Crazy Crazy Week

Hey Everyone

Anyway, this week has been super crazy for me and super long.  Big-ish changes in the missionary work for me.

But Ill start with the beginning of the week.  After our PDay, we did an awesome family home evening with M and our friend G.  Tuesday, we went to our weekly district meeting, our last one before the transfers, and we had a Zone Splits, or Gran Intercambio, with the whole zone.  I got assigned to work with Elder S in Renaico.  Elder S is awesome and we were in the same district in the MTC, so we have the same amount of time in the mission. I think they set it up that way just for fun, but it went great and was super fun, because we both speak at about the same level of Spanish.  We taught some interesting lessons, ate lots of cookies, and got some good missionary work done in his sector.  We both knew we were kind of hopeless, which made it more fun I think.  But it was nice to kind of be on our own without our trainers and going and doing missionary work.  I felt more like a missionary than I have up to this point.  It was awesome.

While I was on the intercambio, our mission president came to our sector to make some big changes.  In my sector, we have two elders and two sisters who work this same área.  He came to close the sector for the sisters and until today wasn't sure if he would leave only two elders or add two more elders.  But all I knew was that my trainer and the two sister missionaries would be leaving this transfer and I would have all their investigators with a new companion. And I would be moving houses.  I'm pretty sure I'm moving into the sisters old house, which I'm stoked about because it is way nicer than ours.  And a lot warmer haha.  Its raining a ton now, almost every day, and its getting cold.

Today we got the call from the district leader about who would go where.  Yeah, the sisters and my comp are leaving and I'm staying.  My trainer is going to the zone closest to the beach and will be training again.  I'm staying here with an Elder N.  I cant wait to meet him tomorrow and I'm stoked to see what kind of work we can do here in the sector.  No one really knows him and I think he is pretty new in the mission as well, so tomorrow will be interesting getting to know him and how he works.

Anyway, something I have been learning more about this week is repentance.  I have been learning that the principle of forgiveness and repentance is a gift of God, a true gift to make life better and easier.  We walk around all day with certain burdens, good and bad.  Some we can control and some we cant.  We have all kinds of responsibilities and often difficulties that we cant control.  One thing we can control is how much of our sin we let weigh us down.  When we let the Savior take the load, the other burdens of life become easier to bear.  Performing well in our job, caring for the family, keeping up with school, and other tasks of life become easier to bear when we don't have the weight of past mistakes on our mind and in our heart as well. The Savior has given us this tool to use.  He has already paid the price for use it, and I'm sure He feels sadness when we do not take advantage of it, like if we paid the price of a tool for someone else and they left it neglected in the corner unused.  Use it and feel the weight lift.  Go and sin no more, as Christ said.  I love this góspel.  Christ lives.

Thanks guys for everything.  Que Dios les bendiga....

Mother's Day

Halo

So this week was so great.  On Sunday I had the opportunity to Skype with my family.  What a blessing.  I love my family and I know that families can live happily together here on earth as well as hereafter.  Familes are ordained of God.  They are set up to strengthen us as individuals and push us along in our progress back to Heavenly Father.  A family that is established on the fundamentals, as well as principles and ordinances, of the gospel is one of the greatest blessings someone can receive in this life. 
If your family is not strong or you dont feel a great desire to live with them for eternity, realize that the gospel of Jesus Christ is here also to strengthen families.  The gospel is something real and active that we can use to find happiness and peace here in life and overcome the challenges and problems that come to everyone.

So that was really great.  I dont know if you can tell  but I liked it a lot.  Other than that, I cant really remember what else happened this week.  A returned missionary came to Church here in my sector on Sunday.  He and his father who came also are from Texas, and he served here about a year ago I think.  It was funny to have four Texans in a Chilean congregation of about 25. 

They are installing a heating system in the chapel here, which is great, to replace the wood stove.  And we just got a washer in our house! I cant remember if I already mentioned that.  If so, Im just really excited about it.  We have all kinds of clothes lines inside and outside of our house now drying clothes because we like washing clothes haha. 

Other highlights of the week were an intercambio with my district leader Elder Ricks.  I stayed over in his sector and we worked there for a day.  It went well and I learned a lot.  Also we had a training meeting and interviews with our mission president.  I learned a lot from that, especially about working with members of the church.  Also he helped us gain a little perspective by having us think about our lives after the mission, long term and short term goals, and what our goals are as missionaries as well as young men and women.  It helped me gain some perspective and helped my focus. 

Never forget to love.  Love what you do.  Love those who are around you.  Look for the good in people.  This is how Christ ministered.  Never work against people but work with them.  Keep Christ in mind and remember always to follow His perfect example.  I love all of you and am grateful for your support.  Helaman 5:12.


Elder Peck

Another Week

Hey!

So this week flew by.  I cant even remember everything we did.  But there were a couple highlights for me personally.  No baptisms or super amazing miracles, other than simply the miracle of the gospel and of me being in Chile, but simple good things that make life better.

I had an intercambio, or exchanges, with my zone leader because my 12 week training is about to be over.  Crazy.  But it went really well. It was for 48 hours and with Elder G, a super loud and outspoken Argentinean.  Hes a super great missionary and I learned a lot from him.  He came to my sector and I was in charge of the plans and the work for those two days.  I was a little stressed out because I figured he expected a lot out of me.  It went pretty well.  The plans we made went well and we made some good progress here in the sector. Haha I was a little embarrassed the first day because we had planned to visit Christian but I couldn't remember where he lived.  I knew the street tho, so we went and started knocking doors in that street.  We got to the house that I thought was Christians and knocked.  Someone inside said "Christian!" and I was relieved for a second until a little kid came to the window and said hello.  He said his name was Christian.  The Christian we were looking for is about 40.  Either way we were really smooth about it and introduced ourselves as missionaries and amazingly they invited us in and we taught a really good lesson.  We taught another lesson to a family we contacted the next day and it went really well.  I have never felt the Spirit that strongly in a lesson before.

This is the young man  Elder Peck's baptized during his first week in Chile.
He left for the army after this picture was taken.

Either way, I was relieved to have my English speaking companion back on Friday.  Saturday and Sunday we went to Stake Conference with all the congregations of the Church in the area.  It was really great and I was glad to be able to understand about 90 percent of what they were saying, as they speak much more proper and clearer in talks than they do in conversation.  I guess I know a bit more Spanish than I thought, which is good.

Buses they take every week

Something that I have learned this week is that Big changes require big actions.  Being in charge of my sector with an only Spanish speaking comp for two days stretched me a little I think.  It helped me to see the bigger picture and to grow as a missionary.  I remember before I left the mission president of the Dallas Texas mission taught us that hard is good.  Hard is good.  I love hard things.  I hate them when I'm going through them sometimes haha but I love having done something hard.  Hard is good.  Do hard things, and God will be there to help you out.  Never fear, but persevere.  A lifetime of hard is better than a lifetime of weakness.
Les quiero and keep the faith.

Elder Peck.

2 Nephi 31

Halo

This has been a great week, like always.  Super long but super good.  We have been doing a lot of service for a lady in the branch.  Lots of work for her to get ready to plant her aji (chiles), tomatoes, onions, apples, membrillo, and other herbs and stuff.  Also, our weekly activities at the church are going well.  We held English class and a movie night and lots of people came.  We also had sports night, but it started raining so no one came.  This week we also had two completadas, where we just buy a ton of hot dogs, avocado, tomatoes, buns, and mayonnaise and make a ton of completos.  Super super good.
Spanish is coming along.  Im using it a lot more now and Im starting to be able to converse better with people.  Its taking a lot of faith to keep going with the language, but its working out well so far.

Highlight of the week: My companion and I had the opportunity to baptize 12 year old Felipe and his 8 year old brother Edison.  It was a really great experience.  It really strengthened their family and brought them closer to each other and to Christ.  On Sunday, we confirmed them members of the church.  When someone is confirmed, they also receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  They both left that day with smiles on their faces.  We also gave the same confirmation to Jose, the older man who was baptized last Sunday.  Jose and Felipe also received the Aaronic, or preparatory, Priesthood. This priesthood is the authority and power of God given to man on earth to act in his name to further the work of salvation.  It is used to carry out ordinances that God has established.  The Aaronic Priesthood contains a measure of this authority, and is given first to prepare someone to receive the rest of the authority, which is contained in the higher priesthood, or Melchizedek Priesthood.  This beautiful principle was prevalent in the Bible and was restored with the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was a weekend of beautiful experiences and ordinances.
All I can say for this week is “act.” We cannot accomplish anything in this life until we act.  We can have just a ton of faith in God and in Christ and think about doing good things all day, but until we act, nothing happens.  The way God works is that He asks us to exercise a little faith, and usually to do something small, and then He dumps a ton of blessings on us.  He makes our life into so much more than we can.  We can try and try to make our life into what we want, but if we neglect to allow God to shape us, we end up far from the person we could be.  Do the little things.  Act on thoughts to do good.  Read the scriptures, go to Church, and pray every day. These three things bless us with revelation and “spiritual nutrition.” A good goal is to do little acts of faith and little sacrifices when necessary. These will help us take the leaps of faith and make the big sacrifices when we need to.   Little actions proceed great blessings, here and hereafter.  
Keep doing good.  Sigan adelante. Que Dios les bendiga… Les quiero.
Elder Peck

Super Mario

Halo,

So this week flew by.  A couple highlights: Mission conference with the mission President on Wednesday.  Had a great futbol game on Saturday with the members of the congregation. Today we did a big service project for an older lady.  We watched her catch a chicken and kill it and make it into a delicious cazuela, or chicken soup stuff for us.  Also, Sunday the Stake Presidency came and helped us get more organized and coordinated as a branch.  Great talks given on Easter Sunday. Here in Chile, this week was the Semana Santa, or Holy Week for Easter.  All this really means for Chileans is that they have another excuse to drink lots of wine.  Lots of drunks in the street this week.  They are really receptive to our message, but we figure our time is better spent elsewhere, so we avoid them.
But the best part of the week was on Sunday.  Mario had the opportunity to baptize someone! Having been found worthy, the same Sunday he was confirmed a member of the church, he received the Aaronic Priesthood, which contains the authority to baptize.  Mario understands this authority better than most, despite the little time he has in the Church.  He realizes the responsibility he has to stay worthy to act according to the will of God.
The man he baptized is named Jose.  He is about 80 years old.  He has a wonderful spirit and the baptism was beautiful.  I have never seen two more humble souls than those I saw in the baptismal font that day.  The baptism was performed and Jose came out of the water thanking God.  Mario gave him a handshake and a hug and warm welcome to the "family of the church," as he calls it. Everyone there could feel something good.
Humility, love of God, and sense of duty bring miracles.  Always  be willing to do what you need to do, even if it is hard.  Usually it is.  Life is good, but not always easy.  The difficult road of righteousness leads to eternal happiness and offers joy along the way.  Thanks for all your support.

Elder Peck

¿Qué clase de hombres habéis de ser?

Mario's baptism

Hey!

So this week was really great.  I had another intercambio, or more exchanges with the other sector, so I spent another day and a half with a Spanish speaking companion, which went really well and I got to work a lot on my Spanish.  

The best part of the week however was Mario´s baptism.  He got baptized! It was a great service with lots of people there (and for our branch a lot of people is like 8).  My companion baptized him and we confirmed him a member of the Church on Sunday.  It was an amazing experience for all of us.
When he came out of the water, I asked him how he felt.  He said "Nuevo," or new.  He was so happy.  He was on the verge of tears after coming out and vocally thanked God for the experience.  Hes not going to falter.  On Sunday, he was confirmed a member of the Church, recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost, and was given the assignment to be the Branch Mission Leader.  I cant think of anyone better for that assignment. Today he stopped by to tell us that he got a suit and is getting it cleaned and ready for Sunday.  I love that guy. He really grasps what God has asked of him and has the right attitude about it.  He is letting the gospel and Heavenly Father change his life. I want to be more like him. He is a very Christ-like individual and I cant wait to see his progression. So thats my spiritual thought. Be like Mario.  Or even better, be like Christ.  Read the scriptures and search for His attributes and model your life to become like Him, in the sense of serving others, being faithful, humble, diligent, and courageous.  We don't have to walk the difficult road He walked, but we can follow His example to honor Him, accept His sacrifice, and one day be like Him and return to live with Him. I love all of you and hope everything is going well.  All is well here.  Keep up the work of salvation wherever you are.  

¿Qué clase de hombres habéis de ser? En verdad os digo, aun como yo soy. 3 Nefi 27:27

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/27?lang=eng

 Elder Peck

 

An awesome planner the Hermanas made me

El Salto, El Intercambio, y La Conferencia General

Rainbow in Los Angeles

Salto Reyen waterfall

Hey!
This week flew by. Last Monday, we went on a three or four mile hike to Salto Reyen for Preparation Day. There was beautiful scenery the whole way and the waterfall was awesome.

This week we did companionship exchanges with the entire zone, about 30 missionaries in the nearby area. My companion was Elder D from Uruguay and we were assigned to work in my sector, leaving me in charge of the work for the day. He doesn't speak English, so we spoke Spanish all day.

Trintre

We contacted all day, knocking doors and talking in the street. The appointments we had fell through and we started running out of doors to knock in the small town where we live. It was the end of the day and I had run out of ideas. We were walking down the street and we had the thought to turn around and knock on the door of a house we just passed. When we knocked on the door, a woman pulled up in her car in front of the house. She walked to the house across the street, so we turned and knocked on that door, as no one lived in the house we contacted first. She invited us in. She was ready for the gospel. She's Catholic and treasures her Bible and showed us the cool knitted cover she had made for it. We shared with her the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and our testimonies as well. She had great, thought provoking questions and perfect responses to our questions. She received the message with an open heart and mind. We plan to visit her again soon. I am not sure what will happen with her, but its easy to tell that God is preparing people to receive the truth.

Bridge in Trintre

Our friend Mario is also doing good. He attends the entire service every Sunday and is willing to serve in the Church. He always wants to help and inspires me daily. He looks for ways to help, rather than looking for ways to serve himself.
Other highlight of the week: General Conference. The General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a meeting in which the prophet, the president of the Church, and the twelve Apostles, as well as other Church leaders address all the members of the Church in the world.

Haven't missed a priesthood sesión without having ice cream haha

The conference is meant for everyone, members of the Church or not. If you are not a member, go watch or listen or read some of the talks give. They can be found on lds.org. There are inspiring and will help you gain perspective, comfort, and guidance. The talks given there are not the words solely of the people who spoke, but they are what God wants us to know at this time. A topic that stood out out me was obedience. The example was given of a team of horses. The driver of the horses knows the best way to direct the team. The horses may not understand why the driver want them to go a certain direction, but if they obey with exactness to every tug of the reins, he will lead them in the best way down the right path. We may not know the reasons for commandments, but we obey them because we know that they were given by God. He is in control and He knows whats best. Lets exercise a little faith and follow Him, regardless of whether we fully comprehend why He has asked us to do something.
Anyways, thanks again for all the emails and support! God speed. Que le vaya bien...
Elder Peck

Asado