Queridos amigos y familiares!!
This week's been really good! We had a pretty good New Years here and we even celebrated it at the same time y'all did! (or in other words, 9 our time (: ) We went to a member's house, the Perez family, that usually has all the misionaries over the evening of Fast Sunday for scones, but decided to do it on New Years Eve. We had a good time together as missionaries eating scones and having fun with the family. They have a tradition at their house as well to burn dummies of stuffed clothes for New Years to represent being rid of all the bad things from the previous year, and the burned them while we were all there (they have small kids, so that's why). It's a tradition from Peru that really is kinda cool and can have good meaning helping us to forgive and forget and to remember the Atonement at the time of New Years (besides, it's burning things, how can you refuse that??). That was a lot of fun.
Then this week we had a miracle. One night on the way home at night we were riding down the street on our bikes and Elder Teran stopped to talk with two teenage/young adult age guys. It was super dark, so I don't even know how he was able to notice them, but we talked with them and one of them, Andres, turns out to have met with missionaries before. While we talked with him he didn't seem to be super interested, but we did set an appointment with him the next morning and he asked us to say a pray before we left. Anyways, we said the prayer and went on our way that night. We went back the next morning and he invites us into his home and the first thing he asks us is if we have a copy of the Book of Mormon! WOW! Come to find out that he met with missionaries a lot before, he's read the Book of Mormon up to somewhere in Alma (of course...), and he really took it as a sign that we met him on the street. He brought up baptism before we did (granted, he said he didn't want to take that step soon, but it's defenitely on his mind) anyways, if you don't know these kinds of people don't pop up that often. He even already has a member friend in the branch that he says has really impacted him and impressed him (the member friend is also less-active, so maybe we can get two birds with one stone!) It was really an unexpected tender mercy from the Lord that He gave to us. We don't have a second appt. with him yet, but we definitely won't stop trying!!
Otherwise this week has been pretty normal. I normally would go into more details, but I don't have enough time today. Just know that the Lord is aware of us and that He provides us with what we need, when we need it. And sometimes He throws in random miracles to show us that He cares! Take care and know that I love y'all!
-Elder Whitaker
This week's been really good! We had a pretty good New Years here and we even celebrated it at the same time y'all did! (or in other words, 9 our time (: ) We went to a member's house, the Perez family, that usually has all the misionaries over the evening of Fast Sunday for scones, but decided to do it on New Years Eve. We had a good time together as missionaries eating scones and having fun with the family. They have a tradition at their house as well to burn dummies of stuffed clothes for New Years to represent being rid of all the bad things from the previous year, and the burned them while we were all there (they have small kids, so that's why). It's a tradition from Peru that really is kinda cool and can have good meaning helping us to forgive and forget and to remember the Atonement at the time of New Years (besides, it's burning things, how can you refuse that??). That was a lot of fun.
Then this week we had a miracle. One night on the way home at night we were riding down the street on our bikes and Elder Teran stopped to talk with two teenage/young adult age guys. It was super dark, so I don't even know how he was able to notice them, but we talked with them and one of them, Andres, turns out to have met with missionaries before. While we talked with him he didn't seem to be super interested, but we did set an appointment with him the next morning and he asked us to say a pray before we left. Anyways, we said the prayer and went on our way that night. We went back the next morning and he invites us into his home and the first thing he asks us is if we have a copy of the Book of Mormon! WOW! Come to find out that he met with missionaries a lot before, he's read the Book of Mormon up to somewhere in Alma (of course...), and he really took it as a sign that we met him on the street. He brought up baptism before we did (granted, he said he didn't want to take that step soon, but it's defenitely on his mind) anyways, if you don't know these kinds of people don't pop up that often. He even already has a member friend in the branch that he says has really impacted him and impressed him (the member friend is also less-active, so maybe we can get two birds with one stone!) It was really an unexpected tender mercy from the Lord that He gave to us. We don't have a second appt. with him yet, but we definitely won't stop trying!!
Otherwise this week has been pretty normal. I normally would go into more details, but I don't have enough time today. Just know that the Lord is aware of us and that He provides us with what we need, when we need it. And sometimes He throws in random miracles to show us that He cares! Take care and know that I love y'all!
-Elder Whitaker