Week 78: Lambayeque

March 30, 2020

(Letter from the Mission Office)

Dear Parents and Loved Ones,

Greetings from the Mission Perú Chiclayo. We thank you for all your prayers and concerns for the missionaries of Perú and all over the world. We understand you all have a great concern for the well being of your children as well as us! We are working closely with all the missionaries so that they have all essential items that are needed (Food, Medicine, Etc.). All the missionaries have received a 2-3 week supply of food for emergencies. All of the missionaries are also still receiving meals from their pensions so the missionaries have plenty of food. All of the missionaries are receiving USB’s with plenty of church videos, teaching investigators and converts, and we also have conference calls every so often with the missionaries to see how they are doing. All of the missionaries will have time every Monday to talk to their families through their personal companionship phones for the amount of time needed. We understand the concerns and questions you all have about the flight and travel plans of the missionaries. We ask that all of you can be very patient with the situation we are experiencing. We value highly the need you all have to know about the travel plans of your missionaries. Please know that we are working closely with the Missionary Department, The U.S Embassy, and the Peruvian Government to assure that all the missionaries are received by their families in these next few weeks. As soon as we know the travel itinerary of each missionary we will be in contact with you but until then we hope that you can all direct your prayers towards this difficult time we are experiencing. As COVID-19 is a rapid changing obstacle The Church is taking all the necessary precautions so all the missionaries are safe but we also need to recognize that these rapid flights that we desire to have is something that isn’t easy to carry out given the circumstances of government policies and quantity of people being prepared for repatriation. We all need to rely on the Lord in these moments and recognize that this is the his work and his will shall be done. We as a mission are maintaining a constant communication through this email account. If there are questions or concerns please feel free to let us know.

Cordially/Cordialmente,

       Elder Tagge

           Asistente

Mision Perú Chiclayo

April 2, 2020
(Letter from the Mission Office)

Dear Parents,

We hope you all are having a great week! We would like to inform you all that we have been holding several conference calls with zones and missionaries throughout this week and everyone is in good health and in good hands. The missionaries will have the opportunity to hear the General Conference through their cellphones with the help of their ward bishops and converts. It will be a great way to connect missionaries to their wards and converts! We hope that all of you have been able to contact your missionary on Mondays for the amount of time you desire. If international calls are costly we want you all to know the church has organized a way that all missionaries can have 6 minute international calls with their families. Although its not a lot of time it’s the best way the church could find a way to put the parents and missionaries in contact without putting the missionaries at risk. The health of the missionaries is our number one concern! As far as we know there isn’t a specific date of return set for any foreign missionaries but we want you all to know that the church is doing everything they can to assure that all the missionaries can receive the necessary reassignments and travel plans. We thank you all for your patience and prayers. We are well aware of constant changing norms from countries and governments and we assure you that the moment we have a specific date of return all parents will be informed. Thank you for all your love and concerns.

-- Misión Perú Chiclayo --

April 3, 2020
(Letter from the Mission Office)

Dear Parents and Loved Ones,

We would like to inform you all that the Church has been working very hard to ensure that all missionaries return to their designated countries to continue serving the Lord and be received by their families. The Missionary Department has a plan of evacuation for all United State Citizens that will be carried out in the coming week. We do not have a specific date but the Missionary department will be letting us know the exact date in these coming days. We are not working through the U.S Embassy. Please don’t be mistaken with the finishing travel and flight plans the U.S. Embassy has coordinated mean that there will not be ways of traveling. The church has at its disposal charter planes that have been coordinated to receive and carry the remaining missionaries in South America. Please understand there are thousands of foreign missionaries trying to return to their designated countries which gives us reason to understand why all can’t be evacuated at the same time. The Church is doing a wonderful job to assure that all missionaries will receive the necessary assignments needed in its given time. We thank you for everything you have been doing to support and love the missionaries of the Perú Chiclayo Mission.

Cordially / Cordialmente

      Winsor Balderrama S.

    Presidente Misión Perú Chiclayo

April 4, 2020

Today was General Conference, and we listen through a conference call to the whole mission. We used my speaker, so that was nice. Sometimes it was impossible to understand what they were saying, and we missed a huge part of the morning session. But what we heard was really good. I heard this talk, and we didn't know from who, and he was talking about spiritual experiences, and how we need to really appreciate those spiritual experiences, and while he was talking about that, the Spirit illuminated my mind, and I had a lot of answers given to questions that I had been asking. It was a confirmation from God to let me know that the Spirit really talks to us. I've felt the Spirit many times, but it's something you have to keep constant in your life, and it's also an amazing help to remember the past spiritual experiences that one has had, to help get you through the hard times. So I'm really grateful for that experience that God gave me, like a personal reminder that He really is there. 

I honestly am really glad that I stayed in the mission for General Conference, it's something that was really amazing. I'm getting to know Elder Lugo a lot, because we've been in the same room for about three weeks straight now, and he's the best. We've played Monopoly and Sorry like 100 times already, and when I wreck him in Sorry he gets so mad, it's so funny. But he really is a good missionary, and he'll keep being a great missionary in the future. 

I already have packed up all my bags, and I have less stuff than I thought. I didn't have time to buy souvenirs or anything, so I'm coming home with what I have up until now. I don't know if it's registered in my head that I'm coming home yet. I still feel the same, but I'm really excited to get out of this room. 

Even though we're starting to get tired of being here, we're trying to enjoy it because we really have it good to be servants of the Lord in this country and in this time. We have prophets that guide us, we have tons of amazing missionaries at our side, and we always will have the Savior of the World to help us in times of need, and to give us comfort in all the hard times. I'm grateful for Jesus Christ, and all He's done for me. Man, without Christ, is nothing. I know He's saved me from my sins, He's felt all that I will ever feel, and He loves me so much that He did all of that willingly, and so happy, because of that love that He feels for everyone. 

We were talking to Kevin today, and he's making some big changes in his life, and we were talking about the natural man and he asked us how is it possible to beat the natural man. And we told him that Christ is the only one who can change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, that He can make us see everything with different, spiritual eyes. The only way that man can change is through Jesus Christ. One can't explain how much love they feel for the Savior. We're really happy that Kevin is deciding to change his life and get baptized.

April 4, 2020
(Letter from the Mission Office)

Dear Huff family;

As President of the Peru Chiclayo mission, I want to express my best wishes for your well-being amid the uncertainty that COVID-19 is possibly causing the world, we pray that your family is protected and cared for by our Heavenly Father. I want to assure you that your son is completely well, both physically and emotionally. In these past 20 days of quarantine and even before, my wife and I have tried to protect them as much as circumstances have allowed us, we wish we had done more, but not being able to leave our home for prevention measures has limited us and created several challenges.

On this occasion, the reason why I am writing to you is to inform you that according to the evacuation plan of foreign missionaries that our Area Presidency is following, (with the support of its Visas and Travel department) it has been confirmed that on April 8, all of the missionaries from the US will be back home. The official information that we have received so far mentions that the flight (Chiclayo-Lima) is scheduled to leave at 11:20 am, and after a short layover in Lima, the flight from Lima is scheduled to leave for Los Angeles at 14:30 pm; each of you will receive your child’s specific flight itinerary  between Monday and Tuesday, and it will be sent directly by the Visas and Travel Department of the South America Northwest Area.

On the other hand, I want to highlight an important detail for the missionaries: in order to travel with communication and support in any unexpected situation, one of the missionaries will carry a cell phone that will be enabled with access to international calls, (both to call and to receive phone calls). The number is: +51 945-069-953; The missionary who will be in charge of this cell phone is: Elder Tagge, who is currently assigned as an assistant in our beloved mission.

Most importantly, my wife and I want to thank all of your family for allowing us to connect and share this time with your beloved son, our lives will never be the same after this privilege of having served together, thank you, thank you very much, sincerely we have no words to express how much it hurts us to separate from each of these courageous missionaries, we see them as if they were our own children, I want them to know that we are proud of each one of them, they have always been obedient, I suppose that many times they have found me demanding with what I expected from them, however they have always surprised me carrying out what was required of them, together we have worked not only to do the work, but we have always tried to do something superior in this work, I love your son, my wife loves each of them as if they were her own children. Hopefully when you reunite, they can show the intellectual, spiritual development and above all the growth of their testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you very much for all that your family has done to support us, and above all thanks to you, the parents, for what you have taught us through your son.

Best regards.

Winsor Balderrama S.

    Mission President Perú Chiclayo Mission

              Of. 51-074-205436

              Cel. 51-975503606

     BalderramaW@churchofjesuschrist.org

April 5, 2020

Today we listened to General Conference, and there was about a 40 minute space of time where Elder Lugo and I were dead asleep. But Conference was good, the talks by the apostles were generic, but really good.

We taught this old guy named Victor over the phone, we called him a few times last week and every time he wasn't really interested, but we called him today, and he said his mom died two days ago, and we were there to help him out a little. Actually, we just listed to him talk for about 20 minutes and then we shared a small part of the message, but he really opened up to us. He was really willing to learn about why there are so many churches, and I just felt a strong love for that man. I think that's a small part of what Jesus feels for everyone. 

We got word that tomorrow I'll be leaving Lambayeque to go to Chiclayo, and my plane leaves on Wednesday from Lima. So we're going to be traveling a lot in a little bit. I'm honestly pretty sad to leave the mission. Being on a mission and teaching the Gospel and watching the Savior's love work on people's lives is something that you get to see real up-close on the mission. 

I'm grateful for everything God has given me, this mission, my life, and every good thing that has ever happened to me. I probably won't be writing tomorrow or the next day. But I know that my Savior lives, He has real power. He knows every sorrow and every pain that everyone in this world has felt, just so He could know how we feel. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and I know that this is His Church. I'll always be indebted to Him, I love Him, I respect Him, and I've gotten to know Him so much more through serving His sheep. He is my Lord and my Redeemer. He is wonderful. He's counseled me, made me strong in my weaknesses, forgiven my sins, and guided me in every moment. I know that He lives and that He can give peace, forgiveness, and relief to anyone and everyone in all things, because He went far below all things. There's no other words. I love my Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.