it really is the key to our religion

well what's up!! glad to hear everything is going well! i can't believe ten is graduated! only one kid left and then we will all be graduated. how crazyyyy. well the family history thing is great. its cool cause we actually get to proselyte now too. so we have to take care of our area and family history. you feel the spirit so strong there its awesome! so last monday when i got off the computer i went to go visit carlos and españa. i saw españa laying on her bed so i stuck my face right in front of her and woke her up and she fell off the bed and i tried catching her cause she was so surprised! hahahah her baby (cielo) is so big now! and she recognized me right away! it made me cry when i hugged her because i was so happy. españa was crying too. and she told me that they are going to amputate carlos's other leg to. that hit me in the heart. makes me pretty sad. so i phoned carlos cause he's in the hospital and talked to him for a while. he's very sad and feels like he has no reason to live. i wish i could help him :(

      this week was awesome though we have been focusing lots on the book of mormon and we ALWAYS in every lesson leave something for them to read and then verify the next lesson to see if they read and if they didn't we read with them. and we have noticed that the people we are teaching are having even more of a conversion to the gospel when they read what we leave them, its crazy how the book of mormon is so powerful. it really is the key to our religion. i love love love it. its sooo interesting and fun to read.

    so we moved houses.... and man it was such a hassle. the zone leaders helped pick out the house and they called and were like hey we found you a house and signed the contract! and we were like cool hopefully its a good room. so we go and there's NO WINDOWS that lead to outside! i was like elders what the heck! and they were like do you like it? and i was like yeah when we have room revisions hermana gomez is going to make us move. AGAIN. but oh well. so last night in the middle of the night i got up cause i couldn't breath! i HAD to open the door cause it was sooo stuffy. so we will see what happens. now i understand why the women pick out the houses. heheheh silly zone leaders.

   well i love you all so much. i'm so proud of ten for the way he stands up for the church!!! he really is a good boy and good brother. love him a lot!

 take care! CHAOO!

a true disciple of christ keeps the sabbath day holy

hey guys! whats up? this week my comp got sick i felt bad for her but shes better now. so its nice because we get to be in the family history office with air conditioning and I just finished getting used to the climate here but its funny cause whenever i leave the office on a scorching hot day i feel like i get hit by a sauna.. its sooooooo humid outside and hot! and the air you breath is so wet. haha but that's okay i'm sure i'll miss it when i get home and its super freezing outside. i get cold now when it rains.. can't imagine what it'll be like when i get home in december . hahah i used to still be hot even when it rained at night..

    anyway this week was really good. i'll tell ya a little story. so we were walking on the street at night and a lady in her chair grabbed me and she was like mormons!! so we stopped and she totally creeped us out. like chills all down our spines. and she was like come visit me!!! i'm a member of the church... and we were like yeah ok and took out an appointment for this wednesday. so then yesterday we went to church and she came late. and she sat down on the other side of the room and would not stop looking at me. it was WEIRD. and so sacrament finished and she came up to me and was like HI i told my son that you guys are coming on wednesday and he is so excited to meet you and his girlfriend got mad at him because he was excited but he didn't care at all. he's a great cook and he works hard and he will be waiting on wednesday.... and the spirit told us both the same thing about her and i'll tell you what it was when i get home in december but it was crazy. so we went to the district leader the second hour of church and told him what happened and he was like yeah you guys are NOT going there this wednesday. and i was like nope we aren't. and so we were sitting there in the second hour and she wouldn't take her eyes off me and kept reminding me that we were going to her house on wednesday. it was weird! so then we left the room cause my comp and i felt real uncomfortable and then she came looking for me and so i kinda hid behind the elder and to my comp the lady was like wheres the gringa?!!! and then she saw me and was like ahhhhh you were hiding ...and i was like yeah go back to class ok? ... it was weird. we just got a super weird feeling around her so we will not be visiting her anytime soon.

    but anyway.. that's that.. so you know how there are those days where you are just so amazed with the atonement and you think about it alllll day long and you're in awe? well that happened this week. this week i have been so grateful for the atonement. i feel like in iquitos is where i have most felt that. iquitos is a special place. everyone needs the atonement but i know jesus christ is aware of every single person suffering here in iquitos and they ALL have access to the atonement. elder waddell from the 70 came and talked to us last thursday and it was absolutely inspiring. it made me feel so sad that i only have 6 months left. its soo cool that god trusts a bunch of young kids to preach his gospel. he is with us in every moment. elder waddell helped us realize the importance of missionary work and helping the people have a testimony of the book of mormon and prayer. it was interesting because out of all the scriptures he quoted he only used the bible once. he said he loves the bible and it is a precious book but the book of mormon is what converts us to christ. it helps us to understand the atonement more and more every time we read it. 

Elder waddell also helped us understand that GOD KNOWS ALL THINGS: its so true dad. sometimes i feel like things are so hard here.. and i wonder why some people reject the gospel even after they have felt the truths of it. sometimes i wonder if iquitos is where i'm supposed to be. but the answer is yes. i'm supposed to be here. god knows i'm here at this period of time. he knows all things and so as i walked the streets and taught lessons i couldnt get it out of my head... that he knows ALL things. its so true. we cannot lie to god either. its super important to work with all we have got and like you said dad, forsake all our sins and come unto him.

       well i love you all. i hope you all be good and remember to always keep the sabbath day holy... because a true disciple of christ keeps the sabbath day holy.

 LOVE YOU

 

my compy! she's from lima

 

she's in my group! SHE'S AWESOME! everyone says she looks and acts like anna from frozen! LOL

 

Add cmy district!! they are great!!!

 

we said to do a funny face and elder ahrmon grabbed elder beas and elder beas was like what the heck... hahaha

 

this guy is awesome! hes nutz in his mind and hes always like "BONANZAS AL ALTÍSIMO"! JAJAJAJ and whenever he sees us he starts praying and always asks us where the church is haha

 

he has told me where to go and where to stay away from

hi dad. thanks for your email. i needed it! so i got a change..... i hopped on a plane on tuesday and now i'm in.... IQUITOS! my home! haha in family history... but family history here is full time. but this change we are going to take care of our area AND work in family history. its great. so we are in the offices with air conditioning! SO NICE! so right now all the missionaries in iquitos are sitting in an internet cafe sweating and here i am in air conditioning!! HEHEHE! so i thought i'd be sooo happy to be back in iquitos since that's where i started my mission but i felt sooo sad when i got here cause so much has changed and i missed tarapoto and the climate there and the people. but its ok. i'm getting used to it. i'm killing my new comp! (killing on the mission means they finish this change with you) so she goes home this next change. she's awesome though!! love her! she's from Lima and is 24 and very kind. we laugh a lot and worked very well together right off the bat. so remember how i said there was one other canadian on the mission here? well i FINALLY met him! haha i was so stoked cause he is from cardston and to talk to someone that is from the same place is super cool. i was talking about raymond and lethbridge and Beazer and he knew exactly who and what i was talking about. it was soooo weird! we were so weirded out hahaha.  his name is elder hilderman. he's one of the best missionaries on the mission is what EVERYONE says because he is super dilligent and loves the work.

     anyway.. so being back in iquitos has been very interesting. i forgot how different and unique it is. you can really feel how much iniquity there is here. i felt super sick in my stomach my first couple nights proselyting here. the poverty hit me hard like it did at the beginning of my mission. i sometimes feel so helpless because there is nothing i can do for them... well dad but like you said to me before the mission... the best thing i can give them is the knowledge of the gospel. right ? that is true..

    so we are teaching a boy and his mom and the grandpa is a little crazy like super out of it but he is hilarious. and you have to yell at him so he hears you. so we went there the other day to teach and no one answers but then we see the grandpa just wandering around and we asked what he was doing cause we saw he was looking in cracks and houses and garbages and he said he was looking for food. our hearts dropped. he's very skinny too it was clear that he was hungry. so we went and bought him a meal and brought it to him and he was SO happy! it about made me cry.. i cry for the people here but never in front of them. i always manage to hold it in. but i felt so bad for him. its just crazy how people here can have so much faith to stop working on sundays to keep the sabbath day holy and trust that the lord will help them with their next meal. i love this mission. it really is a special mission here in the jungle. i can't believe i've survived a year here! its sooo great! i've learnt soo much. i love jesus christ so much and its amazing learning how to discern the spirit. i notice that when i am working super hard and just super concentrated in the work the spirit talks to me, he helps me read minds and know what to say or ask the people we teach. he has told me where to go and where to stay away from. there has been some sketchy experiences here but the lord is with us. he always protects us and is on our side. thanks mom and dad for teaching me to choose the right. i was and still am far from perfect but i know where to look to when things are awesome and when things are tough... and that's Jesus Christ.

take care and i love you all!

man i miss him!

that is the most adorable picture of kazan!!!!!!!! man i miss him! can you please send me his address?? or what's snail mail? does he get on email?? i want to send him a letter. 

Uncle Kazan's B-day shirt

so today are changes. so we will see how that goes! we played soccer last monday and it was so fun! i scored 6 goals and the latinos told me they were surprised that i could play loll it was so  fun! i havn't played in soooo long! and today we are going to play  basketball. 

that's what happens when you play hard! soccer!

 

aww he's so cute .. trying to make a living for his family. be  grateful for what you have!

but this week was awesome. jesus (the hubby)and melissa got married! then the next day got baptized! it has been awesome. this whole mission experience so far. its amazing how god is always aware of us. he loves every one of his children. and i feel the love he has for this family. when they bore their testimonies on their baptism they mentioned how now they know that the next thing they must do is prepare to enter the temple and become an eternal family.  

 

 

the peru trujillo temple is going to be dedicated next month and i can't wait to watch it! finally i get to use my temple recommend. one of the first things i want to do when i get back to alberta is go to the temple. i need it so so so so much. i miss it a lot. we are so lucky to have temples around us. but i miss you all a lot. i want you to know i'm doing super well and my testimony is growing more and more each day. i'll never fully understand the atonement but i sure am eternally grateful for it. it works and we need to apply it everyday. love you very much.

 

my comp

i didn't even say happy mothers day to mom!!!

wow brendan's talk is awesome!! it brought a little tear to my eye! well done well done.... so it was nice to talk to you guys!! i realized that i didn't even say happy mothers day to mom!!! i feel so bad!! i was just so excited to talk to you guys i guess. its crazy to think that the next time i hear your voices will be in person. it was nice to talk with every single one you... brendan's still a pest because he ran over my longboard but i love him. ten's still the coolest kid on the block but he's a blast. vicky's still the most beautiful girl in fort st james but pure in heart. mom's still the hottest mom out there and the most funnest bubbly person but knows when to lay the law down and dad is still a jokester and amazing father but clearly shows the love for his children. i love you all.. when i get home i wanna do a little slideshow for you guys like what brendan did when he got home and just talk about everything.. but its nice to know i made it this far. god loves us so much and helps us every step of the way. i hope we can all continue to give thanks for all that we have. prayer is so important. if we don't feel like praying we should instantly get on our knees till we feel like praying... summer will go by fast so enjoy it! do scriptures and enjoy the whole  family together. we will have to get new family pic when me and lan get there. we have never done winter pics but i think it would be awesome. love you all! CTR

there is a coffee factory by our apartment

hi everyone!!! ok so dad.. i'm calling today.. its just a precall though to coordinate when i'm going to call on mothers day. i'll probably call around 4 my time so it'll be like 6 your time. WOOT!

    so this week was crazy. this whole month was full of trials and hardship but i'm so grateful for them. we watched a few families suffer because they didn't have any food and it really got me down. we gave them the fruit in our fridge that we had and the church helped them out. i thought a lot this week about how we are so lucky that we don't have to starve or worry about what we are going to eat the next day. we don't have dirt floors and we have locks on our doors. there is a coffee factory by our apartment and every monday the workers carry sacs onto this big truck.. so that night every night there are two poor women who come with plastic baggies and pick out the coffee beans from the dirt that may have spilled out of the sacs and they sell it. its so sad. i always like to give them my fruit or yogurt if i have it in my fridge and they get soo so happy. so be sure to thank god for all you have . give thanks in every opportunity you have.

    i've been enjoying my mission and my area so much. the people are great and i know the members so well and i know who to go to if we need something and where to go and the streets... its always so sad to leave an area. but that's how the mission is. everything comes to an end but we will always have that testimony with us. we just gotta feed it and nourish it daily. do you guys take the time to watch the mormon messages? they are a great way to build your testimonies. well i have some cool stories for you guys when we talk on the phone. 

     but dad i like your last email. they talk about all the christ-like attributes. there really is no other better way to live life than trying to be like jesus. because if we don't try to be like him we really won't get closer to our father in heaven and that's sad. i love the perfect example that he set for us. and the more we try to be like him the more we love him and our desires to be obedient increase.

i love you lots. stay righteous! and can't wait to hear your voices! make sure everyone is home sunday night!

fear god and not men

dad! and mommy! man i miss you guys a lot this week. we have been working super super hard. i'm addicted to achieving goals! i used to hate setting goals cause i thought they were stressful. happy to say i overcame that and i have goals for when i get home. big ones. that i will achieve and no one will stop me. on the mission i've learnt to put my foot down and fear god and not men. before i wanted to please both. i've learnt that that is impossible. it does not work and will never work. and if you're obedient and as diligent as you can be physically and spiritually you will receive revelation necessary to do the lords will and find his chosen children. man i love this work. i feel like i just cant get enough of it. i don't even miss you guys.. well i do... a lot.. but its not like an "i miss you and wanna come home" but man dad.... some days are draining and crazy hard and i could use your advice... BUT i'm SO grateful for every trial and hardship in my life... its an opportunity to show god that i will not give up... i like to pray and ask god to show me my weaknesses.. and let me tell ya.. he showed me this week. i'm so stubborn and prideful but man the lord is so merciful! i think back on how i used to be at the beginning of my mission and i was not the best missionary... i thought i worked just fine but truth is that i wish i would have put my whole heart and soul into the work. i really believe that we become converted on the mission. thanks for supporting me. you guys rock. 

   we have been working with 2 couples who are getting married and every time we baptize or marry a family satan is so strong! so i always like to warn them at the beginning and i prep myself.. so this week has been stressful but i'm learning lots! love it!! well i am so proud of vix for going to young women's stuff! young women's is the best! i can't believe that she's gunna be 13.. WOW. ahh i feel like it was yesterday that  became a teenager! hahaha oh man.. can't wait till i get home to give her advice! lol. well i get to do a precall home in like 2 weeks. yay! so make sure you answer strange numbers.. ALSO. it'll be the last call home and the next time i hear your voices it'll be in person.. woot! love you all so much.. be good..