Missionary Transmission

Good Morning,

Well, let me know if there is anything you want me to do for the wedding preparation. I am sure I can find just a lovely craft idea.

This week we got to watch the worldwide missionary transmission. It was quite interesting. Dallin H. Oaks said that something to the the effect that they are giving this transmission now that the number of missionaries have stablized and now they can focus on the doctrine or something. Also during this conference our mission president felt impressed that my companion should go to Vallegrande (about 4 hours away). So that night he packed up his bags and went to Vallegrande at 7:00 in the morning. I am now with a new companion, Elder De la Fuente from Buenos Aires. 

This week we have a new family attending church. The Lijeron family--the mom is a member but inactive and the dad is investigator but accepted to be baptized the 20th of February. 

I also got an apron today from the ward. I haven´t opened it yet though because who knows what it looks like. 

I also talked with Hermano Choquevillca on the phone the other day and he said they were going to try and pass by this week and if not they would send it in the mail. 

Here are some photos. One with my new companion and one with the old. Also a member that likes to dance.

Have a good week,

Elder Gilbert

Baptism

This week hermano Sergio Salazar got baptized. He went pretty fast we talked to him on the street at the end of November and just now got baptized. We are now working with his family to try and help them get baptized 

I am coming to the end of internet time so I will try to hurry and send some pictures. Next week will have to be a detailed email. 

Hope everything is going great, 

Love, Elder Gilbert

Sick

Dearest Family

I am seeing that your emails are starting to sound a lot like mine. Short n´ sweet. This week I will try to make a more detailed outline of the week.

Last Monday went fine. We played soccer for an hour and a half and then we had some Peruvian food (Bolivian style). We had seviche (I think it is called). In Peru it is super popular, it's raw fish with lots of lemon juice and spices and they claim that that cooks it. So we had that but with chicken, it tasted good but super lemony.  

We had the baptismal interview for our investigator Sergio Salazar and he passed. Looks like we will be having the baptism for this Saturday. I also did some baptismal interviews on Sunday (that´s what the district leader does) for some of the sisters. Two of them had to have another interview with president (there is something known as "question four" which means that they committed a serious crime, abortion, or homosexuality). So they will have to pass another interview with president.

I don´t know if you knew, but there will be a worldwide conference for missionaries on the 20th of January. We have been preparing a lot for the conference by studying 12 weeks again. There was also a change in apostles as far as the one in charge of missionary work. It is now Dallin H. Oaks and he has a new motto it is "In this mission we teach repentance and baptize converts."

Last Sunday I got a little sick. I woke up with a sore throat and by the end of the day I had a small fever. I woke up Monday about the same. Tuesday night the fever stopped (I woke up really cold becuase my garments were all wet from the sweat. Left like a white sweat mark on my sheets...gross) But the weirdest thing was on Wednesday I got these blister burns on my hands and my feet. So strange I called the mission nurse and thankfully it wasn´t anything serious. Now I am just fine, but there are really different sicknesses here.

I have been looking a the Provo Temple photos online. Looks a lot like a classic castle.

Also, BYU registration and ecclesiastical endorsement, and housing has crossed my mind a couple times. I hope Natalie is on task. Maybe you can give me the briefing report next week.

Anyway I hope you guys get my surprise package stuff, it has some cool Bolivian stuff in it that was in my house.

Too afraid to send new pictures today because we are using a new internet and there is possible risk of viruses.

Have a good week,

Elder Gilbert

Rats and a Giant Snail

Buen Día Family

I hope you all had a wonderful new years. It´s quite strange to think that it is already 2016. Looks like the holidays passed by well. It's just weird to think that the holidays already happened. To me I now feel like I'm in a time warp or something; I don´t really feel the passage of time. Things just happen and then the next thing I know it is a new month.

For New Year Bolivians generally drink and set off fireworks at midnight. It didn't wake me up though because I had AdvilPM and I had earplugs so I slept quite soundly. I am sorry Natalie had the dead deer trauma. I too had a run in with nature. When we helped a guy move an oven and when we picked it up 5 huge rats jumped out the oven. Scared me. 

This week we did some service. We filled buckets full of bricks and then lifted them up to the third floor with a rope and pulley. We also cleaned out a guys shed with some friendly rats hidden away in the objects.  

Our progressing investigator is making progress. It seems that he should get baptized this week or the next. 

Today for p-day we are going to eat Peruvian food. 

A little surprise: The owners of our house (The Choquevillca family) went to the United States to drop their son off at BYU and will stay there for month. I sent with them a little surprise for you guys. I don´t know if they will drop it off personally or just drop it the mail. Just don´t be too astounded if two Bolivians show up who speak very little English. 

Love Elder Gilbert

 A really large snail

 A fun man statue

 My trainer's last conference

                                                   The house with Santa Cruz clouds