Week 83: Templo en Los Olivos!

Buenos Días a todos!

So this week was pretty good. I have been a little sick lately but we've still been working hard to bring people to Christ. As of right now we don't have anyone with a baptismal date but this last week we found a new family that were going to start working with. They are only home on the weekends but were determined to marry and baptize a family this coming month. We also received this sweet referral from Elder Von Gunten and Elder Marino, his name is Juan Ramon. He lives right next to the chapel and has already gone the church several times. He is actually Chileno but lives in Italia but his wife is Peruvian so that is why he is here, he is a cool guy! 

Also, last weekend the area presidency announced that the new temple in Lima is going to be in Los Olivos! That is only about 10 to 20 minutes from where I'm at! It is going to be a huge blessing for the people here in Comas and in the surrounding cities. 

Anyways, I know that this email is short and that I haven't sent pictures for a while, but I promise that next week it will be longer and there will be pictures!

Have a great week!

Elder Potter

Week 82: A Little Sick...Next Week Will Be Better

Dear Familia,

My week was kinda rough, some of the baptismal dates in the zone fell through which was kind of frustrating and I've been a little sick this week. But I know that this week is going to be better. Tenemos que hacer todo lo que podamos con buen animo DyC 123, last 3 verses. It is going to be a good week! Time goes by way, way to fast! I can't believe Talise is home.  I'm happy to hear that her mission changed her, that is what a mission should do, mine is definitely changing me, para el bien. 

This week I'm finishing up the New Testament for the first time. I have about 6 pages left of Apocolipsis (Revelation), there are plenty of things that I still don't understand but something that has stood out to me is that it talks a lot about how Christ was preordained to be our Savior before the world was made. It is amazing to me that someone so perfect would suffer die, and go through so much pain to save the whole human race from its imperfections. I really do love our Savior and I am so grateful for what He has done for me and for everyone. If we trust in Him, everything will go much better for us. Mateo 11:27 al 30. 

There were actually several big earthquakes this past weekend in Japan and Mexico. Luckily Quito is far away from where the epicenter of the earthquake was. My companions family is okay and nothing happened to them, but 7.8 is an enormous terremoto! 

Love, 

Elder Potter

Week 81: Elecciones!

Muy buenos días a todos!

So this week was a little different for the mission because Peru had its presidential elections on Sunday and there is a law here that prohibits all religious groups from congregating the day of the elections until 4:00 PM so we didn't have reunions yesterday. But at night we planned an awesome zone activity that for our investigators of the whole zone. We saw "Meet the Mormons" and the Spirit was really felt there and we all left more determined to "seguir adelante" or endure to the end. 

I've thought a lot about my mission this week and what I've done with my time here in Lima and I honestly feel very happy and blessed to be here. I have grown to love the people, their crazy traditions, and sometimes I feel more Peruvian than Utahn (don't worry, I still love Utah). But I have felt very blessed to know these people and help them live the restored gospel. This week Katia and Elizabet are going to pass through their final interviews and be baptized this week. We looked for Jose Delcarpio all week long but couldn't find him until yesterday night, the military is making him take a lot of exams, I just hope hes going to stay in Lima for a little longer. 

Anyways, that all I got time for this week! Que les vaya muy bien a todos!

Elder Potter 

Elder Potter, Elder Yohari, Bishop Fernandez and his wife

Elder Iglesias (new companion) and Elder Potter

Week 80: Otro templo en Lima!

Hola familia y amigos, 

Esta semana fue chevere. This week was good! I'm with my new companion Elder Iglesias now from Quito, Ecuador (where they are going to build one of the new temples that was announced yesterday) and we are super excited for this month! In March we didn't finish as well as we wanted too but this month we already have a ton of potential in the zone and were going have a lot of success. 

General Conference was awesome this past weekend! I love many of the talks and really felt the Spirit. But the best part was when the Spirit flooded the chapel so strongly when President Monson announced that they are going to build another temple in Lima. I have come to really love la gente limeña a lot and I am so happy for them, so many more families will be made eternal. I'll never forget the Spirit that was felt in the dedication of the Trujillo temple back in August, and I know that it will be just as spiritual for the people of Lima Peru. I'm so happy for them!

Right now Elder Iglesias and I are working with a family, a mother and daughter. Their names are Elizabet and Katia, they were a reference from another sister from the Belaunde ward and they are awesome! We were sad because they couldn't come to conference and I feel that that was a crucial part of their preparation for baptism next week. But apart from that, they are doing really well and progressing. 

My last week with Elder Yohari we found this awesome new guy! His name is Jose Delcarpio and his a commander (comandante) in the military that lives here in Lima from time to time. He usually stations down south in Puno but he is going to be here in Lima until the end of Abril when he is going to have una asignación (task?) in the middle east. It is interesting how God puts the people who are ready to hear and accept the gospel in your way. At first, he just wanted me to teach him in English because all of his bosses in the middle east only speak English. I told him that I would teach him a little bit of the gospel in English but that I'm here in Peru to preach the gospel, not to teach English classes. As we began talking and sharing the Restauración with him he found and intrinsic value in the message and attended church last Sunday. He also came to 2 sessions of conference yesterday and told us the the music really touched his soul and that he felt at peace. We explained to him that that was the Spirit that he felt, hes gaining a testimony. I love it when people dive into the gospel and realize why Christ is so important in their lives. 

Anyways, many other things happened this week that I would love to tell you all about, but the time is short, so I'll write a little more next week. 

Love, 

 

Elder Potter

Here's a picture of when our investigator Elizabet smashed an egg on Elder Yohari's head last week for his birthday jaja