The Cold Here is Insane!

It snowed here in Cerro de Pacso.  This is the first time I've seen snow in a year and a half! It's crazy how cold it is here.  I see my breath in the morning. We have a space heater but it isn't much and so yeah we are basically trying to get warm all the time. My good friend Elder Campbell sent me some warm sweaters to wear up here at 14,000 ft.  I finally am wearing the boots and wool socks my parents sent with me. Believe it or not, Elder Morales and I are running in the mornings...its insane cold and up here at 14K+ feet it burns your lungs and makes you really tired. I'll be fit for a marathon by the time I get home!

I couldn't wait to hear the result on the Utah vs. USC game so I asked my pension to look it up. I was so stoked for the Utes when she told me the score. It will be fun when I come back to see them play!

Things are going really well. We taught some good lessons this last week. A total of about 20+ lessons. A lot of the lessons were with members.  Moving to a different place might be postponed because the room has to be a place that has a separate entrance and we have to sign a one year contract. This place is kinda dirty and stinky. I'm doubting that the mission will allow us to move but we'll see if we can find something.  

One of our investigators, who's progressing well, is named Miguel. He struggles with drinking alcohol...he's not an addict, it's more of a recreational drinking thing. We decided that together we would fast to help him overcome his challenge with drinking and it was a cool experience. He came to church and seemed very happy. We hope that he felt the power of fasting.  Rocio and Ana are some new investigators. Ava is 52 years old and has a daughter who is studying in Utah. Ava loves the church and learning about it.  They have been attending other wards so the previous Elders passed on their reference.  Elder Morales and I saw it as an opportunity to help them understand the importance of attending their own ward. We explained to them why we have boundaries for wards. At first she had a hard time understanding it.  I took the time to explain to Ava the revelation and organization of the church and that the area limits all lead back to God.  The Spirit was there to testify to her and soften her heart. She came to the Yanacancha ward on Sunday and ended up loving it and making some new friends. That was a great testimony of her faith in coming to the right ward. We don't have anything firm yet but I think we could have a couple of baptisms in October. 

I really like Elder Morales. He's been out for 20 months. He's been a great teacher to me of how to boldly contact people. He is totally fearless! Ha ha! I am glad I am with him. 

Our ward is really great.  We have about 90 that attend.  The members are so cool and the have been helping us out a ton this last week.  A lot of them remind me of family members and friends.  I'm looking forward to watching General Conference this weekend.  Maybe they'll finally turn on the heat in the church building so we can be warm! You seriously can't escape the cold here.

Reflection of the week:  Change is hard.  Every time you get transferred you have to start over with getting to know the members.  I was in Mantaro a long time and built that area up with a nice new place to live and a great teaching pool. When I get transferred I'm usually really quiet at first because I'm just checking things out and trying to get used to the new area and people. This is something I need to work on...being a bit more outgoing and friendly to new people when I meet them. The mission has given me a lot of direction with not only spiritual things but also personal and life skills that I otherwise wouldn't come across. Ether 12:27 keeps playing over and over in my head...as missionaries we get a chance to be totally exposed and humbled by things that the Lord wants us to know are weak things that we can work on to become strong. 

Yanacancha Ward Building

Elder Moss & Elder Morales - Cerro de Pasco - September 2016

Pension's Son & Elder Morales

Views of Cerro de Pasco

Loving Cerro de Pasco!

It's cold here in Cerro de Pasco! Seriously the cold is different because heating doesn't exist in Peru so it's impossible to escape the cold!  We are at 14,000 feet.  I keep getting asked if the altitude has effected me.....but I'm good.  P-days now consist of any changes that happen with transfers.  So if you are getting transferred you travel on your p-day.  We also can't do activities with members to bring investigators.  

So Sunday I received a call that I was getting transferred. So I packed all my stuff and Monday we headed to the terminal.  Said goodbyes and then traveled for 5 hours to Cerro de Pasco.  On the way there we passed through La Oroya and it was great to reflect on the teaching experiences I had there.
  
The people here in CDP are really nice..but it seems like they're not as into doing member missionary work like I've been used to in other areas.  My new companion, Elder Morales is hilarious!  He's from Argentina and he has no fear which is good because people when we are contacting, we are able to get into their houses with out any problems. 

Our apartment is not so good.  We will be changing rooms, for the 4th time on my mission, to a better place.  Our new room is nice and small.  But you want small here so you can trap the heat in...haha! Love our pension, she's really sweet. The food is isn't so sweet.  The altitude makes you tired, but I'm used to it now and even the cold I'm adjusting to.  

In the middle of the city they have a huge mine.  In the mine they have a thing called "el tajo", it's a huge hole where the workers will enter the mine.  They work for 14 days and then have a 7 day break.  Down below in the mine they have rooms where the miners rest. The mining company keeps digging and so the hole gets bigger and bit by bit it's eating the city.  People have to move their homes because of this.

Our ward is the Yanacancha ward....it's great!  We have 2 investigators, Victor & Miguel. They have baptismal dates set.  Victor is a 16 year old kid who's really interested in the church.  His family is also showing interest.  Miguel is 25 and his wife left him so he's really sad.  He wants to change his life and get baptized but he has a problem with drinking so we are trying to help him. One of the problems in our areas is the missionaries have been teaching mostly women which is not okay.  It's important for us to find men and families to teach.  So we will be focusing on that.  I'm excited to serve in CDP and we are having a great time!

Reflection of the week:  This week I've been able to reflect on loving everyone.  Things are said about people that can make you form an opinion without really knowing that person. There's a lot of situations like that in the mission where you go in thinking that someone or some place is terrible and you end up loving the person or area.  Rumors and other stuff that goes around can be distracting and also just not true. Sometimes it's hard to love everyone and be like our Savior, Jesus Christ, but it can be a wonderful journey getting there. I love all of you so much! #doitforjesus

Love, 

Elder Moss

Cerra de Pasco mine 

Kory Got Baptized!

Hey family! It's Sunday night and since last Tuesday I've known where I was going to be transferred to but that didn't keep us from working really hard this last week.  I have great news! After 2 years of investigating the church, Kory got baptized!  Wednesday we had a lesson with her and Elder Daza and I were teaching her and out of know where she told us she wanted to move her baptism up to this last Saturday.  She has no doubts and she passed her interview.  I know that this was a blessing from Heavenly Father to be able to see her get baptized before I was transferred from Mantaro.  

I've learned a lot here in Mantaro and it will be one of my favorite areas.  I've truly enjoyed being here and being apart of the missionary work. Elder Gonzales is awesome and I will miss him so much.  He has become one of my best buds and I have truly enjoyed working with him over the last 4 months. I'm leaving behind a ton of people we've been teaching and I pray that they'll come to accept the gospel and be baptized. I feel so blessed to have been in Mantaro and see the real results of diligently contacting and knocking doors. 

So I'm going to Cerro de Pasco!  It's located at the top of the Andean Mountains and there are about 80,000 people there.  It's an active mining center with an open pit mine just like the Bingham Copper mine. It is literally on the top of the Andes at 14,210 ft. They mine zinc, copper, lead and silver. A pretty desolate place with all of the mine tailings and contaminated water, etc. Apparently, My new comp is Elder Morales from Argentina.  My new area is called Yanacancha.  It's very cold here....the average high is 54 degrees and the low average is 29.  I'll be serving in the highest Stake in the world. Honestly, so excited to go there and get to work.   Since the beginning of my mission I've wanted to serve there.  I've heard the food is terrible but oh well I'm use to that.  I'm really excited that I'll be living with 3 other missionaries.....my comp, Elder Matthews and Elder Hernandez. I have my sleeping bag all cleaned and ready to go...there's no indoor heating at all in the homes in Cerro de Pasco.

Reflection of the week:  This week I have been reflecting on the work I have been apart of here in Mantaro.  This has been one of the toughest areas that I have served in.  I know that the Lord works through us in many ways as missionaries.  Whether it be helping members or helping us gain our own testimony.  I know the Lord wanted me here in Mantaro and I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to serve here.  I may not leave my mission with a lot of baptisms but I will leave with a true conversion to this gospel. I love it and it picks me up everyday and makes me truly happy.  I know that God lives and our Savior is Jesus Christ.  I know that Joseph Smith restored our Saviors church.  I love it with all my heart and I continue to change for the better everyday. Wish me luck in Pasco! I love you all !  #doitforjesus.

Love,

Elder Moss

Elder Gonzales, Kory and Elder Moss - Mantaro

Elder Gonzales, Elder Moss, Elder Daza, Elder Gonzalez - Mantaro

Cerra De Pasco - Mining Crater

Spiritually Uplifting Week

Happy Labor Day! How's the family doing?  I hope that everyone is surviving school. I also hope that the Utes started out the year on good note this last week!  Things are good here in Mantaro. In fact it was one of my most spiritual, edifying weeks.

So we had the chance to have a multi-zone p-day and were able see a whole bunch of Elders.  It feels like years since I had the chance to see them.  I was so happy to see Elder Campbell!!  He's in HVCA and having a good time.  We all went to this place called Myopaupa and played soccer.  Even President and Sister Silva came.....that was way cool!

Tuesday we had a really long multi-zone conference with President Silva.....but really awesome.  He talked about closing our hearts......not flirting with the Sister missionaries and members because there have been problems with that here. So that was fun to listen to but not fun for some.  Like it says in 1 Nephi 16:1-3(Read it).  President also talked a lot about obedience and wanting to leave the mission "clean".....saying you did your best.  When I was listening to him the Spirit testified to me that he truly is the President of this mission. It's tough taking on a change and a lot of the missionaries are not too happy. But for me these last months I have been praying and fasting and asking Heavenly Father to humble myself to know that he is our President.  I left the multi-zone conference being touched by the spirit and knowing that President Silva is doing only what the Lord indicates him to do.  He left me shocked, hard to describe, but wanting to truly finish out my last 10 months the best that I can.  I love President Silva.

Our week was normal with investigators.  We have been doing a lot of contacting with Elder Daza and Bautista.  Elder Daza and I went together Thursday and Saturday. Everyone failed us so we knocked on doors all night. Sunday we had 13 investigators come to church! Pray that we can get them to commit to baptism....It's been really hard not having that. The Diaz family is still not ready. Pray for them because they need help to really feel the importance of keeping the commandments. Kory, she has no doubts. She's reading the BOM and is in 2 Nephi 12 and progressing.  She even put her own date of Sept 17th to be baptized.  She said she prayed about it.  She just really needs some more friends.

Mari and Lucero, mom & daughter, have been attending church for 4 months and have fallen in love with the church.  They brought Oscar, the dad with them.  Mari and Oscar aren't married (no surprise there). Oscar is awesome and wants to get baptized. We taught him about repentance and putting the Lord first and keeping his commandments.

The Villanera family is progressing.  Ursula, the wife, is changing a lot and loves the church.

Reflection of the week:  This week was incredible for me.  I've learned a lot in the mission. How to truly repent, humble myself, fast and a lot more.  I've gotten so close to our Heavenly Father in these last couple days.  I feel truly converted to this gospel. So grateful that I have felt so close to the Spirit this last week.  I am so excited for these next 10 months of my mission.  I love you all. Please keep me updated on your lives!  #doitforjesus

Love,

Elder Moss

Huancayo Zone - September 2016

Elder Moss & Elder Campbell - Huancayo, September 2016

Huancayo Skyline - September 2016

Evidently Mountain Dew is a Luxury in Peru