Hola Texas whats up?  Well I'm here in Peru rocking it up. Well this week was cool and sad. Cool because well I got a new comp but sad cuz I dont have a kid .- Man i really want a kid i don't wanna finish my mission steril .I was talking with a zone leader and he's like just because you said that look your district leader you'll be zone leader you'll be assistant but you will never have a kid. I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I want  a kid soooooooo bad anyway my comp is Elder Mamani he's a cool little dude with 5 months in the mission poor guy has only had 1 baptism his whole mission so far. Well I gave him good news and told him he would baptize a lot with me. Anyway well I am really sad right now I just gave up like 5 hours of my Pday to go get an investigator married, her name is Sandra but the freaking municipalidad is freaking gay.  I was so mad,  they said some dates were missing and needed a signature I was upset.   I am still furious like I was screaming at this little Peruvian but anyway ya fue the good news is the next marriage is in parque de las aguas which I don't know if you guys remember that is where I took a bunch of pictures with like water and get this at night the water changes colors so ya it will be sick but I am sad as cuz I was going to have 7 baptisms this month but ya anyway I will still get like 5 so ya.  I love my new comp Elder Mamani cuz he's like supporting me and is so humble like the dude has only baptized 1 person in his mission so he is like trying to soak everything in that I teach him.,but its only the first week but so far so good . Anyway a funny story that I didn't include the last week was well Elder Romero when he has the work visit with me ya he had the double dragon crapping and throwing up at the same time. I should be more clear as to the geography of my bathroom . Well my shower is right in front of my toilet so when he had diarrhea and threw up he threw up in my shower and  on the floor and well middle of the night I'm a guy and I had to pee so I got up like not even opening my eyes and went to the bathroom to use it and well I just walk in without shoes and I felt something weird wet and chunky under my feet so I open my eyes and turn on the lights and I was standing in this guys puke.  I was mad like what the heck. I went to wake him up and he was sleeping but ya funny story but sooo gross man like ewwwwww.   Well I see River is fat and Ireland is beautiful as usual Ridge and Oakley looking dope still.  Oh I almost forgot I still have one funny story.  Well last week this girl Valerie wrote me, I haven't seen her in like 15 years.   I guess dad was bugging her ( thanks  by the way) Haha well anyway I didn't really recognize her so mom sent me a picture and I was like oh ya cool.  Well my comp was looking on my screen and was like dude she's hot and called about 13 other latinos over to look and I was like dude like chill  and I tried to leave the screen to write family and do the other paperwork and they were all yelling at me and one stole the mouse just to go back and see her picture so ya let her know that if she comes to Peru she will be a big hit haha!  That was funny got a good kick out of that. Well gotta go chow!

Hola Texas! Whats up?

Well shut up about me only having a year left please I'm working on writing a letter to the prophet to extend my mission a couple years. I'd serve all my life if I could. Well I'm just going to tell you I had a weird week.   I am the District leader right well anyway the hermanas in my district called me on like Wednesday and the were talking fast and I said hey hermanas hermans tranquilo calmate a su machu fue muy raro.  I'm  like girls calm down breathe tell me what the freak happened. Well they explained to me that they had an investigator and that her husband had cancer and was dying and she wanted me to give them a blessing I told them to look for someone in there ward first but they said no we want you to do it. Well anyway the next day we go over with the hermanas to give the blessing.  The hermanas had me explain the blessing of the sick to there investigator.  I just looked at her dying husband and looked at her and I explained some things then I said well I don't promise you that I will heal him but I do promise you that I will do the Lords will. Anyway we go over to the bed of this woman's dying husband and my companion did the anointing and I did the sealing and the blessing. Well I just put my hands on his head and said the obvious words like I seal this anointing, like the mandatory stuff well anyway I just started to think like listen to the spirit cuz when Elder Bednar came he gave a talk on how we only do the Lords will .  I'm thinking and I just said we came here to do the Lords will and that's what we will do in that instant I felt this feeling that he would die but I didn't want to pronounce the man dead in front of his wife and kids so I meditated the words in my mind and the Spirit confirmed that they were true when I said I bless you that you will come to a knowledge of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and I closed the prayer .  I shared my feelings with my companion after it kinda seemed like he was saying you don't have faith Elder Atwood. I felt good about it. I get a call the next day from the hermanas in my district telling me that only a few hours after I gave the blessing the man died, so that was weird but a spiritual experience. Well I got another chance to use my priesthood later this week. My zone leader Elder Romero came on a work visit with me and things were good then he started feeling sick. We were in the middle of a lesson and I was waiting for him to teach something and well he couldn't he felt like throwing up so we ended the lesson and went to the house.  Apparently he just had diarrhea well he got diarrhea all day so we couldn't do a lot. In the night he went to my bathroom which our shower is like right in front of our toilet .  Right while he was crapping he started vomiting in my shower I was not pleased when I found that out later.  Anyway he was breathing heavy at night and couldn't sleep he just said Elder Atwood I need you to give me a blessing and I asked if he was sure so he said yes please I'm freaking dying . Well I get my oil and do the blessing i just remember saying in the name of CHIST be healed and he was sleeping and SNORING like a baby the rest of the night which made it hard for me to sleep but anyway he was still a little sick the next day but at least he got to sleep. I am still cleaning the bathroom and little mad cuz I didn't take pictures. Anyway well we are working with Sandra and her daughter 10 years old Ariana.   Sandra just has to get married which she will this month so a warning I might be more than missionary broke again if I have to pay for the other wedding 4 day a week ayuno comming up ahaha.  We are also working with Maria and her 9 year old son Daniel.  Maria couldn't come to conference cuz she was sick but Daniel came, it was good.  My comp wasn't to happy about it he kept telling me I don't want to baptize kids.  I told him that I don't baptize kids either, I BAPTIZE FAMILIES !  This week conference was great, all week I was sharing with people Ether 12: 39 which Moroni says something like and I would have you know that I have seen this JESUS and I have talked to him face to face like a man speaketh to another . I testify that we have a profeta hoy en dia que habla con JesuCristo cara a cara yo se es verdad no hay duda . Yo les testifico de esto . We have living prophet that talks with the SON OF GOD JESUS CHRIST FACE TO FACE, is that not just amazing!  Anyway I gotta go just keep on keeping on prayers for improving my Spanish accent would be appreciated CHOW 

Hola Texas ,

What's up?  Well River is freaking benching almost 300 lbs so ya yo fui a su machu molesta me mucho cholo tiene que dejar la gimnasio para darme poquito mas tiempo para ganar mas musculo a su esta pata esta loco . bueno yo voy a escribirles en español esta bien ya bueno babalal haha ya I'll write you guys in english.  Well this week my dog Brandon went off to his mission in cali well he's at the mtc right now so I will here from him soon in the missionary torturing center ahahhaa. This week was decent we have been looking for new investigators like crazy like every contact that we have I have been getting dates to teach all of them but here is the thing about all of them fell threw a su machu molesta me mucho freaking hace me Well we still found a few new people but I don't really see any of them progressing,. Well we have this investigator Sandra right well she has 3 kids one of them is 10.  Sandra is living with her husband and they are going to get married this month so ya were happy about that but the husband we still haven't met the guy and he apparently doesn't want to talk with the missionaries Sandra explained.  He is a catholic that says he's catholic but he's not catholic so ya anyway Sandra and her daughter Arian will get baptized this month if everything goes right. I also asked th secretary of the bishop to print me this sheet called la lista de accion or in english the list of action so ya it has a list of a bunch of pfs like part member families.  I saw like 5 and basically this week we are going to look for every single one of them .  My comp doesn't know them which means the parents and the family are probably less active so that could be good for us as welll so rescue a person anyway well thats the plan . It might be my comps last week here so he's kinda trunky and kinda sick of the area hes telling everyone that he's leaving but I'm going to laugh so hard if he stays and I go but that probably won't happen I'm actually hoping that I will have a kid this change which in mission terms is to train someone and I would just love that! It would kinda give me and opoprtunity to teach someone how to be a missionary and would kinda allow me a little more authority.  Well this week we are going to keep looking for new investigators and try to bring lots of people to conference which will be awesome cuz 3 Apostles of the Lord will be called. I'm sad to hear that Richard G Scott passed away but as we know he's with the Lord now. Anyway gotta go love you all hope yall have a great week

Elder Atwood

Hola Texas whats up . Well this week was awesome! Well we had 2 baptisms Miguel and Corina they are a young couple and it was a great baptism. I had the privelage of baptizing Corina and it was great my comp baptized her husband Miguel. Well I had to wear kind of  a jumpsuit because well I don't know what happened but a couple of months ago at a baptism someone robbed my pants but I think it was just a misunderstanding and maybe they thought it was there pants or the pants of their ward. A lot of members came to the baptism we took some really good pictures so mom get ready. But I don't know if I will have time to send them this week but if I can't next week for sure. I'm still having a little trouble with my companion he likes to play senior companion and well he sometimes critisizes the way that I teach or contact. I told him that he needs to do a couple of things better like he needs to verify during lessons that the investigator understands the points that he just taught cuz I have found that he just gives lectured lessons alot which preach my gospel has taught us not to do. I also told him that he needs to talk less when he contacts he just goes up to people presents himself then he asks if they believe in GOD when they say yes he goes off saying cool so do we we share messages with people about God without the intention to change your religion or anything we just want to talk to people and learn together then he kinda keeps going forgetting simple things like asking ther name! haha I told him the best way to contact is quick simple polite and to the point. Like hey man whats up? hows it going? the person responds good how are you, I say good thanks well excuse the interuption but we just wanted to extend you and invitation , were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my name is Elder Atwood whats your name. They say there name I say oh nice to meet you man then I might ask them if they have ever talked with missionaries like us before or if they have ever had the question why are there so many churches or even just simply state that as missionaries we share a message about Jesus Christ with people and how we would love to come and visit them someday and then I get the day and time so ya. But my comp sometimes just invites them to church.  He told me its cuz we need 100 contacts but
I told him the whole purpose of contacting is to find new investigators and that 1000 contact would be worthless if none of them became a new investigator. He didn't really seem to agree and kinda critisized em a bit. So by the way prayers for patience would be appreciated.my comp is a nice guy just has alot of pride so ya. I heard that he is kinda mad that he wasn't district leader this change so that can be why. Anyway dad my normal day is I wake up exercise get ready ect personal study I always read El Libro de Mormon for 30 minutes out lound like president told me to do so ya then I  study preach my gospel and prepare trainings for my district that I give Tuesday mornings. Last week I gave a training about the fourth missionary that the sisters in my district loved and my zone leader loved  but I dont think that my comp liked it very much.  Dad I could use some advice I have been so close to becoming the fourth missionary but I just feel that I'm missing something and I don't know what it is.  I have been fasting and praying but I haven't gotten an answers yet so if you have any advice I would love it.  Anyway I then have comp study then we will teach lessons until 1 then we have lunch 2 to 3 language study which is also our time to crap from the massive rice of a lunch that people give us. Well then we teach and contact until 930 by the way we don't eat dinner so ya cuz were too busy so ya we teach and contact until 930 then I do numbers I have to take nuimbers from the sisters in my district then report them to the zone leaders EVER FREAKING NIGHT!!!!!!!!!I'm loosing time but ya thats my normal day so ya tell me what else you want to know love yall chow

Elder Atwood

Hola Texas

Well this week will be a short message cuz I was sending pictures and everything. Well dad mom everyone I am going to tell you guys an experience that I had about 2 weeks ago. Well when i was leaving my old area in Villa Hermosa some people had kinda going away party for me well people were talking and hugging me the dudes only and all my converts were there. Well If you guys remember Johvanna well her family was there actually it was just her and her 2 kids the other child was away and the father was working. Well the kids went and hugged me the mom didn't tell them I was leaving she actually told them that it was my birthday because she said that she didnt want her kids to cry.. Well Johvanna was talking to me and with tears in her eyes she said I just want to thank you for bringing the gospel into my life and into the life of my family I know this is the true church and I'm so grateful and I will ALWAYS BE IN YOUR DEBT! Then she just went and hugged me really tight  I didn't really say anything but that was a really special moment for me too I'm not going to lie I got a little teary eyed too! SO that was a super special moment for me that I will never forget. Like sometimes as missionaries we feel that we aren't doing anything like we aren't effecting the lives of anyone but it felt really good to know that I at least helped someone . Anyway ya that was super cool . Well this week we are going to have 2 baptisms they are a couple Corina and Miguel. Well the zone leaders seem pretty happy that I'm actually doing something with the area. Apparently the area has only baptized 2 people in the past 6 months so i have to fix it up. I had to talk to my companion he still likes to play senior companion sometimes but its all good anyway. I'm working pretty hard to baptize a lot. Well in my district I have two sister missionaries and well they aren't baptizing anyone so the zone leaders are always on my butt about them. I understand why too and also they are hardly teaching any recent converts so I put a goal for them to teach 10 recent coverts a week minimum  cuz they were only getting about 5 . Well I went on a work visit with the sisters they are teaching like pure old people that are never going to progress cuz well they were born catholic raised catholica and are going to die catholic as quoted so I think they get a little too attached with some of there investigators and are afraid to let them go although that is what they need to do if they don't progress. Anyway I gotta go now but I will write more next week 

LOVE
ELDER ATWOOD

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