Lima (San Gregorio) Peru - Week 2

Hola mi familia y amigos! Como estan? Well just finished week 2 in this transfer. I went by super-fast! A lot happened this past week! Wow it is hard to type in English after talking in Spanish all the time. Almost every week I am typing and on accident I slip in a Spanish word. And then I’m like, oh wait that’s not right and nobody is going to understand. Well it’s just getting hotter here..... I’m sweating just sitting here typing, but it’s worth it.

Well I forgot to tell you about my companion this last week. His name is Elder Granda. And he is from Ecuador, the capital city. Which right now I can’t remember the name of it. He has about 20-21 months into the mission, and let’s just say that he is a little "trunky". That’s a mission term that we have for people that are just thinking about home, their girlfriends (haha not in the case of my comp...(; ) and their desire to work is a little below the standard.. But I've been whipping him into shape. Haha mentally and physically. But we get along so it’s all good!

We had a baptism this past weekend. Or I should say that my comp had a baptism this past week, because I had transfers and came here and they were going to have one and I did nothing with teaching him. Haha but I did have the opportunity to baptize him. Only because my comp said, “choose him, he has more power to clean you from your sin." And the kid was like "really, yeah I want him to baptize me." Haha it was funny.

We had a lot of really great lessons this past week. A lot of potential with our investigators.

We hiked up a hill today for our Pday. We had a really good view of a part of Lima. I was able to see all three of my areas from this hill. And yes you all can be proud of me repping the BSU shirt in Peru! Well I hope that your week is good and I love you all!

PS have fun in the cold!

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (San Gregorio) Peru – Week 1

¡HOLA! Woah! What a week! Lots of changes, very spiritual, fun and weird.

Yeah so like I told you I had transfers last Tuesday. The worst part of transfers is packing everything.... My new area is huge. Bigger than any of the ones I’ve had before. I’m having a hard time learning it... Just because it’s super big and we haven’t even made it to all the different parts of my area. And guys I have some sad news...... :( I have a cold shower again. But it’s not as bad as last time. Because now it is summer and it’s not as cold. But it’s still a cold shower. Haha the first thing I did when I saw it was laughed and looked to my companion and said, you're joking right? But I live in a house with another American and my first companion. So it’s actually really fun! I think this transfer will be a good one!

I had the amazing opportunity to hear from one of the 12 apostles! Elder Cook came to the MTC here and since it is in our mission we were able to go! It was amazing! I got to shake his hand. So you could say that we´re pretty close now. He talked with us and had a question and answer session. Wow let’s just say he knows his scriptures better than the back of his hand. It was a great experience! And I learned a lot from him.

I had a moment this week that was pretty cool! I realized that I can finally speak Spanish. It’s nowhere close to being perfect, but I can communicate and get around. And I can really participate in the lessons now. So that is a lot better!

Haha I have a funny experience to share! So Lima had some rain this last week. Which is really rare? And Lima has a lot of dirt, so most of the water ended up it muddy puddles. And so my comp and I were walking, and a bus drove by. And I’m sure you can imagine what happened. Yeah the bus hit the puddle and the water went all over me! I just stood there for like 30 seconds and looked at my comp laughed and said are you serious? Haha and he had nothing on him, I took it all! Well that’s all for this week!

I added some pictures with some of my family friends in my old area! I hope you have a great week!

Elder Farnsworth

Famalia Cumba

Familia Pinche

Leonardo

They say it never rains in Lima.  How did I get hit by the mud when the bus drove by?

Good Sport

Yes. . .they will need washed.

Lima (Santa Anita Ward) Peru - Week 6

Hola! Woah! What a week! It flew by! I can't believe that this transfer is over! And I have transfers! Oh and I want to tell you more about the baptism that I talked a little bit about last week! Well it’s a little sad that I'm having transfers and leaving the area after only one transfer here because all of the investigators that my companion and I found, I won’t be able to teach them up until their baptisms.... But I have confidence that my companion will get the job done!

Oh yeah, my investigator got baptized in my old area like 2 weeks ago! He was an investigator for a year. He's what we call an eternal investigator. I had the opportunity to teach him for about three months. He had an addiction to smoking cigars and he couldn't be baptized until he had quit smoking for 30 days. He had a really hard time doing that. His family was baptized about a year before he was. So with my comp we changed up the teaching a little bit. We focused more on his family and that they can live forever together, but they we're waiting on him. Then the next lesson we taught was the Word of Wisdom. I was basically really up front with him because he'd been an investigator for a long time and he wasn’t progressing. We told him to really think why he wanted to stop smoking and if he could do it. He said that he didn't think he could do it, so I gave him this scripture:

  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Then I gave him a date to stop smoking and he did it! What an amazing experience it was to participate in helping him come to the waters of baptism. It’s a testimony to me that we really can do anything through Christ who strengthens us.

So the pics I have attached are..... One is at five in the morning to go play soccer.... Another is in the night after playing soccer; let’s just say I was exhausted this day. Packing my things to have transfers... A huge pain to do... Haha I probably have too many things. And then me after packing. And a picture of me playing pool today.

Well I hope all is well and have a great week in the cold weather! (;
Elder Farnsworth

Getting up at 5am to play soccer

Tired Missionary

Packing for Transfers

Done packing. YAY!!!

Playing pool on P-Day

Best Friend Annie Tag Picture

Lima (Santa Anita Ward) Peru – Week 5

Woah what a week! Haha a lot of things happened. I went to the doctor and had my ingrown toenail fixed.... Yeah we`ll get to that a little later..... We`ve actually found some people to teach this week! I teach an English class every week. And one week left in this transfer.

Yeah so my toenail.... Let’s just say that it’s an experience that I never want to have again. Well first I was very skeptical because it was like in some lady’s house. Not like a doctor’s office. And so I was like ok.... Um are we sure this is the right place. So I went in there and the doctor looked at my toe and was like “yeah we better do something about that." And then she was like we should probably numb it up with Anesthesia." And I was like yeah sounds like a good idea. I was expecting shot. And let me tell you I got the biggest, worst, most painful shut in my life... The needle was very thick and she stuck it in not joking like over an inch underneath my toenail. When she jammed the needle in my whole body tensed up, I was gripping on to the arms of the chair (probably left marks from my fingernails), and I probably screamed out a little. And when she started injecting it I felt it leaving the needle into my toe. And then it got even worse... I started feeling like I was going to pass out. I started to lose my vision, I was sweating like crazy and I had a really bad headache... And then after like no joke a minute she pulled out the needle. And started having me drink sugar water so I wouldn’t pass out. I was on the verge of passing out.... She said that my face was as white as my white shirt. And after about 25 minutes of just feeling awful I finally came back to sense. And she was like "wow most of the Americans pass out when I do this." Haha so the moral of the story is to never have an ingrown toenail.

Yeah so after 5 weeks with my comp here in this area we have found some decent people to teach. I have a lot of hope with them! But sorry.... I don't have a lot of stories in specific to share this week! One man, Oscar, that I was teaching in my last area got baptized this past week. He overcame his addiction to cigars and was able to be baptized.

Yeah so I forgot to share with you all a couple of weeks ago that I am a teacher now. And it’s a lot harder than you'd think. I'm the English teacher in my zone. Every week we have a district meeting and the first hour is English class. It is super hard to teach. Haha I have a hard time speaking English at times, because everything is in Spanish here. But it’s also hard when people are goofing off and not paying attention. Haha now I know how hard it is to teach. And sorry to all of my teachers for those times I didn’t pay attention. I have a lot more respect for them now. But it’s also been good to be able to see the people that want to learn progressing and learning more. And it’s also helped me with my Spanish.

Yeah it’s super crazy that there is only one week left in the transfer! It seriously flew by. I’m surprised how fast it went, because it’s been probably one of the harder that I've had.

Yeah so the pictures. I attached some of my new house. My missionary tan lines and haha I forgot the others.

I hope you all have a lot of fun in the 2 feet of snow in Boise! I love you all and talk to you next week!
Elder Farnsworth

Tyler's reaction to the news about 4 snow days in Boise

Bedroom

Bedroom and study area

Kitchen

Study Area

Bathroom with hot shower

Annie

Missionary tan lines

English Teacher Manual

after surgery

toe bandaged

Tag Picture

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (Santa Anita Ward) Peru – Week 4

Hola! Feliz Año Nuevo! Wow I honestly can't believe that 2016 is over! It flew by so fast. One year ago from right now, I didn't even think that I'd be here. But Lima was pretty awesome on New Years. Remember how I said how the fireworks on Christmas were good? Yeah well they were even cooler on new years. There were straight fireworks in every single direction for about 15 minutes. It was super cool! But not a lot happened this week...... The 2 weeks of Christmas and new years are probably the hardest. Because everyone is either super busy, with family and don't want to talk, drunk in the street, blacked-out drunk in the street or too cool to even talk with us. Haha so that’s a pretty good explanation of how the work has been here. But there were also some good things that have happened. My comp and I found a house in our area and moved in yesterday. So that’s good that we finally live in our area. And it has hot water. So that’s a plus. I found out who my new mission president is. He will become the president in the first week of July.

EMAIL RELEASE: Today, I have the great privilege to introduce some new very important missionaries... President and sister Amato who follow us as President and sister of the best Mission in the world. The Church will announce its assignment in two weeks. Had the opportunity of knowing them by Skype in the week last. They and their beautiful family will arrive in late June and begin his Ministry. I testify that they have been called of God. Are exactly what this mission you will need to get to the next level. President and sister Amato are from Brazil. They have been living in the United States for approximately four years. President Amato served his mission in Dallas, Texas. In the photo that les will send can meet your cute family. Have four children: Isabella (15 years), Giovanna (13 years), Luigi (11 years), and Alice (7 years). They speak English and Portuguese and they are learning the Spanish.

I'm really excited to meet him! Wow he is also really young! It'll be exciting to meet him and get to know him and his family. Well that’s all for the week! I hope that you all are enjoying the cold weather with the snow! And have a great new year!
LOVE you all!
Elder Farnsworth