Backpack, Book of Mormon, Action!

Well hey there!

This past week has been probably a nine out of ten. Not because anything bad happened, but solely because there´s no such thing as a perfect week. Elder Tohara was really nervous this week because today is transfer day. Thank heavens he didn´t get transfered because I'm just a wee lil' pup of a missionary and we've also grown to be good friends and I´d give our companionship a solid 9 our of 10 as well!

Last Thursday we had a huge multi-zone conference with over half the mission. It was a big surprise because that never happens. Elder Tohara and I thought that maybe the President was going to anounce the "end of the world" or something on the 21st or 23rd or whatever haha. But you know, just the norm. I learned a ton and there's a lot to apply from my notes. It was good to see some of my friends from the CCM and my former companion Elder Wilcox.

Last Friday we had what I would consider "my first baptism". His name is Joel and he's fifteen years old. His mom is a less active member but ever since we started with Joel they've been coming back to church. Joel is an investigator that I had the privelege of being there from the first contact to baptism. Ahhhhh I know..... my first big step. I'm growin' up Ma! The young men's group is really starting to see some sizeable results here as we´ve already had two new young men be baptized in the past month. Us missionaries and Elder Price, the senior couple missionary in our branch, are really working with the branch president to get things going here in Mala with these boys. Any advice Dad?

The members are also starting to bring people to church, and the Spirit is really guiding us as our third companion. An older gentleman named Hipolito, just seemed to float right into our pool of golden investigators, and he's super excited to be baptized on the 5th of January! We also found another younger guy, Cristian Jesus, who's going to get baptized on the 19th of January. And last but not least, we've been visiting a member family, the Pomas, for the past month and they're now returning to the church after years of inactivity.  Their son is getting baptized this next Saturday and the parents are starting to prepare to enter the temple to seal for all time and eternity. What an amazing blessing it is to be a part of all that's happening here!

Last of all, I have kind of a funny story haha. So Thursday night, right before bed, Elder Tohara leaves the room to go to the bathroom. The bathroom, first of all, is about 50 feet from our room, so just know that. Also know that I was so completely exhausted and tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. So yeah, I kneel to say my personal prayer while Elder Tohara is doing his business. Without even realizing, I wake up in my bed, under the covers, unaware that I had even moved or finished saying my prayer. I look at the clock which says "12:47 A.M.". Then I look at the other empty bed........wait, EMPTY?! Yup, so I run to the bathroom since that was the last place I knew of the whereabouts of my good ol' Latino mission buddy. I knock softly on the door and say in Spanish, "Elder Tohara, what are you doing?". All of the sudden I hear scurrying and the light suddenly turns on from behind the door with the quick little reply "I can't open the door." So yup, I found a hammer and we basically broke the door open. Apparently the lock broke and so Elder Tohara was stuck inside for almost 3 hours while I slept peacefully in my nice warm bed. Also, he tried to bang on the door and yell to get my attention, but of course, I was already saying good night. After companionship prayer at 1:09 A.M I said I was sorry and we jumped into bed. I really am such a good companion.

Anyway, that's it folks! I love you all and just know that I think about you everyday!

Elder Lundberg

P.S. Hannah Denney - Thanks for your letter! I'm so excited for all of you deciding to go on missions. Keep me updated! Chocolate!

Mackenzie Brown - I completley believed in your letter that you were getting married. Good one. Thanks. Stay single! Or at least ease the real news next time.

Kelsey Baer - ITALY! No. That doesn't just happen. How insanely bangarangin of a missionary you'll be Sorobella Baer! Keep up the good work my friend and we'll stay in touch!

Oh yeah...What's up America?!

Family and Friends!

Sorry about the last letter I wrote home. I got cut short on time and didn't have enough time to explain my story fully. But just to clarify, it was Hermana Prissy who had the miracle of finding 20 soles in her little book that her little boy found while at church. She actually gave an incredible talk yesterday in church about the true Christlike spirit of Christmas. She really inspired the whole crowd with her Spirit. Our chapel was filled to the brink and there were more people than ever before! I love breaking church attendance records.

Anyway, Christmas is coming up so quick. I will actually be able to communicate home using Skype. I'm not sure when, but I'll let you know when I know. And it's a little different having Christmas in the summer time, but it sounds like Utah has had yet another warm winter. Last night I got to watch a recording of the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and felt a little tinge of homesickness seeing all the lights on Temple Square. My companion always says jokingly, "Wow. Gringos tienen plata eh?" (Gringo have silver, eh). So he said that in the middle of the devotional as it panned over the conference center and water fountains with lit up trees everywhere. Basically, he thinks every single American is a millionaire. I try to convince him otherwise, but he insists. Ah well. We really have so much to be grateful for.

This past week we contacted a new married couple! Their names are Nestor and Vanessa and they have two small boys. The first thing they said was how they want to change their lives and come closer to Christ. Their biggest challenge is that the father works in the mine for ten days and then has five days of rest, so it's hard having huge spaces between lessons. But this past Sunday they came to church, and attended the Gospel Principles class afterwards where I taught the Plan of Salvation as a review with all the new converts. Hermana Vanessa had a huge grin on her face when we asked her how church went at our lesson with them yesterday evening. It was pretty great. We're going to set their baptismal date for January.

I received way to many letters today and made the mistake of reading them all. So sorry my letter is really short. No time left haha.

I love you all!

Elder Lundberg

It's the Mala life for me!

Hey ery´body.

Well, this week has been interesting. A lot of good and bad, but it´s still going great.

First, the good. After my last email last week we went over to the Wilson family's house for lunch. They're an older couple from Nevada. The Price couple, who are from Idaho, and who work with Elder Tohara and I in Mala, were also there. They're the kind of hilarious old people that just say funny things and when you look at them you think "Ah, cuuute." Haha. Anyway, they prepared a really nice Thanksgiving ¨lunch¨for us with all the props.  I goota say, I was pleased. So, bye bye chicken and rice.

On Tuesday we visited with Kelly to have kind of our last lesson with her. After we finished, I invited her Mom to her baptism. Her face was completely  surprised to find out what her daughter had never told her, that she was going to get baptized. You could tell her mom was a little miffed, and Kelly's face went really red. We left feeling a little worried. 

The next day she showed up to her interview and she was super discouraged. Her uncle is a Catholic priest and all her aunts are very Catholic. Kelly rolled her eyes as she said, " mi familia es Catolico" (My family is Catholic). She also became very sad when she explained that they all said ¨muy feas cosas¨ (very ugly things) to her. There exists a lot of confidence problems between her and her mother. Her mother doesn't really understand baptism and thinks Kelly has to wait a few more months to make a decision. That's just how a lot of people are here. Marriage, baptism, grocery shopping, etc are just things that people say they have plans for in the next few months, but it usually ends up being about thirty years. Haha, not all, but some.

So yeah, we're hoping to talk with Kelly's mother this week and teach her the doctrine of Christ to help her understand the decision that her daughter wishes to make. We're going to do our best to have her baptism this coming Saturday, otherwise the retention for situations like these is very low.

Another hard thing for me was showing up to some of the investigators homes for visits and finding the kids outside and their parents drunk inside. This past weekend there's been a lot of partying. We showed up to visit Juli and Jesus, a married couple with four kids, and found her daughter walking out who told us about her dad being ¨borracho¨or drunk inside. Yeah, that was hard to see. But I'm keeping my head up despite the adversary's efforts to prevent the work from rolling forth.

A highlight of the week was our visit to Hermana Cruz. Although we found out that she's going to be moving at the end of the month and therefore can't be baptized since she won't be ready by then and there's no chruch presence where she's going.  

Hermans Prissy, her neighboor recounted a miracle that happened to her.  Last Sunday she had to walk to church because she only had about a sole and a half which is about 80 cents America money. She walked about 30 miles with her two boys. While at church she prayed to God that she might find a way to get home instead of walking. In a little book that she gave to her boy he found 20 soles which she had actually searched earlier that day very very thoroughly for any left over money. I teared up as she told and cried during her story. What a woman of great faith and such an example.

Love you all !

Can anyone say pollo?

Oh hey fam and friends.

This past week has been absolutely fantastic. The mission. So great. The companion. Even greater. He also would like me to say "Hello" for him.

I think you guys are most curious of all about the little details. So here I go.

I wake up at about 6:26 every morning. Kneel by my bed and pray until about 6:32 am.........

No, I'll spare you those details. A normal day here in Mala really just consists in visitng investigators. Elder Tohara and I have study in the morning, we go over to Hna. Faviola's house for lunch each day (which usually consist of some kind of chicken and rice) and then the rest of the day we visit couples, individuals, etc. Many times we go with members to the different homes to visit.

Right now we are working with 3 married couples toward baptism and 3 unmarried couples towards a matrimonial date. The Lord has really answered our prayers for new families to teach. The ward really lacks more priesthood holders because a lot of the men work or don't feel like coming to church on Sunday morning. This Saturday we have the baptism for a young sister named Kelly. She is really an incredible person and is really smart. She also cooks amazing pastries. One time, before she was taught the Word of Wisdom, she baked some cookies with coffee in them and gave them to Elder Tohara and his previous companion. But she quickly learned to throw away that recipe. Talk about someone who is SO prepared for the gospel. I'm super excited for her baptism!

Last Saturday we had a "Gran Toque de Puertas" where members from all around the zone came from other cities to help members in Mala visit all the less actives. We had about 50 people show up! Mala is one of the towns that has more struggles compared to the other towns, so it was really great to have that kind of support. We were able to visit a lot of people and get new references for Elder Tohara and I to teach. The next day in church (yesterday), our chapel was PACKED. I felt so happy and inspired by the members.

Anyway, that`s my story for the week! I would advise you all to read Mosiah 2-3. Really great stuff in there.

Love, Elder Lundberg

Happy Chicken Thanksgiving

Well hello there. And Happy Thanksgiving!

I sure do miss the whole mash potatoes, cranberries, turkey, pie, etc. feast. What did I have for Thankgiving? Oh wait. Chicken and rice. Yup. Wouldn't see that comin' either.

So, last week I FINALLY got dearelders from literally a month ago. I think those who sent me letters accidentally sent them to my mission address while I was at the CCM. Yup. There's difference. But thanks Jess, Chels, Kelsey, Katie, Andrea, Dad, Grandma, etc. I sure do appreciate you writin'! No really I do appreciate it so much. It's awesome to hear about your thoughts or decisions to go on missions for some of you. Since the mail system here kinda....well.....doesn't really exist in Mala, I have a hard time sending outgoing letters. I think what would be best for letters from friends would be to email my Mom at carolyn@onvoyinc.com. She can forward them to me and I can just print them off.  LET ME KNOW IF YOU'VE GOT A MISSION CALL.  I just want to know. Ha. For packages and special letters you can just send them to my mission address. The district leaders give me my mail and packages every P-Day. Just think about 3 weeks ahead for mail to get to me in time for Christmas.

First off, I want to apologize for my letter last week. After missing a week of writing I receive like two thousand five hundred and two letters in my email (actually more like 15) and was dumb and didn't just print them off and read them later. That's why I probably sounded rushed or undetailed in my last letter. AND the computer wouldn't let me send photos. So I'll try again today. So....yup.

Well, to be honest, this past week has been a bit rough. Both Elder Tohara and I got sick with colds and sore throats. Not fun. We weren't in the cheeriest of moods some days. My faith and positivity was really tried this past week because a couple progressing investigators haven't been meeting their compromisos (I don´t know the word in English ha!) before baptism.  Hermana Cruz is now pending, and another we had to move her date up one week to the first of December. But why am I complaining? I'm in Peru preaching the gospel dang it! How awesome is that?! So yeah, today is much better.

We've been praying for more families with men who can hold the priesthood. The Lord blessed us with A LOT of references this past week, all of which are families. However, the curve ball is that only a fouth of the couples are married. So, the Lord hasn't made it all that easy for us because first we have to work them to get married, and then baptized. So yeah. Challenging times ahead for sure.

This next Saturday the whole branch and branches from other cities are coming to Mala to visit all the less actives. The senior missionary couple in our ward, Elder and Sister Price, are really hoping this will help us start to turn things around for the members in Mala. Elder Price says he has always felt like a miracle is about to happen in Mala. We have a new chapel under construction in town, and it will definitely be an improvement from having pigeons nesting above us during sacrament meeting haha. So I think that will also help attract people towards the church, and not think of Mormons as just some random Protestant church. I can't wait to see the progress over the next couple months!

We had another baptism last Saturday for a deacon aged boy named Alberto. He is such a great kid! Honestly so ready. He lives with his aunt and uncle, who are Catholics, and they came to see the baptism. They were really happy he was deciding to join our congregation despite our differing beliefs, and I think they felt the Spirit very strongly. Alberto is hoping to someday baptize both of them.

Anyway, I've gotta leave time for sending photos. I love you all so much!

Elder Lundberg

(SEE THE NEW PHOTOS UNDER THE PHOTOS TAB)

Finally! Out in the field.

Well well well, so much has happened in the past week that I barely have any time at all. They had us send letters last Tuesday but that was no help since they won't even get there for a while. So sad to here that Romney lost. My heart sank when I saw a picture of Obama smiling with a cellphone to his ear at one of the newstands. Anyway, everything is going well for me. I´m very happy here.

I've been assigned to the Canete zone of my mission. More specifically, I'm serving with my new companion Elder Tohara in a little town called Mala. I love the people here. There's a big big problem with less actives in this town, but those who do attend are very faithful and a great example to me. The hardest part is that, apart from a place like Utah, members here just don't have the same kind of influence, support, and resources that I'm used to. These people pass through many trials and many of the parents have to work on Sundays to provide for their families. That's our biggest obstacle, church attendance.

On the bright side, we are having great success. Elder Tohara and I have baptisms lined up for every Saturday over the next couple months. Pretty amazing! One sister investigator, Hermana Cruz, lives about 20 minutes north by bus near a cattle ranch. A member, Sister Prissy, lives close by and accompanies us to our visits. Sister Prissy is a single mother with several children, and I have never seen such incredible strength and faith.  She is a HUGE part of the branch and gives us references all the time.  Hermana Cruz is an older women and has her baptism set for the 1st of December.  She's also very humble and an incredible woman.

In general, the people here are very very very poor. It's almost unimaginable sometimes. But my Quito trip prepared me well for what I would see. Our chapel is pretty makeshift, but the cool thing is that the church is building a new one for the Mala people by next summer around June. I'm hoping that will really help attract more people to the church.

I also love my companion Elder Tohara. He is such a good example to me and the trainging with him is going very well.  He has about 6 months left and has remained so faithful.  He's from Bolivia and speaks really good Spanish. He was impressed with how well I can speak coming fresh fromt the CCM.

I also had my first baptism last Saturday.  Hermana Blanca is about 13 years old. The rest of her family are members, so hopefully they can find strength in being a complete family within the gospel.

Love you all!

Last week in the CCM

Happy Halloween everybody!

I hope your all having as much fun as I am today! Ok maybe we don't get to wear costumes and go to haunted houses but we sure have a lot of candy! Since it's P-Day all the missionaries bought loads of candy at Tottu's (a Peruvian grocery store) and we´re doing sort of a room to room trick or treat tonight in the dorms. That should be fun! Halloween is the literally the best!

It's so sad to hear about the disaster up there on the East Coast. We literally have no idea about anything going on down here. I'm praying for Elder King up there in Pennsylvania! I'm sure this will provide him with a lot of opportunities to serve those who have been affected.

Anyway, I'll be outta here in less than a week. I'm pretty darn excited. It's been a long road up to this point and I know that once I start proselyting full-time my mission is going to feel like it's too short, but you know, that's life! Time flies when you're a missionary!

Taking a step back, I was able to go proselyting again last Saturday. We only went about 15 minutes into the more ghetto part of Lima. We knocked doors for about 3 hours and were able to hand out five Book of Mormons and get about eight references. Although there was nobody who was an on-the-spot golden investigator we did cheer up several people with our message. Towards the end of the day we were headed back to the chapel when I had an impression to teach a man in a park that we happened to pass by. When we approached he was listening to music with some ear buds and we just sort of smiled and said hello. He finally took out his ear buds and talked to us for about ten minutes. His eyes were pretty red either from feeling extremely tired or he was depressed. I don't know, his spirits just seemed pretty low so we chatted a bit and gave him a BoM. He was a little perkier when we left after having asked for his contact info. I think we were able to bring a little Christlike love into his life that day. To me, it wasn't a mind boggling miracle or a life-changing event, but it was just a simple greeting in the park that bore witness to me about the impressions we make as missionaries. I genueinely have so much love for these people here, and can't wait to get goin'!

Anyway, I love you all SO MUCH! I always look forward to mail from anybody (since I never get any haha) but I think once I get out there in my mission it will be a little better for letter writing (dearedlers are proving to be a little difficult). God bless you all!

Elder Lundberg