Ok everybody, so this week has been alright. We have transfers tomorrow so we will see what happens . Our investigators are doing alright and we are just trying to get more. I'm really looking forward to having a new companion, one that doesn't speak any English just so i will be less tempted to speak English. I do have one experience to share....my companion and I just finished teaching this girl and we starting walking and we see these drunk guys waving at us.  My comp loves drunk people for some reason so they start talking to us. This drunk guy comes over and gives me a hug which sucked cuz he stunk so bad and didn't have a shirt on. Well this guy starts giving me dudes like hitting his fist against mine and thenl he started doing it really hard and missed and hit my stomach.  My comp started talking to him and decided that we needed to help take him home. My comp and I spent about 1 hour taking this dude home and he decides that we are going to teach him the next day.  I told my comp that we will do divisions because that drunk guy won't progress . He kinda flipped out and said," fine I will see who wants to save a life, I really feel like he can progress. I said fine i will go with you and if he is sober we will teach him. Well we go the next day and what do you know he is wasted and almost passed out in front of his house. The moral of this story is use the spirit of discernment. If they are just chilling with some friends or just at a restaurant with a beer its all good go and talk to them but its when they are down right wasted and can't remember there own name  you just have to keep walking. It kinda sucks but you really have to think is this person going to progress and live the gospel of Christ. I know its harsh but who do you think is going to progress more the drunk who is passed out everyday or the woman who is morning because of the loss of a family member . There are so many people out there that are ready to hear the Gospel you just have to pick them out from everyone else.  Anyway, this is my advice to the future missionaries. One, this is from the advice that my dad gave to me, pray like everything depends on the Lord then work like everything depends on YOU. Second,  sometimes it can be hard to get motivated for the day and that's completely normal, so to get motivated read you patriarchal blessing.  Every time I read it I get so pumped to study and preach the gospel that day and it works because it will remind you the importance of your mission. . If you don't have you patriarchal blessing get it,it is great and and insane testimony that God knows each of us individually. I have an amazing patriarchal blessing,I did not deserve that blessing. I think to myself why would God love me a sinner so much to give all these blessings to me.  I don't have the answered  but all I can say is I am insanely thankful for it. Then this is something that I encourage all of you to do... pray out loud. I just started doing it this weekend and for some reason it has made a big difference.  I was pouring my heart out and telling the Lord things that I didn't ever even think to tell him, it was an amazing experience that I had and I  hope you all give it a try. This next one is give your heart to the Lord and let him do the work . That means say what Christ would say, you are a representative of HIM. When you give him your heart you put your will aside and let his will take over. I am still working on that but I try to do it everyday by asking him for that blessing. It has made an amazing difference and I have felt the holy ghost with me more constantly and I remembered the other day when I bore my testimony of Joseph Smith I felt as if I had just been struck by lightning. It was awesome.  I love you all and I cant explain the blessings of being a missionary. It is hard but it is worth it. 
LOVE YOU ALL

Elder ATWOOD

This is a picture of my mission area at night.

This is where we did service i just thought the view was amazing.

We were doing service for a family with missionaries in our zone this is their area.

This is the man that we were doing service for. This is Elder Walker, it's almost scary how much he is like Jon. 

 That picture is of me and Elder Moreyra last night.  We just got a no show appointment and a member saw us and asked us if we could join him for dinner. We had only 30 minutes left for the day with no appointments and we hadn't eaten so we decided to join him. His name is Brother Sanchez. Well, what I'm holding in my hand is chicken feet!! Yep, that's right chicken feet!! It's actually pretty good but doesn't have alot of meat so it's not very filling.

This is Fernando and his daughter Valeria. She is the cuteist little girl in the entire world. 

This is me and my Friend Elder Huaroc. This is me eating the first burger that I  have had my entire mission! This is actually not in our mission area but in Lima Central Mission. We went there on P day to Chilles, it felt so good to eat american food again

Ok everyone whats up?  Here in Peru its been a good week. Francois was baptized on Saturday and Sunday received the gift of the Holy Ghost as well as the Aaronic Preisthood. I was able to take part in both blessings but our ward mission leader Brother Miguel was able to baptize him since they have become really good friends. It was a beautiful ordinance with a lot of members that attended. I really felt the spirit when he shared his testimony afterwards, I was about to cry. He is truly the perfect investigator. Also, this week at the gym a man named Joseph approached me asking if I was a missionary and if I could share my message with him sometime. I said ok.  We shared a message with him in English because he is studying it in school. This is the second person here that speaks English.   We asked him to read 3 Nephi 11 and 12 . The next day he approached me at the gym and told me he had read and when he prayed he felt something in his heart. He described it as peace and tranqulity. I explained to him that it was the Holy Ghost and then I  committed him to baptism there which was kinda cool. Anyway, so this is the experience that I was going to check if i could share. HERE IT IS:::: So me and my comp were just blown off as usual and were walking by the church. We saw this home of a less active family that we have never visited so we decided to knock . They said come in and they had some nonmember friends at there house and we asked if we could share a message. They asked what about  and I said about Jesus Christ.  I asked them if they believed in Christ? Then she just went off crying. Apparently that day she was going to kill someone and went to her friends house to find someone to talk about it with. Well long story short the guy that she wanted to kill was her stalker who used to be her ex boyfriend who gave her an STD and because of that she had to get her Ovaries removed . Welll we basically started talking about how God loves her and knows what she is going through. WE CAME RIGHT ON TIME!! WOW that was a scary experience! 

LOVE ELDER ATWOOD

Week 10

Ok so this week was dope.  Sadly this week most of our lessons Monday through Thursday were no shows so we did tons of contacting and visiting less actives but it was still great. I finished the BOOK of Mormon on Thursday!!!! But you know what I'm not all the sudden fluent in Spanish like I was kind of hoping but I got something better.  The next day when I was teaching a lesson, I was actually on exchanges with the zone leaders, I started to talk about the Book of Mormon and I said that it's another testimony of Jesus Christ. Then I got impressed to share my testimony. I said that Jesus Christ established this church not Joseph Smith, and that I can promise you that when you read and you get down on your knees and ask God if it is true you will KNOW that it is true!  She got a little teary eyed and then the ZL said after you know these things are true will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. They excepted!  I didn't all of the sudden speak perfect Spanish but I did gain a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon and you know what that wasn't what I wanted but it is what I needed. You know what, I'm gonna read it again and my goal is to read the Book of Mormon 8 times on my mission. This is my advice to the young men out there and specifically to the young men in my ward ( cuz I kinda know them haha)

A lot of the time we can feel pressured to go on a mission especially now because of the age change and you may feel like you don't have a testimony, I know I was one of those people if you didn't know. Well if  you want a testimony of the Book of Mormon Read IT!! You want a testimony of prayer, PRAY! You want a testimony of the ATONEMENT, go to Gethsemane and back!!! It is so simple, it's almost too simple. I will tell you something that I have learned this week, a mission is for YOU!! If all God wanted was for people to here the gospel he would send old experienced people like every other church does.  God sent a young 18 year old kid to Lima Peru so that HE would be changed by the Gospel so that HE could ( come unto Christ and be perfected in him Moroni 10;32). I can promise you guys this that a mission will be hard maybe even the hardest thing that you have ever done or ever will do, but you will come unto Christ. A mission is for YOU remember that. I have seen things here that I cant talk about, things that have changed my life for ever in a good way.   I now know that without a doubt that Jesus Christ established this church,  He is the Son of God. 
You now know how to get a testimony, know go get it!

Week 9

Ok, so this week was pretty cool. This week I had a really cool spiritual experience but I might have to talk to the ZLS before I tell it to you to make sure I'm not revealing any personal or bad information in anyway . I do have a couple other cool things that happened. We were teaching this less active member Luis, lesson 3 the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well I started talking about enduring to the end and for some reason I felt inspired to share James 1:12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those that love him. Well after I shared that he started to cry a little. He then said a really sincere prayer, it really touched me how he asked God to bless not only us (the missionaries) but our families and or friends. He then asked for blessings upon his children and his marriage. It was a really touching prayer. Another spiritual experience that I had was actually during my personal study.  I was going to do my personal study and I felt like doing it in English and reading the New Testament. I read the story where Christ was on the mount of Olives then the scribes and the Pharisees came and threw a woman in the midst of the people. They said (not word for word here I'm telling this by memory) Lord this woman was taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded that such should be stoned but what sayest thou? Christ answers he who is without sin let him cast the first stone. Then all the people dropped their stones and left. Christ lookes up sees the woman and says woman where art thine accusers has no man condemned the she says no man Lord . Christ then says neither do I condenm thee go thy way and sin no more.  I learned that Christ the one man without sin could have stoned her but he gave her mercy . I taught our investigator Herep this that day and said if you sincerely repent of your sins the Lord Jesus Christ will not condemn thee. I dont know why but my testament of the Atonement grows stronger everyday even when I struggle.  Anyway we had our investigator Fransea attend church and he is committed for baptism.  Two of his daughters are missionaries!!! SO wow! He is determined, it's is awesome those are the investigators that keep you going. Anyway I should be done the Book of Mormon by next week so we will see how my Spanish is then but I just gotta give it time I guess. Anyway. Love you all. Have a great new year and stick to the diet and the gym plan guys for the whole year not just the first two weeks.
 LOVE YOU ALL,

LOVE ELDER ATWOOD

Pictures with the Huapaya Family

This is pictures of Canyon with the Huapaya family.  I became friends on facebook with Brother Huapaya and found these pictures on his wall.   This is the family that let Canyon use their computer to skype us.  Canyon speaks highly of this amazing family.