The Computer Ate My Letter

[It was going to be a good one too!]

Hey everybody,

So this week was a good week.  On our Pday last week we went to Quisto Cocha which is basically a zoo but in a cool area on the river, that's where that picture of me on the river is.  I got to play with a snake and eat zuri which is a tree slug and tastes like coconut.  

So mom I have to apologize, I finished my letter and almost all of it got deleted and I have no more time left today so I'll have to tell you about everything that happened this week next week, which really is a bummer because I had a lot to tell you this week.  We had the wedding of two families that we had waited forever for and then the baptisms of those families this week.  It was really awesome crazy and busy.  I even had another awesome story about a rat in a lesson but I'll have to tell you about that next week.  I'm really sorry, it was a good letter too.  I do love you guys and I'll tell you about change next week too.  I promise to have a really long letter next week for you guys.

[No picture is complete without the obligatory missionary “thumbs up”.  Why is that?]

Elder Peacock

P.S.  [Extracted from other emails to family members…]

Regarding the picture of alligator last week:  yes that was alligator meat, we ate it cooked and it looks like chicken cooked.  It's a firm meat with a flavor crossed between chicken and fish. I loved it. The picture was taken before it was cooked [apparently, no frosting involved.]  It cooked before eaten don't worry.  

Everything tastes like chicken.

Apologize to Eva for me [the kids all cried looking at the pictures of the cute little critters he’s been eating].

Happy Easter to you all too! They celebrate a week of it here....Semana Santa...Has nothing to do with santa clause.

btw changes today and I had a dream that we’re both staying put.

More Fun with Food

Hey everybody,

So honestly at this point, I still don't know what I'm going to write about...The week started off with a couple of days of still not being able to really leave the room which was no fun.  By Wednesday we could go out as long as it wasn't raining because apparently rain causes infection? I guess it's a good thing I'm not a doctor.  So we went out in the morning and are out for a little while and then out of nowhere the sky became completely covered by clouds and it starts raining about as hard as I've seen it here. We were right next to the house of the ward mission leader so we had to go and stay in there until the rain stopped....just when I thought I was going to get out and get to work.  But then we did get to go back out that afternoon and night because it had stopped raining.

But this week in all honesty was somewhat frustrating.  A whole lot of knocking doors and a whole lot of people that aren't there for appointments that we have with them. It's definitely a different culture here as far as schedules and timing goes.  Not a lot of people are very precise with their schedules "oh yeah, we'll be here at that time, we're always here..."  haha somewhat frustrating and makes it a whole lot harder to plan.  Also about 75% of the time we find women and children which wouldn't be a problem but we're not allowed to teach them or even go in unless there is an adult man there too and they're working more often than not.  Also, everyone here takes trips to work or just to take a trip for about half of the year....what is that? I've still yet to figure out why you would live here with your family when you have to go back to Lima for like half of the year to work. I mean why not just live in Lima? everything is cheaper there anyways...

So we were in a lesson yesterday with a guy whose wife and kids are members and we invited him to baptism and he said yes but he wanted to wait and give it some time to see if the path that his family was on was really the path God wanted him to follow.  We then asked him how he thought he could know it was the path that God wanted him to follow and he said 2 things: prayer and repentance.  So we talked about how if he wanted to know that it was the path he needed to ask God and that in order to fully repent he needed to be baptized and we said it in a much more eloquent manner but I'm short on time and I have another point to make.  If you ever want to know if you're doing the right thing or following the path God wants you to, ask him and repent.  This investigator who is not very religious knew that and it was awesome.  Repent and you'll receive the spirit more strongly and be able to recognize the promptings of the spirit more easily.  This is by no means directed at anyone or anything in specific, just a general statement that hopefully will help someone out there receive an answer to a question.

Also, that is alligator [picture above—what is that white stuff?  Is it frosting?  cream cheese? Is it an alligator cake?  This is a mystery to me!] that I ate and that is a turtle leg [the first picture above] and there was also a head [below] that you should be able to see.  Happy St Patty's day? Eat green :)

Love,
Elder Peacock

Captivity Take 2

So they burned his neck again.  The other half this time.  So I can only leave if we have the people to divide, but pretty much the whole time we couldn't divide because the people who usually do and are awesome are about to leave on missions so they're a little preoccupied with the whole mission thing and interviews and whatnot.  So, it's been a rough couple of days.  yesterday we went to church and came home and that was it...let's just say I've read the entire standard works a couple of times, my shoes have never been shinier, and my desk is now more organized than anything I've ever owned before. 

The picture was not my idea nor does it even have our whole zone...but that's what I had...Like our jerseys?

No baptisms again this week but we're really only waiting on paperwork so a couple of families can get married.  One of them is still waiting on a birth certificate, but we just have to wait for it.  We think the other one is going to get done this week.  And, we think we have another one to get started on with the guy that was in the hammock.  Really, with all three of these families I really feel like all we've had to do is tell them what they should be doing and then they're on top of it and just so prepared. 

With the family that we think will be ready this week, we were walking at the end of our area in like the middle of January-- going to an appointment that we had, and it was scorching hot.  This guy stopped us and asked Elder Duran if he was from Honduras or Guatemala.  Well, it was neither, but nobody knows about El Salvador here.  He asked us to wait there for a second and he left...about 30 seconds later he comes back with some cokes.  He then tells us that his brother joined the church a while back and was living in the same home at that time so this guy (Dimitrow) had heard a little bit of it and wanted to know more.  So we came back and the whole family instantly knew it was true.  It's like they already knew, we were just reminding them what they had forgotten. That family is awesome and I'm sure I've mentioned them before but I thought I'd just throw this out with a little bit of hindsight.

It is so easy to see the people that are prepared for the gospel.  We teach plenty of people that don't accept it, but when we find the ones that are willing to accept it it's completely different.  They're so much more accepting and just want to do the things that they should and they really don't have any problems with changing their lives.  That's not to say that if someone doesn't instantly accept everything that we teach that they're not ready and that we're not going back but it's just awesome to see how prepared that some people really are to accept this gospel and to really change their lives.  God really is not far from each one of us.  That includes you.  I'm talking to all of you and each of you individually.  God knows and loves you and that's why we have this gospel and this church and most importantly our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Love you guys and thanks for everything!

Also shout out to mom! I've heard lots of good things about the blog!

Thanks, love you!!

Tortuga, Mono y Cui

Hey!

So this week was pretty good.  On Tuesday night, Elder Duran had to go to the doctor for a checkup on his neck so we had to divide for a few hours.  So I went with the bishop's son to an appointment with a guy who lives with all members and we had been teaching for like 2 weeks.  We talk to his wife who is a member and apparently, his job called that morning and he is now in Yurimaguas for who knows how long to work and left that same morning in a boat to travel 3 days on the river...haha, what the heck! 

We were going back to meet Elder Duran at 9 back at the house and we were far away so we took a motokar.  So I get out and everything is normal and so I pay the motokarista and start talking to him.  It starts to sprinkle a little, I didn't think much of it so we keep talking and about 5 seconds after it started sprinkling I was in the middle of a torrential downpour.  But I was talking to the guy so I talked to him for a little bit longer, invited him to church, and other missionary stuff and then jumped over the river that had already formed between me and the sidewalk to get to the house....I was absolutely drenched.  In the space of about 30 seconds, I went from completely dry to absolutely soaked.

Then (I think it was Wednesday), we had an appointment with a family that we've been teaching for a while that should have a baptism in 2 weeks and they're pretty much always there...nobody...

So we go to find this reference that we received that is supposedly always home....nobody....

So we start walking and we're in an area that we've walked through about a thousand times.  We stop at this house that we'd passed a hundred times and knock on the door that was open, this guy (named Alan) appears in a hammock that I thought was empty.  He invites us in and we start talking.  He explains that he is always working during the day and that it was a freak occurrence that he was there in the day.  We've taught him a couple times since then and he really loves to learn and he's really excited about everything, and wants us to teach his wife as well.  So I think it's safe to say we didn't expect to find him that day, but that's where we were supposed to be.  Sometimes we don't understand why things happen but the Lord always has a plan and His hand really is in all things.  Sometimes we just need some patience and perseverance.

Also, the title of the email...All three were consumed this week.  Grilled Cui (Guinea Pig) and then one meal with this awesome family who knew I wanted to eat some interesting stuff gave us Monkey soup and turtle with veggies.  Honestly it was all delicious. 

And yes in the soup, that is a monkey hand...no i didn't actually eat the hand.

And the turtle (pictured) was about what you’d expect. Guinea pig was like better chicken.

Love you guys!
Elder Peacock

[Mom’s note:  This email inspired some gastronomical one-upmanship from the elder elders at my house.  See HERE.  If you dare.]