Week 63

Wow, this week has been really busy. We literally haven't had time to work in our area which is really sad.  I would kinda like to just focus on proselyting in our area, but the whole zone and all of the activities is our responsibility.To start out, Tuesday and Wednesday were almost normal, we had to go to the office Wednesday afternoon to get all of these banners and whatnot for the "Open Chapel" activity that was on Sunday. The secretaries weren't in the office until like 3:30 so that was when we went and we had to haul all of this stuff back to our apartment and that took a really long time. 

Thursday we had our district meeting and did exchanges with Monterrico, I went with Elder Valle and that was fun. Peru soccer played against Argentina that night and that wasn't the best thing for us because almost all the businesses shut down and there were no buses nor people in the streets so we just kind of walked around trying to contact. The game ended up in a tie and so Peru plays again tomorrow at 6:30 against Uruguay, I believe, so that they can get into the World Tournament or whatever so ya that makes it hard. 

On Friday we did an activity in the morning in Chacarilla to help out the Elders there. We took a table to a park and put a ton of pamphlets and whatnot on it and went and contacted people around the area inviting them to choose a pamphlet. We ended up getting a good number of references for them so that was cool. We are going to do it again in San Borja this week because that area is really struggling. Then in the afternoon we went to the area building for our investigator's interview to get baptized. It was pretty cool because there were some other elders there from Los Portales in Vitarte where I had served, and they gave the full update on the converts there and that they are still active.  Then their investigator finished his interview and came and said hi to me and what do you know...it was a guy that I found with Elder Ponce. I was so happy I couldn't believe it! I told them that I never thought that he would get baptized because he was super super Catholic and I was going to leave him. But he was just baptized so that was cool! A big testimony to me that no effort is wasted in this work and that some sow and others reap. Then we had two more interviews that night for our other two investigators.

Saturday was super busy as well. We got up and went to the chapel to fill-up the baptismal font that morning and then went back later to get ready. After that we had to go and meet the sisters to get some baptismal clothing because we didn't have any. Later that afternoon, we went to Monterrico to interview their investigator and then returned for our own investigator's baptism. Wow, it was a super busy and stressful day, but my companion was able to baptize Liliana, her son George, and Angie. so that made it all worth it! We were also able to start our fast. 

Sunday we went to Ward Council in the morning and presented our idea about teaching English classes that I am going to start doing on the 27th and I think will turn out really well. We´ve been talking with President and he has given us a lot of tips and I think we will get a lot of people to come. Then we went proselyting and ate lunch and went to church at 2:00 PM, it was so weird having it so late in the afternoon. And then we left early to go take all of the materials and whatnot to the stake center for the "Open Chapel". It went pretty well, we kind of just brought people in from the street and showed them around... 

Anyway, today went well. Ate a nice hamburger and watched "Frozen". I created a plan to workout and it is going well. We have like a mini-gym in our house that I get to use and it is sweet. I am so out of shape though, I did some legs this morning and am sore. I'm really not the same as before. I'm taking my protein now as well and am determined! Um, leading a zone is rough and a lot of work but I am learning a lot of things! My companion is awesome. He is literally like Breygan Holbrook in Latino form. He loves to sing, which is cool. 

I am almost done with Jesus the Christ, it has taken me forever to read it. But all is well! Thanks for the support. 

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Much Love,

Elder Mortenson