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

24 April 2010--Hola familia

Hey how is everyone doing back at home?  Andrew has prom tonight. That is going to be a good time.  I can’t believe that Allison graduated college this week!  Have a good trip in Syria Allison; I guess we’ll be getting home about the same time.  That’s pretty crazy.  That’s hilarious that you guys were waving at the wrong person, I got a good laugh out of that J  it’s going to be fun to hang out with the family again. 

                Things are going great here in the mission.  I am finally leaving the office for the field, and I am just as excited as ever.  The assistants have already done the changes with President, but they still haven’t told me where I’m going.  Ahhhhh.  I want to know so bad!  It’s all good though, next week I’ll be writing you from my new area.  So I think I’m not going to be able to write until next Monday, because my p-day will be changing again. 

                I am just about done training Elder Moody.  We just have the big monthly payments this next week, and then I’m good to go. He is going to be a great financiero.  He knows how to take care of the money really well, and he is really careful with it.  I think he is ready to take it all over.  I went to the bank and canceled my account and everything.  Its just time for me to head out.  There are a ton of people that I am really going to miss in these wards though.  It’s pretty funny though, people have been coming up to me in church asking how long I’ve been here, and some say, “Elder Lee, you have been here for about a year, no?”  Its pretty funny, but its time to leave.  I’m pretty happy because we have 2 baptisms today.  A young lady named Yolanda who has been an Investigador de Oro.  She has attended the church for the last 6 weeks, and she only had a few questions about tithing, but she is good to go for tonight.  We also have an 18 year old young man named Cristian that is going to be baptized.  He is just way excited, and we are extremely excited for him.  I interviewed two of the assistant’s investigators yesterday, and they are going to be baptized at the same time too.  There is also a baptism in La Molina for an 8 year old child.  So it is just going to be one big baptism.  I’m just glad we could help a few more be baptized before I left this awesome area.    

                Elder Noall is inviting everyone in the world to our trainings Sunday nights, and it is going really well.  Presidente Leyva came last week, and I think he thought it was good.   He gave us a few pointers of things that we need to improve, but it went really well. They had me right up some plans for each week of training, and we’ll see how it all turns out.  We are like the guinea pig ward with this plan, but I am enjoying it a lot.  It is really working to excite the members about missionary work. 

                Well I love you guys and thank you for everything you do.  Have a great week, Allison good luck in Syria.  I’m praying for everyone.  Love you!!!

Love,

Elder Lee

10 April 2010--Hello, family!

Sounds like you guys are having an awesome spring break.  Dad, I'm really looking forward to eating your hoagies when I get back.  That is one thing that I miss a ton.  Happy Birthday Aunt Karen!!  So it was yesterday, but it’s all good.  So your 30 now, I'm going to get home and you are going to be an old lady!  Ha.  Have I really been gone that long?  Sounds awesome that Steph and Andrew are going to be working at 7 peaks again.  That is going to be a lot of fun.  Jen is going to be babysitting for a lawyer.  That should pay pretty good Jen, keep up the good work.  Allison, congratulations on getting into grad school.  That’s just great.  So Allison are you going to be living downstairs with you friend Erica.  Sounds like its going to be a good time.  Hopefully you’re still training to hit up some major triathlons after the mission.  How is everything going with your class mom, it’s looking like another school year is passing pretty fast, you only have like a month and a half left right?  That’s cool.  Dad, how is everything going at work?  Thanks for getting in touch with Cam for me.  He sent me a dear elder, and I can't believe how awesome he is doing.  It just gets me excited to get back running again.  

        Things have been a lot different in the office this last week.  The replacement of Elder Perez came Tuesday, Elder Wigington.  So there are nine of us in the office right now.  Everybody seems to be training their re-emplacement.  Elder Moody is learning everything really well.  He has noticed that there is a ton of stuff, and it just takes a lot of practice, and then everything just seems like second nature.  We taught a new investigator named Yolanda Thursday.  She has actually been at church for the last 4 Sundays.  We had given her and her mom a Book of Mormon.  We read 3 Ne. 11 with them, and the spirit was so strong.  Then we asked them if they thought it was important to be baptized like Jesus Christ taught in this chapter.  It was awesome because Yolanda immediately said Yes.  So we challenged her for baptism for the 24th of April, and she was so excited.  It was really an amazing lesson, and it is just amazing how when the investigators can feel that spirit it just gets them excited to follow this gospel.  It was really awesome!  We also have Cristian who we are preparing for the 20th of April.  He is harder to teach because he is studying the university right now, but when we get the chance he really accepts everything we are teaching.  So we should have 2 more baptisms before I leave this area.  

         Only three more weeks, and I am going out into the field.  I'm not going to lie I am pretty excited.  It’s going to be a good time, preaching the gospel all day long.  I'm just hoping for a companion that’s willing to give it all.  We'll see what happens  Well thanks for all of your letters; it’s so good to hear news from home.  I am always praying for all of the family, and I know the Lord blesses us as we follow what he says.  Keep up the good work, and I'll talk to you all next week.  Love you!!!

Elder Lee