Eliseo

 Eliseo got baptized yesterday. His buddy baptized him. That was really cool. A bunch of preisthood has gotten baptized lately, which is an absolute blessing for the ward. 

This week I felt very grateful to be in perú. I love these people so much. A couple nights ago we were out in a little town called San Antonio. We had just had a bunch of successful lessons with some super humble awesome people. I felt super grateful. As we were walking back to Pomalca the sun was setting behind the sugar cane. I felt super glad to be in Perú and be having this experience I am having. 

It still baffles me how slow these people move. Bless their hearts

I hit 16 months in the mission this week. Time is absolutely flying. 

We met a buhdist lady this week. She had some sort of alter with some crazy looking scrolls with some sort of chinese or japanese or something on them. She shared a bunch of stories with us. We were both very confused. It was the first time I have ever taught someone that doesnt believe in Jesus Christ. We didnt really know what to teach. I have a lot of respect for people that have to teach from ground zero. 

It's starting to cook again down here. I forgot how hot it gets. We still aren't in the worst of it, but it is starting to get really hot. Realistically it isn't insanely hot, it is just the fact that there is no relief. It is just as hot inside as outside. 

The family that got baptized in my old area got sealed in the temple on saturday. They seem super excited. 

"When He arrived on the Western Hemisphere following His Resurrection, Christ said to the Nephites: “Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, … in the which I have suffered the will of the Father … from the beginning.” Of the myriad ways He could have introduced Himself, Jesus did so by declaring His obedience to the will of the Father—never mind that not long before in His hour of greatest need, this Only Begotten Son of God had felt totally abandoned by His Father. Christ’s charity—evident in complete loyalty to divine will—persisted and continues to persist, not just through the easy and comfortable days but especially through the darkest and most difficult ones." -Holland 

I probably get asked 5+ times a week, "why do bad things happen to good people?" I love this explanation. It is pretty easy to feel alone sometimes and feel like Christ has abandoned us. I know that, as Holland says, we will stand before him one day, see the wounds in his hands and feet, and realize that we were never truly alone.

Elder Cpohl