Christmas Season

Hola Madre,

Ese semana fue muy bueno. There are three things that were big this week. At least that I can remember. Cause everyday blends together.

Let's start with the Service. It was painting a members outside wall. Just one side. Well I thought of my science lessons back in middle school and remembered that the sun is closer near the equator. And it really hit me when my face was a little fried and my neck a bit toasty. But I painted that house like a pro. Made it the best one on the road. Well while we were painting my companion told me to but on the Christmas music, he thought was beautiful. It was Last Christmas by Wham. It is funny knowing it in English. I also started to do a little dance and sing while I was painting. And saw that some Peruanans were laughing.

It lead to my next big event. Noche de Talentos. A talent show celebrating Christmas. The ward mission leader had told us we need to do an act. It was during painting I had the Idea to sing last Christmas. You don't need to understand us. Just seeing us dance and the voice was the funny part. So we practiced it twice through the week. The night was coming closer and my companion tells me he doesn't want to sing. What? Why? I just had to go for it and have others join me. It was so funny. We did little dances and random songs. The missionaries were half the show. I was able to get Obispo to sing another great talent. We did have more investigators then members which was amazing.

The last thing that is the best of the week. Is this sweet sweet old grandma. I was helping her out of the moto and she continued to hold on to my hand so I walked her all the way to the building. I wasn't able to understand completely. So there is a little background. Now the best part. Me and Elder Hansen are dancing in the back to another act singing. This hermana looks back and starts to smile. Claps everytime we stopped and was telling us to go up there. So my goal that night was to make her laugh and clap more. I did more than that. She started to dance a little. It was funny and really made the night good.

That was my week. Remember this week is about the greatest gift we could ever receive. Without Christ we would be in a fallen state from Adam and would not be able to experience joy or light. Christ brought Light into this world that day he was born. We have been given the chance to return once again with our Heavenly Father. I invite you to share this message and be a light as well in the example you set to others.

Love, Elder Cormack

2nd Transfer

It would be my 2nd transfer now. And I am staying in Paijan. Nobody in Paijan had received a call saying their going somewhere else. I see it as a good thing because we have so much fun. If you hit your knee just in the right place the leg goes up. Well one of the missionaries in the house didn't  know this and I had right his knee and the leg went up. He then told me to keep doing that and was laughing so much. We make the mission fun.

This week was the normal teaching. But Saturday was our Noche de Blanco. Where we try to have a lot of baptisms. My companion and I were able to baptize two people and then the other missionaries in our area had one person. The whole mission had 63 Saturday night. It was so cool getting the updates. I was also able to baptize one of our amigos that I taught. All in Spanish. He is nine years old. It was great to see how happy he was during the lessons and the baptism service.

                           

Then Sunday was church and in church people give talks. Well they told me I was talking and it is about the signs of Christ’s birth. I used lots of scriptures and some talks from a Liahona. It was great to learn more of Christ and share what I have found. And in some way, I went over my time limit.

This week has been very fun and fast. We were on our own this week with food since our pension got injured. But she is getting better and all is well. We also had a day of no water. That was very exciting and fun to look for water.

That is my week

Love,

Elder Cormack

Missionary Impossible

Hola, it is the 5th week of my mission in Peru

Let's start with a game I used to play all the time before my mission with family and Elders that have stopped by. It is called Missionary Impossible. The goal is to collect 21 weeks. There is a card that says six weeks all the way to one week. You just lay down a week card and build your set. But while you do that others can lay down trials. That is roaches, dog bites, bible bashed just a few examples. Then there is blessings and transfers that protect you from these trials. The trial I card I got this week was Montezuma's Revenge. If you don't know what that is I won’t say but google will.

This week besides the trial was very fun.  Lots of events. Thursday, we went to Trujillo for Zone Conference. The way to get there is by a minivan. So, we were being driven there but not by our usual driver. I fall asleep and enter Cormack time. I then wake up in Trujillo surrounded by Peruonios wearing Inspector Uniforms. All yelling in Spanish. Not being able to understand them all I looked completely lost. And total Gringo. I thought that at first was border control looking for people. And seeing a car with three Americans stop them. I also didn't have my residence card or passport because it was at the church office. I could be illegal. The district leader was able to relay that message to them. We are told to get out of the car and walk the rest of the way there. Find out later he did not have registration and they are not border control.

Then it was Zone Conference. I was able to understand so much more than the last one. After that was a Christmas program/ talent show. That was very fun and interesting to be a part of. I definitely won't forget parts of it. There was a magic show, lesson about Christmas in the States and Peru, and songs.

Last very big thing to happen this week would be the Temple trip Saturday with the recent converts. It is so beautiful any Temple that you travel to and is so worth the trip. I love the feeling I get while being there. There are also two lessons I learned from this trip. First is the Temple is a goal for all recent converts and a reason why all should endure to the end and be worthy of the Temple. Second is the any one can be a missionary and that is be doing work at the Temple. It allows the dead to choose these saving ordinances. You may not preach to the living now. But you are able to on the other side of the veiling and it is so amazing to see happen.

I studied 1 Nephi 13 this week and really found some connections from the Book of Mormon to actual world. Take a look and see for yourself. What connections you find.

Love Elder Cormack

Thanksgiving week without the Thanksgiving

Jake was able to send pictures this week, so there will be several. He was late calling and emailing on Monday because he was playing soccer with the Mission President.  He didn't do anything special or Thanksgiving.  They has fish and rice.  He is learning that the "Gift of Tongues" doesn't only mean speaking the language.  It must also include learning to eat foods you don't like.  

He's working on getting baptisms lined up for the 14th - noche de blanco (White Night).  The Zone has a goal of 16 baptisms.  Him and his companion have 4 lined up.

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Let’s start on the Tuesday since it ́s after the p-day I last talked. Here is what went down. I wake up and do some exercise. I get shower and get ready for my day. I then find out that it is an exchange day. And that exchanges are all day including the night. Greenies always learning something new. So, I got to go to Chocope and that is a different place. It's a nice clean little town. There aren’t many people which makes it hard to proselyte. But practice Spanish and contacting.

Now Friday I find out that I will be going to a wedding in Puerto. I don't  know things till it is happening because me companion speaks so fast and I don't  know words he is using. And I also found out that he could be lying to me when I ask what a certain word means. Like a hot dog could be perro caliente and he was telling me the tail. I didn't know he was lying because I am in a different place. So I am at this wedding and look lost and stand out pretty well. I've never been to a wedding before. So that didn't help at all. They did something different in the beginning with documents and then I saw the normal ring exchange. The wedding was for an investigator getting married to a member.

Saturday was baptism day. It was for the investigator that got married. What a great guy. I didn't teach him but transferred in towards the end of his lessons. My companion told me to grab my baptism clothes just in case I was baptizing which surprised me because. I don't know Spanish that well or how to say the ordinance in Spanish. My companion was asked to fortunately. But I did memorize it in Spanish for the next time. Which we are hoping is the 14th.

That was the big of this week. Still getting fish which is a surprise to how much I don't  like fish. One elder was saying I've ate more fish than he has and he has been out two months.

I got one scripture memorized this week and it is Alma 34:33 Don't procrastinate the day of your repentance.

Love,

Elder Cormack

Week 2 - Peru

Sorry this is late... it's been a busy week with weather, chores, school break, holiday...

Jake can view the blog - feel free to leave him comments, he'll read them.

He's doing amazing and has such a great and cheerful attitude. He's not "homesick", but does sometimes miss home.  No pictures this week, he forgot to take his cable with him to the internet cafe.

He said the best part is the culture and food.  Hermana Santos cooks all their meals for them and does their laundry.  She is super nice and he feels bad when they have appointments and can't make it back on time. She cooks great and always has lots of food.It's like Thanksgiving everyday.  

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The second week of Peru. What an amazing place. I don't want to brag but Trujillo North may just be the best mission. Always learning and seeing new things. This week I've learned exercise is a great thing and all this walking is a blessing because of the food. It's muy rico and mucho comida. I would say I eat like a king. Paijan is so loving with everyone we teach they give us a little something, either a snack or a drink. It's amazing to see how people treat us. 

Two big things this week.

First one was there was a birthday celebration for a recent convert. I've visited the family a couple times before. It was more like a family home- evening. We sang a hymn and I don't have a spanish hymn book so I hum along. They had cake and some other kind of cake and oh boy it was tasty. They also gave us some venezuela type of meal. From what I understood was fried planta (banana) and pollo with a little salad on top. Man it was good but I got full and couldn't eat more.

The second was stake conference. The ward isn't as big as like my home ward but still big. Paijn is a distance from CasaGrande where stake conference was. How do you get all of the people there. You take a bus. They had two buses going to it. I was able to understand it more than I did zone conference. What a fun time. They did have it outside under this giant tent.

That was the major of the week. Otherwise it was contacting and teaching which really is the best part and being able to use the spirit in testifying about Christ. He is the way to returning with God and becoming better.

Alma 26:12 and Acts 4:12

Love, Elder Cormack