WEEK 2: PERU MTC

October 17, 2018

Today was my first p-day, and it wasn't really a real p-day. The CCM had a huge schedule for us, and we went on a 5 hour tour of the city. The traffic here is sooooooo crazy, the streets are packed with carts and bikes and tiny motorcycles, and there is probably an inch of space in between the lanes on the freeway. No one follows any kind of rules in traffic, and we almost got hit by like 100,000 different cars and trucks and buses. Every time that traffic would stop, people would sprint out on their equivalent of a freeway and start selling candy or magazines or fake IDs ahhhahahahaha. We stopped by the ocean and it was so beautiful. There was a bunch of people surfing, and the ocean was just so nice. The tour stopped in the city, and we stopped to buy clothes and stuff. I bought the dopest backpack ever for 150 soles, which, apparently is too much for a backpack, but I talked the lady down from 200 soles because I knew she was overcharging me. Its good though because my bag is so dope. We had literally no time to email today, so I am so sorry if I didn't write a lot, and sorry, Blake and Gabe for not capitalizing things, the keyboards here are so different. Sam and Blake, I am so sorry I didn't email you back, we had literally no time to write. Blake, I hope your concussion gets better, you're a champ and I love you a lot. Keep the dream alive of staying up downstairs playing xbox and watching Netflix or Hulu. Oh, and thanks for taking up space in my bed to make Mom feel better. Thanks Young Datthew. Sam, sorry to hear about yalls loss at Delta, it was Delta right? Anyway, I love you lots and I am gonna miss you these 4 years where I don't see you. Play hard this week and I know yall will win. You gotta want to win, and yall will. You're the oldest brother now, and I know you will be a good example to Blake and Gabe. Also, I died when you said the player formerly known as mousecop. Gabe, I miss you buddy, and I'm sorry no one in the family is as cool as me. Also, make me a playlist for when I come home, you have a wayyyyyyyy good taste in music. I know you miss me, but I promise that I am having so much fun and I am loving my mission so far. Dad, I hope LSU wins the championship this year, because you definitely called it. I love you all sooooo much and when you get this it will be next pday, but I'm sorry my emails were so short. The rest of p-day was good. I finally washed my clothes which was so nice ahaahaha, And guess what, i did it by myself, mom and Kim. Anyway, goodnight.

October 18, 2018

Today was a pretty long day, but I am learning more every day. I miss all of yall, but not too much. Spanish is getting really hard, and I thought I was getting the hang of it, until I realized that I have so much to learn before I am teaching lessons in Spanish. Maybe I am being too hard on myself because I have only been here for 8 days ahahahahaha, but I want to be fluent in Spanish ASAP. A big group of missionaries went to Interpol, to become legal residents or something, and I was talking to this South Korean priest from Peru. He spoke only Korean and Spanish, and I spoke Spanish to him. We had a pretty good conversation with him about his life and his family in South Korea, and he liked the missionaries so much! We took a bunch of pictures with him, and I helped him understand some of the Spanish on his paperwork, because he was new to Spanish too. He was so nice, and he was a padre for a Juan de Baptista church. He's not getting baptized or anything, but we made a really positive impression on him because he loved us. Oh, also, there was a lady at interpol cussing us out because we were mormons ahahahahaha. She was yelling the f word at us and calling us leeches, but we smiled and waved back at her, that was pretty wild. I also got pretty mad at another Elder today because he was dissing on the food that the cute old cafeteria ladies made us. I was trying to be Christlike and not say anything mean, but he was dissing the food for so long. I told him to shut up and not eat it, and I was mad at him, pero, Esta bien. Love you all and goodnight.

October, 19, 2018

Today was a really good day. For the past couple days, our schedule has been crazy, and it was really hard to make time for scripture study and even companion prayer. We went to Interpol, and there were many other changes in our schedule that didn't help with our studying and prayer. I felt a difference in the Spirit and in my learning, and I found that I was having a hard time speaking Spanish. I know now that the Lord was helping me in every lesson that we have been learning in Spanish, and it kind of humbled me. I am not here to learn Spanish for myself, I am here to learn it to teach the people of Chiclayo, Peru. As simple as that sounds, it was a wake-up call. Elder Merritt and I made it a point to pray in the morning, and I made sure that I searched the scriptures in my personal study. It was a much better day because of that. I'm sure you all are very sick of hearing about the food here, ahahahahaha, and I'm sure you will be even more sick of it in 6 weeks, but we had burgers today for dinner, and it was sooooooooooooooo good. I love and miss burgers so much, and I hope there's a McD's in Chiclayo. Also, I hope there's a Taco Bell there too. I am finally learning how to teach lessons in Spanish, and it is so hard. Sometimes, I take over the lesson or a contact, and I don't let Elder Merritt speak that much. I need to let the Spirit guide the lessons and guide the message. This work is impossible without the Spirit, and I love having it with me. I am so tired, and I love all of you and I am so happy doing this work. Elder Condori and Elder Bravo always try to scare Elder Merritt and me when we come in the room at night by crouching on the ground in the dark an jumping out of nowhere, so we tried to wait in the room until they walked in, but they weren't scared like at all, they didn't even flinch, so we gotta figure out a better way to scare them.

October 20, 2018

Hey everybody, I love you so much and I have about 5 minutes to write, but I have been really busy today. I made a goal to learn 60 Spanish words a day and to learn 10 phrases a day. Phrases are things like Dios es nuestro amoroso padre celestial, and other things. Its a big goal, but the Lord is helping me and making me better than I am. Also, it helps to be incredibly smart, hahahhahahah, but it was a good day and I love you. My companion is doing way good at Spanish and I'm way proud. The gift of tongues is real.

October 21, 2018

Hey family, I love you all so much and it's killing me that I didn't have enough time to email my brothers back last Wednesday, but I'm tryna not think about that. Sorry, I have no time to write at all because I have been teaching Elders Condori and Elder Bravo how to pray in English, and they help me with my vocabulary in Spanish. I love the Spanish language, and even though it is hard, I think I am getting it. Today, Elder Merrit and I won the scaring contest between us and Elder Condori and Elder Bravo. We hid in our closet things and waited a longgggggg time for them to come back to the room. When they showed up, and I'm laughing right now thinking about it, they stopped at the door because they knew something was different. We were hid so well, but they slowly walked in. Elder Merritt and I waited until they were comfortable and then we jumped out the closet and scared them so good. They were literally so scared and they had terrified looks on their faces AHHAAAHHAHAHAHAHA. It was so funny oh my gosh. I love Sunday's at the CCM, because its a break from 3 hour classes everyday. Love you all and goodnight.

October 22, 2018

Elder Merritt and I won the scaring wars again today. We got to the room before the other Elders and we hid in their closet-looking things. We literally scared them so good. It's so sick talking to the Elder Condori about their past lives, because I know a ton of songs that Elder Condori likes. I love being here, and I have to learn soooooooo many words each day, like today I learned 11 phrases and 58 words. Also, I taught my first lesson in Spanish and it was so hard. My Spanish is still so choppy, but I think our maestra got the message and we felt the spirit. Love you all and goodnight.

October 23, 2018

Today was a normal day at the CCM. I'm sure all of you will be super bored of all the things I am saying in 6 weeks. I think my standard of food is way lower than when I first got here, because I love the food so much. My Spanish is going ok I guess, I didn't learn all of the words I had to learn today, but it was a crazy day. Oh also tomorrow I am going proselyting in the real city of Peru. Legit I am going proselyting in Peru in a country I'm not from, in a language I barely know, 13 days after I got here. They told us today that because the temple is still closed for cleaning, we get to go proselyting with the North American Elders that have been here for 5 weeks. Everyone was freaking out, but I'm actually so excited to test my knowledge of Espanol and talk to the people of Peru. I will really need the Spirit to loosen my tongue though because I barely know any Spanish. Holy I'm so excited to go ahahahahaha. 13 days ago I was in North America and now I'm in Peru trying to talk to everybody in Spanish. Hopefully I will be companions with Jackson, I mean Elder Shockley ahahahaha. On the real though we would baptize 500 people in one day, for real. By the time I talk to yall tomorrow, I will have proselyted or went proselyting or I dont know how to use the word. I know one thing, that my English is leaving me, so sorry Blake and Gabe and all yall OCD people reading this. love you all and goodnight.