Package Arrived

Emailing late, but HI!

So first of all, super happy for the package, and everything arrived good! Zone leaders called today (Elder Ludlow) and apparently my package was held up in customs, and was there for a while. To take it out the mission had to pay 17 soles, so I owe that to them, but its alright, just happy everything arrived!

This week was a good week, we didn't really have too many visits or anything, so Sunday afternoon we were looking at our fairly weak numbers and decided to just go out and contacted. We contacted like 40 people in a couple hours, best we can do if we don't have any appointments.

Mission President came to our house this week and we had interviews with him in our room. Was cool, as always. 

Crazy to think we are already going to have another genereal conference already. but I guess the last one I was with Elder Ludlow still... :)

Im really loving Elder Bordon he is legit such a good guy, we get along so well. I would say right up along there with Elder Ludlow and I. 

Only video I have is when we were coming back from Puno today, we played soccer. We took a MotoTaxi. I usually dont take them because they are complete garbage and it feels like you are about to tip over, but we were low on cash haha.

ohhhh, and tell Aunt Margie thanks for those little gifts, I was thinking they were from Addy, but explains a lot lol. 

Im also super happy the ipod and the speaker work with the power voltage here. 

I didnt really do anything special for the birthday..........I did get egged by the owner of the house and his family though, apparently its a "tradition" here but I think they just did it to see me get egged. Was fun washing egg out of white shirts. But they also bought be an actual cake from Puno. The dad apparently traveled to Puno in his car (around 1 hour) and bought a cake that said "Feliz Cumpleaños Elder Barry". was legit haha. Thats about all though. 

Crazy how we are already going to be using skype in a little more than a month, time passes by quick! I think I will still be with Elder Bordon, I feel we got 1 more together, 4 changes in Juli and then a change to....CUSCO OR PUERTO MALDONADO please!

Yep, hair stuff is right! Im so excited to come back and get my hair cut real nice, here they just say.....hmmmmmmmmmmmm, they look at you for a bit, and then they just start cutting "according to what you said" though. Really fun, a new elder who just finished his training, Elder Stringham, recently got his hair cut for the first time. If you have seen the movie, "The Best Two Years", he reminds me of Elder Rogers and hes just starting his mission lol. But it was funny, he said to the person, "I want my hair like that", and he pointed to a sample picture they have. I think it turned out the COMPLETE OPPOSITE from what the picture showed, and I just said to him, "Welcome to Peru" with a smile lol. 

I sold Elder Ludlow the old Ipod when he delivered my package. They had to come with Presidente Harbertson and we did a little behind the table deal when no one was looking haha.I sold it to him for 100 soles, which is like 33 bucks. I dont think I really won anything out of that trade, but I feel like I owe him for being such an awesome trainer to me :P Im just happy with the new one and that everything works well! 

Elder Powell whispered to me today when we were in Puno, "Hey guess what. My mom bought me an Iphone this week :P" with a grin.. He is going to be ending his mission in the July group and his parents are already buying him his stuff hahaha...

Interesting experience last night too........

So last night me and my companion were in our beds, and we had our heads somewhat outside the window like we always do, just looking around. So these 2 old ladies come from around the corner, and literally squat down and basically urinated in the street!  We obviously cant see anything because it was an old peruvian women who uses the giant dress but it was real gross. Even worse, she WIPED with her dress after. Me and my companion just started at each other a solid 30 seconds after and bursted out laughing...I dont understand the Peruvian Culture sometimes, but that is how it is lol. I can tell I am never going to forget some of this stuff hahahaha.

Well our time is up.  Love you.  Please tell Addy and Josh I love them and miss playing with them.

If its a possibility. Can you ask Josh to send me an Email this week? Just tell him I want him to write me telling me what games he is playing right now and how the games are!

I havent heard from that guy in forever....

Missionary Sunday in Juli

Hey guys!

So this week has been alright. It was actually hard though. We didn't really find many new investigators and had a hard time trying to set up appointments.  We did a lot of contacting and did our part but nothing really worked out :P

This week in church was also crazy.  Without any notice we had to bless the sacrament, lead the hymn, give sacrament talks, and give sunday school AND priesthood lessons.

Anyways, I am just going to keep praying for the package.  [We had sent Connor a package with a nano ipod loaded with approved music, some blue tooth speakers, miscellaneous deodarant, toothpaste, etc... but the package seems to have disappeared from tracking and might be "lost"].  

Elder Ludlow really wants me to sell him the old black ipod. I told him I would do it if I receive the other one, so hes on the hunt for  my package too lol.  He wants it so he can put music on it with the itunes computers in the mission office. Apparently all the mission office computers have itunes with like 2k songs or something.... Im not sure though because im out here closer to the Bolivia La Paz mission office than our own mission office -_-

You guys on though? I usually dont write this early, but we are going to Puno to play soccer and cut hair today so we got on early.

Sorry, I literally dont have any photos except for this 1 that I bought from "la cachina" in Puno after zone meeting Thursday. It costed 1 sole...Gotta love those 30 cent ties.

But I already gotta go, 1 hour already up and we are off to Puno to cut hair and play soccer, love you guys tons, will take photos and send em this week.

1st Birthday in Mission

So, almost 19 years old, thats a bit crazy, seems like just the other day we went to Outback Steakhouse with Mitch, Nathan, and Tom for my 18th birthday haha.  [Connor will turn 19 on March 19th]

So this week has been great, my new companion is Elder Bordon. He is from Argentina from some city thats super north close to Paraguay or Uruguay (one of those two I already forget)!

This week we have been working really hard, found 4 new investigators and far surpassed the goals we put for contacts and references asked. We have really worked hard, I am so tired hah. I think the zone leaders are going to Cusco today or tomorrow, so might not be able to receive it before my birthday but hey, at least we tried. I just hope everything is still inside the package :P

How was your guys week?

Just took this photo, figured you guys would want one with my new comp.

By the way, he is from the group of Elder Ludlow, so has about like 16 months about now.

Elder Bordon and I are getting along great, we mess around with each other (like fun teasing and stuff) but I like that more than a more reserved companion.

We are gonna have 3 more rescues this month in a few weeks here, so that is pretty cool.

Nothing really special or fun happened this week (other than just us working super hard), only thing I can remember is when a drunk guy in the plaza was arguing with a police guy (he was actually a Serenazgo though, which is like a volunteer police guy). But yeah they were arguing and the drunk guy punched the serenazgo and started to run, he got like 15 steps away and then was tackled lol, sorry crazy.

Here is a picture of my new dog!  Is actually our landlords lol, its like the size of my head haha.

So we are packing up now to leave, gotta go clean the house because its pretty dirty....lol.

Hope you guys have a good week, love you guys tons!

A new companion is coming to Juli

So my companion is off to Juliaca (like 45 min further away from Puno) with this change.  I am staying here with someone named Elder Bordon, never met him or heard of him, but have heard from others that he is from Argentina and has a little more than a year in the mission. I am going to be with Sanabria until tomorrow though, since my new companion arrives tomorrow night.

By the way, I received my package with the clothes in it, our ward mission leader was actually in Puno and he met up with Elder Ludlow and brought me my package!  I was just getting ready to start studies at 8AM one day and POW I heard the door knocking...was a little awesome surprise.....Awesome to hear the other package is on its way, I really hope it doesnt get stolen.

Gonna send photos when my companion finishes using my adapter lol :P

This week we got a call from our district leader Elder Powell saying we have to go to Cusco to do paperwork for immigration.  This was NOT an exciting call since it meant another 16 hours on a bus, but we had to do it.

After the trip we had like 4 hours before our bus left, so we decided to go to McDonalds in Cusco with Elder Powell and a guy named Elder Stringham.

Was awesome getting back to Cusco though, but didn't have time to visit my old house and pension.

These are some pictures from our district meeting this morning, (nothings changing in the district this change except for my companion).

The tall gringo is Elder Powell, district leader, also had to travel to cusco with me for this immigration paperwork.  He already has 20 months in the mission and is super cool.

The two latinos in the back are Sanabria (my companion) and Tituaña, the two in front are Peña and Ordoñez. Peña and Tituaña are in Ilave and Ordoñez is with Powell in Yunguyo. I like them all but the elders from Yunguyo are better friends of mine.

In terms of our work this week, we have a super cool family right now, married and the dad is less active, but its a little hard because they work so hard and so often. The dad also is a little confused when we say we can help him with stuff that he needs. We literally almost calls every other day asking for help in his work (which is literally cutting down trees , chopping them up with a machete and then bringing them back to his house to put in his big oven to make and sell bread!) Little bit hard with that situation......

We are working a lot with less actives now, don't think I have said because a lot of people think baptisms are "more important" or "more prestigious" but we have have 4 rescues here already in Juli. That pretty much means someone who wasn't coming to church is now coming and has a calling.

[Since Connor is basically 1/3rd way through his mission, we asked him how are things going generally?  How did he feel about the mission so far? What he felt like he has accomplished? What he wanted to be better at?]

Well, I feel like the mission is super hard, physically and spiritually.

I literally have had some super bad stomach pains lately, and I literally don't know why, as I haven't eaten ANYTHING bad. The food just doesn't agree with my stomach here, no matter WHAT.

I just like coming home at night tired is the best thing, knowing you gave it all. I really hope that is what I can improve, putting in my best effort because I think I have always had a habit to sloth things off and give a more laid back attempt at things.

I love you guys so much but its already time to go, hope you guys have a great week.
-Connor!