Sunday, August 25, 2013

Well, no mucho para decir.......(Well, not much to say...)

(August 12, 2013 email)
 
Hey everybody!!! It’s always so good to hear from you every week!!! I love reading all of your emails! And dad to answer one of your questions the internet here in Juliaca is extremely slow, so that’s why I haven’t had time to write big emails, but think today it should be pretty decent. I am learning how to work around the internet and get things done faster! So we will see how things go.
 
And yes dad like said last week there are missionaries that work on the floating islands, they had closed that sector but opened it this change, and that is the sector of Lori Bailey's nephew. He works there. Also I am so glad to hear that Ashley was able to find a new person to take care of Karson. That will be such a relief for her! And haha! Mom has to go back to work!! Haha, I have no clue where these months went I remember you writing me about how much time you had left in school to start the summer and now you are ending it! How weird! The time is absolutely flying by!
 
I really hope everything goes well with Zac's eagle papers, I can’t believe he is 18 I still think of him as one of the little’s like Ali and I call them. But that’s awesome, now he has to finish school and he can go on the mission! 
 
So honestly this week nothing happened, so Monday and Tuesday were good, and then Wednesday after our district meeting we got back to the room and my comp was way sick with a high fever and chills and body aches, and so we called Hna. Harbertson, and she said for him to rest, so we were in the room all day long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was absolutely the most boring day of my life! But I had the chance to read like 30 chapters in the book of Mormon. So that was good.
 
Then Thursday he was still sick so we called the Hna. Harbertson again and she said to go buy some medicine so we did but we were still in the room ALL DAY LONG!!!!!! So I had the chance to write mom and dad each separate letters which I haven’t done in a while, so I will be sending those soon!!!! Be excited they are quite long from being stuck in the room.  So Friday he felt a little better, but we only worked for about 2 hours nothing more and then he had to go back to the room. Saturday we worked all morning long, and the entire after noon he was in the room, and Sunday we went to church and one appointment and after he was sick so we went back to the room. So needless to say, we didn't do a whole lot this week, so we have got to work hard this week to make up for it. 
 
But I do have an awesome experience!!! So this morning we were sitting in the room getting ready to go to the zone meeting and one of our investigators Ana Maria, that would not accept a baptismal date or anything called us this morning and said, "elders I want to get baptized this Saturday!" let’s just say while talking on the phone I  was jumping up and down in the room freaking out in my mind while trying to talk to Ana Maria. And it’s not even that I am excited that I will have my first baptism in Juliaca, it’s the fact that Ana Maria is getting baptized! She has had such a change in her life from the things we teach, and she always attends church, and listens to the lessons, and reads the Book of Mormon, but now she is understanding what more she needs to do to receive blessings!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As a missionary it’s such a blessing when someone decides to get baptized because you can see the spirit working within them! I love being a servant of the lord and helping people change their lives for the better!!!!! So that is my cool story for the week! I love you all so much, I am so looking forward to hearing from you next week! Dad and mom I hope you like this email better then the other weeks!
 
I love and miss you! Hope you are all doing good, , and let me know if I can help you in some way at all!!!! I pray for each and every one of you every day!! Keep moving forward!!!! 
 
LOVE ELDER GOASLIND!
 
PS. I now have to where my CTR ring on my wedding finger because its different in Peru and I didn’t know that until last week, so everyone has been thinking that I am married!!! Ahhhhh!!!!
 
 
 
 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

WE FINALLY HAVE A ROOM!!!

So this email may be short today because the internet in this place is ridiculously slow!!!!!! But it sounds like everything is going good with you guys!!! So happy birthday to Zac and Steven coming up soon!!! That’s exciting!!!
So you all asked if I got to see Lake Titicaca when I went to Puno. And yes I did see it from a distance you can see it as you drive into Puno. And the nephew of Lori Bailey his sector is actually part of the floating islands on the lake so that’s cool!!!!
So we were walking the other day and a guy drove by on a motorcycle yelling at us and as he passed he gave me a nice good kick! So that’s always nice to be a gringo in a foreign country!!!! 
Also something horrible happened this week!!! We were eating dinner and guess what the pension lady walks out and asked  if we liked it and while we were eating told us it was cow stomach!! Ahhhhh!!! It tasted horrible! Nobody should be allowed to eat it, but I was the only one who finished it because I didn’t want to offend  the lady! 
So thanks for sending the package!!! I do not need my easy  hymn book because I bought one in Spanish that I am using and that helps a ton!! If you send another package send ties, I am running short because I gave some away in Puerto. So the conference with presidente was awesome!!! I love it, it was 6 hours but who cares!!! Haha, so we learned a lot of stuff.
Things are going good with the comp we are working way hard, every time I am being lazy or what he thinks is lazy he yells at me to hurry up, that energy will were off of him soon I know I can already see it ! Haha. 
But it’s good it keeps me going good!! 
So that is awesome dad that you ate a Peruvian restaurant the next time get aji de gallina if they have it, it’s amazing!!! Or eat cuy because it is probably the best thing you will ever eat! And shame on those people that do not like Inca cola how dare you say something bad about my country!! It is the best soda in the entire world and everyone should drink it!!!  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!!  And dad our crossing streets are San Martin and Pierola. If that helps.
So this week was good we are teaching a bunch of people well I am,  my comp doesn’t talk much still but he is learning!!!! 
We are teaching somebody named Katia and yesterday she asked if she could pay tithing even though she’s not a member. And we explained she didn’t need to but she wanted too, and so she paid her tithing for the first time!
Also our bishop is calling 16 ward missionaries to go and work with us to help out with investigators, this ward is awesome!!!! Today we’re going to have a massive family home evening with the ward so I will let you know how that works out!!! Well the computer is going to kick me out!!
I love you all so much and I hope the best for you!!
Love Elder “Goasoing” the Peruvian!!!!!!!
 
Elder Goaslind
 



ANOTHER WEEK IN THE COLD!!!

Email from 7-29-2013
Hey everybody!!! So first off I want everyone to know that I really don’t have a lot of time to write now because the new presidnte is cracking down on rules, so if the friends could keep their emails shorter please so I still have time to write you!!! Thank you!!! 
So it sounds like everybody had a fantastic week!! That’s awesome about Nicole’s mission call, she will do great in Mexico, and it’s totally the perfect call for her!!!
Well it sounds like you all had a good 24th of July, and a good time up at the cabin! I love going to the cabin, I can’t wait to go when I get home! haha. So this week was good, we are working way hard here in Juliaca, oh dad so Juliaca is about 40 minutes from Puno where lake T is and where I live is AV. el maestro, close to the center and it is about 2 blocks from the bus terminal. terminal Terrestre. So you can find it now. So talking about Puno, we actually are going there on Wednesday because we have a multi zone conference to go to and  we get to go with all 28 from our zone there. I don’t know if I will see the lake but I hope. 
So this Sunday I gave a talk in church and I talked about Elder Holland’s talk from October about the First Great Commandment and it went well until the counselor put a note on the stand that said gracias telling me my time was up haha. Also I have been playing the piano in sacrament meeting and it sounds horrible because I haven’t practiced piano forever!!!! 
On Saturday Presidente Harbertson and the assistants came to have training and to interview us. honestly I absolutely love interviews and training I feel so uplifted, and the presidente you can really see is called of God to help us and lead us I learned so much from him.  We were talking and he told me,...
“Elder Goaslind, I put you in this sector and zone because the lord inspired it. and you need to know something, the lord has plans here, I can feel it. there is going to be a big change here and you will have the opportunity to be a part of it.” That was awesome, and I love training!!! It’s awesome we talked about that also. 
So the training from the assistants was good, it was about obedience and the rules of the mission that presidente is going to crack down on!!!!!! So we all had a challenge to fast yesterday and receive revelation on the things we need to get better on and we have a goal to get better in 40 days, so that’s what we are going to be doing as a mission now is cracking down and being more obedient because before we really weren’t. 
So walking with 2 gringos in the street a lot of drunken people are attracted to us. In fact 4 days ago I ended up singing with a drunk man and then teaching him a lesson and inviting him to church!! it’s quite interesting. Another guy told us we are Pharisees from the United States and that he is Bin Laden and he doesn’t like us. So a lot of interesting things going on. 
We finally have a room but we can’t move in for 3 more days, so we are still living with other elders. 
This week I challenge you to read the Liahonas from June of this year and read....
Dear are the Sheep that have Wandered from James E Faust. 
and Improving Your Personal Prayers form Kevin W Pearson. 
they are awesome talks and I felt so good reading them so much comfort!!!!! 
Well I am out of time I love you all and hope you have a great week I can’t wait to hear from you again. 
Remember the lord in everything you do!!!! So this email wasn’t very informative. 
LOVE ELDER GOASLIND!!!!!