Thanksgiving in Cusco

Well, this week, we did divisions in Villa Maria and ended up doing a service project for a person who lived IN THE HILLS. LOOK AT THE PIC.

We pretty much helped a person move (leña), or like firewood.  They had a MOTOtaxi to do the moving!  I was riding on the back (way sketchy) sitting on top of a bunch of wood!

So for this Thanksgiving we didn't do anything special.  Just not something even talked about down here.  So yeah, I miss Thanksgiving!  Just the types of food would be awesome to have!  Here I don't bother to eat that much, not a HUGE fan of the food here.

Pic 2. All my agendas / monthly planners from my mission that I will save as a great memory!

I only have about 20 minutes this week to email, as we had zone meeting this morning, took a lot of our p-day as we had to plan stuff for the Christmas conference.

Well this week was actually a decent week workwise. I am not going to say it was the best. We did have some lessons, people progressing, got a baptismal date for the 17th of December.  It is a 10 year old girl, her mom and sisters are members, but the dad is anti-lds.  So the Mom is a little scared to see the dads reaction, but she decided it is time to get her daughter baptized. Since she is 10, she belongs to the mission instead of the ward (teaching wise) (or at least that is what they have told us).

Is ROUGH teaching a 10 year old, let me tell you. She has an attention span that is, let's just say VERY short!  But just got to power through it.

We had an appointment with Davis and Monica (are awesome new investigators from last week) on Tuesday.  We didn't feel the impression to put a date for Baptims at that time, even though they are progressing very well.  We were going to meet with them again on Saturday, but they had to cancel us, had to go to the hospital. So we are really going to try this week, sometimes its rough, but just gotta step up and do it.

We did confirm one though with the 10 year old, thats the good news :P

Well I am off to go play soccer in the rain, hail and thunder.

So will take a video leaving so u guys can see, will send at night.

I love you guys a ton, miss you guys a ton.

Thanks for everything you guys do for me and the family.

Hope you have an amazing week!

-Elder Connor Barry

P.S.  Here are some older random pics that I am not sure you have.  One from the Turkey Bowl we had a few weeks back of REAL American Football (showing all the US Elders in Cusco zone).

Another picture of the day I picked up Elder Sanchez for his training -- will all the new Elders and Trainers.

Working (while sick) in Cusco

Well this week I got SUPER sick ... Literally couldn't leave the bathroom Friday/Saturday morning! Not fun.  But I feel a lot better now, but for like 3 days I was feeling pretty horrible.  I am still sick, but not lightheaded and wozy all the time at least.

This week we taught a TON of new investigators though!  It was especially hard with me being sick, as was just like running to an appointment, back to house, bathroom, leaving again...but we got all our work done and lessons delivered!  haha.  Looking back on this week, it looks like we averaged like 5 lessons a day!  (For us, in this mission, that is VERY good).  We were so pumped!

Is a little lonely, having a "mansion" all to ourselves... since the Zone Leaders moved out.  But it is cool.  We taught 2 new people, Davis and Monica (boyfriend girlfriend), awesome people, came to church yesterday, going to put a baptismal date this week (hopefully).

Also just to confirm, I will be here in Cusco for Christmas.  The changes are 6 weeks, think I told you that last week, and only some people go home early (the sister missionaries that came in with) on the 19th.  So the actual changes are on the 26th.  So no matter what I will still be here in Cusco on Christmas.  We are trying to find a member with good internet to Skype on, so hopefully we can get that set up in advance!

Okay well, love ya, take care. Talk to you next week.

Staying in Cusco

Hey! So as you know I was expecting a transfer, and I am not going to lie, was looking forward to it as I have been here 4 transfers already.  But I am staying here with my "son" (greenie that I have been training), Elder Sanchez.  So we have been here 3 CHANGES TOGETHER.  But is cool!

Some crazy news.  Our mission is shrinking (we have gotten less and less numbers of new missionaries). So the Zone Leaders that lived with us here in Cusco basically were closed down this transfer.  One of them went home and other became a district leader.  But the area they served in was closed as well and we absorbed it.  Wow... no one saw that coming..So we have a HUGE room all too ourselves! :) We are going to have it for a bit, not sure if they will make us change, because it is really a big place for just two Elders to live.  It would be cool though to stay here.

So I am district leader here still:
Tahauntinsuyo 2 :Elder Barry and Sanchez
Villa Maria: Elder Costa and Reyes (Walker was changed to Espinar)
Picchu: Sister Wagner and Sister Chavez (Rodriguez went to Puno).
Senior Couple as well.

So lost a set of Elders (along with ZLs) from my district with the shrinking mission size.

My Zone Leaders had recommended me for a ZL position (that is how it is done here) but with the shrinking size of mission it just didn't happen this time.  (Honestly, I am totally fine with that, as I would rather work with investigators than spending time working with missionaries).

But anyway, it is sort of wild that we will live here in such a huge place.  The best part of this as well is that we get ALL of the progressing investigators from the Zone Leaders!  So our work level just increased but in such a cool way! HAHAHAHA

I am actually happy that I am not leaving now that the worrying about it is over.  It is a nice ward here and we get a ton of NEW PEOPLE to teach!  My comp and I get along great so will be a good next transfer to stay here.  I will be here like 5 transfers -- so that is very unusual again -- and when combined with my 5 transfers in Juli -- I tend to stay in one place a long time!

Also, as I mentioned, one of our investigators (Urpi) wants to get baptized in December (around the 15th) so now I will be here for that!

I don't have any pics, sorry about that, but I am going to try and look on my comps camera.

So the next transfer / change will be on December 19th.  It is 5 weeks instead of the normal 6 weeks.  The sisters from my group in the CCM go home this upcoming transfer and they were offered to go home a week early to be home for Christmas.  So I would assume for our Christmas conversation on Skype I will be from another sector!

Don't worry though re: our plans in June.  The next change will be 7 weeks to get the calendar back on track so our plans for picking me up here in Cusco are still fine.  [We are picking Connor up on Monday June 12th in Cusco, so we got a little worried with changing transfer dates; as our flights are purchased; hotels booked, etc..] 

Well we need to run.  Love you guys!  Now back to work here in Cusco!

-Elder Barry

Last week in Cusco area?

Hey guys

So I finally got the halloween package! Was funny haha, had some candy in it that I haven't eaten in like a year and a half.  It got devoured pretty quick by the room, but I guess it is better to share than to just eat them all myself haha.

This week was cool. Brady was baptized and confirmed (I had to confirm him last minute, even though the bishop said he was going to do it.  Like literally at the very last minute when Brady was already up in the chair in front of the sacrament meeting and we were all about to place our hands on his head, the Bishop was like "oh Elder can you do it...." It just scatters my brain and stresses me out. But I am happy that I can do things last moment now, but if you had asked me to do that at the start of my mission and I would have flipped out!

Is really was an awesome experience though. It will be something HE will remember for his entire life, and I doubt I will forget it!  This last week, to be honest, will be rough in my sector. Constantly thinking where I will be going, but just gotta keep going, and leave the sector in a good condition for my companion to keep working! (to be honest, I am pretty happy to get to know another sector, part of the mission!) It was a good week. Crazy to think 1 more WEEK until transfers....

But yeah, our sector is going great. I think I am leaving it better than I found it.  One of our investigators, Urpi, told us recently, after investigating the church for 10 years, that she wants to be baptized in December (when her member Dad from Lima comes to Cusco).  It was an awesome experience, but I obviously won't be here when that happens.  

Today we played American football with all the gringo Elders in Cusco. It was cool, but I did sunburned again even though I put on SO MUCH SUNSCREEN, TWICE....The sun just seems to fry me here!  We had our "turkey bowl"..Was funny, because me and one of the Assistants to the President (Elder Fritz) were the only two Elders that were there last year too for the turkey bowl of 2015 :)

So got my new pants.  I got 3 pairs; A black; A dark brown (almost black); And a beige color.

They all fit really well. But just decided to get 3 to last me this last quarter of the mission pretty much.

Here are some pics of me eating Cow Heart!  It wasn't that bad!

Here are some pics from last week District Meeting that my comp sent me.

So we are leaving now.  Will talk to you guys next Monday, take care...
P.S . Haven't been able to go to Institute again, because don't have any recent converts or investigators to bring...But maybe in my next sector!
So yeah, take care, love you guys
WILL TAKE VIDS AND PHOTOS THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK IN TAHAUNTINSUYO!
-Elder Connor Barry