Week 51

This week was super busy!! It was pretty cool though. We had two more baptismal interviews and wow they are so spiritually draining! I think I am understanding a little more about what the stake patriarch meant when he said he could only give like 1 or 2 blessings a week...I can't imagine! They are super cool and it is awesome to be able to get to know the investigators of the other elders and sisters. 

We have also been super busy planning for the zone conference on Wednesday with our new mission president, President Amato and his family. We were given a budget and we have to provide decorations and a lunch and whatnot so it has taken some time to plan all of that and delegate to different companionships on what they are in charge of but I hope everything turns out well because we want to give a good first impression. I was told that some of the zones who have already met with the new president had interviews until 7 at night so it looks like the interviews and messages and activities may take a really long time. I guess we will see. We are going to assemble tomorrow and practice and we are going to practice a song which we are going to sing in Portuguese because there is a sister in our zone from Brazil so that will be cool. 

So today for Preparation day we went to what is called the Chacra. It was SUPER cool! Like it wasn't super super cool but for having a full years worth of boring p-days it was cool. It is this place out in the middle of nowhere that is on the border of the Huancayo mission and it is super green and there are tons of farms. I felt like I was almost back at home! We saw some cows and a horse and corn and other crops. We hiked a mountain and took pics and then went back down and ate. And I ate CUY! which is guinea pig. Haha They told me that is wasn't actually a really good one and that they are way better tasting in Cusco but it was still good! I took tons of pics and some videos of our adventures so I will send those. 

We are going to have a baptism this Saturday and we are super excited for that! I will send you pics next week. We got to eat at her house on Sunday with her family and they are so cool and it was so good. When my companion was on divisions out of the area, I asked her to make his favorite meal from Arequipa because she is a cook and feeds a ton of people in her restaurant type business that she owns. So she made us Ricotto Relleno(stuffed peppers) and Pastel de papa(like funeral potatoes) and it was really good. My comp was so happy. 

We did divisions again this week with Huertos District. It was pretty fun. I stayed in my own area this time and my companion went to theirs. 

Oh ya and the awesome thing too is THAT I HIT A YEAR TODAY for my come home date!!! That is pretty cool. I don't feel much different, but it seems a little weird to think that I will never live a day over again here in the mission. I feel a little bit more pressure to make the most of everything until the end. We are gonna celebrate tonight, I don't know yet what I am going to do. 

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to mom on Tuesday. I forgot to wish you one last week but I hope it was cool. I hope you guys all had fun in Powell without me. 

I don't really have much else to tell you. I finally made it past Alma in my Book of Mormon in Spanish so that is cool and I am almost done with the New Testament in English. I am learning new things each and every day. But that is the update for this week. See you guys in a year...

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Much Love,

Elder Mortenson