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.

December 21st, 2015

Jace didn't send out a group email today because he used all his time to plan our Skype with him on Christmas!!! Here's a little tid-bit from what he sent to Marquie:

 Oh Hi.

Planning skyping is the worst and I am so stressed and I hate it. However, I cant wait to skype you guys and I get tourrettes everytime I think about it.

Also hi at you haircut. Saw a pic and I am digging it! Remember how you are married and have short hair and a job? Hi adult.

Peru is hilarious and missionary work is so hard. It really is so hard not to compare yourself to others and to not wish that you could take away people's agency for a few seconds weh. Get baptized por favor.

I am stoked to skype you guys. I literally cannot wait. Pray that Analy comes to church this week and that we will have enough money to travel to all the places we need to. Hahaha.

Love ya!

Elder Bean

He is the funniest human being I know. LOVE THIS BOY! (From Marquie :) )

December 14th, 2015

      Family and Friends,

I am done with training! Elder Vasquez got transferred this week as well :'( There were lots of tears (literally Elder Vasquez bawled and hugged me for a good solid 15 minutes, hahaha). Elder Vasquez was literally a Chilean me who couldn't say anything in English except "What up", "stinky", and "ya weenie" (yes I taught him all those phrases haha).  My new companion is Elder Humble, from Springville Utah. In all honesty I don't know what to do with myself now that there is actually someone else who speaks English. I'm excited to work with him and hopefully we can get some baptisms!

This week we also had our Christmas party at the mission home and it literally rocked my world.  We played games, had a devotional, WATCHED "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE", and I ate the most delicious chocolate empanada with the most delicious hot chocolate.  It was so great. Cerro Mocho has also pulled out all the stops for Christmas and it makes me LOL.  There is a huge speaker in the middle of town where they usually announce stuff and play Brittney Spears so that everyone within a mile radius can here.  This week, however, they switched "Oops I Did It Again" for "Feliz Navidad" and I have never been so full of Christmas cheer. Everyone also has their Christmas trees up and snowmen in the windows.  I am basically at home except it's 600 degrees and I am never not sweating profusely.

All in all this week was super sad and super great. Transferrs are low-key the absolute worst thing, but change is inevitable and there is always something to be learned (this is what I keep repeating to myself.) Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone!

Love,

Elder Meier

December 7th, 2015

Hello everyone. Jace didn't send a group email this week. He was asked to send a Christmas message to our ward and I told him if he had to forgo the group email to do it he could (I didn't really mean it). But I guess he didn't have time to do both. But I love his Christmas message so I'm passing it along. He also sent pics but no descriptions of what/where they are, so........

Christmas Message:

I love Christmas. I always have.  I always will.  I love the music.  I love the movies.  I love the feeling of Christmas.  During Christmas you know how you want your life to be: centered on Christ.  During Christmas you know that the Savior of the world was born in humble circumstances, to humble parents, with his greatness and glory to come.  Those moments of peace, those times of joy, and those feelings of love are so undeniably heavenly that you simply know that there is a Christ.  This is why I love Christmas.  Unfortunately, however, Christmas ends, along with that knowing feeling.  We are left to face the rest of winter accompanied with our doubts, testimony shakers, and unanswered questions.  Where is that knowing feeling?  Where's my steadfast and immovable testimony?  How can I do this when I am so unsure?  How can I preach the Gospel when I don't alwats know that it's true?  Questions like this used to plague my mind and make me question my ability to be a disciple of Christ.  It wasn't until my mission that I found my answer, simply said in a scripture I have known my whole life:

'And now as I said concerning faith--- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.'

I haven't always known this is the truth, but I have always hoped.  I hope this Gospel is true.  I hope I can live with my family forever.  I hope the Savior of the world was born into this world.  I hope He can forgive my sins.  I hope He loves me.  This small hope I have is fortified in the last few lines of the scripture, '...ye hope for things, which are not seen, which are true.'

I hope this church is true because it is.  I hope I can live with my family forever because I can.  I hope I have a loving Savior because I do.  I have a Savior who is and can do everything I hope for.  He can do even more.  I love Christmas.  I always have. I always will.  I love this Gospel.  I don't always have a perfect knowledge that it is true, but I hope someday I will.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Chrsit. Amen.

I'm guessing:

1- Teaching English (at a school? Primary? IDK but it's precious)

2- Does anyone know where that is?

3- Looks like an iguana. He is such a creature lover!

4- The champs of the soccer tournament. Wow, they even got a trophy? Go President Rasmussen!

He's Famous!

Hi friends & family,

Here is a cute little video that Jace's mission president put on the mission page. Our Jacey-boy is in it showing off his Spanish skills. And it's a beautiful message. Merry Christmas season everyone!

Have a great week!

November 30th, 2015

Hi Fam and Friends,

So this week was great. Zona Sullana won the soccer tournament! Woohoo. Also this was probably my best week of food in the mission! Keeping the Thanksgiving Tradition alive!

My first spectacular food encounter was with mangos.  I ate three in one day.  Out of body experiences were had, my life was changed and now I can never eat a mango in the States ever again.  Literally so good.

The second was for Thanksgiving.  I refused not to have some kind of feast on Thanksgiving because I am the son of Dayna J Meier and I believe in holidays, traditions,and happiness.  So on Thanksgiving we bought some Pollo from our local Polleria, a candy bar, some chewy fruit things, and I made Elder Vazquez tell me what he was thankful for before we had a prayer of gratitude and stuffed ourselves full of rotisierre chicken and fries. It was a night full of sodium and thanks and I felt like I was at home.  We also made our ornaments for Hermana Rassumsen's Christmas tree.  We used some our my face wash cotten things and made snowmen with our faces on them!  They turned our really well and if you guys are interested you can check out my Pinterest Board 'Crafting Christmas while Called to Serve'.

The last item of food that rocked my world was at the birthday party of one of our members. Angel turned five on Sunday and the fam invited us over to eat some dinner and take some pics.  For dinner we had duck and it was completely succulent. That is literally the only word to describe it. It was so good and I have never eaten something so satisfying in all my life.

This week was a fantastic week.  I was filled with the spirit of gratitude and now the spirit our Christmas.  We found one Christmas song on one of Elder V's usb's. It is 'We Need a Little Christmas' sung by what sounds like the voice of Mrs.Potts backed up by an entire symphony and choir.  Needless to say I listen to it 100x a day and it fills me with Christmas cheer every time.  I love Christmas. I love Christ.  Check out the new video the church has on the church website! Love you all!

Elder Meier

Thanksgiving dinner.....Is he sitting on a bucket? :(

     

Christmas craft

   

Elder Meier & Elder Vasquez after their water fight

November 23rd, 2015

Hi guys! I feel like Jace's email needs a little bit of translation this week. First: Zona Sullana is the group of missionaries in his zone. Second: todo mi corazon means "All my heart". Third: Padre Celestial is Heavenly Father. Fourth: I have no idea what Cerro Mocho is, but a gringo missionary is a white/Spanish is not my first language missionar (Jace is a gringo missionary). And last: Hermano is Brother.

Bad news: the pictures he sent didn't come through. It  just said invalid image. I'll ask him to resend them next week.

On a Christmas note: We are sending Jace's Christmas package on Wednesday. If you would like to write him a quick "Merry Christmas" letter and send it to me, I will put them in a book and that will be one of his Christmas gifts. Don't feel obligated, but I'm sure he would love to hear from all of you. It doesn't have to be long. Sorry for the short notice, but if you could email it to me by Wednesday morning that would be great!

Everyone,

This week was great! We played in a mission wide soccer tournament today.  Zona Sullana won and is progressing to the finals next p-day!  I did however sweat more than is humanly possible and I know for a fact that I have smelled awful for at least three days. So, because I stink and we don't have much time, today's email is a little short.

First, we literally had an investigator ask us if he was prepared for baptism, and if not what else does he need to do. LOL. His name is Segundo and I love him with todo mi corazon.  We have taught him twice. We found him a while ago and taught him Lec 1. He loved it.  Especially the part about Padre Celestial. He literally loves Padre Celestial more than any human I have ever met. That and repentance. Hahaha. Anyway, we have been teaching his sons, and the other night we taught Segundo again as well. And well now he has a date for Dec 19.  He also hugs me for at least 10 seconds everytime we talk to him.

The other great thing that happened this week has to do with Julie Andrews and answered prayers.  Elder Vasquez is the district leader so we have to do exchanges with all the companionships in our district.  I have only done one other exchange and it was with a native speaker in his area.  During this exchange, I was staying in Cerro Mocho and Elder Coppin (a gringo missionary who is even newer than I am was my companion.)  I was so nervous.  To make matters worse, that day Hermano Santos couldnt join us because he hurt his knee.  We need Hermano Santos to not only guide us but to be the man present when we teach our female investigators (which is like half of them).  Anyway I was stressed and I prayed.  I told Heavenly Father that I didn't feel confident enough to do this.  I know a hymn or some scripture was supposed to pop into my head, but instead in her crystal clear angelic voice, Julie Andrews was singing 'I have confidence in sunshine! I have confidence in rain! I have confidence in confidence alone! Despite what you see I have confidence in me!'  For some reason this helped me so much.  Call it nostalgia, call it heat stroke, but to me it was a comforting answer to an anxious prayer.  The Lord was reminding me to have confidence!  He is with me every step of the way.  He was reminding me to stop doubting my faith.  He knows, that I know,  that He is with me and He will help me.  The day turned out fantastic. There was a man in every house so we could teach and we even entered into a house and got a new investigator!

All in all, this week was great!  My testimony grows every day and I love the mission.  The pictures below are of me and Elder V after our water fight (we are having a scaring contest and I am DESTROYING him.  One night he threw water on me because he was doing the dishes and got scared.)  The second is of my and Elder V in our uniforms right before we played in the tounie!  Anyway, love you all!

November 16th, 2015

Hi everyone,

So, lol again at this week.  Here's why:

One night while we were contacting we passed by a church in the middle of the plaza. Casual. That is until we heard 'Los Mormones'.  Naturally Elder Vasquez and I decided to stop and listen and... LOL.  So apparently the Nazeranos have passed out Anti-Mormon literature to all of the other churches.  About Joseph Smith and Polygamy and the usual stuff. LOL.  So that night Elder Vasquez and I decided it was time to set things straight.  Usually we just avoid anyone who says they are Evangelio or Nazerano because they want to argue about doctrine, or so we thought.  Turns out that most of them are just super confused because they hear one thing and see the mormon missionaries doing something completely different.  Elder Vasquez and I are dedicated to teaching people the truth.  I have never felt more like a Book of Mormon character in all of my life.  I am literally out here crying repentence and preaching the word of God. The people are responding though.  I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we never say anything bad about another church.  We also state our beliefs with as much love as possible and simply explain why we believe the things we believe.  More than anything this experience has strengthened my testimony so much about Joseph Smith.  I literally live in Apostasy. So many people are so confused.  Just like Joseph Smith.  In reality, say what you want about Joseph Smith and the Church.  I can't deny how I feel when I read the Book of Mormon.  I can't deny that I find comfort in the doctrines of the Gospel.  I can't deny that I have felt God's presence in my life.  The Book of Mormon is literally evidence of the Restoration. If it's true, Joseph Smith was a prophet and this is the Church of Jesus Christ.  Satan is so smart. And so tricky.  He is always working.  He is actually a perfect example of diligence.  Don't for one second think he isn't up to something.  Read the Book of Mormon over and over and over again. Ask questions to the right people, and look for answers in the right sources.  If nothing else just believe that God and Jesus Christ love you more than anything and that everything will work out.

Sorry for the rant.  That's what happens when I literally have to clarify doctrine daily. Hahaha. I love my mission. It is so much fun. It really is. Thanks for all you love and support!

Elder Meier

November 9th, 2015

Hi friends and Fam,

Well, I'm going to be honest, this week was the best week of my life.  I have received so many little blessings, that have been so helpful.  No one can ever tell me that the Lord doesn't know me personally, because this week he carefully thought out a specific blessing that only I could really appreciate.

First, I got to eat chocolate cake. Elder Vasquez and I wanted to celebrate that I was almost half way done with my training by buying a cake, but we didn`t know how much it would be or if we could afford it.  Our original plan was to just buy one slice and share it, but when we got the store we realized that we had enough money to buy an entire full sized chocolate cake!  Entonces, I got to eat multiple pieces of chocolate cake this week. (Sidenote: Turns out I love budgeting. I'm not sure if this is considered a gift of the spirit, but if it is I definitely have it. Also, Mom, our trips to Costco are paying off because I'm swoopin in on all those two for one deals just like you taught me, and if I must say, I am one heck of savvy shopper.)

The second item honestly just shows that they Lord knows me 100% and that he has a sense of humor.  This week while we were contacting, we stumbled across a family. The family is super great and invited us back to teach. Oh yeah, and they are also pig farmers and one of the pigs just had TEN BRAND NEW BABY PIGS. They said that when we come back I can take a picture with one. My dreams are litterally coming true day by day.

Just when I thought this week could not get any better, we go to our zone meeting and guess who has a huge package full of all his favorite treats and letters from his favorite people? ME! I honestly almost shed tears during my first mouthful of chocolate chips. hashtagblessed.

One side thing that made this week hilarious was the havoc that a picture of my family caused. Elder Vasquez and I glued pictures of our families on the back of a picture of Christ and we share these photos with members and investigators to help them get to know us better.  This is all great and dandy except for every time I show them who my mom is they all yell !Ay! Tan jovencita!  No one can believe that the ever beautiful Dayna J is my mom. Keep rockin on mom.

All in all this week was great spiritually as well. I learned so much about the spirit this week.  I have been studying in my "Adjusting to Missionary Life" book (go buy yours now) about how to better listen to the spirit. I was feeling worried because the spirit was constantly telling me what to teach or who to visit, and I thought that it was because I didnt know how to listen.  While I was studying I read something from Elder Oaks that talked about how sometimes you need to make decisions on your own.  All of the sudden I realized that sometimes I need to make decisions on my own first before the spirit will confirm them.  The Lord called me on a mission. Not some robot to follow orders.  I am hear to learn, just like I am hear to teach.  One thing I need to learn is how to make decisions as the Savior would make them.  Sometimes this means I need to think about who we should visit, why we should visit them, and then commit to visit them before the spirit will confirm it is right.  It is so hard somethimes.  Sometimes I just wish the spirit would tell me, but the results I have seen are so great.  I care so much more about our investigators because I have carefully tried to plan specifically for them, and I can always tell them with complete honesty that I pray for them everyday.

I am so grateful for everything I have learned and experienced here.  I LOL all day and I always feel so happy. What a blessing the Gospel brings. Anyway, everyone have a good cool fall day today. I love you all.

Elder Meier

Also please enjoy these photos of me eating my first piece of chocolate cake in three months. 

November 2nd, 2015

Fam and Friends,

Hola. I hope you all had a great Halloween! It is currently El Dia de los Muertos here in Peru, which is basically just a memorial day on steroids (seriously it lasts two days and the people sleep in the cemetary).  Anyway we had a pretty great week last week. Here are the things worth mentioning: 

The first event can best be described through one of my journal haikus (credit for this idea goes to Marquie because journaling is the worst and haikus make it easier.)    Saw a naked man/ taking a nap in the shade/ I want that; so bad. Hahaha. The struggle is real some days.

Second, one of our investigators dog, Michael, died this week.  She was really upset about and in reality so was I.  Michael was one of the few dogs with fur and only a 30% chance of having rabies.  The investigator also happens to be the same lady who wore the Hannah Montana and Gypsy Heart shirt. Needless to say both of our gypsy hearts were broken by the death of Michael. 

I keep forgetting to mention that my area is literally the heart of Apostasy. There is a different church every two feet. The one I like the least is the Evangelios. I have had to talk about polygamy TWICE with Evangelios (dont ask me why I had to explain it considering I can't speak Spanish.) Anyway, they are usually not my fav people to talk to. We also have the Nazeranos who literally pay everyone to participate in their religion so it's kind of hard to compete with that sometimes.  Of course we have the Catholics who I actually love.  Mostly because every time we ask a Catholic if they participate in a religion they say 'No I'm Catholic' (?). Haha, regardless they are always nice and willing to listen.  The last two are actually my favorite.  La Luz del Mundo and La Casa de Oracion.  These people know how to party.  Mostly it consists of them singing horrendously as loud as they can through a speaker that can be heard everywhere.  They always look like they are having a great time though so more power to 'em. 

All in all this week was fantastic until Sunday.  We taught so many great lessons where I know the spirit was present, and I genuinely thought our investigators were excited to come to church.  Sunday came though and not a single one came:(  I was so sad.  Mostly because I had prayed so hard that Heavenly Father would bless them with so much if they came to church.  It was hard to watch those potential blessings slip away.  However, once again it reminded me of the Atonement.  I hardly know most of these people and I know so many things could be fixed in their lives if they would keep them commandments.  Jesus Christ knows us and our needs perfectly. Which means he knows exactly what we need and how keeping the commandments could help us so much.  My sadness over people I barely know is nothing compared to the despair of Christ over the people he knows perfectly. Every day I am motivated to become better.  That is such a blessing to me; to have so much purpose in life.  

Before I end I need to give a quick shoutout to the following:

 -Halene Bam Draper because I have had to sew some of my pants and it was awful and I feel like I never gave you the appreciation you deserve for sewing everything for me. 

-Dayna J (obviously) because literally everything reminds me of how great you are and deserve more appreciation.

-Charles Wade because I know you were a stellar missionary and sometimes I feel like I am turning into you.

-Halee Kate Harding because I hear 'Voy a Vivir' 100x a day and it reminds me of you every time.

Anyway, love you all and have a great week!

Elder Meier's entire zone playing soccer on P-day.

 

Elder Meier & his District mourning the death of Elder Rodriquez (in other words,he's going home).

  

  

This is how Jace watched conference- in the church kitchen.