Pimentel!

So this week was great.  It is finally getting into the fall "season".  I am so glad that summer has passed.  I know it is weird to think that it was summer here.  But since summer time is gone we have permission to go to the beach again!  So we went as a zone to Pimentel this week.  It was so much fun because we played frisbee and AMERICAN Futbol on the beach.

This week Elder Riddle bought a basketball last pday so we have been getting up early to play ball at the church with our companions.

My bishop has a lot on his plate right now so one day while we were at his house I offered to help him with his job in the morning.  He builds houses and makes adobe bricks.  I enjoy learning how to do different things so this was fun for me.  I know that I will never make adobe at home, but it was super fun to learn how to do it.

One of my favorite youths in the ward is Armando.  He is incredibly Christlike and is a fantastic member missionary.  This week when he left us one of our recent converts, Joan, offered him a job.  He later said that he has been looking for a job to help him prepare for his mission.  The Lord always has his hand in everything.

This week was fast and testimony meeting because of conference.  One sister in our ward bore the most humble yet strong testimony.  I know that when the gospel of Jesus Christ takes root in the heart of people, it can change their lives.  As a missionary I am extremely blessed to see this happen day by day.

Love
Elder Perryman

PS this is a photo of my area, I have so many photos but right now the computer isn't loading them

Cambio Focos, Limpiar Techos

I love service, it is my favorite thing in the world.  This week we went out with everyone who is preparing for a mission and it was great.  I went to visit Hna Jessica, one of our less actives and we ended up helping her family clean there cambi (those big minivan things).  It was super fun and really good because we were able to gain more confidence with some of her family who are not yet members of the church.  Also I got to play with her kid, Fabricio, who is the happiest little kid in the world.  While cleaning one of my companions was joking that I also change light bulbs and clean roofs, because I am tall for Peru.

Something really funny that happened this week was that one of my recent converts, Gerson, came up to me and asked me "Is it alright to date?"  I was confused because we have taught about the "For the Strength of Youth" and the Law of Chastity, but I talked with him a bit about what the For the Strength of Youth says.  After that he told Armando, the young man who baptized him, "Elder Perryman says its alright to go on dates."  And Armando just said "yeah, but not with my sister" and stormed off.  It might have been one of the funniest moments on my mission because the youth here all treat each other like brothers and sometimes its super funny.

Also we went out contacting, looking for new people to teach and it was a great experience.  We visited a widow and her daughter with three members and we had an extremely good lesson.  Hna Estephania, one of our members, gave the closing prayer and the woman we were teaching started to cry.  I know that she needed our message.  I don't know exactly what she was going through, but I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ helped.

Love,
Elder Perryman

¿Quieres Jugar Partido?

So this week was amazing.  We saw a miracle happen this week as three more youth were baptized.  They all have such strong testimonies and I am so proud of everyone.  I have seen this Young Men's program grow so much in my time here.  One of the youth said that the reason he joined the church just started with a small question.  "¿Quieres jugar partido?"  It is amazing how much a simple invitation can open up the heart.

I did feel like this whole week I was in Chiclayo.  I was there 4 times this week, generally for meetings.  Meetings are fun sometimes, but I like using my time visiting family.  I always enjoy visiting people here and talking about the gospel.

I had pizza this week in one of the meetings.  President Risso got Pizza hut for all of us in the meeting and it was fantastic.  I haven't had pizza (real pizza) in so long.  I love the food here, but man I miss a good burger.

I love this area, I love this work, I love the Lord.  I hope that everyone can one day realize how much the Lords loves us.

Elder Perryman

Otra semana en Paraiso

Hola familia,

This week was the baptism of Alberto.  We basically just work with the Young Men's program here and it helps a lot.  I love the picture below with his friend Max.  They are both super great young men and Max will soon follow the example of his friend and be baptized.

This week we visited the cemetery of Ferreñafe.  It is fantastic.  There are statues of the Twelve along the main road and it is all decorated well.  Peruvians have a high regard for there ancestors.

So the sun is super strong here.  Before the mission I thought the climate would be perfect.  But I was unaware of how rare air conditioning is here.  Every night I have the fan on right next to my face.  But luckily fall is coming soon.  It is weird to think that fall is close.

Its super cool to here that Matthew will be joining me in the ranks of Spanish speaking missionaries.  There is a missionary from my zone who is from Chihuahua, Mexico.  I hear that the area is nice and that they keep the missionaries away from any danger.

I am already super excited for conference.  I cannot wait to hear the prophet speak and help me see what I need to do as a missionary. I love being able to tell people, to let them know, that there is a prophet in the world today.  How great of a message.

Love
Elder Perryman

ahì agua? Ahì luz?

So this week was quite interesting and fun.  This week I taught Kevin and after the lesson his girlfriend Claudia told us about his desire to be baptized.  We talked and put a date for his baptism and he gave me a high five.  He told us two weeks ago that baptism was what worried him because he said that he had a rough past and he is afraid of ever going back.  He has changed his life and I cannot wait to see him dressed in all white for baptism.

So my area is called the land of double faiths.  Partly is because of the witchcraft or Bruajria.  The other day one of the kids picked up a stray kitten and when his mom saw him she spoke in super fast Spanish telling him to put it out and wash his hands of it.  Later my companion explained to me the people use kittens and cuy blanco for "witchcraft" and that's why his mom was so upset.

The other day we went to a members house to eat.  We had mountains of rice and chicken liver with french fries.  It was actually pretty good, but it was huge!  The whole time my companion was saying "ayudame [help me]" and he is Peruvian.  When I almost finished the sister came in and served us each a big bowl of soup.  I just started laughing because I couldn't cry.  But the soup was really good.  And I finished it all, but it was one of my hardest times eating everything.  You cannot be a picky eater on the mission.

Spanish classes are maybe my favorite part of the week.  They are always so much fun and we meet a lot of new people.  I put Raul on my shoulders after English class as we walked home.  Raul is a little 6 year old who lives across the street from us and went to class this week with his older cousin.  The whole time he was yelling "I have four arms".

Friday we came into the room and the roof was leaking.  It looked like it was raining inside.  It turns out that Hna Lucha (our pension) was washing a carpet on the roof and the water seeped through the roof.  On the bright side we used the water to mop our floor this week.

I love the mission.  This week was fast and testimony meeting.  I went up and I was just filled with love as I looked out into the congregation.  I love this ward so much and I could feel the spirit strong in the chapel.  I know that this work is the work of spreading joy.

Love,
Elder Perryman

ps.  One of the photos was when the power went off (it happens a lot here) and I showed my companion the glow sticks and he loved them.