Hey Texas Whats up I actually started to write in spanish and all but then I remembered that none of you know spanish and that google translate sucks and anyway well everything here is dope I am working hard this week. We actually found a golden investigator her name is Susan not Susana so that a first but ya apparently her friend invited her to church and she well really liked it. She was going to another ward but she lives in our area so the misionaries passed the reference and ya were teaching her and she will be getting baptized this month of December the 12. I am stoked the only problem is her aunt is like anti mormon, we actually first taught her with her aunt and she was like fighting against us the whole time especially when I brought out the book of mormon ( my comp got mad at me for bringing it out ) she started  saying were replacing the bible but her niece was like no they told us they use the bible too . I explained it pretty good I thought and we actually had a returned missionary there with us who was Susans friend who helped a lot- but ya I told her to at least pray but she refused saying I'm not going to pray about what I already know is false . By the way that's how you tell that someone is really hard of heart if they refuse to pray . Anyway Susan came to me at church yesterday and explained how she prayed but didn't get an answer. I explained to her that just because you pray doesn't mean that you will get an answer. It depends on how diligent she is on finding that answer which means diligence in reading praying coming to church and even fasting. Our president of the mission actually did a training on this a couple of months ago and during it he asked which of you have had an investigator who prayed about your message but didn't get an answer it was cool to see about every missionary raise his hand . He then said well from now on you are forbidden to promise people an answer from praying. That kinda shocked all of us. He said  they will receive an answer according to there diligence then he showed us like a lot  of scriptures that teaches just that so I was like dude dope. Now looking back on my personal experience that is so true . I remember in the mission wanting a testimony of the book of mormon like a witness and not just a belief like I had before. I read the book of mormon maybe once before my mission and ya in the mission I was just reading reading praying fasting and getting frustrated because I wasn't receiving an answer but I read it again and again and now I have read it like 4 or 5 times and I have a testimony divine of the spirit that it was true it didn't come to me my first freaking night but after months yes I said months of reading praying and fasting honestly looking for a divine witness . I got it now and I am doing it again - By the way I had an interview with the president this week like we all did and it was DOPE I loved it ok basically his prayer was dope which was weird by the way that he started the prayer usually I start and he finishes. so ya but it was dope like he was saying bless Elder Atwood with all the spiritual gifts needed to preach they gospel and a bunch of other dope stuff but ya for the most part we talked about baptismal potential for December how many I'm going to baptize and how many the sisters in my district are going to baptize he was like cool ok so Elder here's the thing I need you and your district to be the example here in the zone cuz your one of the few missionaries that constantly baptizes so ya anyway I asked him first how I could get a stronger testimony of Joseph Smith and to teach with more power and authority and he told me that I need to memorize scriptures ( he knows I've read the book of mormon a lot)  so ya and then he was like telling me how the spirit will reveal to us what we need to say but only if we give it something to remember and ya he told me how he can quote thousands of scriptures now from the top of his head and I'm just sitting there like man I wanna be like this dude hes cool. So ya then I asked him the main question if I could extend my mission a year and ya he told me no that the mission only lets us extend it 30 days so ya i was like nooooooooooooooo like you sure and he said ya sorry but then he was like but I am happy to see that you have those desires that means your heart is in the right place so ya. and then he said BUT I PROFECY THAT YOU WILL SERVE ANOTHER MISSION  he told me that his mission president told him the same thing so ya I'm stoked but I want to serve while I'm still young so I won't be doing family history when I am old with my bones all weird . I am not giving up on another mission I am currently working on my letter to the first presidency to extend my mission or to put in my papers again . I think they can give me a no saying no you have to go home and get married (president talked about that as well) and I will explain like look guys I am 19 I will be 20 I don't really care about getting married right now so if I go home I can go study and goof off for three years or I can go on another mission . The sons of Mosiah served for 14 years I think I deserve a good 3 or 5 years just saying I'd like to baptize thousands as well and I got like 30 in the water already so like 30 times 5 is like 150 people so I would be happy with that I mean baptizing is dope I love it. Anyway by the way I think I would tell you that yes I have had a comp that I loved remeber Elder Rios we both write each other every single week the dudes awesome anyway I gotta go love y'all

 

Hola Texas,

So I guess I will be writing in English today.  I don't really know why but last week I just woke up and was like I'm gonna write my family in Spanish today so ya I hope you enjoyed  my letter.  I don't know if y'all understood any of it.  Well this week the sisters and 3 baptisms go down the toilet through no fault of there own but this is what happened.  Cinthia is 12 got scared of getting her head and face wet she still wanted to get baptized but she was crying like crazy and didn't want her head to go under.  I think the hermanas may have said that she has a fear of drowning so I don't really know.  The other two Marlene and Jesus are this couple that have come along way and let me say interviewing them was not fun and well the munipalidad siad they could get married and that all their papers were cool and we even double checked it and ya all good well they went to the wedding in their dress and suit their family was there and just waiting for the best day ever and guess what happened the municipalidad said no and i was like what the heck.  Anyway we have this investigator Gladys that got baptized Saturday morning at 10 am.  Well only 1 member came and it was the bishops dad.  The dud doesn't even have a calling.  I was mad cuz we had been telling the ward about this baptism for a month we announced it in ward council we announced it in sacrament meeting we told people 3 days before the baptism we told people 3 hours before and they all said ya cool I'll be there.  Anyway well Glady;s couldn't get confirmed basically its a long story but what happened was she sells for a living she delivers like this monthly package to this dud and its her monthly income she doesn't make the sell she and her kids don't eat so ya/  She is getting confirmed this week.  We have been teaching this lady Guadalupe and her husband Ugenio they are like in their 80s.  Well the lady is cool and wanted to get baptized but she didn't come to church so later yesterday we go to her house to find out why she didn't go and well she is the first person with a good excuse.  She was her funeral.  I just got a kick thinking what I put in the area book.  Why did you leave the investigator?  She died.  Well me ad my comp have been knocking doors to find new investigators well that is the only way the my comp likes to contact and we have been doing that for 3 weeks like 2 hours a day and the area I'm in is richer and its like gated off so ya we haven't found 1 new investigator.  I told my comp dud were wasting time knocking door.  I told him dud I don't wanna knock 1 more door.  Se we go and we found this lady Magonoly right she is like 40 and is married.  She and her husband are members but have 3 daughters that are 17, 15, and 9 that want to get baptized.  Gotta go
Elder Atwood

 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