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

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

Baptisms & Transfers

March 10, 2014

Thank you so much for the food! Due to time I can’t actually print any recipies today so don’t worry about sending me any next week.  I’ll print these soon and get right on to it!!

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

Choco Bombas Obamas Bahamas Llamas Who’s your Mamma Cookies

March 3, 2014

Well, this has been a great week. It started off with Asian ping pong, and ended with Choco Bombas Obamas Bahamas Llamas Who’s your Mamma Cookies :)

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