April 22 - 29

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER FARMER - April 16th

April 22, 2013
This week went really well. It was a little hectic with lots of baptismal interviews and travels, etc. which didn`t leave too much time for tracting, but it was fun. On Tuesday it was my birthday. We didn’t have anything special planned, just a few appointments. When we were visiting Henry I told him it was my birthday and he immediately starting giving us all sorts of stuff. Chicha morada (a drink here) and popcorn, then soda and a big bowl of masamora morada (a weird but delicious dessert here.  Then we went to an appointment that we had with Jany in our pensionista´s house. She had set up a mini surprise party and had invited a few members that we know. When I walked in they just threw flour at me, no eggs this year, but I avoided most of it. She made me a super delicious chocolate cake. They sang me Happy Birthday and then started chanting ¨take a bite, take a bite¨ so that they could push my face into the cake. – it’s another one of their traditional tricks on birthdays.  So I took a bite and boom, five different hands pushed my face into the cake.  Pretty hilarious because I tried faking them out and doing it fast but they got me. It was a great birthday and I felt as if I were amongst my own family.

 

 

 

 

In other news, the zone baptized like crazy this week. We had SEVEN, which is a really high number for what we are used to seeing here in Puyango.  A few investigators got baptized earlier than expected and a few that didn`t get baptized last week got baptized this week, so we beat our original goal of just 3. When I reported to president Rowley and the assistants last night they couldn’t believe it, haha. It was great to see.

Our ward baptized two. We had one and the sisters had another and their investigator asked me to baptize him. We baptized Jany, a 17 year old from the Jungle of Peru, a place called Terrapoto.  She is all by herself out here and converted quickly with the help of my pensionista and her daughter. So, it was a good week. The transfer ended and me and elder Muralles are staying another 6 weeks here together.  I’m really looking forward to see all the progress in our investigators and finding even more.

April 29, 2013

 

Can you believe how time is flying? Honestly, I still feel like I have a ton of time left until I go home, but at the same time 4 months is nothing.  It is weird to think that this point in the mission has arrived. I feel like I`ve been in Peru forever!  But at the same time, it has all gone by too fast.   am getting excited for my last call home in two weeks for Mother`s day.

This week went well. We had a super awesome lesson with Henry and his wife. The lesson that I love teaching the most is the plan of salvation.  It all makes so much sense and I love seeing their eyes open when we explain that Adam and Eve fell because it was part of Gods plan and therefore helping them understand why we are here in this fallen state.  In other news, our landlord told us last Tuesday that he needed our room by the end of the month because his son was moving to town and needs a place to stay.  So, we have been frantically looking for rooms and still don’t have a sure place to live. In an hour we will be traveling to Piura for another zone leader council. 5.5 hours in a cramped bus after not sleeping very much last night. Woooo! But a lot of friends from my group recently got subed and it`ll be fun seeing them.  I love you all. Thanks for the support.

Transfer Day - Saying goodbye to great friends: 

Elder Perero - from Guayaquil.   He was a zone Leader in Lopez Albujaar

Elder Stephenson

Elder Trowbridge

 

On Saturday I decided to make an American classic. Stake and eggs with hashbrowns. It turned out great.

 Elder Muralles from Guatamala

April 1-15, 2013

April 1, 2013
All continues to go well. The ward is super excited because after going through a very sad streak of poor attendance, it finally bumped up to 110 people this Sunday .  They only had about 50 to 60 people going before.  In  these past 3 weeks we´ve really seen the fruits of having 4 missionaries in one ward, two of which being the hardest working sister missionaries in the entire mission. It really is inspiring to see how dedicated sister missionaries can be to the work.  Chambeadoras.

For the first time in my mission, or at least for the first time in a while, we our actually teaching families. We´ve found several wonderful couples that have a lot of potential and Maria Felicita has proven to be even more of a gift from God because her son, Henry  turned out to be a member.  He got baptized in 1994 and has been inactive for 15 years. He now has a wife and son who is 6. He´s got every desire to go back to the church and is understanding the message clearer than before.  The 4 of them went to church on Sunday. Also, we are teaching another young girl, 19, that has a baptismal date for the 21 of April. We hope to see progress in the couples that we have found, though. Pray a lot for them. 

On Tuesday the assistants came out to do a work visit with us.  It was cool having Elder Iribar in the room for two nights and we talked about all the memories we had in Lopez Albujar when we were just starting the mission.  On Wednesday we had interviews with the President and in the afternoon he went tracting with us.   When we were teaching Henry it started raining and he just so happens to live in a hilly area without paved roads.  When we left his house it was raining cats and dogs and we had to hop around the mud downhill and try not to fall. The president is still quite agile, but Elder Muralles took a funny spill and was covered in mud.  We got back to the room drenched.  I’d say it was quite the memory with President Rowley.   We will be taking a bus out to Piura for a monthly zone leader council in the mission home.  I’m not looking forward to 6 hours in a cramped bus.  Anyways, life is going well. I enjoy every update that you give me and your words of counsel are very appreciated. Hope all is well at home. Enjoy the snow.    

April 8, 2013

We had a made a nice trip to Piura last Monday.   It was a long 5.5 hour drive in a cramped bus but arrived at the mission office and had a great time talking with a few of the elders that are working there. One was  Elder Pereyra, my son, and one was Elder Peralta, my ex comp. We had the zone leaders council on Tuesday and ate Pizza Hut for lunch (sooooo good) and then traveled back up to Tumbes.   The other zone leaders are cool and we see them a lot. One of them is from the states and is a good friend.  You´ll see pictures of us frolicking through an open field after dropping some missionaries off at the small Tumbes airport yesterday. 

 

 

General Conference was amazing. We went to all the sessions in the stake center. The only session that filled up was on Sunday morning.  The two big themes were definitely preaching the gospel and families.   

Today we played soccer in a coliseum with the other zone.  I have never sweated so much in my life as I do here.  Even though we were out of the sun for a change it was still super hot.  Love you family. Thanks for the updates on your lives.  Hope all is well.

April 15, 2013    21

Wow, can you believe it?  I’m turning 21. What a shock. But to be honest, I don’t even feel it. Maybe it´s because I’m in the mission and I can’t really celebrate, or I am just getting old and birthdays are less exciting now, but it´ll be like any other day.  I’m sure my pensionista and her daughter are going to smash eggs over my head.   We´ll just wait and see. But thanks to everyone for writing and wishing me a happy birthday!

This week went well and I’ve got some news to report... Maria got baptized yesterday! That viejita (oldy) is so awesome. She has such a warm spirit and funny personality. I was able to baptize her. When I entered the font I realized that the drains on the walls were clogged. The water was about 1 inch from the top and still filling. There was no time to turn off the water or open the drain because we were already in the water! So we went on with it.... 10 gallons of water went pouring out of the font, soaking the two witnesses. haha. But it was a pretty service and she bore a powerful testimony on Christ afterwards.  She is my second oldest convert (78) with the oldest being Eva, 82. There is another girl, Jany, that we have been teaching that will get baptized this Saturday.

 



Today we went downtown and took pictures near the river on a big walkway that they built in 2003, then in a park called ¨Kiss park¨, and then by a cool art piece in the central plaza of Tumbes. It is a pretty beautiful city with lots of stuff to see... considering what I’m used to in other areas.

Love ya´ll      Elder Farmchico

Fun Pictures from Elder Farmer

 

 

Boys will be Boys.....

 

 

TUMBES

 

Lots of Walking...... 

MANGOS! 

 

March 2013

March 4, 2013                      que vengan las lluvias

We have found a few solid people and one family that has great potential l.   I’m trying my best to leave the area in order for the next missionary that will be coming in next week. Yep, this is the last week of the transfer which means I may be out of here.  It is weird to think that I have been here since September and that I have the same amount of time left in the mission has I have had here in this area.

 

 

On Wednesday we went back to the old couples house where we had previously dug a hole  and made it even deeper. They are ready to seal the top off with some cement and call it a septic tank.  On Saturday night the rain season officially started. We didn´t even realize it had rained until we woke up and saw the streets filled with water. The majority of the people were up all night trying to keep water out of their homes with buckets. They use bricks made out of just sand and water that harden and make for a cheap wall and don’t require a foundation. But, when the rain comes you can imagine the panic because water washes it right away if you´re not careful.

We went to another beach today to a place called Yasila.  It is a lot less touristy and easy going than Colan and  super gorgeous. We climbed around  the rocks and took some great pictures by the water.  I love to hear that Nick is recuperating  slowly but surely.

 

March 11, 2013 

 

They announced that transfers this morning and it turns out that it`ll be my first time having 5 transfers in one area and 3 transfers with one companion.  My time here in Paita is up and tomorrow I am heading to Piura bright and early to found out where God is sending me. It is weird to think that my birthday is just one month away and that I`ve been in two areas in 11 months! Time really has flown by since I first got to Paita.  I have learned so much as a district leader and companion and feel ready to sacar el ancho and work my tail off.

We started teaching a super special family in the past week and a half. They live in the very last block of our area, just before entering the dessert. They are a young couple but already have 5 kids! The rains came in 2 weeks ago and they didn’t have a solid roof so for two nights they slept huddled together soaking wet. This week we helped them put together their house a bit.   I never would have imagined seeing something like this to tell the truth. They build their ¨houses¨ out of whatever they can find. Four posts put into the ground, wooden crates for walls or whatever other plywood you can find, and then cardboard to cover the holes and a tin roof. It was quite the project and quite the moving experience to see how their kids are so happy even with having SO very little. Life is tough out here for the people. If the fishing isn`t going well, everyone suffers and is out of work.   I have enjoyed my time here and will fill you in on the transfer next week. 

 

 March 18 2013    I got Subed
What an exciting transfer.  I was sure that I´d be getting sent to another area as district but it turns out   that President Rowley gave me a new assignment as zone leader! How great.  So Tuesday morning me and just 5 other missionaries from Paita went to Piura for the transfer meeting (about an hour and 15 minute drive in bus.  I was sent...... to TUMBES.  Woah!  A 5 and a half hour drive up north in bus. The trip was super awesome because we follow the beach for about 2 hours.  I had mentioned in the past that Tumbes is the northern most zone in the mission by Ecuador.   It is known for its heat and humidity this time of year when the rains come in but It´s super cool most of the time considering what I’m  now used to.  And the best part is that it´s super green up here!  Paita is literally a dessert, but up here it rains a ton and there are plants all over.

 

There are two zones in tumbes: Tumbes, and Puyango. I´m in Puyango with 14 other missionaries in the zone and just 2 sister missionaries. The ward  is called Andres Araujo.  My companion is from Guatamala and his name is Elder Muralles.   We´ve found some great prospects to teach.  We´ve got lots of work to do but I’m ready.  Visiting other districts, traveling to Piura for Zone Councils, work visits with the assistants, etc, should be quite the experience.

March 25, 2013

We found a super awesome grandma named Maria Felicita. We found her last Sunday and she quickly explained to us that she had recently moved to Tumbes and had been living in the jungle with another daughter of hers.  When she was there she was visited by ¨los mormonsitos¨ but couldn’t get baptized because she had to travel out here and there wasn´t time.  She came out here and for a few weeks asked her self where in the world the Mormons were, when all of a sudden we knocked on her door and found her again. She´s got to be 75 at least but is super funny in her own old lady kind of way.  We´ve been working hard. The ward is looking positive. I’m praying for miracles.                     Elder Rymuchaco