Love this kiddo..

Mission's are hard. They're supposed to be. But sometimes you set goals and feel the spirit and know that God's saying he'll preppare a way and you can accomplish whatever goal it is.... and then you don't. You really feel like you failed the Lord. It's uber hard. But something I learned here is that there's a difference between depression and divine discontent and I think it applies post-mission. Depression makes it hard to work/pray/study/anything. Divine discontent takes you to your knees and then to the field a little harder.

 Small scriptural example I found this week (only in spanish). In 2 Nephi 2 (somewhere near the end) Nephi gives a little self evaluation; pretty much what he says is "I'm a kid. I'm a big kid.... but still a kid." Exceedingly young even. Pretty focused in his weaknesses. And then he goes on his "mission." Which, all things considered, goes terrible. He knows the Lord's going to provide a way, so their big plan is to just go ask for the plates. That doesn't work out. Complete failure/attempted murder. Okay, next plan: we'll buy them. Not a bad plan. Probably a pretty good one. But again, complete failure/attempted murder again/they lose every possesion they had (Side note: this means there's no going back to Jerusalem. Which is probably particularly bothersome to Laman and Lemuel who, I think, probably really didn't think the whole "wilderness" thing was a life time commitment). Okay so the Lord said he was going to prepare a way. So why isn't there a way prepared? They went from blind (probably naive) faith, to commiting everything they owned to the faith that there would be a way prepared. And there's still no way prepared. So finally Nephi has to trust in the spirit (still has to work) and trust that maybe he doesn't really know best. And you know the rest. But then in chapter four he gives another self evaluation (post-mission) where he says something like "I Nephi being large in stature and having received much strength from the Lord." So compare that with chapter 2-self description. In what must have been a few weeks, maybe a month, he goes from a big kid to having received much strength of the Lord. And I think that change was really the point where Nephi became a person that could father a nation and cross oceans and be super awesome all the time.

Now imagine if the Lord had prepared the way like Nephi thought he would and all they had to do was ask. How different would Nephi be after that? So I think that's why missions are so hard. Sometimes (most of the time) we leave on our missions knowing the Lord's going to prepare a way and people will be prepared to receive us and we think (like Nephi) that all we really have to do is go ask who wants to be baptized. Well that doesn't work out. Then we think, "okay I've gotta give away all my earthly possesions and "buy" some success" Aka everything depends on us and that we work like mad and chase every one we see down and force some lessons down their throat. This also dones't work. And I think that's where missions get depressing. We're working hard. Doing everything we can. Why isn't there a way prepared? Why isn't their a line of people outside our door every morning waiting to get baptized? And I think the answer is the same for us as it was for Nephi; we wouldn't be any different after a mission if all we had to do was go ask. That plus, like Elder Holland said, "Salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation was never, ever easy for Him. Why should we expect it to be easy for us? We are His church and if we're going to wear His name we better be prepared to spend a moment in Gethsemane and take at least a small step toward Calvary." (He gives super intense addresses in his visits to the MTC. Look them up.)

Anyways, that's something I learned this week. I also learned that fleas are litterally the worst creation ever. Our eternal battle against them has been going downhill. my legs are DESTROYED.
Love you family, Elder Brian

So I'm in Huamachuco. Surprise.

 It just barely became a district like right before I got here and there's only like thirty to forty members showing up at church (low percentage). There's only four missionaries here so we have massive areas to cover (not to mention both the senior companions are conselors for the district pres. cause he's pretty much the only real solid preisthood holder here). Anyways Huamachuco is pretty great. The air is 6 million times cleaner than Lima or Trujillo and it's outrageously pretty. But one of the first things President Turk said to me when he told me where I was going was that even in Lima I'd never see poverty like this.. He was pretty much right. In the city center its alright and there's a really pretty center plaza and everything but as you walk up the mountain it gets real poor real fast. It's kinda of a mix between modern day south america and legit Inca Peru.There are people walking around in jeans on there cell phone but on aout every corner there a little incan woman selling corn and jello with the enormous hats and ponchos and everything.

I met my dad and grandpa (as an rm) at our first meeting when we were leaving to our areas. Elder Lopez is a real good guy. He's been wicked sick lately (had to give my first peruvian blessing last night) but we work pretty well and he's a good teacher. He's from Chile and is supergreat at painting (graffiti history. Dope).

Love, Elder Brian

Oh Ps. Election ended sunday (couldnt leave the apartment all day) and I'm pretty sure Ollenta won... Not sure of his politics though cause I'm a missionary and all that and I'm not into that stuff. But yeah maybe look into that.

This is a picture of where Elder Brian lives

Arrived in Trujillo

Dear family,

I am here in Trujillo.  We got here at about 9:00pm yesterday, all is well. Last night the missionaries, and President and Sister Turk picked us up from the Airport. Then we had dinner and rested in the hotel, today we have a bunch of trainings and I will meet my trainer later this afternoon.   I am tired, but fantastic!!!

I will email you more next Monday.

Love,

Elder

Ps. So, that was a pretty generically generated message. But really. I´m here. And fine. I'll write latter in the week though. Ciao.

(ps. from Christy) Got a phone call from a random lady in Layton today who said her daughter is serving in Doug's same mission. She saw Doug on the Mission Presidents' blog and then looked up our number just to call and tell us about it so we could see too. How adorable! right!? So, in case you wanna see too, the address is http://terryandjanetturk.blogspot.com/

Hola.... So our email time is pretty early today. looks like I beat any/all emails today so hope you didn't have any pressing questions. I might be able to get back on later but. I dunno.

So yeah. still in Peru. We've been watching all the Jefferey R. Holland talks he gave at the MTC over the past couple years. Seriously the most intense things ever. Turns out I missed seeing him there by like two months or so. any way you should go find them. cause they're way good. Mm Elder Weber and I are currently getting ready for our proselyting trip on Saturday. Which is gonna be way good. But I think he depends on me a little more than Elder Serrano so, probably gonna have to step my game up a little more for that. Hopefully I'll understand spanish by then or something. That'd be alright. ummm This week was really fast and I can't think of anything new cause it feels like I wrote you guys like... yesterday.

Oh. but can someone out there in the virtual world get me a report on how Davis soccer did? Elder Loveless knows like every game Bingham has played while he was gone somehow and I want to rub it in a bit if Davis did better. ha.

 Um yeah. pretty much out of time. So in summation. still here. Still just read and study and speak spanish everyday. Gonna go wash my clothes and read a book (are you guys aware of how intense the new testament is? you probably are. But i wasn't before. And I recently discovered that it's nuts.) anyways. Love you, Elder Brian.

Lima, Peru

May 18th Update

Okayyy so your vacation sounded suuuper fun. but don't complain. I just got off a bus ride from the temple where there were at least 35 little peruvians and 8 significantly larger Elders packed into a bus the size of my bathroom back home. Super fun. But hilarious.


Even in Peru lately it's been really cloudy and (relatively) cold. The latinos were losing their minds cause they thought they were all gonna freeze to death or catch pneumonia from the 70 degree weather. Funny.
But sounds like a good trip. more hiking and stuff like that in powell would be fun every once in a while. Karen's backyard is gonna be a restaurant?? that sounds intense. And i would want to eat there. A lot. so that'll probably work out.


Also we are advised to tell our parents to not send packages here. it's really expensive and i have to spend all day going to get it from customs and weird stuff... i dunno why. but in two weeks when i leave it's easy again sooo just hold off on that. I can't believe i look skinnier. I eat. SO. MUCH. Granted it's usually like 90% rice but i eat like.. 4 pounds a day. Not making a dent? sad. Probably because i (and all the gringos) am sick. all the time. not sick enough to really matter. but sick.


But hey i play soccer everyday and Elder Loveless taught me how to do a backflip. And by taught me i mean yelled at me till i got the nerve to do it. but yeah. now i'm one of those cool guys that do backflips when they score a goal.


what else.... umm my new companion is elder weber. he's nice... but. He's kind of my kryptonite. And by that I mean he keeps putting things on my bed. It's DESTROYING me. Like his wet towel after he showers. or his sweaty gym clothes when we change... I beg him like everyday to just use his own or his closet or something. he will not. Then one day he started clipping his toenails whilest sitting on my bed and i drew a line. So I think now he understands my concern and will no longer defile my sanctuary. really though. it was messed. que mas.... 


so i bought like 15-20 dollars worth of candy today. hope thats chill. Ha really though it was super necesary. you can only have one plate of food here. and while it's massive it's not really filling the gap that Chic-fil-a/cereal has left in my heart(stomach). So theres that.


 Did you see those pictures i sent of our tour in Lima? cause that's where we were when we went through that museum. you were there. it was weird and de-ja-vuy.  I'm gonna wind down now. Crazy that logan is married. Keep doing good things and having fun with all your misadventures. cause they keep me amused. hey I finished Jesus the Christ last week (random). Super good. you should read it (chirsty/everyone who reads this). Love you all keep the prayers up.