Hello to all!!!

So this week was quite eventful. Also pretty long. However we worked hard and taught/met many people!!!

Crazy experience however. We were teaching an investigator who has two daughters and also her brother lives with her. Her brother is only 16 years old, although he looks much older since he is a little rough looking, with tattoos and all. However, we were teaching our investigator when her brother came running into the house, frantically searching for something, which happened to be like 6 inches away from me. Well, he grabs what he was looking for and bolts out of the house. We all looked at each other thinking that that was a little strange, when one of the daughters of our investigator comes running in the opposite direction. It turns out that this kid was getting into an fight and when he ran in, he grabbed a gun and ran out with this thing. We were all like `what just happened` super confused and a little scared because the gun WENT OFF when he entered the house where he was fighting. We later were sitting in her house when the investigator came back yelling at her brother and we witness him pack up his things and get kicked out of the house for bringing a gun and getting in fights and all. Later, and what scares us more, is this kid now lives directly in front of our apartment.......

We also have found a group of Venezuelans! However, these people have been through so much. They WALKED from Venezuela to Peru, which took them over a month to get here. Jeez that is a lot of walking. We have been trying to get to know all of them and have been  teaching like 30 Venezuelans. The problem is that some of these people are rough looking and are straight up GANGSTERS, so we need to be careful because I don`t know how much I trust some of them. Haha.

We have a branch in Chepen, and I have to say a branch is way different than a ward. It is so much smaller!  But it also feels like the people are so much closer, and it is nice to be able to remember their names since it is a smaller group. I love working with the members and receiving references from them and leaving with them to teach. Everyone has such powerful testimonies here and I love having them share their own testimony!!

Other than that, this week has been fairly busy and lots of working. Chepen is HUGE so we have to take motos everywhere and I am still learning the names of this place so hopefully I can be a little less lost soon, if that is possible. I love you guys and I know this church is true!!

I just want to share my testimony of the power that our examples have. Here in the mission we have come across some kids who are so wonderful. I know that from my personal testimony, that specifically my mom has been such a great example to me. I shared my testimony with one of the investigator moms that we have about the power and influence that she has on her kids. I remember being a little annoying kid and always walking into my parents bedroom to ask for things or who knows what. Some of the things that maybe I didn't take to heart in the moment but definitely realize now is when I walked in and would see my mom on her knees saying her personal prayers and secretly peering through the door to see what she was doing. In these moments is when I knew that the gospel and knowledge that we have is something special. Because if me, being a kid, saw my mom in private talking with God, I know that this is something important. Maybe I didn't do that like I should've, but being here I am now eternally grateful for the example my mom set for me. I have no doubt that I have truly been born of goodly parents. I bore my testimony to these parents we had as investigators and I know that this principle is extremely important. It isn't what my mom said to me, because I know I didn't listen, it was the integrity, the example, the love, and appreciation she showed through her simple private expression of faith in the prayers she gave which I know that our family was included in those prayers. I know when we live the gospel, not only listen but truly live the commandments, it is when we receive the blessings of heaven in more abundance than we can receive. If we read the scriptures, pray daily, pay our tithing, obey the word of wisdom, the law of chastity, and exercise our faith to do these things, then maybe we don't realize our blessings in the moment, but we are truly blessed. We are an example to the world, even if we feel no one is watching. You never know when there's that little kid, peering through the door to see what you are doing. And if you are the pure, honest, humble child of God, you can change lives just by your obedience and submissiveness to God. I know this is true because I was that little kid peering through the door, and my life has been changed by simple acts of faith.

I love you mom!   I love you family!!!!   I love you all!!!!!!!!!   I hope you guys all have a great week!!!

Love,
Spence

P.S. here are some photos I took in Esperanza!