The "Curveball"

I got the stocking package. My will power will be exercised to the max to leave it uninvestigated till Christmas. We're starting to get pretty stoked on Christmas. We're doing this massive Christmas Program in the Plaza. Sister Turk is going nuts. were getting flood lights and spots and full sized stables and choirs and santa claus and all kinds of madness. Ask me who has to find and purchase all this random stuff while living in a slightly less than modern country?... this guy. Guess who's stressed... But it's gonna be awesome. We're doing Seize the Day from Newsies. It's gonna be tight. Glasgow’s gonna be David and I do the drum line thing. Anyway it's madness. You'll see videos one day.

K here's the thing about this week. Remember last change when I got hit by "the curveball?" The curveball has officially come full circle and made contact with the back side of my head. Allow me to explain. I've been the financial sec. for almost one change now. We all knew Glasgow had to go out next change because he's going home in like two changes. So we've all been guessing at his replacement all change because we know they're gonna be my companion for a long time and we all have to live together, so anyway, we're pretty interested in it. So Monday-ish, I get the year end budget reports and go in to go over it with President... blah blah money blah. Then President asks me if I'm feeling all settled in and such. “Yeah, feelin good, yeah”. Then he says, “Well I've felt you've been underutilized where you're at right now so... we're gonna have you train a new financial sec. and at the same time train you to be the Personal Sec.”  Straight blindsided. So now I'm training Elder Richards to do the financial stuff and get set for Christmas but at the same time I gotta be trained to do Glasgow's job, which President informed me was "the most difficult job in the mission." So my terror level's at about 8 right about now. Crazy right? So I'm gonna be doing travel, health and President's schedule. You guys could maybe like... pray for me a lot or something. Cause if I mess up, really bad stuff happens. Like deportation. Or, like... death.

So that's where we're at this week, fam. It's madness up in Peru land.


Later famisky,

Elder Brian

Life as a Financial Secretary

"As far as financial secretary stuff in concerned. Yeah. I like it just fine. Sometimes it's weird to not go out working all the time. But we get to do cool stuff (just came from a super pituco dinner with Pres. for my day of birthing). And no, I don't feel like a big deal. I am a big deal. My homies down here are all high rollers. Examples- sonja, check out lady at wong's grocery store. we're bff's; Melisa, gives me my ticket at movistar (phone company), laughs at me when I sing the one taylor swift song they play on an endless loop all day; and last but not least Sebastian, who tells me which line to stand in at the bank, we have a secret handshake. So yeah. I'm big news down here."

Christmas Pictures

Hey Doug's Friends & Fam

Elder Brian is turning 20 next Sunday!
If you have a second sometime this week to write him a little note and send some love that would be awesome!
His email is douglas.brian@myldsmail.net
Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Hermana Turk's version of Peruvian Abbey Road with all the Office Elders

November 1st

Hey famiry.
So the earthquake thing. It was in Lima. not bad at all. There was one a couple weeks ago that we felt a little more but they didn't do anything here... just kinda cool.
So got a phone call last Friday. And then I was suddenly talking to president. And now I'm in the office. Someone please ask Ian what a financial secretary is supposed to do...!?
So that's why I haven't written you yet, cause I'm trying to figure out how to manage vendors and receipts and memorize account and safe numbers. So I got two weeks to train in all this stuff and then I actually have to start doing it. So that's weird. And odds are pretty good I won't get sent out of the office till my mission is more than half over. Unreal right? But I'm not that bummed about it cause I like working in here. Plus, we get a cool apartment and have our own kitchen and stuff. Plus, I get to make my own breakfast and dinner. Plus, Hermana Turk is extremely generous with candy. So that about makes up for not getting to proselyte very much. So anyway, a kid who's never written a check is now running finances for the Trujillo, Peru mission; if it wasn't inspired it would be absolutely irresponsible. 

How Great is My Calling

Doug sent this to me last week, he says they quote it in Spanish at every meeting. I thought it was really powerful so I thought I'd share it with the rest of the blogosphere...

I am called of God.
My authority is above all the kings of the earth.
By prophesy I have been called as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

He is my master and He has chosen me as his humble servant.
To put me in his place. 
To say and do what he would say and do if he personally we're 

here ministering to the very people to which he has sent me.
My voice is his voice. 
My acts are his acts.
My words are his words.
My doctrine is his doctrine.
My comission is to say what he wants said. 

To do what he wants done. 

To be a living, modern day witness of his great and marvelous work in these last days. 
How great is my calling.

-Bruce R. McConkie

October 3rd

So Elder Erickson just died. Sad times. but he lives in Oregon and is gonna go to BYU so in approximately 18 months i'll be seeing him. He was a way good guy. Super focused on loving other people and trying to tell them what Christ would have them do to be happier and feel more of his love. 

So pretty much a normal day: we get up at 6:30 or 6 if we want to go running. shower get ready and walk three blocks to the pensions house. Then we eat go back and study until 10. then we work til 1 and go to the pensions house to eat and leave at 2:30 to work again. This pensh is one of the better ones. she'll make about anything and thern throw on a side of rice. we got that package of food and stuff you sent this week so we made the mashed potatoes and pancakes and all that, but normally she makes chicken or eggs or beef with some rice. you get used to it really.


 P-days are pretty dope. we play fubito at 6 and then shower and come here to write letters and whatever other random purchase and stuff we've gotta do. then at 6 it's like a normal day and we go eat and leave at 7 to go work again. and that is roughly what I do everyday. and it sounds really boring now that I go over it again... this is due to lack of detail and extreme lazyness in writing on my part. sooo sry. ha but really it's pretty awesome.


The people don't let you in their houses as easily as in Huamachuco but the people that do are way more prepared to make and keep commitments. Which is everything. Conference was way good. The four of us that speak english in our stake got our own room and watched most of it in english. It was mind blowingly good. Ask someone how intense Holland was in priesthood session. "He went on a burning rampage of glory." -Erickson  


Anywho.. I am totally drawing a blank on what happened this week... oh Cinthya got baptized. and yes that really is how you spell Cinthya here. We thought it was going to be so stressful to make sure she was prepared in so short a time but it honestly was super easy. Sometimes the spirit isn't a rushing of mighty wind. Sometimes it just makes it so you can understand clearly and then make a choice. And when people make right choice they receive blessings and further witnesses. Agency is kind of a big deal turns out. 

Elder Brian