2/20/2012

Family,
First of all,  i´m going to write the things i want to say so i don´t forget while answering mom´s email.
Thanks mom for the valentines package! I got it a week and half ago, and forgot to write last monday about it! I loved the beef jerky and i shared all the cinnamon hearts with my zone. (i´m getting better at sharing.. )
Thanks linds for the pictures of your kids! They are SO cute, and i love the style of the pictures!
A funny thing the people here always say is "si Dios quiere" or if God wants.. It´s really funny when we commit people to go to church and they say if God wants.. I always tell them that of course He wants them to go to church haha it´s funny.
On sunday all four of us missionaries here in the Pomalca ward gave talks in sacrament meeting. The other companionship only took up like 10 minutes together, so elder chaco and i had like a half hour. I talked for like 15 minutes- i´ve gotten so much better at giving talks now! I talked about the tender mercies of the Lord, like Nephi says in 1 nephi 1 20 i think. There was a talk by elder Bednar in the liahona about that this month. I felt the spirit really strongly while i was speaking and ended up crying. I´m turning into a cry baby. But i really love the oportunity to talk, i feel like i always learn so much.
Saturday elder Chaco and i were talking to a drunk guy and a 18ish year old guy was listening to us and walking around behind us.. we didn´t pay much attention to him, until he stuck his hand in elder Chaco´s pocket and went sprinting off yelling and elder Chaco realized he took our cell phone! like 10 people saw it happen, a bunch of kids that were swimming in the irrigation canal and they know the guy who it was. He´s a druggy and his name is Chino Huaman. We paid a little kid 2 soles to show us his house, took the police there, and he wasn´t there, but it was his house.. He´s definitely sold it by now, so we´ll see what happens. Bummer, so we´ve gone a few days without a phone. Being a zone leader without a phone is the worst! There have already been a bunch of problems.
Yeah so pomalca is only about 7 kilometers from chiclayo, super close. I feel like my whole mission is going to be within five minutes traveling time..
Our zone is big though. I visited Chongoyape and Patapo this week. Chongoyape is an hour and a half away in the mountains, super prettty! and patapo is about a half hour away.
I still teach a ton, but about half of it isn´t in my own area. I feel like i don´t even know my area or elder Chaco that well.. We go to chiclayo to the mission office, to the bank, to buy stuff for the zone, all the time. almost every day we go there.
Elder Chaco is doing well. I´m keeping him working while i can! and yes, we´re both called zone leaders. he´s zone leader 1 and i´m zone leader 2 .
No, i don´t cook myself rice. We get enough of that from other people! I mainly eat cereal or bread and lunchmeat for breaakfast, and hotdogs or hamburgers for dinner. lunch we rotate in different members´ houses because we don´t have a pensionista, but this next month we´re going to pension on the second floor of our house with a member family.
All the stuff about dad´s surgery is crazy, but i´m so glad everything went well, and that doctor conley could do the anesthesia too! He´s the best. It´s good to hear about all the support and love the family has gotten, too. I know everything will turn out right and that the Lord has a special plan for dad now! I´m sure your joke reportoir has gotten a lot bigger! oh, and i´m expecting pictures.. it´s so easy to take a picture and send it with an iphone, so do it! :)

Pictures:
1. Pomalca!
2. Elder Sampson and elder Cajas last p day at a place called Boró, a resorvoir.
3. Elder Chaco with our pink mosquito nets in our room. These are for the sister missionaries, we´re just trying them out for a few days before we give them to the sisters. Our room looks like a princessy little girl´s room!
4. a little trail up to an altar on the mountain in Chongoyape! i wish i could have gotten better pictures there, it is BEAUTIFUL!