PRAY HARD and SEARCH the SCRIPTURES for your ANSWER....

Well fam and friends thanks for all the support and advice you have given me. It really helps me and gives me the strength to keep moving forward. This week was good. I did what you told me to do and dragged my comp to run with me one morning but he only lasted one day. But I'm gonna keep trying. Well good news is that all the missionaries now have cell phones. We are about 50 years behind every other mission in the world but it's all good cuz it has made the work here so much more efficient and we are using our time a lot better. 

Well God definitely has blessed us with a new member who has moved into our ward. His name is Joel and he has been a mission leader in all his wards. He loves to serve and is pumped to work. He only works in the mornings and he lives by himself so he has most of the afternoons free to visit with us. He's a real example to us missionaries and to the members of how they can help in the work. Well we have been given new rules. We can no longer baptize anyone who is less than 18 if their parents aren't active members of the church. It's kind of a bummer cuz we were preparing a couple of youth to be baptized but they can't cuz their parents have to get baptized or in the case of Angela, her mom has to be fully active. It's a little hard but it makes sense because here in Peru there are too many less actives and recent converts who are also less active. The new goal is to convert families and baptize entire families. Even though it's gonna be hard, I'm excited to work and look for families that are prepared and ready to receive the gospel. 

This week when I had an exchange with my district leader, we visited Veronica. She told us that she believes in everything we have taught her and believes that the Book of Mormon is true but she still doesn't go to church and has a hard time leaving her Catholic traditions. We discovered it's because she hasn't made an effort to pray. She thinks she doesn't need to pray cuz she already has faith and already believes but we tried to help her understand that to have a true conversion, she needs to pray and ask God to receive a true witness from the spirit. She has been progressing but very slowly. 

Well Sunday was pretty sick. We did splits and I went with a kid named Jeizer who is full of excitement and wanted to teach and preach.  When we didn't have appointments he brought me to his friend's house, introduced me and we taught him. He doesn't have any fear and isn't embarrassed about his religion and it was super impressive for me. Well this is all I have to say ladies and gents and I hope that you all have a great week and don't forget to say your prayers and read your scriptures every day. and I know just as the prophet receives revelation for the church, we can all receive revelation for our personal lives and for our family members. Pray hard and search the scriptures for your answer.

Elder Harper

THE BEST PEOPLE to CONTACT are the TAXI DRIVERS....

Hola Familia!

Well it has been another normal week here in the Brisas. This week I got to do an interchange with my zone leader. It was awesome and I definitely learned a lot from him.  It felt good to work hard and to have an affective companionship study. Something I learned from him that I've been trying to work on is, talking to everybody. Sometimes missionaries get in the mode where they only contact when they knock doors but there are always people around us and the best people to contact are the taxi drivers because they can't escape jaja. 

Well this week we met a friend of a returned missionary who wants to hear the lessons from us. He has attended church several times but never has talked to missionaries and has many doubts and questions. We have taught him only one time so far but he's super interested and he's especially interested in temples and the concept that families can live together forever. He also attended stake conference this Sunday so it looks like he might have potential. 

Saturday and Sunday night were stake conference and it was pretty epic because Elder Scott Grow was there from the 70 and Elder Camargo was there from the area 70. It was an awesome feeling being spiritually nourished by powerful men. They talked a lot about the importance of members and missionaries working together in the work of salvation and also about the power of revelation because they rearranged the stake presidency. President Williams and his wife also bore there testimonies, which were very powerful as well. 

Elder Harper

SHOUTING and SCREAMING BABIES....

Hello Family!

Well I'm still here in Las Brisas with Elder Lazarte. Neither of us had cambios which was unexpected. We thought he was gonna go and I was gonna train or something but yeah it's all good. This week we did met some new people who might have some potential. Karen went to church and she remains strong but her husband doesn't want to talk to us so there's not much we can do there. We have been teaching a woman named Veronica who was born and raised Catholic. She has cousins who are nuns and she follows all of the traditions of the Catholics even though she isn't active in the church. Well we have been teaching her about the message of the restoration and the Book of Mormon and she has read and prayed and says that she believes it's all true but she's just afraid of what others will say if she decides to change religions cuz her whole fam is hard core catholic. We also taught her the Word of Wisdom and she said she really wants to stop drinking and she told us that it was a blessing we came the day we taught her that cuz her friends wanted her to go to a party but she really didn't want to cuz she didn't want to drink but then we showed up so she didn't have to go. Well we are gonna see how she progresses this week. Her son is pretty interested as well. 

This Sunday I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting but it was the worst cuz there was no microphone and there were shouting and screaming babies. My comp has 2 months left in the mish and has almost lost all desire to work and to study but I'm trying to help him in this. Well this is all I got for you guys this week. Keep it classy and we shall see each other soon.

Elder Harper

SIMPLE LESSONS and MOMENTS LIKE THIS.....

Family, 

Well I walked into internet unprepared cuz I forgot everything I did this week. Well the work here is a little slow. We keep working hard every day and the ward helps but we have yet to see the fruits of our labor. I know they will come with time and patience but sometimes it's a little frustrating and sometimes it makes me think that I'm really not doing all I can but I'm gonna keep enduring to the end. Karen didn't come to church this weekend cuz of her husband, and Angel didn't come either because she traveled with her mom to Jaen. But we have been planning and thinking and praying and I think that the 16th of August will be a good day for both of them to be baptized. This week we are gonna visit them and see what happens. 

Well in a week there are transfers and even though my comp doesn't have too much time in the area it's likely that he goes cuz he only has 3 months left in the mission. There are 20 new elders coming in so maybe I'll train. It would be pretty sweet to have a child in the mish haha. Well this week I completed one year in the mish. It feels like the time has passed by real fast and I know this second year will pass by fast as well and that is what scares me. But I'm ready and excited to receive any responsibility that the Lord might give me in this next year and I hope to have the opportunity of bringing the gospel to many more lives. 

Well a cool experience we had was when we visited a less active youth this week. We were able to talk to the dad of this youth as well, who isn't member of the church. Well the dad was a little drunk but he opened up to us and told us how he had failed as a father and how his home has been failing. We taught him about the plan of salvation and the importance of families. He says he wants to change and be a better father. He has known the Elders for a long time so he asked us to give him a priesthood blessing and he thanked us for the comfort and council that he was able to receive from the Lord. The simple lessons and moments like this is when the spirit is the strongest and is what makes this sacrifice as a missionary so worth it . Well I don't have much to say but I know with all my heart that this church is true and that Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven live and love us no matter what we do but we are extremely blessed when we live with obedience. I love you all and thank you again for your love and support and your great examples to me.

Elder Harper

A note to Dad:  hey thanks for the advice Dad. This week has been a great one. You know me pretty well and sometimes I lose confidence and get discouraged but this week has been great. I'm really learning to trust in the spirit and the Lord and not my own abilities and when I do it, my teaching and work is a lot more affective and the spirit is always with me. Well I love you Pops!!