Elder Allen Week#26 It´s been a crazy week, to say the least!

I´ve studied Preach my Gospel for at least 12 hours this week, so that´s fun I guess. I have learned a lot though. If you want a solid foundation in the gospel, study the simple doctrines, the lessons in PMG. It´s all you really need to know to make it through life. So it´s been fun to do that. I also had my 3rd and last Training this week! So I´m officially graduated! Haha. I´ve got my cool MPLO pin and everything now. It was fun to catch up with Elder Litster there too. One of the lessons I learned I´ll share at the end because I realized that I forgot to share one last week, so I´ll make it up  I promise. 

I felt like Bilbo Baggins because 8 Elders barged into my room early in the morning forcing me to leave my own house and go on an Unexpected Journey on Wednesday. A bit chistoso, but it's just how the mission goes. Using your house to hold the leaders meeting without telling you. 

And the weekend is when things really got crazy. I strengthened 2 testimonies. First, the Devil is real. And second, God is real too. 

Our baptism for this week was super ready, wanted to do it, we got everything set up and ready. Buenaso. Josue Villegas, the son of my other recent converts. The family is really humble, and they don't have much work. So after planning, it just so happens that he gets a long-awaited call to go and work at the airport for the whole day Sunday. So there went that. It shows how desperate the Devil is to knock people off the path, to not let them have that happiness and peace. He´ll make it this weekend though. 

Yesterday was insane. Our prospects for investigators was not looking good, maybe one or two. And by the Mercy of God, 7 people were there. And that´s not all. After 30 years of waiting, my humble branch here in Mi Peru has finally become a ward! President Stauffer came for the sacrament meeting, and we had the chance to teach a lesson with him after. We taught the parents of Devie, who is leaving for the mission next week. He never thought his parents would get baptized, but our mission president with his inspiration and dang good teaching got them committed for this Sunday. So we potentially have 4 baptisms this week. 

In our training, Presidente Stauffer talked about the 3 most important days of our life. Day 1- The day our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ started the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane, saving us all from sin and death. Day 2- The day a young boy of just 14 years walked into a sacred grove, and prayed to know the truth, allowing us to have the knowledge of how we can use the 1st day. Day 3- The day we accepted our mission call to talk about the first 2 days. I am a witness of these 3 days. And the opportunity to be here sharing the first two has changed my life forever. I love the mission. 

I think I´ve already shared this quote, but as Sister Nelson said ¨The fight with sin is real¨. The devil will do all that he can to knock us off the path, to take away our peace and our happiness. He wants us to be miserable like he is. Don´t give him the joy of knocking another child of God into the darkness, fight back. Be bold. Valient. A servant of God. You´ll never regret it. Don´t let Satan win. Don´t give in to temptation. And if you do, repent. It´s simple. 

And lastly, I can finally die in peace. After 5 months of searching and waiting, I finally took the photo that I have been dying to take. See below. hehe. 

Thanks for everything! Hold to the Rod!

Elder Allen

Elder Allen Weeks #24 & 25 Hola todos! Fue una locaso semana!

Es mas facil solo para escribir en español ahora, lo siento para todo de ustedes gringos. Soy peruanope. Na broma broma.

It really has been a crazy week though, a ton of stuff happened. I´ve got a lot of conflicting feelings. We didn´t actually get a lot done, but a lot happened. On Monday and Tuesday, I hade a work visit with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Vicente de Argentina. He is really cool, only has a year in the mission, and isn´t even the youngest ZL. So that tells you how young the mission is. We found 5 new people to teach in 1 day, so that´s pretty good. Learned a lot.

If any of you know the history of my birthdays, they are generally pretty bad. Never how I want them to go. And the streak continues. It wasn´t a bad day by any means, but it was interesting, to say the least. Elder Viera had his farewell stuff that day. He went with all the other dying missionaries and with President to go eat ceviche, to the temple, to buy Peruvian souvenirs, and other fun stuff like that. And I got thrown with Elder Quispe and Elder Jorgenson, Zone Leaders for the Zone El Trebol. It´s the city, and their area has the airport. It was interesting to see how the work goes in a place like that. The day wasn´t bad, but I used all my money for transport, and my lunch sucked. I had Lomo saltado and cake that I was missing in my area. But it´s all good. I learned a lot. Also its not as fun to say I´m 19. 

The best part of the week was yesterday, the baptism of Angel Olaya. He really is chosen of God, and it was crazy to see how much he really has changed in only 2 short weeks. An Alcoholic who lost everything to a man redeemed in Christ. It opened my heart a lot more for the love of these people. We also got special permission to confirm him the same day, so that rocked. 

And then last night is when the feelings get interesting. My father, companion, and one of my best friends is now back to Uruguay. We said goodbye, and that was it, I understand why they say the missionary dies because it really feels like it. But he left me a ton of stuff, so that´s nice at least. I´ll miss the kid, but I´m excited to see what comes. For the moment I´m in a trio with Mi Peru 2, and I should get my new comp tomorrow. I'll fill you in next week! 

Today I´d just like to share my thoughts about trials in our lives. There is always something hard that is going on in each and every one of our lives, things that we feel like that no one else understands. We feel lost and alone sometimes like we can't do it. But hard things are what help us to grow. We were sent to this earth to go through hard things. To learn. To show to God that we have enough faith to withstand the hard times. And as it was promised to Jose Smith, our trials will be just a short moment. And the blessings and experience that we receive from it will be so much more than we ever imagined. When the next hard thing comes, don´t curse God. Thank Him, and ask Him for help. And He´ll give it to you. I´m a witness to that. The Lord will visit Zion in their afflictions. And I share that in the name of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen. 

I love you all, and wish you all a great week!

Elder Allen

Elder Allen Week#23 First of all, thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone!!

The week has been good, tranquillo. I had a work visit with my OG Gringo, Elder Jones, so that's always fun. We found a family that the grandparents have been inactive for about 20 years, and are sealed and everything. And guess what...the grandkids aren't members. So that's awesome, we'll see how it goes. 

Sorry about pictures of the baptism last week, they're coming now! 

Wednesday and Thursday were crazy. Absolutely crazy. Midday Wednesday we get a call from one of the Assistants, saying we need to be at the offices at 950 that night because the next day one of ElderViera's converts was getting Endowed for his mission. So we get there, and go out and contact a little bit to help out some other missionaries, and the people in the city have no hearts. Hardest contact of my life. 

The next day was when it really got crazy. From my area to the offices is about an hour and a half by public transport, and the area next to mine is the Stake Center. Thursday we had our interviews with Presidente at the Stake center, so I had to make my way all the way back to right next to my area while my companion was in the temple. But the nice part is is that Presidente has a car, so he drove me, one of the Assistants, and the zone leaders for the other zone. Intimidating car ride. But it gets worse. We spend a while at the stake center for the interviews, and when they're done, my companion is back at the officinas, an hour and a half away. And President decides the best way to do it is that I go back and pick him up. So this time in the car, is Me, President, And the two assistants. That was a crazy car ride. We were stuck in traffic for 45 minutes. But it was cool to see how things work a little bit more in the mission. And then Elder Viera and I had to take the bus back to Mi Peru. We only worked for 1 hour in the Area, oof. 

We have another baptism this week! His name is Angel Olaya, and he's got an Alma the Younger kind of story. He's about 60, and the Ex of a member. He's heard from the missionaries a lot, but never took an interest. But about two weeks ago, we got a call at 630 in the morning, and basically, he wants to change his life. So if all goes well, he'll be the last baptism of my companion. 

It's pretty crazy to be "Killing" a companion, and it's going to be super weird to see how the mission changes with a new one, but it's going to be cool. 

One of the main teachings of our mission president was on Exact Obedience because of Love. And that's really important. If we really love our Lord and Redeemer, we'll do all that he asks of us without hesitation. And we'll do it happily. And that's a hard thing to do sometimes, but the principle is really important. We're all accustomed to a level of obedience, most of us do not have the desire to go and rob a bank. But we all settle at a point less than we should. Maybe I don't need to go to church this week. I don't need to help this person. Most of us are at 80% Obedience, which only brings 20% of the blessings. It's the other 20% of obedience that brings the 80% of blessings. Never forget that. 

I love you all, and thanks for everything! Have a great week over there in cold Utah!

Elder Allen

Elder Allen Week #22 Feliz Año Nuevo! Another week and another year! Time keeps moving incredibly fast, and somehow so much and so little has changed. The week was good, tranquillo. 

The important and big news of the week was we had another Baptism! A 19 yr old named Rosalinda. The missionaries found her like a year ago, but she wasn't ready then. When we started teaching her, she was ready and excited! She was baptized after the meetings on Sunday, so she'll be confirmed this Sunday. She's planning on moving to Spain, and then being a missionary, so that's pretty great! The baptism was combined with a baptism of the other Elders, and it was interesting, to say the least. They had an 87-year-old unloved evangelical grandmother, who still doesn't understand she can't sing random evangelical songs during church. It was very funny. 

I used a scale for the first time here in Peru, and I lost 20 pounds, so that's pretty crazy. I'm not complaining. 

At 6:30 in the morning the other day (We sleep until 6:59) we get a call from a branch member, saying that their father-in-law wants us to come over and teach him right now. So we change fast and get over there, and give the earliest lesson I've ever given in my life. He's an alcoholic that wants to change his life. It was one of the first times that I've felt the immediate affect this gospel can have in the life of someone. It was early, but awesome. 

If you're looking for some deep church doctrine to read, I recommend the King Follet Sermon. It's pretty legit stuff. 

After a long day of walking and working, we get back to the house at 10:30, do our daily numbers, and I take off my shoes. I look inside one and find a rusty nail. That I had been walking with for the whole day. We do that a lot of times. We keep our problems with us when it would be so much better to just let them go. To repent, to change, and to feel better. Maybe you don't feel the nail against your foot right now, but eventually, it's going to cut you. Never procrastinate your repentance. 

Thanks for everything! ...I forgot my camera this week, but next week sorry!...

Elder Allen

Elder Allen Week #20 & #21 Que tal todos! Yeah, not much really happened this week, but a Merry Christmas to all!

After 3 months in the field we had our 2nd training meeting, which is supposed to be around month 1, so that's fun. It was combined with the group behind me, so that rocked. (Thought I got rid of Elder Litster dang it haha) The message I liked the most from it was about Ether 2:23

When Ether is commanded to build the boat, he does so willingly but runs into some problems. One of which being there is no light. He asks the Lord what he should do, and the Lord responds with this- And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.  No Windows, and no Fire. These are the obvious solutions, right? That's where we get light from. 

A lot of the time, this is how we ask for help or blessings. We look for the easiest way possible to get what we want, in the way that requires the least. But the Lord doesn't want that from us. He wants us to have a 16 stone plan. To have an idea, and work on it. Get everything worked out, and then pray for the finger of the Lord. If we have this 16 stone plan, the blessings will come. 

The Lord could give us windows and fire, but it's only when we have the 16 stone plan that we see the finger of the Lord. Only then our testimony grows. Only then we see the miracles working in our life. Stop looking for the easy way out, and get to work. The Lord will make up the rest. 

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Christmas in Peru Rocks! It's definitely different from home, but the spirit is still here. And they still have hot chocolate, even though its super hot. (And its a lot better here, its made with real chocolate). Our branch Christmas party was a blast, and everyone paints their house here for Christmas. It's a lot of fun. But it still feels like July, so that's weird. 

I forgot to mention, In the newest group of missionaries, there's a new Hermana, Hermana Allen. But wait- She's from Ecuador. How weird is that? Haha. 

And lastly, today I made the hardest decision of my life. I had to go against everything I have ever stood for. After 3 months in this country, Today I found the first American Football that I have seen. It was at a local second-hand market, for about 1 dollar. But you'll never guess what team it's for. The freaking utes. Who finds a utes football in Lima Peru. I bought it anyway because I want to play some real football haha. 

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John 3: 16-17-For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

This is most definitely one of my favorite scriptures. God sent his son because he loves us, and his son, Jesus the Christ, saved us all. He is the star that shines in the darkness. He is the life and the light of the world. From the silent night, He was born until the night He suffered, bled, and died for us. He is the greatest gift we will ever receive. Through him, we are redeemed, forgiven, and saved. Christmas will always be my favorite day, not for the presents, but a day to remember Him. What gift will you give to Christ this Christmas? 

Feliz Navidad! Happy Holidays! With love, Elder Allen. 

Week #21

Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo!!

Needless to say, Christmas is completely different here. But it was awesome. A new experience. They celebrate Christmas more on the 24th than on the 25th, so we had a Christmas dinner on Christmas eve. Chicken, like always, but it was good. Instead of a silent night, Christmas Eve in Peru is one of the loudest and coolest nights of the year. The fireworks are incredible. In every direction you look, fireworks light the sky. And they just keep going. It was unlike anything I have ever seen. The silent morning exists though. We got up at 6:59 like normal, and walked outside. The quietest street I have ever seen in this country. It was awesome. Called the family, that was weird but good. All in all, It was a Christmas that I'm always going to remember. 

The rest of the week was tranquilo. Not much happened. We had work splits for the day, and I got to hang out with Elder Barreto, a Brazillian in his 1st transfer. It was fun to take the lead for once, and we got a lot of work done. One of the people that we contacted we taught all of lesson 1 to, invited him to be baptized, got to explaining the Book of Mormon, he says that he already has one and that he's already a member. Wow. Thanks for telling us that when we shook your hand. Hahaha, it was pretty funny though. There's a ton of inactive members here. It's crazy. 

We should have a baptism this Sunday, a joven (youth) named Rosalinda. She had all the lessons about a year ago but didn't feel ready. But she's so excited to be baptized now. She's changed a ton these past weeks. Hopefully, all will work out good and tranquilo. 

With all the new changes in church this upcoming year, I'd like to share how strongly I care about the opportunity to go to church. I feel like once a week isn't enough sometimes haha. A day to just sit down, to be with our families, and more than anything, to remember our Savior and take the Sacrament. And now the chance to study the gospel with the family and in the home is incredible. In the Bible Dictionary definition of Temples, it says- Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness. All of you that are at home, with your families, make the best about this new revelation from God and learn to love church even more. 

Happy new years! 

Elder Allen

Elder Allen Week# 19 Man, it was a crazy week!

First of all...I had my first Baptism! Maribel y Nellele Villegas were baptized on Saturday, and I had the opportunity to baptize Hmna. Nellele. It was awesome, and awesome to see how much their lives have already changed. That being said, that day was so stressful and crazy. We go to fill the font, and it fills about 9 inches, and the water stops. Apparently, the church's tank was empty, and the city's water shuts off at about 5 every day, so that wasn't good. We tried figuring out a solution, and eventually just decided to have the opening part of the baptism service in Mi Peru, then drove to a chapel about 15 minutes away, to perform the baptism, and then came back for the rest of the service with all the members that couldn't go to the actual baptism. It was crazy. But it worked! It was a day I'll never forget, that's for sure. 

We had transfers this past week! And drumroll, please..... Nothing Changed! I'm still here with Elder Viera.  Elder Alegre and Elder Jones are still in the district. This is my comp's last transfer, and he's off to Uruguay, so in mission terms, I'm killing my father haha. But wait-- After lots of praying and some fortunate circumstances, there are two more Elders in the Rama!! President Stauffer split our area in half, and Elder Prince and Elder Barreto are now in the Pachacutec area that Elder Viera and I have literally never worked. It's huge though, and now our area is possibly the smallest in the mission. A lot of work to get done though, so it's all good! The new Elders are awesome, Elder Prince only has one transfer more than me, and he's training Elder Barreto de Brazil. He's a recent convert as of 3 years, and he's got a ton of fire for the work. They're good missionaries, it's been fun to have a little change this week. 

The week has been good, there haven't been too many other significant events. We had a Nephite come visit us for 2 days (A latino missionary that extends for 3 weeks that has a special assignment from presidente), So that was fun. He is Elder Chavez, a legend de la mission. About 3 people here have told me that I look like Luis Miguel, some random Mexican 80's singer, so that's pretty fun I guess.

The last big event of the week was the Christmas Party yesterday! It was a ton of fun, cool to see everyone again. Elder Litster and my group from the CCM. Had some great food, and just relaxed a little bit. But it came on one condition de presidente, that we get to work after. The mission has got a lot of work to do, over half the mission has less than 6 months, and the lack of faith is showing. But it's all good! We're getting there! 

The spiritual thought of the week has definitely got to be on Charity. I've been studying Christlike Attributes in PMG lately, and Charity and Love are definitely one of the most interesting. I've only got my Spanish scriptures on me, so I can't type it, but go read Moroni 7 45-48. Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it's something that we all need, and we all need to give in this life. So this Christmas season, think about what more you can do for someone else, what sacrifices you can make to make someone a little bit happier. It'll be more of a blessing than a burden for you. Always follow your first impression to help someone, it's always from God. 

Thanks for everything! That's all for this week folks! Lo Amo!

Elder Allen

Elder Allen Week #18 Not sure if I should put the exciting and important stuff first, or put the filler stuff. Hmm. I'll go with exciting in case you just want to read what´s actually important haha. 

Familia Villegas is going to be baptized this Saturday! They´re literally so escogido (Chosen, but actually elect) They passed their Baptismal Interview the other day, and are very excited. The family is pretty big, but really we´ve just been teaching Hmna. Maribel y Hmna. Nygele. About 3 weeks ago we contacted Hmna Maribel on the street, and they´ve been so accepting and so willing to change. They´ve been passing through really hard times lately, not enough money to pay the electricity, Nygele with her 2 kids at 16. The dad only wants to recognize one of the kids, so he´s stopped helping out with the bills. Hmna Maribel is 55, is a poco mal de salud. She´s already a great grandmother if you can believe it. It´s been great to see them change and to use this healing power of the atonement in their lives. I´m excited to see the joy in their soul on Saturday.

That is if I´m here to see it, of course, there are transfers any day now. We´ll see where that takes me, but I hope that I stay here for another transfer or two. The people here are awesome, and we´re finally starting to see a bit of success. 

This week has been great though. We´ve been following along with the Light the World campaign, and this past week we shined the world. We got the zone together every day in different parts of Pachacutec, and shined shoes for free, and just serving people. There are a lot of people in this world that really have never been helped or served like this, and it´s awesome to see the smiles on people´s faces. 

And of course, day one of shine the world, someone literally stole my bible. I was talking to a guy, asked him if he wanted his shoes shined, he said yeah, I´m going to go buy something, but I´ll come right back. But first, do you have your bible? I just thought he was going to show me a scripture or something, but no, he just ran off with my bible. It was a little ugly, so esta bien, but it was so funny. 

Christmas is already here! I really can't believe that I´ve already been out here for like 4 months, it feels like so much shorter and so much longer. Already got my Christmas package, so thanks, family! 

I hope that everyone is in the right spirit back there, first of all in the cold and snow, but second, thinking about families and what´s really important. 

For the thought of the week, I would just like to press service a little bit more into your minds. You can keep all the commandments, read your scriptures, go to church, but if you never serve anyone it´s all for naught. The best way to get to know your savior is through helping others, because when ye are in the service of your fellow being, ye are only in the service of your God, and ye cannot know a master whom ye have not served. So do something good this week. Help someone out, give a hand. Smile at someone in the store. You know what to do, you feel the promptings. All good things are from God, so just do it. I promise your testimony will grow, and you´ll be happier. So light the world this Christmas. 

Hasta Luego! Elder Allen