Divisions in Tarma

I spent a significant amount of time this week outside my area. We spent P-Day in Tarma again, but I remained there another day to do Divisions (splits) with one of our Zone Leaders as one of them returned with my companion, a District Leader.  Tarma is a large city in a valley, washing up in the hills surrounding the area. As we began our work, I noticed how much Zone Leaders have to worry about outside the normal work. As he spoke animatedly with the man who was renting the Hermanas' house trying to lower the price, and the Hermanas listened pensively, I stood quietly and patiently a little behind. Suddenly, a long line of children passed by led by a teacher on their way to school. Always enthused to see a gringo, one waved at me timidly. I waved back and greeted him cheerfully, which boosted the confidence of the other several dozen children. The conversation behind me stumbled for a few minutes as the street erupted into cheers and shouts and stilted "hel-lo's" until I waved the last one by. I enjoyed the divisions.

We only had a short break in the middle of the week before we were off once more to San Pedro de Cajas, the other area in our district. We are the two towns in the middle of nowhere, isolated by an hour or so from the others in the zone. San Pedro's, however, is even smaller than Junín (and much greener), half the population consisting of sheep. Rumor has it the town used to be called San Pedro de Cacas (Saint Peter of Poop) before some heroic citizen changed that vital ´c´ into a ´j´, turning Saint Peter´s dominion into the slightly less mundane Boxes. Their central plaza, like most, has some iconic statues- the central one is the patron saint with his finger and his thumb in the shape of an L dangerously close to his forehead. The other symbolizes the model citizen- a colorful old woman stooped over knitting away furiously, real yarn looped in her fingers. The other half of the population not grazing in pastures consists of similar women. We were there for two reasons- firstly for another set of divisions and secondly a Zone Attack. For difficult areas, sometimes the zone will designate a day in which all missionaries will arrive and contact nearly everyone, giving a jump start to the area. I'm a supporter in such acts of unity of the zone, and hope it did some good.

When we came back, a highlight included a Family Home Evening we had with our Pensionista and her daughter, not members of the church. Practically the whole branch came and we shared a message, played games, and generally had a good time. The daughter confessed some increased interest in the church recently and has been attending regularly. Unfortunately, she goes for Lima today. 

Well, it was a great week. I hope you all enjoyed the week too, and recognize the little good parts of life- for by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Life is good!

A Memorable Week

Stone fences and half finished house frames furnish rocky green fields. The paved town center branches out into dirt roads as one passes by the Plaza of Arms (with great statues of old war heroes rearing on horses), the railway tracks, and street corner shops. Every Tuesday, a maze of a market appears with slick vendors shouting miracle cures and vegetables rolling around the ground. Men relieve themselves wherever and whenever nature calls, causing some wise property owners to hastily write "Urinating is Prohibited" on their walls. Sheep pass unhurriedly by, sometimes accompanied by a llama or two.

This week was memorable. We spent a good portion of one day installing our underground piping to get water in our house. We also had a busy week teaching a lot of less actives, which paid off. A decent number of them came to church, which made for a happy Sunday. I like serving in branches such as this. My last area certainly had its perks, but with a large ward it's hard to get to know the members. Here, we're in charge of the Young Men's program; the President of the Branch is always willing to help on visits; and we know nearly all the members by name. This is an area I'll remember, proved by an unexpected meeting in the little house of a member. We found a couple from Utah sitting on the couch chatting with the President of the Branch and others. Brother Newton, as it turned out, served here twelve years ago. He and his wife animated us, promised our work and assured us it would make a difference. It encouraged us to strengthen the branch, and we left certain we'd be the missionaries to do whatever it took to lift this branch back on its feet. We are incredibly grateful for their influence, and we are seeing miraculous changes occur in the area. 

We are here to overcome difficulties. And we will do so. Those with midnight consciences often only need someone to light a candle to recognize it's dark. With that, the sheep will shed wolves' clothing and the Shepherd will rescue them.

Transferred!

So I've been transferred to Junin this time around! I'm with an Elder Grandstaff (from Washington as well), and it's cold!  I bought a scarf, and luckily they've got a warm jacket for whatever missionary comes in here. We're also the only area that gets bikes in the mission...though one of my pedals doesn't work and the seat is at a 45 degree angle, haha-  we might be walking more than anything. 

We went to a city named Tarma for Conference, and we're here for the weekend with the zone. General Conference was, of course, a highlight for the week as I really enjoyed the talks. President Uchtdorf and Elder Holland's were definitely the most powerful for me. However, Elder Bednar's was also really cool and deserves extra study. I enjoyed that he says the way we retain the remission of our sins was by the Spirit. The promise in the Sacrament is the Spirit, and the way we retain a remission of our sins is by the Sacrament. It clicked for me. Elder Rasband's and Renlund's were cool for me, too. I liked that President Eyring told us to look for pure testimony in the conference and feel the spirit.

The Hero in Our Stories

[This week, Andrew sent a very thoughtful (and deep!) blog entry.  Admittedly, I had to read and re-read this a few times -- especially the first paragraph.  But each time I did, I gained more insight and understanding.  I don't know everything that he is experiencing in Peru, but I can tell those experiences are making an impact.]

If we speak in terms of stories, reality holds an interesting place. Unbound by tethers of entertainment and popularity, God can direct our lives in the most necessary course rather than what we would find to be the most compelling narrative. As a cohesive story--one with obvious causes and effects--fades as far as our mortal minds can see, some lose faith. Debilitating and harmful experiences that have no immediate explanation go so contrary to a loving and almighty God that belief seems illogical. In a culture of stories filled with modern sarcasm, anti-heroes, and moral debates, simplicity becomes weak. How can a humble teacher who taught about kindness and love be our Savior? How can a perfect person (modernly portrayed as some comic holiness) know anything about the world? What's real perfection, anyway, when Utopian literature always points to something sinister, and flaws seem so philosophically important to ground a society?

We worry too much. God is our loving Heavenly Father. He sent us here to gain experience and grow. Weakness and sin will oppose us, but as we struggle, we gain spiritual strength. Faults are not eternal, nor is pain. They are part of a very brief experience. We overcome such obstacles through Christ, who was strong enough to overcome not only his temptations but all of ours. Though He suffered all, He ultimately conquered and rose again, taking up immortality and promising His real and complete joy to all who accept it. Yet it requires all our attention, and all our acceptance. He will not force salvation on us.

But if we choose the Gospel, He'll heal the young man panicked at the responsibility of the two-year-old "mistake" he loves more than anything. He'll heal the man consumed by the weight of his calling in life. He'll heal the drunk cripple, and the overwhelmed mother who's running away from her past. He'll heal them who plead for forgiveness and those who need to grant it. I've seen each one of these characters either accept it or run away after they've experienced a moment's repose.

In the end, we just need to recognize we're not the hero in our own story. In the name of the Hero, Jesus Christ, amen.

Multi-Zone P-Day

This will be a short blog this week! Just a little update: This week we had a multi-zone conference. This also meant we had a multi-zone P-Day, with a good number of missionaries from the surrounding areas. We played soccer on a correctly-sized field, which is too rare here. After feeling content and tired with the few hours we'd been playing, Elder Cornilles and I decided to head back to our area. Perhaps it was inspiration. We heard the next day a giant gust of wind rose up in the park. One of our friends rose up his hands and jokingly shrieked, "Repent Ye!", only to be alarmed as the wind turned into a small tornado, whipping the roof off a nearby building and sending it flying toward the missionaries. One of them actually got gauged in the leg, but thankfully he's alright now. 

The following day, we had the conference, in which President Henderson focused on Ezra Taft Benson's "Beware of Pride" talk he had previously handed out to us. That took center stage this week. Sorry for the short post- I'll write more next week!

Acting on the Promptings of the Spirit

We are privileged as missionaries to witness the power of the priesthood. We intend to change the lives of those we teach yet see such a change come far more readily from the power and authority of God than from our own knowledge or lesson plans. Ordinances such as baptism with the proper priesthood authority are pivots in lives that align us with the Gospel. Blessings can be far stronger witnesses of the validity of our claim than lectures. We follow the same steps as were instituted in the New Testament, as seen in many scriptural accounts. One such example is found in James 5:14-15: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up..." 

We performed a great number of blessings this week- six, I think, in total- with faith in the assurance that the Spirit will guide us in what we say. While we can always count on some form of guidance, at times it's stronger than others. I gave a blessing to a cousin of a member, and the confidence and faith that anchored me in the appropriate words to give were tangible. Very few times do I feel comfortable declaring someone will be healed rather than that they'll receive patience and spiritual strength during necessary trials. This time I could promise healing and an ensuing testimony in the gospel without doubt.

     

I remember President Monson saying once the happiest feeling he'd ever found was acting on a prompting and later finding out he had been the means by which God had answered a prayer. In the same vein, I think in general acting on the whisperings of the Spirit gives the greatest sense of fulfillment in life. It's a powerful and peaceful rest I receive from so frequently worrying over what lack I yet. Complete freedom from doubts would result in spiritual stagnation. A healthy fear of disappointing our Father in Heaven spurs us to follow His guidance. Yet momentary repose from such fearful self-reflection, when based on spiritual promptings, is welcome. I know we will receive them more frequently as we continually strive to do what is right. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

A Day in the Life

We wake up each day and we exercise, shower, and go to breakfast at our Pension. We start up personal study afterward, and I try to study for things we'll teach during the day. Our primary goal is to teach according to the needs and situation of each person, but the doctrinal basis- the lessons found in Preach My Gospel- are requisites for all looking into the Church. 

After people are converted for a while, we're just supposed to keep them animated and learning more. I like this time because we can form fun lessons from the scriptures suited to their life, and I'm a big fan of scripture stories. For instance, one morning this week I turned Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-nego's fiery experience into a lesson for one convert who works at this super tasty bakery. In companionship study, we try to figure out how to better teach and what our investigators need. For instance, the Fall of the Adam and Eve is a bear to teach and difficult to understand. My companion thought of this great visual aid we'll use where the "bridge" Adam and Eve had to speak with God directly was broken and later rebuilt through Jesus Christ. 

After language study, we head out in the mornings for, at times, a service project before full-time proselyting in the afternoon. Quite frequently, our appointments fall through. Sometimes we get in and things go better than planned. We spoke to one man who was also speaking with missionaries of another church. We promised him if he read a portion of the Book of Mormon and prayed about it, he would receive his answer. We also specifically promised that if he did so, the sickness he was dealing with- the lack of clarity in his head- would clear enough to understand the message. The next day, he said he read the scripture and prayed at night. He felt a great sense of peace, and belief in our message. That night, he dreamed we were leading him through the wilderness to a great and peaceful garden that he wanted to find very much. He awoke to a perfect confidence in us and the Book of Mormon, and a new health and clarity in his mind. We explained we were guiding him to a wonderful place, and the gate was called baptism. We're excited to progress with him this month in preparation.

And then the day ends with dinner and planning...and then we go to bed, and then we start over. It's a good life. I hope this explained a little of what a day in the missionary life is like. Hasta la proxima semana!