First P Day

 I woke up at 4 in the morning today to go on a hike up this pretty mountain, and got done at 4 pm. 12 hours of hiking, and I got back about an hour ago, so yeah I have to leave it at that... Let`s just say it was an adventurous day. I have a testimony of prayer also. This week I have prayed for things, and that minute, second, hour, or day it happened. I know prayer works. Out here, the focus is on the people you serve. Losing myself in the service makes the days go by like nothing. This week have been soooo fast. I know it will only get faster too. My companion and I have grown closer, and have had some good times. He is such an example to me. So, this week I had one experience that made my week! We went into the home, or just like a dirt thing in the middle of their house thing with no roof and a few sheet metals around. We were teaching about Christ, and we were supposed to talk about the law of chastisty. I had never seen these people before, but I had the biggest impression to ask them to be baptized. So, I did, and they said yes! Then, my companion went over the law of chastity, and they had already been planning on getting married! So, turns out he had taught them 3 or 4 times before that, so it was perfect! I think I get to write tomorrow for some reason? not any time at all so I have to go bye love you all!!!! 

I Made it!

Hey so, I have even less time here because I write to the president too. so, I will try to write as much as possible! ok, so I can't spell right because I'm writing so fast so sorry. First, we get to Cuzco. It's so much more peaceful and calm. Nothing like Lima. We rode a bus to a chapel where we stayed all day getting trained. Then, we went to a hotel, and stayed the night. Next day we found out who our companions were. It was nerve racking. They called my name, I stood up and they said, Elder Jeffery, you are serving in the Cuzco zone with Elder Matekel. I was like, oh is that a Latino name, but turns out he's white! haha That day, Elder Matekel pronounced Elder          Matt E kel, and I just moved all of our stuff, and some beds and dressers into our apartment. It's an alright size, but our room itself is pretty small. There are two latinos that live with us. I swear they speak english more often than I do. haha My trainer speaks Spanish to me probably 90% of the time. Which is good! It's hard to know what's happening most of the time, but it'll come. Everything is dirty. Our bathroom is barely big enough to fit into, and there's always dirt and stuff on the floor. Ok, the worst part... NOT AN OUNCE OF WARM WATER. It's ice cold. When my friend Elder Quispe from Lima gets in he says, Cowboy up. haha He's getting hold of English way good! Every where we walk is uphill. Actually no, up mountain. I will send some pics next week so you can get a feel of where I really serve. The pics i sent are more pretty parts. We walk up dirt mounds all day, and the people live in literally sheet metal huts. It's crazy! So, one experience I will never forget. I had to go, bad. I haven't been solid in a while, if you know what I mean, and we were up on top of a mountain pretty much, so we found a lady that let me go in her house. I walked into this little room with no roof and cloth and metal covering. I looked and saw a cement platform with two places raised up in the shape of feet. no way. You can only imagine what came next. The dogs here are of satan. There are dogs everywhere. like insane. They run up to you and bark, and I always think they are going to eat me. But, Elder Matekel calmly walks by, and if they get close he sticks his foot out, and if that doesn't work, he pretends to pick up a rock, and the instantly run a way. Hopefully I get used to the dogs. It's not easy being out here. Every morning it's like a bad dream. I wake up, and everyone speaks a different language. I've found that it gets better throughout the day. One lesson on Saturday Elder Matekel told me while we were sitting there that it was my turn to teach. So, I tried. It was horrible. I stumbled over the restoration, probably getting half of what I was trying to say across. It was to two new converts, about 15 years old and 11. That night I got pretty discouraged. But, i looked at the paper you put in my suitcase, and use it all the time since. It says, ``Mistakes are proof that you are trying`` The next day was sunday. I had to bear my testimony in church. I got up there, and remembered that the day before how nervous I was. I decided to be confident. I got up there and bore my testimony exactly how I wanted. It was awesome. After, I decided to talk to as many people as I could. It helps when you apply yourself instead of waiting for something to happen. Then, that night we taught a lesson to a family in their house store apartment thing. They spoke broken Spanish Ketchuan. Ketchuan is a language that some people can speak here. We taught them about the restoration. They were members, but their son was inactive. I took on about half of the lesson, and it was great! I hope God gives me more of these humbling to teach me how to improve my teaching. I eat wayyyy too much food here. Our penicha or we call her mamicha gives us wayyyy too much food. It's insane. I'm constantly full. And, the members always give us bread when we come over, so yeah it's crazy. So, more pictures next week, and more experiences! Spanish is improving fast here, but still have a long way to go! Sorry if I don't get to writing everyone! Tell everyone I love them, and so proud of mariah and angelyn, they will do great in the plays! 

Letter From Mission President

Dear Parents,

As you can see in the attached photo, your son has arrived safely to the Peru Cusco Mission! We are thrilled to have him here! He looks great, a bit tired from the travel, but ready to go! Thank you for allowing us to watch over him for the next two years. He has promised that he will be a missionary we can trust, and we have now given him that trust. As well, you can trust that we will do everything that we can to care for him and to help him to become a successful missionary.

Con Gran Amor,

Presidente y Hermana Harbertson

Elder Richman

Secretario Ejecutivo

Telf: 084-260810

Cel: 984-503851

RPM: #623531

Keep Going

Hey, tell Teran and the family I say Hi and I love them!! So, this week I have grown to love my teacher here named Hermano Velasquez. We acted out the story of nephi and the brass plates in spanish.  I decided to speak to my teacher a ton more trying to learn spanish. Ít¨s helping a lot! I´ve been having a hard time feeling the spirit while teaching invesigators becasue I have to focus so much on my Spanish. I told my teacher, and he said to speak with my heart, and not with my mind. I took his advice in our next lesson with our "investigator" and felt I should ask Alonzo if he wanted to get baptized. He said yes, and it gave me more confidence in my spanish and being able to feel the spirit. So, all the peruvians here call me "futbol soccer Jeffery" haha It´s a blast playing out on the field every day. It´s probably one of the few things I´m going to miss about this place! haha I can´t wait to get out to the field!! I know it will be so much harder, but I´m ready for anything! Hermano Velasquez bears his testimony and shows us clips of prophets and apostles speaking to missionaries. Those meetings are where I have felt the strongest spirit of my life. I want to share one of the quotes with you. It´s from Spencer W. Kimball. It says, "If only you could see the vision I have. I wish I had your bodies to do this work. I would run form house to house telling everyone the gospel, and after I lost strength to run I would begin to walk, and afterI collapsed from walking, I would begin to crawl, and after my knees were so bloody that I could not use them, I would use my arms to drag myself, and once my muscle in my body was gone I would begin to yell... oh, only if you could see the vision that I have." I want that drive. I ´want to be able to keep going no matter what happens. Dang, sorry I wish I had more time on this thing. I wanna write you all but idk if i have time. It´s crazy.  Tell everyone that is leaving I say hi and good luck and to write!!! I love you mom!!!

To Dad

So, this week my friend Elder Jentzen cut my hair, and I was really scared he would mess it up, and it remimded me of when I tried to cut my own hair haah. But, he actually did a super good job!!! he has a haircut called a "part" and it look super cool and he gave me one, so now I have a part too!