Letter 4/28/2014

Hey Everyone,

Well this week was pretty dang awesome like usual. So I lost a big chunk of internet time but I´m gonna try and tell you all everything that has happened.

Last Pday we went to a waterfall here in Moquegua it was freaking AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! Got tons and tons of pics. A member took us to this little village where there are no missionaries and we went in a van all together as a zone to these waterfalls. I felt exactly as if I was in the Grand Canyon, I miss that SOOOO much. Then the next day our pensionistas dog Bimba died. It was sad. They loved this little dog SOOO much. But she was suffering bigtime. She went blind and was in pain. She died of a fever basically that is almost incurable. So later in the day when they gave it the shot we went to a cemetery and burried the little dog with it´s bowl and pillow. Then that same day while our Pension and her family were grieving, her friend from the other side of Peru out of no where came to visit/live. They have been a great blessing to have living with us.

Oh and then you know how I can´t smell? Well so we always get liquid oatmeal for breakfast in the mornings. And a few mornings ago We were at breakfast and I am super hungry so chug down my liquid oatmeal and then keep eating and then my comp is like.... "Hey, ummmmmm this is Coffee" So I start interrogating the pensionista and she refused to crack but it was really really really obvious she totally doused my oatmeal with coffee. I was so mad at her. She totally tried to pull a fast one on me and then everyone refused to admit it was coffee. 

We then had an activity at church this week. We made American Pancakes. They were delicious. We had a bunch of people come to the activity and 8 investigators came it was stinking awesome. They were delicious too I miss pancakes so much.

Oh and also on Saturday we had the Baptism of Cesar. He was going to do it on Monday but he told his mom and family and they threatened to disown him and kick him out of the house and everything if he did. So we talked a little more with him and he was like you know what I am 22 I do what I want and I want to follow Christ and get baptized so he did on Saturday. His family still doesn´t know though hahaha. But he is sooooooooo awesome.

Well today for pday it´s going to be even more awesome. We rented a huge grass stadium for soccer and a restaurant and we have invited the closest zone to us Zona Ilo to come and visit us. We are going to eat Fried Chicken together and then we are going to play soccer on a real grass field full size. I can´t wait. We are going to destroy them hardcore. Well That´s all I got for this week. Wish I could explain more but I gotta go.

 Love YOU all CHOU CHOU

Love Elder Russon

Letter 4/21/2014

Hey Everyone

Well this week has been tons of fun

On Pday we went to a little village like 45 minutes from our zone called Torata. We went there and played on a giant soccer field they have there that is ALL grass. So we get there and the maintenece guy is like HEY EVERYTHING IS WET!!!! But he´s like but if you guys lock the gate in 2 hours when you leave you can play. So we were like yeah perfect so we played. IT WAS SOOOO MUCH FUN! The grass was soooooo wet. Tons and tons of water. Puddles everywhere. So we start playing and right away one Elder running completely eats it in a giant puddle and he was soaking wet. So right then we ALL realize we can push eachother into puddles and you´ll just fall into it and there is nothing you can do. SO for like 2 hours we are just running all over the place playing soccer pushing each other into puddles getting soaking wet falling on the ground. It was sooo much fun. I have some pictures of how dirty I was after. 

Then also we had an Easter activity. To start off we did an easter egg hunt in the church. Lots of people showed up like 50 and then we I said "go" BOOOM they all booked it into the church rooms looking for eggs like crazy. It was awesome.

Also we had Stake Conference which was pretty normal other than or Mission President came to Moquegua. So my comp and I received him and we brought him to his hotel here and OH MY GOSH he had the NICEST hotel EVER It was so cool. Its this hotel on top of Moquegua and it looks out on top of everything. Alone and quiet and a big pool and restaurant it was super cool. He invited us to eat there and my goodness I haven't tasted good food like that in forever.

Also yesterday I got to do a baptism for a kid named Richard. So I do the baptism and everything and then the bishop wants to do the confirmation on the spot so he is doing it and then I realized he said a different name than me. So i realized he never told me about his other name when I baptized him. We were already changed in dry clothes ready to leave and we had to put on our soaking wet clothes again and go baptize him again. It was FREEZING too. But it was a cool experience and he is super awesome.

Also today in a few hours we have another baptism. His name is Cesar. He has been studying the Book of Mormon like crazy and dang he captures what he reads so well. I swear hes been teaching me stuff about the chapters we've left him to read haha. The only sad thing is that after Cesar gets baptized today we dont have any more promising investigators. But he is so awesome and I'm so glad I know him.

Well today we are going to go visit some waterfalls here and take some awesome pictures. Well I gotta go love you all a lot CHOU CHOU

Love Elder Russon

4/14/2014 Letter

Hey family and friends,

Well this week has been pretty crazy. I got my new comp Elder Priebe. He is from Idaho. He´s super cool and I get along great with him. We had a baptism the other day for Frank. He´s super super awesome. His entire family who aren´t members came to the baptism and bought all the cake and drinks and desserts and everything. They are a great family.

Well yesterday our Bishop was out of town so the 1st Counselor was put in charge. It was HILARIOUS. It was my comps and one other set of missionaries first time in our ward and the 1st Counselor went soooooo crazy on entire congregation. He started off the meeting before even having the prayer by giving us a 30 minute sermon about apostasy and it went down hill from there.  He said some other crazy stuff but I don´t remember all of it. But it was just soooo ridiculous and hilarious and then to see the reaction of my comp and the other missionaries that were new was just priceless. They were just like WHAT WAS THAT GARBAGE!!!! Is it always like that? It was pretty funny. Luckily the bishop should be back in town already. 

Well that´s all I got for this week.

Love you all a lot. Thanks a ton for the letters. I gotta go CHOU CHOU

Love ELder Russon