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