What a week!

This week we had interviews with President Williams and his wife.  These are always very spiritual experiences and Sister Williams always gives us chocolate chip cookies.  I am so grateful for all the things that the Williams have taught me.

My Birthday was very low key, but I am very happy that we passed it almost like whatever day.  It was Sunday, so I am glad I had the chance to go to church and reflect upon many things.  At night our pension gave me an entire King Kong which is a huge cookie type thing from Lambayeque.  Also we drank A&W Root beer because we have both recently turned 21.

So today we went out to a park to play toss with my companions football.  We were in the grass part and one of the park "guardians" told us that we can't walk on the grass.  In Peru when there is grass, you can't step on it.  We ended up playing in the street and a moto taxi driver started watching us.  We ended up contacting him after and this Sunday we are going to visit him.

Saturday was one of the best days this week.  We taught about the temple and invited people (new investigators) to go in almost every lesson.  This made the day incredibly spiritual.  One man, Felix, let us in with the exception that we could never visit him again.  We entered his house and started to speak with him about his family and what his purpose on this earth is.  He ended up telling us that he felt like God took away his mother and for that, he had lost all hope.  We showed him "The Family" and the Trujillo Temple and he told us that he had a dream where his mother was at the temple.  The spirit was so strong there.  I know that the most important thing we can do on this earth is go to the temple.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Cockroach City!

I do not feel older, I still feel like a youngin´.   We started off the week with the leadership council with President.  This went super well.  These meetings always get us supercharged to work during the week.  It was super funny because two of President Williams sons were there and during the break he was playing ping pong with one of them.  While they were getting competitive Presidents other son came up with his Mission Manual raised above his head saying "Dad you know that you cant keep score".  It was super funny.

I put cockroach city because our room is infested with cockroaches.  We see one at least everyday.  Our room is clean, it is just that the cockroaches are all over this area of Chiclayo.

This week was a super tough week for us.  We are doing fine and Elder Caceres is by far one of my favorite companions, but the people here are hard hearted sometimes.  Sunday we went out with a member, Freddy, who is a recent convert,.  Last time he went out with us we just contacted so we planned to have appointments all day Sunday.  Many of these appointments fell as the families were drinking outside, but we walked to one appointment and their house was gone.  I mean GONE.  We made the appointment Saturday and Sunday afternoon when we came back the house was an empty lot with adobe bricks.  All we could do was laugh, but Freddy thought that we were messing with him.

This week we also had a great lesson with Henry.  We were teaching a family about the book of Mormon and they started doubting a lot of the things which we had said.  After they had asked everything Henry just gave an incredibly strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and how it truly converted him.  After the lesson we spoke more about his conversion and he told us that after his baptism every time he tried to pray at night he had a nightmare.  He told his mom (who is not a member) about how he couldn't sleep so he would stop praying.  She just told him "Well, who is stopping you from praying?"  After that he realized that he must always pray.  He told us that he started to put the Book of Mormon under his pillow and the nightmares started to go away.

I know this gospel is true.  I am never bored of it, I never stop learning.  I am so happy to be here at this time.  Sure I get bored of rice everyday, but my motive to be here is my Savior.  I am excited for this next week and I hope I will finally have some good photos to send.

Love,
Elder Perryman

La Vida Rica en La Viky Rica

So it has only been a couple of days since I wrote last.  Tomorrow is the leadership council and Elder Payare and Elder Mortenson are coming down to stay with us.  I just love the meetings with President because we leave so ready to work.

I forgot to tell you all about my Christmas pre-call.  Besides the fact that I had to call the home phone, then dad's cell, then mom's cell, and then finally Sam's cell, we were in the middle of the street using a public phone.  While I started making my calls a somewhat tipsy man came up and started speaking with us.  He came to me and asked "Lend me your airplane so that we can go to the states together." I just told him, I do not have a plane and he said "Well you heart is bigger than a plan so that is fine with me."  This conversation continued until I was able to speak with you all.

This week we found the Mendoza family.  They are great family with two kids.  They are both really funny, and they want the best for their children.  It is not common for us to teach complete families here, but I love teaching families more than anything.  When we asked Cristian if he would come to church he just said "Of course, but let me talk it over with my pillow", his wife just laughed and said that she will come next week too.

I am super excited about this week to come.  I love you all and I know that this gospel is true.  My companion and I always speak of the many small blessings that come through following the commandments of our Heavenly Father.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Happy New Year!

So time just goes by faster each day.  We are seeing some progress in our area and I feel like I know the area better now.  We are getting into a very strong work routine.  My companion is Elder Caceres, he is my first companion from the states!  His mom is from El Salvador and his Dad is from the Dominican Republic, he is a 2 generation immigrant.

Elder Caceres has 21 months in the mission, and he is a great missionary.  Though sometimes it is super weird speaking English so much.  We basically always talk in Spanglish.  But he is also thinking about going to BYU, so I have been helping him out a little bit with his application.  His goal is to be the first person in his family to go to college.

This area is basically the opposite of Cajamarca...It is just a huge sand box.  But in spite of that I am really enjoying trying to apply everything that have learned into this area.  I hope I will be able to train before I finish the mission, but it depends on what the Lord wants from me.

So much has happened in the past couple of days I am forgetting what to write, but I am so thankful for strong members of this church.  There is a youth here named Henry who got his mission call last week.  He works everyday of the week for almost all day at the airport, yet he will  come out with us always the day that he is free.  There are some strong member missionaries here and that is what really makes the difference.

Christmas and New Years were actually pretty calm this year.  Of course there was the yearly fireworks and burning things in the street, but we spent these days just trying to get some rest.

I  am very happy in my area and I can always feel the spirit teaching with my companion.  I am excited for the things that lay ahead.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Also I forgot to say that our whole district is from the states.

Our Room 

Traditional Christmas: Empenadas, chicken, and paneton

 

 Reading Luke 2 as a District

My new companion: Elder Caceres

(He just had his birthday!)

Adios Cajamarca

So I have a transfer...after much time I will be leaving my pueblito Cajamarca.  I will miss this zone and all of the people who are here.  I am the first Elder to say goodbye to my pension, so it was a sad experience for her.  She is sooo happy for all the gifts that you have sent and she says that one days she wants to meet my parents.  But it was hard for me because she asked me "Will you be able to come back for my baptism?" and I wasn't able to say yes.  I know that in the mission it isn't about how many people we baptize, but about how many lives we touch with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This week we met with our mission leader and when he was leaving he noticed that he had a flat tire.  So I had the experience of helping him change his flat, which was a super funny experience for us.

Saturday night the Stake president came to teach a lesson with us to one of our favorite couples.  He testified to them that if they are unable to have children in this life the Lord will give them an opportunity in the life to come.  The Stake president here is so humble, yet so powerful spiritually.  After the lesson we had pizza and continued to talk of how the gospel can bless their lives.  I just love the gospel because it is ALWAYS a message of hope.

I seriously feel like I am leaving family behind in Cajamarca.  More than half the people I told that I am leaving did not believe me and the other half was sad.  I also had the experience to meet with two companions, two pensionistas, and one of my bishops this week, and it was a very special experience for me.  I feel bad for all the missions that have to cook for themselves because they miss the chance to really be part of a family.

I love you all, but I need to catch my bus.

Love
Elder Perryman

Happy Birthday, Elder Payare!

So this week was my companion's birthday and we had the traditional Peruvian smashing his face in the cake.  I don't know why, but here it is considered a bad birthday if someone doesn't throw an egg at you or you don't get cake in your face.

But sadly this week we have not had a lot of time to go out and teach.  The trip to Chiclayo takes a good chunk of time out of the week and Friday we had our zone training.

I am so excited for the "He is the Gift" video that the church is putting out.  That worldwide, the message of Christmas is being spread by missionaries.  It is also the perfect way for members to invite us missionaries into their homes.  I am also excited for Christmas in general.

My pension is the greatest.  This week she presented one of her friends to us and she testified of the Book of Mormon.  She isn't even baptized yet, but I have seen how the gospel has changed her life and has given her so much hope.

In the week to come are transfers so I will let you know if I stay or if I go.

Love Always,
Elder Perryman

Chiclayo!

Family!

Sorry that I am writing late, but I just got to Chiclayo.  I am now writing in the mission office and I am tired.  But I always like these trips to Chiclayo because the training's from President are great.

Sunday was the primary presentation in the ward.  I played piano and there was about 50 niños.  It went super well and it helped a lot that our investigators were there.  After church we went straight to visiting.  We taught one of the families that is progressing really well and they invited us for lunch.  We finally were able to teach the father of the family.  He is great and wants to know that the church is true.  He has hope in our message.

For Thanksgiving we actually had the chance to eat a good Thanksgiving dinner.  We ate turkey with the same family that we ate waffles with and they introduced us to some of their friends and family too.

I am sorry that I do not have a lot of time to write, but I will make it up to you all next week.

Love,
Elder Perryman