Los Alamos - Week 8

La Gran Luz de Conferencia General

Yeah so this week was was General Conference. And after 10 hours of listening to pure inspiration one usually feels pretty good. I was really happy because some really good investigators that are a family were able to attend and listen to the voice of Thomas S. Monson. And I felt like there were a lot of talks directed to investigators so that was good as well. I listened to it all in English with the other gringos in the zone, Elder Canfield from Alpine, Utah and Elder Bryce from Mesa, Arizona. All three of us are training Latinos. And in the other district in the zone is Angamos. They are straight Latinos because Angamos is the dangerous part of Ventanilla. But it doesn't make a lot of sense because one of them is from Argentina and he looks just like an American until you talk to him.

We have a baptism on Saturday of another 9 year old. My area is full of part member families. His name is Benjamin and he and his brothers have been coming to our English class. It's the best thing in the world teaching kids, because if they have gone to primary all their life like Benjamin, they already know everything. In reality they understand better than most of our adult investigators.

We put the goal of temple sealing with the Obregon family that got baptized last week. If everything works out right, we should be able to be there in their sealing in one year from now.

Have a great week everyone. Congrats to the people who got mission calls this week, remember Elder Bednars talk about the call and the assignment.

Elder Jarra

Los Alamos - Week 7

White is Wonderful

I've always wanted to baptize a family that is able to progress toward the temple sealing and this week we had the baptism of the Obregon Family. The husband was a less active member, but I have seen a lot of change in him since we have been visiting them. He was able to baptize his family, which was something that I will never forget. I know that the wife, Sara, was guided by the spirit to make the decision to be baptized and it wasn't just getting baptized because her husband is a member. She said that one morning she woke up and it dawned on her that she needed to do it. They really are a great family and they are going to be a great addition to the ward here in Los Alamos. 

It's interesting how every conversion is different. Every baptism that I have had on my mission has been a different experience. Sometimes we as missionaries have to put a lot in to help our investigators. But other times it's almost like they walk right into the water without needing any pushing or shoving. I feel like that's how it was with Sara and Manuel, they were prepared and waiting for us.

This transfer a bunch of new missionaries came to the mission (they are all Latinos) and so there are 7 companionships in the Ventanilla Zone and 5 have new missionaries. It's always fun when new missionaries come, it gives a new spirit and excitement to the work.

I'm doing great here! I really don't know much about the floods, the only stuff I know is from what people say in the street and what I hear from members. But I'm safe where I am at.

Have a great week everyone!

con buen animo...y mucho y gran cuidado

Elder Harris

The Obregon Family

Los Alamos - Week 6

Huaico

Well I'm surviving the floods down here. No kidding haha, there are literally no rivers at all in Ventanilla so it's not a worry right now. But in truth I feel really safe, and our President is making sure that we are safe. Our leaders are always calling us to make sure everything is okay.  If anything happens we have our little emergency backpacks in the apartment haha. But this week has been an excellent week.

We found a family of 3 on Friday that are really, really good. They were a referral from a member, and it really was a miracle because we were just walking down the street and the member (who is a little old lady, Sister Macky, who also is a returned missionary from back in the day) gave us like 5 references of investigators. We taught the family and this Sunday they attended all 3 hours of church and loved it and told us that they wanted to come back. And we have an appointment with them tomorrow.

There are transfers tomorrow but I'm sure I will stay here and finish the training of Elder Viera, he is progressing a lot. We found something that is called Mate. You should google it. It's like a herbal drink that they drink in Argentina and Uruguay. He loves the stuff, and I like it too.

This Saturday we have the baptism of Sara and her son Manuel who is 11. Her spouse is a less active member, and they got married recently so they are ready for baptism. They are a really good family.

It was pretty sad saying good bye to Elder Poma the other day. Mueren tan rapido a veces.

Que tengan una buena semana y siempre recuerden que Jesus les ama. Muchisimo.

Elder Harris

Los Alamos - Week 5

Me Atrevo

It's been a really good week, I'm loving life here in Ventanilla Alta in the Àlamos Ward. We were able to find a lot of people to teach this week, but all of them have been thanks to members. References from members almost always turn out to be wonderful investigators.

Our mission is putting an emphasis on teaching with power with two important principles: the Restoration and the Atonement. We had a multi zone conference where we did a bunch of practices and I learned so much it was awesome.

I know that you guys want details but I don't know what to write. Everything is normal now. The two years is passing by fassttt, I'm almost half way done. We are working with a few families that have such strong testimonies of the Gospel but they just aren't married, it is so frustrating.

One thing that I learned from my zone leader, Elder Chavez from Chile. He is kind of crazy, but he taught us something interesting. Here in my mission we almost always set a baptismal date in the first lesson, but it's almost always at the end of the lesson. But he showed us 3 Nephi 11, when Jesus comes to Peru and gives the power to baptize to Nephi. And he immediately teaches the principle of baptism to his disciples. Elder Chavez told us that he sets the baptismal date before the opening prayer in the first visit with people. I've tried implementing that in my lessons, and it really works when the spirit is there.

Love you guys

Left to right: Elder Bryce, Me, Elder Viera, Elder Poma (my previous comp who goes home on Sunday), Elder Cheney (the son of Elder Poma), Elder Landa, (the grandson of Elder Poma and the son of Elder Cheney)

So at home we sometimes build houses with unfinished basements. Here they build houses with unfinished 2nd floors. This is what's above our apartment.

Los Alamos - Week 4

una semana...normal, creo

Hello Family,

It's been a great week here! I really don't have a lot to say. We had a baptism this week! Our third kid that we've baptized here, and they've all been part of part-member families. His name is Justin and he is awesome! He is only nine years old, but he plays guitar, and he learned from the internet, and he is actually really good. We play hymns together sometimes. And his older brother Carlos baptized him and we are working to send Carlos on the mission.

One spiritual experience I had this week was with Elder Viera when he testified of the Atonement and started to cry and the spirit was super strong. The man that we were teaching was pretty hard hearted, but I know that he felt something because he attended church. The power of the Atonement is real.

We also got to see the broadcast of the groundbreaking ceremony of the temple in Arequipa Peru. Peru is going to have 4 temples here soon!!!

I've finally found the courage to start an English class once a week. And we are starting this Wednesday.

I hope that you all have a great week full of BUEN ANIMO.

Blanco es Bonito,

Elder Harris

Bautismo Fotos

One of these guys that we climbed the hill with is a Bolivian from Santa Cruz that is here visiting because he served here in this area as a missionary 13 years ago

Los Alamos - Week 3

Con Sueño

Well we had a baptism this week. He is an 11 year old kid named Sebastian, and he was one of the investigators that the other missionaries that were here left for us. He was really excited to get baptized, and to get the priesthood in a few months so that he can pass out the sacrament.

This week we also did a service project for this lady that lives up on the hill in her little house of wood. And I guess what happened is a motorcycle taxi was driving on the road above her house and fell and knocked part of the house over, so we rebuilt it and the roof and everything. It was fun working with the Elders Quorum there.

For me, the Book of Mormon is everything. For me, if I have an investigator that reads at least one chapter of the Book of Mormon between the first visit and the second visit, they are going to get baptized for sure. The Book of Mormon makes an investigator a convert. I know that if an investigator becomes an investigator of the Book of Mormon (just like we as missionaries are missionaries of the Book of Mormon) they are going to be faithful and active members of the church for the rest of their lives. Right in the moment when they stop reading the Book of Mormon is when they are going to go inactive. But it's more than just read it, they have to read it with an intent to learn. For me the Book of Mormon is the key to conversion because the only thing that stops conversion is DOUBT. And the Book of Mormon can resolve ALL of the DOUBTS that the people might have if they diligently search for their ANSWERS to their doubts. I know that because I've had the Book of Mormon respond to a lot of doubts that I have had in the past.

I'm really grateful that Preach My Gospel chapter 6 talks about the attributes of Christ. It's so cool to see how in the mission and in life things start to go bad when we lack one or some of these attributes. For me this week, my weakness has been patience. Having a companion that is a new missionary can be really hard sometimes. And to be honest a lot of times I don't know what to do, what to say, or how to help him. But with patience and faith everything turns out alright. I have learned so much from my companion and I know that our companionship was organized by revelation that our mission president received.

Thanks for everything guys, sorry no pictures this week!  But don't be sad! I'll have pictures next week!

Elder Harris

Los Alamos - Week 2

Los Frutos de La Fe y La Actitud

Esta semana ha sido excelente. 

So to tell you a little bit about my area, it's called Ventanilla Alta. (High Ventanilla) and it's like a canyon where all the people with money to buy houses of bricks live in the bottom of the canyon, and the poor people live on the sides of the hills in wood houses. So going up the hills is more like Pachacutec, but in the bottom (which is where the majority of the people live) it's pretty normal. There are paved roads and parks with grass. The best adjustment for me is that now every time that I leave my apartment I don't have to walk up a hill. It's just flat for the most part. We have the chapel in our area, and we are the only ward to attend there, and we are the only missionaries in the ward, so it works out great.

My mission president is putting a big emphasis on finding the elect in every moment. It's like a little add on that looks like this.

Find the elect in EVERY MOMENT. Teach repentence EVERY DAY. Baptize converts EVERY WEEK.

We have had a lot of experiences this week by following this instruction. That in every moment, it doesn't matter where we are, we are finding. Finding new investigators. Because the more new investigators we find, the more converts we are going to baptize. 

One experience, my companion has all the credit, because we were walking down the street and we saw this really old guy entering into his house. The thought that I had in my mind was, wow he is old, probably can't hear very well, and I don't have the patience to contact him. But my companion Elder Viera went to contact him and I followed. And it turned out that he is a golden investigator. By the second visit he had read the first 5 chapters of the Book of Mormon, and when we explained to him that he needs to pray to God to see if the book is true, he said but why do I need to do that if I already know it's true? Haha it was the best. He can barely walk but he made the effort to come to church in a mototaxi. Really excited for his baptism on the 18th of March.

Another was when we were walking to our apartment at night, and we passed by the house of a guy who was really sick. We gave him a blessing. The next day we returned and he told us that during the whole night he slept in peace, and that the pain had subsided a lot. He and his son accepted a baptismal date as well, and they are friends with the elders quorum president so they already have friends in the chapel.

Elder Viera comes from a family that is strong in the church, but he comes from a branch in Progreso, Canelonas, Uruguay. He has been a little homesick and just adjusting to living in a different country, but he is doing excellent now. I'm very proud to be his father. I'm also learning a lot from him.

Thanks everyone, have a great week,

Elder Harris

My son Elder Viera had his first baptism, a 9 year old named Agustin whose mom is a recent convert. He is our little amigo. In the picture featuring Elder Vasques from Peru and Elder Lepe from Chile.