Happy Birthday Mom!

Hey everyone!

This week was interesting.  We started off with the farewell of my group on Monday, and then the newbies got here on Tuesday and the rest of the week was basically just like any other week that I have here:  going out to work with other missionaries and long meetings with president.

On Monday, we had the farewell in the morning for my group...the whole time I was really just thinking that I was glad that it wasn’t actually my farewell.  [Meanwhile in California, I spent all of Tuesday thinking, “he could be home today…”] Not that I don't want to see you guys, but I really am glad that I still have a little more time here and I feel like there is still more that I have to do.  That night when we took them to the airport I had an interesting feeling... I sent off a couple of good friends there and it was a weird thing....next time it'll be my turn... that’s weird.

On Tuesday, the new missionaries arrived and we had the same program as we always do, they got fairly confused and it looked like they were all 70 percent asleep as usual.  When the meeting finished, I went with one of the companionships to take them to their new room because the trainer had just gotten here from Nueva Cajamarca.  Their room just so happens to be my first room.  It was weird.  It was like the same situation as when I got there.  We both got there together and I was being trained.  It's like he's me but 2 years ago....that's weird.  But other than that, it was fairly normal for the newbies and the farewell.

In our meetings with president, we've planned the calendar through December....I won’t even be here for that!  We’ve also planned all of the trainings from now until the time that I leave.  This week in the Leaders Council I am going to be training on the use of family history work with the plan of salvation.   In the coming month in the zone conferences,  I will be talking about la esencia de la obra misional.  I think that is the essence in English but that kinda sounds really strange to me.  Either way, if you’re a returned missionary you’ll understand what I am talking about...kind of.  If you’re not a returned missionary it'll probably just be better if I explain it after I get home.  Haha, so today, I don't have all that much to do.  By the time next week hits, I will be busy with travelling and trainings until I finish.  I'm going to make the most of the time that I have left.

Now, just a shout out to my mother.  Happy Birthday Mom!!!  I am thankful for everything that you have done over the years and for everything that you do for me now that I am here in Peru.  You are the best mom in the world and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.  I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for you mom! I love you!!!

Elder Peacock

Alma 26:12

21

Hey everyone!

It was another good week, with more of the same as usual.   We have changes this week and Elder Anderson is ending, which means that I have a new companion.  He got here on Wednesday so that he could be trained as the new assistant.  His name is Elder Murphy.  He's from Utah and we were out in Nueva Cajamarca together for one change.  When we divided the area, he was in the other half so I already know him pretty well.  He's a really cool guy and I'm excited for this transfer.  It's weird though.  When I started the mission, there was not a single companionship with 2 North Americans together, and for the last year of my mission, I will only have a Latin companion for 5 weeks, I wasn’t even with him for a full transfer—it’s really kinda interesting. 

This week, we finished up with the interviews of the 4 zones in Iquitos and we also changed houses.  The 6 elders in the offices live together so we need a somewhat big place to live, but we don't need it too big because we don't spend too much time there.  On my birthday, we were in interviews and I had lunch with President.  A little bit later I did have a cake that my pensionista made for me—which was actually really good. 

Yesterday, I got my package which was pretty nice. Thanks mom!! There has been a strike by the postal service here and they got out of it yesterday and one of the only things that they actually had already was my package--funny how that worked out! 

I definitely made those transformers things and I haven’t gotten to anything else though.  They seem like gifts for children, which they really are but it was really a fun little thing [What do you send a missionary for his birthday on the brink of coming home?  Matchbox cars, transformers, legos & socks.  Throw in some do-it-yourself goodies for good measure.  What are your ideas?  I’ll have another missionary out in a year or two…]  We'll see if we can find the way to make those cupcakes.  Ovens aren’t exactly a common thing down here.  We do have a microwave though, so we'll see if that works... could be interesting.

We have another big group coming in this change so we’ll have a lot to do this week.  I get to watch Conference today and tomorrow.  Last week we had the visit of Elder Uceda and it was really cool.  He spoke very directly and very emphatically to everyone.  He was the mission president here a while ago and he is the Area President right now.  There were 5 stakes here before and now there are 3.  At times the wards and stakes are somewhat immature, so he spoke very directly to everyone.  It was a real eye opener for everyone, in a good way. 

So I really don't have too much to say...at least I am sending pictures right?  [Right!]  As can be seen, I was somewhat confused by the origin of the package... also SOCKS!?!?! haha  [Wait!  What’s wrong with socks??]

Love you guys, hope you have a great week!

Elder Peacock

I’m Not Dead

Although it's been a while since I've written, I promise that I'm not dead and I'm not dying either.  I've just been really busy and I haven't exactly had a P-day in a while.... today I get like 2 hours of P-day and I wont get one next week either.  I'm really loving it, though.

Since I last wrote you guys, we had the Mission Leadership Council (I don’t know if that’s  actually how it is said in English).  In preparation, I revised all of the instruction manuals for the leaders.  I updated content and checked for spelling and grammar stuff, things of that sort.  It was really long and somewhat boring for the most part.  The Council itself  was a good meeting and it went pretty well. 

This is NOT actually a picture of Tyler’s trip…it’s a stock photo.

After that meeting, we went straight out to Pucallpa that Friday.  We were there for the weekend and President interviewed the missionaries out there.  It is strange because we did it on Saturday and Sunday.  That weekend the elections were held here in Peru and that means that there could not be any formal meetings that day so there were no church meetings on Sunday.  It was a nice short trip out to Pucallpa and we got back to Iquitos on Monday, only to leave again on that same day just a little bit later to head out to Tarapoto for more interviews.  We spent Tuesday through Friday driving from Tarapoto to Yurimaguas then back to Tarapoto and then to Moyobamba, Nueva Cajamarca, Rioja and Soritor and then all the way back to Tarapoto.  We flew back to Iquitos on Friday afternoon, arriving that night. 

There wasn't all that much that happened in that trip except for lots and lots of driving and sitting.  Driving and sitting.  Always accompanied by lots of talking about important things.  Who would have that that so much sitting could be so tiring? 

This IS actually a picture of Tyler’s meal…it’s NOT a stock photo.

One day with President we went to go eat lunch out in Rioja and I got some cuy, or for those of you that don't speak Spanish: guinea pig.  It was really pretty good!  Just think twice before showing these pictures to the Payne children.  You did ask for pictures right? haha President Gomez also ate cuy so it can’t be that strange can it?  When I'm with president for the interviews, I either stay in the outside office talking to the companion of the missionary in interview or I go around to check the rooms of the missionaries for cleanliness [the idea that he could be a good judge of the cleanliness of others just KILLS me!!!] or to see if there is anything they need—to make sure their rooms are fit for missionaries.  But yeah, we got back to Iquitos yesterday at like 7pm.

We also had a visit this week from Elder Uceda who is the Area President and Elder Godoy who is an Area Seventy to attend the Stake Conference [a regional conference of members] of the Iquitos Stake because they are going to change some boundaries [members are assigned to wards (congregations) based on where they live] and a Stake Presidency [regional administrative leaders] as well.  I asked President Gomez if they would meet with missionaries while here in Iquitos and he said he didn’t think so because they would be so busy with all of the other meetings that they had already scheduled.  Of course, yesterday at about 10:45 we got a call from President Gomez saying that Elder Uceda wants to meet with all of the zone leaders the next day for a few hours....well it woulda been nice if we had a little more notice, but what are you going to do?  We got in here in to get everything ready and we had our meeting with him which was really cool.  There were 14 of us in there in total so it was pretty cool to be having a meeting with such a small group of people and a General Authority [aka Mormon rockstars].  This weekend we have more meetings with the Stake Conference and more interviews all week.  I'll finally get to see General Conference [semi-annual worldwide broadcast last weekend] next Saturday and Sunday.  So late to see conference...kinda weird!

Well, I love you guys, I hope you have a great week and I should be able to find a moment to write next week because at least I’ll be here in the city.  Oh, I will also receive my new companion this week (he'll come in a week before the changes) so that should be interesting.

Elder Peacock

Alma 26:12