Miguel Got Baptized!

It was a great week this week and the time flew by! Miguel got baptized last Wednesday!  We spent a lot of time on Wednesday getting ready for the baptism. It was supposed to begin at 5pm but Peruvian time is an hour late so we going at 6pm. Dad would lose it here, ha ha! It was such a great day for Miguel and he was so happy.  His family came and supported him.  Half of his family are members. When Miguel shared his testimony you could see that his countenance had changed....you could see a light in his face! Miguel is 25 years old and he works in a car shop.  His wife left him and he was making some bad decisions in his life...he wanted to change and make his life better.  We saw him a few days after his baptism and he truly was a different person. 

The weeks are flying by here in Cerro de Pasco.  We had transfers yesterday and nothing changed....I'm still with Elder Morales.  Last Monday we had zone p-day and played a lot of board games inside the church because it was raining and hailing. Most p-days we are trying to avoid the rain.  I've decided that I'm not of a fan of rain. Typical day here is it is sunny until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and then it begins to rain.  

Tuesday, Renald, a member that's from Lima Callao came with us to do visits.  He loves to help us do visits everyday if he can. I've noticed a big difference in the way the ward here supports the missionaries. They are really great people. The Ward Council brought me a cake for my birthday last Sunday! 

On Thursday we had an opportunity to teach a lesson to an inactive family.  They haven't been to church for 12 years.  They're actually the pioneers of Cerro de Pasco...the first family to be baptized and helped others to get baptized.  They said they've been going to another church, which is kind of sad. We talked about their testimonies of the gospel.  I asked them if they knew that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ? They told me that if we take the Introduction of the Book of Mormon at face value then yes, they believe that Joseph Smith is a prophet. But I asked them "Do you know in your hearts that this is all true?" And they said no and it was sad for us to hear them say that. So Elder Morales and I both bore our testimonies to them and it was the coolest thing. The Spirit was strong and I hope this family felt it. I'm hoping they will let us come back and talk to them more.

I also got great news this week from Mantaro in Huancayo...Jose and Lucero Diaz got baptized! Elder Gonzales and I taught them and worked with them and they got married when I was in that area. It was great to hear they accepted the gospel and joined the church there in Mantaro!

Reflection of the week:  I've been thinking a lot about testimony this past week, especially after we had the lesson with the inactive family. It made me realize how vital a testimony is. I know that in the mission I have gained a big testimony of the gospel. I have seen it change lives...mostly mine. I have felt such a big impact from my testimony and it has helped me understand more about my purpose on this earth. Seeing Miguel on Wednesday and how happy he was changed me a bit. The gospel has really changed his life...and mine as well. #doitforjesus

Love,

Elder Moss

Miguel's Baptism - Cerro de Pasco - October 2016

Elder Moss & Elder Morales - October 2016

Elder Moss & Elder Morales - October 2016

Last B-day in the mission

Family what's up?  Thank you for all the birthday wishes.....I can't believe I'm 20 years old! I'm not a teenager anymore.  This last week was awesome!  Monday we had comp P-day.  We all played pool and then more basketball...so fun!  Like I've said before playing basketball at this elevation makes my lungs want to explode and then the following day I'm really tired.  But it's so worth it to me! Cerro de Pasco has become one of my favorite areas.I have really come to love it and really enjoy everything it has to offer.  

Tuesday, during district meeting, the Elders bought a birthday cake for Elder Chujo and I. Loved eating it and most of all getting it smashed into my face.  Sorry mom, no pic, my camera was dead, but I'm sending a lot of other pictures this week.  

The whole week it rained, hailed, and rained some more. The streets turn into rivers and the man holes blowup and turn into fountains. People get mad because they built a city around a mine and the company wants to expand the hole but that requires abandoning the city.  So the company is slowly buying houses and destroying them. The Peruvian always say, "If the Americans would've stayed (they started the mine) then we wouldn't have a huge city built around a huge expanding hole.  I just don't comment on that.  

Thursday we had division with E. Paragsha and then we went and slept in Elder Hernandez and Elder Matthews place...that was great!

Friday was my B-day.  The ZL'S brought me my package. We went and did some visits in the rain. Miguel passed his interview! He's suppose to get baptized this Wednesday.....he's so excited! Keep him in your prayers. That night we went and visited the Victors family. Marisa (the mom) made a cake for my b-day.  We ate it with them and they sang to me.  It was a fun evening! We left and headed back to Noemi, our pension. She bought a Tres Leches cake for me so we ate it with her and her two kids, Jarom and Joseph.  I opened my package and I felt so loved....thank you to everyone! It was such a great day......it was filled with so much happiness! I can't believe this is my last b-day in the mission...that's CRAZY! 

Saturday we had the opportunity to do division with members and I was able to go with some members from another ward.  They took me to their friends house, Fernando and Isela Alvavez. They have 3 daughters. I shared with them lesson 1 and you could feel the spirit as I testified with Hermano Oscar and Hermana Liz about the gospel.  They were really interested and we have a return date with them.  They were so amazed at how fluent I was in Spanish.  They kept asking me how I learned and they told me I speak like a latin...LOL!  Hermana Liz commented about how my mom and dad must be so proud of what I'm doing. She testified of the importance of having good parents in the gospel. I truly realized in that moment how much my parents have affected me. It was all true what she was saying.  Parents are the key to learning in the gospel. I'm so grateful for my parents. 

Rocia and Ana are doing good. Rocia fasted on her own...that was cool to hear! I know she'll be getting baptized soon. Ana will probably be getting baptized at the end of the month. She wants to make her own decision when to get baptized.  So we are waiting patiently.  We have great support from the ward.  President Silva called me on Friday to wish me a happy b-day.  I think that was probably the best part of the day....honestly my heart was racing.  Such a great week with a lot of success!

Reflection of the week:  I have sincerely learned to love these people. In my interview with President Silva, he told me how important it is to love as we do the work and that it should be the first thing. I've been praying for help to be able to show my love towards these people. I love the members and the people we teach. This last change has brought me more laughs, smiles and hugs. It's true that when there is love there you will have success in your work. I have a firm testimony of that. I love you all! Thank you again for all the birthday wishes! #doitorjesus

Love,

Elder Moss

Elder Moss birthday celebration with Victor - Cerro de Pasco

Birthday cake for Elder Moss - made by Marisa Victors (investigator)

Elder Moss celebrating his last b-day with the Victors family
(Altenor, Marisa, Victor and Pamela)

Thanks Noemi (pension) for the yummy Tres Leche b-day cake

Cerro de Pasco flooded streets and man hole fountain - Oct 2016

We Moved & Then Moved Back

I think my body has finally gotten use to the cold temperatures here in CDP. We had an adventurous week.....moving twice and interviews with President! Time really is going by quicker each week.  P-days come around fast.  And transfers are fast approaching.  I can't believe that Zach got home!  It seems like yesterday I was saying goodbye to him. I hope he's adjusting back to real life.

This past week was crazy but good.  We didn't have a lot of proselyting time, but we did have some solid teaching,  Monday we were able to play basketball for a couple hours at the University in our area.  We played with some members and students.  That was fun!! Not gonna lie it's so hard playing b-ball at 14,000 feet......your lungs and body can feel it! But it was so worth it to play basketball.  

Tuesday we moved into our new place.  We thought it was going to be great.  Well turns out this place has no water or lights!  We had to talk to the landlord and ask for our money back....which he gave us.  But then we had to ask our Pension if we could come back to our old place?  Because she loves us, she let us come back.  So we moved back on on Thursday....such a pain.  I fixed the shower in the old room and we rearranged the furniture....so now it looks a little nicer.  I know I need to get the address for Grandpa Moss so he can find it on Google maps since he loves doing that!

We had interviews with President Silva on Wednesday.  I gained a lot of respect for him.  He shared a great scripture with me in the Doctrine and Covenants about loving the people first who we teach.  If we don't love everyone around us then it's harder for the work to move forward.  Sometimes it's hard being an American here because the people have a harder time accepting you.  I also gained a greater appreciation for President in that he treats his wife with so much kindness and respect.  I have never heard someone talk so nice to his wife on the phone. What a great example. 

We had a cool experience on Sunday.  We were walking to church to go to ward council and I saw a couple sitting and talking.  I didn't think much of it but then the Spirit told me we should go talk to them.  Honestly I thought about ignoring it and then I remembered what Uncle David had told me last year about acting on every impression of the spirit.  So we stopped and went back to talk to them. Their names are Jose and Stephanie.  Jose used to go to church 10 years back and the Elders visited him 5 years ago but then stopped.  We had a great conversation with them and talked about their family.  They're still interested in coming back to church.  They were glad to see us and know that there are still missionaries in the area.  It was a great experience for me with listening to the promptings of the spirit. Who knows if they will progress but the greatest part is I listened and obeyed and that strengthened my testimony of following promptings from the Spirit.  

Reflection of the week: I have a strong testimony of fasting.  If you remember a few weeks back we fasted for Miguel to help him overcome his casual drinking.  We visited him on Saturday and he's doing so great and a lot happier. We set a goal with him to read two pages of the BOM each day. It might not seem like much to some, but that's a big step for him. He wants a new life and wants to change. Every time we see him he asks us about baptism.  He truly is a person looking to repent of his sins and it's so amazing to see the Spirit working through him. Something that I have learned from Miguel is as children of God, we don't need to be perfectly prepared to take on a change in our life. We just need to trust in our Savior and know he will guide us.  Miguel is not 100% ready for baptism but his desires and willingness to change is so strong. He's willing to leave the past and start over again in his life.  Pray for Miguel so he can continue to prepare and learn. #doitforjesus

Love,

Elder Moss

Elder Moss - Cerro de Pasco - October 2016

Elder Moss - Cerro de Pasco - October 2016

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

Elder Moss

Cerro de Pasco

Another Great General Conference!

Hey Family....How are you all?  So crazy that it's October! This last weekend was so great watching General Conference.  I can't believe that this was my 3rd conference in Peru.  General Conference was so awesome....the messages really got to me and my heart. I was able to have questions answered.  I have truly learned to appreciate hearing from the Prophet and the Apostles.  I got to watch Conference in English with 6 other Elders. We were in a small room in the church and we were so lucky that the Bishop turned on the heat!  I want to finish out these last 9 months of my mission with doing my best.  And most importantly I really want to focus on my personal relationship with my Savior.

P-days are getting really limited on the things we can do.  It's challenging to find interesting activities when we are limited with the new rules.  We can't eat in restaurants now and our Zone P-days have to be approved by President Silva.  Last Monday we did play soccer and pool with the members. We did find a new room to move to and the plan is to move on Tuesday. I'm happy about that!

Tuesday we had a great lesson with Rocio, who has a baptismal date for October 15.  We did find out that she's feeling a bit scared because she wants her parents to accept her.  We assured her that she can pray for strength.  I shared with her a scripture that Aunt Carol had shared with me a few months back.  It is Matthew 19:29 ....And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.  Rocio is going to talk to her parents along with us.  She wants to invite them to come to church with her.  Please pray for her and her parents.

Wednesday we taught Ana a wonderful lesson.  Ana is 53 years old and is really prepared. After challenging her to obey the ward limits a few weeks ago, she has seen the blessings of obeying.  I promised her if she was obedient in following the ward limits that she'd be bless and she recognized that blessing.  She reads the BOM everyday.  She really wants to feel ready to make that commitment to be baptized.  I told her that she is ready but she needs to pray to receive her own manifestation. She showed up to watch General Conference...which was really cool!

Reflection of the week:  Two messages that really caught me were from Elder Meurs and President Eyring.  Elder Meurs talked about how we can make the sacrament be more meaningful in our lives. He talked about 5 things that he knows will help us.  My favorite one was paying attention to the hymns and lyrics.  He said as we do that we invite the spirit to be with us.  I was always one to not pay attention but after teaching about this most important ordinance it has made me cherish it more. President Eyring said, "The greatest blessing is the feeling of forgiveness we obtain from partaking of the sacrament."  I know that Christ died for us.  I see his atonement work in other people's lives and in mine.  I feel it as I write....I know this church is true.  I know it in my heart.  I love this gospel and our Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel his divine love when I need it most.  I testify that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration and the BOM is the true word of God.  I love you all and I'm so grateful for your prayers.  #doitforjesus

Love,

Elder Moss

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