-Elder White
Monday
We got up and then went to go do internet, as per usual. After that, Elder Yanez and I cam back to the room and deep cleaned everything before the new elder gets here. Then we went to Maria's for lunch. Papa rellena and lomo saltado. Good stuff. Elder Cabascango eats a lot. He'll sometimes take two servings. Plus Elder Monzon never eats all of his, so he'll finish that off too. He's put on some weight since I first met him. After lunch we went back out and I restocked my cereal bar and pan supply. I cam back and studied for a while. Then we went out and contacted for a bit. Alex Llamoca is leaving on his mission to El Salvador tomorrow, so the Carlos' threw a farewell party. All the missionaries (the 4 of us) thought it'd be a good idea to go and support him. He was taking a little longer than we thought it would at the chapel, so Elder Yanez and Elder Cabascango went downstairs to help finish cooking while Elder Mozon and I stayed and talked to the members. It was nearing our curfew, so we had to go. As we were walking out the door, Alex finally showed up. So we got to say goodbye and good luck before his 3 AM flight. He's 25 and has been a member for like 18 months. I love guys like him. He'll be a great missionary. Today was Elder Monzon's last day here, so to celebrate Maria bought pizza. Except it was Purvian pizza, so it's actually nothing like real pizza. It lacks sauce, good toppings and flavor. Did it taste good? Yeah, I guess. Was it a good pizza though? Nope. But now I have one transfer behind me. It went kinda fast.
Tuesday
We went out contacting today before lunch. It was pretty normal until a guy driving una moto pulled over randomly to talk to us. He was like, "Gringo, ?hablas espanol?" So I was like, "Poquito." Which I guess is a lie because I'd say I'm one step below fluent. Then he explained that here in Peru they speak Quechua (what the Incas spoke) and Castellano, which is literally just Spanish with a fancy name. They just call it that here in South America because they want to feel special and/or because they hate Spain, mostly due to conquistadores (conquerers). Anyways, then he was like, "Digame en ingles." (talk to me in english) So I said, "What's your name?" He didn't understand though so we invited him to church and he drove off. After lunch, we were up in R trying to visit members again. I felt like we needed to give the Janampa's one more shot. So we did and we actually got into their house. They're actually really nice people. The dad was telling us that the last times we've visited we caught them by surprise and they were having family problems, so that's why they didn't let us in. He apologized and said it was no excuse though. Very classy man. After our visit, we went down for the piano/guitar classes. I taught Roberto more English during it. While I was there, I met Elder Cabascango's new trainer, Elder Lainez from Honduras. He's kinda quiet, but very nice. After that, we all went up to do an FHE with la familia D'avila. They're a little less active, so we talked about the Sabbath day observance. After that, Elder Yanez and I tried to go up to visit Miriam, but she wasn't there.
Wednesday
We went contacting in G again this morning. After lunch, we did a service activity for the members that live like two houses up. We carried these tables and cabinets that had been sitting for a while from Instituto de Huaycan to her house. She went around with a broom trying to get all the spiders and Elder Lainez was like, "No se precupe, somos protegidos." (Don't worry, we are protected) I was just like, "God doesn't protect stupid people. Wack away hermana." Whiles I was out today, I saw a lady walk out of her house with a parrot perched on her shoulder. There's another parrot up in R somewhere. All this before I've seen a llama mind you. We grabbed Cristopher and went to go visit Betty. Carla was there too, so that was a nice surprise. The lesson went well. Josefina is in baking school , so they had cupcakes after. Then we went to go and visit Cristina. No one came to my English class tonight. Oh well though. I got talking to Elder Vasquez, who just got here from El Aqustino. That place is the hood. We tried to go and visit Maria tonight, but she wasn't home. While we were walking back, a drunk guy started following us. Elder Yanez started talking to him for some reason. I didn't really say anything because it's typically bad to interact with borachos. At one point, he grabbed Elder Yanez by the shirt and held him against the wall and asked, "?Confias en Dios?" (Do you have faith/trust in God?) I tried to talk him down before doing anything physical. He let go after a minute though thankfully. He followed us for another 5-7 minutes until he got bored and left.
Thursday
We had a district meeting this morning. Everything there was pretty normal. The new other district leader is Elder Yanez from Chile. It gets real confusing real fast because it's the same with my comp. The new other ZL is Elder Silva. He seems like a good leader and rule follower. After the district meeting, we went to the super market down the road a bit to take out our money for the month. Taking money out always takes super long. While we were there I found out we were doing a surprise intercambios. So as soon as we were done there we all went and got our stuff ready and did the splits. I went with Elder Ianni to Chaclacayo, except we stayed in Nana with the Elders there because his room in Chaclacayo has no water. That reminds me, there's 2 new gringos: an elder and a sister. We ate lunch at the pension in Nana too. Cool guy. We had lunch at 6:30 and then went to Girasules (the Alpine of Peru) for an appointment. The security at the entrance of the neighborhood was giving us trouble, so we had to call a member to let us in. The guy called and canceled on us when we were a block from his house. So then we went to ward mission night at la capilla, except no one was there. So I learned how to play "Next Episode" by Dr. Dre and then we went to dinner. He bought us pizza. It was Peruvian pizza, but really good Peruvian pizza. This is Elder Ianni's last transfer. He's seen some pretty interesting stuff. Today was Parker's birthday and also Dia de Santa Rosa de Lima, so there was a bunch of fireworks last night and today.
Friday
I finished up my morning in Nana and then we swapped back. We spent a couple extra minutes doing studies when I got back. We were contacting pretty much the entire day, which isn't my favorite thing in the world. But it's important to do. Even more important is to follow the spiritual promptings you receive while you're working. For example, we were a little behind and we walked past this guy on the stairs and I felt like I needed to talk to him. So I went back and talked to him. It's as if he was waiting for us to invite him to church. He seemed pretty excited. We grabbed Cristofer and then went to visit an old investigator named Monica. The lesson went all right I guess. We tried to visit Miriam, but she wasn't home again. It's kinda really concerning. Here in Huaycan you have to watch your step all the time or you might step in dog poo, trip on a rock, or fall off a ledge of some kind. But don't forget to watch your head because you might hit it on a door frame, or get clothes lined by an electrical wire or an actual clothes line. But also watch your back, because you might have a dog ready to attack you or there might be a crazy moto driver. But always watch in front of you or you might walk into a pole which has already happened once or twice. In summary, watch yourself.
Saturday
Today was a pretty normal day. On the way home from lunch, I found a Podemos Peru version of those air fresheners you put in cars. It smelled good still, so now it's hanging above my bed. Lima is getting a new Alcalde (mayor) in 2019, so political propaganda is in full swing right now. I actually have no idea who will win. Either Dupuy or the Podemos Peru guy. There's two Isrealitas running which is kinda funny. I'll tell you more about Isrealitas later. We went with the other Elders to do a Noche de Hogar with Monica's family. It went alright. There were some gallos (roosters) strutting around outside. I cringe a little whenever I hear one crow now since there's that one that crows super early in the morning on the floor above us. Those things really do look like evil mini dinos if you watch them closely. After that, Elder Yanez and I went to do another noche de hogar (FHE) with the Janampa family. It was kinda awkward because the 17 year old twins almost never looked up the entire time. He was twiddling his thumbs and she suddenly took a big interest in the hymn book. To make it even more weird was that the dad kept joking about the internet whenever we tried to talk to them, just saying how much they use it and stuff. After that we went down to la capilla (the chapel) for a meeting with Edgar, the ward mission leader. We talked about all of our investigators and recent converts and what they need. After the meeting we went up and stopped by Cristina's house. Then we did the same thing with the Carlos'. Richard, who's 15 I think, likes playing the rock-paper-scissors version of tennis. Reminds me of Jaxon a bit.
Sunday
I'm gonna be honest. Today was brutal. After ward council, we went out to find all the people who said they'd go to church with us. Monica's family said they were running late, but would go still. They were no shows. Then we went to go get David, the one guy from two days ago that I felt good about. He was sleeping still and wasn't home when we went back to visit tonight. No one came to church, not even Cristofer. But a gringo family came though. Elder Whipple finished his mission and his family was here picking him up. Very nice people and a pleasant surprise. We decided we need to drop Miriam's family as investigators. The jugo de pina (pineapple juice) and flan we had during lunch were good at least. The apartment owner finally came and fixed the lights while we were at church. But he didn't hook up the shower. The two wires are sitting right there by the box. It's not hard to hook up either. We even talked to him about it. I had been looking forward to this for a long time. I was so mad and depressed that I almost cried. Anyways, then we went and did a service project for a hermana and moved a ton of furniture between floors. Walking down stairs backwards in 3rd world countries is a favorite pastime of mine. There was a nice guy I met on the combi though: he gave me his seat and even offered to pay. We tried to visit an old investigator, but we barely missed them. We were walking along and Jimmy walked up to us straight up wasted. We saw William Carlos drinking with his friends too. That was really disheartening. We visited Cristofer and helped him with some family history stuff. Then we went back to the Carlos' and did a quick noche de hagar.
Monday
We got up and then went to go do internet, as per usual. After that, Elder Yanez and I cam back to the room and deep cleaned everything before the new elder gets here. Then we went to Maria's for lunch. Papa rellena and lomo saltado. Good stuff. Elder Cabascango eats a lot. He'll sometimes take two servings. Plus Elder Monzon never eats all of his, so he'll finish that off too. He's put on some weight since I first met him. After lunch we went back out and I restocked my cereal bar and pan supply. I cam back and studied for a while. Then we went out and contacted for a bit. Alex Llamoca is leaving on his mission to El Salvador tomorrow, so the Carlos' threw a farewell party. All the missionaries (the 4 of us) thought it'd be a good idea to go and support him. He was taking a little longer than we thought it would at the chapel, so Elder Yanez and Elder Cabascango went downstairs to help finish cooking while Elder Mozon and I stayed and talked to the members. It was nearing our curfew, so we had to go. As we were walking out the door, Alex finally showed up. So we got to say goodbye and good luck before his 3 AM flight. He's 25 and has been a member for like 18 months. I love guys like him. He'll be a great missionary. Today was Elder Monzon's last day here, so to celebrate Maria bought pizza. Except it was Purvian pizza, so it's actually nothing like real pizza. It lacks sauce, good toppings and flavor. Did it taste good? Yeah, I guess. Was it a good pizza though? Nope. But now I have one transfer behind me. It went kinda fast.
Tuesday
We went out contacting today before lunch. It was pretty normal until a guy driving una moto pulled over randomly to talk to us. He was like, "Gringo, ?hablas espanol?" So I was like, "Poquito." Which I guess is a lie because I'd say I'm one step below fluent. Then he explained that here in Peru they speak Quechua (what the Incas spoke) and Castellano, which is literally just Spanish with a fancy name. They just call it that here in South America because they want to feel special and/or because they hate Spain, mostly due to conquistadores (conquerers). Anyways, then he was like, "Digame en ingles." (talk to me in english) So I said, "What's your name?" He didn't understand though so we invited him to church and he drove off. After lunch, we were up in R trying to visit members again. I felt like we needed to give the Janampa's one more shot. So we did and we actually got into their house. They're actually really nice people. The dad was telling us that the last times we've visited we caught them by surprise and they were having family problems, so that's why they didn't let us in. He apologized and said it was no excuse though. Very classy man. After our visit, we went down for the piano/guitar classes. I taught Roberto more English during it. While I was there, I met Elder Cabascango's new trainer, Elder Lainez from Honduras. He's kinda quiet, but very nice. After that, we all went up to do an FHE with la familia D'avila. They're a little less active, so we talked about the Sabbath day observance. After that, Elder Yanez and I tried to go up to visit Miriam, but she wasn't there.
Wednesday
We went contacting in G again this morning. After lunch, we did a service activity for the members that live like two houses up. We carried these tables and cabinets that had been sitting for a while from Instituto de Huaycan to her house. She went around with a broom trying to get all the spiders and Elder Lainez was like, "No se precupe, somos protegidos." (Don't worry, we are protected) I was just like, "God doesn't protect stupid people. Wack away hermana." Whiles I was out today, I saw a lady walk out of her house with a parrot perched on her shoulder. There's another parrot up in R somewhere. All this before I've seen a llama mind you. We grabbed Cristopher and went to go visit Betty. Carla was there too, so that was a nice surprise. The lesson went well. Josefina is in baking school , so they had cupcakes after. Then we went to go and visit Cristina. No one came to my English class tonight. Oh well though. I got talking to Elder Vasquez, who just got here from El Aqustino. That place is the hood. We tried to go and visit Maria tonight, but she wasn't home. While we were walking back, a drunk guy started following us. Elder Yanez started talking to him for some reason. I didn't really say anything because it's typically bad to interact with borachos. At one point, he grabbed Elder Yanez by the shirt and held him against the wall and asked, "?Confias en Dios?" (Do you have faith/trust in God?) I tried to talk him down before doing anything physical. He let go after a minute though thankfully. He followed us for another 5-7 minutes until he got bored and left.
Thursday
We had a district meeting this morning. Everything there was pretty normal. The new other district leader is Elder Yanez from Chile. It gets real confusing real fast because it's the same with my comp. The new other ZL is Elder Silva. He seems like a good leader and rule follower. After the district meeting, we went to the super market down the road a bit to take out our money for the month. Taking money out always takes super long. While we were there I found out we were doing a surprise intercambios. So as soon as we were done there we all went and got our stuff ready and did the splits. I went with Elder Ianni to Chaclacayo, except we stayed in Nana with the Elders there because his room in Chaclacayo has no water. That reminds me, there's 2 new gringos: an elder and a sister. We ate lunch at the pension in Nana too. Cool guy. We had lunch at 6:30 and then went to Girasules (the Alpine of Peru) for an appointment. The security at the entrance of the neighborhood was giving us trouble, so we had to call a member to let us in. The guy called and canceled on us when we were a block from his house. So then we went to ward mission night at la capilla, except no one was there. So I learned how to play "Next Episode" by Dr. Dre and then we went to dinner. He bought us pizza. It was Peruvian pizza, but really good Peruvian pizza. This is Elder Ianni's last transfer. He's seen some pretty interesting stuff. Today was Parker's birthday and also Dia de Santa Rosa de Lima, so there was a bunch of fireworks last night and today.
Friday
I finished up my morning in Nana and then we swapped back. We spent a couple extra minutes doing studies when I got back. We were contacting pretty much the entire day, which isn't my favorite thing in the world. But it's important to do. Even more important is to follow the spiritual promptings you receive while you're working. For example, we were a little behind and we walked past this guy on the stairs and I felt like I needed to talk to him. So I went back and talked to him. It's as if he was waiting for us to invite him to church. He seemed pretty excited. We grabbed Cristofer and then went to visit an old investigator named Monica. The lesson went all right I guess. We tried to visit Miriam, but she wasn't home again. It's kinda really concerning. Here in Huaycan you have to watch your step all the time or you might step in dog poo, trip on a rock, or fall off a ledge of some kind. But don't forget to watch your head because you might hit it on a door frame, or get clothes lined by an electrical wire or an actual clothes line. But also watch your back, because you might have a dog ready to attack you or there might be a crazy moto driver. But always watch in front of you or you might walk into a pole which has already happened once or twice. In summary, watch yourself.
Saturday
Today was a pretty normal day. On the way home from lunch, I found a Podemos Peru version of those air fresheners you put in cars. It smelled good still, so now it's hanging above my bed. Lima is getting a new Alcalde (mayor) in 2019, so political propaganda is in full swing right now. I actually have no idea who will win. Either Dupuy or the Podemos Peru guy. There's two Isrealitas running which is kinda funny. I'll tell you more about Isrealitas later. We went with the other Elders to do a Noche de Hogar with Monica's family. It went alright. There were some gallos (roosters) strutting around outside. I cringe a little whenever I hear one crow now since there's that one that crows super early in the morning on the floor above us. Those things really do look like evil mini dinos if you watch them closely. After that, Elder Yanez and I went to do another noche de hogar (FHE) with the Janampa family. It was kinda awkward because the 17 year old twins almost never looked up the entire time. He was twiddling his thumbs and she suddenly took a big interest in the hymn book. To make it even more weird was that the dad kept joking about the internet whenever we tried to talk to them, just saying how much they use it and stuff. After that we went down to la capilla (the chapel) for a meeting with Edgar, the ward mission leader. We talked about all of our investigators and recent converts and what they need. After the meeting we went up and stopped by Cristina's house. Then we did the same thing with the Carlos'. Richard, who's 15 I think, likes playing the rock-paper-scissors version of tennis. Reminds me of Jaxon a bit.
Sunday
I'm gonna be honest. Today was brutal. After ward council, we went out to find all the people who said they'd go to church with us. Monica's family said they were running late, but would go still. They were no shows. Then we went to go get David, the one guy from two days ago that I felt good about. He was sleeping still and wasn't home when we went back to visit tonight. No one came to church, not even Cristofer. But a gringo family came though. Elder Whipple finished his mission and his family was here picking him up. Very nice people and a pleasant surprise. We decided we need to drop Miriam's family as investigators. The jugo de pina (pineapple juice) and flan we had during lunch were good at least. The apartment owner finally came and fixed the lights while we were at church. But he didn't hook up the shower. The two wires are sitting right there by the box. It's not hard to hook up either. We even talked to him about it. I had been looking forward to this for a long time. I was so mad and depressed that I almost cried. Anyways, then we went and did a service project for a hermana and moved a ton of furniture between floors. Walking down stairs backwards in 3rd world countries is a favorite pastime of mine. There was a nice guy I met on the combi though: he gave me his seat and even offered to pay. We tried to visit an old investigator, but we barely missed them. We were walking along and Jimmy walked up to us straight up wasted. We saw William Carlos drinking with his friends too. That was really disheartening. We visited Cristofer and helped him with some family history stuff. Then we went back to the Carlos' and did a quick noche de hagar.
Elder Carrera, Antoni (the son who baptized the dad), Antonio and Elder Ianni. (This is the Venezuelan man's baptism that had taken the discussions for 20 years.)
The pink note reads: 1 week without sweeping in our study room. Just our study room.
Me with Alex who left for his mission to El Salvador.
Nana
The Podemos Peru air freshener.
An evil rooster.
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