After receiving the call from President and everything on Monday, I had a long trip ahead of me! We ended up having to go to the ZL`s to sleep for about 3 hours...and I didn`t sleep at all...before waking up at 1 AM to board a bus! We left at about 2 AM and got to Piura around 7:30. We had to wait for an hour before going to the office, awaiting our new companions! It was kind of a hard time to try and have personal study...in fact, I couldn`t do it at all!!! Finally, it was time to go meet our companions!
We got to the mission home, and met up with the other trainers! There are 6 of us in all! One thing kinda cool is that my brother, Elder Skansiani is also training! That means Elder Turcious has 2 grandkids born at the same time!!! It`s pretty cool, and I was excited to see him there. President gave us an hour long training meeting before we were able to meet our companions. Mostly we just read D & C 121:34-41. That scripture pretty much is amazing for anyone who`s trying to be a great leader...look it up!
Anyway...the moment finally came to meet our new companions! We walked in the room and President just began reading off the list. I was the second to last to be called! My companion is Elder Helaman Huaman from Lima!!! It was pretty exciting to finally meet my companion. Of course we introduced ourselves and began talking. Elder Huaman is super talkative, like pretty much every Limeño that I`ve met! He`s one of two kids, and his older brother actually served a mission in the Utah Salt Lake Mission!!! He said he was in the Sandy area! Kinda crazy...but anyway, he was born in the covenant. Also, Elder Huaman served here 3 years ago! He got part way through his training and got sick so had to go home. He`s now returning to the mission, three years later! So, basically I get to retrain him and help him to remember some of the things he already knows!
I sent a picture...that`s not very good...of us at the mission home. He`s kinda short, but by now I`m pretty much used to that! I just hope he can get used to walking a bit faster than usual. ;)
Another crazy thing with Elder Huaman...when we got to the pensionista, we found out that Hermano Chota served in his ward as a missionary! His pensionista is Elder Huaman`s grandmother!! It was pretty suprising to really see how God had set that all up. I also included a picture of the Chota family there with Elder Panduro before he left. There`s Mary and Cesar, and then the kids (from oldest to youngest) are Brenda, Angel, Vania, and Shelby. The three younger ones are QUITE the handful. Mom, I`m pretty sure you`d laugh to see them, cause I think they act just like my sisters when they were little!! Poor Brenda has to help be mother too, but she`s really great with the kids. It`s fun to be surrounded by the girls, kind of reminds me of home! Only problem is that as a missionary, we can`t really do much with kids! However, it`s still fun to make silly faces and listen to the little girl laughs and screams.
Anyways...the work here is going GREAT! We have a great family that is now progressing! They aren`t married, which will be a challenge, but Carlos and Juana are just super! Their son, Yan, was baptized about a year ago and is now less active. However, Carlos has started reading the Book of Mormon and is understanding a lot! We also have been able to get the Lopez family to help us out, they`ve gone with us to some of our lessons and are really becoming a great resource for Carlos and Juana as they have questions and concerns with what we teach! I feel really confident that they`re going to accept the gospel and be baptized!
As for Jorge...well, he`s struggling. He`s got a ton of health issues that he`s dealing with, and with his son in prision it`s just super tough on him. He has stopped smoking, well for at least 6 days now, and is sticking to his goal of the 18th. However, his faith is really waxing thin...he says that he`s doing everything he can to keep the commandments and he`s not seeing any blessings. It`s hard for me to try to show him some of the blessings he has because he`s just so hardened. He is making a ton of sacrifices to follow Christ, and I know that he is being blessed and will be blessed more for what he`s doing, but he can`t see that. If you can include him in your prayers...I`d appreciate it!
Oh! Another really cool thing happened this weekend, our Stake Conference! We had a 70 come! Elder Hooker came and spoke. He was also accompanied by the Lima temple President and his wife!!! President Rowley and Sister Rowley tagged along as well!!! It made for a super special meeting where we were able to feel the spirit super strong. We had at least one investigator there, and I`m sure that she felt the spirit strong. They talked a lot about honoring our wives and really doing the things to live a happy life. The wife of the temple president spoke of how miracles occur in the construction of temples. I wish I could tell you all of the stories, but I just don`t have time! Really, too much is happening on a daily basis!!
I hope that you all know that I love you...sorry if these emails are just throwing information at you...I`d love to be more detailed, I just have too much on the mind! Love you all, keep in touch! Write letters if you want more details. ;) haha, I promise to respond to you all!!! :)
Love,
Elder Schofield
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