Vivaceta #7

8.29.11

This is...the big email!

That email title is a tribute to Steve Pratt and ¨The Swimming¨.  Anyways, changes were last night and Im still with my companion.  Not sure what to think about that haha but I´ll try my hardest to help him out.  I was kind of upset to find out I wasnt going to be training a new missionary and there are a lot of younger missionaries training.  I´ll just have to keep going forward and hopefully one day it will happen.

So, President has changed A LOT about the mission.  Before, the mission was like this.  There were two zone leaders that were companions and there were usually 5 district leaders in each zone.  The districts usually only consisted of 4 missionaries and the trainers were usually the district leaders.  Now, there are still two zone leaders but they also train new missionaries so they arent together as companions.  There are only 3 district leaders now and the districts have about 10 missionaries in them.  I am no longer district leader haha but mostly because all the trainers are also leaders so since Im not training Im not up there.  

We had a pretty ahrd week again.  Not a lot of success in terms of numbers but quite a bit of success in terms of learning.  Ive been learning a lot about obedience and really how important it is in our daily lives.  Ive never been the most obedient person in the world but here in the mission, Ive been trying really hard.  Before the mission, I never really understood the rules or commandments.  I always tried to keep the rules and everything but I never liked doing it.  Here in the mission, there are so many rules that are little and dumb and dont make a lot of sense but as you see other missionaries fall from the little mistakes your testimony really grows.  There are days when I think to myself ¨why should I even wake up.  If I sleep in I´ll have more energy and I will be able to work better.¨  But then I know if I get up on time and do all my studies that I need to, I will be ready for the lessons we have that day and I will have the Spirit even stronger with me.  Everyday is a huge battle against Satan here and he is doing everything possible to try and slow us down.  He knows everything we are teaching is true and hes trying so hard to win a battle he will never win.  In the MTC, we had a devational where the speaker told us to think every morning ¨how can I make Satan angry today?¨  Ive been trying to apply that everyday haha because I know hes happy when we give in to temptaion.  I know he gets mad everytime I knock a door or everything I go into a lesson.    

Anyways, thats my email for this week.  I challenge you all to make Satan mad this week.

Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #6 (plus answered questions & pictures)

8.22.11

Hey everybody just a quick update.  This will probably be another short email since there isnt much going on right now.  Me and my companion are doing a little bit better.  I decided I just needed to sit him down and tell him how it is.  I basically told him that if he cant get over the little things in his companions and just be happy with people then it will be hard for him to have success.  Hes finally realizing that true success comes from happiness as a missionary so hes been working a little bit harder.

Todays a pretty sad day for me because Elder Moore is going home next week.  I lived with him in Los Conquistadores when I first started the misison and we set up a big bbq with him and some converts of ours.  It was great seeing him and all our old friends but hard saying goodbye.  I cant imagine what that day will be like for me.  Im going to finish a year in the mission in just a couple of weeks so Im trying hard not to think about the end and Im trying to focus on today but it can be hard sometimes.  We have been having a lot of success lately in getting references from members but we just need to get these people to church.  We are hoping to have a couple baptisms this next month but the people here are just a little too lazy haha.  I have a personal goal of 16 baptisms before I go home so that I can have 20 as a total.  

Anyways, thats about it for me this week.  Sorry once again for the short email but not much to write about.  The end of this change is coming up this next sunday and a lot of new missionaries are arriving so Im hoping to train a newbie!

Thats crazy how Eli is leaving already for college.  Im pretty excited to see him leave for the mission then come back a grown man haha.  Hes already grown up a lot but as we all know people grow up on the misison....except for elder zander he went backwards.  I definately love this work.  There is nothing better than these two years I am experiencing right now.  There are days when I just wish I could go home or that time would go faster but then there are other days when I wish time would stop here so that I could do this forever.  Im sure every missionary knows how I feel haha.  Im pretty excited that time is going by fast though.  I never thought before the mission how hard it really was to leave everything behind.  Its pretty crazy that Ive been in a foreign country for almost a year.  Speaking a different language is fun too plus all the friends Im making in the mission is awesome.

Love Elder Peck


1.        What was your favorite thing from your last package that we sent?  (I sent you a jump rope because you said it was hard to get in exercising so I hope that helps a little).

 I really liked the glasses haha but yeah the jump rope was nice even though Ive been pretty lazy with my excersise time in the morning

2.        When are transfers?  Do you hope you can stay where you are for awhile?

 Im hoping to stay here for at least 6 months.  Ive never been in a sector that long but they are starting to do that more often so that missionaries can create a good bond with the ward.  transfers are coming up this next sunday and im hoping to train!

3.        How’s teaching going?  How many investigators do you have right now?
 We have quite a few investigators but they dont progress!!  they never do haha so we are contantly finding more.  Marcelo (his daughter got baptized last week) is awesome.  Hes pretty much a member already but his wife just needs to leave so he can get baptized
4.       Have you ever used that building block (or cups) idea I sent to teach about the restoration?  If so, would you like more ideas like that or not?
 No I havent beause I havent had a lot of time to put it all together and stuff but maybe if you guys have any cool plan of salvation stuff you coul send?
5.       Tell us one cool thing that happened this week.
 This week.... We walked in to ask this kid to come out and do some appointments with us and hes the only member in his family.  The family is really nice and stuff its just that they are too lazy to go to church or they would already be members.  we walked in and his little sister whos 7 wanted a blessing.  she also told us that she turns 8 soon and wants to get baptized!!  so we will be teaching her sometime today or tomorrow.
6.       Do you ever bless the sacrament there?
 We passed it this last week because there are NO youth in this ward.  Ive never blessed the sacrament but Im guessing I will have to pretty soon cause this ward is getting smaller every week haha. 
7.       When does Spring/Summer start there?
spring is starting right now.  its usually still cold at night but its getting pretty warm during the day.  it sucks cause we go out without jackets and it gets really cold at night and we have to go back and pick them up.

Also some pictures:

Ty with his first Chile Comp.

looks like he must not walk much....

Picture Update!!

I've created a new 'page' where we will post photos from his mission. They won't be in any sort of order but if you want to see pictures, that would be the best place to go. I'll still do occasional picture posts but there will always be pictures on that other page.

Ty and his first companion from the MTC Elder Larsen

His bed area

His study desk

the view from their apt. window

Their apt. kitchen

4th of July BBQ

Vivaceta #5

8.15.11

WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!! WOOHOOOHOHOWHWOHWO!!!!  This week was very hard for us though.  Marcelo was going to be baptized also but he couldnt because his ¨wife¨ refuses to marry him beause she hates our church.  She is going to leave at the end of the year so he can finally get baptized but hes been really down lately.  His daughter Victoria got baptized though and he was very happy to see that.  Hes one of the greatest investigators I have ever heard of in my life.  He is about halfway through the BOM and goes to church and gets there on time.

Anywyas short email sorry but I dont have a lot of time today since Ive been pretty sick.  Have a great week!

Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #4

(Sorry I got behind...)

8.8.11

Ok!  This week was a good normal week haha.  Not much to report other than we are still working hard and having a great time.  My companion had a rough weekend though.  He was saying how he didnt imagine the mission to be this hard and he was thinking it was because he wasnt ready.  I tried telling him that I had worse weeks before but he was still pretty down.  I told him basically that a successful missionary is always happy no matter what happens and if he´s happen that success will come to him.  He got really excited after that haha so he´s doing better.  He kind of has 2 personalities so its pretty hard sometimes haha.  He likes having Jedi battles with himself in his sleep and makes the sound effects while he is sleeping.  I like hearing the lasers and lightsabers and the screams haha. 
We didnt end up having our baptism yesterday but we will for sure this saturday.  Marcelo is getting married wednesday and then baptized saturday with his daughters.  Well, hopefully both of his daughters haha one of them is really lazy sometimes and doesnt go to church so I will have to make sure shes ready.  We have had to drop a lot of investigators beacuse of lot of people dont progress but thats just kind of how the mission is here.  Someday they will be with the missionaries again though and hopefully they will come to their senses then.  Ive been learning a lot this week about how to focus on peoples needs and not on my wants.  Ive been trying a lot to change the lessons according to what they need so that they can progress.  Ive been seeing a lot more people progress that way.
Well, sorry for the short update again but not much going on.  Have a great week!
Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #3

8.1.11

 

We had a very good week.  We worked hard and we saw success from it.  Not much interesting to report haha so sorry if this one is short.  This ward is a lot better than the other wards I´ve been in so Im a little bit more happy.  We are going to have 2 maybe 3 baptisms this coming week!!!  Its my frist baptism since feb. so Im pretty excited.  Its my companions first baptism in the mission so hes pretty excited too.  Me and him are doing really good.  Its just weird talking spanish 24/7 haha.  Hes a little bit shy in the street sometimes and doesnt really know what to say when we visit the members or at meals with the members so I usually talk the whole time which can be hard since its a second language haha.  Ive been learning a lot about diligence this last week.  As we continue working hard we continue seeing success.  Sometimes that Kanahele told me was ¨When you do what you´ve done, what get what you´ve always got.¨  It kinda means to me that when we work hard, we continue seeing the success that we had before.  If we ever let up just a little bit, the success will slow down.  Ive been trying to set a good example for my companion since he is very new in the mission and sometimes he can lack a little bit of motivation haha. 

Thats about it for me this week, sorry about the short email.  Have a great week everybody!

Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #2

7.25.11

We had an amazing week this last week.  So I actually found out Im technically training my companion since he was with his trainer for only 6 weeks.  My companion is awesome and we are having a lot of success.  Its fun watching a new missionary develop because I remember how it was for me.  Hes very humble and a great teacher.  We were able to find 17 new investigators this last week!!!  We got into a lot of houses asking if we could just share a short message with a song and a prayer.  A lot of people let us in because they feel something different and dont know what it was.  We got into one house and the guy opened up about how his wife died years ago and how he feels like we are sent from God to tell him that his wife is ok and waiting for him. 

Now for the biggest miracle of my mission.  So last wednesday in our zone class we received a reference from Peru (which hardly ever happens).  I wrote down the name and address and made plans to visit the people saturday in the night.  Saturday morning we went to do a couple different services for members.  One of the services was moving huge greasy auto parts around so we were wayyy dirty and gross.  We were walking to our house but we were way far away.  I asked my companion if he wants to take bus or walk and he looked at me and said Im not sure.  I thought about it for a second and decided that it would be better because I was wayy tired haha.  We went over to the bus stop and there were a few people sitting there.  My companion talked with them and asked if we could visit sunday.  They said sure and we wrote down there information.  We went home, showered, and changed then went out to work.  We didnt have a lot of plans so we decided we would knock a lot of doors.  Then I remembered the reference that we got and I said lets go visit these people. We walked over to the house and we saw it was the house of the people we talked too after service.  We knocked the door and confirmed out appointment for sunday.  We went sunday after church and the mom told us a story.  They have friends that were members in Peru and they used to always try getting them to church.  They had gone to church once or twice but then moved to Chile and lost contact with their friends.  The mom had been praying for guidance in life and when she saw us walking towards the bus stop she had the weirdest feeling that something big was coming in her life but didnt know what.  When we went into their house she really felt like what we were going to teach was going to change her life.  We taught the Restoration and talked about baptism.  There are 8 people in the family!  I feel really blessed to be finding a lot of investigators and to really have the Spirit with us.  I can´t believe Im almost halfway done with the mission already.  It makes me really sad because I know everyday is one less day as a servant of our Lord.  I really hope the last day of my mission never comes because its just too amazing out here testifying to everybody everyday what I know is true.  I know it will come someday and it will be the saddest day of my life but I will continue testifying everyday to all my loved ones.  I love this work and its so unreal that Im here in Chile.  Im having a great time with my companion and we are ready to baptize lots of people!!  Its been too long since my last baptism.  Almost 6 months ago when I was with Kanahele was when we batized Valentina.  Im ready to baptize more and I cant wait to see people dressed in white ready to swim.

I challenge all of you to enjoy the little things in life this week and really think about what life is for you.  Have a great week!

Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #1

7.18.11

Well I had changes today.  They changed both me and Elder Heath.  I am now in the sector Vivaceta with Elder Saravia from Bolivia.  I have my first latin companion and Im very excited to work with him.  He just got into the mission about 2 months ago so he´s very new and excited to work.  I also became district leader for the first time here in the mission field.  Im very excited to serve here in this new sector and with a new companion.

Last week in our zone class, we had a lesson from the assistants of the mission.  They talked about how about a year ago in the mission, we were setting goals of 20 baptisms per zone and actually completing those goals but now in the mission zones are putting goals of 6 or 7 baptisms and not achieving.  They asked for a few personal reasons why from each missionary written on a piece of paper.  A lot of the answers were obedience or just ourselves and how we hold ourselves back from our potential.  They had us split up with a random missionary and think in silence for 5 minutes and then share what we learned about how we can make ourselves better.  As I sat there in silence I started thinking of general things that I can change and then the thought came that we always focus on the general qualities of a missionary.  I started thinking about how I can do better with the members and just with the people in general.  As I was thinking I looked down at my little note taking folder and saw a picture of Eli Pratt and I when we were very young.  I started thinking about how much I miss that guy and things like that then the thought came to my head that I should treat every person here as if they were Eli.  As my best friend, Eli has always been somebody I can talk to openly and he will understand everything I tell him and give me good advice.  Also, I´ve been somebody he can talk to openly.  I decided that I should be more personal with the people I serve.  I should treat everybody as if they were Eli expressing their trials or fun times to me.  Ive been learning a lot more about how I can talk with people by putting that in practice.  Today in the taxi I started talking to the taxi driver about the soccer game last night and how Chile lost and then we started talking about music and then eventually we arrived to his family and his kids.  He was telling me about how one of his goods looks like a gringo with blonde hair and white skin.  Even though I was only with that guy for about 20 minutes I really felt like I got to know him better as a person and I was a lot more happy.  Id like to thank Eli for being the person that makes me a better missionary and who keep me really motivated. 

So, last night we went around visiting a few members from my ward because I figured I was leaving.  We took some pictures and then they started talking about our ward there and how it can be better.  I realized a lot of the members themselves dont even like the ward they are in and how they all look for excuses to why its so bad.  They were saying about how the leadership lacks love or how the youth arent motivated to do much.  I was thinking about how if every single member sucked it up for a few minutes and really realized that nobody is perfect in the world, then member they would realize how they can help the ward be better.  Everybody in the ward has so much potential but there is a lot of pride holding them all back.  I love them all and I miss them all but The Lord wants me here in this sector now.  We have a lot of investigators set up for baptism soon.  Last week in this sector they found 22 new investigators!  We will definately be dominating here but in a humble way.

Thank you all for all your support, love, and examples in my life.  I challenge you all to think about what you can do to help your ward.

Love Elder Ty Peck