Minimal Changes for the Holidays

Thanks for the Christmas Package!

Christmas tree...ornaments will be hung after
he reads the back of them

Dear Familia,                                                                                                                                    

Bethlehem looks good :) I can´t believe Laurel is already back, and I´m glad to hear that the mission isn´t staying in the mission. I guess I´ve thought a lot about that lately. If we go on the mission and then come home, but never really share it apart from with our families, I think that we haven´t really understood what a mission is. A mission is a lifetime calling with a two year short timer assignment. We are duty bound to stay in the assignment until the time comes to go home, but afterward, we are duty bound to pray and watch over our families that we have left behind. When I touch ground at home, I won´t ever be able to leave Peru behind, I will spend a life time thinking about the things I have done here, the people I have met, hoping to come back to visit, testifying to all I meet about the truths I´ve come to know here. 

Salad, fries and pollo a laleña that we had last
Pday as a special meal in a restaurant

Tacos Peru style

Christmas is approaching more quickly than I ever thought it could, and I know that this means right before, it will slow down in a dramatic way. Yes I can skype, we are still working on who we will go to to do it,but yes we will skype, I will need my info again because I don´t really want to dig through my old agendas to find it :) We will be able to have 40 minutes on the 25th to talk and then letters until Mothers day.The Christmas devotional from the First Presidency was really great. I don´t know that there is ever a big emphasis on that in our ward, but its better emphasized here, we went to the stake center and saw it together as a zone and all felt mildly homesick at the same time. Thankfully I´m better right now :)

Yes we have “Adjusting to Missionary Life”, it’s fairly new here, so we are just now starting to use it, but it’s basically a booklet that describes what companions have been doing for years to counsel their companions on stress, good diet, exercise, spiritual wellness. I guess I´ve noticed that the church did it better, with quotes from prophets and scriptures and better phrasing haha. We do what we can, but the church has a better authority with which to do it. 

Christmas Package

Christmas Package..not in the original packaging!

I opened the Christmas package, and did what I could to hang the tree. The duct tape from my suitcase finally put to good use. Also the only light I had was my flashlight, so sometimes you just have to make do. I loved it all, thanks for the goodies, I will probably hit 160 lbs haha (ps yes I’m currently at 150lbs or 68 kilos...not sure how it happened...but I hope it doesn´t continue like this. My clothes still fit, and I’m not fat...yet :) )

Well this week brought a lot of really crazy changes, all with the purpose of this letter from President to the whole mission:

President Erickson

Elderes y Hermanas,

Este Martes acogeremos 29 nuevos misioneros (11 hermanas y 18 elderes) a la mision. Este numero hará necesario algunos cambios. Sin embargo, he tratado de minimizar los cambios. Se darán cuenta de que algunos compañerismos que han estado juntos por dos cambios seguirán juntos. Otros que han estado un largo tiempo en su area seguirán alli. Deseo que los misioneros entienden que yo considero que no hay un tiempo fijo que pueden estar en un area o con un compañero.

Se pide que los misioneros que tengan un cambio lleguen a la oficina as las 11 de la mañana. Podrán salir antes de las doce para volver a su area a menos que les toque esperar un misionero nuevo.

El viernes a las 9 am tendremos dos capacitaciones. Tendremos la capacitacion de las doce semanas para los nuevos y otra capacitacion para todos los lideres de distrito.

Gracias por todo.

Saludos Presidente Erickson

Elders and Sisters,

This Tuesday will welcome 29 new missionaries (11 Sisters and 18 Elders) to the mission. This number will require some changes. However, I have tried to minimize changes. You will notice that some fellowships that have been together for two changes together will stay. Others who have spent a long time in your area continue there. I wish the missionaries understand that I consider that there is a fixed time they can be in an area or with a partner.

Missionaries who have a change are asked to reach the office at 11 am. They may leave before noon to return to your area unless you expect them to teach a new missionary.

On Friday at 9 am we will have two trainings. We will be training the twelve weeks for new and other training for all district leaders.

Thanks for everything.

Greetings President Erickson

Elders Nelson, Viza, and Artero

He tried really hard to minimize changes because these changes are right before Christmas, and can be super wrenching to be away from family and friends but then also to be in a new area and ward. As such, I stayed in Año Nuevo ,but Elder Viza came down to stick with me. Elder Artero enters his 5th change here, but as Zone leader, they gave him that assignment and made me district leader at the same time, shuffling the zone just a little bit more. I´m happy with the changes, I´m still working with half of the investigators we had before, and it just so happens that the Cotrina Paz family moved into the part in which we teach, so everything is chevre there. It definitely is balmy here, but i am in the cooler part of the mission, so for that im also thankful, I happened to pass the winter in the warmer part and the summer now in the cooler part, closer to the ocean...but still not in view.

Well, that’s the time I have. I love you all, I´m working a lot on being creative in working with the members. I hope that you are working with the missionaries in our ward. We can´t have this be the mission work of missionaries and the retention of the wards anymore, the Lord requires our combined efforts. I hope Kolby can find a sliver of time every once in a while to go with the missionaries, I never did, and I regret it now. I know that this is His work, and that it is the only way that we can really demonstrate we understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have this duty as the few who know the truth: share it; share it like it all depends on the gospel, because it does.

Love,

Elder Nelson

the third to last photo is of tacos that a member made, that ones for braden, we don´t eat tacos here, but they were incredible!

the other food photo is of a salad, fries and pollo a laleña that we had last Pday as a special meal in a restaurant.