May 9th, 2016: Party in the PerU.S.A

Fam and Friends,

First and foremost I have to wish the ever stylish, beautiful, thoughtful, and hip mom, Dayna J, a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

If you don't know her consider yourself deprived of all the good things in life and take her out to lunch.... or Costco! I love you so much mom and hope you had a great day!

So. This week.  We found a family with eight kids (shouts out Hardings).  They are super awesome and their kids are super well behaved!  The only downside is that they live in Rosa de Guadalupe where a member of the ward got murdered so we cant visit them past 6 pm. Also the majority of their kids (a good soild five of the eight) are literally always completely naked when we go over. Hahahaha. They are doing great however and already accepted a baptismal date for June 4th!

One of our progressing investigators (has a date for the 21st) had a drinking relapse this week:( He was super sad, we were super sad, but we taught about repentence, the spirit was killer, there were tears from both ends, and then we topped it off with chicken feet soup. The Lord doesn't expect immediate perfection, but he does expect immediate change. #starttoday

I have been sick for the past couple of days and if you ask any Peruvian they will tell you it's because I sleep with the fan on and I drink cold drinks. Dont ask me why but literally everyone here is convinced that those things make you sick. I on the other hand, am convinced it is the work of Satan trying to make us miserable by telling me I can't have a fan or a cold drink when it is 95 degrees. #Apostasy

All in all this week was great.  We had a mother's day activity with the ward that was supposed to start at 7:30 but didnt start until 9.  Elder Sangueza did a musical number at said activity and brought the house down!  And I gave Hermana Vilma an actual hug because she literally treats us like her own kids and that is what she wanted for Mother's day.

I hope all the mom's out there had a great mother's day. Continue to kill it. I love you all and talk to you next week!

Elder Meier

May 2nd, 2016

Que tal (how are you) fam and friends.

So this week was terrible turned great. LOL. It actually started off great. We found three new investigators Mon and Tues and things were really rollin.  We were pumped because we had so many lessons with a member planned and we were determined to get hermanamiento for each of our investigators (i dont know what hermanamiento is in english. I think it is like fellowship but idk???). Anyway, literally went all out, we were calling people up the Whazoo, confirming citas (appointments) with everyone and their dog, and calling and texting our members constantly.  Long story (filled with sweat, tears, and half swear words)short, NINE out of our TEN lessons with a member fell through. Some investigators weren't home, some were drunk, and some went to Trujillo to buy more watermelons. I instantly was discouraged and when Sunday rolled around I became even more discouraged when NO ONE came to church.  Luckily the sacrament is a real thing and during it I  felt like the Lord was content with the efforts we put forth this week. After church I accepted that this week was just going to be crappy and that we were not going to get our goal of 5 new investigators (after Tuesday no one let us in their house).  Sunday was normal and good, but I just kept feeling sad that this week was so unbeneficial.  Finally it was 7 o clock, we had to report at 8, and we still hadnt found any new investigators.  Early that day the Familia Zeta ( the family where the dad, Carlos, isnt a member) invited us over to eat dinner if we werent busy. The temptation was real to ditch the search for nuevos (new people) and go enjoy the comfort of the Zeta home.  But both Elder Sangueza and I really felt like we could make one more push to find a new investigator before giving in.  Randomly both of us remembered a family we had seen playing a board game together (this was literally like a month ago). We decided to go and visit them and finally SUCCESS! Doris and Segundo and their three kids were PUMPED and ready to listen.  We literally started off LOLing and sharing experiences and they invited us back for a second lesson.  After the appointment all I could think about (and sing with Sangueza in the calle (street)) was our mission song A Vencer ("carry on" in english). Honestly the Lord knows what he is doing, and everything will work out if you just push a little bit harder and go a little bit further.  The funny thing about missions is things like this happen all time and yet I still get discouraged even though I know the miracle is going to come. The church is true and blessings are available for everyone who wants them. Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love, Elder Meier

April 25th, 2016

Hi fam and friends,

So the highlight of this week (and by highlight I mean downlight) is that Rosa and Wilmer rejected us this week:( but also LOL. Basically we went to their house with a top notch lesson planned, found out they still hadn't prayed for an answer or read the Book of Mormon, one thing lead to another, and basically they are happy where they are and firmly believe in El Senor Cautivo (Black Jesus). We said 'ok' and Rosa explained that all of her family is Catholic and she's not willing to leave all that yet, but that she will call us when she is ready. So cheers to black Jesus stealing our investigators.

The bright side, however, is that we found a fantasic new investigator/family this week!  His name is Edu (There is an accent on the u).  We found him last week while we were contacting.  Actually that's a lie.  We found him last week while we were buying watermelon during our five minute break from contacting.  Basically in this mission from 6-8 we are only allowed to 'Buscar Nuevos' which usely means knock doors.  We had been knocking doors for an hour straight with ZERO success and decided to buy watermelon.  Edu just so happens to be the man who sells watermelon.  As we were buying, the spirit instantly yelled at me 'TALK WITH EVERYONE' so we contacted Edu, he told us to come back, we taught him twice, and HE CAME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY!  Holla at Edu.  We have an appointment to teach the him and his family (they were in Ecuador) this Tuesday.

Peru continues to entertain me, and I continue to LOL. We had three dogs in sacrament meeting.  I am literally at war with cochroaches, I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting, and the Jehovah's witnesses continue to come to our house to teach us. Hahaha. All in all things are well and I miss you all. 

Love,

Elder Meier

April 18th, 2016

Fam and Friends.

So, there was def an earthquake in Piura.  It was miniscule and I loled the entire time because really it just felt like I was in a mediocre bouncy house for approx. one minute. Hahaha. But mark it off the bucket list!

This week was also transfers:( They were terrible. Both Hermana Spainhower and Elder Peterson are leaving:(  This transfer was easily the most hilarious and I will miss Hermana Spainhower and Elder Peterson immensely. Mostly because not a single member can say either of their last names and it is always hilarious.  My comp is also VERY sad that Elder Peterson left (he literally loves him, as do I) and he kept saying 'Peter se fue' (Peter left). It has been a sad day all around.

The highlight of this week was when some good hearted but very busy district leader forgot that we had to do a musical number this week until Saturday night (whoops #mybad).  LOL.  We all quickly decided to sing 'Ye Elderes de Israel'.  Don't ask me why because turns out NO ONE knew it that well and we got up there and did terrible. Utterly terrible.  But I loved it because it perfectly pictured our dysfunctional little district.

This week was however fantastic in the way of missionary work. My fave investigators are currently ALL OF THEM. They literally all are pulling through with their compromisos (promises) and I am stoked.  Some of my faves are Karina y Kiara.  Karina is the mom and Kiara is the daughter (she's eleven).  The mom can't see very well so Kiara reads her the Book of Mormon out loud.  When we went back last Friday for the appointment Kiara had read her mom the entire intro, testimonies of the witnesses and Jospeh Smith. Kiara also explained to us PERFECTLY what she had read, including who the Jaredites were which I didn't understand until my junior year in high school. Everyone this week was also so willing to accept baptismal dates??? (I know for a fact it's because we have been showing the #BecuaseHeLives video and that video could literally convert Hitler.) Anyway we currently have 7 dates for the 21st of May so mark your calendars folks because it's gonna be a party!

Anyway, missionary work continues to be number one. I hope all is well back at home. I love you all and take care!

Elder Meier

 Hiking with the district

 Canchaque!! The dog literally followed us the entire time and then surprise kissed me when I went to take the photo

April 11th, 2016

Fam and Friends,

First off, my birthday was number freakin one.  Hermana Vilma THREW ME A SUPRISE PARTY! First one I have ever had! Hahahaha. She made my favorite dessert, it's literally crackers and pudding, and invited all of the missionaries in my district over. I did, however, get egged.  But Hermana Vilma was 100% prepared with a change of clothes (garments and socks included) and gathered water so I could shower (our water shuts off at six). Shout out to that woman. Also shout out to Hermano Jhon.  They take such good care of us.

Today, P-day, was also fantastic.  We went to Canchaque.  I told the district that if we got 15 new investigators and 10 people at conference we could go to Canchaque.  We got 13 new investigators and 9 people at conference, but I say mercy to the diligent, and we headed to Canchaque anyway!  Canchaque is the only beautiful place in our mission, and it is also three hours away. Hahahaha.  We left at four in the morning, saw the most beautiful sights, I had several 'there is a God' moments, and then we got home around three. It was a hilarious day, and I bought some delicious Peruvian cheese.

Now, miracle of the week...Carlos.  There is a family in our ward, the Familia Zeta, who are literally number one and my fave fam.  The son Anthony just recently left on a mission, and is the one who gave us Manuel as a reference.  He accompanied us every day and I miss him daily.  He was the first to get baptized at the age of 18, without his mom's permission. Next, one of his little sisters  got baptized (she is also THE best). Then their mom, Socorro, got baptized and she is currently one of the recent converts we visit weekly.  Anyway, long story short, everyone got baptized and converted except the little sister (she currently has a baptismal date and is taking the lessons from the sisters) and the dad, Carlos.  Now, Carlos is terrifying. I don't know if it's his I heart Jesus tattoo, or the fact that he never wears a shirt so the said tattoo is also visibly present, but he terrifies me. I have also been trying to teach him since day 1 with 0 success. This week, however, it finally happened.  It started off normal. We had citas with some investigators and menos activos and we headed out the door.  Then, however, every single cita and plan de respaldo fell through, and because I am weak and a baby I instantly started being discouraged and finally said a prayer where I'm pretty sure I said something like 'I understand that you didn't want me to visit any of the six people we got planned, so you're gonna have to tell me a little clearer who we are supposed to go and see.' Instantly the names Rosa and Wilmer popped into my head.  Wilmer is the brother of Hermana Socorro and we had a cita with them scheduled later that day and Hermana Socorro was supposed to accompany us.  So we go to their house to confirm the cita at five, only to find out that they couldn't and we had to rearrange it for the next day.  I not so gratefully offered up a half hearted prayer of thanks (I was trying so hard to be grateful, but it was literally the 7th cita that fell through) and we headed off to Hermana Socorro's house to tell her the cita got changed. Low and behold when we arrived, there was Hermana Socorro and CARLOS.  Socorro invited us in and Carlos for the first time ever had a full fledged conversation with us, shirtless and in all his Jesus Tattoo glory.  This getting to know you talk went on for about an hour, and time was running short.  I quickly realized that we currently had an opening at five for a cita where Rosa and Wilmer had been.  The spirit instantly started yelling at me. Yes YELLING. (Still small my bum).  'DO IT' it screamed, 'ASK IF YOU CAN COME AND SHARE SOMETHING AT FIVE'. After about approx 7 minutes of inner turmoil I finally blurted out 'Are you guys gonna be here at five?'. Silence. So I explained that we had an opening at five and wanted to come and share something.  Silence. Finally Carlos said that would be fine, we set the appointment, I checked my vitals, realized I was okay and we had a cita at five, and left for lunch.  When we returned at five, we had an excellent lesson, Carlos invited us back, and he even wore a shirt for the lesson! I then of course had to repent to the Lord and tell him that I realize I know nothing and that everything is under control.

I just want you all to know that this church is true, because it teaches the actual and restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Gospel is what is the most important.  Next comes fun activities and funeral potatoes.  The restored gospel is what makes us happy, different, and powerful.  Think about the blessings of the gospel in your life.  The knowledge you have.  Then try to tell me it is just something someone invented. FALSE. The gospel is here for the happiness of you, me, Carlos, and EVERYONE. I know it.

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder Meier

1-Birthday tradition

2-Jace's district

3-Hermano Jhon & Hermana Vilma

April 4th, 2016

Fam and Friends!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!!!!  Yes I got my packages!  I'm actually lowkey scared for my  birthday because it is a tradition to throw eggs and flour at the birthday boy and Hermana Vilma (my pensionista and literal bff) said she was going to break into our house (she has a key) and destuirme (destroy me). Hahahaha. Pray for me.

Conference. Wow.  Shouts out. So good. No I don't have a favorite talk. I just love apostles, prophets, and auxillary leaders.  I do have to confess something, however, the mission has made me a cry baby.  I am literally weepy at all times. And conference was terrible.  It all started with Sister Chinchay.  She is a menos activo (less active) in the area of the other elders.  I taught her one time on an intercambio (exchange) with Elder Peterson.  Her and her husband are trying so hard to go to the temple and be sealed with their family.  Saturday morning Elder Sangueza and I are on the bus on our way to the conference center,  all the sudden this lady hauling three kids in both her arms gets on the bus.  I finally came to realize that it was sister Chinchay.  And then I instantly started crying.  When we got to the stake center we helped her with her kids (I was still crying) and they all got seated to watch conference.  I think what really impacted me was that for weeks her and her husband have faithfully come to the Principios del Evangelio (Gospel Principles) class and they take turns leaving the class to take care of their one year old who never stops crying.  In my one lesson with her, she started crying as she expressed how she wants more than anything to be sealed with her family and that she would do anything.  And there she was, Saturday morning, by herself because her husband is working two jobs, hauling all of her kids to conference.  The most beautiful part was that one of the talks was specifically focused on the temple, and the spirti instantly told me that that message was for her.  I of course then started crying AGAIN and remained inconsolable. 

Also I have to give a shout out to Charles Wade Meier. Sorry I was never supportive in Family Council.  Turns out you were way ahead of the times and Elder Ballard would be so proud.

Investigators.  Shouts freakin out to our investigators!  Kevin, Mario, Ericka, Karina, Javier, and Gilder are KILLING it. They are all reading the BOM, all praying, and all progressing.  We still don't know how many came to conference because there was one thousand people there, but we know for sure that Karina and Javier came and they loved it.  Karina said it was 'lindisimo' (awesome) and Javier said it was 'muy bueno' (Javier is a little more serious.) Anyway shouts out to our investigators. Love 'em.

Oh yeah Peru is also currently getting turnt up because there will be a new temple in Lima.  Soon Peru with have FOUR temples. HOLLA!

Anyway fam, hope you all stay sweet and spiritual.  This week was exceptional spiritual.  I have never felt such a strong spirit.  God loves each and everyone of you.  There is a plan, and it is to help you receive your divine potential. Love you all.

Elder Meier

We went to the beach today and I was super excited and tourettesy.

March 30th, 2016

No group email, but an email to mom!

Dayna J,

Easter was a blast.  We had a sleepover with the other elders.  We played monopoly and bore our testimonies. Hahahaha. Also, I'm low-key glad it was too cold to do the Easter Egg Hunt outside because i dont feel TOO bad that I missed it now.

I hope dad had a great b-day! You married a real winner mom! Hahaha.  The mission makes me sentimental at all times and all I can remember about anyone in the fam is that they are the best and I love them so much. 

Pday is usually a hot mess. Hahaha. Sometimes we travel to a beach or a hike (but Piura is the world's most hideous mission so there aint much. Hahaha).  Lots of other times we play games or watch a Disney movie. Today we watched Ice Age four at the a members house.

I was scared to take money out becuase I can only do so many adult things at once, but I finally did, and yeah it worked great!  I just dont want to spend too much because I want to try and save that money for school.  This month I they gave us less than usual so I had to take some out to buy sunscreen. Hahaha.

I am devasted that the Nordfelt's are moving. Literally what the crap? NO.  I oppose. I do not sustain Dennis unless he is teaching seminary at Hunter High.

Anyway mom, things are going good!  I hope you are having a great time!  I tried to send some letters home but who even knows what will happen. Hahaha.  I have two boxes of contacts left just in case you were wondering. Oh!  Before I forget, in the next package PLEASE if at all possible send me clippers.  I can not get another Peruvian haircut.  Today was the final straw. 

Anyway, I love you and have a great week!

March 21st, 2016

Friends and fam,

I feel like you should all know that I am an adult.  Why you ask?  Because I literally bought (rented) a house this week, signed contract papers, fought our landlord, and we officially moved out of our crappy little house into a beautiful (by Peruvian standards) home. Not sure when I turned fifty years old but here I am.  Also I had to talk to our landlord on the phone for like an hour and then show him THE FACTS that we could in fact move without paying for this month acccording to the contract he signed May 19, 2015 that gives us a month free warrantee that has not been used. He is also the ex stake president so dont know what happened there.

Besides my abrupt age change, this week was also super spiritual.  We have really been praying to find prepared people this week and of course the Lord pulled through.  Kevin told us that he had been waiting for us (not in a creepy way, but in a spiritual he has family that are members and needs to get his life together kind of way).  So thanks Kev, we've been praying to find you.  Another great investigator this week is Rosa.  She is the wife of a referral we received and everyone told us she wouldn't be interested and was super Catholic. LIES. Rosa is number one, so spiritual and loved the lesson on the Restoration.  Shouts out to Rosa.  Another miracle this week is that Raul Gallo (my Tumasi) CAME TO CHURCH LAST SUNDAY! He couldn't come in a white shirt because he doesnt have one that fits over his raging stomach and bulging hernia, but I told him who cares come in a t-shirt AND HE DID. Thanks Raul Gallo!  The last miracle is that we finally were able to teach Gilder, the son of Hermana Lidia.  It was easily my favortie lesson I have ever taught. We had a spiritual lesson and we extended the commitment to make a list of every question he has about religion for the next charla (discussion).  He accepted AND accepted to do the Book of Mormon reading assignment we gave him.  Holla at Gilder.  Pray we can answer his questions.

This week was also another great testimony builder about the Restoration and the Apostasy.  Our new neighbors are insane.  Well, they're not insane but they go to the wacky church and they told us about it for a good hour and half after we tried to give them a pass a long card.  All I am going to say is wacky. Real wacky.  I am thankful for the chance I have to help people who are really are searching.  You have to search to find the truth, and you have to be willing to change.  To live the gospel is HARD, but also completely worth it.  Also turns out our convert Manuel didn't tell his mom he got baptized and she invited us to attend Catholic Mass. Hahaha. We accepted. Weh. Holla. The church is true and the Apostasy most definitely happened.

Love you all!

Elder Meier

February 2nd, 2016

Hi Fam and Friends,

What's that? Where did I go for lunch today? Oh, I WENT TO CHILI'S! If you couldn't tell by my emphasis via capitalization, it was a great time and I love my new area. Today basically every missionary in the mission was just at Chili's eating lunch and it was so good. I had a frozen lemonade and I was almost weeping tears of joy. I pretty much feel like I am serving a different mission. Hahaha. My ward is also the best and biggest ward in the mission. NO JOKE. It is basically the Memorial Ward.  The Relief Society here is so good that I almost wish I was a middle aged mother of 3 so I could get invited to play volleyball and eat cookies every Tues, Thurs, and Sat. Everyone also feeds us every time we go over, as well as gives us a referral.  My pensionista (the woman who cooks his lunch) and her husband are easily the best couple in the world. They can't have kids so they treat the missionaries like their children.  Vilma (my pensionista) only refers to me as 'Mi hijito gringito' (my gringo (white) son). She also gives me the 4-1-1 on all things Enace (the city he lives in) every day during lunch. Jhon (her husband and no I didn't spell Jhon wrong) only calls me caballero (gentleman/sir). Hahaha. Also, apparently there is a famous actor in Peru named Christian Mayer, so every time I tell someone my name they say 'Oh like Christian Mayer?'. Hermana Vilma has also started telling everyone that Christian Mayer has come to Enace and is eating lunch at her house. Hahaha.

The highlight of this week, however, was easily when I got taught by the Jehovah's Witnesses. LOL.  It was during personal study, and my comp. was in the bathroom (he has had some stomach probs) when all of the sudden there was a knock on the door.  Naturally I answer the door and there is this lady and this teenage girl with their Testigo (witness) Bibles and their sun hats just standing there looking at my name tag and then  at each other. Hahaha.  Because I have been there, done that, I invited them in. WEH. They declined and said they just wanted to share a scripture (lie- they shared like five but it's okay because I do the same thing.)  Anyway, the old lady was making me read all these scriptures and answer all these questions.  My favorite part was that the old lady rolled every single R in every single word as she told me Jesus was going to come and that the U.S. and Great Brittain were going to be consumed (?).  This continued for at least 15 minutes (yes my comp was still in the bathroom via stomach probs).  Finally the lady ended with 'Y Jesucrrrrrrrrrristo va a venirrrrrrrrrrr como rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrey' (and Jesus Christ will come as a King) and then left as I tried to give them a pass along card. Hahaha. All in all, it was a great experience, learned lots, was almost convinced, but in the end I decided I still like being a Mormon. Hahaha.

Mostly this week was just an awesome time to really appreciate that the Gospel changes lives. The members here are so happy and SO dedicated to the gospel.  Most of them are converts and they always talk about their lives before and their stories.  Heavenly Father has a plan for every single one of His children in every single part of the world. I love sharing the Gospel. I love Peruvians. I love the baby in my ward that literally looks like the baby Grinch. I love that the Bishop's dog follows him everywhere and tries to come to church. I love that Peruvians love jello and coke SO MUCH. I love being a missionary and I love the Gospel.  I hope you all have a great week and give the missionaries in your ward/stake a referral. Hahaha.

Love,

Elder Meier.

January 4th, 2016

Friends and Fam,

I know I start every email with LOL but that is literally my life. If you could see the things I do and see daily you would understand. Hahaha.

Oh New Years. Oh Peruvians. Oh beer. hahahahaha.

Peruvians actually have a tradition for New Years that I think is super cool.  Besides non stop drinking from Jan 1-Jan 3 (which I don't mind because the drunk Peruvians are SO nice)  there is also a Peruvian tradition to make this huge life-sized dummy called a Muneco and fill it up with everything you want to forget/change from the past year.  At midnight on New Years you then blow the Muneco up in the middle of the street. Needless to say I did not sleep New Years Eve because everyone and their dog was having a party with very loud music and were blowing things up.  They then played the entire ABBA album on repeat for two days straight. Hahahaha.  Peruvians are the funniest people and know how to throw a party.

I also realized that I am literally becoming my parents. Hahaha. I dont know if it happened while I was liberally scooping 17 knife-fulls of peanut butter on my toast (Wade Meier) or eating a raw tomato like it was an apple (Dayna Meier) but I have become very aware that I am gradually becoming Charles and Dayna J. Luckily they are two of my favorite people so I don't mind. Hahaha

All in all this week was fantastic.  We had 22 people come to church this week. The highest it has ever been since I've been here.  Granted half of them came late and missed sacrament but I literally dont even care. We also had no bread so we had to use crackers for the sacrament. Sacrament was a little crunchy but still spiritual! Hahaha.

I am so excited for 2016!  It is crazy to me that this year will be completely dedicated to the Lord as a missionary. On Sunday we had a great lesson about the Nature of God.  God loves you.  He really really does.  Sometimes it's easy to forget. Especially when things get hard.  Sometimes God can't always answer your prayers right away because he loves you enough to let you learn and grow. Sometimes He can't give you everything you want right now, because he wants you to have something better later on.  Something I've realized is that you can always pray to God and ask Him if He loves you and you will always get an answer right away.  God's love for you is always there but you have to be the one to look for it. Its our job to get to know God.

Anyway, I love you all and Happy New year! 

Love,

Elder Meier

March 14th, 2016

Hi fam and friends,

So I am a dad. Weh. My son's name is Elder Sangueza (san-way-sa) from Bolivia.  He didn't talk to me at all for basically the first two days and then overnight he became my bff. Hahaha.  He cracks me up and wants to learn English more than anything in the world so that he can sing all the words to 'Say Something'.  He literally forced me to write down all of the words I remember and he carries it around and practices while we proselyte. LOL. Hahaha.

Honestly this week is a blur and I remember nothing other than that I had a blast.  The mission has changed me.  I talk on the phone. I talk to people I dont know.  I get to places I don't know how to get to.  It really is the weirdest thing.  Jesus Christ truly can make you a better person, or in my case, a fearless person. Anytime I feel anxious or nervous or inadequate I just tell myself I am a representative or Jesus Christ and that I can do it. And then everything turns out fine. Hahaha. Some might say that is just psychology, but I do not care.  I feel the change.  I have seen the change in people who are getting to know the church.  The Gospel is so true.  I do not know the answer to every question.  I really dont.  I do know, however, what I have felt everytime I pray.  Or the happiness I feel when I keep the commandments.  And that is enough for me. Also, the Book of Mormon is so true and it is literally evidence of the restoration so feel free to add that to your testimony. 

Anyway, I actually hate emailing and I know this email is all over the place but so is my life currently so this is all accurate. Have a great week everyone!

Elder Meier

March 7th, 2016

Fam and Friends,

What do Shayla and I have in common?

Good looks? Yes.

Hilarious jokes? Yes.

Big second toe? Yes.

In reality there is actually a ton of things, but most importantly is that we are both expecting... A NEW BORN CHILD! In other words, IM TRAINING THIS TRANSFER! I'm not sure what qualifies me to train another missionary considering I know nothing, but I pick him up tomorrow and there is a 100% chance that I am going to eat something delicious in the mission home! Also, another bonus is that Elder Norman and I are companions for today! We are probs going to baptize 100 people in the two hours we have together to proselyte so look out. 

Time for the nitty gritty.  The two baptisms pulled through this week and the Ward Enace officially has two new converts!  They both showed up an hour and a half late to their baptisms, but I did not even mind because I love them both so much!  

This week was also filled with a ton of rain.  Remember the first time my room flooded and I made it into a whole big thing? Yeah, whoops. My bad.  Turns out that that is a daily occurrence and has become completely casual.  I also feel like Enace could learn a little from the song "The wise man built his house upon a rock", because the rains definitely came down, the floods definitely came up, and the house on the sand definitely washed away.  Essentially this week was completely full of rebuilding people's house and playing in the rivers that used to be streets. 

My ward mission leader has a pet piglet. It acts just like and dog and loves to have it's belly rubbed. Pigs still low-key freak me out since I had to recapture a herd of them a few weeks ago, but slowly but surely they are making a comeback. 

All in all this week was solid. I am stressed 95% of the time, but happy 100% of the time.  The gospel is beautiful and changes lives.  Please pray that the rain will stop so that we can teach our investigators. Hahaha. And that we can find a new house:/  I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Meier

-Manuel's baptism

He loves his creatures! 

-The house on the sand 

February 29th, 2016

Fam and Friends,

Oh the misión. I say this to myself at least forty times every day.  This week was no different.  I am coming to learn more and more each day that the Lord called me to Peru for a specific purpose and that there are a few qualities and talents that only I can bring to the table.  One of those talents just happens to be jump roping. Hahahaha.  

This week while we were contacting throught the mud and the rain we happened to pass by this family gathering where all of the kids were jump roping. All of the sudden I felt the strongest impression that I needed to ask if I could have a turn. Because I really have been trying to follow the spirit, as we passed by I jokingly said that it was my turn.  Next thing I know they are swinging the rope and telling me to jump in. Hahaha.  Luckily, thanks to Hunter Elementary and the jump roping club I joined in second grade, I was adequately prepared.  I then proceeded to pull out every trick, move, and crowd pleaser I had ever learned in my days of rope jumping. IT WAS A SUCCESS! The parents were all peeing their pants and invited us back to teach a lesson the next day.  Turns out they had listened to the missionaries a few years ago and were super close to getting baptized.  Due to some problems with other members, however, they stopped listening once the missionaries got transferred.  We had a great lesson with them (there was literally fifteen people in the house) and they invited us to come back the next week.  The mom said she had felt the need to ask us to come again but didn't know how.  Turns out all we needed was to jump some rope. Hahaha.

Another odd thing that happened this week is that our bread kept disappearing. There would be less and less each morning and we couldn't figure out why.  Then one morning the entire loaf, sack and all, was gone.  As  we began searching we soon discovered that a cat had been sneaking into our house and eating all of our bread. We now have to keep our bread in a box or the cat will literally steal the entire loaf.

I am actually super excited for this week because Manuel and Aron are getting baptized on Saturday!  Manuel is 19, has come to church every week since the day we invited him, and is the lead singer in his band.  Aron is 13, son of a less active family, makes me LOL daily, and shares a scripture that he liked in his scripture study everytime we come over.  We also had to help Aron and his family catch their huge pig with 9 piglets that escaped.  It was hilarious, but also terrifying. Pigs are scary and will eat you.  

All and all I am just pumped to do missionary work. The ward here is so good and we are having a ton of success!  The Lord literally does everything.  All I do is jump rope and catch pigs and somehow  people change their lives and are converted. I love it.  The misión is so good. So good. I am so thankful for every experience that I have.  Good and bad.  I hope you all are well and have a great week!

Love,

Elder Meier

February 22nd, 2016

Oh family and friends,

Never in my entire life have I had such a terrible/completely hilarious week. Let's start from the beginning:

Monday, of last week, we went to the beach.  Had a blast.  Unfortunately, however, I forgot that my legs and feet havent seen the sunshine for approx. six months and didnt put sunscreen on either of the previously mentioned appendages. That night my feet were completely swollen and red and I could not walk. I asked my comp to give me a blessing, which he so kindly did, and then we went to my pensionista's house so she could heal me.  Next thing I know she's rubbing this witch cream on my feet made of an aloe vera plant that she has in her backyard and who knows what else. It was actually a great time because while she was lathering me with her voodoo magic she was also telling me all the gossip that has ever happened in the ward Enace and I was literally laughing out loud.  The whole time this was happening I couldn't stop thinking about the scene in the Other Side of  Heaven when the rats eat the guy's feet and he couldn't walk because that was literally me.  Little did I know that the parrellels were only just beginning.

The next day we had a lesson planned with a menos active (less active)  named Raul Gallo who was someone the bishop asked us to visit. So we go to his house and next thing I know this very large man is feeding me merengue (he's the town's candy man) and telling me how he can't come to church because he can't find a shirt that will button over his extremely large stomach and he can't stop drinking. Hahaha.  I should also mention that he has a herniated belly button that is approx. the size of my fist. Hilarious. Halfway through the lesson I realized that he is literally Tumasi from The Other Side of Heaven.  Luckily I didn't have to bathe him, I just had to eat five merengue puffs.

After Tumasi, we had a pretty normal week.  I hobbled along each day, we taught some fantastic lessons, and the spirit was strong.  I should also mention that I received at least five calls each day from different members asking if I was okay. Hahaha. Gossip travels so fast in Enace it's hilarious.  Anyway, everything was normal until Sunday night.  So turns out the first night my house flooded was nothing. Hahaha.  Last night it rained ALL NIGHT LONG and our house 100% flooded.  It was hectic and wet and all the sudden I had yet ANOTHER flashblack to The Other Side of Heaven when they have that huge storm. Hahaha. Luckily nothing was ruined and no one died in our mini scale storm. Mostly I have just come to realize that the Other Side of Heaven is actually a completely accurate representation of missionary life. Who knew?

Anyway, the mission is great.  We have two investigators with baptismal dates for March 5 and we are finding new investigators like nobody's business.  My feet are perfectly fine now (dont worry mom) and I am completely convinced it was Hermana Vilma's witch cream.  The Lord is literally a miracle worker and sometimes I feel like I am so spoiled because every prayer I have is answered almost instantly.  Mission life is doing me good and I dont think I have been so  happy and so stressed at the same time. Hahaha. Anyway I love you all and have a great week!

Elder Meier

Just a little picture from the movie so we can envision what he's talking about :)

February 15th, 2016

No email today, but he FINALLY sent some pictures! J J J

 His buddies from the CCM: they are all District Leaders together

Flooding from the rain that he talked about last week

P-day at the beach

 Feeding the stray cats in Cerro Mocho

February 8th, 2016

   Fam and Friends,

So I'm just going to come right out and say it: I should be being filmed. If you want to make money, literally turn my missionary life into a reality show. Here's why:

Today I performed moderate dental work/open mouth surgery on my companion. He had a NASTY tooth and all the gums were swollen so we went to the dentist (a guy in our ward).  This guy is actually only twenty four, denfinitely didnt go to any kind of dentristry schooling, and was missing an asistant today so I filled in. I suctioned blood, scraped away some gums, and pulled away pieces of rotted tooth.  All in all we did a SKETCHY  job and I hope my companion doesn't die, but he is doing alright now so... we will see. Hahaha.

It rained this week. Kind of hard. Normally this wouldn't be a problem except for it turns out our room has approx. 100 holes. I was awakened by my companion at 2:30 A.M. because he was completely soaked and so was his bed. Luckily our tables with all our stuff, our dresser with my clothes, and my bed were all protected by good solid ceiling. The rest of the ceiling however was literally pouring in water.  It was actually a blessing though because I had been meaning to mop our floor, and thanks to the ocean of water pouring in, I was able to finish mopping at about three in the morning. Our room has never been cleaner and I am #countingblessings.

Got served a plate of only fish heads and rice. Ate it all like a champion thanks to my ironclad bowels.

Our bishop's dog follows him to church and whines super loud unless we let him lay down under one of the pews in the back of the chapel. Hahaha.

Anyway folks, this was my week. I wish you all could see me. I really do.  I am 25% of the way done with my mission and my life just seems to get more and more hilarious. Hahaha. I love the Gospel and I love all of you. I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Meier

January 25th, 2016

He forgot to mention in the group email that his new town is called Enace (sp?) and it's in Piura. He is also the District Leader. He's a little stressed about it..... his exact words were "I am trying not to get stressed about it but I have approximately no idea what I am doing so feel free to pray for me." So...... feel free to pray for him. -Dayna

 Friends and Fam,

Hi. So let's just get right down to the nitty gritty: I got transferred. Turns out transfers are the WORST. I had to say goodbye to  Cerro Mocho this week and it was really hard. I'm going to miss that town.  I realized that Cerro Mocho is basically Mayberry from the Andy Griffith Show. There is no crime. Everyone knows everyone. The only difference is that instead of moonshine everyone is drinking Chicha or beer and they are all Peruvian. I would like to think that I was "Andy", but I am 100% sure I was "Barney". Aww, Cerro Mocho, you will be missed!

My new area however is KILLING IT. The ward has 300 members!  It's no Cerro Mocho 25, but 300!!!! Quite the accomplishment!  I am so excited to work with all the members!  Also church isn't in my house! Blessings!  My new companions name is Elder Jaramillo from Lima. He is actually from my group, but was in the Argentina CCM (don't ask me why because I didn't understand. Haha).  Anyway, our room is SO dirty and disgusting, but it has running water so I say welcome to the blessings!  I'm just going to channel my inner Dayna J and clean the place up (you would be happy to know mom that I make my bed every morning and every companion I have had has told me I am the cleanest and the most organized.  Looks like all those years of passive aggressively asking me to clean my room paid off!)

All in all this past week was a blur of tears and toothless smiles.  Cerro Mocho will forever be in my heart, but I am now five minutes instead of 45 minutes away from the missionaries in my district and I can't wait to experience Piura!  Anyway, thanks for all your love and support and I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Meier

January 18th, 2016

Friends and Fam!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!  Direct quote from Elder Humble before he got in the shower today: ¨I'm going to go wash away all this racism, okay?¨ Thats the spirit Elder Humble! Hahaha. May we all take note!

Honestly I have been reflecting about how the mission is the perfect place to learn to appreciate diversity in all its forms!  Im constantly surrounded by and living with people who are 100 percent different than me and is 100 percent okay. I thought today I would share with you guys ten of the things I have learned on my mission, as well as some advice to those who might serve one.

1. Dishes dont need to soak.  That is just a clever lie you tell yourself.  Do it after you use it or it will be ¨soaking¨ for two weeks.

2. You cant have language study in your bed. That is clever lie number 2.  You will fall asleep no matter how much will power you think you have.

3. Pray for the gift of stomachs just as fervently and diligently as you do with the gift of tongues. It will bless you tons.  I didnt get these ironclad bowels without some heavenly assistance.

4. People will always smile back (well....usually) if you smile first.

5. If you go to Peru you are going to see some partial and not so tasteful nudity. Just a heads up.

6. The worst day can become the best day if you let it.

7. Clever lie number 3: You will start contacting when you get in the mood to contact. Yeah, that day never comes so just get started and it gets easier.

8. Peruvians are the most charitable people I have ever met. I have never been offered more by people who have so little.

9. God answers prayers.

10. The Gospel of Jesus Christ makes everyone happy. Doesnt matter the country. Doesnt matter the language.  Gaining a testimony of Jesus Christ is the quickest and surest way to lasting happiness.

Anyway I love you all and hope you have a great day.

Elder Meier

January 11th, 2016

Family and Friends,

First and foremost you all must know that for the first time in almost four months I took a REAL shower today! The other day our sweet but slightly overbearing land lady sent a man over to our house to look at our water system in the back yard. My hopes were slim given the fact that this was the trillionth time that a shirtless Peruvian had come to look at the water system. I don't know if it was his arrow pierced heart tattoo or what, but somehow he fixed the system and our shower and our toilet work!  The Lord sends tender mercies!

This week was a pretty great week.  We had bread for the sacrament and three investigators came! We still dont have any with a baptismal date though... which is kind of a bummer given the fact that I have invited EVERYONE. Hahaha.

Today is also my 5 month anniversary! Where does the time go? The internet cafe is currently closing right now so I have to cut this short but I love you all and hope all is well!

Love,

Elder Meier

December 28th, 2015

We got to Skype with Jace on Christmas!!!!! :) :) :) It really was a miracle! After about 20 minutes of not being able to get a good connection, Marquie suggested we say a prayer. So we did, and what do you know? Heavenly Father is so nice!  We still lost the connection a couple more times, but each time we were able to talk to him for longer. He is doing SO GOOD! And his Spanish sounds great! (I know I'm not a good judge, but Wade said so...and he is). -Dayna

Friends and Fam.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Again, this week can only be summed up as LOL.

First, Elder Humble and I finally caught the mouse in our house. It literally was the most chaotic moment of my life but we finally caught it!  Turns out there was more than one though, so we are still on the mouse hunt!

Second, Zona Sullana went caroling in the Plaza in Sullana. It was horrendous. We were terrible. Hahaha. After we sang literally every Christmas hymn, half of the sacrament hymns, and the Spirit of God, all of the Gringos stood up on this fountain and sang Feliz Navidad. The Peruvians went wild. Hahaha.  The entire plaza was filled so we just kept singing Christmas Songs in English. It was actually a great night and we got a ton of contacts.

Christmas. LOL. Literally everyone was drunk and trying to hug me. Hahaha. For some reason the drunks LOVE the missionaries and TBH (to be honest) I love them.  Everyone drank all day and they would tell us that they need their souls saved every time we would walk by. Hahaha. I love Peruvians.

We had twenty people come to church Sunday! The chapel was as full as my eyes were with tears! I was so proud of our members for coming to church!

All in all the mission has been the weirdest/greatest experience of my life. Here I am literally sweating out of every pore and loving every second of it. I love that the kids only call me gringo. I love that I have to eat a chicken foot at least twice a week. I love that I can't travel anywhere without being in a car full of 8 other people. I love these people so much.  I have such a testimony that God is our loving Heavenly Father, and with that I have a testimony that we are all brothers and sisters.  Everyone has problems, and worries, and sadness, and dreams, and wishes. I am so thankful that I get to talk to people about a better life that is waiting for them.  That there are at least three people who love them: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Me.  It is so easy to love these people. They are hilarious and are never ever EVER on time and I love them so much.  This gospel is true. God answers prayers even if the means is making the internet work in a small little rice town so I can skype my family for Christmas. Never forget the love of God, and never forget that you love him too. I hope all of you had a great Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Love,

Elder Meier

He didn't send any pics so here are some from us.