Week 102: Ya se acerca el fin!

Muy buenos dias a todos!

Well, this is it! This is officially my last week here in Lima, Peru as a missionary and representative of Jesus Christ. I feel so blessed for have being called to serve these great people, I definitely feel like my heart is going to stay here in Lima, but I also have faith that the Lord will bless me in whatever comes next. 

Elder de la Flor and I have been giving it all we got lately, we have been working super hard and have found several great new families to teach and to possibly baptize in the near future. Christian and Melisa have been passing a few family problems as well as John and Elizabet, but they have still been coming to church and reading the Book of Mormon and praying. The little things is what is keeping them together. 

I am so grateful for the gospel in my life, it has made me a better, more hopeful, and much happier person. I really do know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that the Book of Mormon testifies of Him and convinces us of His divine nature to be able to heal us in every way possible. I know that José Smith was really a prophet and that Thomas S. Monson is a living day prophet. The gospel of Jesus Christ really does work!

Espero que todos tengan una buena semana!

Elder Potter

Dinner with other missionaries

The city

Week 101: ¡Va a llover en septiembre! (It will rain in September!)

Buenos días!

This week was super awesome! Elder de la Flor and I had a lot of success and we now have 6 investigadores with a baptismal date for the 24 of September (my mission birthday)! It is going to rain in September! (I think he means it is going to rain baptisms!) Those that are going to be baptized are Christian and Melisa and their 14 year old daughter Ana Claudia, the other family is Jhon and Elizabet and their 12 year old son Fabian. They are so great and excited to be baptized. They went to a ward party with the Obispo Albujar on Friday night and they loved it! They told us that it really surprised them because they thought that it was prohibited to dance in the church, that was kind of funny. They all came to church on Sunday as well as 3 other investigadores. It was a good week. 

Also, I think I have an addiction to food from the selva because for lunch on Wednesday we found an awesome selva restaurant, so we ate tacacho con cecina y chorizo de la selva. It was awesome! Also, Jhon and Elizabet are from the selva and also have fried bananas in their house that they give us, its the best. 

Well, that is about all for this week! Have a good one!

Love, 

Elder Potter

Elder Potter and the land he has grown to love so much!

Santa Isabel city lights from the hills

 La zona Santa Isabel after some futbol and volleyball.

Tacacho con cecina con, Hermana Fenn,  Hermana Prieto, Elder Potter and Elder de la Flor eating jungle food.

Week 100: Una vez mas a San Juan de Lurigancho!

Muy buenos días!

This was another great week for Elder de la Flor and I here in Santa Isabel! We kicked it off by going to San Juan de Lurigancho on Monday. We got permission from the assistants to go to get some suits down and it brought back A LOT of memories. We had to pass by one of my favorite areas, Los Manzanos to get there and it made me remember a lot of people, converts, and friends that I had left behind in that area. I came to become friends with so many great people there that put their trust in the Lord and in His Atonement to be able to change their lives. I'm grateful for missionary work and the Atonement, it really does change peoples lives for the better. 

I have also got an update on Christian and Melisa for this week. Last Friday Melisa went through a surgery that left her on bed rest and she can't really move at all, so we couldn't get them written into the wedding for this month. They're going to be getting married and baptized at the end of September. Even though I won't be here for those two big events, I have seen great changes in them and in their family. They read the Book of Mormon every day and have gained a testimony of it. Just as I know the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, they also know it. They have came so much closer to God by reading the Book of Mormon, it is the secret to happiness. 

This week we worked really hard and were able to find a few new families to teach. They weren't able to come to church but I know that if we can teach them again this week and get them to read the Book of Mormon they will come. 

Anyway, the work is going good down here in Lima! ¡Que tengan una buena semana! 

Elder Potter

 

Happy 20th Birthday Elder Potter

Birthday celebration the Peruvian way

Happy birthday Elder Potter with companion and sweet Peruvian sister

Elder Potter's almost birthday lunch

La Hermana Jacky prepared takacho con cecina with arroz chaufa for us! It is a food from la selva (jungle). Takacho is salted fried and dried green bananas, it is pretty much the best thing some one can eat.

The tunnel to San Juan de Lurigancho. Add caption

The other food picture is un juane. Its a special rice that they prepare with a boiled egg and chicken or turkey in the selva that they cook inside of a special leaf tha its only found in the selva. Also super good.

Elder Potter and Elder de la Flor in their area

 

Week 99: Mas Milagros

Muy buenos días a todos!

I cant believe how fast the time flies by! Elder de la Flor and I had another super awesome week! Last Sunday one of Elder de la Flors converts from his last area called him and told him that they had family that lived in our area that wanted to hear the gospel and get to know the church. Their names are Jhon y Elizabet. They have two sons, their names are Fabian (12) and Renson(5). When we taught them the Restoration the Spirit was so strong! Then we went back and we taught them a little more about the Book of Mormon and they promised to pray and ask God if the book is true. It is amazing to me how the Spirit works, he answers us in such personal ways that it makes it evident that God knows and loves His children. They came to church yesterday and they loved it! We are preparing them to get married and baptized in September. 

We also had a miracle happen this week after we had done everything we could. We found Christian and Melisa the first week of the change and they wanted to get married and baptized but the last day to write them into the marriage for this month was last Thursday. But we did all we could. We made tons of phone calls with some leaders and we got all of the documents ready and legalized right on time, but there was one thing missing....la partida de nacimiento of Christian (who is de Trujillo, about 8 hours from Lima). We prayed and prayed for the municipalidad (the city basically) to give us more time. And they did! They are giving us up until today to write them in! God really does answer our prayers and work miracles in our lives after we have done all we can. Es por la gracia de Cristo que nos salvamos, después de haber hecho cuanto podamos.

Well, that is all I got time for this week! I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Elder Potter

 

A service project with Christian and Melisa our investigators. Christian Elder de la Flor, Elder Potter, Hermana Soto, Hermana Bozarth, and Melisa at the top of a hill.

Hermana Soto, Hermana Bozarth, Elder Potter and Elder de la Flor

Our zone with the new mission president- President Godfrey and his wife

Our area looking down from the hills

Elder de la Flor and the hills

After a busy day Elder Potter is exhausted!

Week 98: Milagros y bendiciones!

Hola!

Esta semana fue lo máximo! This week was awesome, it was easily one the best weeks I have had on my mission! On Tuesday I received my new companion, Elder de la Flor from Chimbote, Perú and we have already become really great friends and a great missionary team. We knew each other a little bit when we were in the same zone in Canto Chico. 

This week was filled with miracles and blessings as well because of work that we have done. Our first day together we went up on the hill to look for an old contact that I did with Elder Landero named Christian, but we couldn't find him. We felt that we should go back down the hill which didn't make much sense to us because sometimes it can be quite the job to go up the hills, but we decided to be obedient to the voice. We went down, and guess who was there? Christian Y su esposa Gabriela! They let us share a short message with them in that moment and invited us to come by their house the following day. We went, but only Grabriellas dad was there. His name is also Christian. He let us come in and share a quick message with him and he loved it! He invited us to come by the next day, we went, and his wife Melissa was there as well as her daughter Ana Claudia! Long story short, they invited us to come by their house every day last week and Christian, Melisa, and Ana Claudia came to church on Sunday as well as 4 other investigadores! They are really thinking about baptism now, were going to have to marry them but that wont be a problem because there is ward members in Sta. Isabel that have family members from where they are from that could send their partidas de nacimiento here to Lima. 

The Lord truly did bless us this week! There is a ton of other great things that happened us well but I'm running low on time so it will have to be for another time! 

Bueno, cuídense todos!

Elder Potter 

Elder Potter and Elder de la Flor on the hill

Elder Potter

Elder Potter, Elder Souza, Elder Huaman y Elder Terrones exploring the hills on pday

Sunset in Torre Blanca

Week 97: Cambios! (Change)

Hola!

This week has passed by super fast! And a lot has happened as well! Our zone finished of the month fairly well with 17 baptisms, we were hoping to finish with a little bit more, but a few of the families we were trying to get married didn't quite get there. But the good thing is that they are going to be married and baptized this month. Our area is also marching along, yesterday we had 3 investigadores in church, so that really got me excited to give Santa Isabel all I got this change. 

Speaking of changes.... Elder Landero has a change, he is going to be going to the offices as President Godfrey's secretary, he's pretty excited. My new companion is going to be Elder de la Flor from Chimbote, Peru and I am super excited to work with him! I knew him when were in Canto Chico and we became pretty good friends. At that time he was a new missionary but he has really progressed a lot and were going to be serving as zone leaders, it is going to be awesome! There is also a ton of other changes in the zone and there is going to be 2 new missionaries so its going to be a great opportunity to train and help the zone progress. One of my best companions and friends, Elder Jesus, is also finishing his mission today. 

This week we also had a special meeting with President Godfrey, the assistants, and the zone leaders from Magnolias and Canto Grande about a couple of changes that are going to be happening in the mission. With President Erickson we verified with the district leaders every night to see how their investigators were doing, to verify their indicadores and to see how the missionaries were doing personally, but now were only going to be verifying on Sundays. It is a big change, but it is going to help our district leaders learn to be more self sufficient. It is going to be an interesting change. 

Well, I think that's about all for this week! Espero que tengan una buena semana! 

Elder Potter

I went on a work visit with one of my good friends Elder Zarate from Cochabamba, Bolivia and we had a super awesome and succesful day so we finished it off with Pizza Raul and a nice cold Inca Kola!

And it's gone!

Week 96: ¡Fuimos al zoo!

Hola!

Another week has came and gone, every week just passes by faster and faster and faster. This last week was really great! Some really cool things happened. 

To kick it all off, we went to a zoo for our p-day, which is a big deal in our mission because theres not much to do for p-day except play futbol. But we received special permission this week to go to El Parque de las Leyendas en San Miguel, its a huge zoo here in Lima and it was awesome! Ill send a few pictures for ya'll! 

Also, this week a family of 5, la familia Trejo (Jose, Nancy, Grecia, Arnold, y Friseli) was baptized in our zone! They are not from my area but I've gotten to know them because of the interview that I've done with them. I have said it before, but every time I interview someone I always feel the power of the Atonement working in the hearts and souls of the people. The Spirit is always so strong! It was a great moment for us to witness their baptisms. I don't have pictures because I forgot my camera, but it was awesome. Also, Jose, the dad has my birthday! He is only the 2nd person that I know that has my birthday. 

Well, those are some of the highlights from this week! ¡Que tengan una buena semana!

Elder Potter

La Zona Santa Isabel at TGI Fridays after the zoo

Elder Potter at the Zoo

Zone bus ride to the zoo

Elder Potter at the Zoo

Lion at the Zoo