Izcuchaca 12-24-12

This has been such an exciting week! Cant wait to tell you all a bout it.

First of all forgive me if this isnt going to be too long but i had to create a skype account and my companion(even though i love his guts de verdad) Decided to take a ton of time writing his family and it really wasnt very thoughtful, but i could get too mad and kick him off because #1 I try to keep the companion unity... It is def the most important thing!

This week was a little wack because we had the christmas dinner and an actividad in izcuchaca... So we spent a good amount of time traveling and preparing things for our activity... Which by the was was DA BOMB! We did a talent show and i decided to sing Caro mio Ben for the members and investigators. I know i have sang that song like a million times but it is always so fun to share this talent... especially with people who really only listen to waino (no sure how you spell it) all day long.

The day of the actividad we also went to do service for the president of our family group. It really was a super cool experience... Mommy.... I can not be grateful enough for the experience we had as children to weed in our little garden... THis week i had the chance to weed an entire FIELD OF CORN!!!! Holy it was a ton of work. But we were all really happy to help president out (he lost one hand in un accidente de maquina. So he needs all the help he can get) The other missionaries decided to throw mud balls at eachother halfway through the service activity so i had a lot of one on time with prez to talk. I found out that he served in peru too... but that he backpacked the WHOLE TIME! And taught all of the missionaries quechua... WHile we were talking he told me that i really should try to learn it and that he would help me do it. I have progressed so fast with spanish that i thoug hit would be appropriate so during my language study i am spending half of the time speaking spanish and half of the time speaking quechua. I think i am going to use the money grandma gave me to buy a good text book.

But i would like to say that my learning has paid off! And honestly this story is hilarious. Last night my companion and i were about to sleep, when a band started to play music in the park close to our house... Well it was SO LOUD and of course they were playing waino no mas... But a few of the songs they were playing were in quechua so i decided to listen more closely. AND I UNDERSTOOD ONE! Well at least a part of it. They were all saying piki siki, a decir, Trasero Pulgoso.... or en ingles I HAVE A FLEA BUTT!!!! I started busting out laughing SO HARD And my companion had no idea why. Por fin i have understood something that the latins havent! ( i totally understand the song though i have had a flea butt for 3 changes and it isnt too pleasant ;)
)

One last story, and sorry the pictures are not working but i am going to send a TON nxt week. As you know we have a baptism this week, Hugo is going to be baptised (his wife didnt come to church this week so she still has to wait but she has all of the desires) We have also been talking to his grandson George. He and HUgo came to church this week. and i gave a talk in sacrament mtg and then taught the youngmen youngwomen class. Afterword he came up to me and asked me a question... and boy was it loaded! He told me that he had all of the desires to be baptized in our church... but that he was worried that some day he would never be able to get married if he wasnt legally married in the catholic church... I have a strong testimony of the guidance of the spirit because i knew exactly what i needed to say. I took him back into the classroom and we talked for awhile. He was in tears, and honestly I almost cried as well. It was the sweetest lesson i have had with any investigator on my mission. This kid reminds me so much of myself when i was his age (12 years old) Sensitive and a little insecure i guess you could say, but his heart is so good. I told him about eternal marriage and promised him that if he makes the desicion to be baptized he doesnt need to worry marriage... that the lord ALWAYS blesses his faithful children. He gets baptized on the 5th! I have never been happier.

I love you all! Be ready in the afternoon for a call. Ya Hablaremos pronto! Os Quiero muchisimo mi familia. Pakarincama (quechua. por nos vemos mañana!)

Elder Neff

Well To be

Izcuchaca 12.17.12

Well I hope you love the pictures from this week! If you cant tell, I GOT TO BAPTIZE SOMEONE!!! No she wasnt my investigator (well she practically was, Solis and i found her while we were together) but she wanted me to baptize her and I was more than happy to do it! She is the woman closest to me in the picture of us four. Her name is Isidora Estrada Perez (one of the easier names i have encountered here in Peru.. at least if was free of un apellido de quechua!) The baptism experience was sooooo coool! Right before we entered the font I explained to Isidora that she could plug her nose as i lowered her into the font. ( and i might add that i think my spanish is pretty exceptional by now so you would think she could have understood...) WEll the answer she gave me was "Si papa si papa".... Which is practically the answer to everyquestion we ask her so i should have known better!!! But anyway we both entered the font... and the gas wasnt working so it was kinda cold. I gave the prayer and then lowered her into the water... slowly to give her enought time to close her nose! Well... she didnt, and i pulled her up as she was practically drowning in the water. At least i had the knowledge that if she drowned in this moment her imortal soul was no longer in jepordy only her body... haha but she caught her breath and all was well!

Elder Ferman and I had our two investigators there with baptismal dates as well. I have been so pleased with the progress of these two people. Hugo and Sixta Baca Chilinos. They are absolutely an incredible family. I have been waiting to find a family that understands everything that we teach from the get go... and people who are willing to search for an answer of the spirit and follow it. Hugo is absolutely that person! He is a very smart man, an administrator of a local high school. His initial interest talking to us was to find the strength to lose his desire to drink, but this has turned into a full fledged strong testimony of the gospel. The other day we taught him a lesson and rechallenged him and his wife to baptism... he bore his testimony that he knew the book of mormon was true with tears in his eyes... and then he told his wife that they needed to be baptized, because these things are true! From then on he has begun to talk about the church as "nuestro Iglesia" And his excitment has only grown as we have had the oportunity to teach them about the temples, eternal families and the priesthood. I am so grateful to the Lord for this tender mercy he has given us in this time.

The mission continues to fly by! And i cant believe it is almost christmas. I love you all soooo much and i am so excited for the opportunity to talk to all of you! We are going to talk through skype. And next week i am going to set a time when i can call you up for five minutes so we can plan it all out. Needless to say mom HAVE YOUR CELL ON YOU AT ALL TIMES! I know that i have a skype account and i might need you guys to help me find it. Do some searching and i know that mom ahs all of my old passwords so one of them should work. if not i can try to make another.

I will start wearing sunglasses. I never wanted to do it because i dont want to look like a tourist... I would HATE that. So i will wear sunglasses while you guys get me some glasses with transition lenses (dad that would be the best option i think!) If you are going to buy some... bear with me on this one. I know that costco makes some durable ones with a flex frame. I also would like coke bottle style :)  I you want you can send me some pictures of glasses styles that costco sells and i can pick one.

I had a thought as well... I was planning on giving my companion a tie for christmass but what he really needs is a sweater to wear while he proselites.... do you think you could help me out with that one? I would love to know!


So..... I guess i have to make the decision of when i am going to come home on my own? I wasnt looking forward to that but its ok. We are going to do 3 weeks after because i love the Lord and trust that all will go well.

Love you all! Until next week

Elder Neff

IZCUCHACA 12.10.12

Paigey:

Paige i got your package! my companion and i enjoyed the salted nut roll more than anything i think... The ties are awesome and thank you for the little toys! We are going to share them with all of the little children.

Mom and Dad:

Got two packages! one with my lacrosse stick (just the stick) AND A LEGO STARWARS ADVENT CALENDER!!!!!! That made my christmas right there, honestly i was so excited when i opened it. Thank you Thank you Thank you! I recieved them last week after i wrote my email so you can say it arrived about the 3rd of december.

This week has been a super exciting week in terms of the work! I am happy to tell all of you that we have two people with a date set for baptism ( the 29th) and we hope to set dates on 3 other families that we encounter in the last week.

Honestly for me it has been an absolute miracle the success we have had with all of the families we found in the past week. I have been amazed how the small and simple things in missionary work bring to pass great and marvelous things. For example, one day my companion and i were passing by a soccer field that we wanted to use one p-day whith the entire zone. As we got closer to the field we passed through a chacra where a man was trying to stop his cows from eating corn in vez de grass. Well it was pretty funny as we tried to help him with his cows and then talk a little bit about the field and when we could use it. The thought always comes to my mind when we talk to people... " How can i apply this conversation to the gospel?" Somehow i always find a way (thank you holy ghost!) and i began to explain to the man how the gospel can bless our families in whatever situation we live in. We set a date to return to his house and this sunday we had a great opportunity to talk with his wife, and two daughters. One of which we found out had gone to church activities when she was living in cusco and has a very good impression of the church. I have very high hopes for the family Amao!

The family that has accepted a date for baptizm is the family Baca Chilinos. At first we started teaching only the husband, his name is Hugo and he is an administrator of a local high school. He is absolutely da bomb! His principle reason for wanting to be baptized is the hope that he can stop his addiction to alcohal. His wife has a similar hope and is going to be a great support for him as we try to help him overcome this addiction.

I have one more story to tell that has absolutely changed the way i think about missionary service and really how important of a job we have here helping to stremgthen families and to give them the way to reach eternal life. This week through complete hapenstance we discovered that two families were having problems with infidelity.... I have had a lot of time to think about the reason that we were given such a clear oportunity to know what was happening. I realized that the Lord specifically showed us, the missionaries his representatives in Izcuchaca, that people are having serious problems and that perhaps we are the only ones who can really make a difference in their lives. These families are on the brink of destruction to be 100% honest... but i feel the spirit as i write this knowing that we as missionaries can do something to help them. The gospel of Jesus Christ focused on the atoning sacrifice of the savior is the only remedy for a problem with sin. I know there is power in his docrine, and honestly... I was a little surprised when i found out these problems because i realized that i had the opportunity to show for the Lord´s power here in Izcuchaca, the power his docrine has to change the lives and circumstances of these people. I know it is true and i know that he can do it... wish me luck!

Ok some items of business now. The dates to return home have been changed AAAAAAHHHH! So I have two options 15 of june 2014, or 28th of july 2014. At first the choice was clear to leave the 28th... but i need some eye surgery and i want to try out for the lax team at the y when i get back. Ask doctor meyers... what is the recovery time for a surgery? OR maybe i could use a special contact to fix the brightness problem until there is a good time to do the surgery. I need to know by the 21st so ask this week and write me :)

Also, we are going to talk in about 2 weeks! I have a skype acount... or you guys need to make one and send me all of the info... I am going to advize you nxt week when i can call for five minutes to set up a time on the 25th to talk. Give me all the info.

Wow love you al so much!

Elder Neff

IZCUCHACA 12-3-12

Dad,

Thank you Thank you Thank you so much for your advice. Thank you for that letter i needed it soo much. I have a few things that i want to tell you about it.

I had a rough week because i have been feeling super stressed. Honestly that stress has come from the fact that i feel like i just need to be better. I have felt the way that i do mostly because of somethink that my patriarchal blessing says that has made me feel a great sense of responsibility. It says that I will grow to be a great leader in the mission, that many will look to me for example and strength and that i would change the attitudes of many to serve honerable missions in great measure as a result of the example i would bring to them during my service. I just dont feel like that person. It has been hard up here in izcuchaca to keep all the rules and study on time when half the time we dont have water to shower or get ready, the missionaries are all bummed out and we are struggling to have a lot of success.

 

Being 100 percent honest though, through it all i have felt the spirit of the lord. I know that if he needs me as a leader and if that is his commandment for me than i can do it. I am pretty sure that my plaque in the church says 1 nephi 3,7 right? I have thought about that time and time again here these past two weeks. I have had some difficuties and some short comings, but i knw that the lord knows my heart and that anything he wants from me can be possible if i will just have the faith to do it.

Dad i cannot believe that story about your misson, and how alone you must have felt. Thank you SOOO much for the encouragement. I know that things will get better and that i just need to have faith.

This week we had some really cool experiences happen that i am so excited to tell you about!

One thing that we learn in missionary work is that it is just as important to find by the spirit as it is to teach by the spirit. One night we were completely lost as to waht we were going to do. I looked up a name of a family and i had the strongest impression that we needed to go to their house. My companion was doubting because they completely rejected us one tine, but i convinced gim to go anyway. When we got to the door their was a sticker that said this hous is catholic and we heard people yelling inside... needless to say we were afraid! Well we knocked anyway and they let us in right away! The yelling was the tv and now we are teaching a really nice family that really isnt catholic.

Sorry their really isnt anymore time but i want to say particulary to my mother how much i love her and that paige i got your package.

Until nxt week!

Elder Neff