Mariposas armillas, castración de chanchos, y luchando con la bibla jajajaj

A ver, que tal.

This week was full of surprises, mostly Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we had our correlation meeting with our ward mission leader, and when we got to the church, it smelt horrendous. 

I can't explain how bad it smelt there hahaah. We found out there was a dead dog in the chapel bwaahahhahahaa que rico (how delicious). SO what did we do? Found a black garbage bag and we buried it in the church property. hahahah wow. 

This week we had A "noche de cine", literally night of movies. We watched Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration. I didn't understand much, because pure Spanish, but. After watching that movie I've never felt so strong that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. They say the missionaries are here to "Invite OTHERS to come unto Christ...." but really I think missions are for the missionaries to convert themselves first, and I think that's what I'm goin through about now. Somethin' special for sure. 

Sunday we went to church like normal. Our Sister Missionaries had a baptism, and they asked me to confirm their person. That was terrifying, but all was well. After church we left to go to an appointment, all was well. We've started teaching a 12 year old who (I dunno why) wasn't baptized at the age of 8. He understands really well what we teach, and I think its super fun to teach him. But I think he's an orphan, so he lives with his gramma. We got there, and she started bawling. Told us all about her husband who drinks and smokes and abuses them, and I felt really bad honestly. We shared a couple scriptures, and I was really trying to be me and friendly and crack jokes and all that. So when we left, they were all happy and smiling. It was an interesting lesson for sure. I'm sorry that Im terrible at explaining all these things through email, we'll just have to sit down one day and read all my blog and I'll explain everything in depth hahaha.

SIGAMOS, so after this we went to an old investigators. They wanted to be baptized, but the dad didnt wanna get married first. (Fun fact, no one in Perú is married unless they're members of the Church) And we got there and he was like yeah, well we wanna get married in April. We were shocked!

After that, we went to our recent converts. And we bible bashed with the dad. He was a Preacher of some Protesnt branch off church. So he knows the bible really well, but, before he was a preacher he was baptized in the ONLY TRUE CHURCH ON THE EARTH. I didn't say much during this appointment, and I have gained complete respect and trust for my companion. He LIT THAT MAN UP, with the Bible, Book of Mormon, Prophets, Apostles, Priesthood, all that. I was in awe honestly. I gotta study my little butt off to be able to do that one day. I was very impressed. 

I don't remember what day it was, but one of the members has pigs (chanchos), and us being the missionaries we are, we decided to stop by and see if he knew anyone of his neighbors that we could teach or anything. He didn't, but its ok. I saw something Ive never seen. He told us that a vetranarien? Don't kill me for my spelling English is leaving me hahaha. But the vet had just left, and that they had just castrated their huge pig hahahahhahah. Talk about crazy hahahhah. We went and saw the pig and he was passed out, but there was SO MUCH BLOOD, it was pretty gross to be honest. 

One of the slang words I learned this week that makes me laugh - "la costilla" which means rib bone, but as we all know, Eve was formed from one of Adams ribs, so they call their girlfriends or their friends that are girls their "costillas". It is funny, the slang in spanish usually has some sort of meaning behind it, and it makes me laugh, I'm learning to love spanish hahah.

Health is finally back to 100 percent I would say, after almost 3 transfers we got mosquito nets to sleep under. Life is good in the jungle. 

A ver, this is special to me. In the title it says "mariposas armillas" which means, yellow butterflies. Yes, you know it. We see, pretty often, yellow butterflies in the streets here. Which is interesting, because we never see butterflies, at all. I remember I saw a couple in the MTC, and its special to me. Gramma M is definitely here with us some days. 

Little bit longer of a letter this week, but I'm gonna leave you all with one more scripture. 

Isaiah 41:10.

-- 

 ELDER ROPER

PERU IQUITOS 2017//2019

2 NEFI 22:2

5 Meses, Iquitos, y la fiebre

Buen Día a todos

This week was hard for the work. Tuesday I left at noon to go to Iquitos. There I did stuff in the building of Migrations, so that I can be legally here stuff like that. I spent about 4 hours with the personal secretary of the mission. His name is Elder Demarre. He's from Canada, and he's pretty cool. After that we hung out in the offices for a minute, and then I left with Elder Whitehead from PG, Utah, and Elder Mazo from Colombia. Elder Whitehead has 16 or 17 months somethin' like that, and his comp has 3 weeks in the field. So it was interesting to see how they worked, a little shaky, only because he's super new. But they're super cool, I liked being with them. We left to proselyte a bit and it was quite interesting, like nothin' I've ever seen before.  If you google search Iquitos, the little stick houses will come up. And we sure found them. They build them super high in the air like that because they live in the lowland, so when it rains, it floods big time there. So of course everything was bridges high in the air stuff like that. I didn't like being on the rickety bridges like that, I dunno if everyone remembers this, but it reminded me of the old Series of Unfortunante Events movie, when the house just is over the cliff hahahah. Pretty fun. So that was Tuesday. Wednesday I woke up, and I felt absolutely awful. My whole body just ached. Didn't think anything of it and just pushed through it, I felt I couldn't slow up these guys in their area. Push comes to shove I was waiting in the airport in Iquitos to go back to Pulcallpa, and I fell asleep. But when I woke up, I was freezing. Now that doesn't make sense right? Freezing in the jungle. At that point it was like yeah, something is wrong. Don't forget that my nose was already stuffy and so that just made it even worse. I get to my area again, and my Zone Leaders say, man you don't look good at all, and my comp said the same exact thing. I knew there was no way we were leaving to proselyte that day. We got home, ate, my pensionista gave me a ton of pills and I went to bed at 8:30, which is unheard of in the mission. Saturday comes and I'm better. The power of prayer is real. And the Lord takes care of His servants. 

The family came to church yesterday, and they were all confirmed members! That was awesome honestly. To see the smiles on their faces, and all the members were stoked and congratulating them. That was something else for sure. The mom couldn't put it into words when I asked her how she felt about it!

I feel like things are starting to click in the mission finally. I'm beginning to expand my vocab. I don't understand 100 percent yet, but its comin. slowy but surely - yanno? 

One of our other investigators told us she was going to a different church yesterday, but told us she still wanted to be baptized jajajaj. We told her that doesn't really happen so were probally gonna move on. Frustrating because she had a date, but didn't pass her interview. It was our fault becausee we didn't visit her. But it is alright. 

Our area is huge. We have to travel about 20 minutes each way to the limits, and of course we have investigators in the 2 limits. So it was bound to happen. It's aight, time marches on. 

Spanish reggatone (rap) is beginnning to grow on me down here. Which is surprising to say because of the metalhead I was (am) in high school hahahahh.   

5 Months in the book this last week. Time is flyin.

Elder Roper

This is my pensionista and family - they take really good care of me!

Me enfermé, un bautismo sin la confirmación jajajaj

Hello all, 

Yes, according to the title, we had a baptism, and no, they were not confirmed bwahahahaha. This family, I swear we are babysitting them. It is two parents and their three kids, and I honestly think that their 9 year old is more mature than the dad. Something happened right before we called them Sunday morning to make sure they were comin' to church, we think they got in a big fight, the parents. But we hope the next week they'll be able to be confirmed members. 

Also according to the title, I got sick this week. I don't understand how it is possible to get a cold in the jungle, but I was able to accomplish it - runny nose, cough all that good stuff, plus humidity. Doesn't get much better than that. My pensionista has been giving me tons of meds, but I don't have the heart to tell her that they haven't done anything for me. I've been abusing EMERGEN-C this week as well, I'm sure glad I put a whole box of it in my suitcases before I left. I think by Wednesday I'll be better. I hope. I dunno if I have a fever, or if its just getting hotter and progressing towards summer, but I've been dying lately. 

-- 

Tomorrow I'll hop on a flight to Iquitos so that I can do some stuff to become a legal resident here. I'm a little scared to fly alone, but I'm hopin' I'll be with one of my other gringo friends who's in my group. I've learned that we're one of the only missions in the whole world who does changes and what not by plane. So that's pretty cool I guess. 

School for all the kids started today, it starts bright and early at 7 in the morning. It is so weird to think I was in high school just about a year ago, and this is literally the first spring of my life I'm not cleating up to play baseball. Growing up isn't very fun hahah. 

Language has been chuggin along. I'm tryin to study it as much as I can, but some days I just can't. I'm gettting to the point where I can kinda express myself. Slowly, but sure I guess. 

Last week I was talking with my bud Elder Walker, and he showed me in D&C 101, that the Lord Himself pretty much made the Constitution of the UNITED STATES. It was something that I honestly kinda forgot was in the D&C, crazy stuff honestly. I about crapped when I read it. 

Sometimes I wonder at night when I'm about to fall asleep how many miles I've walked in the mission already, and how many more I'm going to walk jajajaj. Crazy stuff. 

 ELDER ROPER

Favorite dish - broccoli, chicken, french fries, peppers and Peruvian spices

Converts of Gold

Buen Días y'all,

This week was a good, spiritual week honestly. One of my favorite scriptures I've found in my mission so far is 3 Nephi 5:13, mostly because its my birthday (5/13)  lol.  13 Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.  

This week we had to postpone the baptisms. Yesterday we had the baptism interviews, the young girl didn't pass, becausee shes havin' mega problems with the Law of Chastity. She is 18 with two kids, and two different fathers lol. She lives with the father of the second child, so we're really houndin' her on that.  BUT, the young boy who didn't pass his interview passed, and 10 Marzo de 2018, we will have 3 baptisms. The dad is a member, and he'll have an interview to see if he can baptize his family this week. This makes me happy, there should be a photo of me in front of a house, this is their house. They're a small humble family. But I love it. 

This week the ward took a ward temple trip to Lima, which I find amazing. It took them 18 hours to go there by bus, and 18 hours to return. Our Elders Quorum President told us he did 6 sessions in 2 days. I think in the US, ESPECIALLY IN UTAH, we take for granted having so many temples around us, and the people here literally will do anything to go to the temple. I have come to see that the Church isn't really established here, but there are definently TRUE CONVERTS. We call them Conversos de Oro, which is converts of Gold. I really think my Pensionistas family is golden. I'm trying to get a picture with them but they don't wanna, they think it is bad luck that I'll leave. There is a grandma that lives with them, and she calls me her baby hahahhaha. (Mom don't worry, just for this time while I'm here in Pulcallpa hahaha) My comp tells me that they really worry about me, mostly because I don't talk much when we eat with them, because really I don't understand much of what they say. But as Elder Roper before me used to say, "It's all good". 

I GOT MY PACKAGE THIS WEEK YEET. That really made my week, but it is funny I got it the day we started our fast, so we shared a package of M&Ms real quick and started our fast. Our companionship is really getting better, he likes to shine my shoes every P day and that makes me feel bad for how short and closed off I've been with him, so I'm really trying to be charitable, and share my things with him. Not to a point where he is using me, but just enough so we can get closer. 

One of the things I absolutley love about this small ward I'm in, is when the Deacons pass the Sacrament, its like they're all one. They all wear long sleeve shirts, keep the trays in their right hand, and put their left arm behind their back. It is something small, but it really helps with the revernece in the meeting. 

It is honestly hilarious to me, because everyone comes to church by their own motokarr or motorcycle, or pays to get taken there. So usually while Bishop Nuñez is making all the announcements and what not, we listen to alotta motorcycles hahahaha. 

That's all for this week, cuidados a vos lololol, por mis amigos que hablan el castillano jajajajja

 ELDER ROPER

PERU IQUITOS 2017//2019

2 NEFI 22:2