Pachacutec - Week 18

Cambie Pues

Feliz Navidad to everyone.  It's been a full week of hot chocolate and paneton here in Pachacutec.  Thursday we had the meeting with the whole mission which was really cool.  All 200 missionaries in the same chapel.  I got to see my trainer Elder Chalampuento as well.  Then Friday we had the Chocolatada with Maria Huaracha and I dressed up like Santa Clause for all the little kids.  Then on Saturday we helped Hermano Hisbis redo the roof on his house.  The houses here are cool, some of them are just little wooden sheds, but it works good for the climate here.

This week we've been teaching the families of our converts, part member families.  We are teaching Alex who is 18 years old (the son of Maria Huaracha). He played soccer with us today and he invited 3 of his friends, it was pretty fun.  And also the mother and the grandma of Patricia.  They are progressing and will be baptized in January, Berta and Alejandra.

We ate Christmas dinner 3 times... I was so full.  But it was sooo good.  The food in Peru is incredible.  They normally eat turkey or pork for Christmas.  We also had a ward talent show one night this week and we missionaries sang a christmas hymn with voices of trumpets.  We killed it.

I was really happy to talk to my family yesterday.  After the call I felt really relaxed and energized.  Ready to work.  The transfer is tonight...we will see what happens.  I think I'm going to stay here though.  This place is full people just waiting to hear the gospel. Pachacutec is the best area in the mission.

Elder Harris

The baptism of Arminda!  She lives below us.  Her daughter and granddaughter are also in the picture.

Christmas Dinner!  In the back is my Pensionista, Maria Teresa, and her two sons, Jan Carlos and Luis Angel.  Also Elder Sanabria and Elder Mamani were with us.

Christmas Dinner number 2 with the Alfaro Family!  Maguin and Rosario and their three kids: Maguin Jr., Johana, and Samira.

With Elder Sanabria.  We played football today.

Elder Harris as Santa Clause at an activity with the kids.

Cool Pics of the Ocean

Elder Poma and the Ocean

Skyping with my family and my brother that is serving in the Fiji Suva Mission.  My brother goes home on December 31st.

Mission Christmas Party!  Left to Right: Elder Sanabria, Elder Mamani, Elder Arroyo, Elder Bravo, Elder Taylor.

Pachacutec - Week 17

¿Quien subió el calentador?

It's been a hot week this week.  But we had a service project on Friday which was pretty fun.  It was for all 10 missionaries in Pachacutec and we made hot chocolate and brought paneton to a class in this school for special needs kids.  The special needs kids and their parents were there, and we sang Christmas songs, shared the Light the World Christmas video, and shared the message of the Plan of Salvation.

We also had a baptism this week.  The owner of our house, Arminda, was baptized.  She is 82 years old.  Missionaries have lived in this apartment for 2 years, I think, and I don't know if they have ever visited her.  Kind of interesting, but she received the message and the commandments and everything without problems. It was kind of a miracle.

One spiritual experience I had this week is I was teaching Alex, the son of my conversa Maria Huaracha, and he told me he didn't believe in God.  We talked and shared a few scriptures and he finally asked me why I believe in God.  And I was able to bear my testimony of the various things that I have felt and seen. Miracles that have happened in my life and that they only could be from God.  At the end of the lesson he got on his knees and asked God if he really exists.  It felt sincere, and I think he has changed a little bit hopefully.

Love you family,

Nos vemos en Navidad,

Elder Harris

Photos from our district service activity

Elder Harris and Elder Companion jaja

Pachacutec - Week 16

Ya soy viejo. Cinco meses.

This week I had a work visit with Elder Salas from Colombia in Ventanilla Alta.  We found this guy who, after we taught him, wanted to be baptized.  He told us that all of the other religions have come, like the Jehovah's Witnesses and Evangelists and others, but he told us that he didn't like any of them.  He told us that we were like angels that have come to share these truths with him. It was a pretty cool experience.

In our area we found a great part member family.  The husband is a member and the wife isn't.  We have been working with her and she should be able to get baptized this month.  We are still visiting Arminda, the lady who is the owner of our apartment and lives below us.  But she has been pretty sick lately and hasn't been able to go to church or do much.

One thing I love about Peru is the kids.  They are so great.  Our pensionista has a son who is 10 and he is always asking me how to say different words in English and stuff like that, haha.  One experience I had this week is we were walking through a part of our area that we had never been to before.  Some kids were playing in the street and started talking to us, asking us what country we were from and stuff like that, telling me to speak English.  So we ask them if we can visit their parents, and they get all excited like yeah! let's go!  So they lead us to this house and we wait outside while he goes and gets his parents.  After a few minutes he comes out with a really concerned look on his face and told us that there was a little problem...his mom is Catholic, haha.  I don't know if that's even funny for you guys but I couldn't keep from laughing, because the people are always telling us this.  I'm Catholic.  We are Catholics. Look, I am Catholic.  Ha one time after someone told us that they were Catholic, Elder Poma told him that we were the missionaries from the Catholic church and asked if we could visit them.  But they still rejected us haha.

I love being here.  This city is a sacred place.  There are people prepared to receive the gospel here.  I'm going to find them.

Con mucho amor y humildad,

Elder Harris

Baptism of Patricia

Here in Peru they have this food called Paneton.  It's just this bread with little fruit things in it.  It's an acquired taste but now that I'm used to it, it's amazing.  And they only have it during Christmas time.

Close Up

Pachacutec - Week 15

Ilumina El Mundo

Well it has been a pretty solid week down here in Pachacutec, Ventanilla, Callao, Peru.  We haven't had much time to work in our area this week, but we still saw some miracles.  On Tuesday we had a multi-zone conference at the mission offices where we received some great instruction from President Stauffer.  The main emphases were teaching and testifying while we contact in the street and unity in companionship.  They also showed us the new church christmas video Ilumina el Mundo. 

Then Thursday night my companion Elder Poma started getting a fever.  Friday he was bedridden, so I had to stay in our apartment all day.  Normally we find two members to help us so that the companion who is healthy can go work, but all of our members were busy.  So I read the scriptures for like 4 hours, it was great. My companion was sick Saturday too, but we had members to help us so it was alright.

By Sunday Elder Poma was feeling better.  When we were at church we saw a young women who we didn't recognize.  We asked her if she was a member and she said no.  It turns out she was a former investigator with Elder Chalampuento, and she came to church after a few months of not coming.  We went and visited her in the afternoon, and after we resolved a few doubts, she agreed to be baptized this Saturday.  

When Elder Poma arrived here, he taught me to always pray Saturday night that someone who we don't know might come to church.  And since we started praying for this, we have been seeing miracles like this, with people we don't even know coming to church.

One thing I've learned this week is the importance of writing down our spiritual experiences.  I know you all have a journal, write down a spiritual experience a least once every week.  I promise you that you will feel the spirit more in your life and you will be able to testify more powerfully when the time comes.  I love you all, have a great week!

Elder Harris

We played soccer for Pday de distrito today

It was Elder Sanabria's Birthday today, so we bought him cake.

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