Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter Pageant and Easter in Peru

I'm glad that you guys got to go to the Easter Pageant. I was thinking about that. This week was pretty big down here there was a little parade thing and they had someone playing Jesuse carrying a cross. They have different traditions down here. I haven't gotten any mail or packages yet. Hopefully this week when the zone leaders go to the offices they'll bring back some mail for me. I'm so glad that my friends are getting their calls! That's so exciting!!!

I forgot to tell you...

Thanks Mom, I love you all soooooo much!!! Oh, I forgot to tell you that one of the Elders in my zone is from Queen Creek, Elder Willman. He was in the MTC with Ryan. I thought that was really cool. He went to Queen Creek High. Tell Sarah congratulations! I know that she is graduating soon! Wow, I can't believe that time has glown by so fast!

Pizza!!!

It was a 20 minute bus ride and it was about 7 when we arrived.

Ya! I was just glad to have pizza! Tell Mark and the crew 'Hi!' for me the next time that you go in to little Cs. President Dorius said that his friends own some Little Caesars in California and stuff. And that there is one here i Lima. I thought that was cool! Oh and President and Sister Dorius are amazing people!! They are the Best!! I have been put in the best mission in the best area and with the best comanion! I hope that you all are doing alright and I love you all! I hope Iget your package soon! and letters too. Tell Brooks congratualtions for me! And when does Harry leave?

In response to Brother Donovan's phone call

Jacob email: He told me that he'd call you. I knew that you would like that! I didnt' get to email last week because p-day is on Mondays in the field. I told him that you'd probably cry when he called you hahah. Love you mom!

My email: Actually, I held it together pretty good until the end. But when I was telling Dad, Meag and Jar about it, YES! I lost it! It was awesome though to hear that you are doing well.

Jacob email: Hahaha! Ya, it is definitely the real life now, it's not practice! And I definitely need to improve more!!! (side note) if things stay the same, I think that I'm going to come back a little gordito. hahaha The food is awesome! but in different places it's different and I'm walking more so maybe not!
BROOKS??? PIURA??? that is so awesome!!!!! he is going to love it!

I got to the field on Tuesday early in the morning and we had interviews with the President and a little orientation on how everything works and we had Papa Johns pizza. It was the best pizza that I've ever had in my whole life. I can't believe how much I missed pizza haha. My companion is Elder Pop and he is from Guatemala. There are a lot of elders from Guatemala!! He has been out for about 3 months a little longer than me but all of his time has been out in the field. He is the best and a really good teacher!! At times he is a little direct but its what I need to hear and I don't like talking around the bush either. I learn better if it s direct. He is such a good example to me!! He has been sick before I came and he had to spend some time in the clinic for some stomach issues and he is still not all of the way better. However no matter what he still wants to work and that is something that I will take with me for the rest of my mission.

My zxone is olivar and I'm in the barrio Faucet. It is literally right next to the airport. We spent a lot of time getting to know the members and the members are the best!!! they love the missionaries so much and they have huge testimonies!!! We live with Hermano Pedro and his wife Hermana Gabi. Hermana Gabi is pregnant and she cooks amazing food.

I'm blessed that my companion is a hard worker and before I was his companion. He and his other comp. had quite a bit of success. We got to teach a little bit to the investigators that we have. And they are some people that want to be baptized but they need to get married first. That is a problem that comes up more often then not. But there is a joven who wants to be baptized on the 7 of may and hopefully his parents will get married so they can be baptized too. My Spanish is coming a long. Everyday I can understand more and more what people are saying and now I need to be able to talk and teach. We have a lot of time to study and this helps a lot!

Friday, April 22, 2011

A letter from Elder Sawyer via El Presidente Mision' Peru Lima Oeste

We had a wonderful letter from the Peru Lima West Mission Office. And to that letter was attached a sweet letter from Jacob. We are ever grateful for all of Jacob's leaders,grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts, friends and family. Here is his letter:

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

No e-mail today but .... a tender mercy.

Today Jacob is expected to head out to the field. We expected an e-mail all day. I checked all day and hoped to receive one at any minute. So I sat down at the computer to check the e-mail for the 2000th time today but no e-mail. So I wrote him an e-mail about going to the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Arizona Temple. Just as I was pushing the send, the phone rang. It said "LDS Church Main" with an 801 prefix. I said "Hello". The male voice on the other end said "Sister Sawyer?" I said "Yes?" Then "This is Jerry Donovan and I just wanted to you to know that I saw your son last week when I was in Peru on business and he is doing well. I saw him and his companion on a bench at the MTC there studying there discussions in 85 degree weather." Come to find out that Brother Donovan is the Main Controller for the church and had been down to the CCM in Peru. He said he likes to call parents when he sees their son or daughter in his many travels. Let me tell you, this phone call was such a blessing and peace of mind. Jacob told him that he is eating well and doing well. What more could we hope for? Truly a tender mercy!
We are praying that he continues to be well and he is heading out to the field to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We are ever grateful for Jacob's choice to serve a mission!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Hi everyone,
How is everyone doing? thanks for the emails it was awesome to read them! and to see the pictures that you sent. i have some more pics but i think ill send them next week. this is my last week in the ccm and its going by fast! but we are still learning a lot. im excited to leave but at the same time im sad because im leaving some really good friends who are going all over and serving the lord. we did not go proselytting last sat because they had elections on sat and everyone is doing that and it might have got a little crazy. but we go out this sat, im excited! however we found out yesterday that my companion and the rest our his district is leaving on friday for their mission in ecuador because elder nash, the area authourity is doing a tour of that mission and he wants them their, Elder Nash is awesome by the way, he came to our sacrament meeting a couple of times and he has an awesome testimony!! so i think that we might be put with some other latino district this sat which will be different because we have never taught with them before but im sure that itll be fine if we have the spirit with us! i read dads email and i really liked it! i find that when we practice teaching i forget all about my worries, and i think that will help me in the field. i think that it is awesome that you did the march of dimes walk! im happy for you and miss you all. Dang i cant believe that highland took last in the brophy tournament!!! hopefully they get it together!! and i think that i gave most people my address to my mission and so ill get harrys mail on tuesday hopefully. hopefully being the key word! haha

oh futbol is going well the first three weeks i was goaly but the last 3 weeks ive been playing forward i think and i scored 7 goals i thinkthat is pretty goood for a gringo. and i bought some stuff i want to send to you guys so ill send it when im in the feild. love you!!

Monday, April 11, 2011

April 3, 2011

Dear Dad,
I watched the Priesthood session last night and it reminded me of when all three of us would go to watch it at the Stake Center and then go get ice cream. Thank you for doing that with us. I will always have those memories. I hope that you and Jared were able to go last night. We watched it in English, I think that that'll be the only time on my mission that I'll watch it in English. I was really excited for Conference and it's going by so fast. I wish I would have payed more attention to it last time before I left. I really liked Neil L. Anderson's talk in Priesthood Session. He told a story at about a Rugby player that decided to serve a mission and the missionary said that the "Blessing of bringing others to the gospel far out weighs anything I left behind". I definitely feel that way and I'm excited to get out in the field and serve. I met like 10 other missionaries going to my mission, finally. I thought that I'd be the only missionary. But I'm the only Gringo.
There is a missionary from Uruguay. He said that he thinks he knows Zach. I thought that was pretty cool, but he said stuff like "Sayo" as "Sashyo" and "capilla" as "capisha". It was funny I couldn't really understand him as well as others. It was funny! So now I know what your were talking about with the "ll" as "zh".

Love,
Elder Sawyer

March 30, 2011 letter

Dear Mom,
I got your letters today. I think that the reason why it took a little longer for me to get theose letters was because it might of went to my mission house and then had to come here to the CCM. But that's ok. Keep sending them there because by the time you get this letter and then send the next letter I'll be close to getting out to the field. I'm so sad that Aunt Yvonne passed away. I almost cried when I read the e-mail, but I didn't want the other Elders to see. I just remembered all the good times when we visited them and that she's in a better place now. I'm glad I got to talk to her before I left.

Tell Grandma that the food is awesome. We eat a boat load of rice every meal except breakfast. We also eat a lot of chicken. The vegetables are a lot better here. It's probably because they come straight from the farm.

I'm glad that Grandma got new chicks! That was always fun!

I'm glad that Jared is pulling his grades up. Make sure to keep an eye on him. I only say that because I LOVE HIM!! And I want him to prepare to serve a mission. He's going to Love it!

We went to the beach and it was so foggy!! I'll send some pics. We saw some cool things. We saw some pyramids (not too exciting.) and some really old buildings. We talked to one guy in the street. He wanted to read Revelations in the Bible. I think he was afraid that it's the end of the world or something. I wrote down his address and told him about the restoration and gave him a pamphlet. He was a little crazy, but the Lord loves all his children!

I always enjoy reading your letters! Keep them coming. I promise to write more in my letters.

Love,
Elder Jacob Sawyer

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

More Pictures from Peru



A new companion and a tour of Lima in the fog











Hey mom and fam!
I finally got your letters last wednesday and i sent some letters to you on monday. and tell sonia i sent their family one too. and hermana boza is my teacher here she said shed find our facebooks and say hi. and i guess she went to the same mission at the same time as bj, i thought that was pretty cool!!! Our tour was awesome! he went to the beach and we saw a ruin but it really wasnt that impressive( the ruin). it was so fogggy at the beach! we couldnt even se the water at some places. it was nuts!! i guess its foggy because its fall here. the weather is nice its kinda like california, its not hot at all but it gets a little humid. Conference was awesome we got to watch it in english! thank goodness it wouldnt be the same if i couldnt here their actual voices, next time itll be in spanish tho. i liked elder johnsons talk aswell, i thouldt it was all awesome, and i also liked the talk about that rugby player that chose to go on a mission and he said something like the joy i get from bringing people to the gospel and sharing the gospel is greater than anything that he left behind! i really liked that! my new companions name is Elder Donis he is from guatemala he is awesome and we are getting to know each other and learning to teach together. i think that we will make a good team. i have been blessed to have awesome companions that have strong testimonies and are willing to help me with the language. i met some people going to my mission, finally, im the only gringo but they are all so exited to go to the west mission, i love it! THERE IS an elder from uruguay that said he thinks he knows zach, i thought that was pretty cool!!! its funny how different people in different countries speak spanish so differently, i couldnt reallyy understand this elder at first because the "ll" is a "sh" in uruguay, it threw me off. im so glad i decided to serve!!