26 July 2010--Lo Maximo!! Happy Birthday Jen!!

Yo J-flee, whats kickin home slice!!  J-pride!!! Yeah, Yeah!  Jen, hope you had an awesome b-day.  Wow, I think you are 14 now, no?  Thats crazy, how fast time has flown.  Your old!!  Ha ha have a good b-day!!  A big b-day hug and kiss from your big bro!!

This week was just awesome like last week.  Friday we finally had Victor Tecona's baptism.  It was great because we have been teaching him since I got to Huancayo, and it was good to see him finally be baptized.  His baptism was at 7 at night and we called the ward secretary to fill the baptismal font and heat up the water. The problem was he was getting everything ready for the ward temple trip, and never made it to heat up the water.  So I ended up having to baptize him in ice water!  Wow it was way cold, but once I started to say the prayer I really didn't feel cold at all.  Usually when we get out of the water we feel cold, but it was the exact opposite.  The water was so cold when I got out it actually felt hot, it was pretty funny.  Sunday we had the baptisms of Mercedez and her daughter Fabiola.  They were way excited, and it went really well.  We were going to have the baptism at night, but they called us and told us we would be traveling to Lima Sunday after church for the zone leader confrence.  So we did the baptism right after the church meeting, and then booked it to the bus, Cruz del Sur, and we were off to Lima again.  We actually just got out of the zone leader council, and it went really well.  The last month practically all of the zones in the mission are going to meet their goals!  We had a training last change about putting more faith and the commitment to reach our goals and it has really worked for the whole mission.  This month we lost 50 missionaries to the lima north mission, but we are still going to have the same number of baptisms with 50 missionaries less.  Everyone is really excited.  It looks like there are going to be a few changes in the mission with zone confrences, and training all of the leaders in the mission.  It is going to be interesting, and I'm just sad I'm not going to be here to experience the changes  Everyone has been giving me a pretty hard time because I only have like 3 weeks left in the mission.  I am really going to miss the mission though.  Elder Hurtado and I have the goal of baptizing 30 people before I go home.  We have 14 right now, only 16 more to go, and I have 3 weeks.  We'll see how much the Lord blesses us these last 2 weeks.  In these next two weeks we have 7 with baptismal dates, and they are all so excited.  We have Gloria, Aldo, and Jr. who are an amazing family that we contacted 2 weeks ago, and they are so excited to be baptized.  They have already seen so many changes in their lives, and the gospel is already blessing their family a ton.  I love this family, and they are going to be baptized the 7th of August.  We also have Nestor and Haydee that are going to be baptized the 31st because the hna Haydee had drank coffee.  She was so sad to postpone her baptism, but I'm sure the Lord is just showing her the importance of repentance, and I'm sure she will never drink coffee again.  

I can't remember if I already told you the changes, but I'm staying in Huancayo!!!  I seriously couldn't be happier to finish up here in this ward.  I really think it is my favorite ward that I have had in the mission.  We only lost 2 missionaries from the zone, and we are really excited to keep working hard to reach our goals.  I really can't believe how much the Lord has blessed us the last change.  It is hard to count all of the blessings, and I just don't know how I can re-pay the Lord.  Well I guess its just going to be giving it my all to the very end, even though there isn't much time left.  

I'm feeling better and better every day running, and I'm looking forward to the stansbury triathlon when I get back.  Did you already sign me up for it dad?  I hope so, I am feeling pretty good, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do.  Thanks for the e-mails and the dear elders.  Steph really enjoyed your letter, and tell Sam Mitchell thanks for the letter too, and good luck in the mission.  I'll be writing from home.  Tell Cam thanks for the letter too, and I'm really sorry I haven't written anyone.  Oh and thanks Grandma and Grandpa, really enjoy the weekly dear elders.  Love you all, and thanks for all you do for me.  Have a great week!!

 

Love, 

 

Elder Lee

19 July 2010--5 Bautismos, un Matrimonio!! Yeah Yeah

This week was just as awesome as the last, if not better.  We have been working hard all week long, and it really paid off.  This Saturday we had 5 more baptisms!!  It was great.  We had Carlos and Victor, 2 brothers that have been attending church for quite some time.  We also had the hna Maria and her son Jhonny, which was a great experience with them.  The hna Maria Friday before her baptism Saturday had become a little disanimated and she didn't know if she wanted to be baptized.  So we shared our testimonies with her, and a few experiences, and we said we would talk with her more Saturday morning before the baptism.  It was great because when we arrived she and her son Jhonny were just as excited as ever for their baptism.  This happened just after we had started our fast.  It really is amazing the blessings the Lord gives us when we sacrifice a little.  Then we had another young man named Renzo that was baptized too.  It was just an amazing experience.  Everything just seems to go much better when we are fasting.  The other thing that was awesome this weeekend was the marriage of Nestor and Haydee.  They were going to get married last month, but there were some complications and they weren't able to do it.  Saturday morning they got married, and we have their baptism planned for next Sunday!!  They are such a great couple, and they really have recognized how much the gospel is really blessing their lives.  For next Sunday we also have a mother and daughter, Mercedez and Fabiola.  They are hilarious, everytime we ask the hna Mercedez if she is excited for her baptism she gives us two thumbs up, and says, "Yes! Yes!"  Its pretty hilarious.  We also have another brother named Victor Tecona that was going to be baptized when I first came to the area, but he has had some difficulties coming to church because he is in the military.  He heard I was leaving soon though, and he said that I had to baptize him before I left.  It was awesome.  The blessings this week were really uncountable.  We also have another investigator named Edith, that has been attending church we are just trying to excite her for her baptism.  So hopefully we can have like 6 more baptisms the next week!!!

 

Things in the ward are going awesome too.  I don't think I have had a ward down here in Peru so excited to help out in the work.  Everytime we see a ward member they are either giving us a reference or asking when they can go around and teach with us.  Its just amazing.  I really couldn't be happier here in the Lords work.  I absolutely love Huancayo!  What makes things even better is we are getting a good run in everyday too.  I challenged my companion to run with me everyday until I finish, and I think he is going to do it.  The good life. 

Its good to hear everything is going so well back home.  Its just sad that the summer is passing so fast, but I guess that is how it always is.  Keep up the good work, and thanks for everything you do for me.  Love You!!!

Elder Lee

The pictures are of the baptism, and in Nestor and Haydee's house that just got married. 

12 July 2010--Oooohhhhh Yeaaaahhhh!!

Wow, this week had to be one of the best weeks in my mission.  There were just so many good things that happened I just don't know where to start.  First I had my doctors appointment in Lima on Wednesday.  I went did a blood test, and when I saw the results everything looked normal.  I went into the doctor, who did a bunch of tests on me, and I just about jumped for joy when he told me I was healthier than su assistant!  The first thing I asked him was if I could do excercise again, and he said I could do all I wanted.  Wow, was I happy.  Elder Hurtado and I have the goal to go running everyday for the rest of my mission.  Its crazy running here though, because its such a high altlitude.  I think its like 3,500 Meters above sea level, but it is awesome for training because there isn't that much air.  Its great.  I can eat whatever I want now too, oh what a blessing.  I've been eating boiled chicken with rice and vegetables for like 2 months straight.  Its going to be nice to switch things up a little bit. 

       So as the week went on things just kept getting better.  We were a little low on new investigators because we have been doing a lot of divisions trying to animate the zone.  So Saturday Elder Hurtado and I were back together again, and we were just ready to give it our all for our area.  We decided to do a fast after lunch Saturday, and the blessings just started coming immediately.  We taught a new family that we contacted in the street, and they were just ready to hear the gospel.  We challenged them to assist with us to church Sunday, and they accepted immediately.  So Sunday mornimg we had to do divisions with two young men because we had so many investigators to pick up.  I ended up bringing two families, and Elder Hurtado 2 more.  By the end of Sacrament Meeting we had 16 investigators in the meeting.  I could not believe it, and everyone was just excited to be there!!  I think I'm going to be fasting every week for the rest of my mission!!  

        It was our turn to give talks in Sacrament meeting too.  My companion talked about Enduring to the End, and I talked about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon everyday.  We handed out a bunch of papers that the ward members could color as they read each chapter in the Book of Mormon, and everyone was just way excited.  So many members came up to us after the meeting giving us references I was just absolutely amazed.  Its amazing what happens when you gain the confidence of the ward members, everyone just gets excited about the work.  We seriously have tons of people coming up to us wanting to go around and teach.  I seriously can't believe it.  

        Then things just kept getting better.  We had the baptism of Sheyla Sunday night, but she gave us a huge scare.  She said she would be at her house, but her boyfriend had taken her some place, and he didn't want her to get baptized.  We were really worried, and we got ahold of her, and were talking to her in the street for a good 15 minutes.  After sharing our testimonies with her she said that she was going to be baptized.  How much we suffered, but she came and was baptized just as happy as ever.  I have realized that sometimes things just don't come that easy in the Lords work, but you can never give up.  The Lord always wins, we can just never be disanimated.  I seriously don't think the Lord has blessed me this much in my whole life.  We have changes next week, and if they change me from this area I think I'm going to die.  I don't think I've felt this good in the whole mission.  My companion is the best that I have had, and it just seems like we are always on the same page.  This next week we have appointments about every 30 min.  I don't know how we are going to do it, but its going to be a good time :)  

         Well thanks for everything.  I really love you guys and all you do for me.  Thanks for always writing too.  There was a great suprise that Andrew wrote me too.  Love You!!!

 

Elder Lee 

 

Oh that is so awesome that Bro. Wall is bishop, he has really always been one of my favorite people.  I definitely want to go visit before I'm off to college. 

6 July 2010

Wow, sounds like the last week has been awesome.  I was thinking of what you guys were doing for the 4th, and it sounds like it was a blast.  Its definitely my favorite holiday.  Don't you guys worry next year I'll be in the 5k with you too.  Thats awesome that practically the whole family did the 5k.  Some pretty awesome times too.  Mom congratulations on your first 5k, now next year you just have to beat your time.  I am just way excited about hearing how well everything went.  Sounds like the fireworks were amazing too. 

This week was another awesome week in the Lords work.  We had the confirmations of Marilu and her family, and Miguel, and they are just as happy and excited as ever.  Marilu already has presented us one of her friends that already wants to be baptized.  Her testimony is already so strong, it is just great.  I seriously love their family.  We also took Miguel around proselyting with us, and we made him contact a few people.  It was awesome, he was really nervous to do it at first, but he actually even got us a new investigator.  We are just so happy with them.  I just can't believe how much the lord is blessing us right now.  We had an amazing fast sunday.  Carlos and Victor are two brothers that have been attending church for like 2 months, and they always have a ton of doubts.  This sunday we taught the Plan of Salvation, and instead of all of their doubts they accepted everything.  We couldn't believe it.  We challenged them for the 17th of July, and the accepted directly.  We were so happy, and we know it was a blessing from the fast.  We also have a family of three Maria, Jose, and Jhonny that we are teaching, and they are also excited to be baptized the 17th.  I just couldn't be happier with how everything is going right now.  The Lord is really blessing us.  Then in church Sunday they said there were more people than they had ever seen in sacrament meeting.  It was so full there were people standing in the back.  It was awesome, and all of the members were coming up to us giving us references!  We were so suprised.  I think we need to fast every week!!

Yesterday we had P-day with Hna Leyva and her daughters.  Presidente was supposed to come but he had to stay in Lima, so he didn't make it until the multizone conference at 5 pm.  We had an awesome P-day though.  We took a tour of the valley of Mantaro.  We went to a few places that had art stuff, a milk factory that had delicious cheese, a way old Catholic Cathedral, and then a place were the raise trout.  It was an awesome p-day, but the conference after was even better.  When Presidente Leyva was giving his training about becoming as Christ and our journey to achieve this.  I just felt the spirit so strong, and I felt that I don't want my time as a misionary to end so quickly.  I love the mission, and I just feel so happy right now.  I'm really going to miss Presidente and his family too.  We'll be in contact though, that is the good thing. 

Oh and they told me they already sent you my flight plans.  Have you gotten them.  I guess I'm going to be leaving at like 10pm the 18th and so I should be arriving sometime on the 19th.  At like 3 in the afternoon I think.  Wow, I just can't believe the time is coming up so fast.  Tim goes home in like 19 days too.  That is crazy.  I am way excited to be with everyone again though.  Its going to be a good time.  Well thanks for everything, and I'm excited to hear more next week.

Oh and I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, and I'm praying that he says I'm good to go with full excercise.  I think I might stick with the diet though.  My body really feels much better when I don't eat food with a lot of oil and fat.  It keeps me from having diarrea too, and thats always a good thing :)  Thanks for everything.  Nos Vemos

 

Elder Lee

21 June 2010--¡Hola, Buenas Tardes!

hanks Mom and Dad for your e-mails.  Its really great to hear how you guys are doing back home.  wow, it would be awesome if you did your masters down at SUU Mom.  You would really love it down there.  The 4th of July 5k is coming up.  Dad, you got to throw it down and beat Andrew!  He needs to start training for it.  I am really looking forward to get running again too.  They still have me on a diet and I can't do excercise, but in 2 weeks I'm good to go.  Sounds like Jen is making some big bucks too, good for her.  Keep up the good work, and I hope Steph and Andrew are enjoying lifegaurding too.  I'm sure the summer is going to go by fast, so they need to enjoy it.  Allison is going to be getting home from Syria soon.  How is she doing?  Has she learned a little bit of the language.  Interested to hear how everything went.  Dad, how is your knee doing?  I hope you are up to full force again, it sounds great that you've been getting some good runs in at work.  Mom, congratulations on finishing your kodaly class, sounds like it was a little rough, but good job.  Now enjoy the summer a little bit, take a little break :) 

      Well things down here in the work are going awesome.  I went to an area called Huancavelica to do a division this week.  Its about 4 hours from Huancayo so we don't see them very much, so we decided to do a 24 hour division with them.  Well when I arrived with Elder hernandez, my companion called from Huancayo and said that there were emergency changes.  We had to pack the things of Elder Vidal, and head straight back to Huancayo!  It was pretty crazy, and I was a little bummed I couldn't do the division, but it will just be another day I guess.  We are actually here in La Molina right now, for a zone leader confrence, so I'm planning on visiting all my converts over here.  i really enjoyed my time here in La molina, and it will be good to see everyone again.  So its been a lot of traveling this week. 

       We are really excited for the zone though.  This week, i think i have worked harder than any other week in my mission.  We seriously get home to plan, and we are dead and just ready to sleep.  Thats the way I like it though.  last week we had a few challenges, but this week we have really given it our all, and we have seen a ton of blessings  We have Marilu and her family that are going to be baptized this Sunday.  We also have Miguel who is an 18 year old that didn't have his moms permision, but he wants to be baptized so i think he is going to decide to do it anyway.  We have just found a ton of people this week, and we just couldn't be happier.  Elder Hurtado is really an awesome companion, and is a lot of fun to work with.  We also have a couple named Nestor and Haydee that are going to get married this Wednesday, and we are plannin their baptism for this next week.  So we are really recieving a ton of blessings, and enjoying life here in Huancayo. 

        Just want to thank you for everything you always do for me, and I couldn't be happier to have you guys as my family.  I love this gospel, and the work of the lord.  its the greatest work on earth, and what a privelege it is to be here a part of it.  Love you guys, thanks for everything!! 

 

Love,  Elder Lee

 

If you can get a hold of Porter thank him for the Dear Elder too, and the weekly letter from Gma-Gpa Wheeler.  Thanks for everything.  Hasta Luego!

7 June 2010--Hey fam,

How’s everything going back home.  All is well here in Peru.  We have changes this week so we are pretty nervous to see what is going to happen.  I’m hoping that I get to stay with Elder Bonilla one change more, but we will see what happens.  He is really an awesome companion, and our zone is awesome too.  If I had the choice I would leave it just as it is, but we’ll see.  They are going to tell us Wednesday.  It was a good week  We have a family of 7 that 5 have baptismal dates for the 26^th of this month, and the other two are too young.  I love teaching Marilu and her family because they are all so smart.  We read 3 Ne. 11 with them, and they were practically fighting over who was going to answer our questions.  Every time we leave their house we just feel so good. What an awesome family.  We just have to make sure they get their attendance to church so they can be baptized this month. We also have a young man named Miguel who his mom and sister don’t live with him, but they are getting baptized in the church, Pentecostal.  So we are hoping that they don’t make him disanimated.  He’s a good kid though, we just need to help him to strengthen his testimony a little more. 

            Yesterday we had the first training for the “Helping families” in our plan of reactivation, and it went really well.  We had about 30 people in the training, and I feel like the plan is moving forward.  The awesome thing is it gets the members excited to go out and contact their neighbors who are inactives; which is sometimes a big problem here. If we can get the members excited contacting inactives it is going to help a lot to improve the Home/Visiting teaching which is terrible here.  It is also going to help them present more references too.  So we are excited to put the plan into action.  It takes about 6 weeks to do all of the trainings and everything, but we should see the fruits of our labors soon.

            Well other than that things are going awesome.  Just working hard and having fun.  I know that when we put everything we have in the work the Lord really blesses us, and that is what we are trying to always do.  It’s amazing what happens when the Lord knows you are giving it your all, you just run into people that are ready to hear the gospel.

            Oh the other day I was so excited.  Elder Gutierrez from La Merced said that Walter Salazar and his wife 2 converts from Pichanaki are going to travel to the temple this month to be sealed!!  Wow, was I excited to hear that.  He was a contact that Elder Per and I ran into just sweeping the walk outside his house  We passed by their house for like 3 different appointments and they were never home, and then one day we decided to pass again and they ended up getting baptized like a month later.  Wow I was practically jumping for joy to hear how much they have progressed.  I guess Hno Walter is the branch financial secretary too. It made my day!

            Well thanks for everything you do.  I love you guys, and love hearing from you. 

Love,

Elder Lee       

The pictures:  1. We ate pancakes this morning, Oh Yeah 2. The present we gave Presidente and Hna Leyva for their birthdays 3. A picture of the zone 4. We with a sheep statue 5. E Bonilla and I in front of El parque de la identidad 6. A picture in La Molina

31 May 2010--Happiness

Sounds like everything is going awesome back home.  Thats great that the school year finally finished, what a relief it must be to at least have a little break.  You gotta love summer time.  Sounds like Allison is having a great experience over in Syria.  I hope everything is going well for her.  Steph and Andrew are starting lifegaurding, have fun with that guys.  You guys should have a fun summer.  Jen is going to be babysitting too no?  Have a good summer, its going to go fast, and then I will be home too. 

       This week in the work has been awesome.  I'm not going to lie, it seems like it went really slow.  We have been working so hard.  We had like nothing from Monday through Wednesday, all of our appointments weren't there, and we hadn't gotten a single new investigator.  Then the Lord started blessing us amazingly.  We found a family of 5 that are awesome, and they accepted a baptismal date for the 19th.  Then we taught a young man Miguel (18) who had attended the church before, and he accepted a baptismal date for the 12th.  We also have 2 other families that we brought to church yesterday, and we are teaching them and preparing them for this month too.  So we have been so blessed it is hard to believe.  We have a lot of work to do, but everything is looking awesome!  I'm just way happy to be working here in Huancayo. 

        We are putting in practica a plan misional to reactivate members, that we had put in practica in La Molina, and the members are getting excited.  We have 4 awesome ward missionaries, and they are going to be doing some trainings this week to the helping families in the ward.  Each ward missionary has 5 families to train, and we are going to be helping them so they know how it all works.  If we can get all this plan working, and get the members excited it is  really going to change missionary work here in Huancayo.  It is amazing how much more success you have when you have help from the members.  That is the problem down here a lot of the time, the work is separated between the ward and the missionaries.  This plan is going to put everyone on the same page so the work can go forward with much more success. 

         The zone are really excited because we met our goal for the month of May, and we are ready to do the same, and even better for June.  Just couldn't be happier to be in the work of the Lord.  I really notice that if we give it all we got and are obedient the Lord does the rest.  Wow, he just prepares people, and we come to teach and baptized them.  Even when there are a few days with not much success all we have to do is be patient, and all of the blessings come.  Thanks for all of your love and support, its always great to hear from everyone.  Love you guys!!

Elder Lee

22 May 2010--Love from Home

Wow, its been a while since I've used the e-mail.  Well just want you guys to know that all is good down here in Peru!  Its been 2 pretty crazy weeks, but now I'm good to go.  I left the health clinic today at about 12, and I'm headed back to Huancayo tomorrow.  All of the doctors were pretty confused about the problem that I had, but it turned out to be that one of my kidneys wasn't functioning to its full potential.  So they had to keep me in the hospital until it started working again.  I haven't had any pain at all since Tuesday night, but the problem is I was urinating way more than I should have been.  They collected my urine for 24 hours and I filled two huge jugs!  It was like 8 liters, and I was just thirsty all of the time.  I guess that happens when the kidney isn't working right.  Well I felt good, and I kept bugging them to let me leave the clinic, and I finally left today!!  They wanted me to get down to like 2-3 liters a day, and I'm at about 4 right now.  I feel great though, and I really feel as if I hadn't even had a problem.  They took good care of me in the clinic too, I have quite a few good friends over there now :)  So I'm headed to Huancayo tomorrow, and I have p-day Monday so I'll be writing you then.  I just figured I had better write today because you sounded a little worried Mom.  Hey, don't worry about me, I am seriously good to go.  Thanks for all of the love and prayers, and I'll talk to you Monday!!

Love You!!!

Elder Lee 

5 May 2010--HUANCAYO!!!

Wow it has been a crazy week.  It seems like I haven't written in forever, and its hard to believe that my last p-day I was still in the office.  Well I got my change, and I am a zone leader in Huancayo with Elder Bonilla.  It has been awesome.  I'm back up in the mountains again, and its great.  I'm kind of missing the nice hot weather of Lima, but its really great to be out in Province again.  We have a bunch of great Elders and Hermanas in our zone, and they are really excited to work.  The zone met their goal last month, and we are going to be working hard to meet our goals this month too.  Its pretty crazy being a zone leader.  Sunday night I took informes for like an hour, but it is really nice to hear how the areas are doing, and the things that they need help.  I'm just way excited for the zone.

The weather reminds me a lot of La Oroya, its not quite so cold though  I've just been in a short sleeve lately because we have a rule that you have to have your suit coat on if you are wearing a sweater.  I don't want to beat up my suit though, its actually still in way good condition.  Its a nice suit.  The weather is crazy though, because one minute it is raining and the next it is way hot.  I think my face is going to get burnt again just like it was in La Oroya. 

We have had an awesome week in the work, and it is just amazing teaching and walking all day long.  I'm loving it.  We have 2 investigators that are going to be baptized the 15th, and their are literally golden investigators.  Our first lesson with them the young lady named Janette came up to us and said that she wanted to be baptized!  It was awesome.  We taught the Restoration, and they said they already had a testimony of The Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith!  We challenged them directly for the 15th of May, and the accepted without hesitating.  Then as we got talking to them it turns out they have family that are members in La Oroya, and I remember them.  Then when we went to church Sunday a few of them were there.  It was awesome, the familia Quintanilla that I haven't seen in like a year and a half!  Lets just say it was way cool.  My companion Elder Bonilla is awesome, and we are excited to see many miracles in this zone  We are working hard, and I'm loving it.

Your not going to believe it, but right now I'm back in my old area, La Molina.  Last week I didn't have time to say good bye to all of my converts so I lucked out that we were able to come for the zone leader council.  We had an amazing conference, and I really enjoyed every minute of it.   We are going to be focusing on exact obedience, and just putting all of your heart, might, mind, and strenght in the work.  We are going to be teaching our zone too.  I got hear to the office, and it felt like I had left for like a month, and it had only been like 4 days.  I really love this area, the people, and all of the experiences that we had here.  It has been great to pass by a few recent converts tonight, and I'm just going to miss them all so much. 

I just know that this is the most important work that there is, and I couldn't be happier to be here.  Thanks for everything you do for me, and don't worry these last 4 months are going to be amazing here in the mission.  Talk to you Sunday!!!  OHhhhh Yeaaahhhh!!

Love,

Elder Lee