Week 38

LETTER FROM JORDAN - WEEK 38 (2/23/15)

There goes my second week in the best area in the mission!
(If you need a reminder on how our church building looks like, here you go)

Well I realized about 5 minutes after sending my email last week that I completely forgot to talk about my new companion. Well here he is:

Brick wall in a member's home that hasn't been visited in over 4 years

His name is Elder Passey and he's from Mesa, Arizona. He's 20 and he left on the mission directly out of high school. He's our district leader and he's a really great guy. He is great with all of the mission rules and he loves talking to everyone, which is really good for a missionary. We have a lot in common, (mainly our eating habits) and we are working really well together. He's already been in our area for 4 changes (6 months) so we probably won't be together for too long, but it's going to be a really good change.

Let's see, this week we got to do an interchange with the zone leaders, where I went to their area and I got to learn a lot from them. During the interchange, I got to visit the temple, which I hadn't seen for over 7 months!
me with the temple (hd):

Panoramic

el torre

The entrance to the temple is actually on the other side from the public road away from where I took the pictures, but it is still amazing. When I was looking at the temple that day, the sun just reflected and made the temple glow. I still can't believe that everyone is going to be able to enter within 3 months!

Also on Friday after our leader training, we ate lunch over at the Trujillo Mall and I got to have a barbeque pizza from Pizza Hut, which is one of the best thing's I've eaten in a looong time.

Well that's all the time I have so I will leave it where it is!

Elder Terry

Week 37 - Primavera

LETTER FROM JORDAN - WEEK 37 (2/16/15)

Well that was a great week! Made it through a Friday the 13th and a Valentine's day without a scratch. haha.

Well that was my first week in the best area of the mission!

So let me start out with some information about our area:

So we really have the best zone in the whole mission, the zone with the temple!!! Our zone includes 18 missionaries (9 areas with 5 companionships of Elders, and 4 of Sisters) and covers all of Primavera out to the beach and temple in Huanchaco. So with the temple dedication in about 5 months, I think I'm going to be in the same zone when it gets dedicated!

Now about our district. Our district has my companion as district leader, me, and four sister missionaries. Our areas are Primavera I, II, and III and we are all part of the Primavera ward. Our ward is actually the center of the zone and the stake center which means, our church is HUGE:

Entrance and spire

Backside view

Inside the Chapel

So our ward is the church building where we have the general authorities speak and also where the mission president does a lot of his meetings, so it's kind of awesome.
Our ward has about 200 people going each week (204 yesterday) which is like the exact opposite of what I've been in up until this point. I don't really have an official calling, except that I played piano during sacrament meeting yesterday.


Now with my area. We are in Primavera I, which includes the neighborhoods Mochica and Mochica Alta. I live and eat in a members house, which will probably be the nicest house I will ever live in on the mission.

Street view

Our dining table and family room

Our room (middle) with the bathroom (right) and kitchen (left)

The family that we live in is great and they have 2 kids, Alvaro (8), and Fernandito (3). I could definitely get used to living like this for a little bit.

It is so weird to be back in the city. Before the boundaries used to be the edge of the city, and now it's all divided by streets. Our area is actually a good amount smaller than my old area, but there's always work do be done.

I still haven't seen the temple recently, but we are allowed to visit it if we take an investigator with us, which is our plan!

It is very interesting to see the differences between the 2 areas that I have been in. I feel like here it is a little more difficult to find people that are willing to listen to our message, but the people that do are more intelligent and progress faster. I am very blessed to be in such a wonderful mission with a President that loves and cares for his missionaries. I was really nervous before leaving and got a little sick, but once I was got into my new area, I have felt way better and am ready to keep on serving the Lord.

Well I don't have time to write even the hundredth part of what has come to pass this week and those things are written on my other plates. But thanks for everyone that has supported me in serving the Lord and I will talk back soon!

Elder Terry

Week 36

LETTER FROM JORDAN - WEEK 36 (2/9/15)

Well there's a lot to write about for this week, so here we go.

Well the week started out with my companion in Lima for the last time. While he was there, I stayed back with an Elder in Paiján, Elder Allen and we got to proselyte in both of our areas until Tuesday. Elder Cuevas finally got his ID card that I got during the CCM, so no more Lima for him!


Friday was a super interesting day. So after our studies we had planned a "service" to cook with a member in our branch, and the food of choice, cuy! (Guinea pig). We got to do the whole process: we killed them, defurred them, cooked them, and ate them! (I didn't include pictures because they are pretty gruesome). And this is how it turned out:

I didn't have the guts to kill them, but I did eat it!

Then later that day, we had planned a noche de fogata (campfire activity) where we cook some stuff on a fire and have a lesson and games. We invited everyone, and we had more people than we had a church this week. It turned into a farewell activity where we ate fried chicken with french fries (what they think is my favorite meal) and had a great time!

The past few days, I've been working super hard writing farewell cards to all of the members because.... I'M GOING!

Last night we got the call with all of the transfers for this change..

And I'm going..

to..

PRIMAVERA, TRUJILLO!!! WOOOO!!

So I'm going to an area called Primavera I in the Primavera zone with a companion whose name is Elder Passey from the US. My area will be in the main city of Trujillo, and I imagine pretty close to where the temple is! I don't know too much other than that, and that Hermana Mason, from my district right now, is going to Primavera II so we are probably going to be in the same district again.

Well I am super excited now for everything, preparing all my stuff, writing cards for members and missionaries, and preparing for my new area! So wish me luck for this week, that it all turns out well!

Elder Terry

Week 35

LETTER FROM JORDAN - WEEK 35 (2/2/15)

Let's see, I started my mission back on June 3rd, so that would mean tomorrow I finish 8 MONTHS!!! Which would mean I've already done 1/3rd of my mission!!! It's really amazing to see how fast this time has gone, and I'm sure the rest will pass before I know it!

So 8 months have past, and I'm still in my first area... The area presidency has had a change where they have told mission presidents to keep the missionaries in their areas a little longer so they can be around all of their converts. It has been really great in this area and I am definitely going to miss it along with the people. President Marler has already told me that it's about time for a change, so I'm probably going to be changing areas next week! By the next email, I will know where I'll be heading!

After spending 3 changes (4.5 months) with the same companion, I feel like we have been able to work through all of the contentions and have become a great and efficient companionship. And I feel like I have learned way more from this companionship than I will ever learn from the mission, but we will see.

Our district, which includes us with 4 other missionaries in Ascope, had a baptism last Saturday! Although we didn't have any, the Elders and the Sisters in Ascope had 2 baptisms each, a total of 4 souls brought closer to Christ. They had also invited President Marler to go to the baptism, and he went! It was great because he doesn't visit our zone too often, and it was nice to see his effort and love that he has to all of the missionaries in the mission.

We are in the heat of summer (just like august), but we have been getting a good amount of rain, which is super weird for my area.

Well things are going great, everyone is excited for the temple, and the work keeps progressing, so I'll just leave the email with this: (Elder Johnson)

Elder Terry