they are all trying. Then we visited a family who were all recently baptized. They can't come to church or pray or read every day. They asked if it was really necessary. The Spirit taught me as I told them that God hasn't asked us to do anything he hasn't prepared a way for us to accomplish. It was great.
Sunday in the tarde I amazed everyone by eating. pinchinto de mono, the hottest and smallest pepper Peru has to offer. They cried just to see me pick it up :) In a GLORIOUS DISPLAY OF MANHOOD AND POWER.... and very humbly.... I ate... 2!!!! :) And smiled :) They all gasped it was hilarious!! I've become a pepper machine! .... Of course afterwards, well my companion left the fan on in our house while we slept to air out the bathroom ;)
That's this week.
Love,
Elder Grow :)
I had a lot of struggles and questions but almost all of them seemed to be answered as I helped these people come back to Jesus. :) It was a great week following the promise of the area authority.... we would find people to baptize. :) One of the days, I think it was Thursday, we were super tired so I saw a rock in front of a house and I sat down (after previously harassing my companion for doing the same) he responding in impacients vamos! I knocked on the door.. giving me an excuse to sit for an extra 5 seconds.... AND a family walked out! They literally asked what we wanted, invited us in, listened, and promised to read the Book of Mormon :) Miracles!!
Sunday we had the pleasure of seeing 4 menos activos come to church for the first time in forever. It was amazing! I gave a talk on the family, how missionary work begins in the family. I couldn't help but cry about how blessed my family is and how happy I see them, just from serving God. :) Then a lady, who I passed judgment on previously, started to cry. Her husband works and can't come to church. It was a testimony to me that God knows everyone and they are all trying. Then we visited a family who were all recently baptized. They can't come to church or pray or read every day. They asked if it was really necessary. The Spirit taught me as I told them that God hasn't asked us to do anything he hasn't prepared a way for us to accomplish. It was great.
Sunday in the tarde I amazed everyone by eating. pinchinto de mono, the hottest and smallest pepper Peru has to offer. They cried just to see me pick it up :) In a GLORIOUS DISPLAY OF MANHOOD AND POWER.... and very humbly.... I ate... 2!!!! :) And smiled :) They all gasped it was hilarious!! I've become a pepper machine! .... Of course afterwards, well my companion left the fan on in our house while we slept to air out the bathroom ;)
That's this week.
Love,
Elder Grow :)
Monday, May 5, 2014
The good the bad and the happy.
Well my new companion is great. We really get along good. We made a decision this week to be the companion of the month so we started working our tails of. This week we really made some super high goals and worked our butts off. We accomplished several and failed others. We found 15 new personsas (investigators) but we are not sure about any of them following through because none of them are married. No one came to church this week. It was a little difficult because this is the first time I've had a companion that is also super obedient. We worked hard and did everything we could. Sunday came and well - yeah, nothing.
I had a lot of really cool experiences this week and we had a menos activo (less active) family come to church.
First I had a really cool fulfillment of a promise that was made to me. My companion and I felt impressed to give a man a blessing who has been menos activo (less active). His family is having a lot of problems. It takes the Lord to make us equal to the challenges of life.
We also visited a member who is preparing to be baptized. Her menos activo boyfriend, said something that I'll always remember. "It's hard (speaking of the law of chastity), "its just all hard, all the commandments they're just all hard." That is when the scripture came to mind from the Book of Mormon. "Learn to keep the commandments in thy youth." It's just learning that the Book of Mormon can bring the change of heart and through the Lord we can be strengthened.
We had an individual unsure of baptism so we knelt down for a prayer. She rose up stronger and more determined with a fecha (date) for baptism.
God will always be there for us.
We visited two families who are active but struggling. The first thing I asked is whether they were reading their scriptures every night as a family. The Area Presidency has challenged us to do this for everyone. I'm really grateful because when we exercise our faith, becoming converted to the gospel we get rid of anything in our way. Maybe it might make us ashamed in front of friends or prevent us from doing the things we want to do, but we will find Jesus as our friend and the things we will want to do will be keeping the commandments of God!. :)
I love you all.
Elder Grow
I had a lot of really cool experiences this week and we had a menos activo (less active) family come to church.
First I had a really cool fulfillment of a promise that was made to me. My companion and I felt impressed to give a man a blessing who has been menos activo (less active). His family is having a lot of problems. It takes the Lord to make us equal to the challenges of life.
We also visited a member who is preparing to be baptized. Her menos activo boyfriend, said something that I'll always remember. "It's hard (speaking of the law of chastity), "its just all hard, all the commandments they're just all hard." That is when the scripture came to mind from the Book of Mormon. "Learn to keep the commandments in thy youth." It's just learning that the Book of Mormon can bring the change of heart and through the Lord we can be strengthened.
We had an individual unsure of baptism so we knelt down for a prayer. She rose up stronger and more determined with a fecha (date) for baptism.
God will always be there for us.
We visited two families who are active but struggling. The first thing I asked is whether they were reading their scriptures every night as a family. The Area Presidency has challenged us to do this for everyone. I'm really grateful because when we exercise our faith, becoming converted to the gospel we get rid of anything in our way. Maybe it might make us ashamed in front of friends or prevent us from doing the things we want to do, but we will find Jesus as our friend and the things we will want to do will be keeping the commandments of God!. :)
I love you all.
Elder Grow
Monday, April 28, 2014
New Companion & The Comedy Routine that Ensures an Invitation Inside
Changes were last week and my old companion left! We had a surprise this change. He left after only 6 weeks with me. He was sent to Lima. So now I have an Elder Jimenez de Chile. He is like an old Geico commercial! He is hilarious and we get along great!! :)
WE have even found a joke about my name! POR FIN! We knock on a door and I say "Hi, my name is Elder Grow, (at which point they stare blankly or try to pronounce it) I continue, "You know like "Miguel Graw" (a famous war hero who was killed by the Chilenos) and then they go "OHHH ok, Elder Graw!" Then I say, "and here is the Chileno who killed me!" Then my companion says, "Hi, I'm Elder Jimenez!"
The people they love it they go nuts and start laughing and we get into every house :) I love it because if I don't say anything they are so scared at the fact I'm white, they just stare :) I can't wait to come back and be normal... some what ;)
My companion and I are really doing great! He is fantastic!
On Tuesday they were in the process of changing everything and I was waiting for him to arrive. He came on Wednesday and we got to work! We were visiting a lot of the people on the limits of our area trying to find or go WHERE NO MISSIONARY HAS GONE BEFORE!!!! This is the 6 week journey of the Starship Huascaran (the ship of Elder Graw) this is TREKKING!!!! (lots and lots of trekking up and down and around!!!!
The people are really nice and we seem to be having success!! We set up a lot of appointments for this week so we hope to be leading as the companionship of the week!! We are teaching a Hermana Bridget, who will be baptized this next month. She has a boyfriend who's a menos activo (less active). We are also teaching a couple more people and hopefully they all get baptized this change.
We had a stake conference where all the leadership came from the area... except our Branch President. I had 17 people in my classes of English this week.
The spiritual experience of my week was yesterday. I was talking to a very learned criminal lawyer. She expressed how she believed in an All Powerful Divine Being who protects and provides for us. The thought came to me, "but why would a soul as small and rebellious, and such a sinner as me be important to such an All Powerful Being?... if He wasn't MY Father.
The testimony this week is that the Book of Mormon was prepared for our day. Our Mission President said it's amazing to see sooo many people hear running to and fro working their lives away without even knowing what they working for! The goal can't be a big house or a big car, its eternity! It says in Mormon that it will come in a day where people will say their are no miracles, where there will be churches built up one to another. He has seen us. He said so.
35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye arenot. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
Moroni saw our day. The Book of Mormon was prepared for US! If we have problems with our families, work, anything! We can find comfort in the Book of Mormon because it was prepared for us to help our families go to the Holy Temple of God and prepares us for the blessings of exaltation.
Read it. Study It.
I love you all,
Elder Grow
WE have even found a joke about my name! POR FIN! We knock on a door and I say "Hi, my name is Elder Grow, (at which point they stare blankly or try to pronounce it) I continue, "You know like "Miguel Graw" (a famous war hero who was killed by the Chilenos) and then they go "OHHH ok, Elder Graw!" Then I say, "and here is the Chileno who killed me!" Then my companion says, "Hi, I'm Elder Jimenez!"
The people they love it they go nuts and start laughing and we get into every house :) I love it because if I don't say anything they are so scared at the fact I'm white, they just stare :) I can't wait to come back and be normal... some what ;)
My companion and I are really doing great! He is fantastic!
On Tuesday they were in the process of changing everything and I was waiting for him to arrive. He came on Wednesday and we got to work! We were visiting a lot of the people on the limits of our area trying to find or go WHERE NO MISSIONARY HAS GONE BEFORE!!!! This is the 6 week journey of the Starship Huascaran (the ship of Elder Graw) this is TREKKING!!!! (lots and lots of trekking up and down and around!!!!
The people are really nice and we seem to be having success!! We set up a lot of appointments for this week so we hope to be leading as the companionship of the week!! We are teaching a Hermana Bridget, who will be baptized this next month. She has a boyfriend who's a menos activo (less active). We are also teaching a couple more people and hopefully they all get baptized this change.
We had a stake conference where all the leadership came from the area... except our Branch President. I had 17 people in my classes of English this week.
The spiritual experience of my week was yesterday. I was talking to a very learned criminal lawyer. She expressed how she believed in an All Powerful Divine Being who protects and provides for us. The thought came to me, "but why would a soul as small and rebellious, and such a sinner as me be important to such an All Powerful Being?... if He wasn't MY Father.
The testimony this week is that the Book of Mormon was prepared for our day. Our Mission President said it's amazing to see sooo many people hear running to and fro working their lives away without even knowing what they working for! The goal can't be a big house or a big car, its eternity! It says in Mormon that it will come in a day where people will say their are no miracles, where there will be churches built up one to another. He has seen us. He said so.
35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye arenot. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
Moroni saw our day. The Book of Mormon was prepared for US! If we have problems with our families, work, anything! We can find comfort in the Book of Mormon because it was prepared for us to help our families go to the Holy Temple of God and prepares us for the blessings of exaltation.
Read it. Study It.
I love you all,
Elder Grow
Monday, April 21, 2014
"Semena Santa" - The Holy Week
This week was a little rough I kinda getting the same energy drag that you mentioned Kodi. Sometimes its just a longing but mostly I just getting tired of walking. Ha Ha! I walk a lot :) Anyway here is the letter. It is a little short this week but I hope that it finds all in good spirits :)
This Week started of the Semana Santa. The Holy Week. Everyone here, to some degree, respects it. For example you can not find a single piece of meat here that isn't fish.
The week passed by quickly with almost no one willing to listen but almost everyone willing to talk about Jesus. They had strange processions in the street where they whipped actors like Jesus carrying the cross. The ward rented the video the Passion of Christ with Mel Gibson were there is just a lot of blood and death. All in all this week has left a bad taste in my mouth.
We passed this week visiting families with a lot of problems but unwilling to make changes in there lives; like studying the scriptures or praying, children who disrespect there parents and parents who refuse to get married but are unhappy with life and their family. I cant help but wonder. In all of this talk of Semana Santa, they have forgotten about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I gave a talk Sunday to a group of 95 people. That is the biggest attendance we have ever had! I bore my testimony that Jesus lives. It is through the little things and the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can be saved through truly repenting and changing our lives. After giving my talk one man who we have been teaching, a member for 10 years, was interviewed to be sealed in the temple. He passed and has a goal for this June to receive the Priesthood (if he can pay his tithing). I also taught primary, because they were short a teacher. I remembered a lesson my primary teacher had given. I drew a picture of a family and on the back of a picture of Jesus Christ. I told them if they were mad at their family they could hit them. So they all started hitting them. I then flipped it over. They all felt the Spirit for one second until one little devil cried "crucify him!" ( I suppose it is all of these movies and its just culture) Then the little devils started hitting Jesus....
This Week started of the Semana Santa. The Holy Week. Everyone here, to some degree, respects it. For example you can not find a single piece of meat here that isn't fish.
The week passed by quickly with almost no one willing to listen but almost everyone willing to talk about Jesus. They had strange processions in the street where they whipped actors like Jesus carrying the cross. The ward rented the video the Passion of Christ with Mel Gibson were there is just a lot of blood and death. All in all this week has left a bad taste in my mouth.
We passed this week visiting families with a lot of problems but unwilling to make changes in there lives; like studying the scriptures or praying, children who disrespect there parents and parents who refuse to get married but are unhappy with life and their family. I cant help but wonder. In all of this talk of Semana Santa, they have forgotten about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I gave a talk Sunday to a group of 95 people. That is the biggest attendance we have ever had! I bore my testimony that Jesus lives. It is through the little things and the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can be saved through truly repenting and changing our lives. After giving my talk one man who we have been teaching, a member for 10 years, was interviewed to be sealed in the temple. He passed and has a goal for this June to receive the Priesthood (if he can pay his tithing). I also taught primary, because they were short a teacher. I remembered a lesson my primary teacher had given. I drew a picture of a family and on the back of a picture of Jesus Christ. I told them if they were mad at their family they could hit them. So they all started hitting them. I then flipped it over. They all felt the Spirit for one second until one little devil cried "crucify him!" ( I suppose it is all of these movies and its just culture) Then the little devils started hitting Jesus....
To all of my primary teachers .. I am sorry.
Elder Grow
Elder Grow
Monday, April 14, 2014
I am the first legal red-skinned gringo on the moon - I like my titles... My titles are cool :)
You are my hero Kodi :) Maybe the funny letter this week will give you a boost. I remember the night I needed to send that giraffe to the girl I was asking out and you were frantically crocheting it for me. You finished it all in few hours but you were going crazy :) hahahah brings a smile to me :) I love you and guarding you in my prayers :)
I am the first legal red-skinned gringo on the moon - I like my titles... My titles are cool :)
Ok I have a lot to tell you this week! :) Lunes after writing you we went and took pictures in baranca and on the way I found out some startling news… My companion believes Americans never made it to the moon! Laughing I asked someone sitting next to me and they replied with similar results! No one here believes we ever made it to the moon! Can you believe that! I mean of course we made it to the moon!
Anyway so Tuesday I got a call in the morning, I needed to hop the bus and take a 5 hour ride to Lima to... GET MY VISA :) That’s right! Peru likes me so much; they wanted to keep me :) I’m finally legal! So we got there around 11pm. and slept in the offices of the mission where there was only me, my companion and a secretary. At 1 in the morning a knock came on the door. The secretary got up and answered. I rolled over not caring but he came and tapped me and indicated he needed my help. I got out of bed and went down the stairs. When I opened the door, there stood a very lovely Gringa! Hermana missionary! She had tears in her eyes from crying. Choking back her tears she took a look at my tag and said in perfect English. "Elder Grow, please help me" throwing her arms almost around me... I jumped back and I said what?! I was shocked, dreaming maybe. I flipped on the lights and there she was sitting down crying.
I guess what happened is the CCM got her missions mixed up and sent her to the offices. She isn’t yet able to speak Spanish couldn’t say anything and was really confused and worried. I was the first person she had been able to talk to all night. So we sent her up to the beds where she almost fainted at the sight of a cockroach. She crawled into bed sobbing. My companion and I went downstairs (a safe distance :) and called the President. You can imagine he was just as surprised as I was when I told him there was a girl sleeping in my bed. We sent her to the Hermana’s house and a guy (I guess they realized the problem) came soon after to pick her up… and then we all went back to bed :)
So running on NO sleep, I went to immigration that morning and took my Visa out; turned around and came home on the bus.
Jueves, we talked with a family who have been members for 10 years, active in the church and have just [picked a date to be] sealed in the Temple!
Viernes, we did some service all morning. I was busting up a wall, while my companion took pictures :) It was really aggravating to be because I was ready with the sledge and shove and l just went to work and the very nice old guy next to me just kept saying, “slowly, slowly, you’re going to kill yourself! Slower, slower. :) It’s just a slower culture here, but I’m wielding a sledge! Just let me work! :) After we finished, they offered to cook me dinner. They were super in love with me because while digging, I dug up a rats nest full of the rats who had been eating there guinea pigs :)
We met a family contact that is actually married! Then we met another family who both have 100 years!!! They are so cute! He will sit there and yell "Pina!!, Pina!!" (pineapple is his nickname for her) and shell yell back "WHAT!".... "Nothing" he replies and he will smile :) Then we helped another family out with their tamales! We did tamales for 3 hours!
Sabado, we finished the service project. While we were resting the kids came over and one accidently scratched me! In his amazement he started yelling and laughing because my skin turned red... uh yeah... The kids immediately attacked me! Everyone wanting to "dibuja el gringo" (draw on the white guy). I was bleeding a little bit when I finally broke free :) God has said the kingdom of God is like little kids but sometimes I have my doubts.
Domingo, we found 2 more families! The blessings of God are abundant! 5 married families! More than I have seen in my whole mission! The day started off with Semana Santa. The Catholics lead a procession with Jesus on a donkey and with palm leaves. They go into the Catholic Church where the donkey refused to enter. Ha Ha!, it was a sight :) I’m also teaching classes of English.
Spiritually we got a message from the presidency of the area. They affirmed the messages of Conference - that hard times are to come and the earth can only get more wicked. They are telling everyone to read their Book of Mormon as a family every night for 15 minutes for protection. Even if they aren’t predicting bad things, the message is a good one, I think. Hard times are sure to come but clothed in the power of God and righteousness, nothing can stand against us!
Elder Grow :)
Monday, April 7, 2014
Birthday Central
April 7, 2014
Anyway Conference was amazing and I hoped you received your answer when President Monson promised God would never leave you solo, I testify of that :) I love you. Thank you for your concern. I was filled with warm fuzzies inside just with the image of you on the internet searching Spanish Twitter worrying about me. Your card is the cutest thing ever I showed my companion and he wonders if you have a rich business yet :) I love you girl with all my heart.
I am situated here in Patevillca Peru. It’s a little town nestled between the coast and a desert and full mostly of sugar cane fields for the nearby cities. It’s famous for the Liberator San Bolivar, who came here when he was sick and went on to free South America. It’s a mild climate ranging to a hot climate, in the nights off the coast a dense fog rolls in.
The land is mostly dry dirt and there is an abundance of mosquitoes (like things that LOVE white flesh :)
I’m in a little apartment house on the edge of town, in a room with one window (its hot) and a fan :) Our area is really hard because it’s all nestled into pre-fabricated or hard dirt (called adobe) or cement houses ( I will take this time to glory in Peru, of ALL the things they have here nothing impresses me more than cement. They sell a bag of cement for a little under 6 dollars a 50 lb. plus bag! It’s amazing all the structures that are cement, it is really impressive) Anyway it’s really hard cause they are all poor and pass their time working in the fields and no one is married (due to the cost that you actually need to pay to be married here civilly (a huge pain for us)) but we find success. There is a huge Catholic Church and 2 Jehovah Witness groups, 4 Baptists and 11 Evangelists in our little town are. We can walk from the beach to fields to desert in under an hour. It is not very big. The rama is 67 people, mostly women and kids.
Well this week started off, with a glorious birthday! We went out to eat with my companion and I bought a hat. Later on we invited the whole ward to come eat cake… When we couldn’t find a cake…. I bought a little slice of bread with a Dulce frosting. The ward was shocked; we all laughed when we split it up and shared it. :) It was a pretty good birthday I loved passing out the gifts to the little kids but some people here have never had their picture taken and are a little scared. The rest of the week flew by visiting and trying to bring people to the Conference, full of spiritual experiences and searching. An old man with Alzheimer’s escaped his house, and we were unable to help much. We knelt down and prayed, seconds later he was found. The earthquake hit Chile for the most part. When we got the first news people here were actually more happy than scared showing their distaste and hatred for Chileans (something about a war I’m not so sure) but we are fine other than strange weather.
Preparing for the Conference, we traveled to Baranca. Few people assisted because there was a big town bingo game going on here in Patevillca. It was one of the most spiritually uplifting Conferences I can remember. I was so happy! I was overwhelmed with joy! Oh how glorious it truly is that the heavens are open and God speaks to us! I pray that you all found what you were looking for because i did!
Today we woke up at 4 (against my companions will, who agreed to doing so only because I rarely wake up on time. He was shocked and a little surprised when I was up and gunning to go fishing! The pictures are included, no success but it was fun :)
I conclude my letter with my testimony that God lives, that in His plan for us, divine guidance is a necessary and eternal gift! The honest seekers of truth and Heavenly help will always find it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Love,
Elder Jed Grow
New Area - Patavillca Peru
March 24, 2014
We have a fecha for baptism this Saturday, and we’re working really hard to keep it. He has some doubts but has been praying really hard. His name is Rodrio he’s dating a lady in our church; we just have to teach him more of the commandments this week. The little rama of ours is doing great. We’ve encountered some big problems this week with the Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been leaving on a regular basis teaching lessons up to 3 hours long. They are confusing the Papa Huancayina out of our investigators and members who have recently joined the church our less firm members. Sunday our Bishop taught the combined lesson, some pretty heavy stuff about Plan of Salvation, the Bible and Book of Mormon... Our poor investigator was a little confused, but then afterwards they all went to Sunday school. I asked if we had a Gospel Principles class and they said no, just a manual. I grabbed it and taught the class. I love it so much when the Spirit testifies though you. It is a wonderful experience.
Our little branch has been visiting the menos activos and has almost doubled its little numbers this week of 80 people. We are also teaching a Mom and her girl, at the end of a lesson I asked if we could say a prayer on our knees. The mom offered it and expressed love for her daughter and the Spirit was really strong, yet she didn’t ask God about the truth of our message, so we asked here to offer a second prayer and you could’ve cut the spirit with a knife… and yet, she didn’t come to church.
The town here of patiaviclla shouldn't even exist but I guess a General named Bolivar was born here or passed through here and so there is a little museum and a statue. The town is great though. I’m a little more used to the heat but I still take a lot of cold showers, but I really solved the problem when, through inspiration of the Spirit, I got all of my clothes wet that I’d wear on a normal day and put them in our little refrigerator :) when I woke up in the morning they were ice cold and stayed like that for most the afternoon!
I also found Chupetala which in Spanish means “suck it”, but it’s the name for Popsicles here! :) So I had a few “suck its” today and we will also be visiting the beach. All is well in Patavillca and I’m loving the spirit and my companion!
Love,
Elder Grow
Monday, March 31, 2014
Super Happy!
March 31, 2014
Kodi, I didn’t hear from you this week girl! I hope everything is going great! :) I love you so much! Did you know there is a fruit here call Guanabaan (pronounced just like the Muppets song! Haha! I sing it all the time) I love you!
So the week started out pretty good we talked to Rodrigo and he just wasn’t ready. That is what he said, so we didn’t plan on a baptism but planned a visit for Wednesday. Martes was slow night and Wednesday was probably the worst day in the mission as of date! We went to a work visit, in the taxi as I was getting out; our cell phone fell out of my pocket! The driver takes off and I’m running after it for a good 30 yards yelling but, no, he was gone. I came back with my district leader and made tacos to celebrate my birthday week. When I took them out I burnt my hand, shattered the plate and couldn’t eat the tacos :( I broke my watch the next morning and another plate. The night before I ate cake, my companion’s family sent a box of Devil’s Food Cake. We ate the whole thing and he got sick. (My stomach can take anything now). Then my district leader, who used to be a stand up comedian and is actually funny, they think he’s funny! - So all day long he got compliments on how funny he was :)! He likes it but yeah still today everyone was saying, where’s that funny guy that was with you? I don’t know how he does it... but anyway….
We showed up at our appointment a little flustered but soon found out our investigator was really happy!! Super happy! We couldn’t figure out why so we asked him if he was ready and he said no. We said, let’s have a prayer and ask if Joseph Smith is a prophet. He did, and while on our knees waiting... I didn’t feel a thing... not a thing.... I looked at my district leader and he had a worried look but gave me the motion to continue on so I testified that what he was feeling... if he was feeling anything, was the Spirit. He had a tear in his eye and he said yes. Even when it doesn’t always work with us, the Spirit never lets us down! I asked him to be baptized and he accepted! We are working with a menos activo family, Manchego, who didn’t want to come to church. He knelt down and asked God if he should pay his tithing and go to church, he stood up crying too.
The testimony this week is God does answer prayers! He does! I know it! I can’t wait for General Conference! Today we are going to Branaca to visit a super market, a supermarket in Peru!!! I didn’t think they had them! Super happy! Life is good, hard but good. :)
Love,
Elder Grow
Monday, March 17, 2014
Hair Cut, Kelly Clarkson – A Messenger from God, and Happiness.
March 17, 2014
Hair Cut, Kelly Clarkson – A Messenger from God, and Happiness.
On the 6th day God created man, and saw it was good. On the 53rd day of the 2014th year God created Marshmallow Crispy Oreos and the Heavens (and Elder Grow rejoiced!!!!) Seriously Kodi, thank you for finding those! They were amazing!
Well :) so I got transferred, that wasn’t a shock. I took time and said goodbye to everyone. Alina Yurusi, the Stake President, Zavaleta and my Pinchanista and their family. It was really great to see everyone and sad to say goodbye. When the bus saw me off there were a total of 5 different families with gifts ranging from exercising pants (I wonder if I really am that fat) and little stuffed frogs and sweaters. We got on the bus for the 10 hour trip across the Andes, which was brutal. I left in a rush so I still had my heavy rain coat on. When I started to get a fever so I struggled taking it off. We all had problems breathing because there was just too much air! It was soooooooooo HOT!! It’s a desert. Coming into Lima was brutal. I hadn’t shaved that morning or the day on the bus so when we got their middle of the day Martes, I went with Elder Custer to get a shave. There was a sign that said Gratis, which is free. We walked in and Custer, in his broken Spanish asked for a shave. That’s what they did. They took a buzzer to my skull.... I thought the situation was so funny I wasn’t too mad but when we made it to changes the President couldn’t help but laugh.
So they sent me north which is weird. They normally don’t do that but the President said he felt like I should come to changes to accompany a Hermana who was heading back north. So I’m not in Lima after all. I’m still in the coast and it’s so hot! I’m in Baranca or a little area called Patavillca. It’s all a desert but farms too. My companion is Elder Sanchez. He’s here from Trujillo. He has a little over 15 months here in the mission. He’s great! He’s a really really great!! He’s funny and we get along great. He loves music and sometimes listens to salsa but it doesn’t bother me too much. He’s awesome really. He’s a little laid back and rules aren’t super important but…. Yeah we get along wonderfully and he loves to work! The area is all very poor and small, a little Kansas like town. It’s Babylonia as far as sin goes. Theirs night clubs and a bar and NO ONE IS MARRIED! When I say that it’s not like a little bit of a truth, NO ONE is married. It’s just not important to them. That’s the problem we have here. It’s SO SO SO SO SO hot!! I can’t even begin to describe it! I take a cold shower in the morning, afternoon and night. I’m dying. My companion thinks it’s funny.
One of my spiritual experiences is, God still knows me. For example, I sat down my second day here, not being able to walk any further and the offices called and said they had sent me a package. They had opened it because it was so big but they didn’t find any candy, only microwave food. When it came I opened it and was so happy! Microwave food, and CANDY! Man! That salsa! I was so happy! The problem this time, with the heat, I lost my self-control with the candy! I figured I’d slow down but I burned though it in almost 1 week. I saved the Oreos until today. I opened them..... They were some of the best things I’ve ever had in my entire life! So good! I’m in love. Afterwards the problems came back. I can’t take the heat so I said a prayer. Walking out of the apartment I stepped over a drunk with a radio, when the song came on...
“You know the bed feels warmer sleeping here alone. You know I dream in color and do the things I want”…. I paused, did a double take, and then came the words… “
“WHAT DOESNT KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER” Elder Grow wigged! :) Anyway, I learned two things that Kelly Clarkson is an Angel, a Messenger from God :) and that God answers prayers in mysterious ways. The heat didn’t seem too bad after that. We get along my companion and me. The area is great, a lot of really really poor farmers, but I’m loving it. All of my lessons in Spanish about faith, repentance, and baptism have taken on new farming references. I’m in seventh heaven! I sit, study, eat and sweat next to our little desk fan, (my companion hasn’t seen a second of it) and then the members here love me! The girls a little too much (everyone here, even members live a little bit of a different life, very immodestly dressed. I don’t even think clothes exist here for some people) but we only have a little branch with a little over 40 to 60 people. In the town square there is a Catholic Church that did a musical play on the life of Christ the other day to the music of Hairspray and Chicago….Yeah, I’m loving it!
My companion is great and we should get along just find and have a lot of success!
Love,
Elder Grow
Monday, March 10, 2014
Baptisms & Transfers
March 10, 2014
Thank you so much sometimes the sisters send boring letters but your letter Kodi, that letter made me laugh out loud :)
Well today I’m heading off to the desert in the night – Lima. It’s a 10 hr. drive in the night, in the mountains, hopefully I can sleep :) but I’m running a little short on time so no big letter.
This week started out with us playing soccer in the church. Kind of boring but I’m getting better. Then we made tacos! They tasted... like crap... but it was fun :) See the taco photo shoot included. Then we got a call from the president, none of us could leave the house Tuesday like I told you but we needed to get together as a district to have a reunion so we went to the church and it was only thanks to us running and my STERN face that we didn’t get hit. Headed back home after our reunion, we ran into a lot of college kids so we had to run to our house quick. Kind of fun…
Wednesday we got a call from some missionaries in caurhaz they were coming for their baptisms today and the guy wanted no one to baptize him except Elder Grow... I had only met him once but I guess I made an impression. He said I was his friend. So I baptized him. Thursday was uneventful and Friday tambien but Saturday we had a conference where we called all of our investigators and invited them. Hermana Yudausi came to the church and she and a couple others got together and gave me a tie. Its blue you can see it in the picture with the kid. Then I made dinner for my companion.... it was so bad I’ll leave out the details. He vomited and will probably never let me live it down. Then I got a call that night. We were teaching a girl who was cousins to our penchinista but she wasn’t married so I told her she needed to repent and when she had the interview we found out she was pregnant. I think I told you about her, anyway she went to another area. I got a call and she had gotten married and was getting baptized this week and wanted Elder Grow to do it! I felt really blessed and super honored.
So after the 2 baptisms we went to stake conference. Here in this area they just got 2 senior missionaries from the states that are coming to take pictures of all the old names for family search so they can index their ancestors... The tears in these people’s eyes… You could tell it really meant a lot. Afterwards they had the Elders (or men advancing to the office of Elder) stand up in the ward. Who stood up? No other than Hermano Hurtaldo who I had helped re- activate his family! He received the priesthood this week. Afterwards the mom wanted a dinner. Well anyway and then cambios are today! So we went and she just started crying... I shed a few tears too. She just couldn’t stop thanking me. It’s funny to think all of this came from 2 bowls of tocush. I’m happy, sad to be leaving but happy. The church is true.
Elder Grow
Monday, March 3, 2014
Choco Bombas Obamas Bahamas Llamas Who’s your Mamma Cookies
March 3, 2014
Well as I said P- day was just with the companion. He didn’t want to pass it with me, so we went to the church and played ping pong and the other Elders came thinking the same so we had an extreme ping pong tournament. It came down to your son and a part Asian- Canadian. I jumped and smacked it so hard it hit the table, whizzed off and hit the high councilman of our ward walking down the hall in the mouth... he gave a talk Sunday with a little bruise.. hahah.
Anyway Tuesday we had a work visit. I learned a lot about the kind of leader I wanted to be. Me and my gringo District leader got chased by drunks with paint. Carnival here continues to go on. It will last until this Tuesday. We got permission, (it actually was more of a commandment) not to leave our rooms cause of the danger of me being white. Carnival here is like pie and beer day in Utah, except for a whole month. No one really knows why or what their celebrating they just have parades floats all get drunk and attack each other with water and paint. It culminates Tuesday con "(translated) Tuesday is War" where they all gather in the streets and you look out to see paint, shoe polish, water, everything…. Hahah! So our president of the mission was like “Well you’re white it’s better that you just stay in your house. :)
My companion and me had a big fight Wednesday because he didn't want to work. I called my district leader and he said some of the smartest advice I’ll ever remember. You’ll be living with a girl here in a year or 2 and she’ll be much prettier. Yes! But every so often she’ll have that time where she goes through, well, many different personalities and that’s why we have so many companions to learn to live with all types. Hahahaha!! I laughed so hard, I’m pretty sure that’s not why God has put me with him, but anyway.
We taught an amazing lesson to a family that’s not married and worships the Bible alone. They commented that they haven’t received an answer but they are just so happy and their life is so much more peace. That’s the blessings of living the gospel. You’re just happy :) Like me well, except this week stunk, but I’m just so happy anyway :) This whole family came to the church Thursday for a ward activity where we played balloon soccer I was so tall I dominated ;) The bishop got one point and so he (unexpectedly) jumped in my arms…. so we did a victory lap. I’ll miss this ward. We walked home in the rain. It’s been raining all week. We’ve been teaching a menos activo family where they have a lot of problems. I kind of lost my patience with the daughter when she started attacking the church and God. She said a little prayer and we’re still praying for them. The next day the sisters had a baptism. It was great. The girl was so happy she started kissing everyone including my companion. I saw it coming so it was ok, I escaped it. The next day we went to central to send a letter. While my companion was sending his letter, I overheard two white girls from America talking... Wow! That was strange!
I’ve been praying really hard to know my Savior lives. Sunday I was sitting Sacrament Meeting and I got the impression that I should share my testimony. I didn’t get up because I had shared it last week. The impression got stronger and stronger until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I stood up and shared a short testimony. I don’t know why nothing big happened but I was just filled with peace. I know someone needed to hear that. That’s really what we’re here for.
My companion is counting the days until changes. Sunday after church we came home and without a recipe I threw some ingredients together - like 2 cups butter 2 cups sugar, vanilla, flour, cornstarch, and I think oatmeal…. It made the best chocolate chip cookies ever. (In Peru anyway)
The message this week, we all have a testimony. EVERY time you share it, you allow the spirit to touch another person. If you share it with faith and frequency, the promise is that everyone who hears will fill the spirit and it will touch their heart. They still have their agency but they will know that what you shared is true. Don’t be afraid to share your beliefs. God will bless you.
Elder Grow
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