Written by Elder Jacob Avery, serving in the Peru Lima West Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking Spanish.
(**Note to reader: Clicking on the highlighted words will link to additional information about the phrases Elder Avery uses in his letter. Also, clicking on the photos will enlarge them.)
Dear Dad,
Thanks for your letters! :) I'm doing better this week. We had a teleconference with several of the Area Seventy about how to carry out the Work of Salvation. We had several members of our ward counsel go! It's nice to see our ward is willing to help out in this very important cause.
One of the things that really struck me was when one of the Seventy taught using Matthew 25. When the King gathered all the just on his right and the unjust on the left, he mentioned nothing about obedience to the commandments. We learn from the Book of Mormon that ''Salvation doesn't come from the law of Moses (commandments) alone.'' It is necessary that we help others out, and don't let service opportunities pass by.
We have three baptisms this week! One is J** (name omitted for privacy). He's awesome. He's been investigating the church for about a month, and he's already coming with us to appointments because he wants to preach with us. He's 25 years old, so we're trying to work with Presidente (we live with the stake president) to get him out on a mission. It's very exciting to have investigators like that :)
This week I've been thinking a lot about everything. You really get tried in every way possible ''out here in the field!'' Speaking of rock music from your day, there's a city called Huacho (Wah-cho) out here, so you'll hear my companion singing, ''A Huacho me fui...I want to break free.'' It means, "I went to Huacho."
I'm getting along with my companion better. Half of it has to do with he's the district leader so we have splits once or twice a week, and the other half is the Lord answers prayers. We've both changed to work more as a team, and not as tweedle dee and tweedle dumb. We also bought a George Foreman grill for breakfast, and it's amazing!
Well, I'm glad to hear the family is all together. I'm there too as long as you have my ''peligro de muerte'' picture ;) Have a great Thanksgiving. They don't celebrate anything like that here, so I'm just going to be grateful on my own. Play some football for me, and save some of Mom-mom's stuffing. I love you twelvety twelve miles.
Elder Jake Avery
Almuerzo y Cena (Lunch and Dinner) (November 18, 2013)
You Will Not Be Confounded Before Men (December 3, 2013)
