What's Up in Peru?

(Sent this photo of friends to Garret…cute, huh?)

Family—

At Dad’s request I’m going to try to give you a bit of an idea as to what Peru is like. I am in Las Brisas, part of the zone Chiclayo Central. Our zone covers a little piece of the city. The actual Las Brisas is pretty suburban, except that all the houses are stuck together. The people here are really practical with how they build things—square, brick buildings with a flat roof. I’m sure it helps that they never get bad weather here. But I really like the style of life here. People are for the most part happy with what they have. Anyway, the area also covers Los Olivos, Virgen de la Paz, Cruz del Perdón, Cerropón, and Molina Alta—these parts of the area are up on hills and are a little more humble… Brick houses, or more often adobe. I would take a picture but like I said before we don’t walk around with things of value. Then there’s La Purísima, where we live. It’s a lot like our subdivision at home, only bigger. It’s pretty green there, and there’s a ditch behind our house (I’m getting pretty good at catching mosquitos with my hands).

The food is good. Gloria, our pensionista, is a good cook. My favorite foods are ají de gallina, tallerines verdes, lomo saltado, and chupa de chorros. Today she made us tacos. They were actually pretty good, considering that they are definitely not a Peruvian food. I’m guessing you all think Peruvian food is pretty close to Mexican food, but it isn’t. Lots and lots of rice. We also never drink water. They make juice every meal. Breakfast is always bread, but with different combinations of stuff. The bread here is really good. We usually eat it with cheese, avocado, jamonada (basically chicken baloney), and fruit… Mangos, papayas, bananas, apples, peaches, maracuyá, guanábana, ciruelas, tangerines, oranges, etc. And we drink a kind of coffee made of cebada (barley, I think) which is completely healthy and word of wisdom-proof. So there’s your food request.

My companion, Elder Tello, is 26 years old. He was born in Huánaco, but raised in Lima. He is awesome. He has taught me tons of stuff. He came here to work. The cool thing is, so did I. This transfer has flown by and I’m happy to work with him. He likes visiting less-active members. When he talks to the investigators I can tell that he is truly concerned for them and interested in their life. So he’s great.

As for funny things… There’s this dog that always barks at us when we pass by (here in peru, they don’t have yards, so they keep their dogs on the roof). Anyway, I picked up a pebble and chucked it at the dog and it hit him in the face and made the funniest noise ever. It didn’t get hurt but now it doesn’t bark at us. Also, a common way to greet people hear is a kiss on the cheek. Luckily, I’m so tall that people just can’t reach. It makes it kind of awkward for them but for me it’s hilarious. I’ll keep thinking of more stuff. Oh yeah we jump over the ditch every morning to go proselyting so we can save like 5 minutes and one day Elder Tello fell in.

Well, that’s all I got. Oh one thing I might add… Yesterday I opened my suitcase to look for something and there was definitely a scorpion in my suitcase. Pretty cool stuff.

I’m learning a lot and growing a lot. And when I say growing, I mean growing spiritually; however, I’ve migrated two holes on my belt. I’m actually getting less scrawny. It’s a weird feeling.

I love you guys a lot and can’t wait to call you. I miss you all a ton. I am here to let people know that there’s a way they can get back. We can all get back. It’s really not that hard. I hope all of you back home are doing your best. That’s really all we have to give.

Elder Bassett

6 Month Mark

Family—

Well, another preperation day creeped up on me and caught me by surprise… This week went by fast, like all the other ones. We continue to work hard and are helping John to progress… He and Shirley came to church again! Johany’s mom still doesn’t want to give permission… We’re hoping for a miracle. We’re going to try to do a family home evening at their house. We were able to help Jorge accept a baptismal date (not sure if I wrote about him… 14 year old that plays soccer with the young men every Friday). His father won’t give permission either… Here goes for miracle #2. We also found Richard this week… He is 20 and is studying tourism and english. He actually speaks decently. He’s a really humble guy with a lot of charity towards his fellow man. Yesterday he accepted to be baptized the 1st of May!

Even though we haven’t baptized anyone, I feel so successful. I am learning a lot and growing a lot. And I have been able to feel that the Lord approves of our work… It feels good. Of course there is a TON to improve… I lack so much. But Heavenly Father is helping me become more than I was before. A lot of help is coming through my companion… He is a great missionary.

This week we were able to give a lot of service and work with a lot of less active members. People in the ward, even active people, have come to us with their problems and it has really hit me that everyone has problems… A lot of times we never notice, but our own neighbors could be going through the hardest time in their life.

I want you all to know that I am being truly and greatly blessed by the Lord. I am beginning to realize how big this work is. I shouldn’t deserve to be a part of it, as imperfect as I am. And yet He lets me work for Him. LOVE all of you!

Elder Bassett

Gotta Love Those E-mails!

"Hey Family

This week was great, just like all of them! Elder Tello and I have now been companions for a month. We continue to work hard and feel that the Lord is pleased with what we are doing in Las Brisas.

Pretty much all of the progressing investigators we had fell through this week... A couple we haven't been able to find, a couple who didn't want to come to church, and a couple who told us they just didn't want to listen anymore. It has been a little discouraging, but the funny thing is I'm not discouraged. As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "trouble has no necessary connection with discouragement-- discouragement has a germ of its own." Thanks Mom, for the quote, by the way. Sometimes the amount of work we do and how obedient we are isn't directly proportional to the amount of visible success we enjoy. However, I am finding a lot of joy in the little things that really matter... As President Chipman said in the last zone conference, the most important success we find is in the things we cannot measure.

Shirley and Jhon came to church with us yesterday with their four year old daughter, Karoline... I'm pretty sure I wrote about them. Earlier in the week we were able to have a really good lesson with them about the Plan of Salvation... I was able to feel God's love and forgiveness as I spoke about the Atonement, and I know they could feel it too. It looked like they had a good time in church yesterday, although Jhon got a little confused in Principles of the Gospel... The lesson was on repentance and the teacher ended up talking about the three kingdoms and baptisms for the dead. Ha ha but it was all good.

We were able to visit with Hyrum this morning... He is a 17 year old "oveja descarriada" according to his grandpa (lost sheep). He comes from a family of members and is going through a lot of very big struggles right now. He told his mom he was going to internet for and hour and didn't come home for a couple days. Apparently this happens a lot. She is really worried for him, because she doesn't know what he could be doing... I would be too. (Mom... I really wasn't that bad of a kid.) I sure hope we can help him, because he still has a tiny desire to maybe go on a mission (a very good sign). We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon every day this week. He said he would.

I love you all lots. I'm going to try to send a voice note this next week, because I really want to write everyone back individually. I seriously LOVED the talk that Mom sent me by Jeffrey R. Holland. There's a cool quote that says: "You can change anything you want to change, and you can do it very fast. That's another satanic suckerpunch-- That it takes years and years and eons of eternity to repent. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say 'I'll change'-- And mean it." He goes on to talk about how although restitutions must be made and suffering must be endured, our own repentance process can be as instantaneous as that of Alma-- who went from being one of "the vilest of sinners" to becoming one of the most powerful prophets of the history of this world. I love the principle of repentance; what it has meant to me in my life and what it means to all children of God who make the decision to follow His Son." --Elder Bassett