Week #20

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope things are great back in the States. Things are fantastic here in Peru. Me and my new companion are getting along really well. It has been really nice to have a new companion who has new ideas. I still miss Elder Muhun, but Elder Garcia is awesome also. We planned an activity for our ward this week. We are going to have a Missionary night. We invited all the members to invite a non member. There will be food, and games, and videos. I hope it turns out great and we can meaet a lot of new people. Sometimes contacting can be hard here in Peru because no one wants to talk with us. They all have the same excuse of ¨sorry I am Catholic¨

We had some good lessons this week. One was with an old investigador. I was teaching about prophets, and asked her if God called prophets in the olden days, shouldn´t there be a prophet today. She sat quietly for awhile and then finally responded... ¨yeah, the world needs a prophet, because so many people don´t believe in God or Jesus¨ I was amazed at her statement when she said the world needs a prophet. I quickly took the oppurtinity to bear my testimony about prophets. I told her about Jose Smith and Thomas S. Monson. I know she felt the spirit when I testified to her about prophets.

I attached a photo with my name tag with a bag that says Chota. Chota is in the mountains here in my area, and has a lot of people who happen to be whiter then I am. Sometimes we Joke I am from Chota. Maybe if my spanish was a little better people would believe I was from Chota...

Wel thanks everone for your letters this week, and for your emails. I enjoy hearing from everyone! I hope everyone has a good week!

Love 

Elder Peabody

Week #19 New Companion

Dear Family and Friends,

What an amazing week. On tuesday I got a new companion, and my Companion Elder Muhun got a new area. I was so nervous on Tuesday. Elder Muhun has been my companion for 3 months. And he is my first companion here in Chiclayo. My zone Chicalyo Central, was first to find out changes. Elder Muhun got called to Jaen to be the Zone leader. He is so lucky. Jaen is Jungle!!!!!!!! But Jaen also happens to be the hottest zone in Chiclayo. I want to go to Cajarmarca where it is mountains and it is cooler. But anyways after two zones where left to find out cambios I found out who my companion was. My new companion is Elder Garcia from Guatamala!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes another Guatamaltaco!!!! It made me really happy to have another Guatamalataco.He had been serving in Caramarca y en Chota for 7 and a half months. So he is from guatamala too. 

Other then that everything is normal. Thanks for all the support. And I will have photos next week. Sorry.

Love

Elder Peabody

Week #18

Dear Family and Friends,

What a fantastic week. We had two baptisms. The first baptism was on Friday. His name is Kevin, and I live in his parents house. He has known the Missionaries for 3 years and he finally got baptised. It was amazing because many missionaries know him, and were able to come to his baptism. My mission President, President Risso came also!  My second baptism this week was on Saturday. We baptised Donitilla, a 75 year old. Her two grandsons were baptised 5 months ago. I was afraid she wasn´t going to enter the water because she said she wouldn´t enter the water if it was cold. And well here in Chiclayo Peru we don´t have warm water for baptisms... Luckly we had no problems. 

So sad news. My companion I have had for the past 12 weeks, Elder Muhun, has a transfer tommorrow. So I am getting a new companion. I am nervious and a little excited. The good news is I finished my 12 week training as a new missionary! 

I don´t know what more to say... Things are great. It is getting even hotter. We are having more sucess because it is summer and no one has school. We met a guy with cancer, and he says he wants to be baptised. I don´t know how we are going to get him baptised because he is too sick to leave his house. I think it will work out. We had a new investigator go to church this weekend. Her name is Gladys and she is 70 years old. She really enjoyed it, and participated a lot. From what I have heard I only have six more weeks in Chiclayo Central, 9 de Octubre, and then I will get transfered somewhere else. I would really like to go out to the mountains in Cajarmarca, or to the Jungles in Jaen. But I know I will go where the Lord Needs me.

It has been great to hear from all of you. Thanks for the emails, and letters and all the prays.

Love 

Elder Peabody

Week #17 Summer Time

Querido familia y amigos,

It just keeps getting hotter and hotter here in Chiclayo. It is wierd to think so of many of my friends are starting school in Rexburg Idaho where I am sure they are all Freezing. Well not me. But it is fantastic never the less. Chiclayo has a cool thing they do in summer. Everyone in the town throws buckets of water and water balloons at people in the street. Luckily they have enough respect not to throw them at us, the Missionaries. But that doesn´t stop us from participating on our P day. We had a huge water fight at the Stake center, and then again at the Penchinista of the area Chiclayo Central roof. For once I was actually cold from all the water and wind. It was awesome.

I also had a great New Years. Remember how they have fireworks at midnight for Christmas. Well Multiply those fireworks by 100, and that is how many fireworks they had for New Years. I was on the roof of my Penchinista, and I felt like I was in a war zone. Fireworks everywhere shot all around me. It was fantastic. And in the street every person had a scarecrow they build with straw and fireworks. And at Midnight everyone lit them on fire. The streets filled with Fire, and explosions. With the streets blowing, and the Fireworks everywhere, it literely felt like Chiclayo was in the middle of a war. It was awesome. Also at midnight 

So the Lord has blessed us this week so much. First of all word got out that missionaries give blessins. We given so many blessings to members and Non members, young and old. But it is fantastic because it gives us an opurtunity to share the Gospel, and teach about faith. We gave a blessing this week to a man who had cancer. He was so sick... His skin and even his eyes were yellow, and he was supper skinny. We are going to visit him again and teach him and his family. They could really use the Gospel in there lives right now. I almost wanted to cry when the the wife asked me if I believe he could be healed. I didn´t know what to say... But I told her that I believed God can do anything. I really want to share with them the Plan of Salvation, because I know death is never a happy thing, but it is comforting to know that we can be with our families for eternity, and not even death can seperate families for eternity. Also this week we got a knock on our door at 6 20 in the morning. I was like I am sleeping. But I didn´t say that. It was a less active member of the church saying we needed to give her daughter a blessing because she was possesed by an evil spirit and was having convultions. We immediately called our Bishop and Stake President because our mission president says the leaders in the area should be the ones to administer blessings if someone says they are possesed by an evil spirit. From what I hear the daughter is doing fine, and the family expresed there gratefulness for the Priesthood. 

We also have two more suprise baptims planned for this week. Neither are for sure. One is a guy who had the lessons a long time ago, and says he is ready for baptism, but he wasn´t willing to change or Repent the first time we taught him. The second is a 55 year old grandmother Donitilla. She lives with her daughter who has two sons who are recent converts. The sons mom wants to be a member but her partner doesn´t believe in marriage. We are sure if Donitilla will be baptised this week because she has many challenges and doubts. But we are hoping. 

Well I hope everyone had a great New Years Day. I can´t belive it is 2014. Time is going so fast. Sorry no photos this week. It is a combination of not enough time and i don´t have my SD card. haha

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Peabody