THE MAGIC MISSIONARY AND HIS MAGIC MICROWAVE!!

February 24, 2014

THE MAGIC MISSIONARY AND HIS MAGIC MICROWAVE!! I am so grateful for a sister who was able to send me fabulous recipes. I MADE chocolate chip cookies, No bake cookies, Apple pie, and used a modified tortilla recipe to make a very very very interesting pancake :) I’m loving life it’s amazing the things you can do in a microwave. My companion managed to burn a slice of cheese and bread so I guess it’s a gift ha ha :)

I love you so much Kodi, I’ve printed off your letters and they are an amazing strength to me. Thanks for everything.

This week was very great. I learned a lot. (I’m typing on a keyboard made of wood pleas pardon my spelling) ha ha, it’s a first. Anyway so Monday a lady in our ward made us brownies, and Tuesday we just walked a lot. Wednesday the president came and gave us a wonderful capacitiaion. He talked a lot about studies and areas. I learned a lot.  The next day was interviews with him.  I told him, “President it bugs me a lot, this whole “Gringo” thing.  We had a long talk and it really helped a lot with my self-esteem. We talked about what I’m here.  I told him I’m here to work, I’m her to sweat and walk every day and kill myself these two years and look at the end of 2 years and say that was a job well done.

Thursday we started running in the morning, it has helped my hip a lot. Saturday I was saved by a balloon full of paint being thrown at me only by ducking to pick up a cool beer bottle top. Guardian angels :) Sunday started a little interesting. I locked my companion out of the door on accident so when I left he locked me out and wouldn't let me back in till he caught on video me saying that I was a gringo, was heartless and that he could marry my youngest sister ha-ha (sorry Jacie).  So when he went into the bathroom later that day the shower accidentally turned on and he got a little wet... it’s still a mystery ;)

In our area we have 0 people progressing. We have one interesting couple, they separated, she still loves him, and they have one kid. She ended up going to the temple; we rescued her this week we felt impressed to visit her husband who, for the first time in 5 years, had prayed and read his scriptures. It was a really great experience.  We’re also teaching a family that will maybe get baptized in March. We also have a family who’s one son is an Israelite. He sacrifices sheep and everything here. There is actually a large population but they believe in the bible and the Law of Moses and Jesus Christ. It’s really weird so we spend 2 hours trying to convince this family, anyway the work goes good.

My message this week is the power of the words of modern day prophets. Sometimes we forget they are seers, they have seen the future perfectly and their words aren't just warnings they are promises from God. I love the work I’m doing and loving the rain.

Elder Grow

Love Conquers All & Carrying On

February 17, 2014

Love Conquers All & Carrying On

Monday we went to Punto Olypmipca to touch snow. It’s one of the highest points in Peru, it was amazingly beautiful and I threw a snowball :)
Tuesday we had a vista de trabjao with the district leader and anyway his companion came and worked with me, it was really great. We finally got out knocking doors and were able to find 3 families.

That night I got bit by a dog. With my other leg I punted him about 20 yards. The owner got mad and wanted me to pay.  She came out to hear her dog whining and when she saw my leg with some blood and my face that was white, she quickly closed the door, and I’m assuming she thought I was going to sue her.  Yeah, I cried like a girl with the alcohol being poured over it, but the dog didn’t have rabies so we’re all good. After the visit I figured out why I don’t like my companion.  He’s just a bully. He’s always insulting me. So I made a bet he couldn’t go one day without insulting me. He didn’t talk all day long. ;) 6 months came and went along with Valentine’s Day. I am trying to be better our relationship. I took my companion out to dinner for some tacos then came back and burned my 6month tie in the shape of a heart. Yeah that was great. Anyway the next day we went to a matrimonio of one of our less actives she will be going to the temple with her husband soon. We can do a whole lot of preaching but when you fall for a Mormon well, that has a bigger effect than all of our 3 months teaching this family;) love conqueres all right. Sunday my companion continued to insult me I don’t know what he’s trying to prove. Anyway, I didn’t have anyone come to church and felt kind of bad. But god sends his angels. Hermana Magaly came to me and asked if everything was ok. After talking me through everything she invited us to brownies tonight. She’s really nice. Our family is progressing, hopefully inviting them for a fecha to be baptized this week. The family Hurltadldo who we reactivated, there daughter is putting in her papers for the mission. She’s finally reading her book of Mormon faithfully. Hermana Yudosi my convert is preparing for the temple trip this week. I’ve felt God’s love this week and it helped a lot.

My spiritual experience this week; A young man who’s preparing to come back to the church is having problems with his repentance.  After talking to him my companion started sharing a scripture, and I said a little prayer in my heart. Just then the Spirit spoke to me.  I knew exactly what I needed to say and exactly what he was thinking. I shared that it was because Satan didn’t want him to repent. The spirit was strong and I know this is the work of God. After some repenting about my murmuring this week I’m ready to work really hard, I hope it pays off. After reading Jacob 5 our president is coming to interviews this week. He says he’s brining announcements soon from the church that he said will change the world and the way of missionary work forever and that we will tell our grandchildren we were in the mission when this happened and if we read Moroni, we will know. I read it and all I understand, it’s the last days and the lord is hastening his work.

Hope on, Carry on.

Elder Grow

I love you Kodi

A new obsession with hot sauce and .... SNOW!!

February 10, 2014

SNOW!!!

Well this week was a whole heck of a lot better than last week. Lunes we played American football, where my district leader who played football in college took it wayyy too seriously. I juked him on a play and scored so when we changed to soccer he body checked me so hard my plaque dug into my chest and drew blood. It was pretty bad. Some people just well…. We’re all very special precious children of God. Right? ;)


Martes we had consejo de barrio APOSTASIA. There was a man who worked with the bishop who said they would come to church if we could get 10 people together to listen to my business pitch from my church. So our bishop invited him to our consejo de barrio... he’s from the Catholic Church. Yeah that was a great 1 hr of apostastia and then he didn’t even come to church.

Wednesday I found a bottle of tobasco sauce!!! That combined with my soy sauce makes all the rice bearable. (a little update on the food. I actually love it much more, they took away our pinchanista for dinner so in the morning i have bread and jam with some oatmeal and a mango then for dinner I have a can of baked beans and hot sauce or a makeshift quesadilla with bread ha-ha or ponche (whipped eggs with sugar and spices, it’s really good))

Then carnival- I finally got wet. What happens here for carnival is all throughout febrero little kids throw water balloons in the street and try and get people wet with buckets of water. The cumination is 28 when there is a wart with paint and mud and shoe shine and die and water. Yeah I’m a big gringo and a pretty big target, kids come from all over to try and get me wet... my companion and me can run pretty fast... I can run faster than him and he’s fallen a couple times to their balloons ;) We knocked the door of someone who, the same had just been separated from his wife. It’s amazing the people God puts in our path. We are now teaching 5 johenvens who have 17 or 16 anos who read and believe it but the parents won’t let them be baptized.

Viernes started out with service I fell down 3 flights of starts trying to save a Hermana lifting a chair. My butt was soooo bruised ha-ha! My tail bone killed when sitting and walking was a little interesting. As a result the kids got me wet today because I couldn’t run :)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! I got a package just in a really bad time. I needed it. CANDY HEARTS! And letters! I opened them up and saw “I love you” and I guess a tear come to my eye cause my companion walked in on the scene of me with these candies just crying. He thinks I’m a boob, when it comes to the spirit and my family ha-ha I kind of am.

Anyway, Sabado we taught an amazing family the first vision. They were all crying. He said I believe this is the truth but when we asked them to be baptized he said no. The fear people have here is amazing the fear of changing ones faith and tradition… It was really sad. Anyway, a man in the ward who has a girl serving a mission gave me a leather jacket. (One of the coolest things ever to me) I guess my ...loving... companion (the jackwagon) told him I liked leather jackets. It’s got strips just like wolverine. I felt so bad accepting it. I gave it back to his family Sunday he felt offended I didn’t take his gift so we paid a visit to his house explaining that I was very humbled by the offer but that I am here to serve him not accept a gift like this. So he said he wants me to paint his house, but for the jacket I told him no. He insisted feeling offended so I accepted. I still feel bad. These people here are so giving

Sunday we were teaching a family and they accepted! Our first family! He came to church! I finished reading Jesus the Christ this week and prayed to know my Savior, then I was teaching principios del evangelio, about the life of Jesus Christ when all of a sudden a wave rushed over me. I was so happy it was like the feeling when your foot goes to sleep and you try to stand up that tingly feeling just like that.

Anyway the spirit spoke to me and I know my Savior lives. I know Jesus Christ lives! It was amazing and well I’m here to serve him.

Then today SNOW! We went way up in my area in a bus and touched snow!!!! I was so happy I miss it sooo much!! It was definitely a gift from God.

That’s the message this week

He is risen I know it.

Love,
Elder Grow

No one wants the Gringo on their team....

February 3, 2014

Not a lot exciting happened this week except Monday where we finally found the taco hut! A little old man from Mexico made them... They are not tortillas but they are actually like a crepe and well... It’s as good as it’s going to get for 2 years! So I had an elder from Guatemala talking bad about America (Ecuador and a lot of people are getting up armies and have posters to kill Americans they don’t like us a whole lot) but anyway so I grabbed two spoons and challenged him to an aji contest. It’s a type of hot sauce equal to tobacco. 1 and a half spoonfuls later he cried “uncle”. Who would’ve thought that in just 6 months I’ve become and invincible hot sauce machine!

Anyway, so Tuesday was changes. 8 people came here with me in this change and 8 people left this last change. I now have the most time here in Huarez. Wednesday our converts yhudusi and alexandra passed an interview to go to the temple. Thursday we had night of sports no one wanted the gringo on their team. Everyone… these twelve year old kids I could have eaten…. I’m so much bigger! They were fighting not to have me. So I, being picked last, had a grudge ha-ha so they tossed the ball in and I booted that ball across the field so hard it went over the goal outside the fence of the church crossed the street and over the roof of 3 houses. All this walking you can kick pretty hard! Even that didn’t change the opinion of the twelve year olds about the “gringo futbol player” but anyway…. Viernes they took away our cena. We’re the only mission in this area who even had pinchanistas. My companion is so mad he defiantly proclaimed he would never follow this rule and still eats down stairs. Me however…. After he is done we go up and I put a can of baked beans in the microwave and I’m a happy boy. Saturday I walked all day in the rain. Sunday no one came to church. This week has been a really rough one but I’m doing great. The experience this week is this:

A family of the relief society presidency called us in tears they wanted a divorce and didn’t know how to fix it so they called the elders to come and help. So we went Sunday in the night and read the proclamation. Turns out they weren’t praying reading or holding noche de hogars, so we taught them a little. Then we asked the parents to bear their testimony and their love which is a little strange cause couples here never kiss, never go out, and never really do anything. They just work and take care of the kids. There is no outward expression of love. The dad started to cry, the mom confessed she’d never seen her husband cry. It was an emotional experience for everyone. For now, no more talk of separation.


God loves us, that’s why he sent us here in families.

Love, Elder Grow