Tyler's is training....

Elder Bulmini

Well I'm trying to send a few pics this week so I hope they turn out all right I can't see them on the computer so I just picked random ones. 

Well this week has gone by very fast. We found out the changes today and it looks like Elder Shaw is going to Huamachuco, which is a little town in the mountains. I don't know who my new companion is because I am going to be training and they haven't arrived here in Trujillo yet. I hope that I am ready to train someone haha I know that it's going to be a lot different and that I'm going to have to help with everything. I just wish I knew if it was a latino or an American. I kind of hope that it's a latino because I'm starting to lose a bit of spanish when I have American companions because we always talk in english with one another. 

Anyways this week went alright. It was sort of bad because we did not have a single person come to church this week which was pretty depressing. It is very hard when they all say that they want to go and tell you they will and then they just come up with an excuse when Sunday comes. It was very hard. However, we do have quite a few good investigators so they should be progressing this next week. 

Also we had our baptism for the girl named Belèn. She was very excited at her baptism and I was able to be the person to baptize her. Her parents aren't members but her extended family is and she has a very strong testimony even though she is only 11 years old. She attends a religious school that is always bashing on other religions and she told us that she received an answer to hers prayers and that she knows the church is true. 

Well sorry I don't have more time to talk but that's about what happened this week and I'll let you know what's happened this next week and who my companion is but until then stay happy and safe!!!!

Elder Wilkinson

There is a group called "Hope Alliance" that goes to Trujillo

every year in order to provide eye examinations, 

eye care and eye glasses.

There are Optometrists, Opthamologists, Business Students,

 Organization Coordinators, Volunteers,

and then the missionaries

 come to translate.

The missionaries do such a great job.

They help administer the eye exams

 and translate for the American team

of doctors and volunteers.

The man with his eyes closed below is Tim Barney.

He is the Organization Sponsor.

This group stays in town for about a week 

working around the clock.

The missionaries are rotated in every few hours.

They bring in thousands of eye glasses

 and each one is appreciated.

It is great for them to be involved in

 service and humanitarian aid.

Tyler is not in the pictures, 

but he did volunteer!

Tyler celebrated the 4th of July by going to a 

Horse Show...

East, Esperanza and Laureles Zones

 

Hey everyone. Life is good. 

Well this next week will be the last week of this change. I will also almost have 1 year in the mission, which is nuts!!!!!! 

Well I will be having a baptism this week that might be on the same day as Justin`s birthday!!!! This girl is really awesome. Her name is Belen, Bethlehem in english, and she is 11 years old. Her grandma and aunt are members but her family isn`t. We taught her the lessons and she prayed. When she prayed she felt peace and was happy but the second time she prayed she told us she received her answer. It was cool because she attends a school that is run by the adventista church and those people are completely lost and crazy about religion. They tried baptizing her a while back and she didn't want to. Also, her other grandma and her father weren't too happy about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and they didn't want her to get baptized, but she told us that she could make her own decisions and she wanted to go to the church that was right and that this was the only true church and that she wanted to be baptized the next week.

 This change with Elder Shaw we have probably seen more miracles than all of my changes before combined. There are 2 more teenage kids that are relatives of members and we are starting to teach them and they are really interested. Also, we found a really awesome family named the family Asto. They all came to church last week and they are very interested in the church. The entire family has been very humbled the last few months because of health and work problems. The mother had surgery on her thyroid or something and has many problems with retaining calcium, and the son about three weeks ago broke his leg and has like 5 bolts holding it together right now as it heals. The dad doesn't have work right now and only the daughter is supporting the entire family. It's really hard to see problems like this and know that all we can do is try and help them spiritually. This is a really special family and I hope that through their experiences in the next few weeks that they can get the help they need and accept the Savior and be baptized to receive the help and guidance of the Holy Ghost.

 Well make sure to light off a ton of fireworks for me and eat my piece of cake on Justin's birthday. Let me know what he gets haha because it will probably be video games and then I can play them when I get back haha. 

Well this last week we did a service project with a guy named Doctor Criddle from Logan, Utah. He is an opthamologist and came to Peru on a service project. We all went and were translaters for them as they worked. One of the ladies put me in charge of the testing station where I helped them find the right strength prescription for their eyes. A lot of the Peruvians here have a strange disease that is like a catarac, or however you spell it, and I think it's called ptergion in english. Anyways 80 percent of the Peruvians have it and it is from exposure to direct uv light and radiation. It's very sad to see because it causes blindness. I sure do hope that my eyes will be protected because this is one of the most common places in the world to get it. 

Well I know this church is true and that it is the church of Jesus Christ. I know that the Holy Ghost always guides us if we take the sacrament worthily and we repent and reflect upon Christ and his atonement BEFORE we are in sacrament meeting. I also know that daily scripture study is important and that the Lord always helps with the dificulties of our lives. 

Make sure to tell Jeff and Kathy`s family hi for me as well as Daren and Tonya`s and Amber and Dallas`. I hope the grandparents are going good and strong and that all my friends are good.

 Don't forget to write letters if you ever have time guys and I'll try to write back when you do. 

Con mucho cariño,

 Elder Wilkinson.

 Family Home Evening with a special family!

No holiday in Peru....

 great fun in Utah!!

We do love you!!

 ...and we hope this package makes it safe and sound!!