A great last week, here in Perú!

Well, this week was my companion´s birthday, so we went to get pizza from Arregano´s and we celebrated it a little in the branch missionary night. Every Friday we do a missionary activity in which branch members can invite their friends and also less actives can have the opportunity to get to know the members in a comfortable environment. The week before, we did karaoke, and this week I really wanted to do an iron rod-style lesson and somehow talked the other Elders into it, as well. We had a pretty good attendance of about 30, whom we blindfolded and had them follow a suspended string throughout the chapel, through varying halls and rooms. Also, there were many points in which there was another sting tied to that string which lead to a dead end, and the job of us misssionaries was to convince them to take the wrong paths or turn back. We had a LOT of fun with this. I got one kid to get almost to the finish (the tree of life) and then turn back and go all the way back to the start, taking all the dead end paths again. haha! Everyone who came also had a great time and at the finish we gave them a snack-pack of oreos and explained to them how the Love of God is sweeter than any other thing on earth.

P-day! Us with an investigator!

Waiting for people to get to the activity. This is Miche, the llama (very much alive btw). It means kitten in Quetchua.

W. is set to get baptized this Thursday. He wants to get baptized in the river, and he wants me to do it. Do you know how cold that is??? At least we should get some good pictures, because the rivers are quite beautiful here. I had every intent of going to the river to wash my clothes this morning, like everyone else does (for the experience), but I´ve just been told I have to find a way to weigh my luggage, instead.

About my room still being a preschool, you might want to leave those alphabet and math things up, because I feel my skills regarding those topics are somewhere around a preschool level at this point, if not worse. Especially math. Meh. I intend to have a great last week, here in Perú, doing all that I can until I can´t do no more! I love you all so very much and am also constantly praying for you gringos! :)
Much love,
Elder Alexander

Karaoke!

We are doing great here, forging the wild frontier, forgetting at least one word in English a day, teaching the people of the Andes mountains.

 This week, we actually had a good amount of success. Especially in the activity we had on Friday. We did Karaoke and like 30 people showed up (a new record!) and everyone got a chance to sing and had a great time! The best part was Hno. William singing that 80`s song that`s like "I ain`t missin you at all", which is impressive because he pronounced some of the words right and Quetchua is his first language!

 F. felt like he should be baptized on the 10th of December so that he will do, and it`s looking like the last baptism I see here will be Hno. W`s, which I`m content about.

I just got a virus on my USB and am fighting to rescue what I can before it decides to die. I should probably attend to that. Love you all very much, my gringo family!
Much love,
Elder Alexander

*BTW- Elder Alexander returns home 2 weeks from today! We are very proud of him and excited to see him!! -Shelly aka Mom

"Giving all I have"

So, we`re finally entering the cold season here in Huancavelica. That, apparently, means snow!! That`s right, it snowed a bit this week, and rained a ton! But we`re enjoying that, I having not seen snow since Carhuamayo.

A little bit about the people we are teaching: One wants to get baptized, but didn`t stay for the full three hours Sunday, so it might be better to postpone that until she shows a little more dedication. We and F. fasted yesterday to receive an answer about when he should get baptized. He said he felt an answer and is going to...... tell us about it on Wednesday. W. and his family want to get baptized on  the 5th, before I leave, but that would require them to not miss a Sunday until I leave. We shared the restauracion with a less active`s daughter and then we talked to her a couple days later and she told us very excitedly that she prayed, felt an answer, knows this is the true church, and wants to be baptized. She`ll get baptized the week after I leave. We`re having a lot of success these days, and really enjoying our time here. The space bar doesn`t work so I had to copy and paste a space between all these words, so appreciate that. :) Also, this monitor is in black and white...

Huancavelcyeah!

Anyway, I gave another one of those improv talks yesterday. This time they gave me the subject on the way to the pulpit. I talked about the importance of the family and really remembered how much I miss you guys and how happy I am to see you all soon. Regardless, I`m set on giving all I have left in me here, before I have to leave these beautiful people behind.
Much love,
Elder Alexander

The pioneers of Huancavelica.

I´m really going to miss giving improv talks, when the branch counselor whispers you a topic once you´ve already started talking, and have to think of some smooth transition from the Atonement to the Book of Mormon. But, the branch has been growing little by little. Something I´m happy about from this week: There was a little girl (like 7) about two months ago who was having trouble dragging a large load of laundry down the street and Elder Horsley and I helped her bring it to her house (about a twenty minute walk for us). We, then, shook her hand and left but we both always felt like we should go back and visit their family, even though we didn´t even know who she lived with. We tried visiting them a good 20 times during that month, but they were NEVER there. But God never gives a prompting without great purpose, so we persisted. A couple days ago, we passed by the house again, and we ran into some man who told us they were at work, and showed us where they worked. The little girl was extatic to see us. She jumped up and down and screamed "the gringos came!!" We met her mom and the rest of her family and the mom, we found, was really looking for help. She was really worried about her daughter who had ran off and she wanted us to pray for her and visit her. I´m so happy we could be there for them. Deffinitely worth the wait to meet them. Also, last night, we trained a family who has two teenage kids. The kids expressed how they felt in school and in public, being Mormon in Huancavelica. I never really realized how much kids bug them about their beliefs, especially because drinking (even at a young age) is such a big part of the culture here. But the oldest kid expressed that whenever she chooses to defend what she knows is true she suddenly feels as if she´s not so alone, because she has God backing her up. There are so many strong and inspiring people here. They really are the pioneers of Huancavelica and they were definitely chosen to be the light, here in this great city. Anyway, I hope all is well at home and you´re enjoying vacations! Can´t wait to hug you soon!
Much love,
Elder Alexander

My Mind and Heart

So, we had a weird week because we were only in Huancavelica for one day, due to transfers and multi-zone meeting. Anyway, I have a new companion! Sad to lose Elder Horsley, but Elder Rasmussen is also a great person.

A chill little candid of me and my new one.

Something cool that happened this week: We talked to a previous investigator after a long time of not finding her. Apparently she went to Huanuco, relapsed with the commandments, lost her backpack with a number of important things inside and decided she never wants to do that again, and she wants to get baptized next Saturday. So, we`re going to try to make sure she`s ready for that. I`m feeling weird about this being my last transfer in the mission. I feel like there`s still so much to do here. Although I`m sure the work will continue after I leave, I don`t believe it will be so easy to get these people and places out of my mind and heart. On the other hand I`m happy to get away from the Santiago music!

 I love you all so very much!
Much love,
Elder Alexander

"It went swimmingly!"

Well, we had another baptism, today! It went swimmingly because we baptized in a hot springs pool (it was so difficult to get out of after the fact). A good seven members showed up, which is not too bad, but about ten strangers passing by came and enjoyed the service, and then,asked to take pictures with us. She got confirmed yesterday and we are very happy for her. She´s a great girl and an example of faith I don´t intend to forget. She shared a great testimony after her baptism about how she knows the blessings of God are worth the due sacrifices.

Transfers are going to be this Tuesday. I´m really hoping I don´t get transfered. This is becoming one of my favorite areas, just because of the people we´re teaching and the missionaries I´m here with. Every night, we have a family prayer as missionaries, and all our little handshakes and jokes are going to be something I miss if I have to leave.

Anywho, Aside from the baptism, we had a rather difficult week. I remember one day specifically, in which we walked all over Huancavelica until evening without having an appointment, when suddenly we found some less active kids who´s parents aren´t members and we shared with them a great lesson about our purpose on the earth. The father of the family felt the Spirit, and I remember saying to myself in that very moment, that walking all that time was definitely worth it. I really am glad to be here, for that reason. Even during the hard weeks. Anyway, I love you all very much and can´t wait to see you in a little more than a
 month!

With much love,
Elder Alexander

 I also found a rat in our room yesterday (which I was happy about because this entire time I´ve been hearing things moving in the room at night and was convinced our room was haunted but it turns out it was just Mr. Ratburn). So, we tried to chase it out the front door but instead it went upstairs into the upstairs apartment so  I guess we´ll just let our upstairs neighbor worry about that now.

La Boca del Sapo, or "the frog´s mouth."

Cave-man 

Last Monday we went caving. This cave here is called La Boca del Sapo, or "the frog´s mouth" and it climbs in an upward manner for about half an hour. We really enjoyed it until my companion really had to use the bathroom.

So, we had a great week! Once again we lost a couple days going to Huancayo and back, but at least this time we had car trouble and ended up spending a good half hour in some random village in between Huancavelica and Huancayo. We played soccer with some little kids, as we love to do, and got to use all the Quetchua we know (though it may not be much), and everyone one came out of their houses and were givin´ us the "care-bear stare" hard core until we left.

Whenever we don´t know the name of a town we assume it´s Qaqa-qaq-aq, pronounced with much flem (because that´s what a lot of these town´s names sound like). On a side note, there´s a town near Tingo called Trucha Frita in case I never mentioned that.

Our friend and his family came to church again, even though not working means a very difficult week for them. After he got laid off they rented a space in the market where they sell food. They just barely get by and the only days they really sell a lot are Saturday and Sunday. I´m really amazed by their faith and we´re just praying that God blesses them with new work soon. Also, our other investigator is doing great. He´s reading the Book of Mormon from the top and he´s loving the story. Every time we meet with him we discuss what he likes from the stories, and right now he´s loving Nephi´s example of faith on the subject of retreiving the plates and even killing Laban. He drew me a picture that he gave me on Sunday. For now, I´ve put it by my desk... but sometimes I like to put it away for personal study, sleeping, etc.

My current study desk.

Anywho, I´m really enjoying the work here. On this end it´s easy to tell God loves these people very very much, just by the blessings they receive as they become closer to Him.

I hope all is well and hot over there. It rained last night and then everything froze over so we basically had an ice-fight (like a snowball fight but not as fun) on the way to the pention this morning. By the way, we moved rooms and had to change pention, which was very hard on us all, but we´ve been visiting the Hna. Nanci still and our new pentionista, Hna. Nerida, is also really nice and is taking good care of us. Something I like about her house is there are always hymns going 24/7. It´s hard to be stressed there. Love y´all!

Much love,
Elder Alexander

We can feel His light and warmth, New Temple in Peru!

Random parade that lasted all day

I wanted to see the broadcast of the dances for the Cultural Celebration for the new temple in Peru soooo much, but we ended up getting there late to Huancayo because we were being driven by grandfather time and the guy refused to go over thirty miles per hour the whole way. Anyway, we did get to see the dedication Sunday morning. It was interesting because David A. Bednar and President Uchdorf spoke in English and then a man would repeat everything they would say in Spanish. Pres. Uchdorf shared an interesting thought about how being part of a temple dedication is the perfect way to celebrate a Father´s day. Edifying a new house and new connection between his work and ours to our Father in Heaven. The dedication took place on a very cloudy day, but something else I liked that he said was that; although there are clouds and we can not see the sun shining, we know that above the clouds it is, and it is the same way with our Heavenly Father. We can not see Him directly, but we can feel His light and warmth, regardless. It was very beautiful to me to be able to share this important moment with Peru. On the other hand, due to meetings and travels I was only able to spend one day in my own area, and we couldn´t even visit anyone because there was a big parade filling all the streets and almost nobody was at home. We literally went down the list of people we could visit, calling everyone, and all but one said they were busy watching the parade all day long. So... we bought some festive bread which wansn´t too bad. Tanta wawa, as they call it. Baby bread, in Quetchua, that is. 

I cannot number the things I would like to bring home that probably wouldn´t survive the trip too well. Do you think a potato would do okay?

Happy Father´s Day, Dad. Thanks for all your support and help you´ve given me throughout my life. You´re really a great dad. But don´t let it get to your head or anything.

Love you all very much!

Much love,

Elder Alexander

Wytipiana or something like that.

Today we went to Wytipiana or something like that. It´s a high mountain. It´s high. We hiked some five miles and ate lunch next to a giant glacier. My companion got a bloody nose, it snowed pretty hard, and one Hermana just threw up the whole time, but it was enjoyable! Anywho, our investigator
couldn´t make it to church on Sunday, so we´re going to have to postpone her date. But, all is well! I hope you´re all doing great back in the heat! I sure am! Doing great, that is....
I love you all very much! Cuidense, mis amigitos gringitos!
Much love,
Elder Alexander

They gave me chocolate cake!

This week we had our first baptisms and rescued family! This couple got baptized on Sat. and got confirmed yesterday. After that, she got up and gave a beautiful testimony of how she gained a knowledge of the truth through the Book of Mormon. Her 15 year old daughter also came to church for the first time and enjoyed it. We´re hoping she and the rest of their children will join them in the future in the wonderful covenant.

My birthday was actually quite fun. We went for a hike up in the mountains, did a little trail-blazing, saw some ancient ruins.

My district´s great. They gave me chocolate cake!

 Then we went for pizza in the night which is apparently the best pizza place in the mission, it was alright, and the other missionaries bought me a cake (which they shoved my face into when I blew out the candles, waited for me to get cleaned up, and then all smudged more cake on my face). Then, as we left, they all cracked eggs on my head and threw cake at me. Then we ran into some of our investigators and they probably thought we were drunk. Anyways, we´re doing great in our area. We´re seeing a lot of success.  I hope all is going well and you´re enjoying the Summer heat! Ha!
Much love,
Elder Alexander

A Peruvian Birthday!!!

 I´ve been having a sweet birthday so far. We´re about to go get pizza from a place called Arreganos and they say it´s the best pizzeria in the mission! Then, I´m going to buy a book to learn Quechua, which is actually a rather difficult language. Did you know Quechua evolved from the language the Nephites and Lamanites used to speak? So, that´s kinda neat. I have a Book of Mormon in Quechua in the room and sometimes it´s cool to think that it´s probably rather similar to what was written on the original gold plates.

We had a great week. We had a couple days in which we walked all day and ended with one or less lessons, but we met some great folk and are currently teaching some very special people. First off, we have a baptism planned for this Saturday. This couple have been listening to the missionaries for more than a year now and the reason they´ve waited so long was that he still had some doubts about the Book of Mormon. Last week, we watched some BoM videos with them and committed him to read a chapter. He read it, and yesterday told us that he prayed about it and feels like he received an answer that it´s true, which is awesome news! Also, we´re teaching a YSA named who has been coming to church, has already had various spiritual experiences regarding the Book of Mormon and is hyped to get baptized on the 20th. Those are the people we´re focusing on right now.

Something special: On Sunday, we arrived and sat down near the back and the counselor did the announcements, then there was sacrament, then the counselor went up to the pulpit again and said "we will now here from Elder Alexander who will speak on the subject of tithing". So, I went up there and gave what I felt was a very basic talk about tithing and it´s blessings. Afterwards, a very elderly lady came up to me and shook my hand with her both hands, telling me "thank you for your words", crying and then kissing my hand. Sometimes we don´t realize how God amplifies even our simplest endeavors when we search for his inspiration.

Also, we did service this week and helped an investigator build their house. We just lugged buckets of cement up and down a hill and now my back don´t feel so guud.

Also, the night before I was throwing up and then at the service project they gave me a big bowl of Alpaca-face soup which I consider a miracle that it didn´t come back up. I was gagging the whole time I slurped it down.

Alpaca-face soup. A Huancavelican delicacy. I´ll be sure to bring some home for you! :)

But I´ve been having and interesting birthday so far. The other missionaries turned off my alarm and woke me up by dog-piling me and screaming "happy birthday!" And my companion gave me a birthday surprise: he hid everything I planned on using that morning. Ex: Shower sandals, hairspray, lotion, sunscreen, etc. Then I had to go on a treasure hunt for all my things which was apparently hillarious. I won´t even mention the fire-crackers. (I´ll tell you about that in a couple months). 

Anyways. Thanks for all your wonderful birthday wishes! I love you all very much. Today, as we were leaving the appartment I said the prayer and gave thanks for the wonderful blessing that I am to the district here and as soon as I said amen they all tackled me to the floor. This should be an interesting birthday with these guys. (they told me they are going to soak me in egg).
Much love,
Elder Alexander

Guess where I am now!! .......Nope! I´m not there!!

Surprise! Emergency transfers! Whoooo! Guess where I am now!! .......Nope! I´m not there!! ...I´m in a place called Huancavalica. It is cold here, but very beautiful. It´s a little city in the forest in the mountains way high up. It´s not quite as cold as Carhuamayo, which is nice, but it sure feels weird coming strait from the jungle heat like that. I´ve been bundling up like the Michelin man while everyone else rocks their short-sleeve shirts.

My new companion!

It was very hard saying goodbye to Tingo Maria. The pentionista, Hna. Elizabeth, cried and I definitely came close. I´m going to miss quite a few people, there. But I´d been there a very long time and was more or less expecting transfers soon. Especially because they put me with a gringo from my own group. My new companion is Elder Horsley. He´s awesome. We were in Pasco together and already did divisions a number of times. It´s just a branch here, though a little bigger than that of Carhuamayo. We´re four missionaries and we live together, eat together, and share all of Huancavalica. The first night when I got there we went to the room first to drop off my stuff and then off to the pentionista to eat dinner, it being quite late. On our way out I locked the door, which the missionaries didn´t like because, as they explained, there is no key for that door so we were locked out about an hour as we tried opening the door with an umbrella with tape on the end and rope. So, that was nice.

Our pentionista is Hna. Nanci and she´s super cool. She´s teaching me Quetchua. Oh yeah, they speak that language here. And a lot of people don´t even know any Spanish so that should be real fun. I´ve already got the basics down to have a simple conversation and always practice in my free time. My goal is to be able to have a normal conversation with someone before I leave. Thanks for all your love and prayers.
Much love,
Elder Alexander

My new pentionista!

I always end up loving my companions.

Well, my companion finished his mission Friday morning! So I´ve been stuck with the other missionaries until next Wednesday or Thursday, waiting for my new companion to arrive. Transfers don´t really phase me anymore. All in all, I always end up loving my companions, so I don´t worry too much about who it will be.

I am very excited to do Skype with you this Saturday! It will be the last time I see you before I see you! It´s been raining a lot, here, lately. In Tingo, they had water up to their knees this week. Luckily, we are in Castillo Grande, so we didn´t see any flooding at all.

Our pentionista has been coming to church and loving it.  We´ve been doing great. Transfers are this week but I´ve already been told that I´m staying, so I´m relaxed. I hope all is just as well for you!

Much love,
Elder Alexander

I seem to be that same quirky kid.

Well, we had interviews this week and I ended up not having time to pick up my suit before hand and was, for that reason, the only missionary who was not in a suit for the interviews. That´s always a great feeling. But I got my suit afterwards and it came out great. It even came with a vest which I wore proselyting one day until my companion told me that was really weird so I took it off.

 I feel weird about everyone getting older at home, while I feel as if I had not aged at all. Something the President told me in the interview is that I seem to be that same quirky kid I was when I got there, just with a bit more knowledge and experience. I affirmed that people haven´t stopped telling me I´m odd after, all this time.

 Don´t worry about me being trunky. After all, I only have 133 days left before I can see the new Doctor Who episodes. Not that I´m even thinking about that. The investigator from down stairs is doing better, I believe. He´s been spending more time in the neighbor´s house now. He´s going to come to church with us, finally, on Sunday, and I know that´s going to help him find some ground.

I´m very pleased to see that Elijah has learned to fly! But... don´t you think that makes him competing in hurdles rather unfair for the other children? Let me know about that.

I love you all with
Much love,
Elder Alexander

Did I eat the worm? Yes, I did!

Thanks for the pictures you sent! It´s comforting to see you guys doing well and having fun. This week we´ve been seeing many families with problems. Every night as we try to sleep we just hear a lot of yelling coming from the floor below us and across the street as well. And talking to them, I´ve really come to recognize how many problems we´ve avoided simply by living the commandments. In every situation it always seems to begin with someone not living the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Chastity, etc. It´s really made me consider the value of every commandment. Even the law of tithing protects us. The commandment of service or to love God first and then the rest steers us away from pride and brings us healthy relationships. I am sooo thankful I could be raised in a family who acknowledged God's plan and commandments. And now it´s just so much more special for me to share with other families, and then watch the beautiful results when the Lord´s ways are applied. Also, if you could mention that family in your prayers. We´ve been teaching someone that lives below us, and he´s been pretty stressed with all those affairs.

We tried to make raviolli, but I´m not exactly proud of it.

Chicken Nigth? Yes, please!

There´s this worm called Suri and it´s a delacacy, here in Tingo. Yes, they eat the worm. Did I eat the worm? Yes, I did!

This is Stanford and he tasted more or less like chicken but with a cottage-chesse-style texture on the inside. They´re actually not too bad. I´ll be sure to bring some with me when I come home.

Much love,
Elder Alexander

Like a cold shower in the afternoon.

All is well here in the land of aguaje and weird insects! (The aguaje is palm tree fruit  from  the Peruvian Amazon.)

We made tacos at the pention's for lunch. They actually turned out super yummy!

This week was rather interesting because we had to go to Tochache, which is a city about 3 hours from Tingo Maria, to search for a birth record so someone in La Merced, who we don´t know, can get married and baptized. We were the first missionaries to ever set foot in this town, which felt pretty cool. However, only after about 5 minutes in the street we heard someone scream "Elders!" I kept walking, thinking I was just hearing voices, but then it came again, even louder and closer! It turns out there´s someone who works in Tochache but lives in Huanuco and is member. So.... there´s that. We also found a kid, contacting, who was just passing through some difficulties and feeling very depressed. We taught him about the gospel of Christ. I felt to share 3 Nephi 9:13-14 and in the end, he felt a lot better and said he would love to be baptized. But my favorite part was when he said the closing prayer and he thanked God for sending us. It seems as if every single day God just puts us where His children need us, even many times without us realizing. I am also very grateful for every person we have the privilege of teaching at the moment.

                                         

On P-day, we visited a waterfall and climbed a hill and saw all of Tingo Maria. Some parts here are overwhelmingly beautiful and I often don´t even attempt to take pictures because they never do them justice. It has become apparent to me that all things really testify of Christ. Not only because of His complex creations, but because one seems to feel some sort of connection to them. And they make one feel good inside. Like a cold shower in the afternoon. Anyway, I´m stuck in Huanuco now for a zone meeting but excited to head back on Wednesday.
Cha-Chao!
Much love,
Elder Alexander

Our area (Castillo Grande) is the far side of the river that looks like it´s empty.

The "sleeping beauty". Do you see it?

Oh. Forgot to say! My suit got lost in a taxi, and I have the money that the mission reimbursed me so I think I will go buy one. I don´t know if a crazy taxi driver driving off with your suit is included in it´s two year warranty.

You may be surprised!

Well, you´ll be surprized to know that I have a new companion! Not the new one, but rather a new, new one. His name is Elder Dias, from Cajamarka, Peru. He´s nice. I think. I´ve only been with him five days, but I´ll let you know! Easter was cool because my package arrived the day before. You sent some stuff for the pention and her family, I assumed it was for Karen and them because our present pention´s kids are all grown-ups. They went up on a hill and had a cute little Easter celebration as a family with those eggs. I´ll be sure to send some photos next week.

You´ll also be surprised to know that I ate chicken-head this week. There´s a lady who sells it on a street that we walk every day and one day I jokingly said I would try it some day. After that, she hadn´t stopped bugging me about it asking me when I was going to try it. This week I finally YOLO´d it. I just gnawed on the neck for a while (it was very chewy) and then, getting rather bored, broke open the head and tried some brain for the fist time in my life. Do you know what brain tastes like? I do! After all that I´ve eaten here, I really don´t think I´ll be complaining about mac and cheese anymore when I get back.

You also may be surprised to know that I listened to the conference in Spanish this year, to sit with some investigators. M--- came with a few of those friends again and we brought our pention who listened so intently to every word the prophet said. It was special. I don´t have my notes with me right now, but I can tell you that I also loved the talk by Elder Renlund. Your comment is right on, as well, "A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying". We have to explain that constantly to investigators and less active members. That the people in the church aren´t perfect. They need much help and support, and that´s why they come. When we see someone struggling with sin or perhaps lost in life, in the chapel, that should make us oh-so-happy! On the contrary, we should never judge other members or expect anyone there to be perfect. At the end of his talk, as he testified, the Spanish translator started crying. It was touching. I also loved the first talk by Henry B. Eyering. I have definitely seen the hand of God in the lives of the people in some of the most obscure towns. God does His work in every end and every corner. There was were some specific things that called my attention, but I´ll have to tell you next week. The conference always gives us a new energy for the work and we´re excited to get to work this week and apply and share what we learn from our prophets with the rest of God´s children.
I love you all very much!

Much love,
Elder Alexander

Giant Landslide

Well, we`ve been having an eventful week. I stayed, and I got a new companion! His name is Elder Lopez, and he`s from Chile. He`s a super awesome missionary from what I`ve seen so far of him. This is his second to last transfer, so I think he has a lot to teach me. I hope to learn a lot from him! The interesting part was that shortly before the transfers there was a giant landslide which blocked completely any migration between Huanuco and Tingo. In order for my comp. to leave and for Elder Lopez to come, they had to climb over it. There are men who help you with your luggage, at least, and charge 3 soles a trip. The landslide was about a neighborhood block long, containing boulders the size of our house. Even as we were crossing, more rocks began to fall. At one point, we were making our way across when suddenly everyone started running and screaming that a giant rock was going to fall, so we ran as well, trying to help some children across, as well. We got to the other side safely. I wish I had pictures, but for some reason it didn`t occur to me to take pictures. I do, however have this picture of us waiting in line to go cross the landslide. They sent us in a group of more than a hundred.

Because of the landslide, the prices of almost everything have gone up. Especially fruits, vegetables, and gas. Also, we ran out of money. We had no money to pay to go to the landslide and come back all those times nor to get around in our area, so I had to take out money from the bank. The leaders said they`ll reimburse all of it, but that`s the reason for the withdrawals.

We stood there waiting more than two hours, but it`s okay because I bought chifles! Chifllleeeeesssss! Three times! NO REGRETS!!! Whoooo!!

The good news is that we had a wonderful baptism this week. An investigator got baptized on Saturday! Whooooo! Also, our new pentionista came to church with us, which is an achievement because she`s not a member! She loved it, and will now be coming with us every Sunday. I`ll send pictures with their family next week. They`re super awesome.

I`ve been listening lately to many speakers. One of my favorites I heard this week was by Arthur C. Brooks called Why Giving Matters. He talks about how sacrificing to give even though we may not have much actually helps us in the end to be happy and prosper. Listening to talks has become a hobby of mine. I think it helps me learn to be a better teacher, as well. I always write down the examples I like and the scriptures they use. I`m suuuuuppperrr excited for General Conference this time around because I feel like I`ll have a better appreciation now for their inspired words. I`ll be letting you know what most calls my attention in the conference, and I hope you will let me know as well!

I love you all very very much, and hope you know that I pray constantly for you and hope you feel as happy as I do, and even more!
Much love,
Elder Alexander

"I`m loving the work we`re doing and the people we`re helping."

We had a fabulous last week! I say "last week" because it`s almost sure that my companion is going this week. Transfers are Tuesday and I think we`ve been here too long to not leave at this point. Saturday we were a little disappointed when we went to see Maria and she told us that she wouldn`t be able to come Sunday, due to a group project she had to do for school. We friendly reminded her that being a member of Christ`s church she`s expected to be an example to the rest. Apparently she took it to heart because we were sitting in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday when all of a sudden she enters along with her project group, and proceeded to sit down with her five friends, all dressed in street clothes with just about everyone staring at them. We talked to all of them afterwards and will soon be teaching them all! I hope I can be more like Maria when I get back and any opposition I may face, flip it around and find a way to apply the gospel. I`ve got my fingers crossed that I don`t have to leave this week. I`m loving the work we`re doing and the people we`re helping right now.

My beloved district Tingo Maria!

On Monday, we went to the Miracle lagoon which was cool. There was lot`s of bugs, but the water was beautiful and so relaxed. We chilled there, dipping the toes of our shoes in the waters and watching the ripples when I suddenly dropped a cookie. Surprise! Piranhas! Hundreds! So that was nice. We did not put our toes in the water anymore after that. And to think, I was thinking about how nice it would be to take a dip in the water that whole time. This could be a great metaphors for sin and how the temptations of Satan often distract us from the possible outcomes of our actions. I also feel like people are going to hate me when I get back because I`m going to make everything into gospel metaphors.
Much love,
Elder Alexander

PS. after taking this picture, we only recently noticed the Caution: Alligators sign. :)

(It`s wonderful that God protects us because we`re not always the most intelligent of creatures and otherwise probably wouldn`t have lasted this long in Peru.)

It´s wonderful how God humbles us.

Of all the wonderful experiences this week what comes to mind was a lady who we were privileged to share with. She had been struggling for more than ten years with a sin she had committed long ago, with feelings of guilt which stopped her from praying and living happily in general. We taught about the principle of baptism, and there are few things as beautiful as what happens in the heart of a person as they begin to understand the saving principles of the gospel. The Spirit spoke a new hope to her and we could see her, even there, begin to change. It´s something I suppose a missionary sees many times in his mission, but it´s something I cherish.

Enjoying the view from our new room´s balcony! (With foot powder (We love foot powder)).

Our biggest challenge?
Finding priesthood members to come with us. We can´t teach anyone with a female present without a member present and the members aren´t very consistent and that often keeps us from visiting many important investigators. It´s sometimes frustrating.
Also, sometimes the water doesn´t work and we can´t shower even though we stink bad and in that time I do not let my companion hug me even though we love each other much.

In case you ever doubted how hot it is here (that´s not water!)

 On Sunday, as we left the building, I noticed a man standing by the door in street clothes. He looked rather lost. And gringo. I sparked up a conversation with him and found out that he´s from Chicago. He had come here for vacation, all by himself, but got robbed and was left with nothing. Now, he´s just waiting for a friend to send him money through western union. He told me that he was a believer in God, but he had lost himself in pride. He said he had never considered the value of money, spending $200 on a normal dinner like whatever, and had never had to go to anyone for help. Now he had no other choice and that´s why he came to the chapel. We presented him to the Bishop and the Bishop gave him an interview. That was the last I saw of him. I think it´s wonderful how God humbles us. Sometimes he stops the blessings from flowing just long enough to realize where we stand. And I/we always seem to end up grateful for those moments.

My biggest blessing or miracle this week was:
Being in the mission and being a missionary!

Mosiah 4:9-10 was my favorite scripture this week.

M. is doing awesome! She´s inviting her friends to church and participating in the classes, seminary, and everything!
We had an awesome lesson with our new investigator and cleared up all his doubts about the Word of Wisdom, explaining the concept of commandments. We read what President Deiter F. Uchdorf said where he´s like "I think He knows something we don´t know!" and he got it.

Much love,
Elder Alexander

New favorite food! Raw cuttlefish with milk, fried banana, fried corn kernels, onion, and potato!

"No man can change another man"

We did not end up moving into the jungle shack. We happened to notice that someone living nearby was building a second floor on their house, so we asked and they said we could rent it. It`ll be small, but cheap and convenient. We move next week (it has a bathroom with a toilet and shower). Our pention is a 25 year old man who is not a member, named John. He`s a chef, so that should be fun! Although, I`m going to miss Hna. Karen and her family imensely. They`re some of my favorite people I`ve met in all my mission.

 I also got the shoes and valentines candies. The pentionista and her kids loved the dove chocolates and were left amazed by the splendour of frozen junior mints.

 Our investigator got baptized on Saturday, and it was an incredible spiritual experience. She has changed COMPLETELY since the day we met her. She used to live as if she had no purpose or value, and now she has a real conviction of her purpose and value. At her baptism, she gave a simple but powerful testimony. Through tear-filled eyes, she admitted she could not describe all of what she was feeling. She said she just felt like laughing and crying and that she was "filled with happiness". I pose no claim to have influinced what happened in her case. In fact, we noticed that she didn`t really begin to change so much or even want to change until she started reading the Book of Mormon. In the beggining she loathed reading and now she`s been reading every day. And she`s been reading and watching everything she can get her hands on about the prophet Thomas S. Monson. No man can change another man, and no 14-year-old girl can change the way Maria has so abruptly, without the influence of Jesus Christ. For me, it`s been a witness that the Lord is sufficient to do His own work. I thank you for your prayers, knowing they helped, as well. 

I`m excited for another week of the Lord`s work. Transfers are the 24th, so we`re taking advantage of all the time we have, just in case we have to leave.

Closing this letter and sealing it with

Much love,

Elder Alexander

Those words sound so sweet to a missionary.

We´ve been doing great here on this side of the equator! Is it true that the toilets flush backwards over there?

Anyway, this week was more or less difficult. But we did find many new people we are eager to teach and who are eager to listen which is always encouraging. The people here are by tradition very open and expressing. That said, I´ve found that they can be capable of being rather rude now and then, as well. Especially the teenagers. I, being pacifist, am completely well with it, but every now and then I have to hold my companion back a little. It just reminds me of all the stories grandpa used to tell us about his mission. I must admit that I often remember his experiences as I realize that these things actually happen.

On the other hand, we were talking to a man we had taught just once, on our way home last night, and he mentioned to us that he had talked before with people from every church and has listened to their messages, but with us he felt something different. Like we were sent from God himself. Even though I know that´s true without a single doubt, those words sound so sweet to a missionary. Especially when it seems that people simply don´t understand our message.

 I love the theme of the message that Elder Perry gave. I´ve seen that the strongest members are those that have traditions in their family such as scripture reading, prayer, and family night. If fact, our pentionista wakes all her kids up early, even though their in vacation, and they read a chapter in the Book of Mormon every morning. Even her 12 year old son has been inviting a non-member friend who´s now been studying with them and brought two of his friends to their last family night. I am so grateful that we had those traditions in our family, although I often realize that I could have taken better advantage of them. I hope you all know that I´m doing well and loving the people here like crazy!

Much love,
Elder Alexander

...placed the fork on one of the tables and ran...

This week we had a baptism! He`s the first in his family to become a member of the church, but we`re trying to talk to his brothers and mother, as well.

We`re in the situation of finding a new place to live that`s actually in our area, rather than living an hour`s walk away as we do presently. We found a house that isn`t asking much, but it`s a little sketch. It`s like a little jungle shack and the bathroom is out back and it`s just a whole in the ground. And the roof is a thin-warped plank of metal. But they said they`d put a toilet and shower in. It`s looking like we`re going to be living there.

 After our baptism, we went to look for a restaurant to celebrate and treat ourselves to something nice. We entered a fancy restaurant, and it was all nice and there was live music and the guy was singing "creep" with all the bad words and we found out afterward that he was from Boston. Anyways, we didn`t like the menu options so we took off. It wasn`t until we entered another restaurant that I realized I still had my fork in my hand from the first. Embarrassed and ashamed I returned to the first restaurant, fork in hand, with EVERYONE staring at me, and placed the fork on one of the tables and ran. Many people laughed, but I`m quite used to that. Whenever I hit my head on something in public (which is more often than you may think), people think it`s the funniest thing on earth.

My pentionista.

Anyways, we ran into an investigator in the street yesterday, after not being able to find her all week. She told us she had been thinking a lot, and praying, and she decided that she needs to be baptized. She`s set for the 7th. We`re also teaching an awesome family of five. They`ve been having marriage problems, but we`re helping them and we have a goal for them to get married. We`re praying a lot for them. They`re really a great, and super-nice, family.

Sending Much love,
Elder Alexander

We visited a sweet old lady and she picked us some coconuts from her tree and cut off the shell with a machete. Which was nice.