Pachacutec - Week 14

Esta ciudad està llenado de perros calientes

It's been a full week.  We had two baptisms on Saturday, Maria and Lorena, they were both really great.  On Friday I had my last training for being a new missionary with President Stauffer in Las Palmeras.  On Thursday I forgot that it was Thanksgiving until 9 o clock at night haha, (they don't have it here).  But to celebrate we made tacos for the first time since I've been here.  It's been a long time since I've had a good taco, so it was a good Thanksgiving dinner.

I got sick this week.  It must have been some sort of food poisoning, because at 3 am Saturday morning both me and my companion were hurling the Arroz Chaufa that we had the night before.  All day Saturday was kind of rough, but it's over now so I'm happy.  I'm just a bit sad that I now no longer have a craving for Chaufa (it used to be my favorite haha).

I don't know if I've explained this before, but we have this thing in my mission called 10 Maneras (10 Ways) and it's basically 10 ways that we plan every week to find new investigators.  And the point is to be creative and think of new ones to use.  And well, my companion has a guitar. I don't know how he got it, he said someone gave it to him as a gift in his old area.  So we went around walking singing hymns with the guitar one day to find people to teach.  And we found a family that is having trouble with their marriage.  So who knows, maybe all that guitar practice was for something huh?

My mission president talks a lot about buen animo (good enthusiasm).  I have seen this in my mission, our attitude affects the success we have in life.  It's true that attitude is everything. Especially in the mission.

Love you guys,

Elder Harris

Maria's Baptism with Elder Poma

Lorena's Baptism

Elder Poma

Final New Missionary Training: Elder Ascero, Elder Cheney, Elder Poma, Yo, Elder Morocho, Elder Jardine

P-day Package from my Mom

Pachacutec - Week 13

No puedo encontrar la mantequilla de maní

What a week.  Well I'm still here in Pacha, and my new companion is Elder Poma from Cuchabomba, Bolivia, he has a lot of time in the mission (goes home in March), and I've already learned a ton from him this first week together.  The cool part is that he already knows everyone in the branch because his first area in the mission was Cedros 1, and now he is in Cedros 2.  He was happy to go to church yesterday and see all of his converts and stuff.  He is a really good missionary.  In his last area he was training Elder Cheney, who was in my MTC group.  I think the main thing I've learned from him this last week is the importance of gaining the trust and expressing true Christlike love for the people here in our area.  We are going to have a baptism this week, it's going to be great.

I have not spoken in church yet, but I have borne my testimony a bunch of times.  In fact, my first Sunday in the field the branch president invited me up to bear my testimony.  In my branch there are 4 missionaries and we are always working in the branch. Unlike Utah, where an area is a stake, our area and our workload is 100% in the branch.  So we get pretty close to the ward members and the branch leaders.

All of the mission meetings are 100% in Spanish, they have to be because normally the person conducting the meeting doesn't speak English haha.  But, if there is a new greenie from the states, they will have someone translate for him if he doesn't understand. Interviews with President are in English.  And the first couple of trainings with President for new missionaries are in English, but other than that everything is in Spanish.

My problem with the language right now is that I have a Gringo accent.  I'm trying to get rid of it and sound like a Latino but it's tough.  I guess I have a year and half to get it down.

We taught the owner of our apartment this week!  And she came to church too.  I don't know why the missionaries haven't taught her before.

Have a semana fantastica!

Élder Harris

Pachacutec - Week 12

Arroz Chaufa

I don't have much time today, sorry!  But it's been a good week. The baptism of Maria didn't happen, but we are going to keep working with her.  Tomorrow is transfers and my companion has like 7 months here, so yeah, he has been a great trainer.  I got to spend a day with a North American this week, it was pretty fun to do a work visit with Elder Taylor.  And we both have less than 2 transfers in the mission (jovenes).  But yeah, I have to leave, so love you all!

This is the Soto Family.  The mom isn't in the picture.

Elder Neira from Santiago Chile.

Yes this is a flavor and yes it's delicious.

Pachacutec - Week 11

Mermelada Morada de Mora

It's been a bacán semana here in Pachacutec, we are doing our best to teach repentence every day and baptize every week.  Everything seems good for the baptism of Maria this coming Saturday.  She will have her interview tomorrow and I think she's really prepared.  We are also teaching Lorena, a single mother who lives with her mom and sister and son, Angel who has 6 years.  Her mom and sister are members, and we got them all to come to church this last Sunday which was awesome.  She has her date for the 26th of November.

I want to throw in a little cultural note.  One thing that's really cool here in Pachacutec is all the motocycles.  They have mototaxis, which is just a motocycle modified to have 2 wheels in the back and a bench seat for 2 or 3 people.  Like a three wheeler.  We use them sometimes, but it's expensive so mainly we walk.  They also have mototaxis with a different design but they are mostly in Ventanilla.  They don't work very good on the hills here haha.  I'll try to send a picture of them.  And also they have a lot of the motorcycles like the one in Nacho Libre, with two wheels in the front and one in back.  They are used mostly to carry and sell fish or fruit or anything really.  A lot of times there will be a loud speaker attached to a pole on the motorcycle and they drive through the streets, announcing their product, and the people come out and buy.  They are always yelling in their loudspeakers in the morning during studies haha.

One spiritual experience I had this week was when we were teaching a single man in his house.  And he was making a lot of excuses about going to church and keeping his committments, and I had a power feeling come over me that I just needed to testify to this man.  So, I just basically bore my testimony, but I didn't feel like I was speaking.  I really felt like I was the mouthpiece of God.  I could feel the spirit working through me.  I'm so grateful to have this sacred calling of a missionary.

Saludes a la familia

Élder Harris

Elder Arroyo from Columbia on a work visit

An unstaged action shot of us studying

I don't remember why I took this picture

Pachacutec - Week 10

Manjarblanco and an Earthquake

What a week, well I guess I'll start with the earthquake, it was pretty intense.  It happened at like 10:49 pm. So, I was just barely falling asleep when everything started shaking, and at first it was like whoa a little earthquake, that's cool, but after 10 seconds I started to panic a little, haha.  My companion said venga Elder Harris! and we jumped out of bed and huddled next to the strong pilar in our house.  From what I heard from most of the missionaries in our district is that they all ran outside. I'll be honest I was pretty scared.  It lasted for almost a full minute, then we called everyone in our district to make sure everyone was alright.  It didn't do any damage though.

This week we had interviews with President here at the chapel in Pachacutec.  And Hermana Stauffer came and checked our apartments to make sure they were clean and up to living standards and what not.

One thing that I've been thinking about a lot lately and studying is the fundamental 3 commandments: Read, Pray, Go to church.  These are the first compromisos that we invite our investigators to do in the first lesson.  If the investigators lack one of these mandamientos they are not going to progress. But even as missionaries, we have to make sure we are doing these 3 things with all of our might so that we can teach and testify of them.

When we found the Family Leon on Thursday, Monica let us in the house, and we were kind of surprised because my companion has been here for 6 months and he has been trying to enter this house to teach the less active family but has never been able to until now.  And then Junior came in, he kind of had his head down, and he told us that to be honest he didn't want to leave his bedroom to converse with us.  But something brought him to us.  He later told us that he has been passing through some difficulties in his life and feels that it's time for a change.  I know that when we are working hard, the Lord puts people in our path that need to hear our message.

It's interesting that you asked me about part member families.  There are a lot in our area, we have the ward directorio that we use to find them.  We have 2 baptismal fechas now with people that are part of a part member family.

Have a great week ustedes

Elder Harris

We had to take pictures of our apartment to send to Hermana Stauffer to make sure they are clean so here are a few of them

Pachacutec - Week 9

A Fun Week

It's been a good week!  I cant believe it's already Monday again.  Last Monday we did a work visit with Elder Castillo (something interesting always happens when I'm with him).  So what happened is he got bit by a dog a week ago, and during studies on Tuesday we had to go to La Molina to get a shot, so we went there Tuesday.  On Thursday we had a training with President in the offices with my group that came with me in the mission.  And this morning I woke up at 4 am to go to Central Lima to get my visa taken care of.  Then we had district p-day and climbed up this hill.

One of my major accomplishments this week was teaching a lesson basically by myself on divisions during the second hour on Sunday because Elder Chalampuento was interviewing.  But I taught the law of chastity to a couple of conversos recientes who are Novios and Maria.  I was stressing about it beforehand, but it went so smoothly.  I felt the spirit putting words in my mind to say.  Stuff that I already knew.  Stuff that I had studied.  It reminded me of a promise that the branch president in the CCM made to me.  He told me that 2 months in the field I would be completely comfortable in teaching lessons.  And Sunday was the 23 of October, exactly two months in the field.

One experience this week was finding a man named Eber.  He was a reference from the Elders Quorum President, a less active member.  We knocked the door, he let us in, and I was touched by what I saw.  Hanging on the wall was a picture of the Lima Temple, the family proclamation to the world, and a baptismal certificate all in framed cases.  This guy was really happy to see us.  We shared the Restoration with him, it was a good spiritual lesson.  Afterwards, I asked my companion why this guy was less active, he had a testimony and everything.  I think the answer is Home Teaching.  Everyone go read Jeffrey R. Holland's talk on Home Teaching.  Home Teaching is easy! And it's so necessary.  These people need constant support.  Even in Utah.

Love you guys!

Elder Harris

P-day de Distrito - We climbed the hill!

Elder Arroyo made a kite that actually worked really well

Lunch at Papa Johns with Elder Castillo

Ventanilla Zone

Pachacutec - Week 8

Bacán Es La Arena

So I want to make something clear. Pachacutec is sand.  My area is a big sand hill.  My first few weeks here it was really annoying, but I'm accustomed to it now.  I kind of like it actually.  Most of the roads are packed down so its not too bad walking, but at the end of every day I clean all the sand out of my shoes and whatnot.  We went to a part of our area that we weren't familiar with this week and we ended up at the top of the hill, and there was a big area of loose sand beneath us.  We were a little late so we figured we would just walk through it, but it was really loose, kind of like walking through snow.  And when we got to the bottom where the houses started again, our shoes and socks were very full of sand.  It was awesome.

My experience of the week was probably when we found Maria, a single mother of about 50 years. When we contacted her, we introduced ourselves, and right after SHE asked US when we were going to visit her.  First time this has happened thus far.  But we visited her the next day, she told us that her parents were members in Arequipa, but she left home at age 10 so she never knew much about the church.  Now her parents have passed away, and she feels like she needs to change something in her life because she's never had much to do with religion.  She even cried a little in the lesson.  We were able to testify to her that this gospel is what can change her life for the better and that by following Jesus Christ she can do what her parents are undoubtedly wishing for her. Her baptismal fecha is the 12th of November.

I also taught the English class for our district this week, it was fun, we learned thou, thee, and thy.

Elder Harris

Family Home Evening with the Flores Family

Elder Mamani from Arequipa

Selfie with Comp before we left this morning