Elder Mayorga - Guest Contributor

Elder Mayorga - President Turk's 1st Assistant

Feliz Cumpleaños Hermana Turk

Mientras pensaba en que debía escribir vino a mi mente lo que Elder Uceda dijo en su visita referente a Hermana Turk, el dijo: "Ella habla por la voz del Espíritu" y yo sé que es así. El tener la oportunidad de servir con personas tan especiales en donde no es necesario

utilizar el mismo idioma para comunicarnos, donde podemos comprender lo que los demás necesitan con tan solo poner atención a la voz que habla a nuestra mente y a nuestro corazón, ese es el idioma que cada misionero utiliza para comunicarse con los demás ese es el idioma que utiliza Hermana Turk.

Hoy en su cumpleaños no queda mas que recalcar que ella es una misionera del Señor y que ella habla por el poder del Espíritu, que podemos sentir su amor y su preocupación, que sin sus ánimos sería mas difícil el poder realizar esta obra pero... de eso se trata esta obra: amor dedicación, ánimos, alegría y consagración.

Hermana Turk, yo le amo y a pesar de no poder hablar el mismo lenguaje si puedo decir que hablamos el mismo idioma...el idioma de Espíritu.

Con Cariño

Elder Mayorga

Letters to the President

The missionaries write a letter once a week to their President.

President Turk reads about 200 letters every Monday.

He tries to answer as many as he can too.

Here are a couple of highlights from today's letters…

• When President Turk first arrived in the country, he was out with the missionaries teaching a family. They were baptized a couple months later. Today in his letters, the missionaries in that area told him that the 22 year old son of that family was just baptized by the father who has only been a member for a few months. We love this story..
• The Hermanas in California were off the charts in contacts and they had 10 investigators in church with them this week. Congratulations!
• One of our Elders from Lima told us that his mother back home was baptized. Now he is not the only member in his family. How sweet is that.
• One couple who has been going to church for 9 months is finally getting married this week so that they can be baptized on Saturday.
• The Hermanas in Chimbote told us that they were on their way home from a long trip on the bus and they climbed into a taxi on the way home from the bus. It was very late. All they wanted to do was crawl in bed. But the spirit whispered and they took the time to talk to the taxi driver and he said that he had been praying for them. He had been to church and taken the lessons and then let it go. But now decided to pray and pursue the church again and then he picked up the sisters and they took the time to get him back to church. He is getting baptized soon.

There are so many more… But I have to go to bed!

Always More to Come!

PS... thanks to the Zone Leaders of Cajamarca. President loved the soccer shirt He felt a part of the team.

Guess what Landon? Natalie and Michael are baptized!

When my kids were here for the holidays, I think I told you that my son Parker, and son-in law Landon, both went out teaching with the missionaries.

They had great experiences. In fact, a few baptism commitments

This is Landon and the Elders in one of the homes.

It is after they had a special lesson with Natalie and her Mother.

It was an experience they will never forget.

Landon got choked up telling us about it later.

Natalie's mom is already a member

and Now Natalie is too.

Landon and these missionaries taught Michael also.

Michael is the other young man in white in this picture.

Their baptism was fantastic.

Also on some of Landon's rounds he met this young girl.

This is a darling little member named Maria... everyone calls her Gracie

When Landon met her, she told him that President Turk was her Amigazo.

That means.. best friend.

And she is... She is so bright and darling. We love Gracie!

Just Do It!

I was driving the red mini van yesterday full of missionaries as usual. They hopped in the very back, back and said, "Hey, there are some baby wipes and a jar of unopened baby food back here." A little twinge stung my heart, and then a thousand images of those cute babies toddling all over the mission home flooded my mind.

After we got our call, People would say "how can you leave your family... your grandchildren?" Then they would say, "I could never do that."

This is how you do it.... You trust in the Lord and then you jump in with two feet and love life, and try to live it the best that you can. This earth life is short. I want to have NO regrets.

My grandchildren are the reason that I left. I want them to know that I Love my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ more than anything. And I know that the Lord will bless them more for my service here than me doting over them at home. This time away has been a precious time to really be grateful for the sweet relationships that we have with our children, their spouses and of course our grand babies.

The Scriptures come alive....

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths.

We have been filled with complete joy and peace with this calling.

Angels are among us... Missionaries fill our hearts with love and our tanks with energy.... The members, the new members, the investigators are all wonderful people that make life interesting and fulfilling.

If you are thinking of serving a mission, don't hesitate. You will receive way more than you give. We owe the Lord everything anyway, and then when you try to give back just a little, He just keeps giving more.

It's the most beautiful unbalanced salary you will ever receive.

I am so grateful for this opportunity of a life time.

Elder Kyle Nichols

(Elder Hunsaker & Elder Nichols)

This is Elder Kyle Nichols. He is President Turk’s new Assistant

He will be taking Elder Hunsaker's place.

He is from Bakersfield, CA. and is the youngest of seven children.

He has 12 nieces and nephews. He is a great athlete.

He is a fantastic missionary.

We feel so blessed to have him here in Trujillo with us.

We are expecting wonderful things from him.

So keep your eye on

Elder Nichols.

28 Stripling....

These men have been warriors. Three long days of Training and Teaching.

Hope they absorbed most of it.

This is a picture of the Zone Leaders and office staff.

We then headed to the Soccer field and let them

move their muscles. They were so happy.

President Turk's sideview mirrors on his car were taken

while we were playing.. Bummer.

Fun Facts about our Zone Leaders...

Here are some little known facts about our Fantastic Zone Leaders...

Try to put them with the right Elder

Good Luck!

Group 1

Can Dance like nobody's business

only thing growing faster than his testimony is his pant size

He is in Medical School

Can eat a whole chicken

Group 2

Misses his remote control airplanes almost as much as his family

Won competition in the School of Management

Was driving a Volvo at the age of 11

Is a race car driver

Group 3

Has won several dance competitions

Shaves his body to avoid the bed bugs

Will get off his death bed to play soccer

Was born with bilateral club feet

Group 4

Loves to play table tennis

Wants to be President of the United States

Fanatic Baseball Fan

Loves a good Mustache

Group 5

Acts like a little girl when he sees a spider

Has a -6 eye prescription

Loves to paraglide

His eyes change color like a chameleon

Group 6

Loves to Surf

Owns and wears a big foot costume

He is an actor and has been in many productions

Can't say I Love You

Group 7

Wants to be a marathon man

Taught Michael Phelps how to swim (a michael phelps)

Won the beard growing contest in High School

Loves Rotisserie Chicken more than anything else

We Love Them all!

The things we discover...

On one of the surprise room checks that I did not too long ago,

I discovered this hidden storage room.

I guess it has been the catch all room

for many years.

I was just a little bit horrified about what we could find underneath,

So I got the Elders right on it....

Look what they did to that mess in a couple of hours,

that had taken years to collect.

They were beaming, the room was beaming, I was beaming...

Wow, the little things that make us happy, right?

Now the landlord is polishing up the floors and painting the walls.

Elder Urbano and Elder Cereceda

You are my Heroes!

Feeding them Spiritually and Physically!

Our first day of our Leadership Conference is over. It was a Great Day.

All of these Missionaries are in Leadership positions.

(Assistants, Zone Leaders, District Leaders, Trainers, Office Elders)

They are a fantastic bunch.

We will do it again tomorrow.

After they are taught all day, they go out with the Elders here in the city

and teach all night. They are having a lot of success.

We feed them spiritually...

And then we feed them physically...

We are studying the Lessons from Preach My Gospel

with an emphasis on teaching.

And we might study Table Manners!

I am kidding, they all have very good manners.

I love these missionaries!

Elder Uaisele Fa

I want to tell you a story about a dear friend of mine. He is like a son to me. He is on a mission right now in Brazil. His name is Elder Fa. His brother just shared this story with me. So I shared it with my missionaries.

Elder Fa said that he was tested 3 months ago with a disobedient companion. When they woke up the first morning, his companion turned to him and said,

"What are we doing up so early... My last companion and I didn't leave the apartment until 4 in the afternoon".

Elder Fa turned to his new companion and said,

"That was your last companion, You can write him a letter and apologize and tell him how much you love him. Then you need to get up right now and show the Lord how much you love Him. Elder, I am not perfect but I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I know that if we just have Faith and show them how much we love them by our obedience, they will bless us".

He said his companion got up out of the bed and gave Him a big hug.

And Then they went to work

They found great success that day as they committed a family of 7 to baptism.

This sweet Elder Fa knows who he is and knows why he is serving a mission.

Elder Fa’s mother received a letter from his mission president... saying how grateful he was to her for raising such a fine young man.

He also said…

"In a short period of time, your son has not only touched many lives as they have entered the waters of baptism, but also by inspiring missionaries to be more obedient through his example."

To my Missionaries...

You are all an example to every one around you.

You have the ability to influence many more lives than you will ever know

Just Be Great…. Always.

Try to be more Like Jesus Christ every day.

I want each one of you to know that He Lives.

President Turk and I feel His guidance in this mission every day.

Miracles have not ceased. Angels are here among us.

Souls are being saved. Hearts are changing.

Families are being united and sealed together forever.

These things are Powerful and Eternally Binding.

Embracing and Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important thing that each one of us can do on this earth.

The ordinances and covenants that we make are critical to happiness in this life and in the next life.

Thank you Elder Fa for your Inspiration and Example.

We Love you!

Let's Soar Trujillo, Peru Mission!

Shelley and the Cuy

While we were in Huaraz at the District Conference,

President Turk and Elder Nash had

training, interviews, visits, and the priesthood session on Saturday

But before they left us for these meetings,

we had a chance to run to a fun museum with a darling guide

who is a member of the church.

Her name was Anna and she and her husband were just sealed in the Temple.

She took us through the museum which has the largest display of these...

I fell in love with them.

Giant Ugga Buggas, what could be better...

I would love a whole backyard of them.

The time came for the men to leave for their meetings.

I have never had time to explore Huaraz and see the artisan specialties.

Shelly Nash and I decided to hunt for more Huacos for my collection.

She quickly understood why I love to collect these funny things.

They each have their own little personalities.

We were bartering and wheelin' and dealin'...

and Yes, we had some Success.

Then we decided to really get daring and take the car to the outskirts of town

to a little place called Tarica... known for it's terra cotta pottery.

While we were looking at the pottery, we saw the potter in the back of the shop

and asked if we could take a few pictures.

He was just throwing some small bowls... too bad, but we did get a

taste of his life on the potters wheel.

He's been spinning for 30 years.

We went in to another pottery store,

and now I was looking in the back for more

potters wheels and wow,

I saw a giant rodent scurry across the floor.

Creepy, until I saw it was a Cuy.

They raise them to eat. They love them especially in Huaraz.

So I asked the store owner about her pet cuy. She threw some

green hay on the floor and a bunch of them came scurrying out to eat,

even the babies. We asked if she had names for them.

She laughed and said Yes, Dinner.

Shelley said that she has tried Cuy. I think I will pass.

This is in respect of my Meggie Pie.

(I miss you Meg!)

Thanks for a great day Shelley!

No Way... did that really happen?

We just got home from a road trip with Elder Marcus B. Nash and his wife Shelley. Very fun and just a little bit awkward!

Terry and I flew to Lima where we hopped in a car with the Nashs

and headed to Huaraz. Huaraz is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains that look like the Swiss Alps. It is known as Peru's Switzerland.

It is spectacular.

The problem for me is that it is an 8 hour drive of switchbacks and bumps

that makes the trip a little tough.

There are no bathroom stops either.

Hence the problem. You start fasting the day before the trip.

Especially when it is not your spouse driving.

It's your Church Leader.

The ride up was wonderful.

No problem.

We told stories the whole time.

We were laughing and crying

and the ride just flew by.

On the way home,

we were pressed for time.

We spoke at our District Conference that morning,

by the way it was so special...

We saw all our missionaries there at the conference.

They all looked great. I couldn't take pictures... sorry moms,

I only saw them in the conference.

We finished at around 12:30

and then we had to drive back to Lima

to make our 8:30 flight.

Elder Nash was an awesome driver

and was focused on getting us to the plane on time.

(this is a nice way to say that he was driving pretty fast)

Terry and I appreciated this.

During the ride home I started to get a little woozy.

The altitude in Huaraz is like 11,000 feet.

Lima and Trujillo are at sea level.

You climb quickly and descend quickly and it can take a tole.

So I put my head down on Terry's knee for a minute.

Not a good idea.

I started getting very nauseous.

I quickly sat up.

and tried to stare at the lines in the road.

I opened my window for fresh air.

Nothing was helping.

I looked at Terry with fear in my eyes.

He didn't know what was going on

My glands started to crawl.

I was looking for a bag, anything.

Finally I just had to say, Elder Nash can you pull over...

Awwwwwwww

I jumped out of the car... I bent over and waited for a minute

and nothing.

I walked around, got some air,

and the feeling seemed to pass.

I didn't want to take too much time because Elder Nash had been

passing some large trucks in the canyon

and I didn't want them to pass us again.

So, when I felt a little better,

I jumped back in the car and we were off.

I needed to get my mind on something else and make it a funny situation

So I told them the story of a car trip when I was growing up.

Our friends were taking my mom and some of the younger kids to the airport

after a long week at Aspen Grove family camp.

My dad was driving a big group of teenagers home, so sometimes we would

split up and some fly, some drive.

My little sister was sitting in front with my mom.

She started to get sick and threw up all over her shoes and socks.

I was sitting right behind her and looked over the seat to see what was going on

and I got sick just smelling it, so I quickly opened my window and started to throw up.

I had long hair and it blew out the window and got covered in yuck.

It also went all down the side of the back window.

So those sitting in the very back started to get sick and said,

roll down the back tailgate window... Quick.

Yes, those sitting in the very back, started to throw up

out the back of the car.

Remember we were all just getting on an airplane.

My little sister had to take off her shoes and socks and go barefoot.

I had throw up in my hair and on my shirt.

Those in the back just wreaked of vomit.

It was a long flight home for my mom.

After I told the Nashs this story, We hit a big roller coaster bump and

that was it. I had to say it again,

Elder Nash could you pleeeeease pull over....

Wow, again I jumped out of that car so fast.

All I could think was...

This is not really happening is it?

Terry grabbed napkins and water and came to the rescue.

He assured me that this was not

the most embarrassing moment I have had.

Oh, Really?

He asked if he should take a picture for my blog

Ha Ha...

(I told him that this would never be told on my blog or to anyone!)

Thank goodness I felt very comfortable with the Nashs

by this time in the trip.

They are wonderful in every way.

Thanks for the fun

Elder and Hermana Nash!

You can cry about it or you can laugh about it ... or you can blog about it,

It's all great therapy.

Elder Jara... Great Story

This is Elder Jara.

He is from Ecuador.

Before the mission he competed in

Olympic Style Weight Lifting.

He competed in many Countries. He was very good.

When he decided to go on his mission, his parents were separated.

His father was not a member of the church but his mother was.

He was a very successful missionary.

He was a trainer right after he was trained.

In fact, he trained Elder Hunsaker our assistant.

He was also a traveling assistant for 7 months

and an assistant to Pres. Mora for 4 months.

He brought many people into the Church.

But the most incredible story was the one that was

taking place in his home in Ecuador.

You see, he was fasting and praying and studying and writing letters to his father at home.

He would write all these great letters and send them to his father

and never get any response.

But he was persistent and full of faith.

Months passed ...

Then he found out that his father was taking the lessons in Ecuador.

His father started to attend church...

well, in shorts and a t-shirt.

Soon he started to wear pants and a polo.

Later he added suit pants, a white shirt, but no tie.

And then it happened, he was wearing All White - He got baptized!

Now he is wearing a suit and white shirt and tie.

You see...

Elder Jara is leaving a couple weeks early

so that he can go home to be sealed with his family in the Temple in Ecuador

His father was baptized a year ago today.

Now he and his family are all heading to the temple

on his parents wedding anniversary next week.

They are being sealed before his younger brother enters the

mission field.

We are thrilled. Of all the success this Elder has had in the field,

nothing was as important as his example and love and prayers for his father.

They will be sealed together forever

through the proper Priesthood authority here on earth.

We love you Elder Jara!

Happy Birthday to my Favorite First Born Son...

Live it up Parker... Today is your day.

Remember when I gave you that great head massage in Peru?

Oh yeah, that wasn't me.

But remember how great it felt until you got ice cold water

sprayed all over your head and face?

It was worth it... Look how adorable you look!

You are the greatest son a mom could ever have.

You make Mothering a pure Joy!

I Love You.

White Glove Inspection...

I had my surprise room inspections this morning in just one of the

Districts in the East Zone.

(Florencia de Mora District)

I will say that I was pleasantly surprised.

They weren't quite as clean as I would have liked,

but they weren't horrible either.

The bathrooms were actually the cleanest part of their rooms.

I love to look at all their paraphernalia. If you look closely below you will see

(like hidden pictures) a picture of Christ, tennis shoes, water bottle, towel drying, soccer ball, shoe shine kit, toothbrush, toothpaste, water purifier, camera case...

You can find these things in every missionary room.

You will probably not find one of these in every missionary room.

This is a typical view from one of the Elders rooms.

There are so many wires running everywhere.

I am shocked there are not fires constantly.

(just kidding moms)

Enlarge this collage below and you will see what I saw.

The Good, the Bad and the Funny.

I just put it all out there.

The winners... Elder Rojas and Elder Maximiliano

now have possession of the coveted monkey huaco.

By the way, before we even got it to them,

President Turk broke the foot off. I was so sad.

But of course the office missionaries fixed it

and it is as good as new. President Turk felt so bad.

We will let it slide this time.

Now everyone please take care of this precious Award.

(see the last post)

Let all things be done in cleanliness before me...

Remember these funny things that I collect. They are called Huacos.

I just got a few more when we were at the Huaca del Sol and the

Huaca del Luna ruins with my children.

This is one of my brand new Huacos.

It is a great monkey... One of my favorites.

But tomorrow morning it is turning into a very special award.

Tomorrow I am going to surprise my missionaries and enter into a bunch of their apartments to check for cleanliness. I have seen all of their living spaces via the computer and photos.

I have upgraded several and have added the necessities that they needed.

Now I am going in to make sure that we are keeping things in order.

Surprise!

The companionship that is the cleanest will receive this

precious monkey to stay in their apartment until

the next surprise room check. They will also receive a few goodies.

This is a huge sacrifice for me. I love this monkey.

Please Elders & Hermanas, Don't break or lose this Monkey Award...

or you will BREAK my Corazon.