Week #25

Dear Family and Friends,

Everything is great here in Peru. We have anothe baptims planned for the end of the month. It is a 18 year old daughter of a member. We ate Lunch at there house the other week, and the daughter just moved here with her dad who is a member and says she wants to learn more about the Gospel and hopefully be baptised. 

Our ward Talent show was great. I played the piano and my companion played the Flute to Come thou Fount of Every Blessing. It turned out pretty well. There were also a lot of other cool talents. Everyone in Peru seems to be able to dance really well, and sing. It is cool to see the different dances and songs in Peru. 

We had a Kinkana today with the missionaries in my zone. A kinkana is just a big party. But since we are missionaries it was just a few games of scripture questions, and if you got it wrong we got to throw flour at eachother. 

There isn´t much more going on. It is really hot, but we are working really hard. I had an interview with the President of the Mission, and he said for sure I will have a new area April 8! When I asked the President why I was the only one in my group who didn´t have a change, he said President Monson said good missionaries with good companions should stay in there area for 6 months. So I guess it is good thing. 

Well sorry this letter is short, but I will write more next week. I also hope you enjoy the fotos I sent. 

Love,

Elder Peabody

Semana #23

Hello Family and friends,

I hope everyone had a good valintines day! As a missionary it is pretty uneventful, other then the fact that I am in Peru. I had a really great week. Lots of new investigadors. We had 8 investigadors asist church on Sunday. The most I have every had was 4. And of the 8, five were were asisting for the first time. The ward here has started to be a lot more helpful. We went out with a group of 10 youth in the ward and they helped us find a lot of new people to teach. 

I have two baptisms next saturday. Two little girls. One is named Estephany, 13 yrs old, and her sister is Brinda, 9 yrs old. Her mom is not very active, but gave us permision to baptise her daughters. It is amazing  an I am so happy for there decisions to be baptised. 

So one night I was all ready in bed. I had brushed my teeth, and said my prayes. I sleep on the top bunk. And my companion started talking to me about our plans for the next day. He looked at me and saw a insect near my head and told me. I jumped quickly to the other side of the bed and he told me to look, but I couldn´t see becasue my I didn´t have my glasses. So my companion got my glasses, and when I saw the bug I jumped out of my bed. It was a giant bug. It kinda looked like a cockaroach, but had different designes and had different colors. We got rid of it, and then I sprayed my bed with the bug repellent. I have the most fear of bugs of the 4 missionaries in my apartment, and of course I am the one with the giant bug in my bed. Haha

So I dropped my camera this week, and had to buy a new one today. I am excited to use it when it finsishes charging. So I changed american money in the streets with some stranger. My pencionista said I could trust him, becuase she exchanges her brothers money with the same guy. I felt like I was doing something illegal. Haha. I got permision this morning to go to the biggest mall in Chiclayo. Normally missionaries aren´t allowed there because all of the girls, but I called the president of my mission and told him I needed a new camera, and my penchinista said they are the cheapest in the mall. I told him I would go with my Pencionista also. So I got to go, and I ate mcdonalds. I am not a big fan of macdonalds but it was nice to eat something not so foreighn. The mall was really nice. It was kinda like the malls in the U.S.A. Giant, outdoors mall. I even saw a few american tourists. When I bought my camera the women asked me in spanish ´are you paying in cash´. But for some reason I heard ´is it disfunctional´. So I responded ´no nothing is disfuntional´ She must of thought I was crazy.  

Well I have to get going! I hope everyone had a great Valentines. I am grateful for all of your support! Things are great here in Peru. Next week I will know for sure If I am leaving my first area, but I won´t know where! I don´t really want to leave this area. I have grown to love and know this ward. And I will miss the ward, and the people I have baptised, and there are so many more people who are investidading who I want to continue to see progress in the Gospel. But I have 4 and a half months here in Chiclayo Central 9 de Octubre. So I will probably be leaving. I love everyone. 

Gracias por todos. Extraño todos. Estoy feliz ser sirviendo un misión aquí en Chiclayo Perú  Estoy feliz por todos misioneros. Estoy feliz por mi familia y mis amigos. Se que el evangelio de Jesucristo es verdad. La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santo de los Últimos Días es la Iglesia verdadera en la tierra. Estoy feliz ser compartiendo esta testimonio con la gente aquí en Perú. 

Con mucho Amor,

Elder Peabody

A Week of Contacting

Dear Family and Friends,

I had an awesome week. So my companion and I kind of got a little stuck. All of our investigadors seemed to be busy, and so we had no one to teach. My companion and I made it a goal to go contacting and knock on doors even though it is my least favorite thing to do. Well in one day we contacted more then 40 people. It was an amazing day, and now we have plenty of new investigadors. 

Also this week was Stake Conference. My mission President, Presidente Risso spoke in the adult session and the Sunday session. It was really amazing, because in my ward we have been having a little trouble with getting help from the Leaders in the ward, and my Mission Presidents messages was all about how the ward needs to be helping the missionaries. 

So I have offically become a fish lover. If it is the right kind of fish, and is cooked right, I almost love it more then Chicken. I am kind of getting tired of rice, but I still eat it everday for lunch and dinner and sometimes even breakfast. 

So I heard Chase got his mission call to Italy. My Pensionista wants to know what mission because she has three children who live in Italy and two of them are members. 

My Pesionista also has children in Germany. In fact they are visiting right now. It is so funny to hear them speak spanish with a German Accent. But it is pretty cool. There daughter is a flight attendent, and knows a lot of countries. She even knows California, San Fransisco, and Santa Barbra. 

The first person I baptised, Antonio, returned to Chiclayo this week. He is going to try to find work here in Chiclayo, but if he can´t find any work, he is going to leave for Lima again. I really hope he can find work here in Chiclayo. We are trying to help him accomplish his goals, to recieve the aronic and melchezidic priesthood, get sealed in the Temple, and baptise his own son in two years!

I think it is getting hotter here in Peru... I am ready to get out of Chiclayo and head to Cajarmarca in the mountains where it is cold. I have been in my first area for 4 months. I think I will have a transfer in three weeks, but I could go anywhere. 

Love,

Elder Peabody

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