Feliz Dia de la Amistad!!

I don't know if this is a Spanish thing but here in Chiclayo they say "Feliz Dia de la Amistad" which literally means "Happy Friendship Day,"  but I think they say that because Chiclayo is "La Tierra de la Amistad" or "The Land of Friendship."

This week is has been filled with meetings and the next week will be the same.  We had the leadership meeting with President and then a multi-zone conference with president Williams.  This week that is coming up we have a meeting with the stake and our zone training.
My favorite part about being zone leader are the meetings that we have with president.  They are always very spiritual.  But this time he had a practice and he called my companion and I up.  He taught us the importance of always studying Spanish/English in the mission and he said things that really got to my heart.  I know that I have the desire and the ability to learn more languages and I am excited to continue to learn Spanish, even after my mission.

So Thursday was the first day that we really started to work in the week and all we wanted to do was find new families.  We had our prayers answered and we taught a handful of complete families this week.  We even taught a family that already has a book of Mormon and they want to know why there are so many churches.  I know that the Lord has his hand in our work.

We taught Alberto this week and he understood more of the lesson, but he once again said that a couple of the books in the new testament are "more or less".  He suffered from a stroke so sometimes he forgets a lot of the basic things, which scared me about him coming to church, but he ended up coming early and walked in waving at everyone with his hands above his heads.

Also this week I taught Elder Cosentino the word "sketchy" because it doesn't even exist in Spanish.  He made me laugh so many time this week because we would be walking in the street pointing out things as "sketchy" and at the end of the day he just said "Peru is sketchy."

I have realized that I have so many things that I need to do before my mission, yet so little time.  I know that I can't waste a second.  I am excited to keep working here with Elder Cosentino Buentino and to make the most out of every second.

Love,
Elder Perryman

Elder Cosentino Buentino!

My New companion is Elder Cosentino from Argentina!  He is from my MTC group, which means that we go home the same day.  He is super funny and a fanatic of soccer.  He doesn't know English (very well), but we read the Book of Mormon together in English.  It is going to be another good change here in La Victoria.

Mom to answer your question, the people here in Peru are a very happy people.  But it is true what you said, there is racism.  In Cajamarca you could see it a lot more than here on the coast.  Also People just yell "Chino," "Negro," or "Colorado" in the street or even as a term of affection.  And yes I clean my shoes daily, but there is a lot of dirt here.

When we were out contacting the other day we knocked on a door and a kid came out (they always send there kids to say that no one is home).  The little kid said "my mom went to the market" and my companion told him "ask your mom when she is coming back."  The kid didn't quite catch what Elder Cosentino said, so he went to ask his mom and when he came back he said "my mom says later."  I couldn't help but laugh at this.

Also this week we visited Wilder and his wife.  Wilder was explaining to us how he hasn't been able to go to church for a while because of his job.  Wilder is a big, burly teddy bear, but his job keeps them from being an eternal family.  He is trains chickens for cock fighting and there are about 100 reasons why this is against the teachings of Jesus Christ.  But we just taught them "The Family: A Proclamation for the World" and explained to him how important it is to be sealed in the temple.  We asked him what he would be willing to sacrifice to obtain and eternal family and without hesitation he said "my job."  It was sad, but the spirit was strong.  This moment was a testimony to me that there is no sacrifice to great to have an eternal family.

A sister from our zone is also going home today because she fractured her foot.  I am so thankful that nothing has happened to me on my mission.  Because I am very grateful for every second.

I have started to memorize "The Family" in Spanish and it is really helping.  The mission has changed to focus so much on the family and I am incredibly blessed for this.  It has helped me think a lot about how much I must prepare now to become the best Father possible one day.

I love you all,
Elder Perryman

Goodbye Elder Caceres

So this has been the fastest transfer I have had on my mission.  Elder Caceres has a change and I am staying here in La Victoria.  Elder Caceres also got accepted into BYU-I today so he is super excited.  We already have plans to meet up after the mission.

This week has been nice, because we didn't have many meetings or other zone stuff to worry about.  We just focused on the area.  We feel great about our work for this week and I feel like the area has gotten better then when I got here.  But the best thing is when we meet new families in the week.  I love that as a mission we are focusing so much on the family.

This week we met a man who found the Book of Mormon in the street and wanted to meet with us.  His name is Alberto and he is a little eccentric.  We explained to him the Book of Mormon and he told us that he was so glad that there was a clearer book than "the stuff Moses wrote."  He was funny and talked a little like a Spanish Yoda, but I love seeing a sincere desire to learn more of the Book of Mormon.  It is so important for everyone in the word to at least read and meditate about this book, and then ask the Lord if it is true.

Mom I am sorry I do not write many "details" in my letters, the days just feel like a blur to me.  But I have seen so many tender mercies from the Lord this week.  We have been meeting with members to strengthen their families and get references and I can truly see how I one day want to raise my own family.

Love,
Elder Perryman

There is a member here who makes cool Peruvian ties.  I just sent a picture to see if Dad or Sam would like any (let me know).

We had an all North American district.  We celebrated by singing "Our country tis of thee" to finish off the transfer!

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!)