Making New Friends in Paccha

Hola Familia! Coma estan? I miss you all! This Thursday I will have been out for 6 months. I swear we were just at the airport saying goodbye! Things are good and I've completed 25% of my mission. I know the Lord is blessing me for doing his work because it has been the best 6 months and my testimony has grown so much! I also know my family can see the blessings.  

This was a good week...we taught 22 lessons which was great! We are working hard and starting to implement more member work and unity.  We had ward council with the leaders because I suggested it and Elder Suarez and I directed the meeting. We have hope that the branch will start working together. We need to be examples to them.  It's disorganized and needs some direction. We need to show these people with love so little by little it will improve. I'm noticing things that need to be fixed and trying my best to help.  Peru and especially La Oroya have members that have challenges. A branch should feel like a family so people will want to come and that's what I was explaining in ward council to the leaders. I feel a responsibility to help create that. Please pray for this branch and the president.

This week we went to Tarma, such a cool city! It's like in a bowl and its next to the jungle....so green and sweet! But we had interviews with President Henderson Wednesday and then a worldwide training. It's always fun to talk to Pres.! We just laugh the whole time! But he told me that he trusts me a lot. He also told me that he loved that I loved HVCA because not many missionaries do.....he said it's the missionary who can make the difference. I told him I'm here in La Oroya to help make it an area where people want to go! I'm happy to be here!

Now for the work.....there aren't a lot of people interested here so we visit Paccha....it's 15 minutes away.   A hermana, who's not in our branch, gives us references.  We visit the less actives and we visit a man named Hector. Hector has brain damage from a drunk attacking him a year ago. He is really cool and wants to be just like us. He has a shoulder bag, tie and he's going to get a name tag. He always calls us and asks us when we are going to visit people so he can join us and he just has the spirit with him. It makes me so happy to help him out. I even gave him my old Book of Mormon case so that he can hold his Book of Mormon in there like us haha. We take him with us to do visits and he is so happy all the time! It makes my day to take this 57 year-old guy around Paccha and do the work of the Lord. It brings me joy to know I'm taking care of one of God's children in the right way....I already love the guy to death! 

Reflection of the week:  We have an investigator named Abraham from Paccha. He has a girlfriend who's a member and wants to get married and sealed in the temple. They just had a baby.  Abraham reads everything we give him. He even read all of 1st Nephi without us asking. He really is someone prepared and I feel like I knew him before this life. He is someone with the right intentions and you can feel the spirit when he prays. I feel like I have this huge responsibility to make sure he gets baptized because I already love him.  There are people prepared for me to teach and he is one! I love you all! Keep Abraham, Hector and La Oroya in your prayers. Miss you all!

Love,
Elder Moss

Elder Mendoza & Elder Moss - Huancavelica 2016

Elder Moss - Huancavelica 2016

Huancavelica Branch Members

Elder Bullock & Elder Moss Huancayo 2016

Elder Moss & Elder Suarez - La Oroya Antigua Pensionista

Paccha Peru - January 2016

Bienvenido a La Oroya Antigua!

Jake is in a new area with a new companion. La Oroya Antigua is a mining town high in the Andes which has become famous for the pollution and contamination caused by the mines that operate there. Jake and his companion, Elder Suarez, are the two Elders in the area and they live in a small apartment. The other set of Elders are in Marcavalle about five minutes away. He didn't mention this but last week the Church announced the name of the new mission president for Huancayo, Peru. His name is Edgar Silva Julian and he is Peruvian and lives in northern Peru near the Ecuador border. He will begin July 2016.

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Hola Familia! Hey, So I'm not in Huancavelica anymore......I miss that place so much. We had the meeting for changes last Tuesday. Elder Walker and Bullock told me I was going to La Oroya Antigua wooo!  You pass La Oroya when you come to Huancayo from Lima. La Oroya is a small town with about 100 members that attend the branch. We have a chapel so that's cool! La Oroya was also one of the 3rd worst contaminated cities in the world and still is... I think...Haha! It has a refinery and a mine that has contaminated the whole place! The mountains are white, the river stinks and is dirty brown and the whole town smells. They say not to eat fish here...LOL. They have shut down 90% of the mine which is good. First couple of days I was homesick for HVCA....it's hard to adjust to changes! But I'm adjusting now and I will work as hard as I can. Here in La Oroya there used to be 3 branches but now there are just 2. There is one here in La Oroya Antigua and one in Marcavalle. Marcavalle is the nicer area...there are two elders there. Our area is the contaminated, smelly area...haha! 

I think La Oroya is sweet! The members are great, loving people. Sundays aren't stressful and it's a smaller area. It's so nice attending church in a nice chapel. The teachers know their stuff. They did make me give a talk on Sunday.....it was good!  We don't have ward council or many activities to unite the members. So I implemented that and told the President that we need to have those. It'll be a process. So I've been asking members what we can do to improve the branch and I've been noting down the ideas. I'm trying to get everyone involved and working to together to improve everything.  I really want this and I hope it happens.  We want more unity and caring for new people that come and for the less actives so it feels like a family! So pray for that!

La Oroya has a reputation for being unusually difficult. I'm not sure why President Henderson sent me to another area like HVCA but I trust him. My comp is Elder Suarez from Bolivia. He has had some ups and downs.....so I feel like I am here first to be a good obedient companion for him and second to change the reputation here and change what happens here.  There is already a good base here of strong members....it just needs to grow and they need to support one another. Elder Suarez is awesome. He's a quieter kid but I'm happy to be his companion. He will probably be transferred next time. I told him we're going to change what people think of La Oraya and we're going to be examples here.  The first thing I told him we are going to do is be an obedient example and when he leaves and takes that to his next comp, we improve the mission little by little. 

Reflection of the week:  Our examples can influence all kinds of people. People see us as members of Christ's church and we have to act like that, especially in the mission. I'm happy to be here and start "planting" that change in La Oroya. We may not baptize a lot here, but we can change this area! Every area has potential and this one for sure does. With the desire to work and be obedient missionaries, we can help change La Oroya. Thank you for all your love and support. 

Love,
Elder Moss

Below are some random pictures of La Oroya Antigua...

On To The Next Area

HEY FAMILY! So I have changes this week so it was a bit crazy.  I received a call last night that I was getting transferred. I packed all my bags and WOW they weigh a lot more than when I came here...haha!  I have a ton of stuff but it all fit. :)  I don't know where I am going but I'm stoked! I can't wait to go work hard in another area and help the people out! 

Things are good in HVCA...the attendance went to 72 yesterday at the branch! It was so cool to see all the hard work with Elder Jimenez is paying off. Elder Jimenez has taught me that you bring the hard work and you change the area!  I will be eternally grateful for that kid! He has helped me tons and I love the kid and it'll be hard to leave! But right now we are in Huancayo waiting to hear where we are getting transferred to. We will find out tomorrow. Last week Elder Pincay went to Lima because he has some take care of some document stuff. So Mendoza was with us this last week and I love that kid so much! He has taught me a lot!

This week was great! My testifying and teaching have grown so much!  I have mastered teaching the restoration in 4 mins. with the help of the spirit and it's so cool. I had such a cool experience this week! So about 2 weeks ago we were walking and I passed a less active, who was drunk, I thought nothing of it but I stopped because the spirit told me in some way to stop. I called Elder Jimenez, who was ahead of me, to help me.  We helped him to his house and talked to his family who are super active. His name is Ugo and his family is really faithful but he struggles. So we took out a couple appointments and visited him these last couple weeks. We were able to teach him 3 times this last week. Last Sunday he didn't come, but this Sunday he did.  He told us how much he has felt the spirit these last couple weeks with the church and praying. He prays twice everyday and loves doing it. He has grown in just this short amount of time and he hadn't come to church or prayed in years. Last night he just broke down with his family and us and hugged us and told us how thankful he is for us helping him. He realizes he needs to be an example to his son and daughter. They want to be sealed in the temple as a family. So we set that goal for them and hopefully they get there. It was the coolest thing you guys. If I hadn't stopped to help him out he wouldn't have had this desire to change.. it was so cool and spiritual and it felt amazing to know I left on a good note. 

Reflection of the week: The Holy Ghost is real!  The branch is up to 72 in attendance,  helping a family grow and a man wanting to change his life just because I have listened to the spirit. It's so important that we listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He is our guide in our lives and sometimes I feel it strongly and sometimes I just have to dig deeper and notice it. I love it out here you guys and this week was great, and Huancavelica has POTENTIAL ....I love it!  I love that I helped bring a dying branch back to life with these Elders. Continue to pray for HVCA and Ugo, even though I'm not there anymore. I love you guys so much and have a testimony that the church is true! :) ciao!:)

Elder Moss

We are so proud of you

Now We Can Say, "Elder Moss will be home NEXT year"!

Hola Familia?! How are you all? All is good here in HVCA! This week was actually really exciting! So on P-Day we ALL cleaned our room.......finally! Because I was the only one cleaning it.....Mom will be proud:). But now Elder Jimenez and I talked and we put a goal for everyone to clean. On Tuesday we had divisions and I went with Mendoza again. He's great and I love the kid because he has taught me to be truly obedient and I have seen the blessings because of it.  I have learned to be obedient with a reason and a purpose and that's just to be the best missionary.  In the beginning, I didn't like the rules......they bugged me, but now I'm fine and I know the blessings they bring.

Elder Jimenez and I received a call on Tuesday from Michael, the taxi guy, I answered and he told me he wants us to visit him and help him out because he has felt like he needs our help.  For 2 years he has rejected the missionaries but finally he wants us to teach him! So Jimenez and Pincay taught him! On Wednesday the ZL's came.....Walker and Bullock are awesome! We ate at Oregano's for the 10th time.....Love that place! Thursday we had 5 lessons! A record! But one of the best ones was definitely Michael! He is awesome and is willing to do lots to change his life.  He has just felt bad and wants the best for him and his kids, which he has never told us about. He is separated but has 2 kids.  The guy is so humble and has a testimony that God is there and the Lord. I just felt the spirit the whole time and wanted to cry with the guy and help him.  He has potential! Pray for him you guys please! I love him and want him to make this change. He truly is amazing and I understood everything he told us and it was such an awesome, spiritual experience.  So grateful for the guy!

New Year's Eve was good.....fireworks are nuts here! We stayed up, watched them and played cards. Next day our neighbor's started drinking again at 8 AM. They drink like it's nothing here. It's hilarious but disgusting. So we have a lot of drunk contacts and it's just too fun. New Year's day every person in HVCA goes on a "paseo" like a picnic and they drink, play soccer and drink some more. Friday we had one lesson. But we did find half dead drunks in the street....Haha! Saturday was normal.....we learned a few words in Quechua. Now that I understand Spanish I am learning a bit of Quechua:). Sunday was good, the attendance went up to 60! And we had a good testimony meeting! After fasting all day I took one bite of mondogo (cow intestine) and it killed my appetite. Later we had a lesson with Ketty and Nadya and their parents. We had to move their date to February so I probably won't see them get baptized. We had a lesson with a less active family the Sarmiento's. We are trying to reactivate the wife and her kids...but she's tough. And had a lesson with the Zorilla family, who have been coming to church. They are always giving us tons of stuff.....they're "Pi Tu Caso" ! This last week was good because we set some high goals and achieved them!

Reflection of the week:  My Spanish.....Wow I have improved.  Elder Jimenez told me I understand and speak Spanish great! Elder Walker said I'm speaking really, really well for 5 months out.  The Lord's hand has been in my life and I truly have sought the gift of tongues and still am. I love to study this gospel in Spanish. I love studying the language. I love HVCA and its sad because we have changes next week! But I will go or stay where the Lord needs me! I love you all!

Elder Moss

Sopa de Mondongo (cow intestines)

Christmas Day 2015