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Hello Family and Friends,

Well so much has happened this week and weekend i dont really know where to start.  Ill start with Thursday.  I had a really interesting experience.  For the first time in my mission i talked with people from the united states that arent missionaries.  We were way up in the hills doing a service project for a family and they had a little medical tent set up and were teaching kids to brush their teach and giving out medication to those who needed it.  It was me my companion and the zone leaders that were together doing the service.  One of the zone leaders is American so we decided to go and talk to them and see whats up.  We started talking to them and it was super awkward.  It was then that i realized that ive forgotten how to socialize in english.  It was really a wierd experience.  But i was able to find
out that they were from Boston and Seattle.  There were several students from UW there so it was neat to be able to talk with them for a little while.  It made me realize how much i have sunk into the culture here.  Its just become normal life for me.

On saturday we had a baptism.  It was an 18 year old guy who we have been teaching for quite a while now.  It was pretty awsome to be able to finally reach the point when he was able to be baptized.  It was all well and good until we arrived at the baptism and none of the bishopric came.   There was no presiding authority to be able to do the baptism.  So we were scrambling to call the bishop and members of
the bishopric so we could get started.  Finally got a hold of the bishop and he was still at work and hadnt bothered to make arrangments so someone could be there to preside.  So after about 45 minutes of making calls and getting authorization we did the baptism without them.  It was frustrating but what can you do.  But we started the baptism an hour late (which is not unusual here) and he was able to be
baptized.  His name is Elmer and he makes a living by making coathangers with his uncle.  Im going to try and attatch some fotos of the baptism.

Saturday night after the baptism and all that, we got a phone call from the zone leaders about the changes.  They told me i was going to Ayacucho which is a zone way up in the mountains and the only zone in the mission thats outside the dessert.  But then they called back an hour later and said they were just joking and that im going to Cañete.  Cañete is a town south of Lima so i got out of the City.  I got here about 10 minutes ago and we came straight here to internet.  The part that scares me the most is that president called me to be district leader here.  Why? idk.  I guess the Lord knows i need to be more humble.  So it should be an interesting experience trying to accustom myself to be a leader in a zone that i dont know at all.  But hey who the lord calls the Lord qualifies.  So im a town called cañete in the part thats called San Vicente.  Ive only heard good things and they finished building a chapel here only a few weeks ago so its brand new. 

 Im really excited about being able to be in a new area again. Yesterday was a little hard saying goodbye to all the families in the ward and the converts and everything.  Especially knowing that i will most likely never see any of them again.  But its a part of the mission.  Thats it from me this week.  Im sad to hear about BYUH losing in the championship game, that sounds rough.    Im super happy to have the jump rope im using it every day.  And i need it too because im pretty sure yesterday alone i gained about 15 pounds.  When i told people that i was leaving they all gave me a ton of food to eat.  And they dont offer either.  They dont even ask if you want it.  They serve you a mountain of rice and chicken on a plate and expect you to eat it.  But hey its better than starving.

Elder Hess

March 14, 2011

Hello Family and everybody.

Well not a whole lot new happened this week.  I was a little nervous after hearing what happened in Japan.  I didnt know if my college still existed or not but sounds like nothing bad happened.  Its really sad what happened in Japan ive never heard on tsunamis reaching three miles in shore thats crazy.  Its amazing how much power water has.

Anyways not a whole lot new to report.  Last monday we went bowling. That was neet.  And today all the american missionaries in the zone got together and we cooked eggs potatoes and french toast.  It was awsome!.  I havent had american food for a long time.  And even though it was made with peruvian ingredients it still tasted pretty good.

Its still burning hot down here it should only be like this for another month or so i assume.  But im not sure we will have to see. We have some great investigators with great potential.  Im really excited about the work right. everything seems to be going pretty smooth.  We are starting to get some help from the leaders and the members and its really helping out a lot.  Unfortunately i dont think ill be here to see the fruits of it because im almost positive i will be changing areas at the end of March.  I would love to hear more details about whats going on in Japan and what happened in Hawaii. And also what happened in California and Oregon.  Im kind of cut off from the world here and dont have access to any news. Other than that everything is fantastic. thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

TJ

March 7, 2011

This is the most recent letter I have gotten. He wrote a couple times and accidentally deleted what he wrote. Here is this weeks!

Hello everybody,

Well this week was a little on the difficult side.  I got pretty sick on Tuesday and im just starting to get better.  I was a pretty nasty stomach infection that had me down and out most of the week.  But no worries im doing better now and im taking some magical pills that are helping me out a lot.  In the little time that i was able to proselite this weeks some crazy things happened.  

The big news here in Lima is there was a rainbow.  And concidering that it never ever ever rains here that was a little wierd.  The next day we were in a middle of the lesson and there was a small earthquake.  then the guy that we are teaching said,  I knew that something crazy was going to happen today because i saw a rainbow yesterday.  That goes to show you exactly how superstitious the peruvian people are.  They are super superstitous. Every body was talking about how the rainbow was a sign of something thats to come.  Its all a little entertaining to say the least.  

But yeah other than that we have one baptism that is almost 100 percent for sure this coming saturday.  Im really excited for it because we have worked really hard with him for a real long time to be able to get to this point.  We also have three more maybes for this saturday so im looking forward to this week a lot should be real great. 

Yesterday was the last day of carnaval so we dont have to run around trying to avoid all the kids with squirt guns and waterballoons anymore because that ended yesterday.  they have a tradition here that every carnaval they pick a tree and hang a bunch of shirts pans and tons of random stuff from it.  Then a group of neighbors all take turns whacking the tree with an ax.  One at a time.  Then when it falls its a mad mass of people running to pick up all the stuff that they want.  Its like a piñata but its a tree.  And the person that makes the tree fall with their hit have to plant  the next years tree and put all the stuff in it.  Its funny because nobody can tell me where these ideas started or came from they just know that this is what they do here.  

anyways tahts whats going on with me.  Its still super hot and it will stay hot until sometime in may from what i hear.  But thats allright im getting used to it.  Miss you all tons hope everything is going well.