April 5, 2010 - Hey Fantastic Family,
I am so sorry that you didn’t get to move this week. I feel you. But don’t worry. You will be moved in soon enough. Just don’t let not moving frustrate you. Everything will come in the Lord’s time. We just need to have patience…patience with everything. In Preach My Gospel, it says that we should always have patience. And then it says “especially with your companion.” We are doing fine now. I think I was just a little overfrustrated last week, but that doesn’t matter. I talked with my companion and just told him that I like leaving the house excited everyday so that I have desires to work and contact people. If we leave the house without being excited, the day is not very fun, and not a lot of work gets done. I told him that we just need to always be happy and never get down on ourselves. He is fine. I was just focusing too much on the little things last week. Sorry for worrying you. I was a big boy and told him how things are and how they should be. I am just never going to get discouraged again.
I really hope things work out with the home this week. I want you guys to move. I get that nervous feeling when you're at the top of the tallest hill on a rollercoaster just thinking about moving into a new home. I am so excited. “Just keep moving, just keep moving, what do we do? We move, move…Ah aha ah ah ah I love to mooove…” That’s me quoting Dori from Finding Nemo… Let me know when you are all settled in the new house.
This was an amazing General Conference!!! It was Gringo Weekend. We all piled in as Gringos into the Stake President’s air-conditioned office to watch Conference. It was so much fun. We enjoyed every moment of it. It was so nice to hear President Monson speak. He is such a loving Prophet. I know he loves us and is always watching out for us and trying to help us gain Eternal Life. All we have to do is follow him, and how hard is that? It’s not that hard, especially with the Family that we have been blessed with. We are already on the path to Eternal Exaltation as a Family and I am so excited to live with you guys forever. :)
This week, I went on a work visit with Elder Evans. His first name’s Colter. He is from Idaho and is such a neat kid. He has so many desires to work and has such a good heart. We celebrated his six-month mark together. He is my new Gringo friend. Elder Steed is still one of the best guys I have ever met, but I need to have a good friend wherever I go. I absolutely love Elder Evans because he is just a good-hearted kid with great intentions here in the Mission. We did a service project on Friday as a District. We tore down a deserted house. It was absolutely disgusting with spider webs everywhere and huge spiders, but it was fun to just destroy the house and take it down. There was one spider that was the size of my hand with its legs stretched out and it ran so fast. Ugh, it was really gross. The good thing is...there are many spiders like that, but they don’t do any harm. They just live and eat the flies and mosquitoes. I don’t worry about spiders and stuff, but I sure don’t like seeing them… Dallis would have been freaking out… :)
So we just found out changes and…I’M STAYING IN PUCALLPA!!! I’m staying right where I am as District Leader, and with the same companion. I am so excited. :) My companion and I are so excited because we get along and we have a nice house, and we have great members in our ward. We also are not ready to leave the converts that were baptized during this change, especially the Vela-Panaifo Family. They are too sweet to leave them so soon. That means that I will be here in Pucallpa until at least the 19th of May, which means I will be calling home for Mother’s Day from the jungle of Pucallpa, Peru. (Remember last year that I was in the jungle of Iquitos for Mother’s Day.) Let’s set up the phone call at Dad’s work again. I have a pretty good phone that always makes clear phone calls so everything will be okay. I can’t wait to hear your voices again…
Just keep going strong family. Dallis, have fun driving and be careful. Get moved in this week. I am so excited. If you remember me, please send me a couple good treats with a couple bags of Doritos that are other flavors than cheese (cooler ranch, ranch and taco/buffalo wings, etc.). If you could also e-mail me the lyrics to the HSM songs in Spanish, I would really like it. The members ask me to sing a lot at Family Nights and I sing to them HSM in English and they love it, but I know they would love it even more if I could do it in Spanish. Send that to me as fast as possible please. I love you so much and I am enjoying the Mission. Only 5 Changes left, 1 more General Conference, 1 more Birthday, and one more Phone Call, and I’ll be HOME!!! I love you family.
Love, Coco
Monday, April 5, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
"The Jungle is a Special place"
March 29, 2010 - Hello Family:
Just so you know, the computer 1 am writing on....the letter “i” and “k” and the comma don’t work so i have to use the alt key and the number pad. But other than that i am wr1t1ng you. 1t’s eas1er to use the number 1 to wr1te the “i” so just know that “1” 1s the letter “i” today. 1 really hate Computers… Anyway…
Mom 1 hope you had a great B1rthday and that you were able to relax a l1ttle b1t from school and work on the home. 1 want you to know that we celebrated your B1rthday down here. The lady who l1ves 1n our house and that takes care of us heard me record1ng “Happy B1rthday” when 1 sang 1t and recorded 1t on my tape recorder. 1n the n1ghtt1me she supr1sed me by throw1ng a surpr1se B1rthday Party for you… We ate Pucallpan p1zza and a huge chocolate cake w1th Coca-Cola. 1 felt so loved and spec1al. Mom 1 love you so much and hope that your B1rthday was wonderful. 1 th1nk you have also rece1ved the best B1rthday present ever… THE MOVE!!! 1t’s Mov1ng Week!!! How exc1t1ng!!! 1 am so exc1ted!!! 1 am go1ng to be so happy when you guys are all settled down and relaxed 1n the new house. 1 can’t wa1t to set foot 1n the new home… What a day 1t w1ll be… We m1ght end up mov1ng at the same t1me… Next Monday 1 f1nd out Changes. 1 w1ll f1nd out 1f 1 am stay1ng or go1ng. Th1s Change passed by so fast. Only 5 Changes left… Can you bel1eve that 1 now have 17 Months!!! Wahoo!!! And General Conference 1s th1s Week. 1 am so exc1ted. General Conference Number 3!!! Oh by the way Happy Easter th1s weekend. Don’t forget to send me down some of those eggs full of candy. :) 1f you want to send down some good-flavored Dor1tos 1 would be f1ne w1th that as well… :)
Can you bel1eve how fast March flew by?... 1t flew by. We ended the month w1th 11 Bapt1sms. Eleven Bapt1sms… We d1dn’t break our Record but we feel very happy for the success that we had. The jungle 1s a spec1al place. 1 love be1ng here 1n the Jungle… 1 can’t wa1t for you guys to come here w1th me and meet all of my fr1ends…actually all of my fam1ly. 1 love the people and 1 love the culture. 1 now honestly feel at home here…
1t ra1ned really hard th1s week. We were totally not expect1ng 1t and we got soak1ng wet. 1 actually fell down because the water got so h1gh that 1 couldn’t see the ground beneath me. 1t was totally embarrass1ng. We got back to the house to eat lunch and we got changed as well… 1t was way fun to get caught 1n a huge rainstorm. I don’t know what happened, but now the letters “i” and “k” and the comma are working. I really don’t like computers…
I have been having a couple troubles with my companion, but what can I do? Next week are the Changes and we’ll see what happens. I am just being patient and putting up with it. I have cried many times not having anyone to go to. (Where’s Mom and Dad?) But really I am doing okay… Just pray for me always and never forget about your little Coco… :)
Dallis is starting to drive?!?!? How crazy!!! That is so cool. I am sure that he will be a great driver because he takes after his oldest brother… :) I can’t wait to drive a car again. It’s now been 17 months since I haven’t driven, and I found out yesterday as well that I have forgotten the last steps of the Rubix Cube because I couldn’t do it yesterday at the Stake President’s house during lunch. (By the way, we eat lunch every Sunday with the Stake President. How cool is that?)
I love you so much family. Take care this week and have tons of fun moving… I am so excited… :) I love my eternal family. Never forget about me and always pray for me. I love you so much. I’ll let you know about Changes next week… I love you!!!
Love you Forever, Coco
Just so you know, the computer 1 am writing on....the letter “i” and “k” and the comma don’t work so i have to use the alt key and the number pad. But other than that i am wr1t1ng you. 1t’s eas1er to use the number 1 to wr1te the “i” so just know that “1” 1s the letter “i” today. 1 really hate Computers… Anyway…
Mom 1 hope you had a great B1rthday and that you were able to relax a l1ttle b1t from school and work on the home. 1 want you to know that we celebrated your B1rthday down here. The lady who l1ves 1n our house and that takes care of us heard me record1ng “Happy B1rthday” when 1 sang 1t and recorded 1t on my tape recorder. 1n the n1ghtt1me she supr1sed me by throw1ng a surpr1se B1rthday Party for you… We ate Pucallpan p1zza and a huge chocolate cake w1th Coca-Cola. 1 felt so loved and spec1al. Mom 1 love you so much and hope that your B1rthday was wonderful. 1 th1nk you have also rece1ved the best B1rthday present ever… THE MOVE!!! 1t’s Mov1ng Week!!! How exc1t1ng!!! 1 am so exc1ted!!! 1 am go1ng to be so happy when you guys are all settled down and relaxed 1n the new house. 1 can’t wa1t to set foot 1n the new home… What a day 1t w1ll be… We m1ght end up mov1ng at the same t1me… Next Monday 1 f1nd out Changes. 1 w1ll f1nd out 1f 1 am stay1ng or go1ng. Th1s Change passed by so fast. Only 5 Changes left… Can you bel1eve that 1 now have 17 Months!!! Wahoo!!! And General Conference 1s th1s Week. 1 am so exc1ted. General Conference Number 3!!! Oh by the way Happy Easter th1s weekend. Don’t forget to send me down some of those eggs full of candy. :) 1f you want to send down some good-flavored Dor1tos 1 would be f1ne w1th that as well… :)
Can you bel1eve how fast March flew by?... 1t flew by. We ended the month w1th 11 Bapt1sms. Eleven Bapt1sms… We d1dn’t break our Record but we feel very happy for the success that we had. The jungle 1s a spec1al place. 1 love be1ng here 1n the Jungle… 1 can’t wa1t for you guys to come here w1th me and meet all of my fr1ends…actually all of my fam1ly. 1 love the people and 1 love the culture. 1 now honestly feel at home here…
1t ra1ned really hard th1s week. We were totally not expect1ng 1t and we got soak1ng wet. 1 actually fell down because the water got so h1gh that 1 couldn’t see the ground beneath me. 1t was totally embarrass1ng. We got back to the house to eat lunch and we got changed as well… 1t was way fun to get caught 1n a huge rainstorm. I don’t know what happened, but now the letters “i” and “k” and the comma are working. I really don’t like computers…
I have been having a couple troubles with my companion, but what can I do? Next week are the Changes and we’ll see what happens. I am just being patient and putting up with it. I have cried many times not having anyone to go to. (Where’s Mom and Dad?) But really I am doing okay… Just pray for me always and never forget about your little Coco… :)
Dallis is starting to drive?!?!? How crazy!!! That is so cool. I am sure that he will be a great driver because he takes after his oldest brother… :) I can’t wait to drive a car again. It’s now been 17 months since I haven’t driven, and I found out yesterday as well that I have forgotten the last steps of the Rubix Cube because I couldn’t do it yesterday at the Stake President’s house during lunch. (By the way, we eat lunch every Sunday with the Stake President. How cool is that?)
I love you so much family. Take care this week and have tons of fun moving… I am so excited… :) I love my eternal family. Never forget about me and always pray for me. I love you so much. I’ll let you know about Changes next week… I love you!!!
Love you Forever, Coco
Thursday, March 4, 2010
"I love every day that God gives me!"
March 1, 2010 - Hey Family,
How’s everything going? Wow. I feel great to be here in the jungle of Pucallpa. It is so hot. We got here on Wednesday and it was raining like crazy. It is amazing how much it rains here in the jungle. We got to our house with mud on our suitcases, but everything is okay. I live in a comfortable house. We have a tile floor, a roof over our heads, mosquito nets, and we even have crown molding in our house. It is a comfy home. The only thing I get really nervous about when "changes" happen, is how my new house is going to be. So I feel good knowing that my house is kept up and nice. Thursday the sun shined all day, and Friday, Saturday, and yesterday as well. I think the sun is much closer here becuase it heats the day up. Everyday is a scorcher, but I absolutely love it. I honestly feel so happy to be here, and I don’t think there is a single moment that I don’t have a smile on my face. I am so happy to be back in the jungle. The poeple are so much happier here and life is much more fun. We get to travel in Motos, which are the motorcycle taxis. I love just hopping in a Moto and getting taken wherever I need to be. I am back to cold showers again. I had to get used to it again because I had seven-and-a-half months in Lima with a warm shower everyday. I can tell you guys again that cold showers are survivable. We already got served my favorite food...alligator. it was delicious and I am so excited to be able to eat even more. :) My new companion is Elder Padilla from Jalapa, Guatemala. He is a lot of fun and kind of reminds me of a mix between Diddy Kong and the squirrel from Ice Age that is always chasing the acorn. He is a fun kid. He has three months in the Mission and is an excellent Missionary. Remember when I had three months? Oh man, how long ago was that? I now have 16 Months!!! Can you belive it? Every month that goes by still amazes me. This month of March is March of Records. Every companionship is working towards beating the record that their area had in the last year. My area is Vista Alegre and the record in one month last year was 13 Baptisms. Our goal is to have 14 Baptisms, but we would like to have 20 in the month of March. Right now, we have 9 Baptismal Dates set for the month of March, so we are getting there. With a little more faith and more work, we are going to surpass 13. Fun and exciting news: We are teaching a wonderful family of 5. It is a dad, mom, and their 3 boys...just like our family. They are all planning to get baptized on March 13th. The mom and dad just got married a week ago to prepare for their baptism. I am so excited to be teaching a family. Please pray for them, that they may always have strength to overcome their challenges so that they can be baptized on the 13th. It is so wonderful to be teaching a family just like the one I have...boyzrus. :)
I feel like all the work and stress of being Personal Secretary has been taken off of my shoulders and put on someone else’s. I absolutely loved my work and I loved being there, but the Field is awesome as well. You always get to be around other Missionaries helping them progress, and always encouraging them to be happy and have success. Don’t worry about me at all. I have grown up now. I think the Offices helped me realize that the Mission is totally possible. All I have to do is work, be obedient, and have fun in the Work, and the Mission will pass by like nothing. I know that it is completely possible. So, please don’t worry about me. I am more than fine. I am happy and can’t express the joy that I have being here with the people of Pucallpa. It is so nice. My District is awesome. I have great Elders in my District. They are always happy, and we all want to work hard and break our Records. Pray for me to have strength as District Leader, to be able to encourage and help the other Elders out and serve them at all times, and to love them. I want them to be able to enjoy the Mission as much as I have. Spiritual experiences are what make a Missionary happy so I want to help them have many baptisms and bring many of God’s children to the truth. Please keep me in your prayers. I need your strength...
There was an earthquake in Chile??? Just kidding. I knew that a huge earthquake took place in Chile, but where I am, we didn’t feel a thing. We didn’t even know it had happened until the members that next day had watched the news and informed us that an earthquake had taken place. Everything is going fine here in Pucallpa. We are enjoying the warm weather and the sunshine. Just so you know, there are not many mosquitos here. I put on sunscreen and bug repellent in the morning, the afternoon, and before going to bed, and then I also sleep with a mosquito net, so don’t worry about me getting dengue. I am totally fine, plus I am a Missionary. What is a little mosquito going to do? God doesn’t want us stuck in bed, sick and doing nothing. He wants us out preaching His Gospel. So if I follow the rules and put repellent on everyday, I don’t have anything to worry about. :)
Dallis, good luck with your lesson next week. Studying the Scriptures is a great topic. Just remember that you should always start and end your study with a prayer asking God to help you read and understand the Scriptures clearly, that you may receive personal revelation, and that you may be able to apply what you learn to your life. I love reading the Scriptures. It makes the day go by so much better if I am able to get in a good study of the Scriptures in the morning. They give me strength, and I love learning about the stories, cultures, and people that are in the Scriptures, and especially those that are in the Book of Mormon. Read them daily. It’s a Commandment. Take ten minutes out of watching TV and playing Nintendo to read the Scriptures. God will bless you tons for doing it. I love you Dallis. That’s right Bud, only 8 Fast Sundays left... Keep the lists going... I love you.
Chase, have so much fun in school, and keep up your grades, and don’t stress out. Just enjoy life and school. Life is meant to be enjoyed even when we have a million things to do. That’s why I am always happy. I love life. I love every day that God gives me. I am so happy to just be living and I am even more happy knowing that I have such a special family. Good Luck with MDT and keep me updated with the results of BYU MDT. I really hope you make it so that we can do it together. I love you Bud.
Mom and Dad, I love you so much. This is moving month right? Keep working hard on the house. It is going to be absolutely beautiful. I am so excited to move into a new house when I get home. I don’t deserve it. And I don’t deserve you two. Mom and Dad, you are the two most special people in my life. Know that I love you beyond what words can express and that this Mission is only possible because I have you. I love you so much and still cannot get over the amount of blessings that Heavenly Father has given me by letting me be a part of your lives. I love you two so much. Never forget that. And never forget, that your good-looking little Coco is down here in Pucallpa, Peru enjoying the Mission, and is totally fine. I love you so much. Take care until next week.
Love, Coco
How’s everything going? Wow. I feel great to be here in the jungle of Pucallpa. It is so hot. We got here on Wednesday and it was raining like crazy. It is amazing how much it rains here in the jungle. We got to our house with mud on our suitcases, but everything is okay. I live in a comfortable house. We have a tile floor, a roof over our heads, mosquito nets, and we even have crown molding in our house. It is a comfy home. The only thing I get really nervous about when "changes" happen, is how my new house is going to be. So I feel good knowing that my house is kept up and nice. Thursday the sun shined all day, and Friday, Saturday, and yesterday as well. I think the sun is much closer here becuase it heats the day up. Everyday is a scorcher, but I absolutely love it. I honestly feel so happy to be here, and I don’t think there is a single moment that I don’t have a smile on my face. I am so happy to be back in the jungle. The poeple are so much happier here and life is much more fun. We get to travel in Motos, which are the motorcycle taxis. I love just hopping in a Moto and getting taken wherever I need to be. I am back to cold showers again. I had to get used to it again because I had seven-and-a-half months in Lima with a warm shower everyday. I can tell you guys again that cold showers are survivable. We already got served my favorite food...alligator. it was delicious and I am so excited to be able to eat even more. :) My new companion is Elder Padilla from Jalapa, Guatemala. He is a lot of fun and kind of reminds me of a mix between Diddy Kong and the squirrel from Ice Age that is always chasing the acorn. He is a fun kid. He has three months in the Mission and is an excellent Missionary. Remember when I had three months? Oh man, how long ago was that? I now have 16 Months!!! Can you belive it? Every month that goes by still amazes me. This month of March is March of Records. Every companionship is working towards beating the record that their area had in the last year. My area is Vista Alegre and the record in one month last year was 13 Baptisms. Our goal is to have 14 Baptisms, but we would like to have 20 in the month of March. Right now, we have 9 Baptismal Dates set for the month of March, so we are getting there. With a little more faith and more work, we are going to surpass 13. Fun and exciting news: We are teaching a wonderful family of 5. It is a dad, mom, and their 3 boys...just like our family. They are all planning to get baptized on March 13th. The mom and dad just got married a week ago to prepare for their baptism. I am so excited to be teaching a family. Please pray for them, that they may always have strength to overcome their challenges so that they can be baptized on the 13th. It is so wonderful to be teaching a family just like the one I have...boyzrus. :)
I feel like all the work and stress of being Personal Secretary has been taken off of my shoulders and put on someone else’s. I absolutely loved my work and I loved being there, but the Field is awesome as well. You always get to be around other Missionaries helping them progress, and always encouraging them to be happy and have success. Don’t worry about me at all. I have grown up now. I think the Offices helped me realize that the Mission is totally possible. All I have to do is work, be obedient, and have fun in the Work, and the Mission will pass by like nothing. I know that it is completely possible. So, please don’t worry about me. I am more than fine. I am happy and can’t express the joy that I have being here with the people of Pucallpa. It is so nice. My District is awesome. I have great Elders in my District. They are always happy, and we all want to work hard and break our Records. Pray for me to have strength as District Leader, to be able to encourage and help the other Elders out and serve them at all times, and to love them. I want them to be able to enjoy the Mission as much as I have. Spiritual experiences are what make a Missionary happy so I want to help them have many baptisms and bring many of God’s children to the truth. Please keep me in your prayers. I need your strength...
There was an earthquake in Chile??? Just kidding. I knew that a huge earthquake took place in Chile, but where I am, we didn’t feel a thing. We didn’t even know it had happened until the members that next day had watched the news and informed us that an earthquake had taken place. Everything is going fine here in Pucallpa. We are enjoying the warm weather and the sunshine. Just so you know, there are not many mosquitos here. I put on sunscreen and bug repellent in the morning, the afternoon, and before going to bed, and then I also sleep with a mosquito net, so don’t worry about me getting dengue. I am totally fine, plus I am a Missionary. What is a little mosquito going to do? God doesn’t want us stuck in bed, sick and doing nothing. He wants us out preaching His Gospel. So if I follow the rules and put repellent on everyday, I don’t have anything to worry about. :)
Dallis, good luck with your lesson next week. Studying the Scriptures is a great topic. Just remember that you should always start and end your study with a prayer asking God to help you read and understand the Scriptures clearly, that you may receive personal revelation, and that you may be able to apply what you learn to your life. I love reading the Scriptures. It makes the day go by so much better if I am able to get in a good study of the Scriptures in the morning. They give me strength, and I love learning about the stories, cultures, and people that are in the Scriptures, and especially those that are in the Book of Mormon. Read them daily. It’s a Commandment. Take ten minutes out of watching TV and playing Nintendo to read the Scriptures. God will bless you tons for doing it. I love you Dallis. That’s right Bud, only 8 Fast Sundays left... Keep the lists going... I love you.
Chase, have so much fun in school, and keep up your grades, and don’t stress out. Just enjoy life and school. Life is meant to be enjoyed even when we have a million things to do. That’s why I am always happy. I love life. I love every day that God gives me. I am so happy to just be living and I am even more happy knowing that I have such a special family. Good Luck with MDT and keep me updated with the results of BYU MDT. I really hope you make it so that we can do it together. I love you Bud.
Mom and Dad, I love you so much. This is moving month right? Keep working hard on the house. It is going to be absolutely beautiful. I am so excited to move into a new house when I get home. I don’t deserve it. And I don’t deserve you two. Mom and Dad, you are the two most special people in my life. Know that I love you beyond what words can express and that this Mission is only possible because I have you. I love you so much and still cannot get over the amount of blessings that Heavenly Father has given me by letting me be a part of your lives. I love you two so much. Never forget that. And never forget, that your good-looking little Coco is down here in Pucallpa, Peru enjoying the Mission, and is totally fine. I love you so much. Take care until next week.
Love, Coco
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
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.
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
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