27 July 2009--iPrimer Bautismo en Huaycan!

Well put us down for one baptism here in Huaycan, and a whole lot more to come. Saturday we had the baptism of Luis Rodriguez, an investigator that has been investigating for a while, and he finally was baptized Saturday It was so awesome to see how excited he was. On Sunday he was the first one in the church ready to receive the Holy Ghost. He lives alone and is 24 years old, but he is awesome, and he shared his testimony that he wants to share the gospel with everyone. Maybe he has a mission in store for him, we’ll see. We actually had a fast on Friday for all of the missionaries health, and for our goals. I was so happy, I love fasting because everyone time we do we receive so many blessings, and this time didn’t change one bit. First we had the baptism of Luis. We are teaching another sister Yovanna who we put a baptismal date for the 31st of July. She knows its true, and wants to be baptized, the problem is her family are Catholics. She is 24 years old, and Sunday she told us she has made her decision, she is going to be baptized this Friday! Holy cow is the Lord blessing us. Then at church a new family came for the first time that the missionaries had contacted like 4 months ago, but never taught. They said they just felt they needed to come. Oh man was I happy, they are an awesome family, and they really enjoyed church. We also had a new investigator Abel Cardenas come to church and to the baptism, we will be challenging him for the 15th to be baptized too. I just couldn’t believe all of the blessings we were receiving. I wish I could fast everyday. It just shows if we sacrifice just a little bit how much the Lord will bless us!
We are just working hard, and being blessed. The problem is my companion has been too tired to run in the mornings so I’m stuck jump roping again, but I’ll be trying to convince him to run again. Our Pensionista is awesome, and she always is there to serve us in whatever we need, and she lets us teach lessons in her house too. So everything is going great, and I’m loving every minute of it. We taught 22 lessons with a member present this week, even more than last week. Everyone is helping us so much, I’m just loving it. Thanks for all of your support, and I look forward to hearing more from everyone. Oh and today they informed us that we can’t send letters through pouch, and they gave me back like 10 letters. We can still receive, we just can’t send, so everyone there are letters coming. Thanks for everything, Love You!!

Love, Elder Lee

Oh and the pictures are of the baptism. My shoe that is falling apart now (I can't remember what I need to do for the 2 year warranty thing, maybe you can help me out with that dad, thanks), and Patasca (the worst thing I have eaten here in Peru) Its a soup that they put every part of the cow in it. They even cook it with the head inside! I had a hoof that had hair on it still, man was it hard to force down. The funny thing was everyone loves it! It just about killed me :) Hasta Luego!

20 July 2009--Hola!!

It was a really awesome week here in Huaycan. I’m loving this new area. We have an awesome ward, and there are tons of people that want to help out in Missionary work. Its amazing how much it helps when our investigators have a friend in the church. We have 3 investigators with a baptismal date for this month of July. We have Luis Rodriguez for the 25th, and then we have the hna Yovanna, and Julia for the 31st. We are working really hard with them so they can continue to be excited for their baptisms. Yesterday we had 3 investigators in Sacrament Meeting, and there are progressing really well too. Last week we taught 21 lessons with members, that is the most I have had in all of my mission. They are really helping out a ton, and they are helping us have a lot of success.
Well my companion and I are getting a nice little run in every morning, and it makes me so happy. Elder Piñin is really an awesome companion, and he likes to work hard so we get along really well. We have a mountain that we always have to climb, and we just go up full force. Its awesome. We get back in the room every day, and we are pretty much exhausted, so we are always getting a good days work in. We were talking about how fast the nights go, it seems like you just shut your eyes, and there is the alarm to go running again. That’s how the work is though, if were always working hard and keeping the rules the Lord is blessing us a ton.
Well I’m just loving life here in Peru, and I couldn’t be happier doing the Lord’s work. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to hearing more from everyone!!
Love you all!!!

Elder Lee

13 July 2009--Huaycan 2!!!

Huaycan!!

Holy cow was it a crazy week. Here I am in Huaycan a city just outside of Lima. Yes I was finally changed from Pichanaki. Oh and was it rough leaving there, all of the amazing families, and the jungle. Wow I’m going to miss it. Well I arrived here in Huaycan Friday night, and I’m loving it. My new companion is Elder Piñin, and he just entered the mission the last change. So I’m senior companion now, and I’m actually finishing his training! I’m not going to lie I was a little nervous to be senior companion, and training and everything, but things are going awesome. They didn’t have too many investigators progressing, and not a single person with a baptismal date, but these last three days we have been working like crazy. We have a young man named Luis that has assisted the church 3 times, and he even comes to institute. Yesterday we challenged him for the 25th and he accepted! We have found a few great new investigators too, so in the 3 days we have had in Huaycan we are doing really well. There is actually a ward here, and a nice big chapel. It is so weird to have a bishop, and have things a lot more organized, but I am really loving it. After church a ton of people came up to me asking me when they could go around with us to teach. The members here are really awesome, and really want to help with the work.
We have a nice little room, and a pretty big area. We have a lot of mountains and stairs to climb, and I’m loving it. Its good to get the exercise in all day long. In Pichanaki my area didn’t have a single hill so I’m liking that change. Our Pensionista is awesome, and she has made my 2 favorite plates the last 2 days. Rice and beans, and spaghetti with green sauce. I even got my companion out running today! He pretty much died, but it was great to see he is willing to get a little running in J Well I just want you to know that I couldn’t be happier to be here doing the Lord’s work, and the mission is helping me grow so much. I know that this gospel is what brings true happiness in peoples lives, and we have the great work to show them that. Thanks for all of the letters, I really absolutely love getting the cards from everyone, and I’m going to have more time to write now. Thanks for everything. Love you all!!



Love , Elder Lee
Oh and Karen CONGRADULACIONES with your new baby, I can’t wait to see her, she’ll be 1 year old when I finally do, but ¡LO MAXIMO!

6 July 2009

Cambios!
Well I can’t believe how fast this change went, and they are going to tell us the changes any minute now. Wow I’m pretty nervous, but everybody is thinking that I’m the one that’s going to leave because I have more time than anyone else in Pichanaki, I guess we’ll just have to see! Wow it was a really good week. We went to teach an inactive member from Huancayo, and she and her daughter are members, but she has three other kids that haven’t been baptized. So we were able to teach them lesson 1, and we challenged the three of them for baptism this month. They all accepted, and are way excited. We’ll be working hard with them for the end of this month. The Lord just prepares people, and its just interesting the ways that we end up finding new investigators, and people that are ready to here this message and accept it right off the bat. It was Elder Villanueva’s birthday last night, and a bunch of people in the branch threw a little surprise party for him. The people here are really so great!
Well I ran up to the cross with Elder Barba again today. It was awesome. One Elder from Satipo Elder Leviner wanted to go with us, and he died before we even started the mountain, so our time was a little slower, but we made it, and it was beautiful. Oh and the 4th of July, its so good to hear dad, jen, and Andrew did the 10k. Andrew broke an hour, that is awesome. I can’t wait to do some good hard running again. Don’t worry I’ll be running it in 2 more years with you guys. I was talking with Elder Barba about all of the awesome things we do on the 4th of July, and I was so glad to hear you guys keeping up the awesome traditions. It still is my favorite holiday, even though it’s a little different in the mission. Well I’m loving Pichanaki. Love you all. Talk to you soon!
Elder Lee

30 June 2009--Hey Todos ?Como esta?

Wow sorry we weren’t able to write yesterday. We went to La Merced for zone conference, and interviews and everything so we only had half of our P-day. So they told us to use internet today, it sounds like everything is going great at home though. Steph is down at SUU right now. That is awesome. I’m not suprised that she loves it, I love it down there too. Good old Cedar City! Oh and Karen and Nate are staying the house. You guys are going to have a blast. Good times hanging out with Karen and Nate. Andrew keep playing Joy to the World, and learn the Piano. That is one thing I really regret not practicing and learning how to play. Sorry for not practicing mom. Hey I think I will learn when I get home though. Well its just good to hear everything is going well. Hey and the 4th of July is coming up, my favorite holiday! Where are you guys going to do the race this year. Your going to have tol et me know how everything turns out.
Well we had an awesome weekend here in Pichanaki. Carlos Condori was baptized Saturday, and he was just about as excited as you can get. He is like 28, and wasn’t a really good person before, but he has repented and is ready to turn his life around. He was early for sacrament meeting Sunday for his confirmation. I was lucky enough to baptize him and confirm him, and I just couldn’t be happier for him right now. He is really helping his family too, his niece that we have been teaching said she wants to be baptized next week! Hey so everything is going really good. We have changes next week, how crazy is that! Time is really flying. I really can’t believe how fast this change went. I think this time its pretty segure that I’ll be leaving Pichanaki. Four changes here, man I love Pichanaki, but we’ll see what happens next Monday.
So I got a good hill run in today with Elder Barba. He is from Arizona, and is really awesome. It has been a lot of fun to have him here this change. He likes to run too, so we just about killed ourselves this morning running this hill, but it feels good. I just finished the Book Of Mormon again, and I can’t tell you how much my testimony has grown of that book and of this church. There is really no doubt in my mind that this church is true, and it strengthens my testimony everytime I have the chance t oread the Book of Mormon and do Moroni’s Promise. I feel so good everytime, and I just can’t deny its truth. It makes me even happier when I see our investigators do the same. Or when they feel the spirit, and just know that its true. At times people talk bad about the mormones, but its good to see how faithful they are even when at times their own families don’t accept this góspel. Just want you guys to know that I know that God loves us, and wants to bless us always. We just need to always be following his góspel, and we really can’t go wrong. Well love you all, and I couldn’t be happier to be here in the misión. Keep up the good work, and can’t wait to hear more from home.
Love,
Elder Lee