Week 1 baybee

Querido Familia,

Who knew that I would actualy miss my family?  Weird.  Feels like its been a year.  I didnt realize how much I missed my family untill I left.  The begining of the week was pretty hard.  I spent too much time wondering what you guys were up too, what Im missing, and whos already forgotten about me haha.  But each day it gets better and I focus more on the work.  Missionary work is actualy kind of fun.  It would be more fun if I could peak spanish.  The mission isnt what I thought itd be, but at the same time its all I ever wanted it to be.

The members of the ward here rock.  They arent near as strong as our ward, but theyre really nice and fun people.  Cant lie, nothing beats the Horizon Ward.  You guys are the best ward there is.

Peru!  Wow, Peru.  Peru is the epitamy of the Telestial Kingdom. Everything is covered in dust, graffiti, or trash.  Or hobos.  Dogs of every breed, color, and shape wonder the streets aimlessly.  Theres a million shops.  Probably 3 for every block.  Some people just live in their shop.  The main streets are covered in buses and anarchy.  USA drivers wouldnt stand a chance on these roads.  They have cute little 3 man taxi cabs everywhere for your convenience.  Just raise your hand and any one will stop for you.  Even if theres already 6 people crammed in them.  A select few of these baby taxis are decked out like race cars.  Im pretty sure they have races at night.  Fast and Furious 7 should be filmed here with these cute little taxis.

My first day was weird.  I had 3 hours of sleep cuz of my latino roomates in the ccm.  I met my zone and they all rock.  My very first lunch was with an inactive family.  She gave us a bowl of soup, which was fine until I saw the 2 giant floating chicken legs.  Were they eddible?  No.  Did I partake?  Of course.  Literally tasted like alien feet.  ugh.  At another house, I thought they had some nice smelling candles.  Turns out they were dessert.  Some kind of melted candy that looked and tasted like candle. I cant remember the last time I had a vegetable.  Everythig here is rice and chicken.  Each day when I wake up, I have an awesome freezing cold shower to look forward to.  I have to get myself pumped and ready just to dive in to it.  I turned on the hot water once, even though my copanion told me not too, and I got electricuted hahaha.  I did it again just cuz.

Speaking of my companion- He rocks!  Hes just a normal guy really, but im glad I didnt get stuck with another freaky companion.  Hes fun and loves to borrow my stuff no matter what I say haha.  But he returns it in one peice unlike the latinos at the CCM so I guess its alright.  The only thing that drives me insane is that he is the LOUDEST snorer in the world.  Every nightI get woken up by snores and sounds Ive never even heard before.  

Anyways I guess thats it.  Thank you all for the letters and package.  I got the package mom :)  Although I thought you said you sent a christmas one...  Ive only recieved one so far.  I got Grammy Nash´s letter too and the primary kids :)  I sent a letter home today, but my zone leader said the chances of letters making it home are alot worse than making it here, so if you gues dont get a letter, Im really sorry.  Thats Peru for you.

Til then, I love you all.  I always appreciate letters or emails :)  The mission is where its at.  See yall in 20 months!!

Con Amor,

Elder Walker

 

Quiriza....

Just to let you know, this is my second to last email, I`ll write one more when Mom and Dad are here.

It`s weird that Ryan´s just starting and I`m finishing. His letter made me laugh and made me think about how I started and it was basically the same. Perú and Bolivia used to be the same country, so he`s basically going to experience a similar mission.

So you guys just have NO IDEA what I`ve been through this past week. And to be honest, I can´t write everything here how I felt and what I experienced, but I loved it. I will send a lot of pictures so you guys get a feel of what Quiriza is.

Quiriza is basically a small farming town where half of them are inactive Mormons. We also cover 5 other towns that we walked to, usually 3 hours to get there just to teach one lesson. We work in jeans and sometimes shirt and tie because we`re always doing service. What have I done of service? We do everything with garlic. I`ve harvested garlic a whole day, carried lots of garlic, cut it, gathered goat milk, fed horses and pigs, shucked corn, made a pizza, and anything else you could possibly imagine from a farm. I don`t think anyone in the United States knows what hard labor without payment is until they get here to Quiriza. I actually feel like I`ve been camping for the past week. We literally sleep in the chapel and since there`s not enough beds, we take a matress and sleep in front of the podium. The good thing is, there is a piano two yards away from the bed!

There`s also a great feeling here in Quiriza that really isn`t found in other parts of the world. I`ve felt so much love, the spirit is soo strong here and the people always have a smile on their faces as they greet the elders. The people have so much faith and there are many miracles that has happened here. There is no internet or cell phone service so the spirit knows that these things could not be published.15 people came to church. And that includes the oldest member in Bolivia. He was confirmed a member by Richard G. Scott (sound familiar) who was then the president of the mission. The people here still talk about and Elder Kimball (sound familiar). Spencer W. Kimball came and dedicated the church building. The church building itself is a miracle.

Oh man, there`s just too much to inlclude here that I really can`t. Have a nice week and I`ll see you Sunday Mom and Dad.

-Elder Walker

Elder Ryan Walker arrives!

Ryan arrived at the Lima Perú Norte Mission!  This must be his new group. 

Here he is with Presidente Erickson and his wife.

?. . . ok

Dear family,

First thing on my mind. My transfer... I know, that`s what I thought ``A transfer for my last 2 weeks of my mission´´. NOOOO! This is the only time in all of my mission that I didn`t want one. But I just got over it. So I`m going to Quiriza to be with Elder Eyer from my group and two other Elders. Quiriza is a small town outside of Tupiza at the bottom of Bolivia in the Potosi Department. Pres Dyer was there when he was on a mission and helped build the chapel, which is the first one in Bolivia. There`re just sending there for a week and a half to play with horses. I`m sure there are more horses, sheep, pigs, and dogs than people. ¡Que desgracia!  I`m seriously going to the middle of nowhere. I really don`t kow what to think. In my head I`m trying to think positive. ``I´ll go where you want me to go dear lord´´ or the Lord probably has something prepared for me there or at least I can ride a horse to my appointments. I`ll be back in Cochabamba the next Saturday the 14th to go to the Temple and then Sunday the 15th to do our plans as normal. So don`t worry about messing up the plans. 

Other cool thing that happened. A Baptism! yay. My companion Elder Ortiz (from Guatemala mom) got to do his first baptism. It was Diego Lazarte, 15 years old. He has been prepared from the Lord and acepted the gospel as we taught him it. Other elders have tried talking to him, but he didn`t really want anything to do with religion. It`s just a matter of good teaching, says Elder Walker humbly. We also have 6 for sure, programed baptisms in December. But now I won`t be able to be there.... que lastima! We had 8 investigatos in church yesterday. I`m kinda bummed and feel like a great seed planter in the Lord`s vine. I left Potosi, 6 of whom I found and taught got baptized. Left Bella Vista, 8! I left Sucre with a Family of 7 who got baptized the next Saturday and 2 other people since. Now, I leave once again. I sometimes feel like Paul who said to the Corithians, ``the Lord did not send me to baptize. I have planted the seeds and Apollos watered them, but the Lord gave the increase.´´ He said something like that. 

I`m still just thinking of the great adventures that I`ll have this week and next. I`ve gotta work until the end! Just think about the last week of Christ`s live. They take up half of the gospels in the Bible. The most exciting stuff happened to him there. Great teachings, greater miracles, questioning by the Pharasies, Sadduccies, Scribes, ect, the last supper, suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, the betrayl, the judgements by rulers and kings, the Roman punishments, dying on the cross, preaching in the spirit world (1 Peter 3:19) and to top in off, the glorious Resurrection. Wow. Now I`m kinda excited for these weeks. Just imagine if He stopped working there. ``yeps, well, its been fun teaching and doing some cool miracles, but now I`m tired. I`ll see you guys later in 2 weeks. I`m going to take a nap.´´ We would never have been saved if He didn`t accomplish His last two weeks and endure to the end. Even after His death, His mission was not over yet until His resurrection and ascension to the Father. And even then, He`s coming again. One has to ask how He does it. I answer, from the LOVE that he has for us. ``And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.´´Jacob of old tells us that if we love things, time will seem faster. It`s like the mission. Some say 2 years is a long time to be gone from Family. But I say, having done it, that it seemed to me only a few days long. That`s because I`ve loved the thing I`ve done.

-Elder Walker