Christmastime Hospital Adventures

12/19/16 So first things first... I've been sick the past 3 days. worst part is that I have no idea what I have, I just feel suuuuper aweak with no energy and nausea. Today I'm feeling a bit better, but we shall see how that goes. I go to Iquitos today to finish my passport business, so that'll be cool! Other than that the work has been picking up! we have an entire family that's accepted the baptismal invitation so I'm happy about that, only problem is that they're not married so we might have the opportunity to marry someone! should be fun haha. it being Christmas-time I'm actually a little homesick... so that's kinda new. All I know is that the more I focus on the work the better things seem to be! As far as individual days go, I don't remember all that much so I'll give a brief summary. Week started off good but by mid-week I was having comp trouble. I won't say anything other than common sense is not common... so in the midst of that I got sick and have been on and off dead since Friday afternoon. Fun! Lately I've been reading in D&C and there's some super profound stuff in there thats been helping me as of late. Especially sections 8,9 and 10. And that about sums up this week, really fast just an open apology to anyone I have not responded to. I don't ever have enough time and I type slow... sorry. I love you all and hope everyone has a great week!

p.s. no pics this week... i will send a bunch next monday!

12/26/16 So i really don't know how to start this... but this week was awful. Dengue is the absolute worst, for those of you who don't know, my sickness escalated to Dengue Fever, which is almost the same thing as death haha. Monday I flew out to Iquitos to take care of migrations paperwork, and while I was there I got a nice fever, not fun... and I had that fever until this past Friday. When I got back to Pucallpa Tuesday I collapsed and was hospitalized, and until literally an hour and a half ago, I was in a hospital bed with an iv stuck in my arm. fun! Although I cant be complaining because we actually had a baptism this Saturday! I couldn't go to it but I heard it was awesome. More baptisms should be following! In case anyone is wondering what Christmas is like in a Peruvian hospital, it's pretty much the same as every other day... so other than calling home, Christmas was pretty bland haha. As of right now I want to work more than I ever have in my life. Being sick here is the worst and I felt like a burden all week. These next couple of days will be focused on recovering my energy and the work! Can't wait to get back in the game. Also, I am so grateful for all who prayed for me, I have no doubt that your prayers helped. I love all of you and I can't wait to report bigger and better things next week. 

¡Chao! -Elder Grover

So fun to huddle around the Ipad. The Skype connection failed several times but we did get to talk for a while and the video worked for a few precious minutes! I wondered why he would opt for a white shirt in the hospital and he said the hospital "gowns" were like a mini-skirt on him! And he is anxious to get back to work and be productive. He's lost 25 lbs.- Ten from eating less and walking a ton, and the other from being sick. 

20-Year Old EGGHEAD

12/12/16 So remember last week? I definitely don't! Man was this week a complete turn around, so many things went so much better and I was just loving it. Funny thing is that everything didn't go well... it was just better than last week so I was real happy haha. most of the days were really similar (with the exception of my birthday (: ) so here's a brief overview: 

Monday: p-day will always be a breath of fresh air, I get to write you all, relax and explore. the end of the day is proselyting but if I remember correctly, it went well!

Tuesday: In all honesty, all I remember about Tuesday was we talked to a bunch of people and got turned down... but we did have some awesome discussions!

Wednesday: RAIN. A LOT of rain haha, and when there is rain, there's mud... and oh boy is the mud crazy. my rain boots get a lot of use when there's rain so that's kinda fun. other than that proselyting was the usual, walking and talking. 

Thursday: Zone Conference! pretty much all day we were inside, and I didn't know this but zone conferences are actual a big deal. President Li came down here and we (2 zones) ate dinner with him and sang songs haha. it was a fun day in general haha.

Friday: we went on exchanges today and i went with a gringo! Elder Thomas is his name and he's my zone leader. he's also the one in the pictures haha. And boy is he a good missionary. the thing is he actually teaches me. He forced me to get out of my comfort zone and it helped me a ton, so shout out to him.

Saturday: Birthday!!! so in the morning was service and I got to chop grass with a machete... kinda interesting but fun haha the rest of the day was normal except that night... my pension bought an actual cake... and then I got my face shoved in it... :) didn't really mind it cause it tasted really good haha but then later... my zone leaders who i live with pulled out a weird Peruvian tradition. I got eggs and flour dumped on my head... was I thrilled? haha no. took me a couple minutes to forgive then but when it was all said and done it was a fun experience.

Sunday: Church and proselyting. not much happened other than that haha.

In general things are improving and I'm hoping to see some progress with the people soon. I'm usually hungry (mostly because I eat a lot in general and I don't think Peruvians are used to feeding 6 foot 5 clowns like me) but that's ok. I'm actually trying to get used to it because I think as far as the mission goes, we don't get a ton of food. And no I'm not spending a ton of money on snacks, I'm trying to break that habit too. my comp is still good (he's from arrequipa peru btw) I don't know tall he is but he doesn't go past my shoulder... so yeah

The scripture for the week is Alma 17, go give it a read if you want some spiritual goodness. love you all and hope you all have a great week!

Email 2: I'm officially out of time so this email is illegal, please apologize to people that I don't respond to, I really am always short on time. Also tell grandma terry I love her letters, and I love her too. She's awesome! love you!

Muddy Times and 24-hour Fasts

12/5/16 Yes I finally got a camera, it cost a little more than i was hoping but at this point i dont really care... just happy to have one! this week was a learning week. and when i say learning week i mean it pretty much sucked... like alot. but thats ok because it means i should be growing (hopefully not in height im aready a freak show here). as requested ill do a weekly recap of each day (more or less) so here we go!

Monday: pday!!! it was definitely needed (every pday is great). i got to explore both of the actual malls that are here and that was super cool but it made me both homesick and weirded out. homesick because i saw alot of familiar stuff that reminded me of home and weirded out because there are two giant malls in the middle of the jungle... of course ts city but before there was city there was jungle... weird. anyways later we contacted and one of my zone leaders got the stomach flu and he asked me to give a blessing! super cool experience.

Tuesday and Wednesday: both days were super frustrating as I felt like I wasnt making much progress, and the work here is slow. there's not many people to teach and we have a giant area. It doesnt make much sense I know but it's true. We are usually getting shut down by angry moms and super religious old guys with no teeth. However after a lot of prayer i realized it all depends on me and my attitude, so Wednesday night I decided the next day I'd have a good attitude...

Thursday: woke up in a bad mood. like really bad. No idea why, I just did, so during study i wasnt happy, and then my comp talked to me about patience and its importance. So I tell myself, ok im going to be patient! AND THEN, on the way to lunch we found a car stuck in mud, so what do we do? Serve! long story short I got plastered with mud... not so patient anymore... throughout the rest of the day I kept trying to better my attitude but it wasnt working, and then god stepped in. we have possibly 3 new investigators and an entire family to teach... such a tender mercy. My prayer that night was long...

Friday: so back home friday is usually a fun day with alot of relaxing and getting ready for the weekend. what did I do? I walked :) a lot. all of our appointments fell through and nobody wanted to talk to us... oh boy was my patience tested haha. but according to my journal by the end of it I was in a an ok mood. don't know how haha

Saturday: I'll be quick with this, hardest day ive had. first off we fasted from lunch saturday to lunch sunday, which means no water. i was dying haha additionally noone wanted to talk... ultumatey it wasnt fun, I learned alot about myself that day.

Sunday: never have I ever been more excited for a Sunday in my life... it was so nice just being able to relax and feel the spirit. Not much to say about it other than I needed it haha.

And that concludes the week! for everyone who actually read this far, the mission is hard, but it is a blast. I realize that there is a lack of fun experiences in this letter, but atogether this experience is awesome. I'm beggining to realize why its so important and why everyone stresses the mission so much. its hard, but its incredible. cant wait to see where the mission takes me and how much it will help me. I love all of you very much and I hope you all know how much god loves you. stay close to him and he will make you something amazing. I guess ill throw in a quick scripture: Mosiah chapter 2. its helped me a lot recently. love you all! have a great week!

-Elder Grover

Notes from us back in Cali: We read Mosiah 2 as a family to honor Jordan's mention of how it helped him. We then went around sharing why we thought it helped him. Baylee: When we try to bring happiness to others it can bring happiness to us. Lauren: We need to be obedient to be fully happy. Ty: We need to keep trying in order to be with Heavenly Father. Paul: King Benjamin was humble and worked alongside the people. No one is better than anyone else. This humility is essential in serving and sharing the gospel. Jen: I reflected on a book passage about accepting compliments. Not accepting a compliment is not really humble, it's prideful. We disregard someone's authentic observation about ourselves when we shrug off compliments. Instead, we should acknowledge them with gratitude in a way that say "thank you for seeing that in me". This honors the fact that all good things come from God- every aspect ourselves, our talents, our actions, our appearance, it all comes from God. I'm not sure that helped Jordan but I thought it was important to share.

Mud and 90 Degree Weather

11/28/16 So what's this thanksgiving thing that everyone is talking about? Sounds nice, but I doubt anything you had is nearly as good as the chicken, potatoes and rice that I get to eat every day. Now before you get jealous, remember I'm walking around in mud and 90 degree weather.

So still no camera, yes I know I suck but I wasn't about to pay for an overpriced piece of garbage haha I'm going to look more today, so hopefully I find something. Anyways its finally P-day! I know I should look forward to proselyting more but writing home is such great stress relief. As far as investigators go we have currently 2, which I know sounds disappointing but one thing I failed to mention last week is iIam opening an area! Which means both my companion and I are completely new to the area we are in... and our records show a total of 2 people that we might possibly be able to teach, but I doubt it. My comp is awesome haha although sometimes I can't completely express myself because of the language barrier but that's alright, its not necessary to teach! He is super patient with me and I'm trying really hard to not be a frustrated wreck haha. The Spanish kills and my head is pounding by the end of the day but that's just part of the experience right? I just need to keep at it and I know the Lord will somehow help people to understand what I'm trying to say. The food hasn't changed much, from what I've been told the area, apartment, and my pentionist (cook) might be the best in the mission... so the real question is... what is a hard area like... yikes. Everything here just seems normal now though. when I first got here it was a little shocking but now it's like the US doesn't exist. With time I know I'll adjust even more and hopefully I'll come out of this a tad more mature... we shall see. haha,I can't distinguish days that well, so next week I'll bring my journal and give you all a daily report. So uh, yeah that's all for this week, love you all so much! (the lord loves you even more) ¡Chao! -Elder Grover

**If I'm being honest, this is very hard, but I'm so happy to be here because I know that when its hard it means you're changing, which is what I wanted.

David and Goliath Unleashed

11/21/16 So I missed a week, Big deal right? at least I have a really good excuse! Finally in the field! YES. oh man have these past days been crazy... lets start with the basic stuff. this past Tuesday I flew to Iquitos with a group from the mtc, we met the president and had this yellow mush for lunch. I dont know how they do it but yellow mush is so good! President Lee and his wife are both tiny and super nice, but I didnt get too much time with him because he is super busy. We then went to the mission office where we got our areas and our companions! drum roll pleaseee...... I am currently in the city of Pucallpa! Not even Iquitos, but I'm not mad, its super awesome here! and my comapanion isss....... Elder Llamoca! Tiny little Peruvian who has been out for a year and 4 months. the height difference is astounding... we've been called david and goliath i don't know how many times... anyways that reminds me, I am going to buy a camera today! So next Monday you will all have pictures! The city itself is actually nicer than Iquitos- it has 2 actual malls and a pizza hut... haha yeah pretty awesome. Most of the houses are basically wooden shacks with dirt floors, luckily for me I have basically an actual apartment with a fully functional bathrrom (no hot water though, my shower is a good wake up call). As far as the rest of the mission goes, the apartments can be pretty gross, so well see what I get in the future! The people are suuuuper friendly, it's pretty easy to talk to just about everyone. For transportation we use mototaxis to go just about everywhere that isn't waking distance, which I love because of the breeze that comes with it (it's very hot here). Our food is all cooked by a member "pentionist". Her name is Fiorela and she's super nice and laughs at everything haha. The food is pretty good too, a lot of chicken rice beans and potatos, but the sauces usually change so it's pretty good. The other day I tried cow intestines... that was interesting, I asked what it was and they said "pollo" of course after picking out a few words of the following conversation I discoved it was caocao, or cow intestines. Surprisingly I was ok with it and kept on eating haha. My comp and iIlive with our zone leaders, and one of them is a gringo, so at night before bed I can let loose everything I want to say in English. aA far as my luggage goes, when you go to an area that isn't in iquitos, you can only take one bag... so I had to consolidate all my neccessities into one suitcase... it's ok though, theres only one thing I wish I brought and that's my rainboots... the mud here gets wild haha so my shoes are almost constantly dirty. It's whatever... I'm just excited to be here! I don't think there's much more to tell, the people are awesome and I love the work. OH! I just remembered, we already have an investigator with a baptismal date! Just keeps getting better and better. That's all for this week, love you all and so does the Lord! !Hasta Luego¡

One More Week Until the Real Mission Begins!

Two Weeks, Two Letters!

11/2/16 Week 4 came and went, and i regret to inform everyone that this week was pretty much the same as last week. rice, chicken, class, fake investigators, and a bunch of fresh missionaries who act like they're still in high school. Lately I've just been trying to focus on becoming more focused and diligent, as well as learning Spanish. In honesty I probably haven't been studying as much as a should be, but I am progressing and I hope to be somewhat a useful companion when I get out into the field. As far as morale goes, its definitely a roller coaster, where we have experiences that lift us up and then we will have lessons that are like a slap to the face. It's definitely humbling to know that we are on the Lord's time and we really can't get very far without him. I have really come to rely on Him so much and I can't wait to see what he makes of me when this is all said and done with. I love this work and everyone involved so much, especially the president of the mtc, the man is walking wisdom (cant even imagine what an apostle is like). i hope everyone reading this has an excellent week and I can't wait to see what this next week brings. ¡chao! -Elder Grover

11/9/16 Would it be disappointing if I said this week was pretty much the same as last week? Well luckily this is the last week in the CCM, so starting next wednesday the updates should get a little more exciting. As far as events go nothing spectacular has happened. Classes are progressing at their usual pace and I still feel the need to get out. However there have been times where I appreciate the comforts of the CCM, especially that I have about 80 missionaries from the states here with me which makes things easier as we deal with the changes together. The field should be a new and exciting challenge and I look forward to what the hot jungles of iquitos brings. My spanish is progressing slowly but surely and I can't wait for the super embarassing moments in the future where a lesson takes a completely wrong turn because of something I will say. The spirit is still as strong as ever and I have to say if I learned anything this week, its' that perfect obedience is so important. But to elaborate I need to explain my companion (which I should have done earlier but they never give me enough time). Elder Cook is from Utah, and basically is the epitomy of apostle in the making. His Spanish is better than mine and he started with basically nothing, and he makes little to no mistakes with the rules or with his study. Sounds great right? Not when that's what you have to be companions with as you watch him surpass you in everything you were doing well at. The frustration is real, but he is a great example of what perfect obedience can do. So this past week I've had two goals, stop comparing myself, and be perfectly obedient. So far Ive had such a wide variety of good and bad experiences, I don't know what to think other than that its been a crazy roller-coaster. As far as my success goes with the goals, well I'll leave it at I'm working on it. I'll have to end it here, but know that this work is amazing and that the Lord loves you all so much. also remember if you don't abandon Him, He wont abandon you. ¡Chao!

Halfway There! Three Weeks to Go in the MTC

No pix this time... you will see why...Jordan is anxious to get out there and start talking to people. I hope he has had time to personally respond to any emails sent. Thank you so much for your support!

I appologize ahead of time for one the content of this update and two the length. Let me explain the 

situation really quick. All missionaries here rotate in and out every 3 weeks, so as of this week our group 

is officially the old group. Kinda weird cause I felt like I blinked a few times and that happened, but then 

again its not exactly that surprising when all the days are pretty much the same. I really really just want 

to get in the field... the mtc is just dragging on and on with the same exact schedule every week. 

PUT ME IN COACH. On the bright side I'm used to the food and our bathroom experiences have come 

to a screeching halt. We are all pretty happy about that and are happy... its a thing of the past. As far as

 pictures go for the remainder of my time here I will not send any more. There was a latino elder who 

left for his mission yesterday who didnt have money for a camera, so I decided he could probably get 

better use out of mine then i could. Hope he does well. In general I am so happy I am here and I love 

having the spirit almost 24/7. My testimony has grown as I have come to know my savior and I can't 

wait to see the joy I can bring to people in Iquitos. Thank you to all who have supported me over the 

years and I love every one of you. Know that the savior loves you all too. 

Until next week- Elder Grover

Two Weeks Down!

Here is Jordan's group letter. Keep in mind that our boy sends personal letters to us which 

contain a little more nitty-gritty, frustration, humility, and so on. He is experiencing a very

normal sense of inadequacy that people feel in the training center and out in the field. He 

realizes how far he needs to go, and how much he needs to still change. As his mother, I

perhaps know him best. I have complete faith that Elder Grover will return home changed, 

and in the meantime, become a better person and effective missionary. Our home has been

blessed with a sense of increased peace, and I know this is a reward for the sacrifice.

From Elder Grover:

So week two came and went and I have no idea how it did. It was honestly so fast 

that I can't distinguish one day from the next, so unfortunately I'm gonna stick with 

the give you a paragraph and hope it works approach. Classes are so long, mostly 

because its all in spanish and half the time I'm translating everything in my head.

 I get that spanish is an easier language to learn, but dangit it's so annoying! We now 

have two investigators we are teaching and Elder Cook and I are killing it. Whether

its me talking or him, we are seeming to make a ton of progeress with both. Of course 

as soon as I leave here it all going to be ten times harder and faster. Oh well, I will 

worry about it when it comes. Today we will be going to the temple and I'm super 

excited to see it. The food is the same, rice and some form of potato or chicken. 

Our bathroom adventures are still as eventful as ever, and I feel like I'm connected 

to a lot of random elders because of them... Its still amazing here and I'm loving 

almost every minute. It definitely is hard but I feel that in a few months when I 

look back i will see how far i will have come. 

I love you all so much and I look foward to next week when I can write again! Chao!

~Elder Grover

Paul says this soccer field is like a Ritz Carlton version compared to the ones he played on in Chile!

First Week!

Pictures taken at the Atlanta Airport, 22 Fine Men and Women heading down to Lima. Some will serve in Lima, some in Cusco (will they meet the llamas from Emperor's New Groove?) and a couple heading to Iquitos with Jordan! Check out the super petite gal- she will probably love it in Peru with all the tiny locals! 

Elder Grover with his companion, out on the town doing service. (Not sure what kind of service besides looking sort of tough/smiley.)

10/12/16 (Except from family letter) Yes i am still alive. wednesday is pday so sorry for the delay. I will try to reply to everyone but no promises because they really press you for time. also my spelling and grammar will terrible for the same reason (and maybe because I'm lazy). The work here is so much fun! I absolutely love serving the lord here and I can't wait to get out to the field. My compañeros nombre is Elder Cook and he was assigned to be the district leader, which means I'm totally like the first counselor. He is awesome and so is everyone in out 6 person bedroom, they are all so funny and unique and I love every one of them.  And no they are not all going to iquitos, its a mix with everyone. The weather in lima is AWESOME. its pretty much the same as up there... but then again its been a week!

Hello All! So apparently P-day is Wednesday... and I had no idea so sorry to my family for making you worry. These past couple days have already been incredible and the spirit here is topped only by the temple. Traveling was a breeze but long, both planes got delayed so it took a while. We ended up getting here at 3 in the morning. It was a rough first day. Throughout the rest of the week we all really were just getting adjusted and trying to be as comfortable as possible. The living situation is pretty good and the food takes some getting used to. I've decided rice is the bane of my existence because recently we have all been getting
the urge to visit the bathroom quite often. That part isn't fun but some really funny stories have come out of those experiences... I will not elaborate for the sake of my own sanity. The work has been so much fun. I remember alot more from my spanish classes than I thought I did and I am able to have very broken conversations with the Latinos. Speaking of the Latinos- they are simply awesome (and tiny). I think I may be the tallest one in the CCM (Mtc in spanish). The latinos are hilarious and they have some really cool stories too. Sunday was incredibly spiritual and a relief because all sunday lessons are in english. Today (Wednesday) we left the CCM for the first time for a service project and I found out that the Latinos really don't like it when you slap down a 50 sole bill for a small soda bottle (for the record it wasnt me).  That's really all that's happened of importance. The days are long but we get a lot done. Our schedules are all planned and we have classes for most of the day. For the sake of time, I'll have to cut it here, but before I go I want to testify of the truth of the gospel. Nothing has made me happier and I can't wait to share that with the people of Iquitos.

Until next time! Hasta Mañana.

Pre-Mission- The Excitement Begins

The day finally came to receive that large white envelope! We had a little donuts/milk gathering for an am opening ceremony. So fun to have everyone guess. I guessed "Madagasgar" since Jordan claimed he wanted to get "as far away from the family as possible" haha He finally opened it, and it seemed like just the perfect place to serve! 

Jordan had a wonderful farewell on 9/11/16, attended by wonderful friends from Thousand Oaks and fun friends from Corona. We had Peruvian Chicken Soup as part of a luncheon. We all felt lots of love and support!

Last hurrah at the beach right before our family "lost" a member for 2 years. 

Jordan was set apart as a missionary by President Aragon. It was a wonderful experience to share our testimonies as a family. The time soon came for Jordan to depart.

 Jordan's "mission application picture"... well, we didn't actually send this one. But it captured his playful personality.

Baylee had a very long hug at 4 AM. She took Jordan's leaving the hardest, feeling sad and weepy for a few days. He was such a fun brother! 

 

 Oh, my goodness... I installed a countdown app and quickly deleted it when I saw the insurmountable number of days!