Missing the Mormon Tab

This week was fantastic!

We had the most success in a week than we have ever had in Barranca. We met and taught 13 new investigators this week that is pretty good because sometimes the people are a little bit harder here.
Luz and Erick; they didn´t get baptized Saturday because Luz drank coffee two days before the interview. They are very excited now and will get baptized this Saturday. We also taught a lady named Elia, she is one of the first investigators that I have taught that said that she wants to change her life and leave behind her bad habits. She said that she would prepare for a baptism on 8/8. She didn´t go to church because she was in the Chacra. I don´t know if that translates out to be farm or what, but she will come back this week.

My companion is really getting better at teaching and everything he is doing. I am trying to be patient and a lot of times it gets hard. I really think he is great and will do great things in the mission.

We live in the neighborhood named Urbanization del Carmen, and it was the week of the Virgin Del Carmen. So we had two huge parties directly in front of our house, with A TON of VERY LOUD MUSIC, LOTS OF BEER, people peeing in the street. It is funny how people can act so strange. We haven´t gotten a lot of sleep for two days. The Catholic culture is so interesting. They walk around the neighborhood with a huge Idol of this Virgin, with like 6 people carrying it. There is also with a band behind them and like 70 people following drunk, so funny.

I love you guys and it sounded like you had an enjoyable week too. I am so glad that everything is going good. I am so excited to get the package, for a lot of reasons.
I felt very trunky. I was in the house of a return missionary that had Mormon Tab music and it was the music of CALLED TO SERVE. I remembered all of the days going and coming home with dad to work listening to that music. It hit me a little bit, but it encouraged me to work harder.

I love you guys SO MUCH and hope that everything goes GREAT this week.

Faith to Heal

This week was a good week.

They liken the mission to a field that is already to harvest; I feel that in the mission field there is always a lot of work to do. We have a lot of investigators but a lot of them are not ready to progress and be baptized. Something that we are doing is we are cultivating our field. We are visiting everyone that we have and narrowing our numbers to concentrate on those that are ready to hear the message and apply it in their lives.

Luz and Erick were both really sick this week and only Luz came to church.
The good thing is I think that we can baptize them both this 18.

The president of our branch and another member had a reference for us. They had already taught him a little. We went to his house and taught him lesson 1 and talked about baptism. His leg is really ugly. He broke it and it’s really swollen. The doctor said that he can´t do much for about 3 months. We will see with the help of God what can happen. I have faith that he can be baptized this month.

The mission is an interesting process. I know that this is the work of the Lord. Even with that knowledge I have learned that for us to have a part in the salvation of other people, we also have to walk a little bit in the garden of Gethsemane. Sometimes things are a little hard, but I know that these experiences are making us stronger and more intelligent.

I love you guys so much....you are amazingly awesome.
~Elder Griffin~

Hiding from the missionaries

We had a good week, just a little bit of difficulties but were are still going strong.

The grandpa of Luz and Erick died and they were in Lima the whole week, so their date fell because they still haven’t returned.

José Navarro has some things that he has to work out before he gets baptized. We called him probably 10 times trying to get a hold of him and nothing.

Joel de Paz, we went to his house Saturday and while we were in his house I think that he ESCAPED. I don’t know why. So we went to his house Sunday and he was busy and said to return in an hour. we returned and he wasn’t there.

We did get a date with a newly wedded husband, whose wife is a member of the church. He is really cool and will get baptized, but it is just a matter of time.

Life is great here in the mission.

It is only the opposition that can help us grow and become better missionaries, and later better fathers. I know that the lord is blessing us everyday and also that sometimes you need to find the blue in the sky, not the clouds. I know that there is always blue in the sky, EVEN IN LIMA.

I hope that you guys can find the blessings for the obedience to the commandments. Tell everybody Hi, and tell Tallon that I really hope that he can kneel and pray about the decision to serve a mission. Pray not if he should go, but for the help to do the will of his Father in Heaven.

I love you guys so much and hope the best for you....LOVE YOU

A God of Miracles

Family and Friends....

The mission is great.

We had a good week this week....no baptisms but lots of spiritual experiences.
The goal in the mission is 100 families for the month of July.
We have a few that I think will get baptized. We are working really hard with the Mogollon Family.
Benito- still hasn’t gone to church but I believe that if we have someone who will be his friend he will accept baptism with his family.
Luz-she has a date for the 11 they both went to church yesterday.
Erick- he has a date for the 11

We had 7 baptismal dates Saturday and only 4 of them continued on to Sunday, but we are working really hard so that we can have the success.
We found a married family last night and taught them lesson 1. They are really an amazing family! The wife told us ¨what luck you guys have, we had just arrived. Then you guys knocked our door. I think you were sent here to help our spiritual side of things. I don’t know if that was a correct translation but something like that.
It was one of the first times that in a first visit the people recognized the importance of the spirit, and the way the Lord works.

That experience left a great impression in our hearts. I know that we will teach them again and they will be an eternal family, if they decide to do it. I am grateful for the guidance of the spirit in the places that we need to be.

Right now.....about Barranca.

The weather is a little cold. We walk with sweaters almost everyday. I am having a really good change with Elder Villalpando. I am always trying to show more patience and love with the companions. I am also trying to teach him how to teach, contact, organize the folder of our work and everything.
The Lord is blessing us for our efforts, and really is a God of Miracles. In the year that I have in the mission I can sum it up in one word, Miracles. Everyday we experience them and I am SO grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary in this part of the world.

The only thing that is bad is that we don’t have a keyboard or a piano. I (ruined) the keyboard. It is about 26 years old and when I played it and it broke. The joke is that everyone is blaming me, how funny, I told them that we just need to buy one that is younger than I am.....jk.

Today for P-day we are doing a symbolic (I think is the word.) thing. We are dressed up with all the same color of shirts. We made a flag, and are going to climb the highest point of Barranca (Cerro de la Orca). I am excited. I am dressed like a goon. I have a cool tribal shirt that Elder Acevedo borrowed me. It’s from the jungle, followed with a necklace of snake bone and crocodile tooth around my neck, and a beanie from Cusco, that I bought here in Barranca. I will definitely take some pictures.

I love you guys so much, y voy estar pronto.

~Elder Griffin~