Buenas a todos!!!

This week was long, but full of awesomeness. We found families!!!  There is nothing more rewarding than finding a family to teach, with a mom, dad, and kids. I know families are the fundamental unit in God's plan. The gospel is the key to having a successful family!  We brought a mother with her two daughters to church last Sunday, and it was so awesome to see how fast the girls warmed up to the other youth. They later told me that they loved the church and they met a few friends from their school, and were asking if it would be okay if they came next week. I obviously said of course, every week they can come!  We also have been finding many people through the ward. I know that this work is not ours, and that the members have such a powerful influence in missionary work.  The majority of the people that come to church are because they have a friend that invited them. Who are their friends?  The members!  We are also their friends, but I have found that when people see us they either want to run and hide, or come and fight. When we invite others to come unto Christ and to come to church, we are doing a work that has eternal consequences.

I know that this Christmas season, we have such a great opportunity to minister to those around us. The 22nd of December is going to be a super special sacrament meeting!  Who are we going to invite so they can participate in the celebration of our Savior?  This Christmas season we should understand that the best gift we can receive is the gift of giving. I have learned being here in the mission, that it is probably more enjoyable for me to give to others and see the smiles on their faces, than to receive something for myself.  Nothing can replace that feeling for me, knowing that I could at least bring a ray of sunlight in the life of another child of God. We may not have very much, we may not even know what we can give, but I know we can always help others. I know that if we stop thinking about ourselves, and we start thinking about other people, that Christ will be able to work miracles within us and we can receive the best gifts this year from Christmas. We can feel the love of Christ through acting Christlike, and acting as the savior does.

This last week we also had a historia familiar activity where I was able to help some of the recent converts make the family tree, and to take some names to the temple!  I was proud of the Familia Castro, because I already helped them get quite a bit of information from their family, and I could find the documents of marriages and births. I am so excited for them, and I can't wait until we will have the chance to take their names to the temple.  Also, Diego Vega blessed the sacrament for the first time last Sunday!!  How cool is that?!  I am so proud of him and the faith he has in Heavenly Father, he is already such a great leader in the church and is going to learn so much.

Today we went to the top of the mountain next to Valle Sol, it was pretty dope. A little tiring, a little sketchy, super duper fun rolling down the sand dune on the way down from the mountain. We made out district flag, with our names and put it at the top of the mountain, that way Gran Chimu will forever remember us.  I love the mission so much!!!   I love the gospel!!   I know this is the true church!!   I feel it, I know it, and I can't deny it.  I love you guys!

Buenas tardes a todos!

This week was my first week with Elder Ramirez! Nuevecito en la misión, from Arequipa! He is super excited to get down to work and to help bring more almas to Christ. It is super awesome to see someone so excited and start out strong. I definitely have to stay on my toes, which is a little stressful but it is a great challenge.

This week we got to participate in a Conference with Elder Falabela, which was awesome. From the Seventy, he taught us many things about how we need to really listen to the people and show them that we care and love them. That we must show the members we really want to do all we can to serve them, as well as the investigators.

I started reading the new normas por un discípulo de Jesucristo, and it looks like lots of things have changed. I am not sure yet what all has changed but I am excited to see where the mission is going to go with these new changes!!

I am super stressed out because we are in the process of trying to get two couples married, so please pray that it will all come out smoothly.

I love you all!

Love,
Elder McGreer

So this week was the last week of the change and we had to say goodbye to Elder Pacheco.  However, I am staying in Gran Chimu!  Which I am super happy about.  I fell in love with this ward and I am so excited to keep working and bringing more almas unto Christ here. I will also be training my new companion! I don't know who he is todavia, because tomorrow I will be meeting him, as he is fresh out of the CCM. I am super excited yet a little nervous, I hope he gets a good first impression of the mission. I spent all night last night scrubbing the room from top to bottom, however that room is a pain in the butt to clean and keep clean.

We got to go to the temple this week with the members and recent converts!!  It was a super cool experience. I got to do temple baptisms which was super cool, to be next to the recent converts and getting baptized together with them was a super special feeling that I don't want to forget. I am so grateful for the blessings that we have in the temple. The temple is a safe haven that I am sooooo grateful for.

I also finished my shoes this week with la Familia Inuma, and I am super happy with my nice fake Nike shoes that will get lots of use. They are so awesome! I can't wait to start my shoe business when I get back. I am learning how shoes work, and you all better watch out because I am gonna make bank on these shoes.

Also this week was the cumpleaños de nuestra Mamá Rosa!!!!!!!!!  We went for a little bit to wish her a super happy birthday, and I am so grateful for the service she does for us. She makes us breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and always makes me laugh, and I feel like I'm at home in the pension with everyone. She is the best ever, and I am super happy por conocerla. I don't know what I am going to do when I need to say goodbye to this ward, because I fell in love with everyone here. Everyone is the best in Gran Chimu, and I am so excited to be training a new missionary in this awesome ward.

I love you all!!  I hope you are doing great. Peru is the BEST and I absolutely love it here!

Buenas tardes familia! Esta semana fue muy bueno. Tuvimos el bautismo de nuestro amigo y hermano Diego!!

This week Diego got baptized after two weeks!  He has so much faith and trust that if he follows Christ, that Christ will heal him and give him the strength he needs to overcome the disease that weighs him down. He honestly has set such an amazing example for me. We had to teach many things and he accepted all the commandments and committed to living them the first time hearing of them. Honestly it surprised me how fast everything was. I know that this is not my work, but the work of the Lord that has prepared his children to return to Him.

Diego is also already friends with all the JAS in the ward! We brought him to a noche de hogar, and he just fit right in with everyone. He is even going to go to all the activities and is super excited to participate with the members of the Church.

This coming week we will have the opportunity to go to the temple with the recent converts and to help them with their historia familiar to do baptisms for the dead! I am super excited to get to go with all of them. There are lots of converts here in Gran Chimu.

We also had our zone conference this week, where I was a little worried the whole time because I was concerned about Diego and his baptismal interview. We also learned that there are some super exciting things that are about to happen.  In December, all the missionaries will get to go to the plaza de armas aqui en Trujillo to do a little Christmas performance, so I am super excited for that.

Cambios are this week, and it is likely Elder Pacheco and I won't be together another change, so it should be interesting what is going to happen. I really hope I don't leave Gran Chimu, I will be super sad if that is the case.  I love it here so much.  I love Peru.  The mission is the best!!!  The spirit is so strong all the time.  Jesus lives!!!!  Joseph Smith was his prophet!  The church is restored!!  I love you guys!!