My name is Elder Welch. I am a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. I am currently serving a full time mission, sharing the gospel with the people of Lima Peru West. Here you will read about my experiences in my letters home. Please feel free to write comments, but know I wont see them until I get home in February 2013.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Monday January 21, 2013

Hola Familia!!!!

UGHHHHH! i have never been happier but so stressed out in my life. We had a awesome week no thanks to my dear companion, but hey you have to take the good with the bad. to be honest it was one of the best weeks i have had in Sayan. a ton of lessons a few baptismal dates, and we had the first convert baptism in our group on saturday. Yaldrina Mildred Torres Retuerto came in to the fold of god. she will be a great leader and speaking of leaders we got the green light to start forming auxiliary organizations in our group. i am very excited but my companion isnt.

in response to your comment dad i am actually more worried for this small flock than ever. the day of transfers we had a duo interview with president dorius where he practically said . . . . Elder Welch is in charge do what he says and you will get on fine. but my companion has yet to grasp that. I have yet to explode yet i just smile and say OK even though doing what you say will take us from "San Jeronimo" (small pueblo about 15 minutes to the west of Sayan) to Quintay (other pueblo about 15 minutes to the EAST of Sayan) its fine because i know that if i dont say yes you will throw a fit and not even want to leave the house. Well we went and returned and we did it all in vain. i was ticked. . . . . . . i honestly dont know what else to do with my companion. president always calls asking about some business and we always end with the same sad story...... my companion. I told president my concerns about not only my companion but also his capability to run this group when i am gone. president gave me a couple lashings with a simple statement "do you really think god will let anything happen to this delicate group?" he is right. 

We had another record breaking week. 22 people crammed into our small sacrament room. we had a high counsel member come from Huacho and he told me that he would express my concerns about the "not enough space" problem to the Stake President. so we may be moving our little group to a more stable/permanent place. we have already started the search for a space to rent. We have a sweet lady named DORIS, (she is sweet just for the name) who offered to give us a lot of land in order to build a church. i tried to explain to her that it would be a few years before we were looking for a lot to build on, that it all depended on the church attendance and baptism output that we have. she too taught me a good lesson "Elder Welch if it is the lords will can even you stop it?" it is true so i called up president dorius and he gave me the permission so i now have my name and my signature on a land title for our future church to be built on. 

Yesterday we taught a new young man and all i can say is wow. he has had a rough last few weeks and mostly thanks to alcohol. he was playing with a pistol while he was drunk and accidentally shot his friend in the head . . . . obviously he didnt live. he was almost sent to prison for man slaughter but the judge recognized that it was a accident. we knocked on his door and without saying anything he told us to come in. he then explained that he had been on his knees praying when he heard us knocking on the door. he had been begging god for another chance. a chance to change his life and turn things around. . . . . i know what you  mean dad when you said that it is always the last contact of the day when it is 9.20 and on your way home that is always the golden one.

Well fam i love you all and remember that i am always working as hard as i can!!!

Elder Landon R. Welch

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