Patience Is The Key

What a week it was . . . probably the most influential of my mission, thanks to an amazing District Leader, and a lazy companion. On Tuesday, Elder Jackson, literally called the whole district to repentence, because our whole district is struggling lately and it is due to obedience problems.  This really inspired me! I remember my first companion Elder Botelho. I thought he was TOO obedient, but now with 7 months under my belt I realize that being TOO obedient isn't a thing. Which frustrates me because my comp doesn't wanna study and loves to sleep and listen to worldly music. It frustrates me because gringos get a bad wrap in our mission, but honestly, gringros run the mission. Every zone leader is from the US, and both the assistants are gringos as well. We'll see how this week goes with my new comp. 

This week we had a lot better numbers, and I'm excited to see that we're having a little success. I had a work visit this week with Elder Jackson, and I thought we were doing decent work.  He made me realize that we suck. We're not good at planning and we don't contact that well. So we're trying to change that.  Like I said, this was probably the most influential week I've had on my mission. 

This week, my pension is in Lima, her husband needed a surgery, so she left us with 100 soles to buy food, we'll see how it goes hahha. 

Lately, I've been studying in almost pure spanish, and understanding just about everything. Which is a big improvement from about 7 months ago!

I think my favorite scripture is Alma 37; 6-7 - "Through the little things, we can accomplish the bigger things"  - I set that scripture as a goal in my language study, and now all the members always compliment me and I love that. Patience is key in everything, especially here in the mission.

Elder Roper

Another Rainy Week in Tushmo

Hello all!

It was another rainy week here in Tushmo. Things are slowly getting better, but we pulled another week of straight zeros in the reports - which is frustrating, not gonna lie. We have good fruits, but the numbers just don't show it. We've been contacting a lot as well, so hopefully somethin' will fall for us. 

Elder Call got a call from the assistants Monday telling him he was heading to Tarapoto to be District Leader and to train a Gringo. Wow! hahah. What a task there!

And so enters Elder Ovelar. He came from the same zone that we were already in. He has 9 months in the mission and is from Paraguay. He speaks Spanish and Guarani, which is a super interesting native language. He isn't as dilligent as Elder Call, and its hard because I can be timid at times so we'll see how this goes. But from what I've seen, he's been nothin' but good. He's a great teacher. And he really likes to execise hahah, so we've been running in the mornings lately. Sucks, but I know I gotta do it haha.

I got my package, and boy was that nice. That really made up for the crappy call we had on Mother's Day. I feel like I'll be eating junk out of that for weeks hahaha!

We had a visit from Presidente and Hermana Li this week, they called us and said they wanted to visit some of our families, and normally they aren't in house in the afternoon, but sure enough we found them. One of our families is trying to marry, but their documents are a mess, and they told Presidente about it, and I think he's gonna try to help us there! That'll be dope. 

Lately, I've really been thinking about ministering and boy do I love it! We had ward conference this past week, and the Stake Pres here had a really good message about it. I'm really trying to put it in practice here on my mission. Managing an area sure is hard here. 

That's about all! The work will go on!

ELDER ROPER

Un bautismo de una mujer emberasada jajaj

Hello allll!

Another week down in the jungle of Tushmo. The last week of the change to be exact. I can't believe I'm entering into my 5th change already, it feels like I was in the MTC just yesterday. How time flies. 

It was good to see everyone, but was frustrating that's for sure! We didn't plan it very well and you could definitely tell. I got really short with some of the members, so that was bad on my part. The whole way home all I could think of was "si fallas en planificar, planificas en fallar" (if you fail to plan, you plan to fail), but its alright. Life goes on. 

Saturday the sisters had a baptism of a pregnant lady, and she only trusted Elder Call to do it. SO that was fun!

We're pretty sure Elder Call will leave tomorrow, but we won't know where until tonight at 9. I'm sure Samuel will inform you all hahah. I'm about 98 percent sure I'm gonna stay here.

Elder Falabela came to our zone conference this last week, and he got here pretty late, so we only got an hour of him. But he still taught us some good stuff!

A member gave us a cake Saturday, and then my old pensionista visited us Sunday and brought us another cake. So we'll be eatin pretty good tonight!! I sure am grateful for the members here.  My pensionista also brought me a blue native lookin' shirt which is pretty cool!

My package is here! I'm going to go the the Zoneleaders house tonight and will pick it up. I sure am exicted for it!

I've been reading more and more in spanish lately, and slowly understanding more and more. I just hope I can keep up. I want a spanish speaking comp to come so I can learn a little more, and a bit quicker maybe.  But we'll see how it goes. I definitely have a gift when it comes to language I think. Ever since sophomore year of spanish I've been pretty well with it!

I think that is all for this week! Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I sure do miss all of you!!

Elder Roper

Romans 1:16

Gratitude Is A Great Thing and A Great Attribute of The Savior

Muy buenos dias a todos - 

This week was another week full of trying to find more people to teach. We had 4 new investigators but they're kinda bamba, but that's okay. We'll get something to drop sooner or later. We have a family who isn't married but want to get married. It's gonna be hard to marry them because their documents are all over Peru hahha. So that'll be fun. 

Honestly been pounding the BOM lately. Any chance I get when we have a second of free time or something I crack it open and try to get a chapter down. In the past week I finished the book of Mosiah and am working my way through Alma. Good stuff there. 

Friday we had a ward activity, it was supposed to be karaoke, food and all that, but they decided to have the 4 elders to try all the food and rate it and the winner got a prize. That was pretty fun, some of the stuff was pretty nasty but some was pretty solid -  not gonna lie. 

Every P day we usually end up at the Zone Leaders house - they have a little pond out back where I always skip rocks and talk with all the latinos in the zone. 

Tomorrow we will have a zone conference with a general authority, I'm pretty excited for that. It will be Elder Fallabella. 

There's nothing better than when a family says thank you for coming and teaching them. No one usually does so when it happens it feels so good. Because so many people reject us and just don't want to hear our message. Gratitude is a great thing and a great attribute of the Savior. 

Changes are next Monday . . . we will see what happens.

The picture of the peruana is my new pensionista, her name is Naty (:

Another week down in the mission. 

ELDER ROPER