Week 62

This week has been very interesting. Haha I haven't even had time to unpack yet because I got here and we went to work. To start off, we did exchanges with the San Borja Elders on Wednesday because they are really struggling. It was cool to be able to go back to my old area. I was the one directing and leading my companion around! I showed him a lot of the former investigators that we were teaching when I was there and some of the good members that can help them out. We visited the members and even my converts and they all told me that I had grown taller! And that I speak Spanish way better than I used to. I hope I haven't grown, but I will have to measure and see how tall I am now. Another strange thing is being in the area where I used to come and do exchanges. A lot of the members and investigators recognize me from when I came like a whole 8 months or so ago. 

Our area is interesting. There is a poorer part, but I can't say that it is that poor compared  to Manchay, up on the hill where I just came from, and the rest is like super rich. I am excited for the challenge that the zone poses and to see what we are capable of doing. We spent the whole morning on Thursday just brainstorming, thinking about ideas and things that we could do to help everyone. We will see how we do. My companion is Elder Rojas from Trujillo, Peru. He is super cool, we have a lot of fun together. He is kind of like Elder Garate so I think this transfer will go well. 

On Friday we had the Leadership Council and that was good. President burned all of us. He gave a training on how to be a leader and what we needed to do... He focused especially on the way that a leader should correct another. Lets just say it was a firey meeting. 

Saturday was a really good day to watch all of the sessions of conference! I was able to go with Elder Beach and Elder Walsh from my zone to the chapel in La Molina that is just like right around the corner from our stake center and watch conference in English. We were there with all of the other elders from my last zone, La Molina, so that was fun. Afterwards we took out money and ate as a zone and went back and watched the Priesthood Session that night. Sunday was good as well watching conference all day. I have to rewatch and read the talks but the one I remember the most was Tad R. Callister´s talk on the Book of Mormon. Hahah he breathed fire from the pulpit like a dragon. 

Today we went to this park that is called the "Girlfriend´s Park". I don't really know, lets just say that they said it was cool and it had like trees shaped in hearts and whatnot...... my companion knows a guy from Vitarte that is a professional photographer and he came and took pics of us. If you would've asked me to do that before the mission I would have said no, but let's just say that my standards of what I call "fun" have dropped really low since being on a mission. We ate completos, which are huge sandwiches and played some games. 

On Sunday, the family that we ate with knew Elder Griffin from North Logan. They showed me pictures of him and his wife and I couldn't believe what I saw. He married Marquis!?! We graduated together so that was kinda surprising...

But everything is going great. This week should be another great week. We have 3 baptisms on Saturday and on Sunday we are going to have an "Open Chapel" activity in the stake center. Our sacrament meeting here starts at 2:00 in the afternoon...weird schedule they got. Thanks for supporting me out here. 

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Much Love,

Elder Mortenson