My Nutella is Almost Gone!

1/16/17 Another week, another email, more stories. This week had its ups and downs but I'd say it was in general an improvement... for one my health is pretty much back to normal and im loving it, no more urgent bathroom visits, crippling stomach aches, or other fun jungle stuff :) In general our work is looking better, and I am really coming to realize that I have no influence on the people here. The spirit is the only way the work progresses and as a result of this we have 3 more families to teach, a new ward mission leader and we officially rescued someone. The best part is that it should only get better! In one of our visits we found an old lady who is less active, she has no power, no water, no FOOD and her house is falling apart, so we ended up buying her food and cooking it for her, and yes I know we shouldn't openly give like that but it really was kinda an immediate thing. The language is coming along well and iIcan understand pretty much most things that are being said. I'm coming to realize confidence is huge in all this and for anyone who knows me well knows I lack confidence. Well Elder its time to learn haha. All together it was a good week, however my snacks have almost officially run out, and to be honest im feeling alittle bit frantic... I NEED MORE NUTELLA! scriptures this week, mosiah 12-17. the words of Abinadi were sharp but powerful! Love you all so much, have a great week!

Don't Monkey Around!

1/23/17 Finally we are having what I've been waiting for! SUCCESS! Oh my goodness ive waited so long to say that... but yeah, finally we are seeing progress with our investigators. The key? pretty much just doing a ton of contacting... until now my comp has been set on working through members and referrals, my being the minor of both of us my words didn't really affect him at all, so we basically just wasted time with less actives for a while (oh boy did that kill me). After a couple training sessions during the zone conference, something clicked and were finally working efficiently! We now have 6 new families to teach and the owner of the house we live in wants to be baptized! So awesome, but this success in truth really wasn't us at all, we got a lot of help from the Lord, and because of that we are seeing success. Honestly this work isn't possible without his help, Without him I'm just a dumb tall white freak walking around the jungle of Peru... If you want some good scriptures to read, i highly recommend the stories of Alma and Amulek, they are such powerful testifiers of Jesus Christ. Specifically Alma 26, 32, and 34. Thanks to Everyone for all the love and support and i hope you all have a wonderful week!

Burning Puppets and a Baptism!

1/2/17: Oh boy... this has been a very long week... first, let me say that yes I am working again and very happy about it. Second, no i did not write a daily recap in my journal so you'll have to deal with the big ugly paragraph. And lastly! the work is still slow... GAHHH. i guess i have a kinda good excuse but I really don't care. i just want to start changing lives. Kinda disappointing when you get called to one of the world's highest baptizing mission and you have 1 in almost 2 months. but you know what? That's just motivation baby... this next week is gonna be crazy! The next email wont be so dismal and boring I promise, so get ready to hear about some insane numbers! Btw new years was cool, didn't sleep much because of all the fireworks but it was still cool. new years here is pretty much as big as the fourth of July, so the people go kinda crazy. a strange tradition they have here is burning big puppets made of old shirts and cloth. don't ask why, I couldn't tell ya. Also sorry about the length of this one... honestly there wasnt much to write about. at least you get pictures!

1/9/17: Oh boy has this week been an improvement, interesting thing is that the improvement wasn't in the work... 

It was all about the attitude! So i feel much better, working isn't a problem and my Spanish is kinda getting there. 

But best of all was the PACKAGE. It was like God knew exactly what I needed! (oh wait, He always does) It was the 

saving grace I was looking for... and then I got constipated and my comp wont let me eat anything hahaha... fun. 

oh well i was just happy to get the package (felt like Christmas). the work is still slow but that's ok... because we 

have several people who look very promising and so even though now it sucks, the future looks bright! That's about

 it for this week... for scriptures i recommend DC 121:6-9 and 2 Nephi 4:29. both helped me a ton these past weeks.

 love you all, don't forget that there's someone else who loves you more than you can comprehend. Until next time

-Elder Grover

btw the family picture is the family of our baptism (he's wearing the red and white striped shirt)

Also thank you to all who sent me letters, super thoughtful of you! love ya!

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.