June 24~ Another Week Down in the CCM

Lima CCM

Hey everyone! 

SO another week down in the MTC!  This week went by super fast!  Nothing too eventful happened though! Just doing learning a lot of lessons and everything in Spanish!  I get to go proselyting again on Saturday (except with another gringo) so we will see how that goes!! hahaha  I love reading my scriptures everyday for hours and just saying a billion prayers!  It really helps out a ton!  I found this cool scripture in 2 Nephi 29:6-10 about why we need the Book of Mormon! Because that is the biggest question here! It's really awesome to be able to see my Spanish advancing though! We had a group of kids from Huancayo come and visit the CCM this week, and it was cool seeing them and seeing people from Huancayo!!  They all just seem like super nice humble people!  I can't wait to finally get on my mission! 

Well a bird flew into the temple today as we were leaving and that was pretty funny! hahah But anyways hope everyone has a good week! Love you all!  It's gloomy here everyday by the way except for Sunday-the sky is always clear and sunny!!!

Elder Baca

June 16~ The First Stranger and Lost Visa

(Scroll down for pics!)
Another week down in the MTC in Lima!!! Okay, so my past week has been crazy. Filled with so many crazy mission experiences idk if i will even have enough time to write it all. 

Okay so first off, we started teaching fake investigators in all out Spanish. My first lesson I taught about faith, and why faith in Jesus Christ is so important. So we ended up talking to our investigator about why prayer is important and just why faith in general is important, and then i said a super long prayer in Spanish and taught her how to pray. The Spirit was so strong I could just feel it when i was teaching. So anyways the teacher afterwards she saw  me walking in the hall later and she like called me into her room and asked me like how do you do it?? I felt the spirit so strong when you were teaching me!! I guess she really loved how I just didn't stop talking even if the conjugations weren't correct! but she said that "Elder Baca made the difference in the Spirit" and all these amazingly nice things in our reviews!! I definintely have room to improve, but it was a good start to the week because of that and then we taught her again on Saturday about  the Restoration and the Book of Mormon- that went super good too! Spanish is really coming along good when it comes to lessons!  I can teach about 30 to hour long lessons now!! 

     SO SATURDAY, was our first day proselyting, my companion was from Lima, Peru and didn't speak any English so I had to communicate solely in Spanish. We planned this lesson from Alma and Moroni about faith and hope and were planning on sharing it with less actives, but we ended up sharing it with a special someone instead. So me and Elder S. got sent to proselyting and contact in the Lima Central Mission (London's mission) which was insane!  So many dogs and just people and just a really poor area, but anyways me and my companion got dropped off at a church in the middle of town and we started contacting (going up and saying hi to people and sharing a message about the gospel) ... we were pretty nervous at first, so the first couple people we didn't say hi too, but then I saw this middle aged lady and I said Hello how are you doing?! Then we stopped and started talking to her about how we are missionaries and everything, and how we are sharing a message about Jesus Christ and the restored gospel. 

     Okay so then my Latino companion started going off with his Spanish and I got kind of lost with their conversation, but the lady started crying.  All I kept hearing was how she had a bunch of problems and stuff like that, so we shared our scriptures and faith and how we should have hope in Jesus Christ ( Alma 32, Moroni 7:40) anyways so they started talking for a long time and I could feel the Spirit so strong even though I didn't know what was going on. So I  just bore a simple testimony that I knew God loved her, and that I knew she was a daughter of God, and that's why God loved her so much. SO we gave her a couple of pamphlets and my companion was done talking to her and she wanted to give us a kiss on the cheek but my companion was like NO!  We shook her hand and went on our way. So after this happened my companion explained to me what just happened with this lady, I guess she was around the corner, and was praying to GOD asking God why she had so many problems, why are all these bad things happening in her life, and if God really is there... so as she finished her prayer, she walked around the corner onto the straight away street, and guess who she ran into, me and my companion. So that was one of my amazing stories this week! So crazy !!!  The first person I ever introduced my self to as a missionary and this crazy story happened! The rest of the day was tiring and really fun just seeing the people of the Peru! We talked to a lot of atheists for a while, a lot of families, and a ton of Catholics but it was an amazing day! 

     SO here's my other story, I went to immigration yesterday, with me and like 15 other missionaries to get my visa!  I get my visa and there's this super friendly security guard talking to some sister missionaries that were with me (both from California) so they explained to me that this guy loves missionaries!  We started talking to him more! One of the sister missionaries gave me a pamphlet to give to him so I put it in my bag for like 2 minutes, and then we ended up giving it to him (*Remember THIS).....so long story short, we get back to the CCM and this girl in my group starts freaking out because she can't find her passport, and i was just thinking back on all the times I have lost something... so i was like I know how you feel, so this Sister was leaving to her mission tomorrow so she had to have it.  About 5 hours later I see her again, and she cant find it anywhere, so she was just really depressed and freaking out because she didn't know if she could leave the country.  I told her some stories about how I always lose my stuff, and to just keep praying and praying and praying. So, I walk back into my class, we sit down, and one of the other sisters in my class was like all these crazy-like missionary spiritual experiences happen to Elder Baca (talking about what happened this past week) so anyways.... the teacher starts talking.... and she asks us to write something down... and I reach into my bag to grab my pen..and the first thing I see in my bag is a passport, and i was so confused because I gave mine back.....BUT IT WAS HERS!!!  So i jump out of the seat like so freaked out and puzzled and run to go give it administration !!  I was so happy for her!! She came back into my classroom like 20 minutes later and was just bawling crying because she was so happy she could go on her misison!!! hahaha  Crazy stories this week!!  

     Anyways, the Latino missionaries left this week and I was pretty sad because i got so close to all of them! But I can feel my love for God and my Savior grow each and every day!!  It's going to be the hardest thing in my life, but i know it will be the best for it!  

Love you all! Have a great week!   Happy Birthday to Ellie!!

Love,

Elder Baca

Elder M. my favorite!! -Lived in Centerville for two years but he's from Venezuela!

Elder S. from Brazil

My Latinos

Elder F.  -Going to London's mission, Lima Central!  He's in the military.

I got FUZZY CROCS!!!!!!

June 10~ First Email from Peru!

HOLA!!!! FROM PERU!!!

My first email home as a missionary!  So, Peru is SO CRAZY! It seriously is like another world down here but I absoutely love it!  I got in to Lima airport at about 12 am and then went to the MTC with about 45 other missionaries. It was so exciting just to be with all these other guys that are in the same situation as me! SO the best I can describe Lima looking like is a more improverished LA but it is so crazy! Everyone here just honks and drives super crazy for no reason, and since there are a ton of people everyone just seems so rushed!

SO my district is pretty cool! I am the District Leader so what that means is I basically lead all the classses and all the technical stuff and what not. My companion is from Oregon and his name is Elder Packham, he likes to joke around a ton, he's pretty cool!  I love the spirit here at the MTC!  It's basically a mini college campus, barricaded by thesed huge walls in the heart of LIMA, but just constantly can feel the spirit. I seriously feel likeI am in boot camp and getting ready to go fight the outside world.  My day consists of a ton of Spanish classes (I am gettting really good! I can recite the first vision, and bear my testimony, and pray in Spanish) a lot of personal study as well. I have never felt the Spirit so much, just because it is a all day every day ordeal. I feel like after 6 weeks here I will feel so ready and prepared! There are a whole group of Latinos here and I absolutely LOVE them!!! They all just love hanging out even though I dont know Spanish, but they love it when i teach them english, play soccer with them, and just spend time with them. Every night before bed the people on my floor (which are mostly Latinos) we go outside in the hallway and sing a hymn everynight.  It is so amazing singing with them in Spanish!! They are all so loving and love to give me hugs like whenever they see me! The food consists of a ton of rice and meat everyday! And ice cream that tastes like gelato. The first day or two was a little hard just adjusting, but now I couldn't be more excited to just learn and work my hardest!

We went to the temple today and shopping and I am so excited to get out on my mission and interact with the people of Peru! My mission president was actually in the temple today but I just missed him! Without a doubt I know that this church is true and that what I am doing is the best thing for my life, God works in such simple but powerful ways and I feel that everyday here. Whether it is in scripture study, or class, I am always reassured that being a missionary right now in my life, is the right thing to do. I love you all with all my heart and I love this gospel. Lima is amazing!

Love, Elder Baca