Very tough week

As the subject says, it was a very tough week. Not because of the work, but this entire week I was super sick. Well, I have been sick for the past 3 weeks, but this week just a wave of sickness to both me and the entire zone! It is terrible. The worst was when last night. I couldn't sleep like at all. Luckily I finally found my medicine pack and took quite a bit of medicine so that it would reduce so I could finally rest. I am still not 100%, but I am definitely better than I was before.

We have been getting a wave of referrals actually from both HQ and from other missionaries. We have been trying to contact all these referrals, but most of them have fallen through except two. We meet with them this week sometime and if my body seems to cooperate, then it should go well. One is named Richard, and he does seem...pretty promising. He is looking all around for churches and wondering which one is right for him. He has been taught before and is really scared on baptism and does not want us to push it on him. It seems like the last missionaries were too forceful or too on his case for that subject. The second one that seems more promising is this woman named Billie Jean. She is looking for a religion too. She was raised Catholic, but doesn't believe in any of it. We set up an appointment this week to meet with her. Hopefully, this will follow through. Lots of lessons get dropped a ton out here. I hear people in other missions that get lot of promising lessons and perfect investigators. Here, that is different. Well, I don't know. I haven't had any golden investigator. But just because you don't have any investigators doesn't mean that you are a failure. I have had a ton of reactivations on my mission and I count that as big as a baptism here, but people out here don't seem to agree which kinda bugs me. But what can you do right?

Oh I forgot to tell you. You remember Taylor Shumway? Well, he is in my district as well with someone who lived very close to me. That means like half of our district is from the American Fork area. It is freakin awesome! We get along as a district very well and I love my zone as well. This is a pretty sweet place!

Now it is question time!

Question #1: What is the name of the ex stake president that had you all for dinner?

His name is Brother Pitcher.

Question #2: Anyone else in you ward that is helpful to the missionaries? 

Our ward is trying to help us by finding people who we can teach. They really want us to use our time to teach and so they are willing to help us to do so, or so it seems. We will see what comes in this area.

Question #3, how long has Elder Olsen been in your area?  

 He has only been hear for 5 weeks since last transfer was a 5 week transfer. We are still trying to get used to the area together.

Question #4, what area of American Fork is Elder Olsen from?

Well, technically he is from Highland, but very close to American Fork so around there.

Question #5, Is it dry like Utah there in Calgary or is there some humidity like non-desert places in the US?  

It is sort of dry. You can feel the dryness. But it feels like Utah, but not at the same time. Calgary overall is just a city place.

Question #6, How many other missionaries do you live with?

I have already answered this a million times. But the only places where two sets of missionaries live together is in Cranbrook BC and in Okatokes Calgary.

Question #7 Are you guys teaching any lessons in church on Sunday or do the members take care of that?

Again, I already answered this question. We mainly teach gospel principles when needed.

Question #8 Did your last area get closed down or were there other missionaries put there so they can continue on with the investigators you were working with?

Yes, there are two new missionaries there. Elder Tesimale and Elder Poulter. I trust they will work with our investigators that we left them with. They will probably love the Ludwigs a ton as well. I am so jealous of them right now. Haha! I wonder how they are doing. Ha!

Well that is all this week. Hopefully there will be more next week.

For Christmas, pants and socks first comes to mind. I will let you know what else comes in mind when I do think of stuff.

This...zone...is...fetchin...AWESOME!!!

Hello one and all!

Sorry for the late email. The internet was down in all the library on Monday so we couldn't email that entire day. Sorry about that, but we had an awesome P-day! We played some flag football and scatterball! Our zone is totally in it all! I love it! Plus I know most of the missionaries in our zone! We have so much fun and we eat a lot with each other since a member told us we could come over whenever we want for food. I love members like that!

As you all know, I got a new companion named Elder Olsen. He is also from American Fork, and yes, I knew him from High School. This is my second companion from American Fork. Soon I will probably hit 3 haha. Nah that's kinda pushing it. But me and Elder Olsen get along very well. We get to be together in this 7 week transfer! That means till around December 6th I believe. This will probably be my Christmas area.

I went downtown for the first time today. It was super scary because I am not really a big city person. So many people and so much craziness! But I handled it alright. All my other experiences with talking with people made it not really crazy. I am still not a big people lover when it comes to talking to random people, but I do whatever I can to help. :) I placed my first Book of Mormon in a while. Last time I did that was probably...Creston. Haha! That is for a while. Lol! But it felt good to do that since in forever! I am still sad about leaving my last area, but I will be sure after my mission I will go visit that area first!

We did this little orientation the first few days here in this zone. We talk to the member that feeds us a lot. He used to be in the Stake Presidency and he has a lot of deep thoughts. He gave us this flash drive that has all this deep doctrine stuff and it blows your mind and it is awesome! I haven't looked up a lot of stuff, but everything you see and read of his is just...wow! Its awesome!

Now it is time for questions! Here we go:

 Question #1: Are you assigned one ward or are you serving in various wards?

I am only assigned to one ward and that is Bow Valley ward, the area I cover is freakin huge!

Question #2: Will you be able to go to the temple now?
I always been able to go to the temple. But we can only go to it every once in a while. But we shall see when we want to go.

Question #3:Is it cold up there?

It is getting colder up here, but not cold to me. But I think it will get really cold soon!

Question #4: Are you near the mountains?

Nope!

 Question #5: How many missionaries are in your area?

Um, I think you meant zone but I think around 18.

Question #6: How long has Elder Olson been out in the mission field? 

About a year.

Question #7

is West Calgary very close to where you previously served in Calgary?

Kinda, not really no.

Question #8, is my area a bike, car, or walking area?

All three!

Question (#9), how do you and your companion do companion study? 

We pick a subject we want to study about and study it together...

Question #10, do you stop to write down what you learn as a companionship or only as individuals?

Only when it's something I find very interesting. Usually I can remember stuff pretty easily like that.

Sorry for the short letter-ish. We didn't have much time this week to email as you can tell. I promise my next email will be a lot longer! Love you all and take care!

Transfer-not happy

Well, things have change in the mission which is a bit odd. Transfers will now be on Thursday instead of Wednesday so that gives us an extra day to say goodbye to people. It is weird that our President is changing the mission so much since my year mark. But we just go along with it.

As you can see from the subject of this email is that I am not happy about my transfer notice. I am going north. It just that it really upsets me when things go so well here and we are about to end well with several investigators, I get freakin transferred. I don't ever witness what goes on with our investigators after or even the members and I hate that. It has happened with me in every area and I just hate it! Plus, I don't like the north. The members aren't very helpful and the work there is just not good. But, I guess I will go whether I like it or not and see what I can do.

Lots of great things happened this last week. We have gotten a lot of referrals from members which are promising and pick up a new golden investigator. But I won't be here for those people. We talked with Nick and read the Book of Mormon with him and he really liked it. He just has a hard time understanding what the Book of Mormon is about and what is going on. It was cool how he related himself to Nephi. That is awesome!

Thanksgiving was great. Most of our district came over to the Ludwigs house and ate there. I didn't have to do any dishes because it was paper plates and cups. But we had a blast! We laughed a ton and the Ludwigs really enjoyed us. The food was delicious as well! But I am prepared for a week of Thanksgiving leftovers for dinners. Oh, boy! :/ I am surely going to miss the Ludwigs a lot when I leave and probably going to cry when we say goodbye. 

My exchange with Robbi was awesome! We had so much fun and reflected on the days we had when we were companions. 

After exchanges with Robbi, I went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. I went with Elder Call this time and we also had a fun time. We quoted a lot of movies that we have seen and all that jazz. 

Now Question time

1. Did I get the package?

Yes, I got it and I opened it because transfers was coming up. Thank you so much!

Well, got a lot of stuff to do this P-day and people to say goodbye to. Sorry this letter is short. See ya!

This was a sick week (both literally and the definition when something is awesome)

Well Hello there!

I am doing pretty good. This week as we can tell from the subject of my email was a pretty exciting one, but also a pretty hard one. First, let us start in the beginning:

After our P-day, I went on exchanges with Elder Allredge who came out with me. He serves in Clareshome. We had a pretty fun time talking a lot and hearing our views on what the mission is like. For exchanges, he had to get his teeth fixed because Elder Konietz threw a basketball at him while Elder Allredge was holding a pipe up to his face and chipped his tooth. He got it fixed though and he is happy about that. After, we were going to help to service for this one lady, but she canceled it due to the weather of so much rain. So, me and Elder Allredge went to a town in their area called Vulcan. Yep you heard right. Vulcan! Like Star Trek. They have a museum there that is Star Trek related and I took some pictures there so you can see it. It is a pretty sweet place! We had a fun time on exchanges. Today I am going on exchanges with Elder Robinson who was my former companion so that is going to be a blast.

After district meeting on Wednesday, we were driving back to our area and I was feeling super weak and was coughing and hacking. We still had basketball to play that night with our non members, and I wasn't my full self. I was coughing all over the place. The Ludwigs gave me a lot of medicine for it and it helped a bit. I wasn't really feeling weak anymore, but I still coughed a ton and today I still do. I wonder what I have. I can't keep myself from coughing. I hope I get better sooner or later.

We met with Nick our investigator this Thursday and we kinda figured out a concern for him. He doesn't fully agree with all the doctrine our church and has a difficult time understanding the Book of Mormon. We are going to read with him weekly now from the Book of Mormon to help him understand it. He's been investigating the church for a long time!

Conference was super sweet! I really like this one. In fact, I think it was my most favorite overall. It was pretty cool because we brought a potential investigator and Nick to the last session and what Elder Bednar spoke of what just exactly what we thought Nick needed to hear and he also really enjoyed Bednars talk. 

Let's answer some questions:

Question #1, what talk or talks caused you to be taught most by the Holy Ghost? Which of all the wonderful message was your favorite?

I really liked D. Todd Christoffersen's talk. That is what really got me thinking. Out here, missionaries think they can change an investigator, their companion, etc. But the only person that can change who they are is themselves. I can't make my investigator believe things. I can't make my companion do things to my liking. They have to understand it for themselves. 

Question #2 How many other investigators do you currently have and where they are as far as receiving the missionary lessons?

The same as it has been before. Adam, Jen, and Nick.

Question #3, Do you use family history and temple work to help with investigators and the members on your mission? 

We can if they are interested in that. That can be one of the finding activities. Problem is, we don't have one here in Pincher creek. Plus, we don't really teach about temple work or family history till the 5th lesson and many investigators drop by that point.

Question #4 is where you watched General Conference?

A couple of sessions we watched it at our church here. One we watched at the Ludwigs.

Question #5 is if your mission has you go to see the dentist during your mission?

We don't do yearly checkups with any medical stuff as far as I know on this mission.

Question #6 Have you met anyone who know Dawna Baugh family (the Folsoms?)

I keep on forgetting. I am sorry. :/ I will be sure to remember this next time. 

Qustion #7 Is it freezing cold up there?  Or is it cold one day warm the other?

It did snow randomly this week. The weather up here is pretty crazy so you don't know what to expect at all. But is is all good ^_^

Well, that is all I got for this week. This week is board week meaning where President decides who gets transferred or not. Till then, see ya!

...wow I just drew a blank

You ever have those moments where you are about to say something or emailing something to a person and you just totally forgot what you were going to say? Yep, that just happened right when I was about to open up this compose email box. Now give me a minute to think about what I need to type...

Oh! I got it! This week went by pretty fast. I think I remember telling you that there wasn't any exchanges because of the Elder Packer thing and all the confusion that was going on. So, this entire week I was spending time with my companion! Surprise surprise! Whoo hoo! Well, let me think. I am slowly thinking today just give me a couple minutes. Oh, we visited most of out potentials and, again, the appointment always falls through and we couldn't meet with them. Seems like it has been that way forever, but you get used to it after a while being a missionary.

But something pretty cool happened this week. Me and Elder Konietz were planning on asking one of our promising investigators a question like, "Why do you think it's important to be baptized?" When we went to church and saw him there, we asked him that question and it was cool because he told us that he was also thinking about that as well! It was freakin awesome! We are meeting him this Thursday and hopefully will be able to put him on date. If this follows through, it will be my first official baptism. I don't really count the one that I had in Calgary seeing that I really didn't do anything. 

I have been taking a lot of pictures lately and I got to say I really like doing it! Now that I take my camera everywhere, I can look back on the pictures. They are sweet! I always had a fascination of cameras and how they work.

Today I am going to to go to Clareshome on exchanges with Elder Allredge until Wednesday. It is going to be a fun time. Thank you for sending the package! I hope I will be able to get it sooner or later. Love you all! Bye Bye!

-Elder Perucca

September 23, 2014

Oh, how I find enjoyment of being a DLB because I love going on exchanges with other people. Unfortunately, I cannot go on exchanges this week since this week is all crazy with meeting a general authority and P-day being on Tuesday rather on Monday. Which reminds me, THIS TRANSFER IS 5 WEEKS! Not 7 weeks! That is next transfer. 

Anywho, yesterday a General Authority came to our mission. It was Elder Packer. Not the 12 apostles packer, but the seventy Packer. He taught us how to teach effectively. Many people out here think that all they have to do is be obedient and they are automatically great at teaching. However, you can see the difference because usually, obedient missionaries solely rely on the Lord to do their teaching, which is wrong in my opinion. Elder Packer said that the most effective teaching is usually asking direct questions and helping them how to know the church is true.  You need to do your part in order for the Lord to do His part as well. It just makes sense and I can testify that it did happen. We have two promising investigators at the moment. I didn't talk to President. It went well. We mostly looked back on how much I have grown in the past year. 

Another thing that bothers me so much is this: I have learned how to deal with certain kinds of companions. Sometimes, I think missionaries out here don't understand fully on what missionary work is and I know they learn throughout the mission, but there is one thing that makes missionaries not happy at all. It is when their companion forces them to do something. I have seen and experienced missionaries forcing their companions to do certain things they like just because they want to do it. The other companions says his opinion, but the other missionary ignores it and wants it done his way. That feeling of having someone not listen to you or ignore you is completely frustrating. When missionaries do this, you can see their area and them failing so bad. What I feel these missionaries need to do is not through what they think or what they know down their companions throat. 

That is what deeply frustrates me and I am glad that my companion right now is not doing that because if he did, I would not like it at all. 

Other than that, we have been trying to talk to our investigators so that we can get back with them, but most of them have not answered so we can't really meet with them. It is a bit frustrating, but we just have to be patient. 

Anyways, that is all I got and there hasn't been any questions this time in the letters. So, yeah. Also, I will be now emailing on Monday from now on...I hope. So just like you to know that. See you guys! Love you!

-Elder Perucca

Our district is now different...but still great!

Hello! Sorry for the late email to you all. Things were a bit confusing this week because President came and interviewed us on P-day which through our whole P-day off. Plus, we were going to email after our district meeting on Wednesday, but someone signed up to feed us lunch this time instead of dinner so we had to leave early from Fort Macloed. 

Now here I am emailing you all finally. I am not quite sure the exact day me and my companion have decided to do emails this week. Like I have done before, we usually do them on Wednesday, but this next week is going to be quite crazy! We have a special mission conference where one of the seventy comes down and talks to our mission. This time it is Elder Packer, not the apostle though. But he is probably going to give us some guidelines of social network proselyting. We are still not quite sure exactly when are getting iPads now because Sister Nicholas told us that we won't be getting them for a bit still. This is frustrating me a lot. Not for not getting the iPads, but they just don't tell us anything about it. We ask and ask when we are going to get them and they don't say anything or give us a time estimate. It just bugs me!

Anyways, as I said in my last email it was transfer week. Two people have come into our district and I am happy to announce that I do know them both! It is fun to be out for so long and know most of the people in our mission. Anywho, the one who got transferred to Clareshome and is Elder Allredge companion is Elder Bennett. He has been out the same time as I have. He was in my first zone when I was in BC. He was in the Cranbrook area when I was in Creston. It was crazy though! After he got trained, he was called to district leader and also had to train a new companion and he was going through a ton of stuff! But now he is ok, I think. He seems a lot more calmer than he used to be. 

The one who got transferred to Parklake and is with Elder Campell right now is, and I am so excited about it, it is Elder Robinson! My former companion is now here in our district! I was super happy that he got transferred here. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a really good companion. Well, that is my opinion, but he is really struggling. Thing is that he has had great areas and fantastic companions his entire mission so far...until now. He has gotten a bit better though that he has talked to President. It does help when you do talk to President! But Elder Robinson has been out for 10 1/2 months and is getting pretty close to his year mark. 

Oh! I forgot to tell you! This transfer is going to be super weird! You know why? Well, instead of a 6 week transfer as usual, this is going to be a 5 week transfer! I was pretty surprise myself when they announced it. Also, that is not all. The transfer after this one is going to be a 7 week transfer to make up for the lost week in this transfer. I think the reason they told us is that our Mission President is going to a President seminar and he would like to be here on transfer week. I still haven't estimated what is going to happen on who is going to get transferred where at the end of this transfer, but everyone seems to think I will leave. I don't want to leave because I love this place so much!

Now our area is doing good so far! It is pretty funny how every area I have gone to, the entire focus on what we missionaries do is to strengthen the members to do missionary work. But not just to do it, but how to do it. A lot of members out here are very excited to do it. Some are willing to do it, but need to be shown different ways on how to do it. It seems like that has been what I have been focusing on my entire mission as of now. Haven't been really teaching a ton of investigators, but members and less-actives I have taught a ton!

My birthday is coming up, but that seems so far away. Here are a few things that popped into my head as for now: Instant Breakfasts  and lots of ties!

Alright now! It is question time! You ready?:

1.How was the cornbust? 

The cornbust was actually pretty fun and also I got really full from it! The thing is though, around this time we get fed a bunch of corn! I am pretty sick of corn at the moment, but I will still eat it if necessary. But there were other foods at the cornbust too like tons of desserts and sloppy joes and hot dogs. Unfortunately, the people we invited didn't show up at the Cornbust. This tends to happen and you get used to it after a while when no one you invite comes. But that's all you can do really. 

2. Have I taken the attribute self-assessment test in Preach My Gospel? 

Yes, I have more than once actually. It is one of my spiritual messages that I leave with people when we eat dinner with them. 

3. Is Cornbust something that is done throughout all of Canada and is it a national holiday or something else?

From what I know, this is a yearly thing, but I don't think it is a celebration of some kind. This, from what I get, is done yearly around this time because this is where the corn is done or grown. It is really a get together and it is usually done by the Church up here. I don't know if they do it all throughout Canada, but from what I hear they mostly do it here in Alberta. 

4. Is that the missionary car you are standing next to in the picture from last week or is it a member's car?

That is our mission car. It is a 2012 Subaru Impreza. I don't really like it because it doesn't have the USB port to play music. I have to just use my CD, or an AUX cord. But it is alright!

5. For the iPads that we are going to get, they will probably be iPad Minis and not full size iPads correct? 

From what we have heard, yes they will be Minis.

6. Specifically about the iPads is if they have church missionary apps on them to help you with the missionary work.

We have been told that the Church will add things on them so that we may able to do missionary work on them like reporting our numbers, emailing, facebook, schedule appointments, etc. I don't know the whole thing about them quite yet. Regan Lewis told me some things since she does have the iPad in here mission and tells me that it helps a ton!

7. Are the grades in pre-college schools similar to the USA school grades?

I haven't got a complete verification on that one, but I do believe so.

I guess that is it for questions! You guys sure like to ask a whole bunch of questions and I am willing to answer them . ^_^ I hope Jayne had a wonderful birthday and I wonder if you guys still say in your prayers, "Please bless "so-and-so" that they will grow up". Heh, I remember I used to say that a lot! 

Alright I think that is everything I got for you guys! Love you all and I have plenty of pictures to send you guys! Love you all!

(We decided to write mormon.org on the side of the apartments we live on. It was pretty dang sweet!)

(I did a little ice bucket/jumping in the snow face first challenge and I will probably show you that when I upload it online. This was the imprint we made)