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
Monday, February 22, 2010
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.
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
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
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
Monday, January 25, 2010
"Thank him for setting the example for me."
January 23, 2010 - Hey Beautiful Family,
How’s everything going on the home front? Sounds like everyone’s busy with school, UTA, the new home, work, and lots of other fun things. I love it. My big news this week is that me and my companion have been leaving to proselyte with the new Gringo couple, Elder and Sister Earl. They are such a sweet couple and they have so many good intentions of being able to serve and teach the people. However, they are held back by the language. It’s hard because they don’t have a Latin companion to help them out. So my companion and I leave with them to help them. It’s really hard though. President doesn’t want me to speak any English with them, but it is hard because they are still learning the language. The thing is, they need to speak Spanish as much as they can even between themselves when they are at their house. That is how I learned, just speaking as much as I could until I just couldn’t think of the word or didn’t know how to conjugate the verb, but I also had a Latin companion that was always there to save me. I suffered and cried, but I made it through the learning Spanish phase and now I love the language. I absolutely love the Spanish language and I still have so much to learn. I am so excited to be able to speak Spanish with people in Utah and keep the language in my tongue. I am also excited to be able to speak Spanish with Davey. DAVEY COMES HOME THIS WEEK!!! Can you believe it? I cannot believe his two years are already up. I actually think he hits exactly two years today. Please tell him “Hi” for me, give him a huge hug, and thank him for setting the example for me. It has been so great to have a cousin in the Mission at the same time for 15 Months! That means I only have 9 Months left!!! The time is going to fly by. You are going to have so much fun being able to talk with him about his Mission, all of the experiences he has lived, and the people he has met. I can’t wait to talk with him in person when I get home. Like I have said before, what a moment it will be. The Quinn Family is going to have one Returned Missionary this week, and it will have two in November. It will come too fast…I’m still working on my huge January project with Hermana Campian so I am keeping really busy. We had a great talk with President this week about how to be a good husband, a good father, about putting 100% into whatever calling we have in the Church, and about not working for the money, but instead, living with the money you have. He said that a person should go after what they enjoy in life, and if they are keeping the Commandments and do all that they need to do, money will never be a problem. I love it. He is such a wise man and I love learning from him. We need to follow our dreams and put our all into everything that we do. I plan on doing it in every aspect of my life… On Monday, President took us to lunch at Rodizio’s again. It was so good and guess what I had for dessert? TIRAMISU!!! I finally tried Tiramisu after hearing about it so much in High School Musical. It is a really good dessert. I recommend it when you get the chance to eat it. I got a fun envelope this week full of letters written by the whole extended Quinn Family for the New Year and another letter from Grandpa and Grandma Olsen. We are officially the trunkiest family. Everyone is so excited that this is the Homecoming Year. But who wouldn’t be? I am way excited! About being in charge for the last time this change, I was just speculating. I say that because President Pérez is finishing in June and he has to prepare the Offices to bring in the new President so my Personal Secretary kid will be bringing him in. I have to prepare everything so that my “hijo” is ready to take the work I do and go. So Elder Steed and I are pretty sure that we are leaving this change, but no one ever knows. We are happy with however it turns out. We know we have been so blessed to be in the Offices in the time period that we have been here. It has been an amazing and beautiful experience. :) I love you guys so much. I know that this is the work of the Lord. There are always new Missionaries starting, others ending, and others that have trunky families…(I bet you don’t know who I’m talking about?... :) I am healthy and happy and loving the Mission. Les amo mucho y quiero que sepan que estoy feliz y muy agradecido por tener una familia tan buena. Cuídense mucho y no se olviden de su hijo y hermano que está en Perú. Love you forever,Coco
How’s everything going on the home front? Sounds like everyone’s busy with school, UTA, the new home, work, and lots of other fun things. I love it. My big news this week is that me and my companion have been leaving to proselyte with the new Gringo couple, Elder and Sister Earl. They are such a sweet couple and they have so many good intentions of being able to serve and teach the people. However, they are held back by the language. It’s hard because they don’t have a Latin companion to help them out. So my companion and I leave with them to help them. It’s really hard though. President doesn’t want me to speak any English with them, but it is hard because they are still learning the language. The thing is, they need to speak Spanish as much as they can even between themselves when they are at their house. That is how I learned, just speaking as much as I could until I just couldn’t think of the word or didn’t know how to conjugate the verb, but I also had a Latin companion that was always there to save me. I suffered and cried, but I made it through the learning Spanish phase and now I love the language. I absolutely love the Spanish language and I still have so much to learn. I am so excited to be able to speak Spanish with people in Utah and keep the language in my tongue. I am also excited to be able to speak Spanish with Davey. DAVEY COMES HOME THIS WEEK!!! Can you believe it? I cannot believe his two years are already up. I actually think he hits exactly two years today. Please tell him “Hi” for me, give him a huge hug, and thank him for setting the example for me. It has been so great to have a cousin in the Mission at the same time for 15 Months! That means I only have 9 Months left!!! The time is going to fly by. You are going to have so much fun being able to talk with him about his Mission, all of the experiences he has lived, and the people he has met. I can’t wait to talk with him in person when I get home. Like I have said before, what a moment it will be. The Quinn Family is going to have one Returned Missionary this week, and it will have two in November. It will come too fast…I’m still working on my huge January project with Hermana Campian so I am keeping really busy. We had a great talk with President this week about how to be a good husband, a good father, about putting 100% into whatever calling we have in the Church, and about not working for the money, but instead, living with the money you have. He said that a person should go after what they enjoy in life, and if they are keeping the Commandments and do all that they need to do, money will never be a problem. I love it. He is such a wise man and I love learning from him. We need to follow our dreams and put our all into everything that we do. I plan on doing it in every aspect of my life… On Monday, President took us to lunch at Rodizio’s again. It was so good and guess what I had for dessert? TIRAMISU!!! I finally tried Tiramisu after hearing about it so much in High School Musical. It is a really good dessert. I recommend it when you get the chance to eat it. I got a fun envelope this week full of letters written by the whole extended Quinn Family for the New Year and another letter from Grandpa and Grandma Olsen. We are officially the trunkiest family. Everyone is so excited that this is the Homecoming Year. But who wouldn’t be? I am way excited! About being in charge for the last time this change, I was just speculating. I say that because President Pérez is finishing in June and he has to prepare the Offices to bring in the new President so my Personal Secretary kid will be bringing him in. I have to prepare everything so that my “hijo” is ready to take the work I do and go. So Elder Steed and I are pretty sure that we are leaving this change, but no one ever knows. We are happy with however it turns out. We know we have been so blessed to be in the Offices in the time period that we have been here. It has been an amazing and beautiful experience. :) I love you guys so much. I know that this is the work of the Lord. There are always new Missionaries starting, others ending, and others that have trunky families…(I bet you don’t know who I’m talking about?... :) I am healthy and happy and loving the Mission. Les amo mucho y quiero que sepan que estoy feliz y muy agradecido por tener una familia tan buena. Cuídense mucho y no se olviden de su hijo y hermano que está en Perú. Love you forever,Coco
Sunday, January 17, 2010
"I have learned something very special about the Mission."
January 16, 2010 - Mi querida y hermosa familia,
Can I just tell you how much I love you family? I love you so much. I love you so much. It just makes me so happy to know that I have such a special family. We are so blessed. Mom, I so wish I could be there to help you out with your English 1010 paper. I would be more than happy to help you write it and you know it. Oh, if only I wasn’t 4,000 miles away… :) It has to be about a personal event right? I was thinking, if it fits within the requirements, that you could talk about the experience that you have had with sending a son away from home, not necessarily on a Mission because college doesn’t have anything to do with religion, but sending the son away with requirements and rules. You can put a lot of details into it because you are still living it. You can tell how hard it is from a Mom’s perspective to send a son away, and how living that experience has strengthened you. I think it would be a great topic if it fits within the guidelines. Or you could talk about the personal event you had with having a house full of three boys, or meeting Dad, but I think the sending the boy away is a good topic…and it’s not just because I get to be the boy that you are going to talk about. :) Have tons of fun with your talks tomorrow. I know you are going to do a great job. And don’t worry about it too much. Heavenly Father is giving you all the chance to spiritually grow. Sharing your testimonies will only help them grow. Sharing your testimony is the way we verify that we believe and know that something is true. Just have confidence in the fact that you know the things you are going to say are true. Dallis, I’m having a hard time thinking of things you can put in your talk. I was thinking that all of the things that we did as a family before the Mission were what prepared me: praying as a family helped me realize the importance of trusting in God and knowing that He will always be there to help me; family scripture study, even though it was a struggle sometimes helped me realize the importance of applying the scriptures in our lives; early morning temple visits helped me realize the importance of always keeping our goals set on the final goal—Eternal Life as an Eternal Family; everything we learned from Mom and Dad helped us understand the basic principles of the Gospel, and now I am able to share these basics with the humble and lovely Peruvian people. Missionary: one who leaves his family for two years so that others can be with their families forever. :) I don’t know if this will help you, but I know you are going to do a great job. The house looks absolutely great and I am so excited. Even Elder Steed is excited. He wants to come visit after the Mission just to see the finished result. Changes went great and perfect. It was my last time to be in charge. Next time my son is going to do it. Funny story: a new Elder Lee that entered this week was one of Jerry Westberg’s roommate at USU. It’s a small world. Elder Elison from California is the new Assistant. He is going to be great. But I really miss Elder Santiago. I think it was harder to say goodbye to him than it was to say goodbye to Elder Rich because I knew that I will always be able to see Elder Rich again. But there is the chance that I may never see Elder Santiago again because he lives in another country, Guatemala. It was really hard to say goodbye to someone I considered as my true older brother. He always called me his younger brother and I loved it because I will never know what it is like to have an older brother. He really is like an older brother to me and I love him to death. I have to see him again before the next life. He says he wants to come up to Utah to see the Christmas Devotional this year and I told him that our house is more than open for him to come and stay while he is in Utah. I really hope that he is able to do it. I really want to help him do it. I love him so much and I miss him a ton. It was one of the hardest farewells… I love you. Today, we went to the National Museum of Peru and it was so interesting to see how much of Peru’s history really fits in with the history of the Book of Mormon. It is amazing, and it made me so happy to remember that I am living and preaching the Gospel in a land where the Book of Mormon took place. It’s a cool thought. And we also went to Sebastian’s baptism today. He is Gladys Canches’ son. He just turned eight two weeks ago. It was such a good baptism. I sang “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus”. I starting crying when Sebastian shared his testimony because he started crying when he thanked us, the Elders, for taking such good care of him and his family. It was such a precious moment. I was crying, he was crying, his sister Estrella was crying, his mom and dad were crying, and about every other sister in the room was crying. It was a beautiful spiritual experience. I love being so close to the people down here. I have learned something very special about the Mission. It is necessary that a Missionary loves the people. I know I have it. I love this people. I love Peru. I love this culture. I love the Mission. I will never regret that I came on a Mission. I know that our family has been so blessed. We will never be able to thank Heavenly Father enough. Good luck on your talks tomorrow. I will be praying for you Bill. Dad, you’re going to do fine. I love you tons fam. Take care this week. I love you beyond what words can describe. Love, Coco
Can I just tell you how much I love you family? I love you so much. I love you so much. It just makes me so happy to know that I have such a special family. We are so blessed. Mom, I so wish I could be there to help you out with your English 1010 paper. I would be more than happy to help you write it and you know it. Oh, if only I wasn’t 4,000 miles away… :) It has to be about a personal event right? I was thinking, if it fits within the requirements, that you could talk about the experience that you have had with sending a son away from home, not necessarily on a Mission because college doesn’t have anything to do with religion, but sending the son away with requirements and rules. You can put a lot of details into it because you are still living it. You can tell how hard it is from a Mom’s perspective to send a son away, and how living that experience has strengthened you. I think it would be a great topic if it fits within the guidelines. Or you could talk about the personal event you had with having a house full of three boys, or meeting Dad, but I think the sending the boy away is a good topic…and it’s not just because I get to be the boy that you are going to talk about. :) Have tons of fun with your talks tomorrow. I know you are going to do a great job. And don’t worry about it too much. Heavenly Father is giving you all the chance to spiritually grow. Sharing your testimonies will only help them grow. Sharing your testimony is the way we verify that we believe and know that something is true. Just have confidence in the fact that you know the things you are going to say are true. Dallis, I’m having a hard time thinking of things you can put in your talk. I was thinking that all of the things that we did as a family before the Mission were what prepared me: praying as a family helped me realize the importance of trusting in God and knowing that He will always be there to help me; family scripture study, even though it was a struggle sometimes helped me realize the importance of applying the scriptures in our lives; early morning temple visits helped me realize the importance of always keeping our goals set on the final goal—Eternal Life as an Eternal Family; everything we learned from Mom and Dad helped us understand the basic principles of the Gospel, and now I am able to share these basics with the humble and lovely Peruvian people. Missionary: one who leaves his family for two years so that others can be with their families forever. :) I don’t know if this will help you, but I know you are going to do a great job. The house looks absolutely great and I am so excited. Even Elder Steed is excited. He wants to come visit after the Mission just to see the finished result. Changes went great and perfect. It was my last time to be in charge. Next time my son is going to do it. Funny story: a new Elder Lee that entered this week was one of Jerry Westberg’s roommate at USU. It’s a small world. Elder Elison from California is the new Assistant. He is going to be great. But I really miss Elder Santiago. I think it was harder to say goodbye to him than it was to say goodbye to Elder Rich because I knew that I will always be able to see Elder Rich again. But there is the chance that I may never see Elder Santiago again because he lives in another country, Guatemala. It was really hard to say goodbye to someone I considered as my true older brother. He always called me his younger brother and I loved it because I will never know what it is like to have an older brother. He really is like an older brother to me and I love him to death. I have to see him again before the next life. He says he wants to come up to Utah to see the Christmas Devotional this year and I told him that our house is more than open for him to come and stay while he is in Utah. I really hope that he is able to do it. I really want to help him do it. I love him so much and I miss him a ton. It was one of the hardest farewells… I love you. Today, we went to the National Museum of Peru and it was so interesting to see how much of Peru’s history really fits in with the history of the Book of Mormon. It is amazing, and it made me so happy to remember that I am living and preaching the Gospel in a land where the Book of Mormon took place. It’s a cool thought. And we also went to Sebastian’s baptism today. He is Gladys Canches’ son. He just turned eight two weeks ago. It was such a good baptism. I sang “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus”. I starting crying when Sebastian shared his testimony because he started crying when he thanked us, the Elders, for taking such good care of him and his family. It was such a precious moment. I was crying, he was crying, his sister Estrella was crying, his mom and dad were crying, and about every other sister in the room was crying. It was a beautiful spiritual experience. I love being so close to the people down here. I have learned something very special about the Mission. It is necessary that a Missionary loves the people. I know I have it. I love this people. I love Peru. I love this culture. I love the Mission. I will never regret that I came on a Mission. I know that our family has been so blessed. We will never be able to thank Heavenly Father enough. Good luck on your talks tomorrow. I will be praying for you Bill. Dad, you’re going to do fine. I love you tons fam. Take care this week. I love you beyond what words can describe. Love, Coco
"I would never change anything..."
January 9, 2010 - Hey Family, What a week it has been. I have been working all week preparing everything for the Changes. As part of my work, I buy all of the flights for the jungle changes. There are two airlines that I use, Lan Peru and Star Peru. Lan has much better service, costs a little bit more, and the guidelines for entering the planes are stricter, and we always try to use this airline because it is more trustworthy. Star is easier to get through security with copies of documents and it costs less. Every January, the Personal Secretary has a huge project of helping each foreign Missionary pay taxes for being a current resident of Peru. I have to have all of the Peruvian Resident Licenses of every foreign Missionary in the Mission. We always travel with these licenses, but right now I have all of them, so everyone is traveling on Star Peru. All I have to do is send a copy of every Passport of every foreign Missionary that will be traveling. I love my job. Just pray that everybody is allowed to get on the plane. I don’t want to lose flights. I’m praying really hard. Other than that, I think almost everything is done and ready to go. I will be sending everything out Monday morning and Change Week begins. You know how Change Week goes. It is going to fly by. I’m kind of sad because one of my best Office friends is leaving me. Elder Santiago is going home to Guatemala. I’m not going to have my friend who always sings High School Musical to me, who cheers me up when things are hectic, and who always puts a smile on my face by his fun personality. He has been such a good friend and I know that we are going to stay in contact. Other than losing a truly good friend, this week is going to be a fast, busy, and fun one. I am so excited that the house is getting done. It’s like a huge Christmas present that just keeps on giving and giving. I love hearing the new things that are going on with the house and that everyone is excited for the move. Even I am excited for the move, and I’m not even going to be there. But I am so excited to have a new house to come home to. It is going to be my once-in-a-life-time luxury present when I get home. I can’t wait to see the house and be inside of it. Please keep sending me pictures of the home’s progress. It’s fun to see it getting built step-by-step. What a blessing it will be to have a new home. I am so happy and excited! Chase, congratulations with your MDT Show. I bet it is great. Tell me what numbers you are in and what shows they are from. Don’t forget to tape the show so I can see it when I get home. And quit having dreams about me. Just kidding. I love that we all have dreams about each other. “It´s gonna be a Night to Remember” when I get home. We’re gonna party like 19(what year do they say?)…2010!!! It’ going to be so much fun.
I would never change anything for the person I am and the things that I have. I thank Heavenly Father everyday for being so blessed. I have the greatest family on earth. I am currently a Missionary and a Representative of Jesus Christ. I am getting a new home. I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in. I love to sing, dance, and act. I am a huge fan of High School Musical. I am happy and I love it. Family, know that I love you and that I wouldn’t change anything for the family that we have. We are so blessed. I felt each and every one of you present in the Temple today. We are eternally bonded together. I know that Heavenly Father is happy with the progress that we are making because He wants us to return to His presence as a family. And I know that we can do it. I love you family. Keep writing me all you want. Wish me luck in Change Week and don’t forget about me in your prayers. I love you. Take care. Love, Colyn
I would never change anything for the person I am and the things that I have. I thank Heavenly Father everyday for being so blessed. I have the greatest family on earth. I am currently a Missionary and a Representative of Jesus Christ. I am getting a new home. I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in. I love to sing, dance, and act. I am a huge fan of High School Musical. I am happy and I love it. Family, know that I love you and that I wouldn’t change anything for the family that we have. We are so blessed. I felt each and every one of you present in the Temple today. We are eternally bonded together. I know that Heavenly Father is happy with the progress that we are making because He wants us to return to His presence as a family. And I know that we can do it. I love you family. Keep writing me all you want. Wish me luck in Change Week and don’t forget about me in your prayers. I love you. Take care. Love, Colyn
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