New Mission Mailing Address

Elder Perryman has a new mailing address:

Elder James Perryman
Peru Chiclayo Mission

Calle Los Alamos #128

Urbanizacion, Santa Victoria
Chiclayo, Lambayeque
PERU

His email address stayed the same:  jperryman@myldsmail.net

Feliz Navidad!

So I am calling [home] this week so I will make this short and send a bunch of photos.

So here I am cooking Ceviche and Papa Rellena with my companion.  I actually did this twice the past week.  I want to make this plate all the time when I get back.  Our bishops wife taught us how to make it.  I love our bishop here and his family.  He is short but super funny, and spiritual when needed.  He is the opposite of my branch president of my last area.  He always tells us that his house is our house.  He is super humble (his door is cardboard), but I love his family.  His son is preparing for a mission and comes out with us and we are always joking with his family.  I basically love all the families here.

I will be calling tomorrow, so that is all for now.

Hope you love the photos.

Elder Perryman

So these photos are when we went to the museum of Sipan in Lambayeque.  I love museums.  We took a cambi to get there as a zone so I took a photo to show how cramped cambis can be.  The museum was fun and Pedro, a member of my ward, gave us the tour.  Pedro is super smart, and he comes out with a lot when he isn't working at the museum.  He wants to learn at least 10 languages in his life.  He knows English, but we always talk in Spanish with each other because it is easier. He explained a lot of the culture and artifacts the ancient Lamanites, and because he knows doctrine he was able to tie things back into the history of Lehi and his decedents.  It was super cool and enhanced my testimony that their is evidence of the gospel everywhere.

So I have a lot of fun with my companion.  That being said we work hard too.  We had a mission night where everyone brought gifts to give away.  It was great and the members danced until 11 (we stayed only until 9 of course).

The young guy between my companion and me is Marlo.  He has a rough background and is always working selling sketchy propane.  He is so funny, and I hope that the gospel will change his life, because he has so much potential.

 

Eating Peru

So This week was great (again).  I have sweet photos but my adapter is not working so I will send them in the following week.  But the reason I put "Eating Peru" as the tile is because this week I learned how to make one of my favorite dishes, Papa Rellena with ceviche. Papa Rellena basically consists of a fried potato filled with meat and tomato. Ceviche is something that Dad and Sam would love, it is like Peruvian Sushi.  It is raw fish cooked in lime juice and served with purple onion and a bit of aji (spice).  It was all super good.

To answer some questions: The last person we baptised was Jesus Alberto, he is 18 years old.  He looks super young, but it the coolest guy. He also has a twin, Luis, they both wan to serve missions.  Christmas isn't the same here.  People don't go all out with the lights like the do in the States.  It is sad, but they do eat Paneton (fruit bread stuff) a lot this time of year.  All the missionaries say that Christmas in Peru is tough because it is so different and so humble.  But we plan on doing a lot of service to over look the lack of Christmas decorations and focus on the true Christmas Spirit.  Yes there are hairless dogs here, basically Peru has changed how I look at dogs.  My companion really is a gentle giant, but like all of my companions so far, he doesn't know any English :)  Which is fine by me because I feel comfortable with the language now and Latinos are generally more friendly than gringos ;p  But he does want to learn Italian so I might study a bit with him this transfer.

This week we had a devotional with President Risso in Pueblo Nuevo.  It was awesome.  The ward had a choir and I played the piano, I was so nervous to play for President.  One of the recent converts in our ward bore her testimony and it was so strong.  President spoke a lot about temples and the sacrifice that he made with his wife to be married inside the temple.  They had to sell almost everything to travel to the USA to be married in the DC temple.  He spoke about his and his wives conversion (they are both converts) and I know all of our investigators who were there felt the Spirit.

I love the kids here.  They all give my companion and I hugs and some of them call me Elder Superman because they can't say Perryman.  It helps me understand how Christ would always focus and give special attention to the children.  It is so true that they are without sin, I know that theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

 

 

Nuevo Pueblo Nuevo

So I got my transfer from Pueblo Nuevo to Pueblo Nuevo.  It is pretty funny that there are two areas with the same name, but I love my new area.  I did not realize how far away I was from civilization until this change.  I am now in a ward in the province of Ferreñafe, which is about a half an hour away from Chiclayo.

I love my companion, Elder Carranza.  He is a big Argentina, who is super out going.  He is from Cordova Argentina and is about to finish his mission (I'm his last companion).  All the members here love him and some of the older missionaries and his family call him Gordo for his size.  This week a family in the ward asked to take a picture between us because we are both giants in Peru.

The members here are so nice.  Every house we visit gives us something to eat or drink.  We had a noche misional and there were a lot of people in the chapel.  The chapel is huge, it is for two wards, and is two stories.  During the noche misional some kid gave me a huge hug and kept calling me uncle.  If the people here are friendly, the kids are extremely friendly.

Our Pension is a super nice older lady who we live with too.  Her food is so good, but we usually just eat a huge lunch and have a small breakfast with fruit for dinner.  The first day my pension said she couldn't say my name so she would just start calling me Elder Gringo.

There is a dog here that follows us whenever he sees us.  His name is Kisor and he used to be the ex-bishops dog.  It is so funny to see him waiting outside our door sometimes.

So I'm starting to feel more confident about my Spanish, I still can't speak perfectly, but I can almost understand everything perfectly.  This week I was asked if I was from Argentina, which just made me laugh.

There is a brand new Elder here.  His name is Elder Riddle and he is from North Carolina.  He says that he knows the Elders that Sam trained.  It was funny to see his fresh perspective on Peru.  He seemed shocked by the culture and language, it was funny for me to remember when I was like that.  I helped him a bit with the language and explained a bit about how the mission works this week; he had a lot of questions.

We have a member here named Pedro, who is stellar.  He knows a bit of English so we speak in Spanglish together.  He came with us teaching this week and his testimonies were so powerful.  That is what I love about the mission.  We can use any scripture to persuade a man to the gospel, but when some one hears a sincere testimony of Christ they know what the truth is, they just need to act.  The simple testimony of a humble member is and will always be more impactful than a large and cunning discussion.  It is through small and simple things the Lord will confuse the wise.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

Hasta luego Pueblo Nuevo

I have a cambio [transfer] this week!  I don't know where I am going, but the exchange meeting is at 8AM in Chiclayo, so I will have to get up really really early tomorrow.  I am excited to see new areas, but I will miss this small town, especially my pension and my companion.  It was super fun working with Elder Flores this change and he helped me so much with my teaching and my Spanish.

Last week I wrote home with a fever, so I am not sure how well put together the letter was.  I do remember that I ended up with a fever of 102 in the night.  The next day I went to the clinic in Chepen and he told me that I had an intestinal infection.  The Peruvian food is good, but it takes a toll on my health.  After the clinic I was with one of the zone leaders and he wanted to go work with me and I told him that he was crazy.  We ended up going to a couple of appointments and then I crashed.  The next day we went to Chiclayo for training and by the end of the day I felt completely better.  Our training was by an Area Seventy and it was super good, but 4 hours long so I have a lot of notes.

So the power went out this Friday and my companion had a fever so we were in the room together for most of the day.  Luckily we had candles and lights so that I could study.  When people here get sick the members always want to give us manzania tea.  I never liked it before my mission, but now when ever someone offers it to me I gladly accept.  Also my pension says that masamora (purple goop) and avena (watered down oatmeal) are good for the stomach, [but] I don't believe it.  Some doctors, like medical professionals, here say that drinking cold drinks is bad for our health.  I love Peru.

I completely forgot about Thanksgiving until I read emails.  I seriously don't know what time of year it is.  We are starting to see Christmas stuff being sold in the street and it is throwing me off because I haven't seen a drop of snow.  Luckily Peru has there own Christmas traditions, like everyone here eats Paneton this time of year.  Paneton is like this Peruvian sweet bread which is super good.

I am excited to change areas, but I am not excited to leave my families.  I want to come back for the baptism of Martina and her family.  I can't count the number of times I helped one or all of her kids with homework while Elder Flores or Palacios taught a small gospel principal or vise versa.  We are starting to see real change in Pacanga and I just want to work more in this area that we have focusing on.  Two members in this area just got back from going to the temple for the first time and we have a baptismal date with Sabastian there too.  I don't feel ready to leave, but I can leave happy.  I have seen changes in families here through the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Last Sunday Isabel (one of my converts) stood up and bore a strong testimony about how the gospel of Christ changed her life, with tears in her eyes, and I could not help but feel so much joy in my soul.  I know this gospel helps people.  This gospel is true, because the fruits are always good.  I have seen nothing but joy when people live according to the standards of the gospel.  When we grow closer to Christ he changes our lives.

Te Amo
Elder Perryman

Elder Nelson was Great!

So Elder Nelson was great.  He was so nice and his talk was great.  Both he and his wife spoke a lot about family history work and how there are generations of people on our side.  I had a bit of a fever this week, but I was determined to go see Elder Nelson despite my condition.  I actually felt completely better after his talk.

It is weird that I am having a change soon (probably).  I love this area, and my companion right now, but I need a change.  We have been working hard this week and we were able to place two baptismal dates on the same day.  Sadly I will not be here for them and I really don't want to miss the baptism of Martina.  Though I know she is in good hands with Elder Flores.

This week has been hard to work with the President of the Rama [Branch], it is teaching me patience. We do not have a Relief Society President or a Young Men's President.  Also we had a branch meeting, for every branch council, in Pacasmayo, and it was just me and Elder Flores.  When there was a segment to have a mock branch council, everyone had there members and we had each other.  But at least I have a branch, there are areas in this mission with only three members. 

It is weird that Thanksgiving is this week.  I have totally forgotten about it.  The celebrations here are so different and I am forgetting about stuff from America.  I will definitely be missing a white Christmas this year.

I love you family, keep it up.  I love getting everyone's emails.  I always print them off and read them.  You are all in my prayers.

Te amo

Elder Perryman 

 

 

ELDER NELSON!!

Elder Nelson is coming to our mission this week and I am so excited!!  I don't know why but for us missionaries, stuff like this is bigger than the super bowl (Or the world cup here).  I am excited to here him speak, and we have all been told to think of questions and seek for answers in his visit.

This week has flown by, we have been working hard, especially in Pacanga, and it is starting to pay off.  The people here are so nice, almost every door that we touch lets us in.  The people here love to talk, but that is fine as long as they listen to the discussions about the gospel.

I love learning Spanish.  It is just fun now to study this language.  I really want to learn a third language after my mission too.  It truly is a gift of God to communicate in different tongues.  I feel confident with my Spanish now because we had a reunion in Chiclayo this week for gringos.   In one of the classes we talked about how to learn the language, and the teacher just told us that we have to talk, not be afraid to mess us, and learn jokes.  I think that has helped me a lot.  I am glad Heavenly Father gave me the ability to love jokes.

Peru is great, but there are things here that are normal, that would be bizarre in the states. For example, people walk up and down the streets with open bags of candy selling just one piece at a time.  If that happened in the states someone would be arrested.  Also here seeing 5 people on a moto isn't weird and it is perfectly normal to sit in the trunk of a car.  I love the culture.

While we were in Chiclayo we went shopping at a grocery store, because there aren't any in our zone.  I found BBQ sauce and I thought I was going to cry.  My companion and I ate BBQ chicken for dinner and I felt like I could die happy.

There is also a video we watched about the Atonement and missionary work, which I want to watch everyday.  It is a mix of talks by Eyring and Holland, and it is extremely powerful.  It truly puts into perspective the work of our Savior and how we must follow his path.  This week we ate dinner at a members house and when we finished her son, Carlos, and his friend, Omar, came in.  Carlos is a chef in Trujillo and was inactive, but want to go on a mission, and Omar is one of the few youth in the ward, with about 16 years. We shared a message with there family and talked with them both for a long time.  Usually we don't stay more than an hour in a house, but we made an exception here.  Neither of them have much support from there fathers, but both are fantastic.  We spoke about our duty as disciples of Christ and then talked about Peru, and Mexico, and the US.  It was really fun and it helped my Spanish to speak more casually.  The thing I love the most, is that when we left they we excited to serve missions.  They felt the spirit and they knew what was right.  I pray that there are people to lead ALL young men on missions.  I couldn't help but think about the youth in my home ward and wish that every single one will one day join me in this marvelous work.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

 

The first photo is of our dinner (sorry mom)

 

 

 

The second photo is the night my companion found out his girlfriend was engaged.

 

Peru: The one place you can rock the satchel

My Companions foot is better so we were able to work hard this week.  Honestly, this week flew by, and I really forget what happened.  I did learn a lot this week though.  Elder Flores helps me a bunch with Spanish and I have taught him a thing or two in English.  We work well together, so we have a lot of fun, and have meaningful lessons.   The other day I told him to "remember the Alamo" because he said something about America and he looked at me confused.  We just both laughed after that.  Many people ask us if we get along because of the border troubles, and we always just smile or laugh when we here that question.  I think I am getting a change in December but I want to keep working with Elder Flores for a bit longer.

It is crazy how much my taste buds have changed (Sorry I always have to talk about food, but it is good here).  There are things which at first I didn't like or thought were weird, like chicha morada, that I now crave.  Mom I will try to stop having cuy, but it is so good, if prepared right.

I am really starting to love the people here, especially the families we teach.  The family of Piere is awesome.  We visit them twice a week and we want for there whole family to become committed to the gospel of Christ.  This week we taught them about the Family: a proclamation to the world.  We were a little hesitant about sharing this, because the parents aren't married, but felt like it needed to be taught.  It went really well, and later in the day the father, Carlos, told us, "I am leaving now, but if you need anything, the door is unlocked, and you are welcome relax in my house."  We didn't accept but it is crazy how much the family loves the missionaries.

It is weird because I do not feel like I know Spanish, but at the end of the day I always realize "Wait I didn't speak any English today".  It is strange because there was no "ah ha" moment or a point where it all came to me. All I know is that my first week I couldn't understand a thing and now I feel comfortable speaking to random strangers about whatever.  I know that this is a gift from God.  Step by step we can walk a mile as we follow
Christ´s footsteps.  Alma explain faith as a little seed could never be clearer to me in my life than now.  I know that the things that are eternal, the things that matter can only be possessed little by little.  Like how a seed turns into a tree or how the ignorant are lifted up into enlightenment, we must be patient with our eternal progression.

Love

Elder Perryman

Como, como Méxicano

I completely forgot about Halloween, holidays are so different here, and I cant keep track of what season it is without large store displays near by to remind me.

My companion is awesome.  People ask us a lot if we have contention because he is Mexican and I am a gringo and we always laugh at this.  One of the photos is of us eating tacos, we spend a lot of time talking about Mexican food.  I now eat more like a Mexican, with more spice and a lime with everything.  Sometimes when he offers me something spicy and I say no he says "caballero" which means "cowboy" or in this context "man up".

So we did not get to do a lot of work this week because my companion hurt his foot last Pday.  We went to the doctor and he just told him to take a bunch of drugs.  Like a lot.  But it was fine because medicine is super cheap here.  Elder Flores got his shot and came out limping (because of his foot).  I died laughing because of the face of a little kid who saw him walk out after getting his shot (he was next).

We then went to Chepen to get X rays, which was a crazy experience.  While we were there our landlord, Segundo also came in because he fell off his motor cycle.  It was so sad to see the look of worry on his wife's face.  We tried to help them as much as we could, but I felt so lucky to have the knowledge of the Plan of salvation in that moment.

On Thursday we went to Chiclayo to complete my training with an exam.  It was great to see all the missionaries in my group.  One of the senior companions had a huge pony tail and I asked one of the Elders why.  He simply said "He's from Ecuador".  I have heard the craziest things about Ecuadorian culture.   I also had an interview with President Risso, it was great.  The more I talk with him the happier I am he is my mission president.  Though it was funny when he asked my companion about his foot and after my companion responded with "Pday" President Risso started to make hand motions and say "Ta siempre Pday".  

I have now had Cuy 5 times (which means I'm loved), its alright, and not weird to me at all now.  Piere is our pension now, for the days we are in Pacanga.  I have seen great changes in Piere and I am so happy that he has started his mission papers.

There was a baptism this week for the son of the Branch President.  it was funny because after his baptism President Garrido blasted Mark Antony with the chapel speakers and every one was drinking chicha morrada, I am used to church music and cookies after baptisms.

Also the Presidencia of our branch is crazy.  It was a crazy week of working with them and talking with President Risso, but things seem to be better now.  This has basically taught me that every thing in D&C 121 is true, and we always have to be on the look out for pride.

Now that summer is coming up (isn't that strange) the mosquitos are coming out.  Because I live in a farming village it there are sooo many mosquitos.

I also reread the fourth missionary this week. I love this talk.  Anyone who wants to serve a mission or is serving needs to read it.  We can not serve because it is what I parents want.  We can not simply serve to serve.  We must serve with charity, loving everything.  We cant also be perfect but we can not simply endure our duty.  We must embrace it and find joy in it.  The more I forget myself here, the more fun it is.  Not only is it more fun, but I can feel the spirit more.  It is not enough to simply be obedient, we must want to be obedient.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

¡Viva Mexico!

My second companion is from Mexico!! Puebla to be exact, which is a city two hours away from Mexico City.  He is a lot of fun, but also doesn't know English, but he wants to learn.   He calls me "gringo loco" too from time to time. We seriously have super spiritual lessons together.  We even taught 11 lessons in one day, which is a lot.  It is interesting because we have about the same time on the mission (he has one more change than me) so we are a young companionship.  It is weird having to show him around and having to be the one to know the area, which is scary because I don't know the whole area perfectly (it is big).  We really have been striving to work more with the members this change, and so far it is going well.

This week though, I had the worst lesson of my mission.  We were teaching Feliciono about the Book of Mormon, and why it is important, and then he asked, "I know it is true, but why does just your church use this book?"  This question was gold, and we starting explaining when his wife came into the room.  I leaned to Elder Flores and explained to him that she was a member, but sometimes she has a lot of questions from her evangelical friends.  She then started to attack the Book of Mormon, asking question after question.  We were both shocked, we had answers to her questions, but she asked them quickly without really wanting a true response.  I told her that the only true way to know was to read it, ponder, and pray.  Without the faith we cannot know the will of God.   She continued asking questions and killed the spirit we had.  Even her husband (an investigator) defended the Book of Mormon, but she didn't want to listen.  We ended with a prayer and left feeling frustrated.

Luckily the next day we went to Pacanga the whole day and had wonderful lessons. We taught Piere and had lunch with his family too.  I love teaching recent converts, especially Piere because he wants to go on a mission.

It really is the testimonies of the people who have humbled themselves before God that helps keep me motivated.  Whenever I feel exhausted I think about how fulfilling this work is at the end of the day.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

Lima!!

So another crazy week in Peru.  Which is good, because I always wonder what to write, but there is never an end to the things that go on down here.  We started this week with Family Home Evening in Pacanga.  Piere was baptized this Saturday so Pacanga is on its way to becoming a new area. Anyway we taught in the house of Hna Ana, who has a rock of a testimony.  Pres. Risso wants us to do a lot more work there.  We taught about being examples and rescuing those in need.  That really is missionary work, it is not baptizing, it is rescuing souls, members or not.

Anyway this was my last week with Elder Palacios and I will miss him as a companion, but I am excited to see what the future has in store.  This week we met Jesus and his wife.  Jesus is a inactive member, but he has a son now and is interested in having the gospel back in his life.  I hope that we can help his family out.  We weren't able to visit with Martina because she now has two jobs.  One working on the farms and the other selling bread, both are hard.  We did visit her kids a couple times to see how her family is doing.

I found out Wednesday that I would be going to Lima for my visa.  I was super excited because this meant I could see my group, but bummed because it meant I would miss the baptism of Piere.  Thursday in the morning we got up early to do service, which is easily the hardest work I have done here.  We put down a cement floor for a member.  Evening out a dirt floor is tough, and leveling out concrete is hard too, but mixing concrete is exhausting.  I loved it.  Below I have a picture of me afterward.  I truly enjoy working hard with members down here, it makes me appreciate so many gifts that I have in my life.  I always look up to the work ethic that my dad gave me.

Right after the service project I went back to Pueblo Nuevo, showered, took a car to Chepen, and then a bus to Chiclayo.  Most of my group was there, but every gringo guy was on the plane.  As we waited for the plane I met this a guy in the Chiclayo airport who couldn't speak Spanish.  His name was Julius and he looked like the rapper BoB.  He was from South Africa and had a sweet accent.  We talked about why he was there and then about missionary work.  He was super nice and had a lot of questions, but I think he was just a curious guy.  I shared a scripture with him and then told him about LDS.org and the 13 articles of faith because he wanted to know the difference between our faith and other Christian religions.  Missionary work doesn't take breaks.  We reached Lima around 9pm and our hotel around 11pm.  I know what you are all thinking, that is later than 10:30pm.  Luckily there is an exception to that rule for travel.  I was so tired, but the Elders in my room stayed up a bit longer exchanging crazy mission stories.

We got up early in morning Saturday to go to immigrations.  We felt an earthquake too, which is the first one I have really felt noticeably in my life.  We then went to the "Spanish DMV" as I like to call it until 1pm.  I was hoping that we would have time to visit the temple, but I was let down.  We then got lunch and all chatted.  I talked with our driver, who is a super sweet guy.  He served his mission in Peru during the time they wouldn't let Gringos serve here and he had some crazy stories.  After lunch we went straight to the airport to return home.

Once we got into Chiclayo Elder Bowyer (my trip companion) and I stayed with the office missionaries.  We had dinner with them at a local burger place (the burgers here arent real) and statyed up talking with Elder Dalley, the financial secretary, until it was time for bed.  He was super sweet, but told us that he can't wait to get out of Chiclayo and go to a more remote area (he has been in Chiclayo for his whole mission so far).

We got back too late for the baptism, but I have a picture and I heard it was awesome.  I pleaded for Piere´s forgiveness for missing it on Sunday.  He just laughed and made me sit by him in class.  I am so blessed to have investigators like him.  He has so much potential as a kid (like me) with only 19 years of age.  I hope that I can visit this area when he is getting close to serving a mission (that's the dream).

I feel like this transfer flew by, and I can't wait to see what the next weeks have in store for me.  I know it is a fact that the harder you work in the mission the more fun you will have and the more time will fly.  I love it here, even when it is hard, I am thankful for my calling everyday.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

Buscamos Milagros

Que tal familia

I am so happy to hear about mom and dad starting their work in the temple.  My area is too far from a temple to visit in my mission, and I miss temples a lot.  They truly are the houses of the Lord.  

To answer some questions, I will probably get a new companion but stay in Pueblo Nuevo.  This is fine because I love this humble area, and my zone.  Also one of my friends here in the mission (Elder Boywer) who is also in my group is from Gilbert.  It would be crazy if his family is in the same ward as the Low's.  

Wow this week was crazy. We had an exchange with the Zone leaders and it was great.  I was with Elder Samame in Chepen and the day flew by.  Elder Samame is great and his area is a lot of fun (it is more like a city).  We worked so hard and he taught me a lot of things.  We also made tacos in his apartment, and talked about how much we miss Mexican food (he is from Panama which is more like Mexico then South America).  We had a really good companionship study together and we talked about miracles and obedience.  Which is ironic because Clara sent me "obedience brings blessing perfect obedience brings miracles".  We also talked a lot about how funny the Spanish language is, like how everyone in Peru says "Claro" or "ya pe"  or how the word "cita" means date (like a romantic date) or appointment (like teaching appointment).

So here is my section about food.  There are a lot of things I miss about US food, but one thing I know I will miss one day about Peru is their panaderias.  Think about a slice of the celestial kingdom squeezed into a sketchy corner building and that's what it is.  Really though the bread here is so good, and the pastries are even better.  The tastiest stuff has the funniest names, like calocones or piononos.  A lot of the food is stuffed with this stuff called majarblanca, which is this caramel like stuff that dad would love.  But a lot of the stuff is also topped with shredded coconut, which I love, but dad would not love.

I am starting to become really familiar with all the members and the area.  Tonight we are going to Pacanga for a FHE with a member.  We are trying to grow this area for more missionaries to enter in the future.  Piere is from Pacanga, and I am so excited for his baptism this week.  Also Martina is so close to getting baptized, I just feel it, but we need to work better at finding new people and teaching with members.

There are things I just love about this mission, like waiting in a mototaxi for a heard of cattle to pass or holding the parrot of an investigator.  I really love this country.  But there are also tough, humbling parts of the mission.  Watching a recent convert struggle with alcoholism, or mental illness, or hearing a sister in the branch cry because she cant read, but she wants to be an example to her children.  It shows me how Satan wants to bring people down, but there are also moments when I see the tender mercies of the Lord.  Like when an investigator completely changes his life and walks away from alcoholism (he just needs to get divorced and then married for baptism).  Or maybe my favorite moment of the week, when we were walking to our room and we saw through a window our landlord, Segundo, who is a recent convert on his knees offering a secret prayer.  It is moments like that, that make the mission fulfilling.  Not everyone accepts our message, but I see real change in the lives of every single person who accepts the restored gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives.  I know this is the work of the Lord.

Love
Elder Perryman

PS: The photos are of a parade in Guadalupe, and an open air market in Pacasmayo (because I know mom loves open air markets).

"The Spirit's company is not just a nice convenience, but it is essential for our survival"

So conference was amazing, but I watched every session in Spanish, so I want to go back and review a bit.   The title is one of my favorite quotes, I hope it is translated right.   Sunday morning we didn't have any power in Pueblo Nuevo and I was afraid we wouldn't be able to watch Sunday session, luckily it came on before the session started and everything was fine.   I took notes for everything, but I need to review.   If I didn't take notes my mind would have wandered after 10 hours of straight Spanish talks.   Thank you so much dad for the quotes.   I loved Elder Dubes talk, but I missed out on his sweet accent because of the interpretation.   You picked a lot of my favorites, but I missed this one.   "A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh.  Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well." – Elder Dallin H. Oaks.   I love this, because I have tried to apply this in my life.   I am a people person, but I do not like dwell upon what others think.   I want to live my life only trying to make my Father in Heaven, my parents, my future wife, and my future children proud.  I guess this is what everyone wants, so it shows how imperative moral courage is.

Time to answer some family questions.   Yes, mom, I still dream in Spanish, and English, and Spanglish, but it is usually in Spanglish because that's where I feel my life is.   Everyone we teach is interesting, pero [but] all for different reasons.   Right now I love teaching Martina, who is a single mom of 4.   She is super humble, and I love helping her kids with there school work.   We have a FHE at her house tonight.  

So it is not considered rude here to call people fat or be blunt about weight, and people here have told me that I have gained weight in this area. Normally gringos lose weight in this mission (especially if they are in the jungle).   But a lot of missionaries put on what is lovingly called a "rice pouch" because they feed us mountains of arroz [rice] here.   I also have Cuy [Guinea Pig] about once or twice a month (sorry mom). Elder Palacios keeps telling me that we will eat cat or donkey before he leaves.

In Pueblo Nuevo we have a statue of "angel Moroni's wife" in the Plaza de Armas.   I couldn't resist but to get a picture with her.   Next week we are going to San José, which is near Cajamarca.   Because it is far I am not sure how much I will be able to email next week, but I will have pictures.

"Never look back.  Look forward at what we still have to do." – Elder Edward Dube from Zimbabwe. This is one of my favorite quotes too.   I will try to apply it to my mission.   I will not look back at my mistakes, or weaknesses.   I will serve and always see that there is more work to be done.   This work is grand, but it is not over, it is never over. I need to lengthen my stride and bring more to Christ. I hope that I will one day finish my mission and only think, it is not over, there is still work that I have to do.

Te Amo,
Elder Perryman

Qué Aventura

My mission is such an adventure.  It is tough, it is hard some days, but it is so rewarding.  We have crazy experiences here, and a lot I cannot write because mom doesn't want me to.  Don't worry mom I am safe and sound here in Pueblo Nuevo.  Last Sunday we learned how to break into the President of our branch´s office.  He left his keys in there during second hour so of course he asked the missionaries to help.  I wont go into details but breaking in required a belt, a broom, and climbing into the rafters.  It was a bit more fun than Sunday school.  That being said, Sunday school is important and vital for learning doctrine.  Also at 11PM one night we received a call from President Garrido because he needed someone to help push his car, the only thing more valuable to a missionary than sleep is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tuesday we had exchanges and I took Elder Roldan on a little tour around Pueblo Nuevo.  He is from Argentina and has about a year of missionary work under his belt.  He is super funny, and we worked like animals that day.  From what he told me Argentina is awesome, but there might be some bias there.

Wednesday we taught Marco and our lessons are a bit less structured now that he is a member.  We were just seeing what questions he had and he started asking about missions.  There is no greater feeling than having a recent convert have a desire to share the gospel.  We talked about it further down the road, but I hope to see him serving by the time I leave Peru.  

Saturday we spent the night making tamales at an investigator, Martina's, house.  She has four kids and her husband passed away so we want to help her as much as we can.  It was fun talking with her and her kids and making tamales, they smelled so good.  She works on the chacras or farms here in Pueblo Nuevo, like most of the people here.  It is a super humbling life, the work is so hard and they only get paid 30 soles [$10] on a good day.  When I found this out I was humbled severely,  this mother works so hard everyday and she gives all she has to her kids.  It is true that those who are humble are more receptive to the word of God.

Also Pierre is still looking forward to his baptism and even talked with his aunt about possibly going on a mission.  When Elder Palacios and I found this out we were like "spiritual blessings."

Side note: Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!!!!

Also mom if you want to make legit Peruvian food look up "Tú pones la sazón Yo la Receta"

I love this work.  I know it is the work of God.  I know this is the true church and that if we seek Christ first we will be saved.  I know that if someone really is humble and seeking the truth they will find the Book of Mormon and know that it is of God.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

¡Vamos a la Playa!

So this week started off so weird.  Tuesday I felt the need to bring consecrated oil teaching, and it came in handy.  We spent most of the day in "los parques" which is like the ghetto of Pueblo Nuevo.  We were walking out of a teaching appointment and a random lady, we later found out that her name is Edela came up to us and asked us "you are missionaries of Christ right?" after we said yes she proceeded to tell us about a young guy without family here who needs help.  We went to David's (that his name) house, which is nothing more than a small room and talked with him.  David is skinny, like he looks like a skeleton, and he was in bad shape.  We gave him a blessing and taught a brief lesson.  He said he was from Callao, which is the bad part of Lima (like the south American equivalent of Over the Rhine).  Edela told us that the reason he was sick was because he experimented with black magic and ate "huesos de muerto".  We have returned to check on him, and he is doing better, but seriously needs a doctor, but doesn't have money for one.  He has a solid knowledge of the Bible and a stronger desire to change his life.  We don't know much, but I can just tell he has been through a lot.  After that lesson we went contacting and taught a lesson to a mom and her 9year old kid, Brian.  I thought the kid was a mute because we asked him so many questions and he didn't say anything.  At the end of the lesson he asked his mom something like "they aren't here for me?" I was astounded he could speak.  His mom explained that he is afraid of Gringos because he thinks they are here to take the organs of kids.  We then when to the church to speak with the branch president and he had a piano for the ward.  It felt like Christmas, I have been teaching E Palacios how to play, and I am so thankful for all the lessons I have had with June.  I might be teaching others in the ward how to play too.  Though teaching piano in Spanish is hard, because it is a whole new set of vocab.  Also in the upcoming week we are starting our English lessons, it is crazy how much the people here want to learn, but lack the opportunity.

On Saturday we went to Pacanga for service for Pierre's family.  All the service we do is either with a shovel or with a machete, my gringo hands have so many blisters now, but it makes me appreciate the hard work people do here.  Pierre worked with us, and it is great to work side by side with an investigator, I Cannot wait for Pierre's baptism.  We then had Cuy (otro vez) and it was really good.  Most of the food here is good, but the one thing that is bad is when you think dinner is chicken and it ends up being rooster (there is a big difference).  Also Marco, one of our recent converts, has been talking to us about serving a mission! This is so exciting and makes the work even more fulfilling.

To day we went to Pacasmayo, which is the nicest area in our zone to go to the beach.  It was a lot of fun to relax and just play games with the district.  I love the work we do here and I love enjoying the culture on Pdays.  I know this is the work of God, I can feel it in my soul.  I want everyone to know exactly how important our message is.  I love this opportunity to serve, grow and learn, through Christ and his gospel.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

¡Este semana fue locismo!

Hola Familia!!!

I don't really know where to start because of how much has happened this week.  I had my first dream in Spanish!  It was so werid, we were teaching a lesson, which is basically my life.  Right now I am in Chiclayo to get my package.  Going through Serpost and customs and sketchy areas of Peru was fun.  Overall I just always feel like I am on an adventure here.

So we had transfers and our zone has been completely switched.  Elder Palacios (Mi compañero) is now the leader of our district.  It is fun because that means I get to go on more intercambios and go with him for baptismal interveiws.  Also one of the new(he has 6 months in his mission) gringo elders in our zone is Elder Pugliano (I know his sister and he knows the Price's).  It is crazy how small of a world this is.  He is super funny and we talked for a while at our zone meeting.

I am going to take break and talk about food.  I love how most of the food here is rice and chicken.  Maybe one day I will get sick of it, but for right now it is great.  My favorite dishes here Bistec a lo pobre and Lomito saltado.  Bascially our pinsionista is great.  The other day she made us Cuy.  That is right we ate guinea pig.  It was super weird because we saw it alive one day trying to jump out of its box and then on our plates the next.  It tastes like chicken, but a bit more chewy we had it fried.  It is considered a delicacy here, and some people even eat the bones.  I do miss North American food, but we made burgers last night with our zone leaders, because they have a stove type thing.

The baptism for Ysabel was great.  During her interveiw I played hide and seek with her kid, Noé.  Noé has so asbergers and so much energy, I am always amazed at how much patience Hna. Ysabel has as a single mother.  I enjoy playing with Noé (He makes lessons interesting) and whenever we have oppurtunities to play with the other kids in our branch, I feel like I just enjoy being a big kid sometimes.  This was my first baptism and I baptised her 3 times because her food came out of the water.  So I gues I already have 3 baptisms in my mission (haha).  Afterward she bore a super powerful testimony.  It is crazy how much faith the people have here. One phrase here is "The house is small but the heart is large," it is so true.  Her life has so many challenges and she is also humble, but everytime we teach her she talks about how important the gospel is in her life and in the life of her son.  I know with out the gospel in my family I would not have real joy.  Many things in this world make us happy but eternal Joy only comes through Christ.

We have a family in Pacanga who is amazing.  One girl, Carla is a member and her siblings are investigators.  We taught her sister, Erica, the other day and we asked her to speak to us frankly about how she feels about the church.  She loves it but something keeps her from obtaining a desire to be baptised.  I had her read Mosíah 18:9&10 and I broke down the scripture for her.  With each question I could feel the spirit stronger and stronger and I know that she will be baptised before I leave the area.  Her brother, Pierre is our age and is terrific.  We had a conference this week and he came with us to both the Saturday and the Sunday session.  The sessions were fantastic and the Sunday session was a broadcast from Salt Lake for Peru. Elder Bednar gave an amazing talk about repentence and the need for a sincere heart.  Then Elder Scott spoke and he didnt use a translator, he spoke spanish perfectly.  Elder Pugliano leaned over and said to me "Elder Scott just got 10 times cooler" after his talk.

I love the mission, I love the people, I love the gospel.  I regret not opening my mouth more to share this grand message before my mission.  I know that the mission will prepare me for life, and life will prepare me for eternalñ life.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

Segundo Cambio!!

This week flew by!  I cant believe Collin is already leaving on his mission.  I am sad to here about Brother Bang.  He is a huge spiritual giant in my mind and will always be an example of a righteous life.  We found out who was leaving today.  Elder Palacios is staying to finish my training.  I feel like I have been teaching forever.  I just finished a lesson today where I told the story of Zeezrom and asked Paco (a recent convert) how he could apply it to his life.  It was weird that I feel comfortable speaking and actually getting down to deeper thoughts in Spanish.  Oh,, also the time clock in the mission is super weird.  We eat around 8 every day and today we have a strange email time because we went to Chiclayo for cambios, so sorry this is coming in late.  Also because of the weird day I don't have much time to write.  I got my package! but I did not have enough time to pick it up because today was hectic.  I did however meet my grandfather (The trainer of Elder Palacios).  I said goodbye to my first district leader and saw a bunch of old friends.

I don't have my memory card with me, but I have a lot of great pictures to send next week.  We had a baptism for Marco this past Saturday and will have another this upcoming Saturday.  Marco is a 20 year old farmer from El Alto.  He is super humble and has great faith.  He is funny because he talks SUPER fast and always asks me about how to say stuff in English.  He has a great spirit and I just want to take him along for visits with us.  Isabel is a single mom with super humble circumstances, but has a mountain of faith.  Her child Noé has Asperger's and is a handful.  I love the little kid, he always makes the lessons eventful and the other day I actually walked him to church with Elder Palacios because his mom needed more time to get ready.

The other day for our Noche misional we watched the other side of heave (in Spanish of course) with some members and investigators.  It was super funny, and make me so glad that I am on my mission.  All the members started calling me Kalipoki afterwards.  I love the members.  It is crazy how much I have grown to love it here.  I never would have guessed that I would be in a small little farm town in Perú and be having the time of my life.  I know it is because I am preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is the source of happiness in my life.  I don't have much time, but I just want to say, and emphasize, that I know this church is true.  I know that true change is wrought through the teachings of Jesus Christ, and miracle come through faith.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman

¡Churro!

This week has gone by so fast, but we have done so much.  The mission is nothing like what I expected; it is so much more.  The work, the struggles, the blessing, all make me thank God at the end of the day.  This week was filled with service, and it is always done with a machete.  We started this with some service for a member named Pedro.  Pedro and his family are awesome, both him and his wife are return missionaries, and they still give so much to the building up of the kingdom.  We tore down one of his adobe walls in his "backyard" area.  Almost all the homes here are made of adobe, and it is basically mud with a bit of goop to hold it together.  It isn't pretty but it is a very cost effective way of building.  The service was super dirty, and thus super fun.  Later that same day we went to a little farm village out side of Pueblo Nuevo called Charcape.  We went there just to contact for a few hours and we ended up teaching 4 lessons.  Every house except for one let us in for a lesson, it was a miracle.  The first man we taught, his name is Victor, is super funny.  When we approached him, he was chewing down on some coca leaves he had in his hat and asked us so many questions about the gospel.  We asked him if he lived alone and he explained about how his family lives else where and his parents died a while ago. We taught him about the Plan of Salvation, and I love when investigators get super into the lessons. On our way back to our room that night a lady started yelling "churro" at us, I kept turning around and would start to walk towards her, but Elder Palacios would stop me.  He told me that she wasn't selling churros, but that churro was like guapo [ means - handsome] and that she was hitting on me.  I was upset, because I really wanted a churro.

The next day we had mini inter cambios [changes] and went to Ciudad de Dios for a day.  I was paired with Elder Quiroz, who is an excellent missionary, but super quirky.  There area has a casa capilla [chapel] and they share the house with another companionship of elders.  A casa capilla is when the house of the missionaries is also the chapel for sacrament, because the area (member wise) is small.  We worked hard that day and extended 4 baptismal invitations just in the afternoon.

On Friday all the missionaries from Ciudad de Dios and Elder Palacios and I did a large service project for our branch.  A man in our Rama [Branch] needed a new floor, a new roof, and needed his walls redone.  It was so much fun working with members.  My favorite part was painting the walls with Hno. Huaman (pronounced kinda like Roman).  He is such a hard worker and worked the whole day with us, without shoes.  At the end of the day we were all crazy dirty and only had a couple of hours for missionary work.  Elder Palacios and I decided to go to Quember (another small farming village) about 15 minutes out of Pueblo Nuevo.  We taught them a solid lesson about the Sabbath day and then after ward they wanted us to play cards with them.  We usually don't do stay long after lessons, but they were our only appointment for the day.  It is a lot of fun to really get to love a family and feel comfortable in their home.  Afterwards I gave Rosa and Heber (the kids) glow sticks and we tried to find a moto taxi to get us home.  Mom might not like me saying this, but there wasn't one, and since it is against the mission rules to walk home in the dark, without street lights, we hitch hiked.  Rosa and Heber helped us flag down a car and Elder Palacios and I went home in the back of an old pickup truck.  They didn't even charge us anything for the ride, people here are so nice and always willing to help when they can.

On a note about food.  I helped carry some bags of rice this week(in my shirt and tie) and they are so heavy.  I always get dirty/dusty some how even when I am in my shirt and tie down here.  We walked by a butcher shop while contacting the other day and it almost made me vegetarian (that's all I will say about that).  I continue to have new food every week, this week was cau cau pronounced cow cow), which ironically is cow intestine.  It looks kind of like calamari, but it is not as good.  Also Peruvians cook EVERYTHING with oil.  If you want to know what a Peruvian dish looks like fill a plate all the way with rice, then cook whatever else you want to eat in oil and put it on top.

I am not sure if I mentioned this earlier but we have hot water now!  It is a miracle.  I never knew how much of a blessing hot water is until now.  Also I never knew how much of a blessing Liahonas/Ensigns are until I came out here.  I love reading articles and giving out Liahonas, I don't know what it is but people are instantly drawn to them here.  It is a sign that this church is true when we can freely give away proof of a prophet everyday.

I do not have much time left, but I need to explain these photos a little.  We went sandboarding as a zone today, and that is why this email is a tad late.  It was a lot of fun, especially because we have a great zone.  I went barefoot, which was great until I realized how hot the sand was.  Luckily there was a lagoon near by where we could relax after the heat.

I love you all, keep sending me the great emails.

Te Amo

Elder Perryman