This was an amazing week! It was one of the best weeks I feel like I've had in my entire mission. It's gone by really fast too. I feel like it's still Monday hehe. This morning, the other Elders in the office baptized Mayte, who's someone that I found with Elder Wilcox way back in the day. I've worked very closely with them in order to help her, so it was really cool to be able to be there at the baptism this morning.
It was a long and complicated process to get her to this point. We've been lead to find 3 new investigators this week! It's been a lot of fun. So, on Sunday I had to give a talk last second. I was up there giving the talk and among the congregation, I saw 2 JAS that I didn't recognize. Afterwards I went to go talk to them. It turned out that one of them was a member named Gianella that just moved here from a ward from Lima Central called Javier Prado. The other one was a contact (Valeria) that Elder Wilcox made as he was passing through our area. She remembered and came to church! I asked, "So are you guys roommates or...?" They aren't roommates. They live kinda close, but not really. They somehow ran into each other on their way to the church. They hadn't known each other beforehand, but somehow met and came to church together and now they're great friends. Gianella has been a JAS leader for several years, so she's been a great hermanadora for her. Valeria is progressing really well and is excited for her baptism on March 14! That entire situation is one of the coolest miracles I've seen so far on my mission.
William and Rosa, a couple that I helped get married and baptized a while back, have a real enthusiasm to share the gospel with their family. Their youngest son, Gino (24 years old), has been really supportive of them in their entire journey through marriage and baptism and all of that. He always told us that he'd go to church, but he never did until this past Sunday. We had also tried inviting him to baptism before, but he never accepted that either. He really enjoyed church and even wound up enrolling in institute. We went to go visit him on Monday night. William has cancer. While he was checking his blood pressure, it read 18 (a normal person's is 12-13). He spent the whole day in the hospital. When we went to go visit them, Gino and Rosa were in tears the entire time. Gino accepted a baptismal date for March 21 in order to receive comfort and strength with the hope of helping his dad. He's got it rough because he had a lot going for him back a year ago; he was almost done with his studies when his dad got diagnosed with cancer. He had to abandon that so that he could work to provide for his family. Here in Peru you can't just resume your studies; he'd have to start from scratch if he wanted to study again.
William and Rosa have a granddaughter named Laura that's 14 years old. She's been to church the last 3 Sundays in a row and is loving it. We were finally able to sit down and talk with her last night. We asked her why she was coming to church. She said that it was because she noticed an obvious change in the family since William and Rosa started getting to church. She said that beforehand, the entire family was depressed and gloomy. Then when they started going to church, everyone suddenly got happier and got along better. So she went to see what was going on and loved what she felt there. We promised that she'd be able to have those same feelings, but even stronger on a deeper personal level if she got baptized, so she decided to make this covenant with the Lord on March 21 with her uncle Gino.
This was an insanely crazy week with all of the meetings that we had for the start of the transfer, so it really is a miracle that God blessed us so much with his love this week. He's really good to us. Transfer calls came in. It looks like I'm leaving the office. I'm really excited to be working with Elder Porter now. He's a great missionary, and that's just because he's from my stake back home jaja. I'm really excited for what this transfer is going to bring! Have a good week!
-Elder White
Saturday
I know that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ will bring us many blessings. I know that this gospel can solve any problem a man could have. When we follow it, we will see both temporal and spiritual blessings. When we take the time to thank God for these blessings, we will be happier and even more blessed. I know that as we dutifully live the gospel throughout our whole life, we will be prepared to live with God at the last day and inherit eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Last night as we were walking along, I contacted this siejita (little girl) outside her house. As I was talking to her, Elder Recalde came over and said, "Hermana, what happened to your leg?" I looked down at her leg and oh my gosh, it looked like a zombie leg. The flesh was literally rotting off. She said that it was a bacteria infection and tried to give us money for some medicine, but we bought it with our own money. She doesn't need medication though, she needs an amputation. Later in the night, we were walking along with Elder Mendoza in his wheel chair. Then we saw that one crazy guy with the crutch walking around. He's not a big fan of the church, so I told the others not to talk to him. He walked right up tot Elder Mendoza and said, "Write your name and phone number here," in a small book he had. Then he told him all about this German dude, who healed 100's of people post WW II using "the powers of the Universe". Then he made Elder Mendoza put his hands on his lap palms up and said, "Keep your hands like this. If you feel a tingly or shocking sensation, it's the Universe healing you because your cells would be rejuvenating." So he hates on Joseph Smith but endorses this German Universe dude? I could go for some of the Universe juice myself, maybe it would help my sunburn. Wearing a collared shirt in the heat with a sunburn is like getting a bunch of paper cuts, getting locked in a Sauna, and sweating out lemon juice. Today was Pday de limpieza (cleaning). It was kinda hard to get people cleaning, but we got it done. We played this weird beans card game. I won. I never really get a lot of emails anymore, so that's kinda boring. Elder Colton and I ended Pday by getting haircuts. Elder Recalde went back to Jicamarua tonight to see the baptism of two of his investigators, so I hung out with the other Elders tonight.
Sunday
Last night as I prayed, I felt a special need to repent, so I really made a conscious effort to do so. I was pretty tired, so I kinda accidentally nodded off for a bit. I had a mini dream of sorts where I visioned weights on a box, and then someone took them away. When I came to my senses, I could feel a noticeable difference--forgiven, if you will. It was literally like Jesus really took those weights of sin off me. I know that the repentance process works. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. So on Friday, Hermano Aguilar came to clean the office. He said to Elder Recalde, "This air freshener stinks," and sprayed it for him to smell. In the most sarcastic voice he could muster, Elder Recalde said, "Oh that's horrible." Hermano Aguilar started ranting on it some more and Elder Recalde said, "Did you read the label?" The week before, Elder Davis made a "Zone Leader Repellent" Raid style label and put it on as a joke. He looked at it and said, "Well no wonder! These darn gringos (pause to gently punch Elder Davis on the shoulder) are spraying insecticide like it's an air freshener! I'm going to put this in the baño just in case there's a cockroach or something." We got a good laugh out of that one. So last night during dinner, bishop said, "Oh, by the way Elder White, you're giving a talk tomorrow on the importance of living worthy of a temple recommend. It was a decent talk, but my opening joke was the best part. Everyone laughed. Bishop was proud of that one. Moises brought his aunt with his family today. (She lives in San Borja.) We went to go visit the family tonight. They're so cool! They accepted literally everything we teach. Then they say a prayer of gratitude after. Today at church, I saw two girls that I didn't recognize. I went over and asked if they were roommates. Long story short, they're not. Giareela is a member that just moved here from Barrio Javier Prado. Valeria was contacted by Elder Wilcox when he passed by the office earlier this week and she decided to come. They ran into each other on the way to church and now they're best friends. That's a pretty crazy milagro. She accepted a baptism date for March 14! It was a great cita. It's judgement day. I'm receiving Elder Porter as my replacement. It's kinda crazy that I'm companions with a guy from my stake and 6th grade class.
Monday
I had a dream last night that my family was there fighting against the Emperor (Star Wars). He was starting to turn Jaxon to the dark side. Jaxon had a red double bladed lightsaber, which was kinda cool. They were teleporting through walks and stuff. Then I saw Jaxon and started quoting the Book of Mormon on him saying things like, "Wickedness never was happiness," and he was like, "Shoot, you're right." The emperor starting coming at me, but my lightsaber handle was my Nokia phone and I couldn't find the button. But then I did and we all backed him into a corner and said, "We're going to bring you to justice." Kayden said, "Yeah!" and then stabbed him in the chest. The rest of us were like, "Dude. Really?" He said, "Oh, sorry..." so we said, "Oh well." It was quite the dream. I know that humility blesses us. In Alma 32 there's a part I like in verse 12, as well as verse 16 too. It says that when we're humbled, it makes us wiser. Then he suggests that being humble really means that we listen to the voice of God and following the Gospel in faith. I know that if we choose to humble ourselves without being obliged to do so, we will be blessed incredibly. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. So today was my last day working by myself in the office. It was kinda weird. I stayed busy though. Elder Porter got here tonight at 7. We had him hangout with Elder Lopez because he got really sick last night and his entire body was swelling up. I went with Elder Recalde to a NDH at Rosa and William's house at that same time. We went looking for Laura (granddaughter who's been thrice) and Gino too, who finally went to church for the first time yesterday. Only Gino and Rosa were there. William's blood pressure is 18 (it should be 12), so he's in the clinic currently. We were teaching LOL3 and Gina just broke down crying 3 minutes in. It's extremely hard on them. William's seemed good before, but his cancer is finally taking its toll on him. We taught a powerful lesson and he wound up accepting a baptism date for March 21. It's about time. He liked the idea of Institute so much that he enrolled in a Thursday night class. Then Elder Recalde and I went and picked up Elder Porter to buy break for the 1st day training tomorrow. No more receipts for me hehe. It was quite the adventure because Elder Recalde didn't have his keys.
Tuesday
Research shows that 1/6 Tuesdays are very stressful and busy, but that's transfers I guess. I know that if we are anxiously engaged in a good cause according to our own free will, God will bless us according to our works. It isn't expedient that God should tell us everything we need to do. We should use our best judgement and talents that God has given us as we try to follow his Holy Spirit. I know that if we do this, we will develop a deeper conversion unto Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Elder Lainez went home this morning. He was a good guy. Hermana Santana was one of the other people that we sent home yesterday. She was a very happy, chirpy and funny girl always falando her Portuñol. I'd never not seen her happy before. But then yesterday as she got in the taxi to go to the airport, she was fighting back tears. That was really sad for me to see. This first day training was almost identical to any other. We did make a few Tottus trips during it though. Today was Elder Porter's 1st day in my chair. It was kind of interesting teaching him how to do my job. He'll be a good fit. He's responsible and a hard worker too, so I'm excited to contact with him. He'll keep the office's standards up when I leave, which is something I was worried about. Elder Porter and I went with Elder Colton to visit Mayte tonight. She seems to be excited and ready for her baptism Saturday morning. We kind of had to explain to her the difference of the powers of Good and Evil, like how Satan wants to stop her, but God will bless and help her more. Good lesson. I've got a thing where when something happens, I say, "Well, you know what they say in (some random place in the world): (some completely random phrase)." I enjoy it. Tonight I was walking along and said, "Well, ya know what they say in Germany." Right then Elder Colton offered me an Oreo. The end with the frosting fell off, so I got a naked cookie. I said, "I got the back end of an Oreo." That was pretty funny. We went to go visit Moises and his family tonight. They're so cool! We taught the Word of Wisdom. I was kind of afraid that they'd freak out about it, but Moises was like, "I feel crappy when I do any of that, so I agree." He loves doing Ven Siguame (Come Follow Me). We've just gotta get him to do it with his family. Lacero is scared to pray, so we need to work on that. Moises always prays and thanks God for knowledge of the church. Cool beans. We need to focus more on the rest of the family.
Wednesday
I know that the gospel is true. I know that it will work for us according to our faith. I like the way Alma puts it. He says that we need to let the word of God work with in us according to our faith. Then he says it could be faith so small as just wanting to believe. If we truly do that and protect and nurture the seed, we will find a gospel that enlarges our souls, gives us knowledge, and is truly delicious to our spirits. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.l We had our consejo de distrito this morning. It was a lot better than last week's. So last week I got a call from the guy accompanying the Elders in Chosica. He tried doing a prank call and then said his name was Johan and was trying to talk to me. I was in the middle of a report or something, so when he asked if I was busy I told him that I was. Well, come to find out, my old companion Elder Gonzalez was visiting people up in Chosica and ran into the Elders (Elder McKinney), so he called me. I've got no way of communicating with him so that's kinda sad. Oh well. I'm out here still training Elder Porter. I'm trying to teach him the skills he needs to pay the bills. On our way out to work today, we moved a whole bunch (ok, only like 5) of furniture for a member that was making a stand in the local market place. We had another cita with Valeria in Gianella's house today. It went really well. She's 18 years old and studying mental engineering. Her family is pretty split apart: her mom lives in San Fransisco, California and her dad lives in San Martin de Pores. Giarella works in a Coca-Cola factory, so that's cool. Valenia really enjoyed the lesson today and had read the Book of Mormon too. She's planning on going to a JAS party on Friday night, so that's pretty cool. She's pretty escogida. Akimmy is doing a really good job of her manaring them. We had the correlations meeting tonight. There was some pretty good carrot cake. I left there with Elder Davis to go visit Mayte to teach her diezos. She's so cool, she shared her testimony with a dude we were contacting. Today was Magaly's birthday. We all pitched in to buy some flowers. Not gonna lie, those were some good looking flowers. A bunch of girls there visiting gasped when I walked in with them. Magaly really like those. I just hope that we didn't accidentally one up him.
Thursday
I know that the Bible is the word of God. I know that if we use the Book of Mormon together, we will be following God. I know that as we apply the teachings in our lives that the scriptures give to us, we will be constantly learning and will be on the path to live with God again. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. I had to go to the new leaders meeting today since I'm a new district leader. There was some good stuff I learned. Elder Shockley and I are pretty tight now. Star Wars quotes does that to people. Mayte had her interview tonight with President Delgado and passed with flying colors. She's excited and ready for Saturday. Cool beans. I was with Elder Davis tonight. There was this one lady I contacted that was like, "I'm Catholic," but we were talking about Jesus and I read her something from the Book of Mormon and she was really feeling the spirit and wanted to go to church. Then her husband came along and was like, "What are you doing?1?! We're Catholics!" He was really mad and said, "They don't even believe in the trinity!" "Uh, yeah we do..." "...Well they don't worship the saints and virgins!" It was kinda sad to see how unreceptive he was. Oh well I guess. Elder Davis and I had to take Hermana Lester to the airport to pick up her parents. President and Hermana Amato and Alice went with us because they had to pick up their kids from a trip to Brazil. There's a big tunnel on the way there, 1:30 if it's normal speeds. As we approached, Elder Davis said, "Everyone hold your breath!" As we entered the tunnel, President floored it. Almost everyone laughed, but I didn't. A minute in, Hermana Amato said, "No one's still holding their breath, right?" Then she looked back and saw me and said, "Elder White! Querido! Take a breath!" Dang it. I coulda made it. President wanted to take us to La Lucha, which is a really nice restaurant alli (there). He said he wouldn't get anything, but then ordered Alice his favorite sandwich, which he wound up eating. That's definitely President. Then they left to go get their kids leaving us with Hermana Lester for 2 hours. It was a little awkard, but not too bad. While we were waiting outside of customs, any time we saw a weird dude we'd say, "Is that him with the sandals?" and she'd get excited only to see the person with sadals was a potbelly hillbilly with a huge beard. I predicted that her dad would be wearing a blue plaid shirt. I was right. She's a lot like her parents. They were very chill about everything. No tears; just a "Hey dude, how's it been?" They gave us some Reese's so that was cool.
They also sent a picture of Elder Davis and I to my mom via text.
Riding around my area on my nimbus 2000:
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