I had a good week, but not much happened this week. Actually, only two things have really happened. One I got sick for the first time since Cerro de Pasco and two, of course, is General Conference.
So yeah you’ll be happy to know that I didn’t get sick at all in La Merced, not even once. I thought that my body had finally adapted and that getting sick was something I left behind in Cerro. I also thought that I was like a Latino or something and could eat whatever I want and not get sick, but no, I am still a gringo. I ate a hamburger at a restaurant with my comp and members and naturally I was the only one who got sick. I also ate anticuchos in the street, but that was two days before I got sick so I’m pretty sure it was the hamburger. But yeah lesson learned—make sure your meat is cooked all the way through.
Conference was great, but yes it talked a ton about family and marriage. The ward figured out how to set up conference on satellite here in Villa Rica so we didn’t have to travel to La Merced. I also watched it all in Spanish, and I understood everything but it isn’t the same and doesn’t have the same power or emotion in the talks for me in Spanish. Especially Saturday morning talked about marriage and I was thinking about Camron and Chloe the whole time. M Russell Ballard in the priesthood session said something along the lines of Drop the phone and find your eternal companion. That just made me laugh. I also loved Jeffrey R Holland’s talk, and Wilford W. Anderson’s talk about the hearing the music of the gospel was my favorite.
So yeah we are working with two jovenes right now. The first one is named (and don’t laugh) Winner, but it’s pronounced wiener. I smiled the first time I heard his named, but he is a super awesome guy. He is 15, and he attends seminary is going to church has a goes to all of the activities and has a super strong testimony. We have tried to teach his mom and dad as well, but they aren’t really interested yet. All he really needs to get baptized is permission from his parents because he is under 18. It is kind of weird. In the US there is no way parents would let there kids just talk to the missionaries, but things are different here in Peru, and the parents don’t care. The other is an 18 year old named Jimy.
Villa Rica produces about 40% of the blend Starbucks uses in their coffee. The people here say that they grow the best coffee in the world. So If I wanted to try coffee for the first time, this would be the place to do it. Haha.
Ask me questions for next time. I don’t know what you want to know.
Love you,
Elder Walker
