Second Baptism!

Hello all you people in the winter wonderland!!! I am so sorry to hear about all the snow and ice, that is now fun! Here it rains like all day one day and the next is like a billion degrees, the weather is very random! Umm...so I still haven´t received your first package that you sent a little over 2 weeks ago, so I am wondering if she has even sent it or not, because I called the mission office and they don´t have it. But I guess I will get it soon. Ummm...in the other package, I am not sure what else to have you send. Maybe some more of the paper mate pens, because I use pens all the time here! Umm....maybe a pair of my blue flannel pajamas in my room, because I only have 1 pair of sweats, and that is what I sleep in like every night so I don´t freeze. So that might be nice. Umm I am not sure if it is possible, but maybe a small pair of kids scissors. About the pop tarts, I like the brown cinnamon sugar, and you want to send more than normal because that’s all my comp talks about. Oh, and cookies, and some chocolate brownies, I have been craving brownies for like 2 weeks!!! ha-ha all I want is junk food because all I eat is rice and potatoes, and I am not complaining about potatoes but it would be nice to have some junk food, and candy. I am so sorry to hear about Bob Tingey that is so sad!  We have a sister in our zone ending her mission in 3 weeks, and she was talking today about how fast the time flies, and she is right, I can´t believe that it is almost Febrero!!!! That is so weird! Plus I almost have a month in the field! I am so sad that I couldn´t see Jantzen before my mission, but it sounds like he was a great missionary, that is so weird that he is home!

Congrats Ashley, you are so close to having your baby! Take good care of my sobrino (Nephew) for me!! And the rest of you, I want more sobrinos y sobrinas!!!!! (Nephews and Nieces)

So now a little bit about what I have been doing.

The big news!!! I got to baptize somebody on Saturday, so we share our sector with 2 sister missionaries, and their investigator was getting baptized, and she asked if I would baptize her! It was such an awesome experience!!! Her name is Maritza Alvarez-Alvarez. And she has the greatest spirit about her!!! It was such a good experience! You are getting some pictures of that in this email.

So about our investigators:

Carmen Vargas- she has a date for the 2 of Febrero, but we are not sure if that will happen because she needs to be married still so we are frantically helping her get all the paper work and stuff that she needs for the marriage to happen, all of her kids are members, so we had a testimony meeting about baptism yesterday with her and her kids, and she is so ready to be baptized, we just need her to marry first!!

Vanessa- she is 16 years old, and we have permission from her mom to baptize her, but her mom is traveling until march, and so she is with her aunt right now, and she doesn´t want to be baptized until her mom can be there, but we are trying to convince her that she will be blessed for being baptized even if her mom is not there. Hopefully we can set a date this week.

Christian and Juan Carlos- they are cousins and I found them while contacting with another elder, they both seem really interested in the message that we have, and they are the nicest people ever, but they didn´t attend sacrament like they said they would, so we are going to talk to them this week and find out why, and hopefully we can set a baptismal date for them also.

So we don´t have a lot of people to teach so we have been trying to work with the members but every time we go to their house to obtain referencias they just feed us! I am pretty sure that I have gained like 10 pounds in the field, it is ridiculous, all we do is eat food!!!! But I still want junk food!

So we had an activity on vierne con future misioneros en la estaca, (with future Missionaries of the Stake) and they showed them how they could begin their mission papers, and it reminded me that I was doing my mission papers almost a year ago. In May it will be a year since I began my mission papers time flies!!!

Yesterday we had our mission program in sacrament that our ward does once a month, and my comp spoke which means I should speak next month, but he gave an amazing talk about finding true happiness through the gospel. And about how each of us can be member missionaries. And it is true, it is so important that we all help out in la obra misional (Missionary Work). Because the missionaries can´t do it on their own, they need help from the members para encontrar investigadores (to find investigators), just because you don´t have a plaque with the title elder or sister doesn´t mean that you aren´t a missionary. Because we all accepted the plan to come to earth and progress, and part of that plan is to bring others unto Christ, I think a lot of the time people don´t realize that every single living person in this world are they who accepted the plan en la vida preterennal (in the premortal life). And everybody who has the greatness of the gospel needs to share it with those who don´t because it is intended for everybody, and like Preach my Gospel says, you aren´t teaching something new, you are helping them to remember the things that they already knew before.....

Missionary work is so important! I have truly learned that in the field. Yes this has been the hardest 3 weeks of my life, getting adjusted to a new life in a different country where I will live for 2 years, but with the lord I have been able to do it.

My challenge for each of you, this week share a gospel mensaje con at least one person not in our faith. A great way to do that is through favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon, or through a talk in the Liahona, I have learned to love the Liahona, the messages are amazing!!! But share the gospel, and I promise you that you will see blessings in your life for doing that!!!!

Well, I can´t think of what else happened this week. Oh a member accused my companion and me of slacking off because we were playing bingo with a family. We went to visit them and they invited us to play a game so we said yes, because we need to gain the friendship of the members, and another member said that we don´t work, and she complained to the mission president, so today my comp and I had interviews about it. It was way ridiculous, but our mission president is freaking the best person ever!! He is so funny!!! And he told us not to worry about it, because it is our job to be friends with the members, and if playing games with them will help gain their trust, and then do it.

Last pday we ate at McDonalds!!!! It was amazing to have American food!!! And of course there would be a McDonalds here because of all the tourists.

Oh and mom I like the new photos of the family where that ugly old photo was! It looks very nice!!

So I want to share a scripture with you that I read in Church yesterday, its Moroni 7:26-29, it’s about miracles, and how if we have faith the Lord can do miracles through our faith but without faith we have nothing! and I have seen that in my missionary work, when I have faith that we can do something we have success, when I doubt about an investigator the day is crap, and just because Christ isn´t here en la Tierra (on Earth) with us physically, doesn’t mean that he can´t be with us, because he can through our faith! Tengo un testimonio de Este, y sè que, por medio jesucristo y su expiacòn podemos tener felicidad en nuestras vidas, y la clave es la fe. Este evangelio es verdadero, y hay solo 2 iglesias en la Tierra, primero la iglesia del cordero de dios, y segundo, la iglesia del diablo, necesitamos orar a dios, y preguntar cùal iglesia es verdadero! yo sè que la iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dios es verdadero, y yo sè este porque yo he orado a dios, y he recibido una respuesta de mì padre celestial! (This is a translation of Alex’s Testimony I did it online so I don’t know how accurate it is).  I have a testimony of this, and sè that, by Jesus’ example we can have happiness in our lives, and the key is the faith. This gospel is true, and there is alone 2 churches in the land, first the church of the Lamb of God, and second, the church of the devil, we need to pray to God, and to ask which church is true! I sè that the Church of Jesus of the saints Of the ultimos God is true, and I sè this because I have prayed to God, and I have received an answer of my Heavenly Father!

I love all of you so much, and I miss you like crazy, but I know that the Lord needs me here! I hope you get my letters soon.

Tell Justin sorry I couldn´t respond to his email because I am only allowed one, but tell him not to worry about the language! It will come!!

Can´t wait to hear from all of you!!!

CON MUCHO AMOR!

ELDER GOASLIND!!!

 

Second Week!

Hey,

Sounds like things for the most part are going good. I am so sorry to hear about grandma’s fall that is not fun at all!!!! Also, tell Adam that I am sorry about his heel, does he need more surgery again, or is it something that will heal itself?

Tell everybody Happy Birthday for me, sorry that I didn't have a chance to tell them Happy Birthday before!!

So to try and answer some questions, we go to Internet places in order to email, so we have to pay like 1 sol, which is like 50 cents in the U.S. we all go as a zone after our zone meetings on Mondays.

So my baptism count is 3!! It was the coolest experience ever! I am going to send some pictures of it. I had the chance to baptize the daughter, Bony. She is so awesome and so is the whole family!!! We have another baptism on the 2nd of Febrero.  And we are working with someone else on a date, but she wants her mom to be there for it, so we are trying to figure out how to make that work out.

Things are going alright with my companion; he is a little lazy though which is really hard, because I want to work and all he does is sleep, he didn't get up until 7:30 this morning! But hopefully I can lead by example and he will catch on, and it doesn’t help that he has been sick for like a week.

So some things that have happened this week, the baptism which was amazing! On Saturday we have an activity with our zone, and the Stake Cusco. We played futbol from 8 in the morning until 1 in the afternoon. And it was pouring for like the whole time except for the last hour, and then that hour we all got fried. I am sending a picture of my sunburn on my neck, it is quite hilarious, but it doesn’t hurt as bad anymore which is good.

I also had the opportunity to go on exchanges with another elder, Elder Quito, it was awesome, we talked with a lot of people, and it was interesting not being with my companion, that night we were going to catch the bus and a drunk guy came up to us and started asking for our cards, so we gave him a pass along card haha, and then Elder Quito turned and said, he is drunk! And the guy turned and said in English, yes...I am drunk!! And he kept saying all these things in English; it was so funny because we were trying to make it so he couldn't understand!

Oh, I got your Dear Elders on Friday! So I don't know how long that took for them to get here, but I am telling you so that you can judge the time. But I have no received your package yet, like you said it is probably in the office waiting for me, but I haven’t got it yet. Umm...if you are sending another package, you should send some pop tarts!!! I need some American junk food. Ummm, but I am not sure what else I would need, I guess anything that you can think of that I might need. Hopefully I don't remember something after I send the email. Maybe some of your cookies hehe.

Ummm, I am trying to think of what else to say. I am not really sure. I want to have time to send pictures. Today we are going to the Plaza de Armas which we went last week also, and it is so awesome!!! I love it! I am sending home letters today. And I need you to distribute them to everybody because I am putting them all in one envelope!! Oh, about the language. There are 4 North Americans in my zone so I talk to them often in English, plus my comp knows a little bit of English but not much. But there are other people who know a little English who help me out when I need it, I am getting better at the language day by day, but I know that it is going to take some time before I can actually speak it.

Quick story, last night we were contacting and we knocked on a door and the lady let us in and we shared a short message about prayer, and asked her to read a pamphlet about the restauracion, and pray about it, then we had her pray with us before we left, and she burst out into tears during the prayer, and the spirit was so strong!!! It was amazing!

 

Well I need to send pictures now, but send what you think I might need in the package; hopefully there isn't anything I really need. If so I will have to wait til the next time!

I love all of you so very much!! And I love hearing from you!!

Everybody write me soon!!

Love Elder Goaslind!!!

Primer Semana (First Week)

Hola Como Estàn!!

Well the first week in the mission was insane!!! I can't believe that I am actually in the mission field!! First, my address is:

Elder Alex Charles Goaslind

Misiòn Perù Cusco
Jiròn Ricardo Palma
Manzana ¨"A" Lote #2
Edificio Ricardo Palma 4to Piso
Urbanizaciòn Santa Mònica
Cusco, Perù

That’s the mission home!!

So my mission is in the Zona Cusco, and sector Los Alamos, which my companion and I share with a companionship of sister missionaries, my companions name is Elder Castellanos, from Mexico and he has been on his mission for a year now and I am his first hijo (child, or in other words greenie) we are the only 2 missionaries in our apartment, and we live with this little old lady member Hermana Francisca!! she cooks 3 square meals a day for us and the food is fantastic, and we also have another lady in the ward who will do all of our laundry for us!!! The food here is amazing!! Don´t be surprised if I come home a little fat because we are fed every time we stop by someone’s house!!! The weather is chilly here so I am very grateful for the fleece jacket mom; I use it like every day. I am only allowed to send 1 email according to the mission president, and we only get 30 minutes. But as for the real mail, send everything to the address I gave you above. Packages, letters, all of it. And then I will pick it up from the mission home on my pdays. I am not gonna lie, I felt very homesick my first 2 days here, but I read the letters that mom and dad wrote me before I entered the MTC, and they helped me change my perspective of why I was here. I have no idea what else to say, there is so much that happened!! I am sorry you will not get a picture of my companion and me because I forgot to take one, but next week I promise!! so when I arrived in Cusco I walked out of the airport and the Mission President was there, with some other misioneros, and Sam Neff was one of them!! Also, I saw Stephen Doxy!! There is a picture of the 3 of us.

So I don´t have like anytime left, so this is going to be fast!!!

So we have a baptism this week!! We inherited a family of 3 from the old elders because my compi y yo are both new to this area, but there are 3 of them and we are baptizing them on Saturday!! Also we have a date set for Hermana Vargas for the 26, but first she needs to be married, so hopefully she decides to do that!! Other than that our other investigators are new.

The Spanish is interesting! I am understanding more when people talk, but it is still very difficult! As for the speaking, about all I can do is bear my testimony. but last night we were teaching la familia Suncco who are getting baptized this week and I was bearing my testimony, and I burst out in tears because I just felt the spirit so strong, and then the mom started crying, and it was a very spiritual moment in my first week of the mission.

Well I am glad that I am not in Utah with that snow, so have fun with that!!! And I hope that everyone is doing well, that’s an awesome scorpion experience! But I need a pic of Ashley to see how she is doing!!

But I have no more time and mi compi need to email still. But it was so good to read your emails. Tell mis amigos that I am working on hand written letters for them, but who knows when they will get sent. Also tell Justin congrats on going through the temple! That’s awesome, him and Paula are going to love their missions as long as they remember why they are there and forget themselves and go to work as dad always says.

Well I love you so much, and I can´t wait to tell you about everything that happens this week! Have a fantastic week, and keep relying on the Lord!!!!

 Love Elder Goaslind!!!

Ps. no one here can say my name, this is what they say... elder goooalsaiosnfhs.....
 

 

 

 

 

LAST EMAIL FROM CCM

HOLA!!!!

It is so weird to be so close to the field!!! I am more excited and more scared then you could possibly imagine!! But I know the Lord is going to help me be safe as I fully enter into his work.

So we went to the temple today, and it was such another amazing experience! I am able to understand the entire endowment session in Spanish without a translator headset, so that shows you how well the language is coming. I am sad that I don't get to go to the temple for 22 months now, but I will be doing the lords work in a different way.  I have had some pretty spiritually learning experiences this week. And I have really started understanding what missionary work is all about, and the importance of knowing the gospel and truly being converted to the things that you know.

I am so glad to hear the Ashley and Adam are doing well. And I hope that everybody else in the family is doing well also. Mom get some rest and you will recover, but just remember it’s probably just a gas bubble! Haha CHISTE!!! I am sorry to hear about Dede´s accident, I have been praying for her and hope that she can recover quickly!! How is the family fitness program coming along? I expect all of you to be superstars when I get home! Haha

I have truly found a love for Preach my Gospel. It truly is inspired, and there isn't enough room on the pages to write everything I want about what I read!!!

Keep studying it, but make sure that you apply it to your life, and more importantly apply it in helping other people.

I hope that with my friends coming over every week you don't feel too sad about me being gone. They are great friends. I love them!

There haven't been any more earth quakes, but I hope there are! Sorry no pictures today. I didn’t take any this week, but there wasn't anything that excited going on.

I have to say that I am going to have a pretty sick watch tan line when I get home, it is already pretty good!!

If you could send me some stories about conversion to the church from our family I would love to read them.

Also Elder Brey said that the package lady can get them to Cusco so that should be nice. And let me just say, that he is the pickiest kid when it comes to food, I swear he hardly eats anything!! But I am not the same way, because I have gained almost 7 pounds since being here!

So tomorrow we have in field training for 10 hours!!!! That should be a party! But that should be good! I get to go proselyting this Saturday so that is something to look forward to!!!!

My companion and I bought Quechua Books of Mormon at the distribution center and they are insane! The word Book of Mormon is...MORMONPA QELQANMANTA AQLLASKA T´AQAKUNA... I don't know how I am ever going to learn that language! But oh well! 

I hope that everybody is doing well! And I miss you all so much! I hope that Tyler and Mercedes are keeping track of how long I have been out on their nifty little chart! On Monday it will have already been 2 months!!!! it is so crazy!! I can't believe how fast the time is flying by!!! I will only have 22 fast Sundays left on my mission :(

Well yo sé que esta iglesia es verdadera. sé que josé Smith fue un profeta llamó de Dios. estoy agradecido for este oportunidad servir un mission en Peru. y, yo espero que muchas personas puedan venir a cristo por medio el espíritu, and orando a dios for respuestas por sus preguntas. yo amo mí mission, y yo quiero ayudar la gente en Peru cambiar sus vidas.  (Have Tyler translate!)

I love you all so much have a great week and no one else get sick or hurt!! Remember Christ always in your lives!!!

Con Mucho Amor!!

Elder Goaslind

Last Week in CCM

Hey! it sounds like you had a great Christmas season!!!  So this is going to be a very short email, because this actually isn't my pday, our pday got moved to Thursday this week because today the temple is closed. So I will send an actual email on Thursday with more in it. I am so happy that you had a fantastic Christmas and New Years. I am happy to hear that everyone is doing well, tell dede sorry for me, that doesn't sound fun at all. I will be sure to pray for her.

One thing, I agree with Elder Brey, more ties would always be nice! a lot of the Latinos don't have any so it would be nice to have enough just to give them away in the field. Umm, possibly another pair of gym shorts when I get in the field because the 1 pair isn't cutting it. Thank you for the Christmas package, it was very surprising to get something without having to go pick it up at customs and pay 100 soles for it. So we found out that Peru is one of the countries where missionaries gain the most weight, our teacher gained 46 libras (pounds) on her mission down by Cuzco. I have gained about 6 libras since being in Peru which is good.

Thank you for the missionary news letter I got that yesterday. I love hearing about everybody.

How is Ashley doing with the baby?

So guess what!!! we have had 3 earthquakes this weekend! we had one Friday night during class, and it was my first earthquake ever!! It was so awesome I hope I get to experience a lot of them. Then that night while sleeping, and Sunday night while sleeping there were 2 more apparently, but I didn't feel those, I slept through them.

Well I need to go now, because I will get to email you more on Thursday, so I hope you have a fantastic 2 days!!! feel free to write me again before Thursday!!! I love you all!! can't wait to hear from you!!! I can't believe that a week from today I will actually be in the field, and a week from yesterday will be the 2 month mark!! ahhhhhh!!!!

I Love You!

Love Elder Goaslind!!

PS

I forgot to tell you, Elder Brey gave me a haircut! he is like the MTC barber basically haha!! That was random but I thought it was worth sharing! bye!!