Caught in a downpour!

Monday, February 22, 2010

"PUCALLPA is where I'm headed!"

February 20, 2010 - Hey Precious Family,
I love you so much. So, just kidding about Yurimaguas. I am still heading to the jungle, but I am heading off to a different part. It is a lot hotter and redder. I am heading off to where Landon went…PUCALLPA!!! President needed to change some things around and thought it would be much better for me to be a District Leader in Pucallpa. I am way excited. Now, I will be with more Missionaries, and I am going to have so much fun. Landon’s mom said that she absolutely loved Pucallpa when she came down here, so I am way excited to be able to go there. I will be flying out on Wednesday morning, so say a little prayer for me so that I get there safely, and keep praying for me to be a good District Leader. It is a big responsibility and I really don’t feel ready to do it, but I know that Heavenly Father will be helping me learn and grow along the way. :) Mom, don’t worry. The amount of mosquitoes there will be are totally normal. I will be totally fine. Yes, I will have repellent, and I will put it on in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. Yes, I will have a mosquito net. They are way cool and fun to sleep with. I’m heading off on another jungle adventure and I am sthuper-duper exthited. :) It is going to be so much fun to be back in the jungle, and I hope I get to stay there for a long time… Mom, packets will get to me at the beginning of every change or in the Interviews. That is only once a change, but I will be fine so don’t worry about spoiling me too much. I will still get to see President and his wife in the Interviews. His wife always goes with him to the jungle. She is such a special person. It is going to be so hard to leave them, but the time has come. I will never forget the blessing that Heavenly Father gave me of being able to get closer to them and get to know them. They will be my eternal friends and family. They are two very special, warm-hearted people.
Since I’m leaving the Offices, my next P-Day will be on Monday, March 1st. So don’t plan on seeing a special wake-up message next week, or any message at all on Saturday next week. P-Days are now going to be Mondays. (I can't send wake-up calls and I can't send photos either.) I am going back to the Field, and it is going to be awesome. I just want to work, be obedient, and baptize a ton of people, and I know that it is possible with faith and with your prayers in my behalf. Today was my last P-Day in Lima for a while and we went to the Temple. Who knows when I will get back to the Temple because we can’t go when we are in the jungle. I felt really comfortable in the Temple today. I felt like I was in a nice cozy home, and I felt very loved there. I love the Temple.
So you want to know the big news happening in Peru huh? Well, when President Pérez goes home, the next day, the Mission is going to be divided! They are forming two new Missions in Peru. The Peru Lima North Mission is being divided into two, with the new Mission being the Peru Lima West Mission. (They are also forming the Peru Cuzco Mission, which is where Machu Picchu is.) There will be nine Missions in Peru, whereas of right now, there are seven. It is because the Church is growing so much down here. President said that the Church is going to start sending more Missionaries to the parts that are having more success. They are going to put together Missions like those in Europe and other hard parts of the world. That means we will have more Missionaries here and will not have to assign more than one ward to a companionship. The Church is going to start growing faster and faster. President is really happy for this news. Depending on where we are when we get Changes the 30th of June, we will then be part of the Peru Lima North, or the Peru Lima West Mission. I hope that I still get to be part of the North because the jungle is being kept by the North Mission. But wherever I end up will be where the Lord wants me to be. It is such an exciting event that will come to pass. :)
On Tuesday night, we went to the Caján-Llanos Family’s house for dinner and we had an anticuchada. Do you remember what anticucho is? It is the famous dish of the shish-kebobbed cow heart… We had a Barbecue of cow heart. I absolutely love it. I know that might be a little strange, but it really does taste good. I ate 15 hearts!!! That tells you how much I like it… We had cake for dessert to finish the meal up. It was a lot of fun. :)
Chase, that is so awesome that you made it into BYU!!! We will be going to school together. I am so excited! I hope you make it into MDT because then we could be in the same classes. :) How was Whitley’s Young Ambassadors show? I bet it was amazing because BYU doesn’t ever do anything less. Good for you Bud… Have tons of fun for Prom. It’s the last big dance in High School that you will have. Go all out. You won’t regret it in the end. “It’s gonna be a night, to remember.” Congratulations Bud.
Dallis, I don’t really know what requirements your history project has, but one of the bad things about Peru is that there is a lot of child corruption. Pornography is a big problem down here because it is all over the streets and you can freely see it. The children are not taught good principles in their homes because a lot of the parents are always out of the house trying to make money to provide for their families. They are also not shown good examples by the adults, with some adult men peeing in the streets or on walls wherever they want without any embarrassment, or the drunk men and women freely drinking on every corner and arriving home intoxicated. A lot of kids also finish Elementary and High School at the age of 15, which is way too soon for a kid to start College and get a job. They just don’t get a good foundation in their childhood. I hope this helps. I’m sure you can look up more information on child corruption. I love you Bud. Good luck on your project.
Mom and Dad, the house looks amazing. I am so excited. Keep working hard and we’ll be in it before no time. Dad, you are doing a great job with the home. Mom, good luck in school. I am so glad that you are enjoying it. Dad is really proud of you and so am I. I am so proud of you. Keep studying hard. It will be so worth it in the end. I love that you love school. It brings me so much comfort to know that you are doing okay. I love you so much. Take care.
Family, I love you so much. I will be writing from the jungle in my next e-mail. I really am so excited. Don’t forget me in your prayers and know that I love you with all my heart. I love you forever family. Take care until March 1st. I love you. I love you. I love you.
Love, Coco

Thursday, February 18, 2010

"I love it! I love it! I love it!"

February 13, 2010 -
Sweet and Special Family,
Wow. It has been such a slow week. I don’t know why. I think the emotions of leaving the Offices behind are starting to get to me. This has become my home and I am just used to everything. But it’s all going to change now. :) My "son" came this week and I have been training him. His name is Elder Wheiler and he is from Washington State. It is kind of nice to have someone taking my position because I teach him what to do, let him do it, and then I work on something else to help get things done. Next week is going to be a much busier week because we will be preparing for the Changes. I am going to be so busy teaching him everything that he has to do to prepare for the Changes. This week and the next week are going to fly by: the week of preparing for the Changes and then Change Week.
So, what part of the jungle am I going to??? I am heading off to Yurimaguas, which is like a suburb of Tarapoto. You’ll have to look it up to see where it is. It is closer to Lima than Iquitos is, but I don’t get to take a direct flight to Yurimaguas. There is a small airport there, but it is just for small airplanes that take tourists around and things like that. I have to take a flight to Tarapoto, and then I have to take about a two-hour bus ride to Yurimaguas. It really is out in the middle of nowhere in the jungle. I am so excited! It is going to be so much fun to be back in the beautiful jungle. I am going to be District Leader, which is going to be fun, but I am so nervous about leading a group of Missionaries. Because Yurimaguas is so far away from all other civilization, it will be just my District there, which is made up of only four Missionaries, and we all live together. It is going to be quite an experience. I am so excited to get out and teach and baptize like crazy. President told me to thank you Mom and Dad for raising such a good son to come to this Mission and be able to get to know him. He says that your son, (that’s me), has been able to win his and Sister Pérez’ hearts over. I will never forget the precious amount of time that I have been able to share with President Pérez and his sweet wife. They are two of the sweetest people that I have ever met on earth. I hope to always be in contact with them and their family. They are so special to me and I never will forget all the amazing things that they have done for me. It has been a wonderful experience and I know that going back into the Field is what I need to do. I am going to work so hard and these last six changes will pass like nothing. I just need to keep myself focused on the Work and just do it. All-Star Missionary Troy Bolton is coming back into action!!! I am so excited to be back in the jungle and enjoy the life that is there. It is so much livelier and the Work just seems so much easier there. I plan on having so much more fun, and having a lot more success. It is going to be a great experience. Just pray for me to have success, to avoid getting dengue from the mosquitoes, to have the Spirit with me, and to be a good District Leader. I am really nervous about this position because I have to train and help other Missionaries out, which means I need to start knowing everything without having doubts. I am studying Preach My Gospel like crazy so that I can answer any question that my Missionaries are going to have. Please pray for me. I am so nervous…excited, but even more nervous. Just please pray for me…
Today we had a really “trunky” day. We woke up and lazily got ready. I went and bought an onion, a stick of celery, a couple eggs, and cheese, put it all together, and made a good omelet in the morning. We then went on this beautiful “trunky” day to the Center of Lima. And guess what we did? We just walked around, and had a great time. It was absolutely excellent. The sun was shining, burnt Elder Steed’s neck, but not mine because I was smart enough in the morning to put on sun block just incase the sun came out. And of course, the only day we are outside in Lima, the sun comes out. It was a great day. We ended by eating at an American air-conditioned McDonald’s. It was a great day. I’m trying to get everything ready to leave the Offices. I will be leaving a suitcase behind and some boxes for when I get back. I am so excited and just trying to keep the emotions of leaving the Offices behind on the down low.
Fun news: I was reading the Church News and guess what? Brother and Sister Lindley, my Missionary Prep teachers that I went to every Sunday morning the year before my Mission, are going to be Mission President and Wife starting on July 1st in the England Leeds Mission. That is such exciting news. :) And who is the new Mission President of Peru Lima North Mission? His name is Lawrence P. Blunck. (Go to this address to look at him: http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58779/New-mission-presidents.html :) I am sure that he is going to be a great President. I will miss the great relationship I have with President and Sister Pérez. But the Mission goes on, just like life does. There are tons of things that will be happening in the Peru Lima North Mission and all the Missions in Peru in the next few months that are going to be so exciting, so be paying attention to Church News on the Internet and tune into everything you hear about Missions or Missionaries in Peru. Big things are about to take place. It is so exciting, but super Top Secret, until the news release comes out. The Church is growing like crazy down here in Peru and the Brethren are going to take advantage of this opportunity. What a blessing to be in such a great Mission and a great place to serve. Pay tons of attention to the news about the Church in Peru. It is going to take you by surprise. :) Just know that I am so happy. I love this work. I know that it is true. It is so cool to be a Missionary. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love you so much family. Keep going strong and never give up. I love you so much.
Love, Coco
P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!!! I love you guys so much. Take care.

"I'M GOING BACK TO THE JUNGLE!!! WAHOO!!!

February 6, 2010 - Hey Awesome Family,
So...I had a pretty eventful and interesting week. Tuesday was one of the weirdest days of food. I have been totally fine eating all of the food I have been given here in Lima, but Tuesday was a little interesting. We went to the house where dinner was and it was the first time I had eaten dinner in that house. It was a cool house, not pretty, but cool. It has all sorts of levels to the house, with trees, flowers, and bushes everywhere. It is an interesting house. I was expecting good food, and I’ll tell you it wasn’t horrible, but I prefer eating other things. We got served soup, but it wasn’t just any soup. It was a white creamy soup with a piece of meat in it. (Remember that meat down here is always served with the bone.) I was expecting it to be a soup that I have always eaten down here with chicken in it. But when it came time to eat, I quickly realized that it wasn’t the usual ordinary soup. The soup had a different taste, and the meat wasn’t chicken. It was PIG FOOT. That’s right. I had to drink the soup and eat a disgusting pig foot. It was terrible. Just so you know, pig foot doesn’t have any meat. I think it was just all fat and cartilage. I made it through. Then came the meal, which was a plate of rice with vegetables (broccoli, carrots, etc.) and chicken on top of it. However, when I started to eat through the rice and vegetables, guess what I discovered? A hidden chicken foot. That’s right. Pig foot and chicken foot in the same meal. That has to be impossible. But I survived the meal. I ate the two feet, and I am even more prepared now for Fear Factor. :) It was great to see Leslie’s dad on Tuesday night after having to eat that meal. We took some pictures here in the Offices so that I have evidence that my neighbor was here in Peru at the same time I was. Thank you so much for the sweets from Davey’s Homecoming. Nothing says love like homemade desserts. Thanks as well for the goodies and the no-bake cookies and the Orange Sticks which I will be giving to President and his sweet wife, and the i-Pod for Elder Chocooj. Please let Ryan, Rachel and Alex know how awesome they are! Thank them so much from me! I can't believe how nice it is! He is going to be so, so excited! It will be perfect for him! I am going to wrap it up with wrapping paper, and give it to him before the end of this change. He is here in Lima; he is actually in the same Zone I am—Independencia, so he’s pretty close. He finishes on April 7th and will be going back to Guatemala. I love him to death and am going to miss him a ton. He was such a good trainer and took such good care of me my first change. Can you believe it? He was my companion one year ago. It’s amazing how time passes. I sent a package home with Leslie’s dad. I sent home my i-Pod so that Chase can fix it. I also sent a backpack from Elder Steed. He wanted to get some stuff to the USA so that he doesn’t have to take it home at the end of his Mission. Just keep it safe and we’ll get it to him or his family when we can. He’s from Vacaville, California, but we’ll be hanging out after the Mission to go to Disneyland and stuff, and when Elder Santiago comes up for the Christmas Devotional, so just take care of Elder Steed’s backpack. Thanks. We had a BAPTISM today! We just got back from it. Her name is Harumy Caján Llanos. Her family has been less-active for a long time, but tonight, each and every member of the family was there for her baptism. It was a great sight to see. She is such a nice girl. She is 10-years-old and is so smart. She has been wanting to get baptized forever and has been praying for her parents to get back into the Church. This is their chance. We are so excited to be helping them reactivate and attend Church. It has been a long process for them, and it brings me and my companion tons of joy being able to help them. The Caján Family deserves it. :) So, you’ll never believe the exciting, shocking, surprising, and nerve-causing news that I found out this week. I’M GOING BACK TO THE JUNGLE!!! WAHOO!!! So I talked with President this week and we decided that it’s time for me to leave the Offices. He thinks that I have progressed a ton here in the Offices, but thinks that I will be able to progress even more in the Field. So we decided on me leaving to go to the Jungle for sure. We decided where in the Jungle as well, but that isn’t for sure until the Changes are made, which will be this next week. So I’ll let you know for sure what part of the Jungle I am going to in next week’s e-mail. I am really nervous to leave behind the Offices, but I knew it would come and now it has. I will be leaving on February 24th. After having found out this news, last night I was thrown a Surprise Early Going Away Party by the Canchez Family. I wasn’t expecting anything and when I walked in to eat what I thought was dinner, there were balloons on the walls, a poster that said “Te Queremos Elder Quinn”, a huge chocolate cake, and my companion cooked up a traditional Guatemalan dinner. It was such a good night. I almost cried because of the kind words that were said. I have made a ton of friends in this area and it is going to be really hard to leave them behind. But change is good and it always comes around. I am so excited that I will be going to the Jungle where life really is like a dream! I am going to love it! I just know it!:) Dallis, the classes you registered for sound great. You’re going to love High School. Too bad, you don’t get to share it with Chase like I did. I would go back in a heartbeat to be at the same school with my stud-muffin brother, always taking over the stage, and by now he’s taken over the school. I love you Chase and hope you had a wonderful 18th Birthday. Mom and Dad, the home sounds like it’s coming along fine. I cannot wait to be living in it. It will be so nice. I love you guys so much. I never forget that I have the Best Family on Earth. I really do. I love you Family. Sorry this e-mail is a little scattered and not really well-written. I love you so much. Take care until next week. I'll let you in on the exciting news of where I am going next week. At least we know it’s the Jungle. :) I love you. Love You Forever, Coco

Thursday, February 4, 2010

"The Mission is an amazing experience!"

January 30, 2010 - Hey Delightful Delicous and Delovely Family,
The work is getting much better. Now that I have been able to leave and have a companion that is able to help me out, we are starting to have a lot of progress. We are starting a plan of working with the less-active families and help them out. We want to activate these families so that the ward just keeps getting stronger. We want the members to start living more spiritual experiences. And by doing this, the ward will become more unified. And working with the less-active families is also good because there are many members of the family that aren’t baptized. So by activating the family, we also get the result of having baptisms. We are having a lot more lessons and starting to find some more people to baptize. I feel a lot better about leaving and teaching because I am more motivated. It is great to have members that are encouraging us to teach their sons and daughters, friends and neighbors, and we are enjoying the work a lot more. So just know that I am doing fine. The work is going good. I had a really special moment this week. I got another card from the Sandoval-Hidalgo Family from Iquitos, my Iquiteñan Mom and Dad. They are such a special family that I always have on my mind. They are doing way good. They just got settled down in a new home in another part of Iquitos. So we and they are moving at the same time. :) Letty, the Mom, is the one that wrote the letter. She says that their family is doing great and that they are happy with their new ward. They are still waiting for Jose to get his Mission Call, and she says that they will write me the second they get it to tell me where he’s going. It was so good to receive that letter. They sent me a picture of their family and they look so happy. They say that they will never forget me and that I am always in their prayers. She even said that for Christmas, they made a toast with hot chocolate in my name. I love them to death. I have to admit that I got a little teary-eyed when I was reading the letter because I miss them a ton and can’t wait to see them again. I have to get back to Iquitos. I have to see that family again. You are going to love them. So I got almost done with my huge January Personal Secretary Project. Sister Campian, the lady that helps me out with my work, came yesterday and we worked for about two hours getting everything ready to turn in to the government. I had a lot of late nights this week and I was in the bank for two hours on Thursday, but I got the job done. President kept passing by yesterday saying, “still working Elder Quinn?”, and I would just say, “Yep. Gotta get the job done.” I’m a hard worker and I don’t stop until the job is done. I love my job. It is so fun being President’s Personal Secretary. :) We went with Sister Campian in the morning today to help her out with all of the documents she had to do. It was a ton of fun. President invited us to lunch today to celebrate Sister Pérez’ Birthday which was on the 24th. We went to La Bistecca. It was a great all-you-can-eat meal, and I think that I ate more than I ever have at that restaurant. :) Then, President and Sister Pérez surprised us by taking us to The Park of Legends, which is like a huge Peruvian Zoo with all of the regions of Peru included. There were tons of animals to see, and it was so much fun to just walk and talk with Sister and President Pérez. My favorite animal was the hippopotamus. There was a dad, a mom, and a baby hippo. The baby was so cute. But by far, my favorite part was when we all took a picture with all of us dressed up in Peruvian outfits. We were laughing so hard at each other. (I’m sending the picture home. You’re going to love it.) :) We were gone all day long, from 8:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night. It was a long, enjoyful, fun and exciting day. :) DAVEY’S HOME!!! How exciting was it to see Davey come home? I bet it was so good. He is such a stud. I am so thankful for the example he was to me. I honestly think that a big reason that I came on the Mission was because Davey was already serving. It made it so much easier to make the decision. I am so thankful for his example and for the strength that he gave me, just knowing that both of us were leaving everyday together to preach the Gospel to the world. And now, I just have to keep going strong and endure to the end, which is only nine months away because… I hit 15 MONTHS!!! It feels great. The time is just flying by. Every month that passes by amazes me. It honestly feels like a dream, a dream full of wonderful experiences that I can’t wait to share with you guys in person. The Mission is an amazing experience. I love it!!!
The emotions just get to us as Quinns. It’s a thing we can’t avoid. When the moment comes to cry, we just let it out. And I can’t deny it at all. Crying is a great thing… Family, go have an awesome time at Davey’s Homecoming tomorrow, and don’t cry too much. Don’t forget that you’ve got a special Missionary in Peru… :) Happy Birthday Chase!!! You’re 18 this week. That means that you are going to be a legal adult. How weird is that? You are growing up too fast Bud. It really is amazing how time passes. Before you know it, you’ll be graduating…with High School Musical running through your mind. I love you Bud and want you to have the best Birthday ever. You’re the funniest kid ever Chase. Never forget that I love you. Take care this week and have a great Birthday! Leslie’s dad is coming down to Peru. Wahoo!!! I am so excited. I love you so much. I am going to send a package home with him, so please make sure that that is okay with him as well and let me know before tomorrow. About the i-Pod…just send a KSL used one that doesn’t cost you guys too much. Put all of our music on it, including especially the Church music, so that we can listen to it all the time. I am going to use this one. I will give Elder Chocooj the one that I have right now. He is going to love it, just receiving an i-Pod. He deserves it. I don’t want him to have to pay because I love him too much. He took care of me so much at the beginning of my Mission. I know he will be happy with the one that I give him. Don’t forget that I probably need to give him a charger for the i-Pod to plug into the wall. This will be a special gift for him. Thanks for your help. Oh, and about the baby doll…if you want to send one, that would be fine with me. But it isn’t necessary. And like the Michael Jackson song says, “it doesn’t matter if [it’s] black or white.” We aren’t racists down here Mom. I love you tons. I love you Family. You are the best family on earth. Don’t ever forget that I love you beyond what words can describe. Have a fun day tomorrow. Take care until next week. And please send me photos of the house and you guys with Davey. I love you. I love you. I love you.
Love you Forever, Colyn