Hola Texas whats up? 

Well I got  a change wowoowow!. My new area is Carrabyllo in SAN LUISA which is the flatest area in the mission. There isn't one hill and it's like a rich people area so its hard to contact people cuz you talk and they just keep walking and we can't knock doors cuz there are gates cuz there all apartments and you have to ring the doorbell so its crucial to ask for the phone number of people here or you will never see them again. Well my new companion is Elder Mero he has like 9 months in the mission and well he's cool.  Well as you know I'm district leader with only me my comp and Hermana Bueno and a new gringa Hermana Nielson. Well my comp is cool just has alot of pride. For example he even though I'm the senior comp he doesn't let me talk during lessons and well that gets on my nerves a lot. I also asked him to show me all of the investigators that have been to church,and ya he wouldn't so I had to wait until church to figure out for myself who was who with the help of a member. So ya he kinda got on my nerves in some ways. We didn't have any baptismal dates for anyone but I  got 2 at the end of the week with Miguel and his wife Corina so they will get baptized the 12th of September so ya. We might have one more with this woman named Gladis she has been to church 3 times now and my comp and his last comp haven't even invited her to be baptized so ah su machu that bugs me cuz preach my gospel says to do it the first lesson every time and ya. Well my first meeting the zone leaders just flat out told me saying elder im going to be honest your area sucks! I don't see anything happening there your area has had only 2 baptisms in 6 months which ps is baaaddd. SO that kinda discouraged me cuz I had 15 baptisms in my last area. I'm counting the family that got baptized this Saturday cuz I married them I taught them I did all the work so ya.I just wasn't at the baptism. Well so ya I  have been trying to bust my butt just to find people to teach to find old investigators. I sat my comp down and told him that we will have 5 baptisms this month minimum he thinks its impossible and to be honest he is kinda trunky of this area cuz he has been here for 4 months so that's along time.  Anyway we got to have a conference with David A Bednar of the 12 so that was cool.  Sucked cuz we had to wake up at 3 in the morning but I was awake the whole conference and I felt the spirit and I really learned a lot, he seemed like a great funny guy which made me realize that even Apostles are normal people which was really cool.  He did a question and answer but he didn't get to me so I was a little sad but maybe next time.  That was really a life changing moment that I had.  I don't really have anything left so I love you guys hope you have a good week and I would sure appreciate emails from River Ireland Mom DAD RIDGE Oakley mokely Timber Brandon and JOHN.  Sorry that I don't get time to write you all back I really am but I read them all and it feels really good to get emails from more people with LOTS OF DETAILS and if you can tell me whats happening in ARROW or something I don't care just WRITE ME.

Elder Atwood

Hola Texas 

ok the stupid computer isn't letting me send pictures so sorry but anyway this letter will be short cuz I was talking to Brandon about his mission and things that he needs to take care of to prepare and some warnings. I think he will tell you guys the story later, not mom cuz she will have a heart attack but Dad and River can know. Well anyway I saw a robbing with a gun in broad daylight Saturday morning.  I ran 2 miles with my comp before we slowed down it was kinda freaky.  I will give you more details the next week  Anyway if you guys remember Sister Floor well we were teaching her again cuz she told us too well yesterday her husband came said the same crap he said that they didn't want anything that his wife didn't want anything that ballalal bala l blahahah ya so I told him I think there has been some miscommunication cuz she has been telling us that she wanted to hear that she wanted to be baptized so could you call your wife . I said that kinda yelling then the wife Sister Floor came and the husband asked her did you want them to teach you we then said tell us the truth and we will leave she said yelling I don't want to well she is scared of her husband but he started yelling at us I said  chow and we kinda dusted our shoes off so ya it will be interesting to see what happens to that place but the good thing is right after a family that saw that invited us saying we want to hear the gospel we want to talk to  you guys so well we lost a crappy baptisms but got a family that is amazing and will for sure be getting baptized this next month so i am so happy about that.  Teofilla and Timiteo will probably not be getting married or baptized this month cuz well I guess yesterday Teofila got a call telling her that her grandparents are dying and they want them all there until they pass away so they will be gone for at least 3 weeks so we are sad especially my comp but I have learned here in the mission to let go what is out of my control .  It doesn't really bother me anyway its just the devil trying to depress us but you know what its not going to work its just more motivation anyway Love y'all gotta go

Elder Atwood

Hola Texas 

Well this week was great.  We had Teofila and her kids Valeria (9) Anderson (3) and another who I just forgot his name sorry, as well as Shayla (18) and her mother who has been less active for years.  They are all preparing those of age of course for baptism.   Teofila and her husband are preparing to get married the end of this month then baptized the next day.   Her husband Timoteo and her daughter Yessica (16) can't go to church YET because the family is dirt poor and they have to work and there work demands Sundays so we are looking for other jobs that will enable them to come to church .  

 am working a lot with getting this guy Andres on a mission. He is a convert about 2 years or more as a member and he is great. He has been coming with us all day on visits practically everyday this week and even came to help us with service.  It really makes me think of how the missionaries helped me get on a mission and its been kinda good to repay the favor in a way. I don't really have a whole lot of complaints about my comp.   He's being more obedient and he just doesn't remember to set the alarm.   He controls the phone so he controls the alarm and he barks at me whenever I am on the phone.  I will ask him hey set the alarm or hey did you set the alarm he will tell me yes but I realized that he didn't when I got up one morning at 7:30 to pee and looked at the time and totally freaked out that has happened a few times so I have gotten into the habit of going to sleep waking up in the middle of the night to make sure that he set the alarm . Anyway it's a real big difference for some reason when you get up later than you should you are more tired than if you got up on time.   So I am kinda looking forward to this next change for a different comp and I have heard that I will be district leader or training so I will have a lot more say in what we do as companions but I don't know if not I will just work hard and do my best with the new comp  hopefully a new area.   I don't want to be here and train for another 3 months if that happens I will have served 9 months in one area and I do not want that but what happens happens the Lord knows best. The language is alot better. I am working on that grammer book as much as I can, problem is my comp doesn't like to have language study so I just study early in the morning and at night if I have time he tells me all the time the secret is to not talk any english but I'm like no the secret is to actually study because how can I say the new words and apply the new grammer if I don't even know the grammer .  Anyway life is good.  I am working hard and decided to put a goal on baptisms for the end of my mission.  I decided that if i keep baptizing at this rate at the end of my mission I could have a good 70 baptisms but I needed a better goal so I decided to put the Goal for 100 baptism and my goal is for all of them to be active at the end of my mission. So far so well all 15 of mine are active and I will have 8 more this month if all goes right.   Numbers don['t matter it's just motivation for me to work hard.  I gotta head out yall love yall

Elder Atwood

Hola Texas

¿Como estan? Bueño este semana ha sido un buen semana. Tenemos 5 fechas por bautismo ahora. Si usteds recuerdan hermana flor la chica con su esposo que quiso a matarnos fue loco pero tengo un historia chevery entonces todo esta bien. . Well this week was good. I thought I would write in a little spanish to give yall some kicks but I realized I only have like 10 minutes left cuz my comp made us late to internet, he woke up late and showered long but oh well I'm not going to get on to him hard cuz its p day and he didn't sleep well. If you guys remember Sister Floor well we were walking and she passed us and said hey what happened we were waiting for you guys for our baptism on the 25th.  We were shocked, so ya we are teaching them again with permission from the zone leaders but I still dont feel good about it.  We found a part member family name familia Luna. The mother is a member but no one else and has been less active for years.  We found their house and the mother and her 18 year old daughter Shayla both came to church and the members were great and I think the mother really realized how much she missed going to church and Shayla instantly made like 30 friends which was perfect cuz she is preparing for baptism .  We have been teaching this woman Teofila, her kids.  Her husband works most days so it's hard to teach with him so we teach outside cuz we can't enter there house or anything but it was so cool the family accepted to get married and then baptized which is about 5 people right there. Then Teofila gave us a reference to teach her parents who live right above them, I say above cuz in Peru here they all live in hills . They accepted to be married and baptized along with Teofilla.  It kinda shocked me that they weren't married but had like 5 kids and were like 60 years old but the families can't afford to get married because part it's really expensive and well they are poor as dirt.  So we are pretty psyched about the potential baptisms that we have. By the way for missionaries you will have goals for baptisms every month but once you get baptism dates for that month get more for the next month cuz one month you might have 0 but if you set youself up well the next month you can have 10 for example we only have about 5 people that will get baptized this month but we have about 15 potential baptism for the next month.  The only problem is some of them fall through but still you have to learn to think not just about the present but about the future. Anyway on another note my comp had a work visit with the zone leader and I was with the other zone leader in his area and ya it was all good but in like the middle of the night I woke up and but ran to the bathroom and had diariah for like an hour then I went back to bed then like 10 min later I got up and just threw up and the same repeated the next day. I'm confused on how I got sick actually, I didn't drink or eat anything bad and I felt great the whole day but oh well my comp was real good to me when I was sick but it sucked cuz I couldn't work as hard as I wanted to oh well part of life I guess. Anyway who tried  my picture of Christ idea?  Its not just to help people resist temptation its to help your minds be more Christ centered. Often times we lose focus on the things that really matter that is eternal life right. Well because of Christ we Can have eternal life.  It doesn't mean that we will but that we CAN so Dad, Mom, River, Ireland, Ridge, Oakley Mokely and everyone try that this week please and I promise you that you will feel something different.  I am going to try to do that for the rest of my life. I love it  makes me just think of how much I love Christ and if there is one thing that I would like to share with you guys now its that I know HE lives! I know that Jesus Christ the Son of God lives. I know that He is my Redeemer and that He suffered for my sins and the sins of all mankind.  He Lives just think about that, He literaly LIVES .  I know it with all my heart. 

Have a good week everyone !!

Elder Atwood