May 5, 2014

So we just read our news for the changes today. My companion is moving up to be an office worker in Cusco. I’m getting another gringo companion. I’m staying in Choquehuanca for this change as well. This will be a very interesting change though because we have some families that are really progressing. I’m kinda thinking right now that I’ll just be here for this change and then leave. I really think that we will be able to baptize the families we are working with but I’m just sad that Elder Nicholls won’t be here for it. Since being here I've realized the reason that there needs to at least be one gringo in Choquehuanca. I’m really excited for this change and the blessings that I’m sure will come with it. I will really need to work hard with my Spanish now that all my companions have been American.

As for this last week, it was pretty funny. It was kinda like panning for gold and only finding a few nuggets and no gold dust. We didn't have very many lessons but the ones we did have were really strong and spiritual. The problem was that there was another holiday for this week and so it makes it really hard to find people.

I've learned so much from Elder Nicholls and I’m sad to see him get a change but at the same time, he really needed it. I've also learned so much from being in Choquehuanca about obedience, charity, and humility. I’m excited to learn more this next change and continue to grow. I’m excited also for my new companion and all we will be able to progress together. Other than that, my district leader is getting a change and my gringo zone leader is going to open a sector and will be training in his last 2 changes. This change is really crazy but that’s how we progress in life. Anyway, that’s the big news for this week. I’ll have to lead my sector for the first few weeks and it will be a little challenging but I’m excited for the challenge and being able to learn. I’m working hard as ever and I love you all very much. I’m so thankful for the opportunity I have to serve here and help others come closer to Christ. I’m thankful for all that I can learn and for all the friendships I've made here. Anyway, until next week I’ll tell you all about the new members to the zone.

Love, 

Elder Halverson

April 28, 2014

Hello Everyone.

This week was kinda funny. I got to meet my "uncle" in the mission when we went to Juliaca for p-day (basically another elder who was trained by the elder who also trained my trainer). Anyway so Tuesday was a normal day but for Wednesday and Thursday I did divisions in Ayaviri with one of my zone leaders who knows no English so that was a really fun experience. I went back on Friday and taught for the first part of the day and then we were hailed in for the majority of the day. We do have, however, some new families that we are teaching and they look really interested in the gospel. 

Saturday I was sick the whole day but Sunday we had 5 investigators at church which was pretty cool. Sadly this is the last week of my training as well as this change. I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen this change but it will exciting to see. Anyway, that's basically it for this week.

Love you guys and hope you have a good week. I’ll tell you what happens next Monday.

Elder Halverson

April 21, 2014 - Travel to Lima for Visa

I traveled all the way to Cusco alone Monday morning, flew out to Lima at 7:00pm, ate McDonalds in the Lima airport, slept in a pretty nice hotel. The next day we sat for like 4 hours for our visas and after went to the mall in Lima central for lunch and ate pizza. After that we flew back to Cusco and I spent the night there with the office workers (who have a really nice apartment). In the morning, I took a bus back to my sector but the bus didn’t stop till we got to Juliaca, which is like an hour drive from my sector so I had to take a bus back to Choquehuanca. It was pretty cool though because in the group I went with to Lima in my mission were all Latinas and 1 Latino and none of them knew English. There was one gringa and she knew less Spanish than I did. So the whole trip I was just talking to them which was pretty fun. I didn’t think I knew that much Spanish until I started talking to them. I still have a lot to learn. But yea I’m officially a Peruvian now. XD It was pretty cool though cuz I also met a guy from the same zone as Elder Meaker in Trujillo but he goes home today from his mission but he was canceling his visa as we were getting ours.

As far as this week goes it was pretty short because we only worked for 3 days. The first day I got back we had an activity where we watched The Testaments with the branch and it was super cool because it was a really spiritual activity and we had some investigators there as well. Also on Thursday I was in the biggest lightning/rainstorm in my life. We were hiding out in a little tienda in the plaza and the lightning was striking in the plaza as well. It was so insanely loud and crazy. You could feel the shockwave of the lightning and I could actually hear the lightning hit the ground before I could hear the thunder. But other than that nothing really happened on Friday or Saturday. 

Sunday Elder Nicholls had just like a one day sickness so we were stuck inside the whole day. We probably won’t move into our pensionista’s house while I’m here though because they need to save up more money before they can start building it again. Plus our transfer is in 2 weeks. Elder Nicholls thinks he'll leave and I’ll stay in Choquehuanca for one more change and then go to Cusco and work in the office, which I think would be fun but we have no idea what’s going to happen. For Easter though everyone eats 12 different plates and then they just get drunk so it was hard to teach people. But yeah we are getting along really well and still working hard. Anyway that’s all for this week. Love you guys.

Elder Halverson 

April 14, 2014

Holy cow, a lot is happening. [In response to telling Chase about all the people going on missions now.] I've only been away for like 4 months right? Seems like it should be longer with everything happening. Everyone is leaving; it’s really weird.

Anyway as far as that family is going, we invited them to church this Sunday. The dad said he couldn't go because he would be working. It was cool cuz I felt the prompting to promise him that if he came to church that his work would be more successful and he would receive help in it. Sadly he didn't come; however, the mother and son came and it was super cool. We met with them after and the mom was asking some really good questions. I don’t think they will be getting baptized this change but I believe they will next change. Elder Nicholls thinks that he will stay one more change to baptize them. I only have a few more weeks of my training so I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I kinda hope I leave Choquehuanca but at the same time I would be a little anxious to because that’s all I know. We kinda think that we will stay a 3 change together in Choquehuanca.

But yea I’m in Cusco right now and traveling to Lima tonight to get my visa. Not too much to report this week; however, we are teaching a crazy lady who thinks she is possessed and she is also a butcher. So yea we won’t teach her without a member present. We also had 26 contacts this week and only 4 news. But yea that’s all that’s been happening here. I can’t think of anything else to write about. Also I’m surprised to hear that you guys still have the cat. I kinda thought you got rid of it like 2 weeks after I left. Anyway it’s cool to hear that you guys are fellowshipping your neighbors. Also I miss the spring trees, and trees in general. I’ll probably end up going to Madre de Dios this change XD then I’ll have all the trees I want in the jungle.

Anyway, that’s all for this week. Love you guys,

Elder Halverson

 Picture from his hike a couple of weeks back.  The valley is at 13,500 feet.

 Choquehuanca (the village where Chase is serving) is the one in the back, on the other side of the river.

Not sure where this is exactly. I think it's in the neighboring town.

April 7, 2014

Man this conference was really good. I really like this one line that Elder Uchtdorf said in his talk during the priesthood session where he talked about not falling into our habits and he told a story of him and President Monson were touring and old plane and he instinctively grabbed the throttle and Monson said, "Deiter, don’t even think about it!" It was so funny and we all started cracking up. This conference went too fast but that’s because I think I was paying more attention and taking notes. The Americans all watched in another room in English, though. And we only had the dad from the family we are working with show up for like 10 minutes to see Monson’s talk Sunday morning because he was the van driver for our branch. The Peruvians here don’t really grasp the importance of General Conference. They all showed up for one session and just went home. Also the family we are working with is doing well. They all believe in the Book of Mormon and they are praying about it still. The mom said it would be really beautiful if their whole family could be baptized together but they want to make sure the husband wants to do it too. That’s basically all that’s holding them back though. We found a few new people to teach, one is an old man who speaks mainly Kechawa and so he couldn’t really understand me very much but he accepted our message really well and we are going to give him a Kechawa Book of Mormon.

Also the beginning of this week was Elder Nicholl’s birthday and they have a funny tradition here when it’s your birthday where they smash eggs on your head and smash your face in the cake. We also did divisions this week and I was in charge of my sector for the day and it was pretty fun and I think I did pretty good because we had 3 lessons, 2 with less actives and 1 with an investigator. I also made a few appointments with people. But all’s well here. I hope you guys are doing well and just working hard. 

Love Elder Halverson

March 31, 2014

So something kind of cool happened with our family we are working with. Olga (the mom), Eufemia (the grandma), Cesar (the Dad), and then they have like 3 kids and a few cousins who we are also teaching. Anyway, so this Saturday and Sunday we had a district conference with some of the leaders, the mission’s president, his first counselor, and then the local leaders. But we invited the family and so on Saturday the grandma and mom showed up at the door but saw all the people and got scared and left. Anyway, we talked to them that night and invited them to the next session on Sunday in Ayaviri. Anyway, they said they were going to be in the compo (country side) but the dad is a combi driver (like a van driver) and he said that the church hired him to be a driver the next day. Man we really saw the Lord’s work in that one.

So the next day him and Eufemia, the grandma, showed up and attended the conference. The whole time me and Elder Nicholls were just praying for them to be able to feel the spirit. After it, we talked to them and asked how they were feeling and we also have another appointment this Thursday to invite the family to watch general conference at the church in Ayaviri. All the American elders watch it separately in English. Also we had 12 investigators in our district go to the conference. Also we are starting to get references from the members which is good.  So yea this week is pretty sweet.

We also got some new sister missionaries in our zone so we now have a total of 10 in zone Ayaviri. One has been out for a while and the other just came out of the MTC. It’s funny though because i now know more Spanish than someone else.

Also I didn’t get any pictures of the adobe house but I’ll try to this week. And basically all we did was get water and move bricks. They actually hire a maestro to build the house and direct the work. I also ate chunyo for the first time which is basically rotten potato.... Yum.... Anyway we had a really fun and good week this week.  We also set a goal to have 12 baptisms in our district and 6 rescues. 

Well that’s about it for the events of this week. As far as weather goes, it’s really hot when it’s sunny and then 30 minutes later we get a hail storm. But yea I’m loving it here.

Love Elder Halverson

March 24, 2014

So this week we me and Elder Nicholls fasted for more success and we are starting to get back into our normal amount of lessons. Also we fully rescued Leoncio. We also fasted for this family we have been teaching a lot and we showed them the church and baptismal font and it was a super cool experience.

Also, many potatoes are basically what I eat each day. XD

We have a change today but no one is leaving. It’s been a pretty lax week, though. Not much has happened. Though the family we were working with, we had an awesome lesson where the mom said she really likes the Book of Mormon and she believes it’s true and we asked them all if they would be baptized when they came to know it’s true and they all said yes, which was pretty cool.

We also taught Seventh Day Adventists and as we were teaching them they said yeah we believe everything you’re saying so we should just combine our churches. We were just like um, it doesn’t really work that way. He said, oh well I was baptized in this church so I can’t switch. And we were just like but you just said that you believe everything we are saying. We find a ton of people like that here and it’s a little frustrating.

Oh I also got to help build an adobe house. A house made of mud blocks. It was super fun but super dirty.

Anyway that’s like how my week has been going.  Until next week.

Love,

Elder Halverson