Week 50: Tiny Town

Hey everybody!!! 

This week was the bomb digidy! The highlight of the week is we traveled to a small little pueblito (tiny town) to do work. There is one member that lives in this town super far away and he told us there are so many people waiting to hear our message, so we took a 20 minute motoride, 10 minute boat ride, then another 25 minute moto ride to get into the middle of nowhere. A small little town named Vichayal. its itty bitty and nobody really wants anything to do with us. To get there you have to go through another town we go to a lot called Miramar, where there are like 10 members but they have there own family group. On the moto ride back to the boat we were driving through Mirarmar when out of the blue I had the feeling we should go visit the group leader in Miramar and pick up the tithing's. I looked at my watch and thought that it was late and that the tithing can wait till next week, because we needed to get back to our area for a lesson we had planned. But the feeling came again so I figured I should probably follow it. When we got to the group leaders house he met us and immediately his face lit up and said that we were that answer to his prayers because he had been super super sick and needed a priesthood blessing. We stayed a while just talking with him and I knew that it was more than just a coincident that I had the feeling to stop by, but that the God really does guide us and use us to help those around us!!! 

That's about it for the week, we also saw a group of 8 year olds walking down the street drinking beer, then saw another 8 year driving around on a motorcycle with his little sister on the back, he didn't know how to drive and almost fell and hit so many things. Its crazy to live in a town where the police don't exist and you can literally do anything you want. 

ALSO GOOD NEWS, after forever of searching, we found a new room to live in, we still have to sign the contract so its not 100% confirmed, but we got him to an agreeable price, and we are hoping to move in on September 1st!  That means we can use our room for more class rooms for the church!! 

Everyday here is the best day ever!!! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber

Week 49: Baptism, Science Project and Great Resources

Hey everybody!!! 

So the super good news is that after a million miracles our investigators Francisco got baptized!!!! He is 74 years, and has a hard time remembering the lessons we teach but he had the biggest desires to be baptized which was amazing! Every lesson he would ask us when he could be baptized, it took a lot of work, and lots of prayers but it happened. Although he did have a hard time bending his knees to get under the water so my companion had to sweep the legs. 

Also this week our investigator of 9 years asked us to help with his science project. but he had no ideas, so I remembered a Sunday school class when they cut the wire to a lamp and put it in salt water and the current ran through the water and the lamp still worked, so we did that, but when we put the cut cords into the water it made a super huge explosion and we almost blew their power. But it was super fun, and bonded with our investigators. 

I also found out about a weird tradition here, when a husband or super close family member dies, some people wear all black clothing for a full year in remembrance. 

Also some stranger came knocking on my door this week, and asked for help with her English homework, so I said sure and she pulled it out and it was a diary she had been taking over her 2 week long vacation, she wrote it in Spanish, but it needed to be in English, so I had to translate 14 entries into English, I basically helped her cheat, but she was just using her resources. 

This week my companion also got a package in the office, and he got 3 rolls of cheese, like the huge rolls of cheese. but they were in Piura, so today we made the long and very expensive trip to Piura to pick them up. And while we were there we decided to buy some papa johns pizza and do some shopping. Although I didn't think I  needed anything I ended up buying a lot. it was super fun, I love shopping, I just wish money grew on trees and that I could wear clothes that wasn't white shirt with dress slacks. 

That's about it for the week! Everyday here is the best day ever!! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber!!

Week 48: Robbed

Hey all, 

So this week was the bomb! Every week keeps flying by and I got robbed this week, just not quite how you would think. Last week I went to Paita and paid the driver with a 50 sol bill, he accepted and everything was cool. But then this week he found us walking in the street and claimed I paid him with a fake 50 sol bill, he pulled it out and it was paper that was peeling apart and claimed I payed with it. Which I know for a 100% fact I didn't. Then told me that its because us gringos just don't know money like Peruvians. And because I didn't want him going around telling everybody that the Mormon missionaries are thief's and pay with fake bills and put a bad name on the church, I had to trade him and he robbed me of 50 sols, it was rather frustrating. (the bad part of standing out in a crowd, people can find the gringo dressed in white shirt and tie and hold him to false claims)

Also we have some new rules as missionaries, 

1. We now have to wake up everyday at 6:30 :(  1 less hour of sleep

2. We have to be in our bed sleeping at 10:30 sharp (before it was 11ish)

3. We cant eat dinner after 8 pm, normally we eat dinner around 9:30 or 10, but now we have to eat before the 8.

4. We can watch movies but we cant download or buy pirated movies (which is literally the only way to buy movies here)

I also used the waffle maker this week, and made waffles 2 times! one time we added to much baking powder and flour and they were very dense, but the second time they were perfect!!! Then we also made grilled cheese in the waffle maker and it was the bomb!!! 

Also we had a lesson with our investigator, and the first thing he asked was "When are we going to the river for my baptism," he is super excited to be baptized, and attended again yesterday, the plan is to be baptized this Saturday if all goes as planned!!! 

That's about it, we got transfers, and I'll be staying here for the next 6 weeks with the same companion which I am super happy for!!! Every day here is the best day ever!!! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber

Week 47: Flea Circus

Hey all, 

So by some stuck of luck a flea circus found its way into our room, and now I own a flea circus, I just can't control them. I have over like 50 bites and they itch so much worse than mosquito's. I hope to get rid of them soon! 

I have a new nickname with the members here and the missionaries. They call me the assassin. Because a member has a cat that recently gave birth to a litter of a million little catlings, smaller than my hand, and when we went to their house my companion walked in first and I walked in after him and a small little cat walked under my foot and I snapped its neck and most of its legs. It freaked out, but couldn't walk, it just started crying and twitching and starting bleeding out of its nose and mouth.  I think some bird went by and ate it. Its was really sad and made the kids cry, and they just yelled at me bloody assassin. 

Also, Saturday was Independence day here, the 28th of July, but really it was just like any other day, just less people worked, and there was A LOT more people drinking and doing crazy things. 

We also saw a fight, about 6 dudes went at it in the middle of the street, one got dropped and got his face beaten into the ground. WWE Pueblo Nuevo addition. 

I found out that gas down here is $4 a gallon, I think that's high, what is the going rate back in the states for a gallon of gas... 

This week we had our meeting with our new mission president, and had interviews, it was good, a lot different than Pres. Rasmussen. Not bad, just very different.

Today I also got to watch Holes, it was so good! and tonight we are going to have a noche de cine. or in other word, movie night with our investigators, and members!! movie TBD. 

That's about it for this week, the time is flying super super fast, and I cant believe we are basically in august already! how crazy! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber

Week 46: Time Flying

Hey everybody! 

This this week honestly flew! I don't even know how it went by so fast, a lot happened, but mostly just a lot of work. We have been experiencing with new techniques of finding new people to teach, one way is we are teaching classes of English ever Friday night, and it has actually been working, little by little we have been having lots of new people we have never met before show up! 

We also had a district conference on Saturday and Sunday, and I was in charge of getting all the members from Pueblo Nuevo to Paita (because all the leaders had to be there 3 hours early for a leadership meeting). and as normal nobody showed up on time, and the vans we hired showed up 45 minutes late, I was stressing a lot, and was receiving calls and wasn't sure if we were going to make it on time, but we showed up exactly 3 minutes early just before the conference started. Then we told the van guy to wait for us for 2 hours, but he decided to leave so when the conference ended we didn't have a car to get back, so we had to wait over an hour waiting for him to return, frustrating. 

Fun fact, my companion is super worried about getting sunburned, that he uses a lot of sunscreen every morning before leaving, almost always wears longs sleeves and a big hat. But I don't use anything, nor a hat and I don't even get burned the slightest and hes a lot darker than me. 

I also met my new mission president for the first time this week, but I shook his hand and that was it. I have a meeting with him tomorrow, and Wednesday, with an interview Wednesday, it will be interesting, he is definitely a lot different than Pres. Rasmussen. But the good news is that he introduced movies back! so I can watch Disney movies again. Music is still to be determined. 

We also felt like we should stop by a members house so we did, and found she had been suffering with a lot of teeth pain and didn't know what to do (dentists don't really exist here since they are expensive). But it just happens that my companion is only 1 semester away from becoming a dentist and was able to help her and prescribe her drugs to take. Something I could never do. So the Lord really does put people exactly where they need to be and in the right time! 

Its crazy how the spirit really makes a difference in the work, I have noticed this week how much the spirit has guided and helped me so much, to know exactly where to go, what to say, and who to talk to. I invite each of you to seek the guide of the spirit in your lives, through daily scripture study, daily personal prayers, and attending church every week! Make everyday the best day ever!

I love and miss you all so much,

Elder Luke Gruber

PS. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU SO STINKY MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE, I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT, IT WAS THE BOMB AND REALLY HELPED ME A TON!  I love you guys to the moon and back a million times!!! Although the chess set has caused some trouble in our room, or chess battles get pretty heated and when somebody losing we don't take if very easy!  I love you very much, I hope I can get this waffle maker working!! 

Week 45: Fishing

Hey all, 

This week was pretty bomb, I'll start with today. So last week my companions had a really good idea. The river is pretty close, so lets go fishing. We bought fishing line, hooks, and bread as bait and this morning at 6:30 we started walking through the farm to go to the river. (we thought it would be a 30 minute walk), but on the way a man going to work on his farm on his horse and buggy picked us up and we drove on his cart pulled by his horse, it was pretty bomb. It ended up taking over an hour to get there. but we got there, prepared everything, then walked to the middle of the river and sat for 2 hours. Nothing, we left empty handed, but is was still really fun, and then we hitched hike on another horse and buggy on the way back. Was rather fun. 

This week after years of practicing my farming skills on farm town, I went farming, for over an hour and harvested corn by hand, it was super fun. Just in the middle of nowhere, ripping corn off the stocks, being eaten by mosquito's, and attacked by thorns. We go back farming tomorrow! YAY

Also this week was the birthday day of a member so they killed a duck and a chicken to eat and celebrate, I asked if I could participate in the killing, so I held the duck while they slit its throat. Its was a memory that will last forever! it started freaking out and all of its muscles went crazy, and the myth is true, once the head was off, for the next 5 minutes it kept fighting and everything. If I put it down it would have ran.

We also almost killed our pensionista, we had a soccer night as a branch and we brought juice that was cold. My pensionista had one glass, the next day she said she couldn't sleep all night because her stomach killed her and felt like she had knifes in her stomach. It was because she drank a glass of cold juice, and her body is use to drinking warm juice. Here in Peru it is deathly dangerous to drink cold beverages. 

I also found a kid this week wearing a red Seattle Seahawks shirt, and it reminded me that the seasons starts soon!! GO HAWKS!! 

One of the coolest things that happened this week is that one afternoon all of our appointments had fallen. So we decided to pass by for a different investigator. But on the way we saw an older gentleman sitting in his door way reading a book. We thought he was reading the bible, and we had the impression to go talk with him (normally I avoid those type of people because they are very catholic "and aren't interested") but as I got closer I noticed the book wasn't the bible. We started talking and in the top corner of the page I read "2 Nephi". He was reading the Book of Mormon. So we asked him about it, he didn't know much about it, but that it belongs to the Mormons and he got it over a year ago and that he has been reading it ever since. We had a good conversation and he mentioned to us that he knows the Book of Mormon is true, and that the other churches that pass by to teach him are all wrong. I know that we were placed in the precise moment to find this man and teach him. 

That's about it for the week, Everyday here is the best day ever!!! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber

Week 44:Birthday

Hey, everybody! 

So this week was the bomb. I'll start off  with a fun story. On Saturday my companion and I decided to make a traditional Peruvian meal called, Salchipapa. In simple words french fries and hot dogs.  We fried some french fries, cooked some hot dogs, everything turned out well. But as I was removing the pan of boiling hot oil some decided to jump out and land all over my hand, which then caused a train reaction of me dropping the pan and a whole bunch of hot oil splattering everywhere. Fortunatly, only my index and middle finger got burnt pretty bad and hurt for quite a while. So lesson learned, handle hot oil with care, because it hurts a lot when it makes skin contact! 

Also 4th of July here was a bust, we didn't do anything, we went looking at night for hamburgers, but after 30 minutes nothing, so we settled with chicken burgers and ate them while listening to the star spangled banner! 

On Sunday a member invited us to some goat. So we ate some goat, it was pretty tasty just had lots of bone and fat. but a solid 6/10. Chicken and cow are better. 

Funny story- we were in a house teaching an investigator and she had her 2 year old son, and he said he had to go pee, so we expected she would take him to the bathroom, but nope, she stood him up, pulled down his pants and he peed on the floor in front of us all during our lesson. It was rather odd, the people here can be strange at times! 

Also this week I came down with a really weird sore throat that hurts when I swallow, but also has made me have to yawn all the time. I don't know what it is but I have be yawning 24/7 and I cant stop, and it hurts really bad, I'll be in a lesson teaching and just yawn, 2 minutes later yawn, 2 minutes later yawn, Its rather odd, and I really hope it goes away soon! 

My birthday here was quite the dud, there wasn't really quite anything to do, so we just went to Paita, bought a really delicious but spicy ceviche, then I bought captain crunch (it was expensive but I spoiled myself), and then traveled back and that was about it. Nobody really wished me happy birthday since nobody really knew. We are going to dinner with member tonight and hopefully that should be fun!  

I love and miss you all!! Everyday here in the best day ever! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber

Week 43: New Comp

So Peru final won a game, the one game I couldn't watch because I was in Piura. Also what happened with Germany, crazy!!! I also got my new greenie companion this week, his name is Elder Maquera from Juliaca, Peru! He is super cool, he is 25 years old,  has only been a member for less than a year and a half. He was just about to finish schooling to be a dentist when the thought came to him, its either finish schooling now and miss the opportunity to serve a mission, or serve a mission and fall behind in school, and study more than a year extra when he returns. But he made a huge sacrifice to come out on the mission and he is the bomb, he truly has the desires to be a disciple of Christ. Although it is hard trying to teach him, everything. It definitely takes a lot of patience. 

This week the first missionary left from Pueblo Nuevo, his name is Dubherst. He is only a convert of 2 years, is 26 years old and his entire family hates the church. He is super poor, and his family didn't help him at all. He left  with very little and doesn't know if when he gets back if he will have a home. But he truly desires to serve the Lord, he had a goodbye meeting yesterday and I might have cried a lot. 

Also this week one of the people running for office here in Pueblo Nuevo was in a car wreck and died. He was 80% likely to win, and everybody here cried for about 3 days straight, it was super sad, hundreds, possible thousands of people left for his funeral this Sunday. 

Miracles still exist, this week we have had so much water, it has rushed out of our shower head like a fire hose I love it, I feel like I am in heaven. (for reference put your shower head on 1/4 power and that is what my amazing shower feels like)

That's all for this week, I love and miss you all so much!!!!

Everyday here is the best day ever!!! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber

 Found a root beer in Piura, my first one in 10 months, it tasted so good!!!

 New Companion

 Cooked my new comp a "traditional" American dinner- mac and cheese and hot dogs. He loved it!

Week 42: Trainer

Some super big news!! So the small town of Pueblo Nuevo that I am serving has always had only one companionship of elders! BUT, this Thursday we got a call and there will be 2 companionship's, so a total of 4 elders serving here. And we all get to live together, it is going to be crazy!!! My companion Elder Schnieder got transfered to Sullana, and I am staying and will be training a newbie. So I am currently staying in Piura until tomorrow, I don't even know who my comp is yet, maybe gringo, maybe Latino, I'll find out tomorrow, and you guys will find out next Monday! 

Also some not so fun news, I'm only sharing this to make Emelie happy, I got into a Moto with our phone in my pocket, 5 minutes later got out and the phone wasn't there, so I lost the phone, which sucks. Because there is absolutely no communication between us and the other missionaries. and it also cost me 50 soles. It reminded me of Em last year on the cruise. Em don't worry, you arent the only one, I too make mistakes. 

I also tried a new food this week, duck egg. It was super good, a little bit smaller than a chicken egg, but super tasty! Also this week we were able to baptize Sister Maria Zapata, after a year of being taught by the missionaries, she suddenly said yes, and I still don't know how it happened. They only way I can explain it, is it was a miracle, a huge miracle from the Lord. Me and my comp also decided to make no bake cookies this week and they turned out super good, so good that I started to eat them so fast I gave my stomach quite the ache. That's about it for the week, it is going to be a crazy next 6 weeks and I am looking forward to it! everyday here is the best day ever!!!! 

Love, 

Elder Luke Gruber