Change of Plans!

Hey guys! Don't worry I got Pres Parker´s permission to write you all this! This should go on the blog after Wednesday! Turns out, the plans changed and I'm leaving the office…. Wait for it….. THIS WEDNESDAY!!!! I fly out at 4pm or so. Which came as a surprise to all of us. I'm sorta worried about leaving a partially trained secretary, but I trust in President´s faith that things will turn out alright.  I also got permission to tell you where I´m going! I will be in the city of Tarapoto in the ward of Shilcayo. Tarapoto also just turned into a stake!! My area will be Shilcayo 2 and I will finish my mish as a ZONE LEADER. My zone will be one of the smaller ones in the mish (probably bigger than some of Jackson's districts in TJ hahahah) but nevertheless I am quite excited!

I was sad thinking that I would never ever be able to work in that city of the mission, but God works in mysterious ways sometimes! My comp (at least until transfers) is an Argentino from my group named Elder Estrada. It will be a fun way to go out! I am bummed that I'm leaving the office and its pros so soon, but at the same time I am very excited to get back to normal missionary life! Finding teaching and BAPTIZING. That also means that I will go back to having P days on Mondays! Sooooo sadly, I will not hear from you guys until next month (badum tiss hahahha) From what I hear, Tarapoto has really good internet, so it should be a better experience than internet cafes here in Iquitos. I have already talked to Elder Neves and he told me that he is going to find a way to make it so that I can attend Church my last Sunday in this same ward that I am in right now. We had a Family Home Evening with bishop last night, and I broke the news. He was sad but change is part of life. I am stoked for that. I am really going to try to work these last 6 weeks out and make them the best of the mish! We went to nauta today and did a big service in a school, ill send pics on Monday! We got really sunburned hahaha. I wore my Utes hat knowing that there would be plenty of BYU students there hahahahahha It was fun!

Also if someone could find and download a song called “Come thou font of every blessing” by Kings Kaleidoscope and the You're Welcome song from moana and send them in the google drive as an MP3, that would be awesome!! 

So, until Monday!!

Ether 12:33-34

Elder Roper

Here are some photos that President Parker posted from their recent zone conference.  I'm not sure what the "thumbs down" is all about, but I have a hunch it might have something to do with BYU.  I could be wrong though!  ha ha

8 Weeks Dawg!

Yo yo what's good family and friends? This week went by really quick. Between working in our area, training a new secretary and doing some other little projects that President has asked us to design, we've been pretty slammed. 

Mom just so that you know, last night my package came, and I was pretty stoked. I'm hoping to send the ties soon so today or next week if you could throw some money on my card to pay for them…. That would be awesome. I am honestly doubting that I get the ties back from Pucallpa before I come home in October, but I trust that Elder Jacobson would bring them back just a month later in November. The candy was awesome as well. I might have to share it all before I take off in a bit. But I will make the most out of it. Thanks mom, dad, and Keat for the short little letters!

We also got a fridge in the office last week…………. That is awesome and very dangerous at the same time. 

The AP's have been in Pucallpa all week with the Parker's doing zone conferences and interviews and all that good stuff. It´s too bad that my package didn’t get here a week earlier, I would have been able to just send the ties with them and have them within a month or so. We'll see hahha

In my studies I've been in the 3^rd book of Nephi and actually today while I was waiting for a computer, I read the first chapter when the Savior appears unto the Nephites. I counted how many times the He mentioned doctrines of Lesson 3, and he mentioned repentance 4 times and Baptism 13 times just in one chapter. I think that as I study this week I am going to keep track of the “stats” to get a bit more understanding of the things that He teaches. About a year or so ago we had a devotional with the Prophet and he invited us to do the same, but I just never got around to it hahahha. 

I don’t know what else to say. Working in a trio is hard, and can be frustrating sometimes. I haven’t had the best attitude about it hahahha. Fighting trunkiness is hard as well. A phrase that we use is “se lava las manos” which means washing their hands. We take that from the Bible when Pilate washes his hands from Jesus´ blood before giving the order to crucify Him. Lately I have really wanted to “wash my hands” and just get out of the office hahah. Being out in the field should be awesome.

Elder Newell and his group went to migrations this week to cancel his residency which means that he has less than 10 days to get home. Crazy to see everyone going home already, I feel like the transfer just started.

Monday Neves, Argyle and I will head to Nauta to do a big service project. We will act as translators for some big project, I'm not quite sure what's gonna happen, but President approved us to go in STREET CLOTHES so that should be fun hahaha. Expect pics next week for that! 

Tomorrow is Peru's Independence Day so well see just how much work we get done tomorrow!

Thanks for everything!

Cuidense todos!

Elder Roper

Time Is Flying On and On

Hey all! This week I found out that I'm having a transfer and will likely be a zone leader my last couple weeks! My replacement came on Tuesday afternoon, which was kind of a surprise to us all. It is Elder Argyle from Kaysville, Utah. There are some other things going on in the office in the coming weeks, and was told to keep quiet. But little by little I think you will see it all unfold! He got here and I put him right to work. He has been picking up on things really quick. It is fun to see the progress that people make when they learn by the Spirit. 

Wednesday we had a meeting with all the trainers in the mission! My son Elder Espinoza is training which meant he made the trip by plane from Pucallpa! It was awesome to see him again! In this same meeting, President Parker asked Elder Neves and I to give a half hour training. I thought that it was going to be wayyyy too much time, but we ended up going over by about 10 minutes hahah. We did a really good job. It was fun to plan. We started with a web chart, as if we were writing an essay. We got some ideas that we wanted to transmit to the missionaries, and then we just kinda let the Spirit do its thing. It took us about an hour to do. Both President and Hermana Parker were impressed with what we had done. I think that we also set a mission record by being the first Secretaries to train in a meeting before the AP´s even train. Fun stuff. 

Thursday was Consejo de Líderes. All the ZLs flew in and for the first time in history( I think) the financial secretary was invited. They didn´t realy have a council, they just "practiced" what they wanted to accomplish in a Zone Conference, and boy was it awesome. They way they teach the missionaries reminded me ALOT about my seminary classes. I quite enjoyed it. I took a lot of notes and felt the Spirit in "HIGH VOLTAGE" hahah. Good stuff. 

Friday we had a huddle meeting with the Parkers and just kept talking about stuff. The new PMG that will come out, the new missionary handbook. lots of good stuff. Something that I quite enjoy about them is that we are constantly shooting Utah vs BYU jokes back and forth. It is quite fun, especially in a different language. 

I can't believe that finishing this week means that we are halfway through the transfer already. Time is flying on and on and on. It doesn´t seem to slow down at all.

This morning we decided that we wanted to go out and about for a bit, we ended up in a part of the city called "Belen" which is literally the dirtiest part of all of Iquitos. I hated it. But we got to see alot of the city hahaha. It was kinda sketch being 2 gringos walking around in all that but we were fine!! hahahah

All is well.

Thanks for all the support back home!!!

Elder Roper

A Nice Surprise

 Such a nice surprise this evening!

Transfer Week!

Hello all! Right now its pouring rain and lightning. I love this place! This week was eventful, but we didn’t get to teach anyone. Tuesday was transfer day which means that everyone was flying and going all over the place. It is fun to see the hard work that Elder Neves does pay off on transfer day. It is also really sad to see people not do their jobs on transfer day and cause that all that work that Neves does go out the window. Oh well. It is weird sending people off to areas not knowing if I will ever see them ever again hahha. Luckily no one missed their flight this time! We ate pizza with the new guys that came in and Elder Neves and I got pretty sick off of it hahaha. So that was a fun couple of days. That same transfer day the flights for the people going home were different. They went home around lunch time, not at night. So that meant that Elder Neves and I had to be there and essentially miss lunch. So, President Parker invited us to the mission home, and we ate PB & J´s with him and Sister Parker. It was awesome! I hadn´t had one in over 6 months hahaha. I love the Parker's. 

Sunday and Monday, it was literally cold outside. We checked the Internet and it was only 68 degrees, but it was COLD. We proselyted in sweaters on Sunday hahaha. Something that I've only done maybe 3 times in my whole mission. It was crazy. Peruvians here don’t really know what to do when it gets cold, because it never ever happens. Kinda funny.

Sweater Weather

Tonight, we have a baptism. It is a man of 25ish years, the AP´s found him a while ago and have been fighting to get him in the water. We have taught him a bit, but its more or less the AP´s baptism. Either way it will be awesome! 

On Thursday night we had a visit from the area, and they brought us all new computers and stuff. They’re pretty sweet, Windows 10 is definitely an adjustment to make though. It is also hard making the switch of something that you use every single day. I wasn’t too happy, but I figure with time it will be alright. 

My New Computer

Last night as part of transfers, we had to take all the suitcases to the airport and send them as packages (which consists of the company looking through all of them, and then we wrap them up basically in saran wrap. It sucks). There were 15 or 16, and we fit literally all of them in one motokar. It was awesome. Dennis the menace helps us so much. He is a stud. Last night when we got back, we realized that we left all of the keys in the office building. We called President, and…………… he left his in the office too hahahahah. QUE BIEN.

Lately, we have been having awesome meetings with the Parkers. They call them “Huddles” and we just plan things out. Last night we had one for over 2 hours, but it didn’t even feel like it. I really admire the way they they work as a “companionship” and the friendship that they have together. I hope to be like them one day. Being a mission president would be hard work.

Last night I “cowboyed up” (Jake Brown phrase) and asked President Parker about my “fate”. He told me straight up that my replacement would be here in 3 weeks. President Parker also said that he didn’t like the idea of somebody being in Iquitos so long to finish in the same city. I was kinda sad. I was expecting it, but the fact that it´s already here. Dang it. So, I’m really hoping I could get out to Tarapoto or Moyobamba where it is cold all the time hahaha. I think if I do get out there, parts of my Patriarchal Blessing would be fulfilled. So we'll see.  I will be really sad to leave the office; I just feel that this is home. I have all my friends, and everything is just awesome here. It might be that we have 5 more weeks of video calls and then 6 weeks of just chatting and before you know it….. I'm home…….. Kinda sad, but what can you do?  I´m just hoping that my replacement is who I want it to be hahah.

President Parker gave us a copy of the new Missionary Handbook, and IT IS AWESOME!

The New Missionary Handbook

Elder Roper

Elder Porowski from Canada

This was our last P-day with President and Sister Li

The arrival of President and Sister Parker 

P-day Lunch

The Mission House

Happy Birthday America!

Another week in the books, and while I say that, I might as well add another transfer in the books. Monday we will start the new one and it will officially be my second to last. Weird to think about! Elder Newell and Elder Hayes both go home the second week of August or so. It will be weird to send them off. Now the next big question is when will I leave the offices…… Do I get one more area or is my next area Taylorsville Utah? Hahah I think its 50-50. I also think that Elder Macz gets replaced and then me, and I don’t think that President Parker would like to have 2 brand new new new new secretaries in the office, especially when they have to work together.

Elder Neves has been a bit more busy with the transfers getting everything perfect for Tuesday, and the Parkers are already wanting to change things around with it, which is not a bad thing, we are just used to doing things the same way for the past 8 or 9 months and it’s a bit tough to get out of the habit hahah. Therefore, we haven’t been able to get out as much. We're kinda stuck in a discouraging slump right now. We haven’t been able to find anyone lately. It is hard to keep a clear conscience and know that we are giving it our all in the office and in our area. 

Sunday night we stayed in the office all day after church. The Parkers wanted to meet everyone in the whole mission. So we stayed and helped them out with the process of pictures and all that good stuff. They interviewed everyone by companionship, so Elder Neves and I were interviewed together. It was so much fun to be able to speak to the MP and his wife in ENGLISHHHHHHHH. They are so awesome. I am actually kinda sad that I will only have 2 short transfers with them in charge of the mission. If I could extend…. I might say yes hahhaha but I think mom would kill me. 

Interviews on Sunday Night

Thursday was the 4^th of July! I wore my socks and my red white and blue tie to celebrate and bought a Coke and some Oreos. We also bought a pizza that night with Elder Macz and Quezada. The APs were traveling with President Parker, so we got to enjoy it all to ourselves. 

4th of July in style 

Wednesday we got a letter in the mail from an old assistant and a sister who served here addressed to President Li, we didn’t open it but from what we could tell it was their wedding invite. We got a good laugh out of that hahahha. 

Yesterday I had a “conference call” type training with someone in SLC and some other financial secretaries from all over the world. They are rolling out a new program to keep track of spending on the card of the MP and his wife.  It was fun. It was kinda weird to know that I was talking with someone in good ol Utah hahah.  

Also I think on Tuesday night we were out knocking doors and we saw someone watching the Red Sox and the Blue Jays! That's not something you see every day. Wednesday night there was a big Peru soccer game, and they won, and the whole city went crazy hahahahhah. I love this country sometimes.

I also caught a cold this week, just one of them dang 72 hour ones. It was funny, because every single latino that came into the office told me I should be taking something or pills or a shot and I just said no. I figured I would drink my emergen c stuff and drink more orange juice and water and suck it up, and I’ll be fine. And that’s what I did, and I’m better hahah. Latinos think all the solution to everything is a shot or pills, butttt I dunno. I disagree hahaha.

I think that would be all for this week!!

Heres to another transfer!

Elder Roper

Brotherly love in the office 

A cat that wanted to take a nap behind the offices

Elder Neves . . .  what a guy! 

Masonic temple 

Last moments with the Li Family 

P-Day lunch