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