18 June 2012

Dear Family,
18 June 2012

One week older and wiser too! Happy we-ek, too all!

I'm really struggling with writing in my journal recently. The prophets say we should keep one, but I haven't been able to organize well my time to be able to do well here in Tacna. I gotta work on that. Today I'm planning on playing catch up. and then I shall be able to grab the habit of writing every day.

I'm also considering buying myself a keyboard, since these keyboards in the internet cafe are just terrible. I'm working up some serious finger muscle just trying to jam down each key every time I want to write a "p" or delete a letter or put an "e" or press the right arrow key.

Here in Tacna the story is pretty similar to Arequipa but a little different. Lots of people in Arequipa have properties of land which makes it hard to go to the church, since they buy those properties basically doing land prospecting, and waiting until the land has a mayor [greater] value. They go every Sunday by law of the group of prospectors to put things like water tubes or prepare the roads, or help build homes or I don't know what, but anyway, if they don't go, there is a fine. So basically they have to sell their property to go to church. Anyway I don't know why I'm explaining all that since it's not much of a problem here in Tacna! (or at least in Granados, the area we are in, since I remember that there was lots of those situations in Leguia where I was before, some 2000 meters from where I live now).

In divisiones, I went to my ex area this last Tuesday! It was great to be able to see some of the members, and family where we lived (remember the Bimbos distruibutores?), and we were coming back in the night from the ward counsel and we ran into Junior! That was about the oddest thing to ever happen. We passed him in the street and talked a second. Turns out he moved and has been in Lima, but by "coincidence" we found him just the day he was walking towards his house to get some of the last stuff he had left there. That was cool.

The members of this ward are so generous and loving with the missionaries. I think I mentioned this before, but they have us eating so good [well]. Eating with them like that is going to make me get really fat I think. I think I'm taking to a new level the test of how much food my body can ingress without fattening up much... Although right now remembering that first year at BYU with the all-you-can eat buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all-you-can- eat ice cream every Sunday... I probably am not eating as much as I was in that time. But I'm at the closest I've gotten here in Peru. They just love us so much. We try to plan so that more than anything else, the less active and new members can invite us, so that our prescence can be most beneficial. Does our ward do something like that?

We had a vision of how the missionary work will be in a few years. There is a book that we keep to register basically everything we do, which is called the Area Book. We realized that in a few years, that book is going to be on a laptop. Maybe it is now in the states, but there will be tons of benefits when that happens! We made 2 weeks ago a list of Former Investigatores which took quite a while, but if the area book were on a laptop in some program, that list would come out in order of street where they live or last name or first or how many times they went to church or how many visits were made or age or whatever the missionaries want in 2 seconds. Furture investigatores would be the same! Just imagine! haha I'm guessing that will be the mission of my children, but doubt Paul or Eric will be able to taste of that dream.... William maybe, no?

We've been finding people who have been more prepared this week! For example, Saturday we contacted a guy who asked if we were the Mormons who believed in the Nephites, Lamanites, and Jaredites. And told me all about how Joseph Smith received the gold plates. We taught 4 of his family yesterday (there are still 3 more to get to know in the next lesson). Yesterday we met a man who says he has been looking and looking for a church, and wants to be baptized, and has confidence that the Lord answers prayers because He always has answered his prayers. "I prayed for a 100% [grade] and He always gave me a 100% when I was in high school"

I really like being companions with Elder Beletanga. This Ecautoriano is crazy haha.

Love Elder Johnson

Merry Christmas Picture and a Picture of a meal

Dear Primary!

Thank you so much for the cards! They are awesome! And I am sure when my companion gets on email in a little bit he will appreciate them so much too! Ah christmas :)

It is HOT today. I'm betting it isn't over there on the far side of the equator.

Cultural note: Milk is delivered door to door by lecheros. They walk around carrying two of the classic metal big milk jars to the doors of their clients.

Today I am writing another letter. I wrote one hace quanto tiempo... mucho...[how long ago?] a month and a half [ago]? I also sent my memory card in that letter... so if it hasn't arrived... that's a problem. [If it hasn't yet] I shall ask the leaders. This new letter willl probably get in the mail system Thursday.

Thanks for the advice Dad, I definitely realized that was part of my problem. This week has been great. First I corrected that, then in a meeting of our zone, the Asistantes of the President came and talked a little about Alma 26:22. Just the very beginning of repentance. They invited us to take out a piece of paper and write down everything we are doing wrong, and fix them. I've been doing this. I haven't been apoyando [supporting] my companion, which is one things that lead to the problems I had. Other things that I have changed this week have allowed me to get along with him much, much better.

Also dad, my triple combination has broken. The spine that gets glued to the pages came off.. There is still a sticky flexible layer which will stick shortly, but delaminate also shortly if I open the book. What can I do to fix it? Rubber cement? Seek a book repairer? I have no idea where I'd find one here.

The food pictures goes like this.

Breakfast was bread and eggs. I really like this breakfast. Which is good cuz we have it almost every day. Other times we have it with meat in the bread, or some fruit thing. What you can't see here is that the temperature at 7:30 am when it was taken was PERFECT, refreshingly chilly. Sound: roosters crowing, dogs barking. Smell: that of sunny side up eggs and bread. Feel: er the bread warm, the seat hard.

Lunch: spaghetti. Acutally this meal is really uncommon. We have only had it one other time. It's good, but tastes quite different. Temperature was warm slash hot. Sound: fast eating, dogs barking. Smell: tomato sauce. Feel: rushed, we were running late for an appointment.

Dinner: Rice and potato with some sort of sauce. I like this one... all right. Not a lot. Have no idea how to describe the taste. The rice potato combo is really, really common.  I think I have gone maybe one day since arriving in Peru without eating rice... maaayyybee. Temperature: cool.  Sound: quiet, dogs barking. Smell: of the food.  Feel: relaxed, a little tired.

So what cool has happened this week? We will have a baptism next week! Preparing her has been really, really awesome. We teach her with her mom and sister who are less active members. They really have a passion for learning the gospel, and have returned to go to church with strength, along with our investigator.

I will write more detail in the letter!

Love Elder Johnson