August 28, 2017 – Week 48!

Wow the weeks are going by fast...

This week we had Multizone conferences and they were awesome! It was a bit funny because they had to explain to us the ways that are okay to collect coins here. There are some Peruvian collecting coins that you can get, because they are soles, and they're just like any other but they have some art on them. President had to make sure we weren't wasting time collecting coins haha.

      During lunch it was great because Hna. Larson made us a dessert what was strawberries and cream. The cream was almost like ice cream! And better yet, the STRAWBERRIES! It's a rare but great time when we can have strawberries in the mission.

     All in all, the multizone conference was great, and we learned a lot. Lot's to help our investigators and lots to help us have more baptisms and to follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The baptisms have been a struggle this month, but we're still pressing forward with faith! I know we can achieve our goals as long as we keep changing to adapt to circumstances!

We have also been teaching our investigator Leo this week. He is progressing so well! He's been reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and wants to go to church! He wasn't able to go this week because of work, but he has shown that he has a great desire to go when he can! He's trying to even get a job that allows him to go on Sundays! That shows his desire! He's awesome. Leo is someone we found more than 4 months ago (not sure if I've said that already), but now we've been able to come into contact with him again and he's progressing well! I know that the spirit will be necessary in our lessons if we want to see him (or anyone else) receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon or of Jospeh Smith or of anything else that we are explaining!

The weekend was pretty "relaxed" in the sense that there weren't many things we did, but the things we did were big! On Saturday after lunch, we went to the Capilla abierta in Magdalena. It was great! We were outside contacting and inviting everyone to come in. Wow, it is a bit more difficult when the only buildings around are huge apartment buildings or businesses more than 15 stories tall. We did end up talking to some Catholic brothers though for about an hour after extending an invitation. Not too many people came to the activity, but it still went well! 

Sunday was the same. In the morning we had a great Sacrament meeting. Bishop Uceda spoke, and his talk was great! It was about listening to and following the leaders in the church. There was an investigator that came to church too! Someone we didn't know. He entered because he was curious, and ended up staying all 3 hours! We talked to him, and found out he lived in another ward. The good interested people almost ALWAYS live in another ward haha.

Later that day we had a lesson with the Marayahua family, and Elder and Hna Hill came to visit them with us. (The Hills are a missionary couple who work as family history missionaries. They take pics of old books of marriages and deaths and births (dates, etc.) so that people can do the indexing.) It was a good lesson! Then we went to the Capilla Abierta in Breña. The taxi driver lived in our sector, and accepted our visits! AWESOME!

The Capilla Abierta went well in Breña as well! We went out contacting, and yet again ended up talking with someone for about an hour. It was a less active member. We helped strengthen his testimony a bit, and I hope he returns to church! He would be a great help to many people, I know it. Then we went and sang as a big group of missionaries for people and then invited them into the church for the tour, and it worked a few times! I love singing with our zone. Right now, there are lots in the zone who can sing well too, so acapella was great and sounded awesome with them!

Today was a relaxed day. We passed by markets and ate at a Chifa restaurant. We'll be playing sports with the zone at 4 or a little later.

The mission is great. There are always different and new experiences, and there is always something that you learn (even when a telemarketer calls you like they did this morning). It's crazy, but it's true. A small testimony can grow large and strong if you allow it to. All we have to do is keep the commandments, and make sure we don't fall into traditions and actions that don't go with the commandments. Exact obedience brings blessings! I know as long as we endure to the end, and make sure we're doing the small and simple things, like reading scriptures, praying, and going to church, we will be blessed, and great things will come to pass!

That's about all for this week! 

Hope you all are well! I love hearing from all of you!

Elder Bruner

Family Home evening with Young Single Adults / others!

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY AYRTON!

mmmm strawberries! (it's a rare treat in Peru!)

At the Multizone conference during lunch

how we have to watch DVDs because our DVD player only works upside down for some reason...

 

with Neil (our ward mission leader) and some elders

with the Tumbajulca family!

Capilla Abierta!

CHAUFA in a Chifa restaurant. Great food. A little more than 3 dollars per person and wow it fills you up. I couldn't finish it all. Food here i think is cheap, and its a big portion!

with the Rivera Delgado family