4. The Package Came!

Hello family and friends,

It was a good week here in Jardines...just loving the work and getting along really well with Elder Lefevre.

We are working well together. Good to hear that everything is going good back home...except that one part about the Heat winning the championship...oh well. Also glad to hear that you survived Girls Camp, Mom. I am also really excited to hear about Tyler´s mission call. I have been thinking about it and I have 2 guesses. My first is Texas Spanish speaking. The other is Brazil. I have a feeling. Just know Tyler that the Lord has prepared people and experiences for you wherever you are called, so you can be sure that whatever your call says, it is where the Lord wants and NEEDS you. Remember that our thoughts are not the Lord´s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). And Yes, PLEASE send me a video, I would love to watch that. I´m pretty sure that you can embed a YouTube video so that it just shows up right in my email? Do the best you can...if possible try to make it so I don´t have to leave myldsmail to see it.

Ok so on another note...The package finally got here!! haha. [I sent it the end of April, hoping that it would arrive in time for his birthday on May 20th. It was full of things to celebrate his birthday, including things to decorate and make a birthday cake. 21 is a big deal!] We are going to a member´s house right now to make the cake...it´s gonna be great. Oh, and Tyler´s scripture case that I ordered a while ago finally came in. It looks super legit no lie...but I´m not gonna send any pictures so that it is cooler when you see it for the first time. Just don´t go buying different scriptures cuz they are fitted for the regular English quad. But yeah I think that the package took so long to get to me because of the special change I had, so they sent it to Lomas Verdes after I had already left to Parque Via and then they sent it to Parque Via when I had already left for Jardines....but oh well I have it now so its all good.

 

Ok, so as for the week. It went really well. We were blessed with another 2 baptisms this past week. Their names are Joan and Martha. They are a young couple and we found them knocking doors one night. They have 2 little kids and they were not married when we found them. They went to church my first week here in Jardines and really liked it. As we continued to teach them you could really see their faith grow. Martha has a little more of a Catholic background so at first she was a little scared of the change and had a lot of doubts. But as we continued to teach her she grew hungry to learn more. She even started taking notes in our lessons!! On Friday, they got married and they were very happy....it´s amazing how much happiness something simple like signing a paper can bring into a family. I am always reminded of the words of King Benjamin when he talks about the blessed and happy state of those who keep the commandments of God (Mosiah 2:41). The baptism went well on Sunday, like it usually does.

 

It´s hard to believe that another week has past...I only have 4 more weeks! 31 days from today I am on the plane home. Weird. I love you all and miss you too...I love this work, and I am starting to feel that going home really will be a bittersweet moment...even though my whole mission I didn´t feel that way. I know that this is the Lord´s work and I want to do all that I can before I hang up the nametag.

And this is my joy,
Elder Peacock

5. Just Workin’

[Email dated 6.18.12]

Hello everyone,

Still no package...what the heck? I think it got lost...so you should just tell me what the SURPRISE was. haha. But it was good to hear from you all. HAPPY FATHERS DAY. Hope you had a good one dad...I love you and I´ll be seeing you in 38 days!! Sorry to hear that Sparky now has an escaping partner...looks like you´ll have to be super careful now when you open the doors. And go Thunder. Boo LeBron. ¿Y en serio Mamá, me podías entender en mi carta anterior? Bueno, vamos a ver si me puedes entender cuando Pat y yo HABLAMOS....porque el escuchar es muy diferente que el leer...jaja...pero les voy a enseñar a hablar español un poquito para que lo puedan hablar en Cancun .

The week went really well. The area has tons of hills!! Reminds me of the good old days in Chamapa. Rainy season is also starting...lame. So, looks like my umbrella is going to get a good month more of use before going home. The area is cool though because part of it is populated with lots of cement and houses and hills but then the area extends out towards Toluca into the mountains with tons of little towns...so sometimes we get to go out to the mountains to eat (see pictures). I´m liking the area.

My companion and I are getting along well. He´s a hard worker and at times he works me walking up those hills. We have developed a good teaching pattern...and his Spanish isn´t half bad for having 5 months in the mission. This week we were blessed to help one person more enter into the covenant of baptism. Her name is Cynthia and she actually lived in Santa Ana California for like 20 years, I think, so she can speak English and everything. Her baptismal service was really cool because a good majority of the ward was there which always makes it more special...I like the ward here a lot...really supportive and organized--which is really good.

But anyways, it was a good week and I´ll be seeing you all very very soon...the time is going quickly.

Love you and miss you.

And this is my joy,

Elder Peacock

Apartamento en Parque Via

Here are some pictures of the apartment Elder Peacock was living in for two brief weeks:

A washing machine AND a water heater (no using an iron in a bucket of water, the thought of which still haunts me!!)

6. Well, We All Guessed Wrong About Those Changes

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the letters and all the pictures. Looks like Bryce is quite the ladies man now...he´ll have to teach me when we go to Cancun haha. Sounds like things are going great back home...Excited to hear where Tyler gets his call....And Pat!! you should go to Cancun with us...it will be great. And I would write you back but we have a rule in the mission that we can only email our families...and by the time a hand written letter gets there I will already be back. But I love you buddy...No puedo esperar verte de nuevo...y podemos hablar Español todo el tiempo para que nadie sepa lo que estamos diciendo...jajaja. [Should I tell him I understood all of that??]  As for the birthday package....still hasn’t gotten here...I´m starting to seriously consider the fact that it may have gotten lost...so who knows??

Ok, so my last transfers today....and just like you, I thought I would be staying but NO....Elder Perez is staying in Parque Via and I got changed to Jardines 2 in the Lomas Verdes zone. It is literally right next to the area in Lomas Verdes where I just was. My new companion Elder Lefevre. He is from Las Vegas and it is his second change here in Mexico, so he´s very new and I am his first companion after his trainer. Even though the area is right next to Lomas Verdes it is very different. It is not rich. A lot poorer and it is built on a hillside...so the whole area is basically just one giant hill. I´m excited--6 weeks--I can hardly believe it.  The beginning of the end.

We finished out the last week in Parque Via well. We got 5 people to church so Elder Perez should have some people to work with this next week. Last change we really struggled getting people to church for some reason, but we focused in on it this past week. By Friday we had 9 people committed to go with us, but we decided that we wanted more...because anyone that has served a mission will tell you that all the people that say they will go to church will definitely all not end up going...just the way it happens. So we put a goal Friday night to have 13 in total committed Saturday night. We then prayed to know where to go to find those people. Saturday was just fantastic...we were finding people left and right and we finished the day teaching 9 lessons and finding 11 new investigators. We had 21 people committed to church by the end of the day....and it was because we trusted in the Lord by asking HIM where HE wanted us to go. Unfortunately, most of those people did not end up going, but a family of 4 that we found on Saturday did go with us, and I know that if we had not trusted in the Lord, we wouldn´t have been able to find that family. It was a good end to a challenging change...but I´m extremely grateful for all the things I learned the last 6 weeks.

Love you and miss you all.

And this is my joy,

Elder Peacock

7. Healthy Eating–Not

Hello family and friends,

Thanks for the letters and pics. I have a feeling I am going to be absolutely in awe when I walk into the house for the first time in 2 years....CRAZY. Also, I still don´t think that I can believe how big Daniel and Bryce have gotten. Have I been gone that long?? As for the package, still no. I don´t know what´s going on. It could be taking a long time to get to me though because of the special changes...but who knows? Maybe you´ll just have to tell me what´s in it?

Ok so as for the week, it was a pretty good one. We worked hard, taught a lot and contacted a lot. We found a lot of new investigators and things were looking pretty good for Sunday...but then on Sunday everything fell through. Nobody completed with their commitments. Didn´t go to church, didn´t get baptized or confirmed ....LAME. It is frustrating but you just got to work through it. We are going to have success in this area for sure. I feel good here. Hopefully they don´t change me this week haha (last week of changes). I know I have been extremely blessed here in this mission.

I just have to tell you guys about this one guy who we are teaching who is quite the character. His name is Daniel and he sells Herbalife every morning outside of his house. Herbalife is a dietary product that is supposed to help people be more healthy and it´s like a smoothie and teas and stuff like that. He is OBSESSED with it. He is a health freak. He tells us that he wants us to help him with his spiritual needs but only if he lets him help us with our nutritional needs. So we usually teach him for about 20 minutes about something and then he lectures us about how unhealthy we eat. He asked us what we ate for breakfast one time and I told him 3 scrambled eggs and a mango and my comp ate a peanut butter sandwich...He FREAKED out and told us we needed to change and that we are not eating healthy...they are pretty interesting lessons...the good part is that he is completely in agreement with the word of wisdom haha.

I think just to spite Daniel we ate in the street one night before going home. Here in this area they have a famous food that you can only find here...they are called Petroleras. It is like a huarache but bigger. What it is is beans covered in the tortilla dough and then deep fried...then you cover it in cheese onions salsa and whatever meat you want. We put pastor meat on it like from Tacos al Pastor. And they are BIG. I was definitely full. I highly recommend them...although I know that Daniel would not. haha

I love you and miss you all and it´s weird how fast the time is going. NEXT month I´ll be home. [I told him that ever since it’s been June I love saying, “Oh yes.  My son comes home NEXT month!” to everyone who will hear it!]

And this is my joy,

Elder Peacock

8. Just When I Thought I Knew What Was Going to Happen Next

Hey family,

It has been a WILD week. But more on that later. Thank you for the letters....is Bryce really 205 lbs?!!! When did that happen? Man, I gotta hit the gym hard here in the next 59 days or I´m gonna be in trouble.  I´m pretty bummed to hear the Lakers got rocked again in the 2nd round (Although Prez did already tell me haha)....They Lakers need to re-amp their lineup....Deron Williams!! I´m pretty sure that the winner of the Thunder-Spurs series wins it all. As for the package...I still haven’t received it...but I expect it soon no worries [sent in April for his birthday May 20th:( Fortunately, I don’t think Hostess Cupcakes EVER go bad]. I think we´re still 100% on packages making it to me right?

Ok, so as for the week. Our Heavenly Father is soo amazing. We have a tendency to forget just how powerful He is and how many miracles He can work until He blesses you with more. I am reminded of the people in the Book of Mormon that over and over and over again forget about all the blessings of the Lord that they have received. I am reminded of the apostles that thought that they would have nothing to eat because they didn´t bring bread when they had just WITNESSED Christ feeding 5000 people with very little bread at all. And most of all I am reminded of the words of Nephi to his brothers who did not believe that they could be freed from the hands of Laban if they were to enter into the city...How could you doubt??

The Lord blessed us this week. At the beginning of the week we had NOTHING going on in our area. On Tuesday we received a referral for a member´s sister that just moved into the house with them. They had been to church before. But even then, they were not too sure about baptism. We continued teaching them, and prayed continually and on Saturday we fasted for them. They were able to receive an answer and in that moment they KNEW that they needed to be baptized and that it really was the Lord´s will. But there were still obstacles there....the Mom of the family (Marina) is desperate for work and had an interview on Sunday for a job, and the oldest daughter works on Sunday. They simply decided to not go...they decided that the Lord is more important than their jobs and that the Lord will provide if they ^Love Him more that all other things. It was such an amazing experience to see the Lord work that miracle with this very special family.On Sunday the Mom and her 3 daughters were baptized and a lot of members were there in the baptismal service supporting and it was a very special day.

I felt like I had started to forget all the miracles that the Lord has worked in my life, and I started to forget that He can do all things...He reminded me of that this past week.

Now for the crazy part....We had emergency changes!!! Last night at 7 the assistants called me and told me that Elder Perez and I would be changing areas!! So, we said goodbye to the mission leader and his family as well as the Relief Society President and her family (GREAT families) and we got home to pack. I guess what happened is that the Sister Missionaries have been having problems with safety in their area right now, so President decided to have us trade areas...so now the Sisters will be working in Lomas Verdes 2 and Elder Perez and I will be in Parque Via 1 in the zone Camarones (shrimps haha) It is in the city (DF) and don´t worry Mom it is not really that dangerous. Chamapa was WAY more dangerous [GREAT…I suspect those are stories I may not want to hear until #3 son comes home safely from his mission]. So I would like to say that I will be ending here but who knows??? We have changes in 2 weeks and for all I know I could get changes again...so we will just have to wait and see. We got here to our new area this morning and are ready to start working!!

Love you and miss you all.

And this is my joy.

Elder Peacock

21

Dear Family and Friends,

Another week has passed, can you believe it? Only 9 more. My itinerary came...I will be in LAX at 950 am on the 26 of July. Hopefully you can squeeze that into your schedules?? haha. It will be fun. I forwarded the itinerary to you Mom so hopefully you got it. Good to see pictures of everyone...glad Pat got right into things...excited to see him when I get back...

So, the week was another hard one. We´ve been working SOO hard, but nothing seems to be happening. It´s ok though. I´m not going to get depressed or sad about it...I know that if I keep working hard like we are, the Lord will be satisfied with our work and that is the most important thing. My birthday wasn´t the best I´ve ever had [he turned 21 on May 20th]. Yesterday, we went by for investigators in the morning to go to church.  We had 3 that were committed to go with us (and we had visited them just barely the day before) and they all bailed out on us and nobody went to church.  While we were sitting there knocking on the door of one of the investigators, I got a message from President telling me that the Lakers lost game 4--that was just the icing on the cake!!! It was a little depressing, but it´s all right.  As some would say, it was character building. It´s funny because President Villarreal is a rabid Spurs fan and he knows that I am a hardcore Lakers fan so we always talk about basketball together. This past week he sent me messages about all the Laker games haha--pretty cool mission President huh?? Hopefully the Lakers can pull it out.

But on the bright side, there are some pluses to being in a richer area. Today we found a Dairy Queen. Also, a member offered to buy us some suits!!! So, I am now the proud owner of a new black suit. I think it will be the one I go home in, so that´s pretty cool.

 

But my companion and I are not going to get discouraged and we´re going to keep echandole ganas, as the Mexicans say. This week we´re going to keep working hard and do some extra things to help us have success. On Sunday, when I was feeling a little down, I remembered the words to what has become my favorite hymn, “Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side”.

I love you all and miss you a ton. Happy 22 months!!!

And this is my joy

Elder Peacock