Got My Feet Wet!

2/21/17 Soooooooo, yes this week was better, and I'm not saying it was the best week I've ever had but I'm definitely not upset about it. We had the opportunity to teach several people and the spirit has been super strong too. And then to put the cherry on top I finally found my rhythm! Up 'til about a week or two ago I've basically been trying to copy my companions teaching, half because of my lack of confidence in my own teaching and half because Spanish haha. But now I can basically express any of my own ideas without too much difficulty, and boy am I happy about that because I am no longer a robot! YESSS. 

The investigators we have who are actually progressing are not families... unfortunately we have a lot of trouble finding solid families who legitimately want to learn and who actually remember their appointments. we have two progressing investigators who I'm almost certain will get baptized. one is the niece of a member, she is 14 years old and basically lives with her aunt because her dad is always working and her mom is always gone (why? no idea...) so she's kinda hard to teach because we need her at the aunts house and then someone with the priesthood with us to teach (obedience!) She at first was hesitant but her aunt brought her to church and after that shes been super excited. its been awesome teaching her as she is a fast learner (not everyone here learns very fast) she is going to be baptized this Saturday! Stoked

The other is a single man in his 30's.... don't know how that worked out in this culture but it did. Anyways hes investigated the church before and he already has a basic knowledge of the church (I'm talking really basic). he is also a fast learner and is super excited to learn more. He has a baptismal date in March and he should be a breeze as he is much more stable than our other investigator and much easier to find. Can't wait to see where he goes.

Other than that I want to share 2 experiences, the first was actually from last pday, and it happened during proselyting. Before proselyting I prayed super hard to know what to do and where to go, and during the proselyting it was like I got instructions the whole time. I didn't hear any words or anything I just worked, and the spirit guided me the whole time. Super awesome.

The other happened yesterday, we were teaching a man who lives alone (separated from his family) and we were about to finish inviting him to ask God if everything that we've taught was true. AND THEN two old ladies showed up, walked straight through the door and sat down in the middle of our lesson. these ladies were from another church :) and after they got settled they looked at me and said "continue".... OH BOY WAS MY BLOOD HOT. And continue I did, and then I got interrupted again when they started singing a hymn from their church... I was piping hot ready to blow at this point so I turned my attention to them and the following conversation ended with them calling us sinners hahaha. The last thing I did was testify and boy did I testify. I didn't say anything to burn them to high heaven, but I made sure they felt the spirit haha. definitely a fun/interesting experience. 

That's all for this week, for scriptures, go read Mosiah 24, there is power in prayer! Love you all and have a great week! -Elder Grover

enjoy the pics (pday and a less active family we visited this week. the lady is 4´6 :))

2/27/17  So I'd say this week was full of ups and downs... I guess that's normal though right? On the up side there are more ups than downs! So the Baptism that we were SUPPOSED to have this past Saturday did not happen, HOWEVER, we did baptize :) Our investigator who was supposed to be baptized is moving (totally last minute) to a completely different city to live with her dad, so all we can do is send a referral because baptizing someone in that situation is pretty much an automatic less active. Bummer huh... but we did baptize someone, an old lady who's been a member longer than I've been alive, lost her baptismal record lol. So with no record of her baptism and no witnesses to testify of it, What does she need to do? haha BE BAPTIZED BABY. So yeah that was an awesome experience watching her try (unsuccessfully) to plug her nose.

In other news we have another person on baptismal date for the 11th of march, and were hoping to get maybe 1-2 more on date before transfers come (22nd). We shall see how that goes, but its likely there will only be one more... oh well all we can do is work and pray. 

As far as any cool experiences this week, besides the baptism there really wasn't much that happened that is noteworthy... I do feel the need to talk about something I've learned recently though. Obedience. Definitely can be a touchy subject, especially when it comes to the disobedient. But all in all there is only one word that comes to mind when i think of obedience. REQUIRED. It is so required in the work. yes the disobedient will have success, we can see examples of that everywhere, but obedience really determines your personal success in the mission (can be applied to anything else too). Ive seen firsthand missionaries who I know for a fact are disobedient have success, baptisms even. Sometimes it is discouraging, especially now with my own area, but obedience brings absolute miracles. There have been several days where something is off, its like that feeling of uneasiness you get after leaving for a long trip where you feel that you've forgotten something. It just feels wrong! In those days I can always trace the root to that feeling in obedience. The worst part is that that feeling interferes with the spirit. And it is super hard to teach without it. On the days where I know that I've done everything in my power to be obedient, miracles pop up everywhere... it is absolutely amazing what happens when we are obedient, and I hope that in this jumbled mess that i just typed someone will learn something haha. 

For scriptures this week I want to share jacob 4. super powerful, loved reading that, especially the part about prophets. Modern prophets are such a blessing to everyone. Love you all and I hope you have a great week. -Elder Grover

Enjoy the pics: baptism, weird fruit I ate called a zapote (zapotay), and our last pday.

Bird is the Word

1/30/17 So besides the usual trying to talk to people in Spanish jazz, something very exciting "came to pass" this past tuesday, I'm sure you've all already heard about all of it but that's alright cause I'm gonna talk about it anyways. The church has released a change to the schedules and reporting of all missionaries worldwide. Now we have fewer numbers that we need to report which will streamline things a lot, also our agendas are changing which means I have yet another thing to get used to. And... finally the schedule is completely revamped. We still have to do all the same things, but now we decide when to do them! The church explained that by letting us exercise agency we will be more efficient, and we will adjust to life back home faster when we return. Then again this is dangerous for all the "chambone" missionaries who will probably abuse this (chambone means rulebreaker). But I'm super stoked! we will have to wait til this Saturday to know how this will apply top our mission but still we have less numbers to report now :) anyways I was thinking recently and I realized I haven't really shared experiences (or really anything interesting)... so I'm going to talk a little bit about Peru... here in pucallpa there are 2 major occupations, Motokar driver or farmer. out here in the jungle there are massive amounts of foliage and just life in general. people will claim a piece of land, and basically harvest all the stuff that happens to be there. Kinda interesting, especially the stuff these pèople bring home (like the monkey from last week) and the stories they share are crazy too. There are tigers, giant boas, pirhannas, and of course the craziest spiders you can think of. So far I've only come across the spiders... hoping for more soon :) Anyways for a spiritual message I think I'll just talk a bit about agency. Never in my life have iIrealized the significance of agency more than now. Our agency is really the only thing that god will not control. He can control the entire universe, and yet he leaves us to make the stupidest mistakes imaginable. All of that is just a part of his loves for us, because we learn so much from what we do, and to make it all better, We can completely clean up the mistakes we make through the atonement. (John 3:16-17) it really is a glorious plan... and now all I have to do is put that in Spanish and go tell that to someone within the next hour :) anyways I hope you all have a great week and I hope you will apply the atonement in your lives and make it even better! love ya, Elder Grover

p.s. not many interesting things to take pics of this week, so here's a weird bird we found

"Nothing to take pictures of"... hmmmm

2/6/17 So i guess ill start with the good news: there is no bad news! yeah this week was pretty good, our productivity has gone up and we have quite a few prospects that look very good. of course only time will tell how they will actually end up. other than the work everything is pretty much improving. the new schedule is allowing us to control when we do everything and it allows us to be much more productive. As far as my health goes im pretty much back to normal and ive learned a ton about myself. kinda funny to think that before the mission you dont notice who you really are... the truth is i basically had to have alot taken from me in order to really see myself. definitely has been very humbling. one of my favorite parts is that ive learned to be much more self sufficient... and also ive gotten very used to being dirty haha. now that i think about it i do have bad news. the cat calls have started... by cat calls i mean the snakes have started bugging me... for those who dont know, snake is the word we missionaries use for "worldy sisters" and i am NOT EXCITED AT ALL for that kind of attention. in other news ive really seen the fruits of satans labor. lots of families separating because no one is ever married, families falling apart, and alot of bible apostasy... but then again, i just call that motivation :) the work is moving foward! and im so happy to be a part of it. scriptures this week are generic, Ether 12:27 and Alma 26:22. dont just read them, really pick them apart, theres alot more to sciptures if you search them diligently :) love you all, have a great week. -Elder Grover

p.s. sorry for no pictures today... there was nothing really exciting to take a picture of...

2/13/17 Well this week has been interesting to say the least. Firstly, no transfers so im still in good ol dusty Pucallpa haha (was kinda hoping for one but thats alright). This week I learned a lot about the missionary purpose and about myself, especially things for me to work on. So far this whole experience has made me completely change my view of myself and I can't wait to start building more Christlike characteristics. As far as good news goes, we have a baptism date! The 25th of this month we should have a baptism so my fingers are crossed! And There is only one peice of bad news, no pictures again :( sorry I havent been bringing my camera around and frankly there's not much to take pictures of anyways. 

The lessons that we have usually go well, the people are almost always religious and they will usually be open to talking so having people to talk to isnt a problem, the problems come when we start teaching, because as soon as we introduce somethjng that isnt what their pastor has said in the past year they freak out haha. The other hard part is getting them to read. First off there are a lot of people here who simply can't... as sad as that is and the other half frankly don't care. super frustrating when people dont understand that doing something so simple could completely change their lives.

As far as my own teaching goes, sometimes I have the hardest time speaking and I sound like a blabbering idiot but for the most part I'm able to formulate gramaticaly correct sentences. My favorite part of the lessons is the testifying. Oh i just love opening the taps and leting the spirit hit em hard. By far my favorite parts of the mission so far have been when I can really testify of our Savior. Its in those moments i know im completeing the missionary purpose, all I have to do now is have more of those moments haha.

I hope my letters dont bore you all to death, I try to make them at least alittle bit interesting but I understand if youve all fallen asleep by now. If you havent congrats, and i hope you all have a great week. For scriptures, go read 2 Nephi 4, and remember, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak! Its up to you which wins! love you all, until next monday; Elder Grover

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.