My First Llama!!!

Wow! This week was definitely Peruvian!

I saw my first llama! It was a stylish llama might I add! It was fun! We saw him during our Zone P day, which was a blast! We went to the stake center and played some Fútbol! Yea... I can´t play soccer... Haha! But I´m going to learn. I have to, since even the kids here are crazy good! After playing soccer, we played some Werewolf, which is Mafia, but of course in Spanish. During games, Latinos tend to be really really energetic!

I am having a great time! I am totally adjusted! Just, not the language... But you know, little details! It´s amazing to be able to help teach in the lessons, now that I know how to do more than say just my testimony! I do really well at understanding what people are saying...The only problem is when people talk to me! Then I understand nothing! And even less when people ask me how my Spanish is, because I never know if they are saying:  

Do you know Spanish good?

Your Spanish is really good! 

You will do good with Spanish in time! 

or How is your Spanish, good?

All I hear is Spanish and good! Haha! So its pretty funny when I just say yes no matter what they say! Haha! But I really am doing alright!

Some of the Members here are fantastic! Hermano Alejandro didn´t talk with the missionaries much before I came, but I don´t believe it! He is so helpful, feeds us, goes on splits, teaches in church. He is from Bolivia, served a mission in Cuzco, and then moved here after with his wife that also served in Cuzco, but they didn´t know each other! Hermano Manuel also is fantastic! He is a recent convert with an amazing testimony!

The people we are teaching are so wonderful! Some of the people we are teaching are getting really close to being baptized!

Hermano Rosendo! He is the one that lives on the top of the mountain! We have a decent climb up to him, and half of the climb is stairs, and the other half is just dirt! It is so crazy! But he is such an amazing person, and he really likes to read the Libro de Mormón! We are planning on baptizing him on the 9th of September!

Hermana Marixa and Hermano Velmar. These two aren´t married but have lived together for 9 years and have 2 kids! We are teaching them a lot about family, and they are planning on getting married. Through them, we have found Michelle, who also has a mother and brother that might start listening to our messages! They are great to teach especially with Manuel!

We are teaching a lot of people, and of course contacting! It is a mess when I try and contact! Especially when I asked a member family from out of town if they liked to read. The guy walked up to me, got really close, jabbed my nametag, and said “Este es mio” or “This is mine!”  I was really confused and a little scared... Elder Mendez didn´t understand either, but the guy meant my this is my religion! So funny! He came to church this last Sunday! haha!

So the food! It´s wonderful! PachaManca is like... My new favorite next to Lomo saltado! We have had a lot of soup! Lots of bread! And of course my new personal favorite... Maggot head!! Yay! I have no clue how I ate those things. I’m pretty sure it’s because I didn´t know what they were! It was a fish soup, with little chunks of meat. I didn´t look at them for too long, because I didn´t want to know, and convinced myself it was clam or muscles. So I really just didn´t pay any attention… until it was crunchy... I almost died. But I did it! They told me later it was grubs... Oh my... I still am a little bit scared...

I am doing so well! And reading the scriptures a lot more! They are such a blessing, and we tell every family that if the book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was as well, and that means that this is the true church! By reading more and more of the book it just builds testimonies! And sometimes those testimonies just happen to be in Spanish!

Thank you everyone! Talk to you next week!

Elder Ball

First Llama!

Elder Mendez saw some guy with this mask and asked if he could try it on. Taylor said that he didn't try it on because: "I didn't know where that thing had been".

Stake Youth Activity

Taylor was pretty excited to see his old friend, Mickey Mouse, at the youth activity. HAHA!

The following pictures are ones I received from Elder Balls sweet Landlady! She found me on Facebook this past week, and she chats with me almost every day. Taylor says that whenever they get home, she wants to take a picture to send to me. I think it's sweet. She really loves him, and it's nice to have a contact in Peru!  This is not normal for the area - the people there do not have a lot of money. However, her husband travels for work and she has at least one of her children who lives out of the country, so having a phone with Facebook to keep in contact with them seems like a good plan. I will be super sad when he leaves this area and I don't have contact with him this way.