12/14 Hello!

Hello all! This week was full of traveling again. We had to go to Ilo for our zone conference, which meant getting 14 missionaries from Moquegua to Ilo (an hour and a half trip), coordinating the use of the chapel there in Ilo, and all the fun stuff that goes along with that. We had planned to do the reimbursements before the zone conference and then start the meeting, thinking that it would only take an hour or so. Well, we started that whole process at 9 and didn’t get done until 1045, so we ended up starting 45 minutes late (and reimbursing over 2000 soles). Problem number 2: we needed to use the TV to show a training video that president wanted us to show. We triple checked with the missionaries in Ilo before going that the TV there did indeed have a DVD player... it didn’t. So we had to go into scramble mode to find one from one of the members there. Thankfully, the ward mission leader came to our rescue and we were able to use the videos-- but the subtitles didn’t work so I don’t think the latino missionaries got much out of it. Problem number 3: we let the sister training leaders take some time during the conference to talk about some of the stuff president trained us on, and told them they would have 30 minutes as a companionship to talk. They talked for like 45 minutes instead, so that put us in a real time crunch. Problem number 4: we got locked inside the chapel. Yes INSIDE the chapel. I guess the genius who built that chapel in Ilo make a lock that only works from the outside, meaning that if the door shuts while the lock is on, it can only be unlocked from the outside. All of the windows and doors in the chapels here in Peru are literally barred, so it is a church-like jail. After calling people for like a half hour, we finally resorted to yelling to some passer-by and throwing him the keys to the chapel, and he came to our rescues. All in all, the conference had its hiccups, but I think the actual teaching we did was good. I talked about the impòrtance of asking questions as a teacher- inspired questions that come from the spirit and help the investigators think and ponder about the things that we are teaching. I think it went well. 

As far as the area goes, we are kind of in finding mode right now. We really don’t have a lot of people who are progressing, and we have kind of mopped up all the people that the elders before were teaching. So, it could take a few weeks until we have another baptism or something of the sort. 

Christmas is coming! I got Nana and Pa`s christmas package and I got the one from you guys too. I have not opened the wrapped presents, as tempting as it is, but I will for sure be enjoying the other goodies that are in there. I have already put the lights up on my desk and over my bed, so our room is X-mas themed already. 

Well, hope everyone has a great week! Happy Holidays!

Elder Matheson