Taylor overlooking the City Lights in Peru!
Wow! Que loco!
So this week was very
crazy! We left the airport Monday night at midnight, and arrived
in Peru at 6 am... I was running off of two hours of sleep the first day
we were here! Crazy!
Leaving Mexico was a
little bit of both happy and sad. I really enjoyed our district, and we had
such a great time, great leaders, great teachers, and loved all of the stuff I
learned! We were sad to leave each other, but it is all for the better!
We had a crazy
takeoff, it took forever! And the landing was in the low clouds... Scary! But
we made it safe, and drove straight to the Mission home! (After we left Elders
Olsen and Morris, going to Lima East.)
We had some breakfast,
had some training, had some introductions, and in total we had 11 Gringos, I
think... 8 from My district! We then sat in the chapel, had the new missionaries
on the one side, the Trainers on the other, he called us up one by one and put
us together! We all got companions except Elder Christopherson! So sad! His
companion was stuck! But I got my new Companion from Ecuador, Elder Mendez! He
is so funny! He speaks technically no English… no more than any other Peruvian
here. They can all say What's yourr Naaame, How are chew and ello! We went
right to work, and were out the door at 4 pm! They don't want to waste
time here!
My Zone is Canto
Grande, and my area is Canto Nuevo, which is split in 2, we are Canto Nuevo 2,
in the hills a little bit. It is… I wouldn't say pretty, and I wouldn't say
ugly, but it is ugly. So much dust! It's crazy! The temp. here is fantastic for
me, but apparently it is the coldest of the cold right now! But I am wearing short
sleeves!
So you know how I said
I was pretty confident with my Spanish... Yea... I figured that was a lie... I
understand a lot! I really do! But I miss a lot of the key words, so I kinda
know what they are saying, just not what they are talking about.... haha... But
I am learning, and everyone understands that this is my first week in a new
country. The CCM can only prepare you so much, it is defiantly completely
different here!
The people here are
fantastic! So willing to listen, share, and have fun! I don't know what it is,
but they just have an amazing light about them!
The food here is
pretty amazing! We have quite a few members in our area, and we don't go
hungry! Every Shopkeeper we talk to gives us a juice box and crackers! Every
time! There is tons of fruit to eat, and lots of snacks, because there really
isn't a breakfast or a dinner... Just snacks all day! The first day, the lunch
at the mission home, they gave us pizza... Why? I want Peruvian food! But that
night, I had 3 different warm drinks, teas, chocolate, and Colada. They taste
like weird bland beans that you put sugar in... I don't know exactly why we
drink it. One thing I was not told, is
that they give you tons of bread! Rolls for everything, including some Lunches.
They put Lunchmeat or eggs or avocados or potatoes… and that's what you eat for
Breakfast or Dinner. No clue! But it's fine! I haven't skipped a day without
having potatoes yet! I love potatoes... so much... My first Lunch I had was of
course Lomo saltado! Amazing! We have had different stews, different soups,
drinks, and Pollo ceviche. Rice and potatoes with each. It's pretty fantastic!
Just needs salt... There is no salt in this country! But I really do enjoy the
food!
My companion... where
to start! He loves to sing, he plays Futbol, (shocker...), and loves to talk to
people! He talks, and Jokes, and plays, its great! He was converted when he was
7 years old, so he has pretty much been a member. But he remembers the process
to become baptized. He teaches the lessons with power, and confidence, and has
only been out for 6 months! He has taught me a ton, and I am even teaching him
a little English.
So a normal day. I
have not experienced one! We have had meetings, service, the weirdest
schedules! But that is how it goes! My first full day, Wednesday, it was
service! We went with other elders from our Zone, and started out by destroying
some rock/dirt on the pathway from a ladies hallway - from her laundry to her
outside chicken coop! We broke rocks, moved dirt to the outside of her house in
bags. I don't know what they are going to do with them, but we did it. We then
removed some hard dirt/concrete from the street for a random family, and then
moved garbage out of a house for another. None in our area, but I did alright
since 2 of the guys I was with were American. One is Elder Gledhill, and he is
from Utah as well! He is also Canto Nuevo 1, the other half of our area. We got
back, had some lunch, the lomo saltado, and went back to teaching.
The houses here!
Nothing could have prepared me! I mean, the best houses here are unfinished
basements, with wires, pipes, metal sticking out, some don't have walls, some
walls are cardboard! It is crazy! Especially when you start to go up the hill!
We teach a lot in the middle of the hill, and down by our house a little lower.
We live on Manzana street, number 27! Whatever that means! Because there are no
street signs!
The church building
was flooded this week, and so we had to take the sacrament and leave. One of
the tanks burst, and flooded the entire church. We swept the water out. They
asked me to play the piano. I played all the songs I knew for 20 min, and then
they asked me to play songs I didn't know. Well, the piano had some hymns memorized,
and all you had to do was keep time! Since I was a percussionist, I could do
that no problem! The conductor decided to conduct wrong and slow, but the piano
wanted to go fast. It was a huge mess! We sang without the piano for the other
two... and then I did Postlude. Oh well! What a way to make a first impression
of a new gringo! It was fantastic!
This week we found 8
New investigators (Nuevos), 9 People who attended church (Incas), and 3 Baptism
dates. We need to find 7 more Nuevos than this week than last, the goal is 15,
8, 3. And wow is it work!
Some people I should
mention... The Cordova family! Members of the church with 3 teenagers, and Mitzi
and Crystal help us a lot. The Grandma is Enit, and Paolo, who I have no clue
how to describe... He is the craziest guy I have met. He walks in the room all
of the time and says at the top of his lungs the What's yourr Naaame!! He is totally
loco. Hermana Flor, helps us so much, and is this sweet old old lady! Violeta,
who we are teaching, is so wonderful! I just love to talk with them! Alejandro,
who is from Bolivia, went on a mission to Lima Cuzco, and now lives here with
his wife! Everyone here is so fantastic! I just love the people!
What more... Learning Spanish,
teaching people, learning how to teach people, learning how to teach people in Spanish,
learning in Spanish how to teach people in Spanish... It’s fantastic! I really
do love it here, and I really like all of the people I am surrounded by!
Thank you guys so much
for your support, and I Love you all!
Love,
Elder Ball
Peru Lima North
Peru!
Traffic in Lima
Elder Ball's area - Canto Grande Zone, Canto Vuevo District
 Investigator |
Taylor's Companion, Elder Mendez from Ecuador
Flooded Church on Sunday
Elder Ball and Elder Mendez - Not sure who is in the middle, Taylor's email wasn't clear...
The Church in Canto Vuevo District
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