Great Companion, Hard Work, and Miracles!

November 16, 2015

Okay, okay, okay!  Here goes!  I have made a promise to myself and to everybody else that I will be a better letter writer because you all deserve it and I deserve it also!!  I mean, these things are the only things that ya'll get from me for two years!!  Like dang, I have really been letting you down!!  So here goes!!  I am going to finish strong!

"My favorite member!  Evelyn!!!"

This week has been pretty dang good!!  We are working SOOOOO HARD!!!  Like, really, really, hard!  Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day!!  We end up eating dinner in the room at 9:30.  I guess that you could call it dinner - bread with juice isn't exactly what you would call dinner over there.  But hey, it is all we got.  Haha.

Anyhow, Tuesday was a really good day.  We found new people to teach that I just love!!  You know the last three transfers I haven't really seen any miracles happening in this sector.  So we (me and Elder Leyton) promised each other that we were going to do our part and leave the rest in the Lord's hands.  We got a referral from somebody and they said that it would be a really good idea to visit this family.  So we had been doing everything in our power to get in contact with these people.  Their names are Walter and Mari.  We finally got a hold of them and set up an appointment for Tuesday night!  We went and they weren't at their house!!!!  NOOOOO!!!!!  A real bummer!  So we called them and they told us to wait 10 minutes and they would be there!  We waited for what felt like forever and they finally got there.  We started the lesson - we usually just use the first lesson to get to know them.  Well, come to find out that Walter is a tour guide and has had some really cool people as clients.  Cool people as in, Dallin H. Oaks, D. Todd Christofferson, and 2 of President Monson's personal secretaries.  These types of cool people.  They are just a family really prepared to hear the gospel!!!  He has also read all of the Book of Mormon!!!  So we invited them to be baptized right then and there!!  They said that they would when they know that everything is true!!!  So that was the highlight of my week!!

We worked really hard on Wednesday and Thursday but didn't teach one single lesson - just a whole bunch of contacts in the street!!

Funny story!!!  On Thursday night we got home and were really tired but we planned. Not the best planning session that we have ever had.  Haha!  I mean we were REALLY tired!!  After planning we both took off our shirts and sat on our beds talking.  We don't know that happened next because at 3:38 (in the morning) I woke up and the light was still on and we were both still in our church pants. So that was really funny to have to wake him up and change clothes and get in bed at 4 in the morning.  Haha!!

Friday we found a less active family!!  There names are Samuel and Mary!!  They are a really awesome family with 3 children none of which are baptized (the children that is).   Samuel recently had a operation done on......oh boy don't remember where, but he is having a hard time recovering. When we showed up he was really happy.  He told us that he has been seeing lots of elder in the street, that he has been seeing the name of the church everywhere, and he thinks that is it time that he and his wife start going to church again with their kids!!!

Elders George and Leyton! ♥♥

So yes we are seeing the Lord's hand again in the work here in our little sector!!  There is really nothing better that could happen to me!!  I really am on cloud 9!!  I love my little companion.  He is opening up a little bit!  We really are best friends, we get along sooo well and we are always laughing!  We just love each other!!

So there is my week!  That is about all I've got for you guys this week.  I am sure that I will have more and better stories in the coming weeks!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD AND LULA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love
Elder George

A Good Week and My Shy Companion

November 9, 2015

Howdy!!

Hello my family and my friends!!  This week has been the craziest week of my whole life really!!  So y'all got the news last week that I was going to be training and all the jazz!!! I had a bunch of training this week with president so that is always good!!  He is such a good man!  I really do look up to him.

So I am staying here in Picchu for 2 more changes!!  That is crazy and it means that I will stay in this place until the beginning of February almost!!  That is crazy!!!  I came here at the middle of MAY!!  I will be here almost 8 months and then I will have a change to the last sector of the mission!!  But ya, let's not talk about that because I still have a lot of time left to serve the Lord!!  Lucky me right!?!

This is crazy.  I feel like I am just getting the hang of things and now I get to train someone else to preach the gospel which is the most important message of the whole world!!  His name is Elder Leyton.   He is from LaPaz Bolivia and he is 19 years old.  He got baptized 3 years ago with his whole family.  He has one younger brother and one younger sister.  He is really, really, really, really, really, really, shy and quiet!!  That is something that is a little hard for me.  It is pretty hard to get to know him and to help him.  He is a really good guy but he just won't talk.  Not to me or in lessons - nothing!  Haha!  That is something that we are working on together!  But other than that there really is nothing to tell you guys.

This week we got a few lessons in that were just really awesome.  We started teaching someone named Juan Carlos.  The elders have taught him in the past.  His siblings are members and so that is how we know him.  He is a good kid.  He is 19 years old and a little crazy.  He likes to party and he likes the girls.  That is something that we are working on.  We taught the Restoration and it went sooooooo well.  He was crying and the spirit was just soooo strong.  I started crying when I was telling him about the first vision.  I know, not very manly, but it was just an awesome lesson!!!  He will hopefully get baptized in the coming weeks.  I will keep you posted.

I love you all and miss you a ton.  Take Care!

Elder George

I'm TRAINING!!!!!

November 2, 2015

How are you all doing this fine week?  I am doing really, really, well.  This week was a very long 7 days!  Hahaha.

My companion was trunky - like out of his head truky and kind of made me a little trunky too.  It was truly just a very long interesting week!!!!!  We really didn't work too much but yeah what new there?
I really don't know what else I could have done differently.

My Zone at Cristo Blanco

However, we had a really good experience as a zone on Saturday night.  There are 4 people from our zone that are going home so we all went up to Cristo Blanco.  It was just really spiritual.  It was also really kind of sad too.  It is a weird feeling.  You become good friends with so many people and then they just leave you.  And you will probably never see them ever again in your whole life.  Just a very sad deal right?  However, I am really glad that God has given me the opportunity to get to know so many good people that have changed my life forever.  That is the majority of the people I have been blessed to meet!  They are really cool I have found friends that I will have for the rest of my life.  Anyhow, we went up there, and then we sang God Be With You Till We Meet Again.  It was really fun, and sad, and just good!!!

The sister next to me will be training also.  My companion is headed home.  The other Sister is headed home because of medical problems.

♥♥I  LOVE  LITTLE  KIDS!!!!!!♥♥

That is all that happened this week!!  Take Care!!

My letters are going to be getting better because me and my son (that what you call the missionary that you are going to train) are going to work real hard!

So yes I am training!!!!  WOOOHOOOOO!!!

Love Elder George

Short Sweet and A Couple Pictures

August 31, 2015

Howdy!!!

Well family and friends this had been a good week for Elder George!!  Things are getting better in our sector!!  We are finding new people and we are starting to understand how to work together better!!

"My friends in Peru"

 

"Good times at Family Home Evening."  They do something with
markers on their faces.  When I blow this up bigger he is not the only one
with a marked up face!

This is going to be a kinda short letter because I have lots of things to do.

But we are finding new people and Jonathan is starting to progress!!  He came to our talent show and played Guitar with Elder Salvatierra!!  We also did a number, us, and the sisters!!  It turned out really awesome!!  I played piano and Elder Salvatierra played Guitar.  The sisters sang I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me!!!  It was a really good note to end on.  something really spiritual!!  You will have to wait until I get home to watch the video because I cant send it home!!!

But we are working harder and things are getting better!!!  I love you all and hope that you are doing good!!!

Love Elder George

The Confidence of a Loving Heavenly Father

August 24, 2015

How are you all doing my friends?  Slowly things are getting better!!  But it is still a little discouraging!!  I am just trying to be me and to love him.  If I can learn to love him, he can learn to love me for who I am too.  But really!!  No?  I felt like I have been a different person to please other people latley, what an idiot I am!!!  I know hahah!!!

Tuesday was alright!  We didn´t get too much done because I was trying to get things oganized for a little District thing.  I had an interview with one of the investigators of the sisters, and it was one of my most favorite interview I have had on the mission.  It was really special.  I relized in that interview how much confidence our Heavenly Father really has in us - his missionaries.  He allows a 19 year old, snot nosed, kid from Idaho, help determine if somebody is ready for baptism. That is a stinking lot of confidence, no?

Wednesday we went out working in the morning and that was pretty dang fun.  I think that it was one of the first times that we have actually talked wile walking down the street.  It helped a lot.  People could see that we were happy and our contacts went a lot better.  We were even able to enter a house of some guy we were talking to.  I don´t think this man will ever get baptized but I know that we planted a seed.  He will remember that visit all his life.  He will remember how he felt the spirit, it is something that nobody can deny.  When you feel him talking to you, you just know that it is him.  You can deny that you felt something, but that won´t do you any good.  You should just admit that you felt the spirit and get baptized hahah!!!

Thursday we helped our leaders of the zone with an activity in their ward the whole day.  It was kind of fun, but at the same time I kinda felt like it was a waste of our time.  Before that we played marbles with Carla, her brother, and her aunt that we have been teaching.  It is a game that is definitely from South America but it was really fun!!  I lost - but it was really fun.  I mean what can you expect?  I am playing with all Latinos, and they have played this game their whole lives.  But I am getting better!!!

Elder George LOVES the children!

Friday we stopped by one of our investigators house named Jonathan!  He is 19 years old and he is AWESOME!  He loves music and plays guitar really well.  He also plays the drums!!!  I suck at the drums!!!  But it is always fun to visit him.  Before we start we play  guitar, piano, and drums all together.  It is always a good way to gain confidence, trust, and have a little fun.  One of the member visited with us and was kind of mad that we played for 5 minutes before the lesson.  I just asked him if he thought that Jesus never had fun while he was here on the earth.  He just said
"Tiene razón."  (Google translate says "He's right.")  I WIN!!!  Hahaha!

Saturday was one of his lazy days and we didn't do too much but I got some good reading in.  I love the sciptures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"When I get really bored I take some MAD selfies!!!!"

Sunday we met a less active youth in our ward, well not really youth, he is 20 years old.  But he came up to us and said he wants to serve a mission.  He is the best.  His name is Julio Cesas.  So our goal is to help him get out in the mission. He is going to come on visits with us and we are going to learn together!!  That is something that I would tell all the youth to do - go out with the missionaries.  We would be so much more prepared and be able to help other so much better!!!

That is about all I have for you!!

I love you all!!

Love Elder George

12 More Weeks

August 17, 2015

Well to start off this week has been really hard.  He started his last 12 weeks.  The first and last 12 weeks are a big deal.  That was news to me but I guess that is how it is.  He has been saying to everybody that he only has 12 weeks left and now he is saying to me, "Can you believe that I only have 11 weeks left.  Yes, yes, yes I can.

Tuesday I was reading in Isaiah for a few hours and only read a like 15 verses.  I was thinking about how not only do we need to read the scriptuces but we need to study the scriptures and we need to search the scriptures.  If we can learn this we will grow to love the scriptures and we will not miss one day of scripture study!!!

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday were all the same a LOT, LOT, LOT, LOT, of reading scriptures and talks from the brethren in Salt Lake.

Friday was the same too.  Hahaha.  I am looking at my planner like "Wow we didn't do anything this week."  Hahaha.  It really isn't funny - it is really sad but what can I do?  Not too much, continue to show my love.

Saturday we planned our next ward activity and it should be really good.  We are going to do a Talent show.  That is pretty dang cool for Peru,  As missionaryies we can do things that are spiritual so I think that we will put something together that is pretty good - we will see.

Sorry that this week there isn't that much to report.  I will try to do better next week.

Love you all
Elder George

Transfers, Transfers, Transfers

August 10, 2015

Hello hello hello!!  There is something avçbout saying the same thing 3 time in a row.  I don´t know what it is but I like it haha!!!  What can you say, I am kind of a weird dude!!!

This week was good.  First off there were transfers today!!  I am staying here in Picchu with my companion.  At first I was really worried for myself when I saw that one of us didn´t have a change.  You all know that the past 6 weeks have been rough for me.  After about 5 minutes I could feel the spirit in my life and I know that this is where I need to be and he is who I need to be with for the next 6 weeks.  I don´t know the reason yet.  But there is a reason and I will press forward with faith!!!

Tuesday was AWESOME!!!  We had our multi-zone caference with president and his wife (Sometimes you gotta be a little sneaky and find pictures of the same thing on someone else's blog and just abscond with the pictures they have.  Most of these pictures come to you in that fashion.  Elder George did send a few and I will make note of those)

President and Sister Harbertson

Elder George is really in this picture! I was so excited when I
saw him sitting on the ground level clear in the back leaning
against the wall!!!

There he is again wearing his Skyline Golf  sweatshirt!!

So Beautiful!!

and with one other zone.  But this milti zone was different - it was outside!!  It was outside in our street clothes.  It was really fun.  We were put into teams and we were asked to build a box with noodles and marshmallows that could hold up 5 oranges.  I was the team leader and we finished first and our box was the strongest out of the 6 boxes!!

This is the one that he sent.  Sister Johnson on the far
left writes the blog with Elder Johnson that I stole the
other pictures from.

 That is what I am talking about.  It was probably because my team was united and we comunicated!!  That´s what's up!!!

Wednesday my canpanion was really tired from the day before and I read a lot.  I decided that I am going to read Isaiah.  It is really interesting.  If you read in 3rd Nefi, (I always smile when a little Spanish creeps in) you will see that the Savior says that the words that we need to understand are the words of Isaiah.  They contain everything that we need to know for our salvation.  The only problem is that I have been studing every day for at least an hour and haven´t even made it to the second chapter hahahaha.  You have to work for your salvation!!!!!!!!  Not easy folks to understand this book!!

Thursday we did a service project that took up the whole morning.  People here in Peru just love painting.  They don´t care if it is a really good job or not they just like it when their house is freshly painted.  They know that we work for free, so they just call up the elders, and we come, and paint their house for free.   They like free and freshly painted!!  What more could you ask for really!!!

Thank you Sister Rhoades (discovered her name from Sister
Johnson's blog) for making no-bake cookies and sharing with
Elder George!

Friday was a day for the books.  Probably the hardest that we have work this whole change.  We visited a few investigaors and had 3 lessons (that is pretty dang good for us).  We visited a new investigator named Lurdus.  She is a single mom and is really awesome.  One thing that I really like about teaching her is that she undestands what we are teaching.  Some of the lower educated people here don´t understand, but she understands, and follows through with her commitments!!

Saturday we had Stake Conference so we were in meetings all day and same with Sunday!!  But all in all is was a really good week we are finding new people and slowly, but surely, improving!!

I love you all have a great week!!

Love Elder George!!!