Thank you for brainwashing me into going on a mission!!

The New District 

I´m doing good! I love my companion and we get along SUPER well!! He reminds me a whole lot of Dalton so, yeah, we get along great!! I have plenty of water, don´t worry! Yeah, my pension is LDS and no, I usually go to one of the fifty barber shops around town. Here, you walk out of your house and have a little store with food and house supplies, you have a barber shop, and a restaurant! But, this week I went to my Pension´s mom´s house to cut my hair. She washes our clothes too. I told her how I wanted my hair cut, and we decided that when she opens up her barber shop she´ll name the hair style "Jeffery Fashion" 

We are happy to say that we have set a baptismal date for our Investigator Edson on September 14th!! And, we have been teaching an 18 year-old named Elvis who has had a hard life! His dad abandoned him when he was younger, and has had a group of friends who have lead him down a bad road. He was actually baptized a year ago, but never came to church to be confirmed. We visited him, and he doesn´t like to talk hardly at all, but he told us in the first lessons that he wants to change his life, and needs help. It´s funny because we works with the Branch President and his son, and return missionary, and they treat him like their son and brother. One time we asked him how he´s going reading his Book of Mormon, and he murmered, "I don´t know" and didn´t want to talk about it, saying he forgot to read, but when the Branch President, who has a lot of confidence with Elvis asked him about the book of mormon he said that he´s reading, so he asked what it talks about. Elvis said "It talks about Nephi. Nephi was a prophet." He´s came to church this week, and after we had a lesson with him. He said the closing prayer and in this prayer said quietly "God, I ask you that every day can be as beautiful as this Sunday has been" He as such a sweet heart, and am so excited for him to feel the healing power of the atonement work within him. We set the same date as Edson with him, September 14, but Elvis said he wanted to have his own baptism. So, we said we could do it the 19th of September, but he said that that´s too late, so we settled for the 15th.

This week, I was offered Cow Stomach, or maybe Lamb Stomach, I´m not sure... But, this time, we left before we could try it out... That´s a good and bad thing I guess. Let the Wadley Family know that they are in my prayers. I love you MOM and know this church is true also! Thank you for brainwashing me into going on a mission!! haha I was thinking about when I asked you before leaving if you had brainwashed me into doing this, and it just makes me laugh. I KNOW that I need to be here in Calca Peru to help others repent, and more than anything learn for myself what the atonement is learn how to trust God more in my life!! 

Have a great week and keep those crazy kids in school!!

Elder Jeffery

Miracles Are Real

This whole week we have had the parades and parties of Calca. They`ll be going until Thursday, so this whole week has been hard to find people to teach, because everyone was in the town square. So, we went around to every member and investigator we could find. Today, a member that is working in the carnival, invited us to eat duck that she cooked. It was delicious! This week we were walking in the street when we ran into a kid walking with his pet monkey. That`s a first! I`ve seen people walking their pig, cow, and bull in the street, but first monkey!! We had to take advantage and take a picture. The other pic is with my old district. This change we are in a different district, so it`s sad to say good bye to my friends, but I`m excited to meet and get to know the new people in the new district! 

We have been praying and studying the sabbath day, trying to help investigators to come to church, and understand why it`s important. This week we had a lesson with Edson, and he expressed his concern about Sundays. I looked at him, and asked if he believes that miracles happen in the church of Jesus Christ. He said that he thinks so, but he`d never seen one. So, I told him that miracles are real, and promised him that God would give him the way to come to church if he had the courage to talk with his boss. The next day, he informed us that he would now not be working Sundays, and that it was permanent. I`m so excited for him, and now pray that he can have the same willingness to actually come to church and stay on the path toward eternal life! 

Pet Monkey 

Love you MOM and DAD and hope you save me some pretzels with m&m`s when I get back to the promised land, Bountiful. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! 

Thats A Llama

Interesting Buffet

This week I have eaten some pretty crazy stuff. It`s been aninteresting buffet. Some members invited me and my companion to some food in the street, so we accepted. We ate cow intestines and cow utter. Yes, that`s right, cow utter... It wasn`t my favorite. The next day, our pension gave us lomo saltado which is kinda like beef and brocoli but with tomatos and onion, but the beef was replaced this time with pure chicken liver. My companion loves it. I ate it as fast as I could to get it all down. We`ve been seeing our investigators that were progressing start to go astray as the investigators that haven`t been progressing start to progress. Edson didn`t come to church this week, nor did Edwardo. Edwardo, has been reading the book of mormon, and recieved the answer that it`s true! He read a passage that impacted him, and now he just has to find a way to come to church because he`s taking english classes in Cusco. We have been teaching a 17 year old named Elvis also who was baptized, but never confirmed and wants to take the lessons again. He attended this week, and we`re hoping to teach his family this week. We had a lesson with the Yuca Family, who recently started coming back to church. Mario Yuca the father, said that now that he`s back, he is willing to accept whichever calling the receives. He was called as the first counciler of the Elder`s qourem and gave the lesson in priesthood. He lives humbly on the mountain with his family, and works in the fields, but has so much love and confidence in the Lord. I love you all and know that I`m out here because of the example you have all given me. It`s amazing how much diferently you see the world when you start to see from your heart. The spirit guides us in even the smallest things, just trust in Him, even when it seems ridiculous. LOVE YOU MOM!!! 

Elder Jeffery

Talent Show Pic

Puñui Manta Kashanki

There are a million things that happened this week, and I do`t even know where to start honestly! Last Monday, our investigator, Edwardo was pondering about the book of mormon, and after honestly seeing many miracles that are happening in his life, and the testimonies he`s seen, still had doubts in his heart that this church is true. So, he opened the book of mormon and read 3 nephi 2:1. That did it for him, and decided to believe the Book of Mormon is true. When we had the next lesson with him, we challenged him to be baptized the 19th of September, and he said that he was going to say no, but in his head something started yelling, Si! Si! Si! so, he accepted! This week more than anything, my testimony of the Book of Mormon has increased. We have been visiting a man and his family for a while now, and were impressed to simply read with them from the begining the book of mormon. His name is Miguel Mamani, and his wife, Rosalina, son Jon, and daughter Melisa, all went to church this Sunday!! Woah, it was so Beautiful to see them there, and they have already made many friends with members. They have recently, 3 months ago, moved here to Calca, so they are excited to make friends. Yesterday, we had a heart touching experience. We were going up to some ruins with a member of the ward, along with four other Elders. She works up on the mountain above the ruins where there`s an elementry school of children who don`t have parents, or who have very little money. It`s amazing, and heart breaking. There`s a  12 year old girl at the school who cooks, and works in the field, feeding the animals for her two younger brothers. We ate breakfast with them, and played some games. We ended up staying there for a few hours doing a service project moving timber up the hill, and all grew to love these children. They said, ¨Come back for Christmas please!!!¨ They all speak Quechua, and most speak Spanish fluently. I`ll send a pic. The sad part of this week was that we had to change pensions. Sister Lady has been honestly such a blessing and such a great help to us as missionaries! But, we had to change pensions because we can`t pension with a young woman in the house hold, and we felt impressioned to accept the invitation that Sister Ana gave us to  pension in her house.

I am so thankful for the Gospel. It`s sad to see return missionaries here in Peru and surely in all parts of the world that return to their houses and become inactive. If we keep the Book of Mormon in our daily lives, and continue make an effort to live the precept that it teaches, our path to salvation will stay straight and narrow. I testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and like Joseph Smith, know that a man can grow closer to our savior Jesus Christ by living by it, than any other book. I love this church and love my family. I know WHY i`m on earth and WHERE I want to go thanks to the fullnes of the gopel that has been restored on this earth. LOVE YOU MOM

Elder Jeffery