I´m Doing Great!

So, I´m doing great! This week has been full of spiritual experiences. I would like to start out with an experience we had in finding people to teach first. We were planning Thursday night, seeing what we were going to do at 2 in the afternoon. We had appointments for every hour but two and were thinking of where we could go. I love planning sessions because it truely testifies of the spirit. I know that the spirit illuminates our minds when we listen. We felt impressed to search for an investigator that the Elders before us were teaching but that had stopped coming to church, and we had honestly only heard of him. At two, on Friday, we went to his house. He was outside and we started talking. We ended up teaching him a lesson in the grass outside his house. When he offered the last prayer, he prayed thanking God for giving him another chance to come to Christ. We are working with a couple, Samuel and Jannely. Samuel isn´t a member, wants to get baptized and Jannely is less active. We went over to set goals to prepare them with marriage. We looked at the list of requirements and me and my companion decided that we know very little about how to prepare to be married. So, we called our ward mission leader. He came over and turns out he knows everything about getting married because he helped his daughter get married. It was perfect! Samuel and Jannely are excited! 

There are honesly so many more experiences this week that I want to share but the time doesn´t permit! Elder Salazar and I have grown to be great friends in this past week. We have plans and goals to help out our investigators and also the missionaries. I love having a companion that helps you in every moment. When you learn to love your companion you learn more about yourself. If you search the best in your companion, you find out you have a lot to improve! But that you have a great example by your side to help you! 

This Christmas is going to be amazing! I am SO excited to share the new video and contact cards of the church, ´´A Savior is Born´´ I have decided that we as missionaries are the star that guides the people. They as the wise men did will ´´regoice when the see the star´´ but will turn their thanks and gifts toward the true importance which is the baby in the manger, Christ the Lord. We guide, feel joy, and adore the Son of God together. We must be obedient so that others can follow us as members of His church! We must be the new stars in the sky that bring them to the manger. 

Love you MOM and FAMILY and FRIENDS and DAD!! Hope you had a great thanksgiving. I forgot that it was thanksgiving until an Elder reminded me at lunch time. Have a great week!!

Elder Jeffery

Elder Salsar

The River

Samuel

To EZY

Hey bud! Wow, you are growing up way fast!! Do you remember when I went on my mission? You were 4 years old!! Now you are going to be!! I love you! I have seen a lot of animals! I´ve seen Monkeys, lizards, BIG butterflies, Iguanas, and parrots! 

Love you crazy cat. 

Love buba

Give me some fin, noggin, DUuuuudde YOLO!

That´s How Miracles Work!

Well, this week I received my new companion, Elder Salazar! He was in the mission office for seven months and received the news last week that he´d be coming here to Puerto Maldonado. We´ve been working with a lot of families. We have had success in finding four familes. Now, the struggle is in helping these familes progress! None of them are married, so we are working with them to be baptized and married! The challange is helping them attend church. One couple, Samuel and Janeli are scared to come. Janeli is a less-active member and is expecting in a few months, so she feels very scared to come. We are learning a lot as a companionship about the importance in sharing spiritual experiences with investigators. If we think as members of the church, we have LOTS of spiritual experiences! Many people have never even heard or felt these things. They´ve heard of God, but never experienced what it´s like to worship him. We are trying to share our experiences with others to invite the spirit. We, together with four other elders live on the second floor of an apartment building behind the chapel. We always talk about ways we can strengthen the Elders in the zone and our companionship. We decided to knock on our ´´neighbor´s´´ door and teach them a lesson during companionship study. It´s turned out to be a success practicing teaching them  as if they were investigators. there in the apartment. We give feedback and try improving our teaching skills. 

To answer your questions, I love the zone! We are honestly isolated from the rest of the mission. The whole mission is full of mountains, kind of cold, and not super pretty, but Puerto is way different and definatly not cold. It´s SO hot and I constantly sweat. And there are no mountains whatsoever. We are twelve hours away from Cusco. So, we are pretty tight as a zone here. Everything is done together. We are 14 missionaries here in Puerto and all ten Elders get together to play soccer almost every Monday. We DID do the blindfold walk with the zone, but we don´t have mountains here, so we put it in the back yard of our pension´s house which pretty much looks like a jungle, so it worked out great. One sister was at the end of the rope a few steps away from ending her journey blindfolded. But, she was one of the last, and everyone else before her had let go of the rope. So, the whole zone, in an intent to make her let go, all started clapping and saying, ´´good job!! You finished! You can take your blindfold off!¨ She took it off and realized the mistake she´d taken. Sometimes life is just like that. Our peers pressure us in saying that we´re done. We can rest from our labors because we´ve already gotten far enough. I love serving in the Perú Cusco Mission! I love learning and know that I will be able to take all of the habits that I´ve learned and apply them in my every-day life for the rest of my life! 

Love you MOM and FAMILY and FRIENDS!! Have a great week! Remember that God won´t ever do something for us that WE can do. WE must do what we CAN, and HE´LL finish the rest. THAT´s how miracles work! 

Elder Jeffery

The Fastest Week Of My Life

The time I`ve been in Puerto has honestly been the fastest week of my life. There are a million things to learn and a million things to do. I am so thankful to have an amazing companion, Elder Sosa. We get together very well. We`re always laughing learning and serving. It`s fun. Sadly, He`s ending his mission this Wednesday. I know we were supposed to be here at the same time. We have been working a lot with the leaders here in our branch. We also have been working with a few couples. The first are Samuel and Janeli. Janeli is a member, but hasn`t come to church in a few years. She got together with Samuel and they are expecting to have a kid in a few months. Samuel is super excited to join the church. We are also working with a non member family, Rafael and Pierina. The problem with the two couples is the same challange that we have with all of the couples here. They`re not married. So, we decided to set an appointment with the mayor. We want to see what we can do to cut the costs of getting married by doing service for the city or something so that all of these people get married! The people here are so friendly! I am praying that I can gain their confidence as Elder Sosa has done so well. Today we`re doing a farewell for him, watching a church movie with ice cream. Love you MOM! I wish I could write more experiences because there are so many miracle that happen every day! But, I`ll be sure to next week. We`ve got a lot to do and places to go before my companion returns home. Love you and thank you for honestly giving me the opportunity to live and enjoy the Gospel. 

Elder Jeffery 

FINALLY Arrived To Puerto Maldanado

Well, I FINALLY arrived to Puerto Maldanado on Saturday! It`s 12 hours away from Cusco! My companion came on Thursday because we had Leadership Council with President Harbertson. We did a really cool activity where we hiked up a mountain and they blind folded us. We had to walk on the edge of a cliff with just a rope to hold on to. There were many barriers. Trees blocking the way, direction changes in the rope and many people leading us astray in the path. One offered to help me with his hands. I was sitting there for what seemed like 10 minutes trying to find where the rope continued, so I finally just grabbed his hands to help me. He started laughing and pulled my blindfold off. I looked down to see a long more ways to the end of my journey. Many of us ended up letting go. It was hard! But, it taught us a lesson. I learned that we can truely only trust in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There isn`t any council, therapy or religion that can replace it. It`s perfect and ALWAYS leads us to eternal life. We must hold on with two hands. If we`ve only one hand on the rope, just that much easier to let go. We`re going to do the same activity with the zone here on Wednesday when we have zone meeting. 

Yes, to answer your question it`s hot here. But, to be honest I`m fine. I haven`t complained once about the climate. It`s hot but it`s humid so I kind of like it. In Calca and Cusco it was dry and the sun burned me, here it`s like I`m in a sauna and tans me more than anything. It is weird at night because I don`t sleep with a blanket or anything. Just a sheet and a fan on my bed side. We study with fans, sleep with fans, and if you`re talking with someone in the room, you`re standing by a fan. Right now there are mangos falling from every tree. Our pension has a mango tree in her back yard. You walk outside, grab a mango and eat it. The food here is way good! It`s fresh and tastes different. We are in a branch here but there are about 100 who attend, so it`s bigger than Calca. We actually have a chapel with a baptismal font. My companion, Elder Sosa is a few weeks away from ending his mission. He is honestly such an amazing elder and has every intent to finish strong. I am very happy to be his companion. We are working with a whole lot of less-active members who are not married. That`s our challange is helping all of these people to get married. I`ve only been here for two days, but I`m excited to learn more! We live in an apartment with four other Elders who live next door to our room. I haven`t had much time to take pictures but I might have one to send. Next week I`ll have more information on how the work`s coming. 

Love you MOM and know that I`m doing GREAT here in the jungle. Love you FAMILY and FRIENDS!!!

Elder Jeffery

Zone Leader Is Transferred

Sooooo, after much time in the wonderful land of Calca, I have been assigned to go to Puerto Maldanado!!! In other words, I`m going to the hottest jungle of the mission! And, I am nervous and excited! I have been humbled to know that I will be serving there as a zone leader. I have heard that the food there is very delicious and that the work there is rough. I`m excited to put my shoulder to the wheel! and most likely sweat a whole lot! 

I will miss all of the amazing members here in Calca. Leonidus baptized his two sons yesterday. It was going to be Saturday, but a few things occured and we had to post pone it to Sunday after church. It was so fullfilling to see a humble father perform his small part, and see God in the process. They were so humble to help clean up the pool and chapel afterwards, and without even mentioning, taking the baptismal clothing to their house to wash it. They brought bananas for all of the members who attended. I learn from them as I teach them. Their examples they have towards us and the members here is powerful. 

In the fast and testimony meeting I was asked to bless the bread and water. I was pondering on my life, and on the eternal plan. I started to feel how truely blessed we are to be in this world. As members gave their testimonies, I felt more and more blessed to have a body of flesh and bone. A body that is like my Father`s. And even still, he gave ME the opportunity to be born in HIS church. I simply prayed as I sat there. The branch president looked at me and gave me the nod to go up and share what was bottled up inside. I was scared what would come out. When I got up I just had to fight my emotions, but I simply talked to God up there on the stand. It wasn`t about me or the crowd or anyone else but Him. I won`t forget that wonderful Sabbath day. 

So, I`m off most likely tomorrow in bus to Puerto. My first trip in a tour bus! My first real trip in the mission! Sister Lady says thank you so much for the heat cool patches and I say thank you so much for the food and baseball and pictures! I love you MOM and FAMILY and FRIENDS. I ponder often what does the Lord see in me? Imperfect, impatient, sinner, me? He sees our potencial and knows our hearts. He loves us and gives us challanges and responsibilities to teach us lessons. He knows what we can do even we don`t think we can. We must do our small part, and he will do the rest. 

Elder Jeffery