Transfer...dun dun dun

Woo hoo! What an exciting day for me! Not only do I hear purely good news from home, but I´ve been transfered to another area! I received my call to serve in Villa El Salvador Central, which is a newly formed zone. It´s a split off from Villa El Salvador North since this area of Lima baptizes so many that the president saw the need to form a whole new zone! What an exciting opportunity to get to work! Our mission was not affected by the formation of 58 new missions but we are receiving about double the missionaries every transfer (about 48 last time) that it may be likely in the future for a mission split. The Lord´s work is just bustlin´ ya know.

I have to admit, I didn´t want to leave Mala. So many incredible things have changed there since I first arrived that it was hard for me to leave feeling like I hadn´t quite finished. I won´t be able to see the new church dedication either, but I´m super excited to see what Elder Luque and his new companion will accomplish over the next several months! ¨Mala la Buena¨ as we call it is certainly a chosen location, and soon enough will be a ward. I made a promise to the members there that I would return after the mish. It was hard saying goodbye especially to my converts there.

Last week, Lucio had a horrible sickness and nearly died last Thursday. He has a tumor in his brain, and for a day stopped taking some type of pills that the doctor prescribed. The medication was so strong that when he ran out of pills his body nearly shut down due to the dependence on the drug. Elder Luque and I visited as soon as week could and with tears running down my face I gave the blessing upon his head. According to the words which the Spirit directed me to say, we weren´t sure if he would live or not. But over the next few days he was able to recover, and with the help of Elder Price in looking up information on the drug he was taking, I told him it would be better to try something else (doterra anybody? haha no really!) but I can´t make any suggestions of what to take. Saturday night we did a family home evening with all six of their kids who all want to be baptized, but need to get married first. One son, Eric, who´s single, asked for a Book of Mormon so he could read it and is looking forward to being baptized in March. Lucio was able to recuperate at least to the point that he could sit up to take the Sacrament in his home last Sunday with his wife. I felt the Spirit so strongly as we sang a hymn and then blessed the bread and water for them both. It was a special experience and I pray that the Lord will let him live to be sealed to his wife in the temple next wear as I continue forward ¨missionarying it up¨ in Peru. I feel the Lord has great intentions for such a wonderful family in the future. I love them so much!

Goodbye Albertito. Goodbye Blanca. Bye Bye Joel. Later Derliz. See ya Family Villaroel. Take care Hipolito. God speed Laura Cristina. Love you Lucio and Mercedes. I love you all and thank you for the privilege of baptizing you all! Goodbye Mala! See ya soon!

and sooooooo............

What up Lima! It´s a different feeling here! Maybe a little crazier compared to Mala, but it´s a good kind of crazy that has lots of baptisms on the horizon. My new companion, Elder Apagueno, is another lucky match and I can tell we´re going to make a great team together! Everything here is positive! I´m so grateful for the mission that I have and for the obedience found throughout. In fact, my mission used to have a lot of problems several years ago, but the last two mission presidents have completely changed it around for the best, and the Lord is blessing us for their efforts.

Well with all this talk of the last days, I love to think of the moment we will all have with Christ when he comes to feel the marks in his hands and shed tears on his feet just like the Nefites did. ¨Levantaos y venid a mi, para que metais vuestras manos en mi costado, y para que tambien palpeis las marcas de los clavos en mis manos y en mis pies, a fin de que sepais que soy el Dios de Israel, y el Dios de toda la tierra, y que he sido muerto por los pecados del mundo.¨- 3 Nephi 11:14. Let´s live for and look forward to that very moment with all those we love.

I certainly love you all and see ya´ll next time!

Elder Lundberg