NEW YEARS

hey guys what's up! this past week was actually so much fun. me and my comp have been having so much fun together and we have a bunch of good stuff happening here!

I forgot to do an email last week, but new years was so sick! we went onto our roof at midnight and there were SOOOO many fireworks!! I was so surprised cause I dont have a clue how they can afford fireworks but not a second pair of shoes. pretty wild. everyone also buys a life sized plush doll and they dress it up to make it look like themselves, and then at midnight, they put it in the street and light it on fire. so there was a ton of those all along the streets.

this week we got a lot done though and we were able to find 16 people and we put a few of our friends on date too! one day, we were looking around for people to talk to, and we saw a family of nine and they were trying to push their moto cause it had broken down, but they couldn't really push it, so we ran up and pushed it for them and we were sprinting with the moto and pushed it like 300 yards and they loved it and we talked to them and had a super cool lesson with them. I love seeing all the ways that I can use my strengths to find people to teach!!

we have 12 friends on date for baptism as well and it's been so good with all of them! everytime I go to a new area, I'm shook at how much I grow to love the people. I love the people here so much. I'm so happy and lucky to be here!

the other day, I was bent over tying my shoe on the ground, and I heard a loud, deep grunt right in my ear. I turn around and there's this 85 year old man who was inches from me from behind. I hurried and jumped up and asked what was up. he grunted again. then he asked me who I talk to. I was confused and then he asked me if I talk to God and I said ya for sure. then he started to go off saying that he was God and that he created the earth, the stars, the people and everything else and that he has been watching over earth from heaven and he decided to come down in Paita,  Perú and rest. I told him welcome to paita. then he asked where I was from and I said the USA. and then he grunted again and went on for about 10 minutes about how I'm the scum of the earth and a thief and a horrible person and that Americans are horrible. I guess God bless America is a lie. I ended up just leaving. so if you were wondering what God looks like, he's Peruvian, he has one tooth, his name's Jorge, and he lives in Paita.

spiritual thought: I haven't done this in a while, but I heard a quote from Neal A Maxwell this week that I really liked. He said "And, if you sense that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, why not do so now? For in the coming of that collective confession, it will mean much less to kneel down when it is no longer possible to stand up!" it really hit me. all of our knees will eventually bow, but God will see the ones that already had been. it won't mean anything when we finally bow once we can't stand anymore.

I love you all have a good week!