Thanks so much for all of your
letters. I loved them so much. It´s so fun to hear about all the things
going on back there in the good ol USA.
I love
it here in Perú. I´ll try to write it all in the time I´m given. Oh
yeah, so I´ll be writing around this time 10:30 every week. Well
probably like 10:40 because here they like to be late to everything, but
I´ll get to that in a minute. Also, I´m only supposed to email
immediate family so I´ll try to write some good hand-written letters to
everyone. I think the post is pretty good. I got a couple letters this
week that I guess were waiting at the mission home for me. I got the one
from Dad, but not from you Mom. Thanks so much for your emails though.
And please send the mail to the mission home, I really have no idea how
to get mail at my apartment.
My first experience of Perú is indescribable. It was night -- the streets were empty and it kind of looks like no one lives
here. It´s a desert so there aren't very many trees and pretty much
every house is run down. I was so excited. We slept at the mission home
and in the morning went to the chapel for changes. The driving there was
crazy and pretty much I've been smiling ever since. My Mission
President is a great man and he made me feel really comfortable. My
companion looks like a gringo but he's from Columbia and he´s been
helping me a ton with my Spanish. Everyone is really surprised when they
hear I've been here for less than a week and that makes me feel really
good. And then we start talking to someone on the street and I can´t
understand a word. Well, that´s an exaggeration.
The people here talk really fast and I hope they're
using words that I don´t know because if I've learned them they don't
sound the same. We were riding in a bus one day and it was a little
crazy. I thought about it and I would compare it to being in Chicago or
New York, the poor part of town but not very dangerous, and you can't
speak English. I just started laughing -- I love it. The people are so
nice even if I can't understand everything. They are so friendly and
even though I wish they would talk a little slower sometimes I still
love them. The buses are crazy and I´m glad my companion knows the area.
The ward is really helpful and the food is fantastic. Everyone said it
would be really hard and I can see that, but really I've just smiled and
nodded all week long. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much to be happy. Tell everyone that goes out it can definitely be hard but a smile
changes everything. I just laugh at all the craziness. (Also drinking so
much Inca Kola add!) The people are always offering food or drink and I
hope my teeth don't fall out. ¡I've been brushing really well!
Also I wanted to give you my address so you could
look it up on GoogleEarth or something like that. my address is Jr Las
Encinas 554 I guess in Lima or something like that. Maybe Fiori, I
really don´t know. We´re on the very edge of the mission touch Lima
North which is just south of us and I think east of us too. I just
remembered that you could probably just look it up on the lds website
ward thingy. The ward is Fiori and the stake is Trebol. Hopefully that
works if not I´ll send some pictures to give you an idea.
If you see Daniel Wheatley before he leaves please
tell him I love him and he´s going to love his mission. Also, I can´t
remember if I ever got the address for his mission. Also tell him
congratulations on Tough Mudder. He´s going to be a great missionary.
Yesterday was my first Sunday in Perú and it was
also my first talk in the mission field. It was crazy. I don´t know,
I guess I don´t get nervous first, because the Spirit comforts me and
second, because I know it´s going to be bad. All the people say poco a
poco and that´s what I´m doing. Learning little by little. One man we´re
teaching gave me one of the greatest compliments of my life. His nephew
had just prayed and I said the things of your heart is what God wants
to hear because He is our Father. Then the man put his arm around me and
said "he only says a little but what he says arrives, it arrives" or
"it comes" would be better in English and he pointed to his heart. The
people here are so nice and I´m really not being fair. Some of them talk
really well and I understand what they´re saying. The gift of tongues
is real. It´s such a blessing from God.
Oh yeah, so I had no idea what I was going to talk
about and I figured it would probably turn out the same if I prepared or not because I can´t speak. I just talked really simply and
shared two of my favorite scriptures 1 Nephi 11:17 and 2 Nephi 2:24. I
also talked about being called to Perú and how much I love it here. It
was really simple but the people smiled back and I think they
understood.
Pretty much I love it all. Some things about the
culture are a little hard for me. It´s such a different world down here.
Things aren't as clean, the streets are crazy, and they talk for
forever. I think it will help a lot when I really learn the language
though. I´m so excited for the day when I don´t have to say como or just
nod even when I don´t know what´s happening. I know it will come in
time though.
Thanks for all your love and support. And above all else thanks for your prayers. I really see the hand of God in my life.
I love you all so much and am praying for you.
Love, love, love,
Elder Aaron Wheatley
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