[If you are keeping up with Elder Holmes travels, you know that we didn't get our usual email last week. We got one line that stated he received a package from us and it was waiting for him at the chapel. But that was it. He informed us earlier in the month that the Internet is painfully slow and it was good to know that because I had a feeling that is why we didn't get our weekly email. And sure enough as he will explain below, that is what happened. Enjoy his travels and the pictures. He did good this week.]
[The following each line is emails he sent this morning and the one lines were in the subject line. We have found that we can do quick Q &A this way and it works. Just type one line in the subject line, it is like texting but with email.]
- SO Sorry... Google Didn't save the draft from last week and didn't tell me that the email failed. The internet REALLY Stinks over here... I have been waiting for the last 25 minutes for the gmail to load to this point.... [Um, that seems worse than dial-up.]
- I am trying to send this weeks block email, but it wont let me.. I got the Reese's peanut butter spread packages, Thanks! And the internet wont let me send more than this.... [I had asked him which package he received from us. This is from December. He still hasn't received his package from November. We shall continue to pray for that one.]
- I don't think I can send more... I am super mad that the internet here stinks... I do love you all and know that I am keeping all this so that one day I can send it.....Elder Holmes
[Then this little email came. As you can see it was chopped in mid sentence, but hey, we will take it. See below...]
This last week has been one for the books!
Jan 19th 2015
P-day, interviews with [Mission] President, and a haircut. Oh yea, and we went to the Zoo. So, to start off the day we went to the internet Super painfully slow.
Jan 20th 2015
Started the day off with our weekly district meeting, which I always look forward to not only because it is a time for us 6 missionaries to get together, but it is an opportunity for us to get together and discuss future plans we have for what we plan on doing in each of our areas.
Later in the day we continued with our lessons, 2 of which involve trying to get 2 different couples married in preparation for their baptism. It is not that they don't want to get married, it is that it is so darn difficult here! And the cost of it is not very friendly either for them! We have ways to accrue funds down here, but it is a bummer that I or anyone from home cannot help *mission rule that we cannot solicit funds* because it is way less if we were to pay for it here.
We also started teaching the family of the person who I baptized the other week, which is really inte
[The email stopped there, then we got these two very quick emails.]
- Woah. I did not know that internet could stink this badly here in Peru, but I was horribly wrong. I guess my email from last week not only didn't send, but didn't even save the draft... SO SORRY.
- I will try to send photos from another internet connection, but no guarantees on that... Sorry... Gahhh.... [He sounds a bit frustrated.]
[UPDATE: Okay, at this point, I felt his frustration and I was reading all this at work. My daughter was with me waiting to catch the bus and I whispered to her, "We need to pray for Andrew, he needs to be able to send an email to us. Pray quietly and I will too." Then one hour later we got this email below. Jennifer, his sister, was already at school. But I texted to her our little miracle. She was excited. It doesn't hurt to pray for those things that you feel that are important for you. He will answer.]
Hey! I was able to use another computer for just a bit so I could send some photos. I have all the stuff I wanted to send, but I will send that next week probably in a Photo so you can type it out later if you would like.
Please make sure everyone knows that *through Facebook (that my internet stinks, so If I don't respond it isn't because I hate them... and I would like you to say it like that please.... :) [He is so funny, like we would hate him. lol]
26th January 2015
Awesome day today! Started out with 1 hour of internet as usual, but after that we did something I have been wanting to do for a very long time. Cook! IT is difficult to cook because we have our pensionistas who cook for us for all of our meals all the time.... So, today after internet we went shopping. Believe it or not we found Betty Crocker Pancake Mix as well as a few other essential ingredients, but alas no syrup anywhere in Satipo... So, off we went to prepare our Lunch of Heroes. Oh, I also forgot to mention that I kept one of the giant bags of M and Ms from Grandma for something like this. Yup, thats right... I cooked us (our district) Chocolate Chip Pancakes. So delicious! But you think the day ended there you are wrong! Off we went to one of our local waterfalls named Bird of the Rocks... It was about a 1.5 hour convey bus ride and was totally worth it. The only expenses here to view waterfalls is the transportation.
There is no entry fee for the bridges or the path to the falls. Took some awesome photos of all of us sitting on a log in the middle of the pond below the waterfall, but as we all predicted the log broke with 6 of us on it, and the sister missionaries fell in first! Oh no!! Lets just say that we got the pictures of us before and after! Brought my Camelbak UV Water filter and drank some of the fresh waterfall water. You bet that was probably the best water I have had the opportunity to drink in Peru. After we took all of our photos, we headed back home, and had a few family home evenings, and in transit to one of them (we were running a bit) 2 appointments a bit far away... and it was raining horrible. Horribly. And yup, I fell bad in the rain, Totally soaked as well as my companion. Welcome to the Jungle I guess!
27 January 2015
District Meeting today, you know.. the norm. After we met together my companion and I headed down to a sister in the ward who has a disability in which makes it impossible for her to move around the house, let alone go to church. We have been visiting her every few days to see if there is anything more than our company that we can give her. Then an opportunity for Relief Society came into place. Basically everyone in her house is gone this week, and has nobody to move her from her bed to her wheelchair or to feed her, or do just the little things like that around the house. Like a super mom, our pensionista kicked into gear and started organizing meals and visits all week. About 2 weeks ago nobody knew her, and now we have our Ward Council scheduling visits and assistance (with the help of us of course, no ward is perfect down here) so she can be taken care of. I can noticeably tell a difference in her attitude and energy, something that she did NOT have when I first met her. Just little selfless acts of service can make her week! At the end of the day, my companion Elder Inkley had to leave for a District Leaders Meeting in Huancayo, so I will be staying with the Other Zone Leaders and be doing a few divisions until he gets back.
28 January 2015
Trio day! Not much went down today, we looked for a new pensionista for the sisters and found one and talked about for a while what the pensions do, which I also snagged a bunch of recipes from Sister Henderon's [Mission President's wife] Big Book of Pension receipes both Peruvian and American, yes, P-days here we come. For the evening and the other meals, i ate with the other elders pension and slept in their very tiny room.
29 January 2015
 |
| Must show the Lego Guy |
Elder Holmes
Satipo, Peru
[PS: These pictures were supposed to be posted for the last blog, CLICK HERE to catch up. This are photos of his first baptism. But since they are new, I am posting them here also. Enjoy!!]
 |
| Elder Holmes 1st Baptism |
 |
| If you look really close, the water is a bit yellow/green. They collected it from rain water. |
No comments:
Post a Comment