We gotta 5$ fine for whining

Hey guys, I'm uhh... I'm in Peru! haha. I don't even know where to start! This place, is CRAZY. There is so much here, and to see, it's almost too much to explain, but I'll do my best!

First and most important. My trainer and Companion...Elder Allasia..GREAT guy. I guess praying and fasting 90 times really does work! He's been here for 19 months, we always wake up early, and go to bed on time. He really wants to learn English, so of course... I teach him a lot of English slang...Haha yeah it's fun. We're walking dicionaries for each other. He is a man of god, love him to death.

Second! My house and living conditions... Actually are a lot better than I first though, and said... Our house is actually pretty decent. I'll attach some pictures... Our area we have a member cook lunch and dinner for us, and somehow our laundry gets done too... no idea how, but it happens! haha One thing though when you're walking you have to watch for dog crap... it's everywhere, and if you're really unlucky...haha yeah... human crap. people here are wayy wayy nice and humble, I get called Gringo by little kids all the time, and Utah is known as the factory of missionaries.

Third! The food....Ohhh you betcha. The food here is great. I eat rice every meal, and like most people said it's mainly chicken, beef, and sometimes fish, but the soup. I eat soup almost every meal and it's great. we can't eat the food off the street because well our stomach would not be able to handle it, it looks and smells SOO good, but yeah.. It's not the cleanest place on earth haha

fourth! Spanish...haha.....yeah... they talk so fast.... So fast in fact, my bishop in praticular... my mind shuts off and I absolutly can't stay awake.....| think I've got past actually sleeping, but I zone so far out... My mind like shuts off because it has absolutly no idea what is going on. I really can't describe if I didn't have my companion, I would be dead by now. I bear my testimony in lessons, and pray sometimes. Tell people I have a big family, that's about it.

I commited a guy to babtism already! BOOM! haha get some.He'll get babtized in a month, it was actually pretty much all Elder Allasia, I just said the actual invitation, that I read out of PMG.. haha he's poor as dirt. literally. but way nice and humble guy. His name is Marco!

Finally...Story.

The the buses here, oh my.... praise and thank the lord for the busses and traffic in Utah because here....NAH. So first bus I get on, so packed, and absolutly filthy... I take my first step on the bus, and the driver takes off. If I wasn't absolutly massive :) I would have fallen out. haha It sucked, I was scared. but it's fine. My companion tells me things.

Quote of the week...

I forgot my journal so... let me think...

"The only thing consistent in life is change."

Haha the irony.

Sorry the the spelling erros. This computer doesn't tell me jack.

I love you all... Not many pictures... I can only take them on P day, and well I'm scared to any other place... haha

1. I'm eating these as I type. way good.

2. This is all the study on a daily basis.....

3. Pretty Average breakfast. I don't know what the stuff is, but it's great

4. Our bathroom is tiny, but really not bad.

5. I wear this to bed, because it's pretty cold in the mornings. haha

6. My little area? No say haha

7. My companion! He's shorter than me... haha

8. My bed and room

The rest are just the view from our apartment, we live on the top so it's actually pretty good.

There once was a boy in Peru...

Hey I feel like I was typing this same email six weeks ago! haha...

I remember my mom telling me that Peru was going to be uhh different, and I thought she was crazy! haha well turns out I don't think she even imagined it the way it is!

My companion is from Argentina, and he speaks solo espanol! which means, yeah. but he is very nice, and smart. so It's fine! It's actually better because learning Spanish is now a must instead of a want. haha you ever want to learn Spanish in a hurry just go to south america! 

        

All is well nonetheless. Me and Elder Wallace are in the same zone and district, so that makes me happy. I'm glad I know why I'm here, or I'd be hasta real quick. When I was flying here I was watching the night turn to day and I just knew. I know this is where I'm supposed to be.

Thanks for all you have done for me, all the people who have helped me get to the place I am now. I'm happy and healthy in Lima Peru, but a bit nervous :)

If I could thank you all personally for who you have helped me become I would, because you all deserve it. I really am not kidding when I say I am the person I am because of all the great people I've had in my life. :)

Enjoy America Amigos. It's a great place :)

Last pictures from CCM

1. Me and Elder Page, my beloved roomate, we ate cookies and wrote in our Journal every night, I miss the man already.

2. Our night teacher, Hermano Ortiz, SMART smart man

3. Honoring the old Gramps tie :)

4. GREAT group of guys

5. Our morning teacher, Hermana Balderas, Probably the Happiest hermana I know :)

6. I was pretty furious in this picture... haha

Cummins Cummins Cummins Yeah!

This is my last P Day here in the CCM. I'll probably email a couple times before I leave, but this will be the last general one until P Day in Lima!

I got my flight plans yesterday, I'll attach a picture, but I leave the MTC Tuesday night at 7pm. My flight leaves at 11:50 PM and I will arrive in Lima at 5:50 A.M. on Wednesday.

I've thought about what my overall experience here has been. So many high's and lows. Praying, laughing, growing, doubt, questions, and even dead of the night tears once... haha

Overall, the best way I can describe it is the first time I drove a Cummins, and for story sake we'll say it was a six speed. I got in the driver seat, a bit uncomfortable, scared, not sure what to do. I put it in first and nearly killed it.... Like my first week here I nearly killed it. So rough, uncomfortable, and hard on my heart. 2nd great, not better at all. Terrible shift, I now realize diesels are NOT like gassers. Missions are nothing like home. 2nd week, no better than the 1st. I power shift into 3rd and grind the crap out of it. Panicking, I used the clutch, and got it in gear. 3rd week, I got too confident, grinded, and had to use Jesus Christ and his atonement. 4th gear. Things are going fast, it's not perfect, but not horrible. 4th week came fast, not perfect, but I made it through the hard gears/weeks.

I shifted into 5th. being anxious I let the clutch out to fast, and floored it too soon. You could feel the clutch crying. 5th week, I forgot the lord too fast, and relied on myself too soon. I laid on the floor, crying. haha Nonetheless, since Cummins don't die, I finally got a good shift into the easiest sixth gear. Since the Savior will never die, I finally had a smooth 6th and final week.

Going 80 mph I didn't want to slow down, and go through the gears again, and speed back up. But I did. With a smile on my face because all I heard was turbos, and all I saw was soot dumping out of the exhaust.

The next six weeks will be harder than the first six. But I'm going to do it. With a smile on my face because all I'll hear is the gospel, and all I will see are lives changing.

You tell me. Once you stop in your dream vehicle... Do you get out because you feel too inadequate, or do you do it again, and again because that's what you LOVE.

That's my Summary about the MTC. Haha if you don't know trucks or cars I am sorry. I'm nervous to go to Peru, but I am not scared. Doubt not, Fear not. :)

Te Amo Hermanas Y Hermanos.

Quote of the week.

"Love is the greatest of all the words in our language." John Wooden

1. I finally copied my grandpas scriptures onto my own!

2. My idea Journal was the best thing I've brought here.

3. When it rains it pours.

4. We do some mad chillin in the post office.

5. WE WERE SO CLOSE!!! :( This is our room inspection. haha

6. Great group of guys left of this week, this one was a stud.

7. We go HARD in Beach volleyball

8. I can't touch the Hermanas haha

9. You tell me haha

10. FIGHT PLANS!

You ever wonder who made language, and how?

Sunday night.. Writing my weekly email as usual, feeling pretty inspired. Finished it up and thought it was pretty average. Well.... like most talks I've given, the night before I changed the whole thing.

For doing the same thing everyday, you don't think much would happen, right? Wrong. I always thought if a missionary came here unprepared. I'd be the first one telling him to leave. Turns out... It's one of the hardest things to see them go. One great man in our district left yesterday.. It flat out sucked.. I hope it never happens in the field.

Every day something happens here. Good or bad, hearts change, accidents happen. Friendships are created, or ruined. Everything is so fast, if you stop and think about yourself things go wrong. The hardest thing is to just continue on.

Nevertheless! After seeing pictures of missionaries in Lima, knowing the little Spanish I do. I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself for the hardest few weeks of my life haha. Because I KNOW it'll turn into the BEST time of my life. :)

I'm so grateful for all of you,  for this life that is helping me grow into a person, I would in no wise ever be without it. No doubt though, I'm still Daniel! I say it every week because I'll never be the missionary who comes home and thinks he's high and mighty. I promised too many people they can punch me in the face if I do. haha

I'm ready for Peru, how about you? :) Haha Yeah.

Great day to be alive, great day to be a missionary. Today we sang the U.S. National Anthem for 9/11. We've been learning the Mexico one because their Independence day is coming up pretty soon, but I'll tell ya what! You grown to love America when you're not in it. If that makes since. haha

Te amo hermanos ye hermanas.

Quote of the week. One of my favorites :)

"Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a sacrifice, offer it.

Life is love. Enjoy it."

                                 Sai Baba, an Indian geru.

Pictures.

1. Best packaged cookie I've ever ate.

2. Home away from home :)

3. We made a declaration. Go ahead. Read it.

4. We can't decide if we believe this tree is real. haha

5. I Decorate my room :)

6. Started from the bottom

7. Couple weeks later we're here. Latinos man. Latinos.

8. Our M&M Colony, What country are we missing? :)

 

Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall

This week! I can roll finally kinda roll my R's in Spanish! The struggle is real, but it's getting better. For three weeks in I feel like I'm really behind though... I get there none the less! It's a lot more work than I thought.

Last Sunday. Such a good day. John Tanner. (Father Tanner) look that man up. He is amazing! I learned a lot about him, and prayer. Revelation is real!

My district. Me, Elder Fullmer, and Elder Wallace. We are the three Amigos for sure. I feel like I've known them forever. We're all going to Lima East, along with three more in my district. I'm so excited to go there I can't even explain.

Oh! It was my birthday this week! I loved it! Surprisingly...haha We had a devotional on Tuesday, then we went to the temple today. Sadly, it's getting remodeled so we just went to the visitor center. It was awesome, and the first time I've been outside the MTC. Mexico is crazy! I thought this place was a prison, until I really saw how they drove here and now it's a safe haven! Overall, for being in the MTC I had a great birthday. It is defiantly better than school. I don't want to be anywhere else.

I'm sorry to say it guys, but I'm converted. The lord talked me straight into it. Without a doubt I'm the happiest I've ever been. And I'm a pretty happy guy! :) haha

Still though! I have a good story of doing what I do best! Offending people!... So there I was, at the salad bar getting some tomatoes. Two sisters were across from me, so I said, "Choosing a tomato is like choosing a wife. They're all the same, but what one do you want?" haha they said some hurtful things as they walked away. They didn't like my joke, but I did! haha

Apparently being 19 doesn't make you mature either. Guess we'll have to wait until 20. :) Haha I'm just kidding! Kinda. I love you all.

Quote of the week.

 "Too much sunshine makes a desert, so enjoy the rain"




Pictures

1. If you can translate these phrases I learn, you will laugh. haha

2. I gave this tie to Elder Wallace, he didn't have a pink one, and, "On Wednesdays we wear pink"

3. I wasn't kidding about the three Amigos.

4. Favorite day, with the favorite tie, next to my favorite guy.

5. Elder Brown and Mcgowen love me.

6. My district made me a cake. Yeah.

7. You bet I ate it.

8. It was Wednesday. And yes my tie is pink!

9. Mi Mama Is Mucho Bueno!

10. This temple....

11. Mactching CTR bracelets.

12. The visitor center was nice.