"I am indebted to him..."

May 24, 2010 - My Special Family,
Oh my gosh…oh my gosh!!! I love you guys so much!!! I love you so so much… What a week. It was Change Week and I’m staying here in Pucallpa. It’s beautiful here. We haven’t had any rain for about a week-and-a-half which has been nice because we haven’t had to be walking in mud, and it also wasn’t super sun-shiny hot, so we weren’t sweating to death this week… It was super nice. All the members say that the month of June is a cold month, which means it gets a little bit colder, but it doesn’t rain. I am totally okay with that. It makes working much easier because we don’t have to survive the beating sun or avoid the rainstorms. It will be way nice. :)
All the members were so excited to hear that we didn’t get changed. I feel so comfortable with the people that surround me. We have great friends here. The parents love that we play volleyball with their kids because it helps to keep them out of trouble. They know that their kids are going to the Church to play volleyball with the Missionaries and lots of the adults even come to play as well. It is so much fun and I know Dallis would have a blast if he were here. (Don’t worry Bud, I already told them that when we come down to Peru together that we are going to have a huge volleyball tournament. But you need to work on your game because these teenagers from Pucallpa are almost professionals… :) They are helping me learn how to bump, set, spike, and serve the ball better. I am getting really good at spiking, and I can now serve the ball overhand instead of having to hit it underhand… It is so much fun!!! Honestly, it is something that all of us look forward to all week long.) We play every P-Day. We have to or they all start complaining, “but Elder Quinn, come on, we have to play…” We tease them a lot that we aren’t going to play and they all whine for a sec, and then we tell them, “just kidding”… and they all just start laughing. Volleyball might be my favorite sport now…actually I think it is… I remember when I used to go early on Saturday mornings to play Ultimate Frisbee. Volleyball has now replaced Ultimate Frisbee… :)
We had a big French Toast breakfast as a Zone on Saturday morning. It was super fun, but they surprised us at the end by making us eat SURI…AAHHH!!! But it was much smaller than the one that I ate with Hermana Luna, so I got through it much easier. I just put it in my mouth, bit off the head, and swallowed it whole… It was a much better experience.
Speaking of Hermana Luna, Rachel now because she is already home in Texas. She is getting married in December!!! She sent me a DearElder Letter telling me all about it. And you’ll never believe who her fiancée is. His name is Elder Sanchez. He served here and they both finished their missions together. He is super nice and knows a lot about the Gospel. The coolest thing is that he is from Costa Rica!!! But Rachel Luna is so sure that he is the one. I think that it is so good for her. She is so excited to get married and she will be sending me the wedding invitation… She is saving up her money to make a trip to Costa Rica and the wedding is going to be held in Texas. Isn’t that so cool and weird and fun??? I love it. Good for her…
We had two baptisms this week: Mirellya Isabel (11) and Kelly Victoria (9) Rios Ramirez. They are two young sisters who are referrals of the Vela-Panaifo Family. We are currently teaching their parents so that they can get baptized as well, but we have to help them get married first… We want their whole family to be members and receive a ton of happiness in their humble home… They are such humble people and so deserve to have the Gospel in their lives. Mirellya started crying after she got baptized because her dad showed up to the baptism, which was the greatest amount of support that she had ever had from him. He usually isn’t around… This is why I always tell you that I am so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me to grow up in a home where I had you Mom and Dad, two loving parents who were always there for me and supported me in everything that I did growing up… It is a blessing that we can never thank Heavenly Father enough for. I am indebted to him for blessing me with the two best parents on earth…
Never forget that I love you and miss you more than anything on earth. I am super good. We are so excited to just keep working here in Pucallpa. Please keep praying for me and for those that I am teaching. Special people to keep in your prayers are: Joysi Huanuire who has a baptismal date for the 12th of June, Marinel Rojas who has a baptismal date for the 19th of June, and Carlos and Ester Saravia Tolentino who are another couple we are helping to get married and baptized. They basically are already members, only they aren’t baptized, but this month of June, they will be… :) I love being a Missionary and am having a great time here in Pucallpa. Don’t worry about me. I am totally fine. Just take care. Enjoy school, enjoy the new home, and never forget that I love you!!! Love you Forever!!!
Love, Coco