Compania #1

12.19.11

This last week was CRAZZZYYYZYZYZ.  So tuesday night we got a random phone call from president saying that we had special changes because of other thigns that were happening in the mission SO we both got taken out of there and now Im in a trio in downtown Santiago.  Its pretty hard here because its like trying to knock downtown Seattle....pure business buildings.  We dont know the members that well either so we just rely on references from them.  We have been walking A LOT these last few days and its not too fun haha. 

Right not Im in a trio with Elder Garcia from Honduras and Elder Whitmer from Arizona.  Whitmer is actually changing missions here pretty soon to go to the family history center in Salt Lake.  Hes had a hard time with the language and health problems so he could be heading out any day that there is an opening for him. 

We have some great investigators here even though it is hard to find.  We are teaching a guy from Peru named Antony.  He was a reference from his uncle who is a memeber and hes progressing really well.  We taught him the Plan of Salvation last night and he was saying how he never thought that God had made a plan like that for us.  He takes notes during the lessons and is a greattt investigator. 

In my studies this morning, I was reading the the Gospel of Mark.  I read a scripture (i dont remember where) that explained one of the miracles that Jesus did.  He gave the blind their sight I think and he told them not to tell anybody.  The first thing they did was ¨publish the news¨ of Jesus Christ.  I was thinking about how much we dont do that today in the world.  We are told everyday to spread the Gospel and to publish the news of the restoration but we dont for fear.  Imagine the joy those two guys felt and then when Jesus Christ told them not to tell anybody they did anyways becasue they couldnt hold it back.  Now that people invite us to share the Gospel with our friends we always have a fear of doing it.  We should always remember that these people will probably never hear the Gospel or accept the missionaries knocking their doors becasue they dont have a good example or a good friend to explain the joy that comes from it. 

Thats it for me this week.  Have a great Christmas everybody bye!

Love Elder Peck

Lo Ovalle 2 #2

12.12.11 (This is really Ty's 3rd week in Lo Ovalle 2 but he didn't send a 'real' email his 2nd week)

I jus wanna start this email off by apologizing for not writing last week.  I TOTALLY forgot to write it haha.  I was traveling around the mission for an activity that didnt turn out too well so we last most of the P day lost in the north part of the mission.  So ill try to make up for it this week.

 

This last week I was sick for most of it so nothing happened thats it bye!

 

 

 

Just kidding stuff still happened but I was sick.  I just had a pretty bad head cold so we took it slow.  I also stepped on a nail towards the end of the week so that also slowed us down. 
Things here in Lo Ovalle 2 are good.  We werent able to have baptisms yesterday because the family hasnt been home a lot and the youngest one got sick.  They will be getting baptized most likely this coming sunday.  There are some good members here as well.  The ward is a lot bigger than any of my other wards, the average attendance is about 180 people and all my other wards were about 70 or 80.  I dont know any of the members because a lot of them live in the sector of the other misisonaries.  

I did some divisions with Elder Larsen this last weekend which was very fun.  He was my companion from the MTC for those of you that dont remember.  We went out and worked pretty hard and got into some houses together.  It was really nice being able to catch up and also make plans for after the mission together.  We got into a house and we taught this lady.  We started it off talking about happiness through obedience to the commandments.  It was so weird because we still had the same connection that we had from the MTC and we always knew what the other was going to say.  It ended up being a great lesson and afterwards we looked back on our MTC lessons together and how we used to like read each others minds in the lessons.  At night we had a little BBQ in his house and talked for most of the night.  I actually stepped on a nail at his house making firewood for a little campfire that we made.  

 

Sorry for the short email this week...not much happened because I was sick.  Thank you everybody for your love and support throuhgout my mission.  Have a great week!
Love Elder Peck 

Lo Ovalle 2 #1

11.28.11

This last week was a pretty good week for us.  I still don't know everybody in this sector and I'm just following my companion around everywhere but we are having a great time.  This sector is a pretty rich sector so everybody here has nice houses and stuff.  We are going to have some baptisms here pretty soon and we are excited for that.  Everybody here calls me elder besito which means elder kiss haha because I explained to them that Peck is like a little kiss.  Ive already got in pretty good with the ward and so we should be having a good time here.  Not much to report this week because I still don't know whats really going on here haha.

In my studies Ive been reading in the New Testament a lot.  I have been reading especially about the Pharisees and the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.  We need to always be sure that we can discern the right moments to follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law. 

That's about it for me this week.  Sorry for the short email again.  Have a great week!

Love Elder Kiss

Vivaceta #19

11.21.11

Well... I got changed.  I honestly was destroyed when I got the news.  I really did not want to leave Vivaceta.  It was wayyyy hard saying goodbye to Marcelo and his family.  I honestly dont think Ive cried that hard in long time haha.  Im mostly just really worried because Marcelo got really upset and said he doesnt want to continue going to church now because the changes have affected his family too much and the kids are only getting more and more sad because of it.  I tried helping them but Im not sure whats going to happen.

Anyways, this last week was a good week in the sector.  We literally found a family that was the most prepared I had ever seen in my mission.  We went in and had the most spiritual lesson ever and when they went to church, they were crying all sacrament meeting.  The Spirit wa s very powerful in church and they are getting baptized for sure in the next few weeks.  

Now Im in the sector Lo Ovalle 2.  My companion is Elder Hanson from Idaho.  He has one more change than me so it should be pretty good here.  Im not sure how many investigators we have or what the members are like but hopefully its all good here.

Sorry I didnt have much to write this week.  Please pray for Marcelo and his family they really need it right now.
Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #18

11.14.11

Mas vale perder un segundo de la vida que la vida en un segundo

For those of you who dont speak spanish, the title says ¨Its more worth it to lose a second of life than lose the life in a second¨.  Its a chilaen saying and its been making me think a lot.

ANYWAYS, we had the most powerful lesson of my whole mission yesterday.  Let me explain....

So, last week I mentioned that we were going to do that big object lesson with Marcelo and his family.  The mom ended up avoiding us all week and it was very frustrating.  We would show up at their house and she would be ¨sick¨ or have some kind of excuse.  I finally told Marcelo how I felt and that I was getting tired of how she was acting.  Saturday night, Marcelo called and said that she wanted us over sunday night for an FHE.  We both looked at each other and thought here is our chance to finally tell her whats up.  So we showed up sunday evening at like 6.  We played a little bit of soccer with the kids and Marcelo outside and then we kinda just hung out with the family for a little bit inside.  The mom was in the back room AGAIN and didnt look like she was going to come out.  She finally came out a little while and later and started making us some dinner.  She came out with the dinner and we all sat around the table and chatted a little bit.  Then, Marcelo looked at me and told me to tell her what I had been thinking and feeling the week before.  So, I took a huge breath and the Spirit took over.  I started saying how we had been coming by a lot and never able to get much done with the family because there was always something wrong and it was hard to feel the Spirit in the house.  I told her that we were very frustrated and worried for weeks because we didnt know what was going on and she didnt even want to talk to us.  She went on to apologize and say that she felt bad because she was just really sad when my last companion had left.  She said she didnt think that the changes were fair and that she felt like her progress and the progress of the family was held back because of the big change.  

This is where it gets good haha.  So, I really wanted to do that chalk lesson like I said last week but it was already dark outside and one of their daughters was sick.  Then, I remembered that my companion had a little white board in his backpack with some markers. I went and grabbed it and then I drew a big box.  I told them that it represented eternal life and that they had to write what the expect it to be for them or how they want it to be.  They all wrote something about being with the family.  Then we went on to explain the 5 steps of the Gospel and how they can receive all their blessings if they are obedient.  The mom went on to kind of make some excuses (like most people) saying that one has to be ready for these things or that people cant be obligated.  A scripture from the book of James came to my mind at that point and I told her ¨Faith without works is death in itself.  You believe in God?  Thats great, so do the devils, and they tremble.¨  After that point she got quiet and I went on to explain that if they dont act now as a family, they will never receive the blessings that are waiting for them in the life after.  She started crying after that she said that she had been realizing that last week that she was the one destroying the family and holding them all back.  Marcelo had been talking with her a lot about how she hadnt been raising her kids with God in their lives and that now is their only chance and shes rejecting it.  She had been seeing a great change in her kids and her ¨husband ¨ (they still arent married) and how she kinda felt left out since shes not home much.  I felt the strongest impression ever to invite her to be baptized on the 25 of December.  I then told her that we want them to be baptized as a family on Christmas day so that they can all enjoy the blessings that God has waiting for them after this life.  I asked them all if they would prepare themselves for that date.  I think it was the longest 3 seconds of silence I had ever experienced in my life.  She finally looked at me and said that she knows she needs to but she is going to think about it and talk with Marcelo.  We invited her to pray about it and we left them with Alma 7 to read.  

This week will be a very hard week for me.  I already have 3 changes in this sector and its very possible that Im going.  Ive been 3 changes in all my other areas and Im just not sure whats going to happen next sunday.  Ive been praying very hard that I wont be changed yet because I feel like my work isnt done with this family.  Marcelo last week actually had a really hard time because he knew that changes were coming up.  One day he sat us down and he said that he will stop going to church if I leave because he doesnt feel like the changes are fair.  We finally calmed him down and now he knows why he needs to keep going to church but I its going to be really hard for all of us.  Ive been thinking a lot lately about coming back down to Chile after the mission.  These people that Im meeting here are sooo far away from home and its expensive to come down here but I want to do everything I can to come down here and see these people.  

Anyways, that was our sunday night haha.  Have a great week everybody!

Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #17

11.7.11

26 NUEVOS!!!!

This last week we found.....26 NEW INVESTIGATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really dont know how we found so many, but everyday we got into houses like crazy.  We were able to find some very good investigators and invite them to be baptized.  Of course, they all have their doubts but through the teachings and their commitments, they will get baptized.

 

Other than those new investigators we had a great week.  Michel and Tomas are doing really well.  They werent able to go to church because Tomas is struggling in school and might have to repeat a year so they were doing homework all day.  Marcelo and his family arent doing too good.  We went over friday afternoon and he told us that his wife told Camila that if she gets baptized then she will get really upset with her.  SO Camila was pretty upset and down about that. Ive been doing a lot of studies especially for this lesson.  We decided that we are going to play a game.  We are going to draw 5 stepping stones on the ground with chalk.  At the end is the Celestial Kingdom and all of them are going to write things in there that they want for after this life.  Of course they will all write family because it is the most important thing to them.  We will then go on to explain that Jesus Christ taught us that there are 5 steps to reach eternal life with our families.  We will start with Victoria, who is already baptized, and we will say that the first step is faith.  Faith requires action which is going to church, praying, and reading.  We will ask if she has shown her faith by doing these things.  She will take the first step.  After, we are going to describe repentance and that whole process.  We will then ask if Victoria has repented of her sins and she will say yes then take the next step.  THEN comes baptism and shes been baptized and then she will move on to the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end and then arrive to the end.  NEXT we will ask Marcelo, Camila and the mom the same questions.  Of course Marcelo and Camila will take the first step and the mom wont because they are going to church, reading and praying.  Then they will move on to the repentance step but then be stuck because the mom is holding them back from baptism and eventually being with Victoria.  Basically we want the mom to realize how much she is holding her own family back from following Jesus Christ. We are hoping the mom finally realizes whats going on with the family and that she will let them get baptized.  THe bishop is also going to help us in other appointment with them wednesday night and he will probably just talk to her about doctrine haha.  Hes pretty hard on people but he knows how to get it done.  He has help us a lot with investigators and helping them get married.

 

In my studies recently, I have been reading in chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel.  Its basically a chapter about how we can teach better so that the people understand and progres better.  Our lessons have been getting really really good lately and its all thanks to Preach My Gospel. 

 

Elder Quentin L. Cook came and spoke to our mission and the east mission saturday morning.  It was awesome to see an Apostle walk into the room.  He greeted all of us with a handshake and then we heard him speak.  He talked a lot about how we can teach better and be better missioaries.  He said the first thing we should always do is love the people.  He spoke of Dan Jones and how when he was a missionary wayyy back in the day, he would teach people sitting on the ground because he didnt want them to give up their seats for him.  He had so much success because of the love he really showed the people he taught.  He also told us that we should go out of our personality or our personal bubble to really reach out to the people we teach and the members in our ward. 

 

Im having an awesome time with Elder Donohoo right now.  THe ward loves us sooo much and it is soo much fun seeing the members and messing around with them.  We have a great relationship with the bishop.  The bishop has really loved working with us and sees the results of our work with him.  President Essig actually called us the other night to see how things were going with the ward.  The stake president had expressed some concerns because the missionaries before us didnt have a great relationship with the ward or the bishop.  I explained to President that we have been working really well wth the bishop and that he is one of the best bishops I have seen in Chile so far.  Missionaries usually just dont understand how to work well with the leaders and especially how to work well with the bishops.  I have seen many blessings from working really close with him and his counselers.  I love this ward and I hope I never get changed out of it but I know it will probably happen soon. 

 

Have a great week everybody!

Love Elder Peck

Vivaceta #16

10.31.11

¡TUVIMOS UN BAUTISMOOOOOOO PO!

Katy got baptized saturday and confirmed sunday!  It was a really special ceremony where her husband was able to baptize her and she gave her testimony afterwards.  She was telling us the whole week before that she didnt want to give a talk or anything because she was scared so we made sure that she wouldnt be giving a talk or anything after her baptism.  THE N she asked for a few minutes after her baptism to say a few words.  She went up to the pulpitt with tears running down her face and explained how this is her third baptism but the only one that felt right.  We were actually kinda worried that she didnt have a very strong testimony of Joseph Smith yet or of the Book of Mormon but her testimony grew tons after getting baptized. 

 

The week was a good week for us.  We talked to a LOT of people.  One contact that we did was probably the best one Ive had in my misison.   When we were planning one night my companion mentioned knocking a street called ¨Aurora¨.  We headed that way the next day to knock some doors.  A lady came out to talk to us in the second house that we knocked.  She started telling us how she doesnt really want anything to do with the churchs in the world because she reads the Bible and none of the churchs are like the one Jesus had established.  We began to talk about the restoration a little bit but she kept wanting to talk and talk.  I started to get a little frustrated but I tried really REALLY hard.  As we stood and listened for the next twenty minutes as she basically taught us the plan of salvation and how the church of Jesus Christ should be, we felt the Spirit really strong telling us that we should tell her that she was basically teaching us our own message.  My companion started talking and told her that every single word she had just said was our message and that we were here to help her find the true church.  I gave testimony of what he said and told her that we invite people to read, pray, and goto church because we know that God will answer her prayers and she will feel the Spirit.  She was speechless afterwards and told us that we could pass by another day.  We are going to see what happens with her most likely tomorrow afternoon. 

 

Another story about Michel and Tomas.  They both have a baptismal date right now for the 20th of november.  Michel went to church sunday and in the Gospel Principles class he raised his hand with a quesiton.  We were talking about the family and how the parents should help their kids grow up in the Gospel.  Tomas has been preapring himself for the first communion in the catholic church.  The mom really wants him to keep going forward with it but Tomas doesnt want to now that he knows the church.  He went to play soccer with us on friday and he said even there playing soccer there was a different feeling with the people and just around the buildling.  Michel´s question was if he should go with the mom and force him to keep going with the catholic church or if he should let Tomas choose.  The mom doesnt live inthe house so she doesnst have any say right now.  The members started explaining to him that in the church there are youth programs and its a great way to help children grow up.  Michel and Tomas are progressing really well right now and we are expecting them to get baptized within the next few weeks!

 

Well have a great week everybody!

Love Elder Peck

 

 (more pictures under photo page --see top)

Vivaceta #15

10.24.11


Ladies and Gentlemen! CHICAGO!!


WE HAVE AN INVESTIGATOR FROM CHICAGO!!!!  He went to church sunday which was sweet.  He doesnt speak spanish very well even though hes married to a chilaen and hes been here for 3 years.  Hes pretty cool and he said he has done a lot of ¨research¨ on the church so we will see what happens.

So, we didnt end up baptizing Camila sunday.  It came close and the mom started telling her that she needs to be older and decide for herself.  Camila is a mama´s girl and listens to everything she says so she told us that she doesnt want to get baptized but then we talked to Marcelo and he said that the mom is just putting that in her head.  We are going to have a FHE with them tomorrow night and we are going to try and have a chat with the mom.  The family is doing good other than that though.

We are going to baptize Katy this saturday!!!  She is ready now and we are wayy excited to get her in the water.  They are hoping to be able to go to the temple in about a year or a little bit later when they feel ready and Im pushing for 11 months so I can go with them before I leave haha.  We played uno with them last night and its really weird that in Latin America, nobody knows how to play uno.  It has a spanish name and people have no idea what it is.  

Carlos and his family are going to be moving to another stake next week.  Sunday night he called me to see when we could go over and do a family night and then after we hung up he called back to tell me that he loves me haha.  I love that family so much and Im really hoping that I can see them in the future.  The deaf kid, GianLuca, always gets wayyyy excited when we come over and he starts bouncing off the walls.  He is probably the funniest kid I have ever met in my life.  When he doesnt get his way he just collapses like a puppet without strings and then starts waving his hands around and nobody understands him haha.  The parents dont even know sign language that well yet so its pretty hard for them too.  My companion and I went over to hang out with Carlos yesterday and we decided to make some bread.  Since it was just us three guys we totally forgot about the bread in the oven and it burnt a little bit but it was still delicious.  

Last night we decided that we needed to knock some doors becuase we hadnt found very many investigators this last week.  We got into this really rich neighborhood and we were saying to each other how we would NEVER get into any of these houses because they were like mansions.  We got to one house with tons of halloween decorations on it (which is weird because nobody decorates houses in Chile).  It was probably the biggest house on the street and the nicest one.  We started talking about how cool it would be to baptize the family that lived there because then Christmas would be awesome for us haha and then we knocked the door.  At first, the daughter came out and said no they were busy and closed the door.  We wanted to take pictures of the house so we got our cameras ready and then the mom came out.  We quickly put our cameras away and she came and opened the gate and we started talking about her awesome house.  She showed us around and introduced us to the family and we helped her youngest daughter with her english homework.  We ended up talking for a while and they told us that when the older daughters were younger, they would go to the primary and other activities at church but nobody ever got baptized.  They said the missionaries used to go over and play nintendo with the family back in the day and they loved having the missionaries over.  We made an appointment to go back this week and hopefully everything goes well!

Thats about it for me this week!  Have a great week everybody!

Love Elder Ty Peck