``I`ve learned that God lives, and that Jesus Christ really did pay for my sins.``

This week we had our last interviews with President Harbertson. It was sad for everyone that he`s leaving. He taught us about our testimonies. He showed us that our testimonies are like an hour glass when the sand drops constantly. In this world of constant opposition our testimonies are always gradually falling, but we can always add more to our testimony so that we never loose it. Sister Harbertson asked me what I felt I had learned most in my mission. I thought about the question for a good while, looked up at her and said, ``I`ve learned that God lives, and that Jesus Christ really did pay for my sins.`` She smiled and said that in the mission, we have many opportunities to share our testimony and we see it grow. But, after the mission there won`t be as many. So, she invited me to share my testimony to myself every day after the mission so that I keep growing in my faith. The slogan of our mission is, ``Vaya S.O.L.O.`` or in English it`s ``Go with the P.R.O.S.`` Pray. Read. Obey. Serve. It`s a decision that we need to take every day. If we don`t Go with the pros, we will not grow spiritually every day. I am committed to Go with the pros every day for the rest of my life! I`m so sorry, but I am out of time and have to Go! But it`s been a great week and I`ll send pictures soon, it`s just that my SD card has viruses and I need to clean it. Have a great week MOM and FAMILY!!! HAVE A GREAT TRIP TO KENYA ANGELYN!!!! 

Elder Jeffery

Three Families

Well, It`s elections week here in Peru. They chose a new president. It`s been very interesting to contact the people in the street as they all talk about politicts and ask for who we`d be voting for. We laughed and explained that we aren`t from around here and don`t vote in Peru. I think the quote this week would be from numerous people we talk with who all seemed to say, ``The churches these days are like political parties``. I think of that and instantly think of a scripture in 3 nephi 11 where is says that contention is not of the spirti. We`re so lucky to know that true religion isn`t just a political group trying to convince the others that their way is the right way, but that God himself has a perfect plan and that it can`t be frustrated.

 We`re very excited for the three familes that we are teaching. The first is Maria and Abel who are SO close to getting married. Just a little bit more and their ready! The second family are Joicy and Omar. Samuel and Jannely, Recent Converts that got married in January, introduced us to Joicy and Omar. Joicy is so anxious to come to church with her husband and get married and is willing to keep at it until she encourages him to do so. Samuel and Jannely also introduced us to Saul and Katlin. They`ve been to the church a few times together and are married. Saul was Samuel`s companion in high school, and Katlin was Jannely`s friend when they were little kids. Their son was born at the same time as Samuel and Jannely`s son also! We`ll be working with these three families this week. Thank you for your prayers for the people here in Puerto Maldonado. I know that there are people that need this Gospel and only the participents know where to find and share it. I am thankful for the Gospel. I love you MOM and DAD and FAMILY!! Have a great week!!! 

Elder Jeffery

President and Sister Harbertson completed 36 years together

This week has been FULL of running around getting ready for the conference we had with President Harbertson this weekend. It was his last zone conference, and we had it in a touristic park called Botafogo! We did some fun activities with the zone and learned alot. President`s three children visited him as he ends his mission and were there in the conference! His 22 year old son, Shaun was a senior at Viewmont when my first year in high School. I don`t ever remember seeing him but, he said that he was going to look me up in his year book! haha President and Sister Harbertson completed 36 years together on the very day of the conference, so our pension made them a beautiful and delicious cake! When he saw the cake President said, ``Elders, I`m going to teach you something that you should learn after your mission.`` as he kissed his wife. It was a great day! 

Maria and Abel Bòcangel are SO willing and ready for marriage and baptism, but they don`t have the means. Abel`s trying to work more than his 12 hour shifts that he already takes by driving taxi in the city. We talked with the branch council and they are all willing to help them out, and want to get them married as soon as possible. It will take effort from Maria and Abel, but the branch is willing to pitch in also so that it`s possible. We`re very excited for their family! Abel and his two children have been waiting a while for their baptism day! 

The truth is I don`t have much time, but today were changes, and I am staying here in Puerto AGAIN! I`ll have six changes here in Puerto and about 8 months here in the jungle. 

I love you FAMILY and sorry that I can`t write anyone but I have to go! LOVE YOU! 

Elder Jeffery

                                                                                                   Botafogo

The Power Of The Plan Of Salvation

Firstly, I want to say that I smiled when I read this letter from my MOM because you are learning what I am learning! That missionary work is a way of life, and that you´re living it! I never realized how much I could do for the people around me until I traveled ten hours in an airplane, learned a language, and started talking to strangers. But, there were so many people there in Bountiful Utah that also needed help! Thank you for your letters Mom and Dad about Priesthood and Missionary Work!! 

This week I learned a little more about the Plan of Salvation. I didn´t learn much doctrine, but I learned that the people outside of the church are deprived of the perfect plan of God. We contacted a lady and her mother as we bought water in their store. They told us that they were Adventists ( I think that´s what it is in English) but that they were willing to hear our message. We set another appointment and when we showed up just the daughter was there with her son. We asked her what makes her happy in this life. She said that nothing makes her happy, only her son. She then started to tear up and said that she lost her little boy in the hospital a year ago. She said that she is mad with God, and that no one can answer the questions she has in her heart. She said that she´d looked everywhere! She´d prayed to ask God to let her know why this had to happen to her, and then searched in many churches and every inspirational quote you can find on Facebook. Well, we told her that God truely does answer prayers, and that we have a message that will bring a lot more peace than any inspirational quote on Facebook. We will visit her again this week to expain more about the Plan of Salvation and why these things happen to us on earth. After, we visited a mother with three of her children and a few grandchildren. We started the lesson by saying that we could feel the love that she had for her children, and asked how many children she had. She started crying immediatly and said that she had seven, but that one had passed away a year ago before he had 31 years. She said that she was confused and that she didn´t know what to do or where to go. We told her that she´d see her son again. We said that she would see him again as she´s obedient to God. We explained that we proclaim repentance and baptism. She said that she was alllll good with the whole repentance thing, but that she was already baptized. We showed a picture of Jeus´s baptism and talked a little sharing a scripture in Mark 10: 38 and 39. and asked her if she thought she could be baptized like Jesus did. She said yes and that she wanted to keep hearing our message. 

Well, that´s all I have to say!! I love you FAMILY FRIENDS and MOM and DAD!! 

Elder Jeffery

I'm Very Happy

This week i honestly don`t know what to say.... haha I mean It`s been a great week, but it was just yesterday that I talked with all of you on Skype. It was great to see Dennis, Donna, Ashton, Dolly, Justin, Grandma, Grandpa, Kloe, Mariah, Angelyn, Ezra, Dad and Mom! I loved your questions, and sorry I couldn`t hear all of you very well, but I love you ALL!! 

We`ve been trying to work alot closer to the branch members here to help the district grow. We`ve been asking lots of references from the members and trying to excite them to do missionary work. It`s been pretty fun to watch the members get excited and see how a lot of them react. There was one leader that, for whatever reason, did NOT want to give my companion and I a reference. He said that he had references, but for whatever reason, didn`t want to give us their information. So, as we talked with him on his porch, we decided that if he didn`t want to give us a reference, We`d make up our OWN reference. We contacted his neighbor as she opened her door to leave with her brother. We started talking with her, and asked her if she knew her neighboor and she looked over to him as we called him over to talk with us. So, we set an appointment with her at the members home. He knocked on her door on Sunday to remind her of church at 8. We were very happy to see her walk in on Sunday. 

I`m very happy and enjoying the time I have as a representative of Jesus Christ! I want to enjoy every moment. I am happy for what I`m learning and for the opportunity that I have had to see so many people change their lives because the came to understand that God loves them, and that Jesus Christ already suffered the price. I love you MOM and DAD and FAMILY and FRIENDS!!! 

Elder Jeffery

``how could it be cold here in Puerto?"

So, sounds like there`s been some pretty interesting weather in Utah this week! It`s good to hear that everyone`s ok and that no one was hurt. This week has also surprized us here in the jungle! We heard all week last week that a cold-spell was heading towards Puerto and that it was going to be very cold. My companion and I were just laughing all week saying to ourselves, ``how could it be cold here in Puerto? The only time it`s cold is after sweating so much that your whole shirt is wet and then walking into one of the air conditioned rooms in the church.`` haha We left our room Tuesday morning sweating in the heat, as usual, joking around saying, ``hey, it`s a pretty cooollllldddd day, right?``  Well, we got to a lesson and realized that they all had jackets on. We asked them if they were cold and they said yes, and that the cold-spell was coming. We couldn`t believe it! Afterwards, we entered into a member`s house where we were visiting and it started to rain very hard! And, it start to get VERY cold!! We were so surprized!! It`s been cold for almost a week now, and recently starting to warm up. I wore a jacket to church on Sunday! At church this Sunday a little girl with a huge smile stood up at to give her testimony and said, `` I know that the missionaries are true, and I know that angels are real!`` haha I stood up in the testimony meeting and stated that I too knew that the missionaries are true. I`ve been learning through out my mission a lot about the difference between trusting in ourselves and trusting in God. Many times that we feel down because we feel that we aren`t good enough or funny, social, or outgoing enough. I`ve learned that we must stop trusting in our own abilities and start focusing our trust in God, and how willing we are to do what He askes us to do. He took a fourteen year old farm boy with hardly any school education and called him to be a prophet of God. If Joseph Smith had focused on his abilities, trusting in his own power, he wouldn`t have gotten very far. But, he learned to trust in God, he learned that a lovely quote that the Best Family sent me last week that I has truely come to my mind multiple times this week. And it states: "God does not begin by asking our ability, only our availability, and if we prove our dependability, He will increase our capability." -Neal A. Maxwell

I`m doing great and am learning to love the people here! I have also grown to have a great love for my companion, we are good friends already. I`ve decided that I have a love for the people of Peru, and now the people of Ecuador as I have worked with amazing missionaries from both places! I love you FAMILY and FRIENDS and MOM and DAD and ANGELYN and MARIAH and EZRA!!!! 

Elder Jeffery

Arroz Chaufa

Well, in the Peru Cusco Mission we work with less actives. We teach less actives, and remind them about the missionaries that had taught them so many years ago. We remind them about the experience that they had had in their baptisms. We ask them how they felt when they were baptized, then we ask them if they´d like to feel the same way again. I´m thankful for repentance. Without it, they couldn´t feel that way again, and don´t think that any of us could ever feel that way without it. 

This week we taught Jannely´s family. Jannely got married a few months ago with her now newly converted husband Samuel. To let you know how they are doing, I´m happy to say that Samuel received the Melquisidec Priesthood this week! But, we´d never been able to talk with Jannely´s mom, and twin sisters. We said a prayer and started talking about those Elders that taught them ten years ago. They remembered their names, and talked a lot about their conversions stories. They remember how they were all together as a family, and how they felt in their baptism. They said that they would love to feel that way again. We explained how by partaking of ordenances we can become clean again. We invited them to partake of the sacrament this next Sunday. To our surprize they were actually very eager to come back to church, and have another appointment! It makes me so grateful for the opportunity that every soul has to repent!! Everyone of us can turn back, and feel what we once felt. Every person who has lived the gospel at some point of their life knows how it helps and protects us, and because of repentance everyone can be sure that they can continue or come to feel that feeling! So, that´s been the hightlight of my week. I have a new companion Elder Niaupari who I´m still trying to get to know and become his friend. Today we´ll be playing soccer or maybe going to the big tower in the middle of town to see the city. On my birthday, I don´t know how exactly, but two families knew that I love a dish here called arroz chaufa or chineese rice, so, I ate FOUR plates of Arroz Chaufa. Woah, we were so sick after those two surprize lunches. I literally almost threw up So, I won´t be eating arroz chaufa for a while.... But, I am very thankful and I thank EVERYONE who sent me birthday wishes!!! I love you ALL and I am thankful to have the best MOM in the world!! I love you! I love my FAMILY and FRIENDS and hope you all have a great week!!! 

Elder Jeffery