July 21, 2014

Well this week was pretty awesome and lame at the same time. Lets say I'll never be able to forget my 20th birthday. At first we started the day with a district meeting and my zone leader elder castro said I had to be done by 12:00 because he and his compainion the other zone leader had to go to tumbes. So I finished at 12:15 but they never left. The district surprised me with a cake in the other room. It was the best. Then, at night my companion elder campo said that we had a meeting with the bishop at 7:30 in the chapel so we went over there. He never showed so I said hey let's go, I dont want to wait. Elder Miller and Mamani said to wait til 8 or 8:15 so I did. Later I just was talking with them in the hall and we entered a room and there was another cake with the young single adults from the ward!! They completely surprised me. They had thought of the idea and bought me the cake. You can all see those pictures I sent. Then after that quick party we went to a ward family's place and they had another cake ready and gave me cologne as a gift haha. We celebrated my birthday 3 times in one day. I was way stuffed after that. Then the next day we got up at 6 to play soccer and get rid of all that cake we ate haha.

Anyway, we kept working super hard this week trying to prepare 2 investigators for their baptisms this saturday that is coming up but now neither of them willl be able to yet. One didn't show up to church (she needs one more attendance to church) and the other still doesnt feel ready. We were super bummed this week but we said its fine and we'll keep working a bunch with them. I am pretty sad I never will be able to baptize someone with Elder Campo in my 2 transfers with him. Our goal was 7 this month, but we will have finished july with 0. I know the mission is hard, but I got pretty bummed this week when we realized they won't be getting baptized. I told Elder Campo, who was super bummed and sad, that he just needs to keep working with them after I leave (I will be leaving tumbes on sunday).

I gave a 15 minute talk yesterday on the mission work. I focused a lot on the faith and the Atonement of Christ. If we really understand what Christ went through and what He did for us, then we will have the desires to share the gospel with our friends because as members we know that only people who have faith, repent, get baptized by someong with the priesthood, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure o the end are the only ones who will receive exaltation. I felt like it was a good talk for my last week here. The sister missionaries joined our ward this week because thier investigator could only go to church at 8 (which is my ward) and one of them had a talk in their own ward at 10 and she said she used a bit of my talk in hers haha. 

Anyway, my birthday was the best, and we keep working super hard but I won't be here to see the fruits, I 'm hoping that Elder Campo and his new companion will be able to keep going and do better than I did.

Hope you all have a great week! Love ya!!!

Elder Evans

District

Ready to eat cake? The birthday tradition in Peru is to....

..smash the birthday person's face into the cake.

second cake

ties thrown back in preparation for cake

more frosting face

Where's the fork? And a washcloth?

Elder Paul with his birthday present. Also, for cat lovers, find the kitty

Does Elder Paul see the eggs behind him?

Instead of cake on face, egg in hair

Birthday hair treatment

Futbol time

tres gringos