Feb 23 2015

Hey everybody! This week was pretty great! After working and not baptizing anyone for almost a whole year I feel like I'll see the fruits very soon. Our 21 year old investigator Jairo Fiestas is excited for his baptism on March 14th and we are gettting close to finishing the lessons with him. Yesterday one investigator, the sister of a less active that is coming back to church, attended again for the 3rd time and she told us she wants to get baptized and asked if she could get baptized next week or the week after! I don't think anyone has ASKED me if they can get baptized the next week in my whole mission. We didn't set a sepcific date for her baptism yet but we are hoping to set it up for the 21st of March. She's 17 years old and has a ton of new friends in the church. Also, another investigator, Alejandro, who is best friends with the bishop's family, asked us if he could get baptized soon. We set the baptism date for the 14th of March, for the same day as Jairo. Alejandro is 17 I think as well. He is way excited.

Alejandro and Rosa, the girl that wants to get baptized, even stayed after church yesterday for the baptism of 8 year old twins. It was a great service. We four missionaries sung a special number, we sang a primary baptism song in spanish. "Me encanta el arco iris despues de ver llover...." It's like "I love to see the rainbow after the rain..." I don't remember it in english haha. We also sang Come Thou Fount (in english). It turned out great. They loved it. 

Oh yeah and today we had transfers. Elder Arce my Argentino companion went to Talara and Elder Bradford from San Diego arrived as my companion. His birthday is July 6th, 9 days before mine and he has a year and a little more in the mission. I'm showing him what zone leaders have to do. Today I was running around the whole city of Sullana in moto taxis paying for the bus tickets of the missionaries leaving Sullana. It was a bit hectic but I'm all good. We'll see how Sullana treats two gringo missionaries hah. 

Hope you all have a great week and that al is going well. Love you guys!

Have a happy birthday Dad! Love you!

Elder Evans

Feb 16 2015

Hey everyone, I don't have a whole lot of time but I just want to let you know I am doing great. Elder Arce and I invited a 21 or so year old to be baptixed and he accepted for the 14th of march so we are super excited. The zone had interviews this week with President Rowley and as zone leaders we went on splits with the assistants so my companion and Elder Sosa could go to some lessons and Elder Parra (from the CCM, you may recognize the name) and I had to check all of the area binders of every companionship in the zone. It was only slightly boring but it was kind of cool because it was new, but I would've rather been out in the lessons haha. This week I fought through a bacterial infection or a staph infection. They're not sure which but I took antibacterial pills and put on a cream and it's pretty much all good now :) It was pretty ugly. Oh and today we had a pretty cool Pday. We had a barbeque with the elders in our district and with a member family in the Sullana Ward. It was soooooooooo good!I hope everyone is doing great. Love you all!

Feb 2 and Feb 9 2015

Feb 2

Hey everybody hope you all had a fantastic week! This week was pretty crazy. Running aroung helping missionaries in my zone move into new rooms and we had a small activity in the church on Friday night for investigators and members. We watched the Restoration movie of 1 hour and it turned out well. We also found a pretty cool family this week sitting down in the street and so we talked to them and they let us in and we taught them. They each had their seperate families and kids and such so we started by sharing with them The Family, a Proclamation to the World. They really enjoyed it. One of their husbands looks like a gringo (white ,person). Here they called white people gringos or "colorado" (they call me that all the time) and well his friends all call him colorado as well for his blue eyes and lighter skin. But he is in fact Peruvian. Also, a single mother Elena and her 8 year old daughter are very interested in the restoration and were 100% sure they'd go to church. After a lesson she told her daughter "on sunday we're going to their church" but something came up and they couldn't but we'll continue teaching them.

Today We went to an area called Marcavelica outside of Sullana about 20 minutes out in the country and played "carnavales" a tradition of throwing water balloons and using waterguns to soak friends or random people you dont know. However, we only played as missionaries in our district and some members that joined us. It was super fun. A wasp stung Elder Espinoza in the arm and me in the neck...but that's fine, we're all good. I tried sending pictures but it doesnt seem to have worked. I'll try next week...

 

Oh yeah I'm already accostumed to streets without stop signs, they don't exist here in Piura or sullana or tumbes as far as I know. In lima there were a few here and there. That's aweomse. Is it a large tourist area? 

The best lesson we taught this week was with a single mom and her 8 year old daughter because we taught about the book of mormon and she promised to read it and was really excited to go to church to investigate. She never made it but we'll keep trying to encourage  her to go this coming sunday. 

On wednesday Ill have my first zone leader traing meeting but we talk about how the mission is improving and what it needs to do to change and get better. Stuff like that. 

I took pictures and sent them to dropbox but  I cant tell if they are good or not. I couldnt see them after putting them on dropbox...

Love you, hhave a great vacation!!!

Love you guys, have a great week! Especially Mom and Dad in vacations!

Elder Evans

 

Feb 9

Hey  everybody again. Wow the time is flying faster every week. This week was pretty great. We had a council of the mission leaders (zone leaders and the sister leaders or whatever they are called in english and assistants with the president). It was great. We learnede a ton and President Rowley asks our opinions on how we can become better missionaries and how we can become a better mission as a whole. We're going to receive small cards to give to members so they can set goals in the missionary work. They wil place the starting date and the date in which they have to have completed the goal(the final date). 

Well this week we were super happy because finally one of our less active guys here named Ivan finally went to church after many years and he brought his sister Rosita who is investigating the church. Their both young adults and he felt super good after returning to the church and wants to keep coming. His sister really liked the church as well. We are working super hard but we still don't have baptisms set up. Maybe in a few weeks.

About two weeks ago you asked if I had seen a llama or an alpaca in the mission and I said no but about 20 or 30 minutes later I saw one in the plaza and this guy lets you take a picture with it for 2 soles (about 75 cents). I didnt have time to take one but the next time I see him I will. Ill for sure check the pictures on dropbox. I also sent a few pictures from our meeting we had in piura. Elder Mulford who is in the middle of the picutre is already going home in two weeks. I remember in Morropon talking with him about the year a 10 months I had left and he talked about the year and 5 months. And now he's already going home. Elder Chen is going home in April. 

Love you!

Hope everyone is doing great. Love you all! 

Jan 26 2015

Hey everybody this week was pretty great. My companion Elder Arce and I had some pretty cool-interesting experiences this week. While talking to a lady in the street one guy yelled Jose Smith doesnt exist, he's not in the bible! We just said hi to him as he passed by in the street but his remark caught the attention of another person that was inside the house and she came out to talk to us and said she listened to missionaries many years ago and attended church but never got baptized and she wanted us to come back to teach her again. And her neighbor his an inactive guy we had never met but we found him and started teaching all his family who are nonmembers. Because of the remark about Joseph Smith from the guy in the street we were able to find four new people to teach and one more who is inactive. They are great, very excited to learn more and return to church so let's see what happens.

Jairo and Brenda (two investigatores) attended church again for their 4th and 3rd time respectively. Brenda still has to get married to her less active boyfriend but they're both trying to get married quickly, here it's super difficult and expensive. Jairo is the 18 year old son of two recent converts who is going to church every week and meeting with the YSA in their activities. He's busy with exams in the university so we couldn't teach him much but this week we will try setting up a baptismal date. 

I'm doing great here. Hope everyone is doing well! Have a great week!!

Love you guys!!!

Elder Evans

Hey Mom! unfortunately, I have not seen any llamas :( but I have seen lots of donkeys, iguanas, and monkeys. Ah yeah 80s and 90s is about what it is here every day I think. They say that it's been flirting with 38-40 degrees Celcius lately, thats almost 100 or more. But I dont know if they're exagerrating or not. Sullana is always sunny and the 1st counselor of the bishopric here says the people here get worried when the sun is covered by clouds for more than a day or two because some think it could be the Second Coming.

Jan 19 2015

Hey everyone! It's super hot here. But I'm alright here in Buenos Aires. My companion Elder Arce and I have been sweating all day every day working hard and visiting as many people as possible. We have found a bunch of new investigators this week, 7 to be exact. And we have been talking to way more people in the street than I am used to- It's awesome. We have an investigator with a baptismal date for Feb. 28 because we need to get her and her less active husband married. She really wants to get baptized and has attended twice to church. Her husband is cool too. An inactive member but is really nice and wants to return to church as well but continues working on sundays. Anyway, I miss my old district but I am happy to be here. Elder Arce and I are working harder than ever before and dealing with all the zone business as well. I found a lot of comfort in the Book of Jacob these last few days. I've been stressed with my new responsabilities but I love Jacob 5. It talks about the vineyard and how the Lord is always working with us if we seek to do His will.

President Rowley is the only missionary with a car in theis mission so that answers the first question hah.  [Mother's note: I asked him if zone leaders get cars in Peru] And my companion Elder Arce and I are in charge of the monetary funds for the zone. We pay for the missionaries' trips to Piura when they have training meetings, or to Lima for their visas, we pay for the bins of water to distribute to the missionaries. We also have meetings with President Rowley and the stake president every month. The district leaders report to us and we report to the assistents and to President Rowley. We do the baptismal interviews for the investigatores of the district leaders. We also are in charge of training the zone once a month. Zone leaders also can take the cellphone to the lessons and in the street. The rest of the missionaries leave the phones in the room. Oh and every week we report online all the things we bought or paid for with the zone fund.

It's pretty stressful being ZL constantly receiving phone calls from the office. district leaders, the assistents, President, and also we have to correct missionaries when they decide to do stupid stuff. But im alright. My companion is great, a super hard worker and is teaching me well. 

Love you all! Have a great MLK day!!

Elder Evans

Jan 12 2015

Well, I'll start off by telling you guys I'm writing you all from Buenos Aires.

This week was my last week in Piura. I am pretty sad to have left my ward Jorge Chavez, the members are awesome and my companion Elder Mauricio is one of my best friends. And of course, my district was super. We had a great last week though. We taught this one lady Rosemary who accepted us really well and she knows a ton from the Bible so it was an awesome lesson. She said she would start to read the Book of Mormon and that she would pray about it because she has been in "looking for God" for many years. Her mother in law is a strong member who helps her out and supports her. 

We got together as a district after receiving the calls about the transfers and had a mini activity playing BANG and eating pizza. Elder Rodriguez (one of the zone leaders) and I are the only ones of the district who left. The whole district was super sad that he and I left. We made more Gushy mushy too, but my computer won't let me send the pictures. After one short transfer they sent me to Buenos Aires, estaca Sullana (about an hour north of Piura). Here it is even hottER than Piura. I had a rough week with head pains due to the heat but here it's even hotter. But I am all good. I am here with Elder Arce. We are the zone leaders in Sullana. I never thought I'd be one, I'm pretty nervous because it's a lot of responsability but Elder Arce is awesome and will teach me well. He was my zone leader when I was in San Pedro. He's from Argentina. We'll go out running a bunch here so I am pretty excited. 

Anyway, love you guys, hope you all have a great week!! 

Elder Evans

Jan 5 2015

Hey everybody! Hope you all had a happy new year!! News year here is pretty crazy. It is completely out of control and pretty awesome. My companion and I didn't want to stay the night in our room because of the party that was next door so the zone leaders let us stay with them. At midnight all silence broke. People started launching fireworks and burning giant "año viejos" (google it if you wish) in the streets and everything. Año viejos are like giant dolls of people stufed with hay (more like scarcrows but look like normal people). They burn them to burn all the bad spirits and bad things that happened to them in the year and start it fresh once again. There was so much smoke in the streets, we watched from the front door, pretty crazy stuff.

This week one day we walked out of the house where we had an appointment with some less actives and two sisters from the ward called out to us from the street saying they were then just looking for us. They said another sister and her family needs us and a blessing and they showed us where the family lived and we taught them and gave a blessing and they are doing better now. We keep teaching them because their are teenagers there who are less actives. It was a cool experience. The two sisters in the street would have passed us by if we had not exited the house at that exact moment. I'm doing great here, having a blast and working hard. The bishop wants my companion and me to teach piano lessons on saturdays to the youth and the YSA haha, so we will on saturday and see how it goes.

Love you all!! And have a great birthday Katie!!! 

Elder Evans