Got to have Faith- Week 9

Hey everyone!

This week has been going slow, but hopefully it gets better! We had our baptism fall though but we hope to pick it up soon! Jose is grand and loves the church, but school really gets in the way for him!

Ana Christina and Armando have been progressing rapidly, and we will be asking them to be baptized soon! We also have a new investigator named Patricia, and she is amazing. she loves the gospel and the new testament, her house has beautiful paintings and I mean the best I've seen ever in a house of all things from the bible. She is progressing and asking us a lot of questions and hopefully she will attend church soon.

Spanish is going better, but that's just because I live in a way different place and need to speak it... also that gift of tongues and stuff haha.

We had stake conference this week, and i must say, it really made me feel weird not to be at stake conference in Utah. We skyped with the chapel in Cali, and it was very different to watch via a skype call. but it was nice. The following day, all of Colombia had a DVD

to watch of the prerecorded conference from the church. We had two members of the seventy talk, one Latino, and one gringo who spoke nice and slow and i loveeeed it, The president of the primary and Jeffery R. Holland.

The talks were, priesthood power, family home evening, partaking of the word, and becoming more like Jesus Christ.

I have been studying Faith this week and wished I brought my planer to tell you exactly which scriptures, and I will next week, but what I got from it was this. Faith is not just standing still and waiting for God to answer our prayers, rather it is we have enough faith to act upon what we know is true, and after acting on such things, we will receive a knowledge, even a perfect knowledge, because we will receive the fruits of our labors, we will also gain a greater testimony about it. For when we know that when we act, we will receive again. Heavenly Father knows that he cannot deny blessings when we do what is right. As it says in DyC 130 v20 -21

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated

 21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Heavenly Father will bless us. I love you all. Do things in faith and action and He will bless you. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Pead

2nd Week in Jamundi

(Letter for everyone reading the blog)

2ND WEEK IN JAMUNDI!

We have a few golden investigators and a baptism date! The Spanish is still going hard, but hey, it's the lifeeee.

My companion is like a big brother, funny, mean, loving, all around everything, but I can tell he loves the people. We just got to go out and find more people to teach.

I love love love sleeping. Like, you can tell when you get tired, its pretty easy to fall asleep. Also, lots of bugs, lots and lots and lots...and lots. We didn't take out the garbage one day and we had maggots the next, disgusting.

Por favor, write if you gots the time. love you guys!

Elder Pead

Mom and Dad,

It was great to read your email. So much joy at home!

To answer all the questions,

 

1. How are you washing your clothes? They have a service here that brings you a washer, then we just hang our clothes to dry.

2. Do you eat with the members? We eat at a members house every day for lunch, and most of the time, its rice, which is totally fine, but some days I realllly hope I could have just like, chicken and rice. They feed us toooo much.

3. Have you learned to cook yet? My roommate is teaching me how to cook chicken, so that's good! He also taught me how to sew! One of my pants ripped a little, so he showed me how to fix um.

4. How are your shoes working out for you? My shoes are good. I got a few blisters, but one is realllly bugging me, but ehhhh.

The only hard parts of the day is when an appointment falls through, but more or less, its fine.

The Spanish is coming along, but we had so much a happen these few weeks, I feel like our time for language study is falling though.

I'm so glad to hear Jarrett is doing so good! I was thinking about him the other day, and how much he will grow in two years.

I was actually wondering how Sela(one of Dallin's friends who is serving in Sweden)was doing, so thanks for that update! You should send me her email sometime! I really love looking at all the emails from other missionaries I get!

We have a couple who is really advancing in the gospel, and I'm hoping if it is in the Lords time, we can invite them to baptism. The husband attended church yesterday, and he loved it all. He talked and studied a lot and I just have a good feeling. So I hope it all works out.

Thanks for the advice, I have noticed that the weeks have gone by soooo quick. The only time I get sad or anything is like, right when I wake up or I just had a hard day with Spanish.

I love you and mom so much. Tell her I'm singing those himnos(hymns) like no other.(Dallin's mom was imagining him singing hymns in Spanish)

Dad, it's like raining hardddddd right now, and I just want to tell you I miss you and your wise knowledge. I love you so much.

Talk to you next week

Elder Pead

Met a Elder Stevenson from St. George

He will be going home in three months!

Also, Dad, we walked by a different church the other day, I couldn't feel the spirit, but I could feel that bass guitar.(I had told Dallin of an experience I had on my mission of going to a different church and having them yell in the microphone "can you feel the spirit?" I turned to my companion and said, "all I can feel are the vibrations from the electric bass guitar")

Serving in Jamundi- Week 7

Dear Padra Fadra.

It has been a weeeeeeeeeird last few days here in the mission field. There is so much to say and yet I know it will be hard to say it all. So let's start with the first day.  My house, is on the second to top  floor of the apartment and I stay with two other missionaries. Both are Hispanic, so there is no English in the house what so ever.  It's very difficult at times to say what's on my mind because I don't know the words to say.  butttt heyyyy,  it's a blast.

So the night I got to my area... Jamundi is its name. I'm in Jamundi 2, but anyways, the night we went back, we got  to an investigators house, and he spoke English so during the whole lesson he would only talk to me. I would keep trying to speak Spanish so my comp and my two other missionary brothers could understand. This investigator prayed out loud and said grand spirit hear me and then clapped a lot like a lot he then told me he had chastity problems and word of wisdom problems and dang, it was a harrrrd to freaken not tell him to be quiet or we would leave. I got to a point where I just gave him blank looks because of his rudeness and then he said, You have a problems with me? and I just keep saying no no I'm fine and after like 2 minutes of this he said, Come hug me let me forgive you... so I did and then he said, welcome to the mission Elder Pead.   And everyone started laughing. He is a member of like, 20 years? These Colombians love their practical jokes. like dang. It was good, I started to cry because I was so confused. Apparently all the new missionaries get this treatment. so I don't even know.

I've been here about a week now and I've only taught 2 lessons to investigators. In this mission you get to meet all the families then teach, or that's what I guess my comp says.  His Name is Elder Prieto and he's my dad for 6 weeks. After he leaves or if he leaves I get a "mom" for 6 more weeks of training. The thing is he has been only out for like, 4 months. So I'm kind of surprised he's is a senor comp already.  It's not common I heard.  He's nice and funny but I do have trouble with him getting from appointment to appointment on time. But hey, this first week he has had a lot to do.  We had zone meetings already and a lot of stuff in Cali going on, so it's no surprise he's kind of late and stressed.

Yesterday I taught my first investigator, and he and his wife are golden I feel. I just need to speak Spanish...that's the other thing, Spanish is still kicking my butt. I have got to study more though, like a lot more. We haven't had a lot of time this week for studying because of meetings and what not, so I hope it changes soon.

I don't need anything at the moment, so I'm good.  Just trying to get used to life here.  If I do need something I will let you know trust me. It's been weird here, but I'm just trying to get used to things I suppose.

The interview with Pres went fine. I told him about mom and her family and he laughed a little and said not to worry, he'll make sure everything is fine. It was nice.(Dallin's mom has family in Venezuela and they have said that they WILL BE visiting Dallin some time during his mission.)

I'll just tell you dad I don't know how you did this, but I know it's possible and worth it. It's weird talking to missionaries who said they have been out for a year and 6 months or more, and that they would do this all over again, but I know  that is because it's the right thing to do and bringing others to Christ is the most important thing to do.

Love you lots Dad, Tell mom I'll email her today as well, and also give

Jarrett a big hug for me and mom and everyone else... I miss you guys a

ton. I'll write to you next Monday around the same time. 4 to 5 or 4:30 to 5:30.

love you guys.

Elder Pead

Elder Pead and Elder Prieto

I'm in CALI, not California - Week 6

Hey pop! I made it to Cali in one piece! We just get 5 minutes to write to
you and say we made it!

Its pretty cool so far. We will be training today and I'll get my assignment tomorrow and new companion tomorrow. Love you very much Dad!

Tell everyone I got here safe! Also, this mission seems pretty dang legit. But really, tell Mom and Jarrett, I love them very much and I'll write you on Friday I think.

Elder Pead

Week 5 New Latin Companion

I got a new comp, ELDER URETA! he is legit! I love him. Also, 4 days to go
before I leave for CALI wish me luck!

ELDER PEAD

My new Latin Companion Elder Ureta

Thanks for the emails Dad! Was it fun having the kids(Darren and Mel's family) over and all them? I hope they miss me haha. Sucks to hear about Mel's Dad and all, tell her I hope she's doing well.

(How are things going with your new Latin Companion?)Oh they are going great! His name is Elder Ureta. He is really cool and he likes Power Rangers too... SO BEST COMPANION EVERRRRR. I'm doing good this week. I actually think I've been doing a lot better with everything over all. Spanish is getting better, I think, so that's good. I love my district. There are three Venezuelans in my district and they are all great! I love them all, and the sisters are grand too! We have 4 and they talk to me and are super nice and cool!

I'm slowly starting to love the mission more. It's getting to me, I think the only hard part is ugh, getting up? haha. but really, I'm excited to leave the CCM. I love it to death, but I know I need to be off soon and stuff, so I'm excited!

We went proselyting again the other day, and it was grand! We only got one contact, but we planted many seeds in their hearts.

Just an FYI for you, We are leaving Tuesday for Cali, I think early morning,  so I'll either email you to tell you I made it or something else. I do not know. haha.

Love you!

Your baby boy,

Élder Pead

My Teachers