Sorry that i fogot to tell you guys that i am still in my first area, or also known as Viña, Canto Grande. This week has been a lot better for us though. These last few weeks have been a great challenge for me. They have been a challenge of my patience and of my diligence, adn i can proudly say that i didnt fall through during these times. We didnt spend one day in the house or anything, but kept pushing on with the work until we gained that success that we had been looking for. We have found that success through a few people. One woman named Iris, who has a crush on me and its weird because she has two children, and then another young woman that is the child of a member. Both of which have propsects to be baptized this next month. But its kinda funny that the success that were having, will be for my companion because i will probably be leaving the area that i am in this next transfer. But it isnt sad or anything of that sort, because i will be leaving the area with much more than the beginning of this transfer, this fact alone makes me very happy. My companion has perked up this week too. We do contribute our success to a mission rule or goal that we have. We have been told to do 200 contacts every week that we are in the mission. So that means, about 35 people a day. This last week we completed that goal and we have now seen those results. The area 70 gave us this goal and now we see why. Sadly none of the people that we contacted came to church or are progressing, but since we were diligent and kept on working, we were granted blessings in another form.
As for me, i am just dandy like candy. Spanish is growing stronger everyday, and everyone tells me of the progress that i have made. It also helps to make relationships with the ward and other people, because now they listen! And when they talk, i understand them! I truly have been blessed in this regard, and i make sure to give my thanks to my heavenly father for it.
The work is progressing very strongly and i am so very thankful to be out on the Lords errand for these two short years. Heck, i already have 7 months out in the mission!
Love
Elder Washburn
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thank you for the letter mother haha. Well it sounds like we are both enjoying the heat, because this week it spiked down here. We hit mid 90s again for most of the week. But it could have been worse haha.
Elder Huanambal and i are living it out down here. He has been a little sad still because we dont really have anyone to teach. We have hopes for the family of bryan, the young man that we baptized this last month. His mom and grandparents are so so, but we hope that they will find their testimony. they continue to come to church and everything, so that is what keeps our hopes alive.
I am doing fine down here. Im not sick ¡, and am still pretty lively. Its funny how our pensionista always asks elder huanambal why he is sad. and then tells him to be happy like me haha. sure the work is discouraging, but im happy that we are doing all that we can to help move things forward. But he is getting happier as the days pass.
I do have one weird story for you guys. So yesterday, a white guy came to the church and said i am mormon in english. I responded to him in spanish and then my companion told me to talk english. So i asked him what he was doing here. Turns out that he really doesnt know english or spanish, but does know German. So he told me in his broken english that he was robbed on a bus, and doesnt have money for his medications. So we got him some food and took him to the bishop. He stayed with us, until after church and from there we went and dropped him off at his house. It was funny to play the translator for everyone, and fell important haha. But we left him at his house where he has friends and a bed and all that jazz. It was just weird to speak english in the middle of the day with someone. And during the meetings, i translated the whole thing for him. Now that was hard, to listen in spanish and then speak in english. My brain was fried at the end of the day haha. But i was impressed that i did the whole meeting for him.
Well that sums it up for this week. We are praying for some miracles down here and we have faith that we will get them.
Elder Washburn
Elder Huanambal and i are living it out down here. He has been a little sad still because we dont really have anyone to teach. We have hopes for the family of bryan, the young man that we baptized this last month. His mom and grandparents are so so, but we hope that they will find their testimony. they continue to come to church and everything, so that is what keeps our hopes alive.
I am doing fine down here. Im not sick ¡, and am still pretty lively. Its funny how our pensionista always asks elder huanambal why he is sad. and then tells him to be happy like me haha. sure the work is discouraging, but im happy that we are doing all that we can to help move things forward. But he is getting happier as the days pass.
I do have one weird story for you guys. So yesterday, a white guy came to the church and said i am mormon in english. I responded to him in spanish and then my companion told me to talk english. So i asked him what he was doing here. Turns out that he really doesnt know english or spanish, but does know German. So he told me in his broken english that he was robbed on a bus, and doesnt have money for his medications. So we got him some food and took him to the bishop. He stayed with us, until after church and from there we went and dropped him off at his house. It was funny to play the translator for everyone, and fell important haha. But we left him at his house where he has friends and a bed and all that jazz. It was just weird to speak english in the middle of the day with someone. And during the meetings, i translated the whole thing for him. Now that was hard, to listen in spanish and then speak in english. My brain was fried at the end of the day haha. But i was impressed that i did the whole meeting for him.
Well that sums it up for this week. We are praying for some miracles down here and we have faith that we will get them.
Elder Washburn
Well father, your wish has come true out here in Peru. We are having the challenges of the mission life right now. Many of our investigators have fallen out, and the ward is pretty much sleeping. Its tough, but were not depressed. We gave talks on Sunday about how the ward needs to pick up there efforts of teaching. I used the book The Miracle of Forgiveness, which is an amazing book by the way, and talked about the sins of omission. I didnt burn them in any way, but i was direct with my message and hopefully the ward will start to pick up in their efforts as missionaries.
This week has been a lot of walking to and from appointments that seem to fall through more often than not lately. But we have really grown accustomed to it. Whats funny is that i tell my companion that i feel like i havent left the states because of how hard the work is. I told him about you andrew, and how you had 5 baptisms your whole mission, and how in our ward back home, one baptism in 2 years is a miracle. He just looked at me with big eyes and wondered how it was possible. He is a little down, my companion, because he came from a ward that was great with the missionaries, and they had baptisms almost weekley, and now he is here and has only seen 1 baptism in 7 weeks. But i help him to stay chipper with the usual jokes. Our pensionista also helps us stay happy with her jokes, as well as our laundry lady.
I am doing really really well though. This last week i finished reading in my language book and realized that i knew practically all of it! Its funny how its progressive and you dont realize that you know a lot of spanish. Dont get me wrong i still mess up and have a lot to work on, but i understand practically everything that is said, and can respond to practically all of the questions they give me. I truly have been blessed with the gift of tongues because i see people that have much more time than me but still are at my level. It is testimony to keeping the rules and continually relying on the Lord and his power.
I am glad to here that things are getting better at home, with the houses and everything. Ill be sure to pray for you guys and the house situation. Thanks again for the great box of goodies, the snickers have been GLORIOUS!!! Especially because i froze them mmmmmmm.
Thank you for the letters and the support. Be sure to try and help out the missionaries somehow this week. Make them happy! haha
This week has been a lot of walking to and from appointments that seem to fall through more often than not lately. But we have really grown accustomed to it. Whats funny is that i tell my companion that i feel like i havent left the states because of how hard the work is. I told him about you andrew, and how you had 5 baptisms your whole mission, and how in our ward back home, one baptism in 2 years is a miracle. He just looked at me with big eyes and wondered how it was possible. He is a little down, my companion, because he came from a ward that was great with the missionaries, and they had baptisms almost weekley, and now he is here and has only seen 1 baptism in 7 weeks. But i help him to stay chipper with the usual jokes. Our pensionista also helps us stay happy with her jokes, as well as our laundry lady.
I am doing really really well though. This last week i finished reading in my language book and realized that i knew practically all of it! Its funny how its progressive and you dont realize that you know a lot of spanish. Dont get me wrong i still mess up and have a lot to work on, but i understand practically everything that is said, and can respond to practically all of the questions they give me. I truly have been blessed with the gift of tongues because i see people that have much more time than me but still are at my level. It is testimony to keeping the rules and continually relying on the Lord and his power.
I am glad to here that things are getting better at home, with the houses and everything. Ill be sure to pray for you guys and the house situation. Thanks again for the great box of goodies, the snickers have been GLORIOUS!!! Especially because i froze them mmmmmmm.
Thank you for the letters and the support. Be sure to try and help out the missionaries somehow this week. Make them happy! haha
Monday, March 2, 2009
March 1, 2009
The life on the opposite side of the hemishpere is pretty interesting, and fun at the same time. First and foremost, THANK YOU FOR THE SNICKERS THAT ARE THE SIZE OF THE HILLS THAT I CLIMB!!!! Im going to put them in the freezer and eat them later tonight or tomorrow. Mmmmmmmm.
As for the work. We kinda fell off a little bit this week. Mostly a lot of walking with appointments falling out, but we still had success. We are teaching a new family that are really good friends with some members, and another boy that has member parents. We are hoping for 3 baptisms this next month, and im pretty sure that we could make it happen. This month we fell short of our goal of 4 when we reached only one baptism. Kind of disappointing, but at least we had one! As for the area, we are still not sure if they are going to cut it down. The ward really isnt doing much and the percent of inactives to actives is not good. 500 members and 80 attend, so in this next stake conference with Elder Godoy, we will find out which area in our zone will be shut down. It tough to see it, but at least we have done some great work here.
As for myself, i am doing much better now. A little loose in the stomach, so i have been showing Peru what im made of Andrew. And yes he knows what im talking about haha. Its all from that dang cold pizza too, NO MAS! But im much better now, and can really get back to working. It slowed us down this last few days, so thats why we didnt teach too much. I am doing great though. I still have the greany power and love to keep all the rules and do the work until the last minute of the day.
Thank you so much for the letters from practically the whole family! As for maddy, my companion rocks, guinea pig is only small chicken, and spanish is awesome. I had the chance to talk with some of the guys in mygroup, and not to brag, but i smoked them haha. And these were the guys that knew more than me in the MTC! But i still have a lot more to learn, because some people still dont listen to me when i speak haha.
Thank you once again for the prayers and the wonderful package. I will enjoy every second of it haha. I love you all dearly, and pray that you may overcome those sedductive temptations of the devil, and be able to enjoy every blessing that our Heavenly Father has in store for you.
Elder Washburn
As for the work. We kinda fell off a little bit this week. Mostly a lot of walking with appointments falling out, but we still had success. We are teaching a new family that are really good friends with some members, and another boy that has member parents. We are hoping for 3 baptisms this next month, and im pretty sure that we could make it happen. This month we fell short of our goal of 4 when we reached only one baptism. Kind of disappointing, but at least we had one! As for the area, we are still not sure if they are going to cut it down. The ward really isnt doing much and the percent of inactives to actives is not good. 500 members and 80 attend, so in this next stake conference with Elder Godoy, we will find out which area in our zone will be shut down. It tough to see it, but at least we have done some great work here.
As for myself, i am doing much better now. A little loose in the stomach, so i have been showing Peru what im made of Andrew. And yes he knows what im talking about haha. Its all from that dang cold pizza too, NO MAS! But im much better now, and can really get back to working. It slowed us down this last few days, so thats why we didnt teach too much. I am doing great though. I still have the greany power and love to keep all the rules and do the work until the last minute of the day.
Thank you so much for the letters from practically the whole family! As for maddy, my companion rocks, guinea pig is only small chicken, and spanish is awesome. I had the chance to talk with some of the guys in mygroup, and not to brag, but i smoked them haha. And these were the guys that knew more than me in the MTC! But i still have a lot more to learn, because some people still dont listen to me when i speak haha.
Thank you once again for the prayers and the wonderful package. I will enjoy every second of it haha. I love you all dearly, and pray that you may overcome those sedductive temptations of the devil, and be able to enjoy every blessing that our Heavenly Father has in store for you.
Elder Washburn
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