Recap.........

Well family, all is well here in Pucallpa. I went to Lima last Wednesday/Thursday, and picked up my companion, Elder Figueroa, and we had a great Consejo (Zone Leader Council).

President Perez talked about the goals of the mission, and reminded us that Christ is with us.

Elder Nemelka (the AP) talked about the love between companionships, and Elder Santiago, is the new assistant, replacing Elder Hirschi. Yes, it's the same Elder Santiago that is my very very good friend. It was so good to see everyone again.

Elder Figueroa is from El Salvador, but lives a long ways away from Elder Ramos (a previous companion). Elder Ramos finished his mission by the way. Elder Figueroa laughs exactly like Elder Ramos and makes me miss him, haha. He is great and we will get along perfectly!!!

We hope to have the same success Elder Vasquez and I had. I'm excited for this new change, we have a lot of teaching to do and well, I'm up to doing it

I Love My Presidente

P-day was on Tuesday this week, because on Monday was our interviews with Presidente. It was really good to see him and the Assistants again after 4 weeks. It was also my goodbye to my dear friend Elder Hirschi (from Neola, Utah). He will be finishing his mission this next change, and I won’t be there to see him leave.

My interview with President was the best one I have had yet in my mission. The spirit was so strong, and President helped me notice something - I have grown in these 4 weeks out in the field, more spiritually and with knowledge, than in all my 16 months as a missionary. I love it and I love my President.

*Picture of Barbeque was taken in January at Presidente Perez' home. Click here for more pics

**Elder Rich and Elder Hirschi

Futbol and Cookies

Last Saturday we were able to play soccer. Guess where???? VILLA SOL!!! There is this man who owns a taxi service, and he takes care of all of our needs as a mission. He lives in Villa Sol, and we played against him and his friends. I saw members from my old ward, and man how good it was to see them and actually be able to talk to them and ask them about the families I baptized. It was great.

Afterward, we went to the house of President Perez and ate lunch, to celebrate the birthday of Sister Perez. It was good as always, and I’m fat, haha. We cooked your pumpkin cookies that you had sent for Christmas, and they were good. Thanks so much for sending them, President and Sister Perez never had tried them, so it was good.

Easy Pumpkin Cookies
2 boxes of Spice cake mix
1 large can of pumpkin
1 bag chocolate chips

Mix all together and drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake at 350*F or 180*C for 15 minutes
*This was very easy to send through the mail for my missionary. I sent a disposable foil cake pan (for baking) and hoped he could find a member with a large bowl for mixing - Just an idea.

**This picture above was actually taken at Christmas. President and Sister Perez take such good care of our missionaries.

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS Elder Vargas

Last Friday (12/5/08) was my comp's (Elder Vargas) birthday in the mission. It was a good day. I don’t have my guitar anymore. I gave it to my comp!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He loves music, the flute, zampoña, and all that good stuff. He is great - I love him.

I also went to Serpost (the Post Office), and shopping with Presidente, just me and him. It was hilarious. I loved it. He is such an amazing guy, really just like President Fisher, but Latin. It was good to spend some time with him and just chat, not really about the work, but just his family, the 500 baptisms and ya…

Then we came back, ordered some pizza, and sat and ate Doritos, pop, and watched the funeral of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. It was really good and some of the stuff President Monson said at the end - I was like wow!

One Month - One Goal

In the Multi-conference meeting last month, Presidente Perez felt impressed to tell us the Lord has a goal for us. 500 baptisms for the month of December. It is a Big Deal. 500 – WOW. It works out to be at least 5 baptisms per companionship. We have only been baptizing about 200 a month, IF that, but already we have over 300 dates scheduled for December, and it’s just the start. We’re working on it.

Presidente says it was revelation straight from the Lord, and that we’re going to have a ´´White Christmas´´ this year with 500 baptisms. It’s the goal for our mission, in every stake in our mission, and with all the members also.

It’s almost Christmas, and I love this season. There is no snow here in Peru, but it’s all good. I really am gaining a testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ!! He is my Lord, my Savior and with Him, anything is possible. He is everything, without Him we are nothing. It ALL depends on Him!!! I love Him and I love you too, thanks for everything!!!

Till we meet again...........

"I was able to see Elder Arévalo!!!!! (Gabo) He looked really good. He came to the offices to get set apart by Presidente Perez. It was good to see him, he is so so so skinny. I hope he gains some weight while on his mission, and I told him right before he left, "Work hard and I love you and I’ll see you when you get home." He is very excited and worthy to be out there, and I’m very excited for him."

*Gabo is going to Bahia Blanca, Argentina . The reason President Perez, the president of PLNM, "set apart" Gabo as a missionary, is because Tarapoto, where he lives, is not a "stake", and so there is no Stake President. But because Tarapoto is located in the Peru Lima North Mission area, Presidente Perez does the honors.

Can you say Exercise ?

I don’t do much walking lately. I'm getting a little fat, haha. I weigh exactly 86 kilos, approximately 190 pounds. Do you remember before I left to the jungle I weighed 78 kilos? (171 lbs) Wow, I have gained some weight! Oh well... I did get some high intense exercise in last P-day. Presidente Perez lives on the 21st floor of an apartment building, well Elders Roldán and Ticona and me, we raced the elevator up the stairs. Let me tell you, by the time I hit 5 (floors), I was dead, haha…. It was tough.. and when we finally got there, everyone was already there chillin'.... so that was fun.

In the Offices....and learning to be a Secretary

Hello everyone, I'm doing great… Saturday is our P-day, and it’s a little bit different writing and relaxing on a Saturday, but I like it, I won't lie…

I love the offices… I'm here being trained by Elder Gomez from California. He is training me how to do my job. Everyday we work in the offices until 1 or 2 in the afternoon, then we get out and work in the field.

My job here entails scheduling flights and booking hotels for all the missionaries and President Perez, doing the agenda and calendar of President, and anything that has to do with the changes of missionaries. I call to the states almost everyday, haha. I speak in English on the phone which is really really hard by the way… I mess up and probably sound like a little kid when first learning how to speak, but oh well… I love it. I could see myself working in this type of environment.

Being secretary, you come in contact either by phone or in face with every single missionary in the mission at least one time a change. I handle all the new people coming in and leaving. I see all their pics, and let's just say, by the end of it I will know everyone in the mission, haha. How crazy..

One thing that made me really trunky, is I have to call home to all the parents of the kids that are going home and tell them, "Your son will be home at such an hour, please be there to pick him up", and they're like, "Oh, don’t you worry, I will be there, it will be so nice", and I'm just like, "Oh ya, well I have over a year still", so ya.. haha.. I love it....

Well, I love you. I know this work is true. I am now on the other side of the work, seeing the gears work in the offices, and I love it. This time in my mission is going to be very special to me. I know this is the church of God. I love you all, and thanks for everything. Wish everyone "HI" and tell them I love them.

Multi-zone meeting

Well everyone.... not much has happened this past week.. we had a multi-zone meeting with the Elders from Moyabama on June 18th. It was good... We had some good training... Pres Perez is the best.. It was great.. Elder Nash didn't come this time.. I don't know why.. it was just Presidente Perez. It was amazing as usual.. he is a great man... he answers all my questions and helps me keep on track... Man, I love him and he reminds me so much of Bishop Fisher, I think there is a reason they are both so alike.. lovable and loving.. I love it.. the work is going good.. a little slow right now, we can't get people to go to church, but we're working with a few families now and it's going to pick up... it's going great.... I love it.. Click here for pics.

Different than the normal week......

"Well, me and Elder Villanueva are getting along just fine. We are working hard. This last week our (teaching) numbers kind of suffered, because Monday we had P-day and went and played futbol (soccer) with a different zone, that was great. Then we worked three days,(Tues. Wed. Thurs.) and on Friday we had our interviews with President Perez, which I absolutely loved. I learned so much, and I love that man. He is a Bishop Fisher, except in Spanish. After that, we had a special party with pizza, and watched a movie, and played futbol with the office missionaries. This was because our zone had met all of our goals, and it was great."


President Fisher (left)
Presidente Perez (right)

"Saturday and Sunday was conference, and it wasn't in our church. It was in the Stake house, which is like 20 minutes out of our zone, so it was tough to get people to attend, and for us to work with them, but I can say.... this was the first time in my life I have felt the spirit so strong. At the end of Saturday, I was spiritually drained, another first in my life. I couldn't think what it was... I was like "We haven't worked at all today, but yet this is the most tired I have been". I couldn't put my finger on it, but man... I love our prophets, and yes, a part of my Patriarchal Blessing was fulfilled this past weekend. Listen to the prophet's voice, I promise you will learn. I love you all, and all is well.......no worries."

Latest email info

We have 6 baptisms scheduled, and we're working on 2 more for the 8th of March. We have been fasting for these families. I'm excited. I love my area, it's great. Great people and good surroundings.

The work is going everyone, our President has set high goals for us, and it's going to take a lot of work to meet them, but we can do it because we have the best missionaries in the world. I love you all.... I wish you all the best.

We're working really really hard. I love it. time is flying. Strive to have the spirit with you... it's very important. We're going to the temple on Wednesday, so that will be good. All is well down here.