Mar 27~ La Pascua!

Pics-Sunset in Huancayo, the CHURCH, and baptism! 

Hope you all had a great week! 

So here in Latin America, Easter is a week long celebration called Semana Santa. Crazy parties, a lot of drunks, but still a lot of people stop to think, Why do we celebrate Easter? It was awesome this week going around my area just talking to a lot of people about Jesus Christ and the importance of Him! We were able to help the people understand that one day, we will all rise again just like Jesus Christ, and also that we can be forgiven of our sins thanks to Him. I know He lives and loves us.

We have a couple investigators progressing for their baptisms in April! It was nice because 3 of them came to church yesterday and stayed the 3 hours!  The lady that had a lot of doubts that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago is doing really good now. I know the Spirit is working in her! 

We are moving rooms. Found a sick room with 2 bathrooms and a kitchen. The landlord is moving in so we had to get another room which is better! Its a close walk to the pension! I read like 150 pages this week from Jesus the Christ (793 pages). Ill finish it by the end of my mish!i  Its awesome, at first a little hard to understand but now its so good!  I have a feeling these next 6 weeks will fly by. Looking forward to working super hard! Anyways not to much to update. Everything is good. I am doing great, loving the mish!! Love u mama!!!!! 

Heres some pics of a baptism we had last week!! She's the daughter of a guy that was baptized a couple months ago. Love you all! 

Elder Baca

Mar 21~ OH Peru Peru Peru

Como estáis?  

Wow! Another week down here in the mission. Still is amazing doing the same thing every day. There are still crazy experiences that happen to me everyday.

This past week my comp and I were teaching this 18 year old kid about the mission, and the importance of doing so, and his angry dad came in screaming at us and threw us out of his house! In his anger he yelled at us " Why are you here counseling my son? WHY arent you guys home with your families!!?"...Well, to be honest we just left and didnt respond to anything, but it made me think... I know why I am here more than anything. I could be home right now studying at college or with my family, but I know I am suppose to be here because God wants me to be here. I have had that spiritual confirmation many times, and I know honestly that I am helping people to be more happy by giving them and teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I left my family for 2 years to help other people be with theirs for the eternities. It makes me so happy doing that and I am looking forward to my last month and a half doing the same! 

Love you all! 

Elder Baca

March 14~ Soy Auki

WHATS UP MAN? hahaha (my latino comp has the habit of saying that to everyone now) 

Well another week flew by in the mission. What the heck is happening? 

We have pday on Thursday because its a multi zone! Wow, I cant believe its already spring break for that guy! Easters coming up soon right? And the older man with the addiction is awesome now! He hasnt gone out to drink, went to church, did his home teaching visits, and his family history this week as well! Amazing! We found a couple new people to teach but we are still struggling to find péople that will progress. 

Sometimes I honestly forget I am so far from home, and in a completely different culture (for example this week I saw a pig on the roof of a small house, no idea how it got up there...) but honestly I love it here in Peru. Its been the best thing that I have done in my life coming here. Talking with my companion, the living circumstances and other things make us to be humble as missionaries, but more than that I think I have learned to really rely on God, and not so much in myself. 

I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father lives and loves us.  And I know without a doubt, to come to know Him and his Son Jesus Christ and to honestly feel that they exist, we have to be willing to do what they want, more than what we want to do. If our will seems more appealing than what God wants us to do, we may never know that He exists. We will not be able to feel his presence in our lives. God never leaves us, but many times through our choices, we leave him. We put what we want first ...above what He wants us to do. The beautiful thing about the gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ is that we can "Reconcile ourselves with God".  We can submit ourselves to His will, repent, and become humble, and feel that He really is there. 

Thats something I learned this week from my mission president, but also from my own experiences, AND from the experiences I have seen in others. I love you all! Have a great week! I invite you all to do the same! 

Elder Baca

Heres a pic of the traintrack that runs through my area!! Thats how we get around!

Mar 7~ Mis ConPadres

Whats up everyone. Hope all is well.

Hey! its still raining really hard! It was a good week, went by really fast. Highlight of the week, was helping a really humble guy that has a super bad addiction to alcohol (goes out and drinks everyday for hours). He is a guy that got baptized about a year ago, but started drinking again.  All I have to say, is I will never forget these moments. Getting a hug from a 60 year old man, after teaching him about how Jesus Christ can help him overcome his addiction and how he can heal him spiritually, emocionally, and physically, is something that I will and can never forget. And then to see him at church yesterday, in his suit, smiling because he made the right decision to come to church after not coming for a while.. wow that as well really struck me. 

In Psalms 147:3 it says, "He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth their wounds." 

I can honestly testify of that. I have seen it in my own life, and the lives of others. Well. I love you guys a ton. Im going strong still! I mean if I finish my mission Going UP, Ill get home still Going UP! Thats the goal. Love you all!! Until next weeks adventures. 

ELder Baca 

Feb 29~ Hijo #2

This week we opened this image via Facebook messages. We didn't see the message which had been sitting in there for 20 months! It made our day!!  This was sent from Elder Baca's CCM instructor with this message, 
"Hi sister i am teacher in CCM Peru, and friend to Elder Baca, I will send pictures, your son is awesome. he is an exelente missionary. He help me so much with his classmates when I visited them."

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Hey whats up everyone!! 
Well, I am training my second child! Another Chilean!!  His name is Elder Gonzalez and hes pretty sick! He knows his rap music from the States pretty well hahaha! Anyways wow, I cant believe I am starting my last 2 changes, no idea where the time went by but I am excited to work my last couple months as hard as I can. 

A sweet experience we had this week was teaching a couple of people about asking God a question but with "real intent". Real intent means - REALLY intending to do what God tells you to do !!  A lot of times in our prayers, we ask and ask and ask God for something, but without the intention to do what He tells us. I promise you all, if you ask God for something, but REALLY want to follow and do what he tells you, the answer will be clearer and come quicker! I have had so many experiences here in the mission like that! 

Wow, there is still so much I have to do! I feel overwhelmed at times! The mission has been the best School to attend, its helped me out so much. Well yesterday I gave a talk about the Law of Chastity, (rough subject to talk about in front of a congregation) but it turned out well I feel. This week we will be FINDING, we need some more people to teach!! So thats the plan. I hope all is well at home! I pray for you guys everyday as well and I love you all so very much! keep reading the scriptures everyday and doing FHE, thats the best things you guys can do! thanks for all the support and love!! 

Have a good week! here's some pics! 

Elder Baca 

My new comp, and pics at Huaytapallana Glacier from a couple weeks ago:

 Post face-plant in the mud...

Feb 22~ Bautismo en el Rio

Whats up everyone! How are you all doing? This week was pretty sweet and flew by as well! We had a baptism last Saturday in the fiver! This lady named Clara got baptized, shes the girlfriend of a member.  They are getting married pretty soon as well.

Interesting experience this week. We had a couple of conversations with people that dont believe in God! It honestly makes me sad when people tell me they don't believe in God for various reasons, but it also makes me feel the need to help them all out! If any of you are doubting that God exists here is a scripture that I love in the Book of Mormon that helped a lot of these people out. Here's a prophet named Alma talking to a man that doesnt believe in God. 

"Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God?  Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets?  The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."  Alma 30:44

Here is another scripture that I love that talks about the existence of God. 

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."  Mosiah 4:9

I know without a doubt that God lives. He has answered my prayers so many times, and in so many ways. I know he loves me and wants me to grow and become better everyday, I can feel his love in so many different ways out here in the mission, and I know he loves each and every one of you. I love you all as well! 

Elder Baca 

 The baptism was sick on Saturday. Its been raining a ton so the water was literally brown, but thats how Jesus got baptized right? My comp baptized her.

Feb 15~ White Rice

What what ! Hey everyone! This week was awesome!

We had a Seventy (special witness of Christ who serves under the Twelve Apostles) come to our mission, Elder Godoy, he's from Brazil. He talked about the blessings of serving a mission, and wow! It made me really reflect on all the blessings my family and I are receiving. There are so many! He also taught us a lot of things we could do to be better missionaries. 

So I gave a talk yesterday about Forgiveness, I really realized I have a dry sense of humor and say really cheesy spanish jokes to make people laugh... but anyways it was good studying about Forgiveness this week. What keeps us from forgiving others? Well more than anything I think it is our Pride! Its probably one of the hardest things to do is forgive and forget, but that is what Christ wants us to do! 

Have a great week. 

Love, Elder BACA 

Heres the pics from the baptism last weeks, oh and idk its funny to see some food brands here as well.. take a look... 

CCM reunion! These elders were in the CCM together and have all been out 21 months now! Still working hard and going strong!

 pc:Elder Leonard's mom