Mudding With the President

This week has been a week to remember. I spent the week with President Harbertson and his wife. Elder Salazar and I went to Cusco, came back and President then came to Cusco to have interviews with all the missionaries in Puerto Maldonado. We took his nisson explorer 2015 through the mud filled streets. He said, ``now you can tell your family this Monday that we went mudding together.`` haha it was a great day. At the end of the day he asked to accompany us to an appointment. We went with him to Sandra and Winny`s house. We decided to talk about Enduring to the End. President shared his experience of watching his six children learn how to walk. When they each decided to stand up they always ended up falling. They`d stand up again and fall again. When they finally learned how to walk without falling, they`d hit their heads on things and run into things. He taught that our progress consists of falls and trials, but we if we keep going forward, we`ll keep making mistakes , but they won`t be as big, and our victories will be bigger making us progress continually. We then changed the subject to repentance. We found out that Winny hadn`t asked in a prayer forgivness of her sins. So, we invited her to pray. She prayed, and the next time we came to visit her, she`d felt the spirit as she asked forgivness. I know they`re feeling a change, but they have a few things that they have a hard time getting over, but I am proud of them that they are realizing that before baptism comes repentance, and to feel prepared for that ordinace, they want to be sure to repent of their passed sins. 

 I want to thank all of those who have prayed for Sandra and Winny this week, and I know that our Heavenly Father is aware of our prayers. So, Sandra and Winny have decided that they want to take a little more time to decide to be baptized. They have testimonies, but want to be sure of being able to keep the commandments after baptism. 

So, the news this week is a sad, but it`s how the mission goes! My companion, Elder Salazar will be heading to Abancay. And my new companion will be coming to Puerto on Tuesday. The good part is that my new companion and I have known each other for a long time. He`s a great missionary and is very similar to Elder Salazar. They are both from Ecuador, but Elder Niaupari is from Quito, Ecuador! 

I love you MOM and thank you for the love you show for me. The opportunity to serve a mission has really changed my life. I look back at that kid I was before I came to know what God truely has in store for me and I just can`t believe it. It lets me know that the atonement exists and why He had to suffer so that He could shape me into what He wants and not what I think I should be. I love you friends and family and hope you can all have a great week remembering that you have a friend here in Peru that loves the Lord and serving Him. 

Elder Jeffery

Elder Heslop, Me, Elder Salazar, Elder Niaupari

ALMA 26;12

I would like to start my letter off with a quote that has helped and is changing my vision of the mission and my life.

´´The best antidote for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is to help someone even more tired.´´ - President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Before I talk about my week, I would like to testify that the way to be happy in this life is to forget about ourselves, our desires,our selfishness, and pride, and start to focus our attention on the many people close to us that need OUR help. If we can learn this lesson, we can learn ´´when we´re serving we´re happy´´ Every time I read Alma 26 I feel humbled to remember where the power and authority comes from, and that God leads this work. We will be cured as we cure others. As a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I´ve been called to be a representative of Jesus Chirst and not a representative of myself.It´s amazing how it works! If you focus on yourself, you will never reach what you think you should be, but if you focus on serving others and God, He will mold you into what you were meant to be. 

This week, we´ve been preparing Sandra and Winny for their baptisms in two weeks. They are excited to be baptized, but this week they showed us a few concerns that they had. They said that they´d been going to a few other churches before, and almost got baptized in them also, but never felt ready. They said that they feel that the church was true, but also feel that the other churches are good. We explained that all churches are good, but if they wanted to know if this was Christ´s true church on the earth, they´d have to ask God. They´d told us that they thought the church was true before, but had never actually prayed, so they´ll be praying to know with confidence that this is the Lord´s church. As for Maria and Abel, we´re progressing with their marriage papers and they´re planned to be married and baptized in May. 

I´ve grown to love the people here in Puerto Maldonado, and am not sure if I have a transfer or not! My companion and I are so nervous for next week where we will recieve the news who stays and who goes. So, I will let you know next week what will happen! I love you MOM and FAMILY and FRIENDS and am VERY glad to be able to serve because I know if I didn´t serve I would never be able to feel the happiness I feel every time I help someone that´s even more tired than I. 

Elder Jeffery

Reflection On Conference

Well, I´m glad that you could enjoy conference! I want to share a few things I learned and liked:

1. I was reminded something that you taught me Mom. When ever I wanted something to be different or my way I remember that I would say, ´´but, it´s not fair!´´ and you would always respond, ´´Life isn´t fair´´ Well, as stated in the conference, ´´ If life were truely fair, we wouldn´t be able to be ressurected, and wouldn´t be able to become clean from sin. I remember something my trainer once told me in a letter he wrote me. He said about Jesus Christ, ´´A perfect man had an imperfect trial so that imperfect men can have a perfect trial.´´ 

2. Also, David A. Bednar helped me understand a little more about the importance of Ordenances. Ordenances are authorized channels. The only way to access ALL of the blessings that the atonement has to offer is through these authorized channels. 

I learned a lot about my responsibilities that I have and also many responsibilities to come in the next page of my life. I am thankful for these instructions that I have recieved! 

Sandra Winnie and Michael attended the conference. The three of them are planned to be baptized on the 23 of April. Maria and Abel weren´t able to make it to the conference and they´ll have to postpone their baptisms and most likely their marriage. But, they are still excited. Their daughter has been diognosed with cancer at a very young age, so they have been raising money with their family members and had done a fundraising activity on these past two Sundays. So, we will continue helping them and pray for their daughter. 

I love you MOM and DAD and FAMILY and FRIENDS! 

Elder Jeffery

A Walk Down A Dusty Road

Ok, so this week has been great! Last week we were walking down the dusty road when a young lady said hi to us as she was sweeping her porch. We started talking with her, and set an appointment. We came back a few days later and talked with her, and her sister. Their names are Sandra and Winnie. They`re 18 and 19 years old. So, we thought we`d go to the appointment with a sister named Katy Mora who`s a return missionary and has their same age. We talked with them and asked them if they believed in God. They said that they did, so we asked if they believed in Jesus Christ. Winnie said no, and Sandra wasn`t sure. They had been studying to be baptized in the Jehova`s witnesses`s church, and were confused. We talked a bit, and they came to church with Katy. All of the classes just happened to be all about the atonement, being Easter. They felt great in the chapel. We talked a little more this week about the Plan of Salvation, and they accepted to be baptized on April 23! They said that they want to follow Jesus Christ and have faith in Him. Katy Mora told us that they started talking with Katy after the lesson, and were all worried about what they needed to buy to get ready for their baptism. She laughed and said that they didn`t need to buy anything. We recieved a reference from them named Rocio. Rocio and her daughter started asking us many GREAT questions after reading a pamphlet about the Restoration. They asked, ``who is Joseph Smith, and what`s the book of mormon.`` ``How can I read this book`` The daughter wanted to know which of the churches could lead her to prepare for the second coming! Wow, I am so excited for them because I know that through and only through our message singualar that we share that they can truly come to the truth!! 

I love you MOM and DAD and SISTERS and BROTHER and FAMILY and FRIENDS!!! I am thankful for all of the great testimonies of Chirst that you have ALL sent to me, and want to respond to every single one, but I don`t have enough time becasue i was to interested in reading all of your beautiful testimonies of the atonement, our Savior Jesus Chirst. 

Elder Jeffery at the Zoo

Elder Jeffery

´´Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great work´´

So, this week we were in a lesson with Maria, Abel, and their two children, Marianet and Oscar. Abel, Marianet and Oscar have excitedly accepted to be baptized and Maria is a less-active member since she was about 10 years old, but Oscar and Maria need to get married first. Oscar wants to get married, and we had a lesson with Maria, where she finally said that she really does want to get married with Oscar after being together for 16 years! We invited them to put a date together for their marriage having in mind of the date we´d put of their baptism in April. So, we came back to visit them on Saturday and they had talked about marriage. Abel looked at us and said that they´d talked and had decided to get married in June! I looked at my companion and we both were surprised and a little sad for them putting a date so far away. My companion asked Maria why. She explained the same concern that many couples have here. She desires to have time to plan and get settled in and have a ´´perfect wedding´´. We explained that God had sent us to her home for a reason. We said that if she gets married so far away, we could not help her with the goals she´d set and maybe she´d lose the desires she has now. My companion then invited them to accept to be married on the 22 of April. Abel accepted with ease and awaited the response of his future wife. She looked at us and looked at him and said softly but with confidence ´´I want to´´  I looked at them and started to laugh and said that the 22 was my birthday. They all laughed and I told them we could have a birthday party/wedding party. They are excited and I am very happy for the decision that they have taken to put faith in Christ by being married so that they can repent of their sins and be able to be baptized for a remission of their sins. I love this great work and love the quote ´´Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great work´´ Let us all lose our worries, lose our problems and get lost in what really matters! I want to end by sharing the new video for easter ´´Hallelujah´´ https://www.mormon.org/easter 

Have a great week FAMILY and FRIENDS and MOM! Love you all!!

Elder Jeffery

´But, the most important thing is what Elder Jeffery understands about the atonement, and he will explain it to his son.´´

Well, this week has been rainy. It rained three days straight without stopping. A part of our sector was completely flooded and the people had to evacuate their homes for a few days waiting for the jungle´s sun. I really like when it rains because it´s not hot. 

This week I had the great privilage to have lunch with Elder Costa, a member of the quorom of the seventy. After lunch, he finished talking with the District President and turned to me and my companion. He said something that really impacted me. He said: ´´In the Book of Mormon, Lehi wrote what he understood about the atonement, and then taught it to his son, Nephi. Nephi then wrote what he understood about the atonement and then taught it to his son, Jacob. Jacob then explained what he understood about the atonement.´´ He went on with a few other names and examples of the Book of Mormon, and then looked at me and said, ´´But, the most important thing is what Elder Jeffery understands about the atonement, and he will explain it to his son.´´ 

I´m learning a lot about the importance of the gospel in everything we teach as missionaries. We had a few lessons with some investigators, teaching the law of chastity and the sabbath day. We simply reminded them that in order to live the gospel and therefore apply the atonement one must have enough faith to come to the chapel even though there are things to do, and that repentance is also required in this life, so in order to be baptized they must get married. They understood why and realized that they need to live the gospel in their lives. That family, Abel and Maria came to church yesterday and are have plans to get married and Baptized! Abel no is a member nor his two children, Marianet and Oscar. I am thankful for the atonement. We had one investigator ask why he needed to have faith in Jesus Christ, because he`d heard of people who had had faith in many other objects and people. I am glad that I could testify to him and say that there is no other person or object that can take upon my sins and leave me clean from the stains of this world. Only faith through Jesus Christ and his Atonement will bring us eternal joy. Our investigator, Juan Carlos, is learning about Christ and decided that he too wants to know for himself of the atonement of Christ. 

I am excited for this week that comes. It`s a pleasure to be a missionary of a true church! Have a great week MOM and FAMILY and FRIENDS.

Elder Jeffery

Moto Taxi Driver Miracle

There are just TOO many things to tell you this week!!! It´s been an amazing week with many new investigators that have accepted baptismal dates, but I feel like I will share a miracle that I will never forget to you. 

It was 11:45 am on Wednesday when three missionaries and I climbed into a little tiny motorcycle cart on our way to check other missionaries´rooms. I was so squished that I took of my shoulder bag and put it in the little back department of the moto. We all jumped out of the moto and walked into the missionaries´ room. We were just finishing up with checking the room, when I realized what I´d done. I looked at my companion and said that I´d forgotten my bag in that motorcycle cart. So, my camera, shoulder bag, and mission scriptures were all in the back of one of the million motorcycle carts in Puerto Maldonado. We started to think and remembered that it was red and white and had white seats. The driver had a blue shirt. So, we went to the radio station and asked them to anounce it on the radio. I had a strong desire to stop working and search for my bag because I knew that it would almost be impossible to find it if I waited until the next day. But, we had scheduled appointments. I had a impression that seemed to say that I´d be ok and that these ´´important things´´ are not the most important thing. I learned  a lesson that day about how to decern between important and most important. So, we went to the apppointments. We called every missionary in the zone and told them to be on the look out for the description. My companion and I were on our way to our last appointment that day and saw a moto that fit the exact description. We tried pulling over another moto. A man stopped ubbrutly and asked where we were going. We said yelling, ´´follow that moto car!!!´´ He opened the door where his wife was in the car and he said, ´´ well my wife´s in the taxi but just hop in let´s go!´´ We squezed into the moto and booked it towards the taxi that was already three blocks ahead. It turned the corner and this driver didn´t stop as he drifted accross the asfalt chasing the driver ahead of us. He pulled up aside the driver and yelled for him to pull over. The driver pulled over and my companion stuck his head in the window and started interrogating the taxi driver. The man was so afraid he could almost not breath as he explain that he was just starting to work and that he didn´t have any shoulder bag. So, we payed the taxi driver that brought us and went to the appointment. On Friday, we walked into the appartment and Elder Andromidas and Cabral asked if we could take a picture with them. So we took a selfie together. As we looked at the picture my companion said, ´´no way!´´ No way! I asked what happened and I looked at the picture which had Elder Cabral in the back holding my shoulder bag! I was so excited and gave him a big hug. The sister missionaries had been asking every taxi driver as well as we had been doing and found my bag!! The driver had been searching for us the whole time and wanted to hear the missionaries´ messaje!! The best part is that he lives in our sector!! We´ll be going to his house this week. I know that sometimes we get stressed over the material things of this world, but I learned and continue to learn that the promise of the Lord is true when he says that the desires of the rightous will be give according to their faith and obedience. So, when you have hard times, just focus on the Lord´s will and he will provide and you´ll feel good! THat´s my week and I am thankful for the mission and the people I can serve. There´s MUCH more that happened this week, but no time, so I love you all and hope you have a great week. Mom and Dad I am excited for your trip and am excited to visit the amazing people of Peru and the wonderfull places with you! 

Elder Jeffery