Mon, Oct 13, 2014 at 9:43 AM

HELLO MUNDO! I love you all.

 

This is going to be a long one! It's been a crazy ride these two weeks. I departed from the CCM super early on tuesday and hopped on a plane to Trujillo! When we got there I swore I was on Tattooine! haha. just straight desert. Immediately we got picked up by our Mission Pres. and his wife, some of the nicest people I have ever met. Pres.Marler sounds like D. Todd Christofferson haha! such a cool guy. So kind.

 

Orientation happened, and word was going around that one of the new elders was going to be sent to the mountains, in Otuzco Peru! Annnnd it was me haha. I serve in my legit personal dream. A quaint town amidst giant foggy peruvian mountains, llamas, donkeys, farmland, and the nicest, most rugged, hardworking people I have ever seen. My companion is from Bolivia and is a stereotypical latino dude haha. Elder Copa drinks solely inca kola and wears chullo beanies. I couldnt have asked for better circumstances!! Hopefully my pictures from the CCM and out here in Otuzco explain a little of my experience thus far. Look up Otuzco in google maps, its sick!

 

Elder Copa andI live with Elder Tirado, the flipping man, and Elder Spencer Jackson from Mesa AZ BABY! Everywhere I go I find someone from az, its a tendermercy for sure.

 

We have immediately been put to work of course, and its been hard, but the spirit and the love I feel from God is amazing. Never before have I felt so close to heavenly father and seen his blessings in my life. Otuzco is unusual, the members are extremely weak. 200 here are baptized but only 30 come to church, so we primarily try to convert the members and leaders, so if we do baptize in the future, the converts can have better support. I love doing this type of work though, and the ability to share my testimony on how the gospel has strenghtened me! If any of you have suggestions on how to help these members and leaders please tell!! like experiences or scriptures, we will try anything.

 

General conference was amazing, with huge emphasis on prophets, Christ, testimony, and the sacrament, and also personal revelation! This conference legit made me cry several times, never before have I appreciated it so much. savor the words of the prophets,especially inenglish. haha!

 

AND ALSO, Elder Mason Passey found me!!! I love that guy and it was good to visit for a few minutes before he ran off to do work. Hopefully we can be comps in the future.

 

You are all so great and I hope life is for you too! If you want an image on how the people look and act here, remember the scene in Nacho Libre where he goes and visits the elderly couple, where the old latino dude is supposedly dead! I love these people haha, they make me laugh so much.

 

Mucho amor,

 

Elder Caldwell.

 

Mosiah 15.15 through 18 is our zone motto here in the mountains!

 

Ill send pictures in a different email!

Oct 7, 2014 11:36 AM

Hey Mom! and Dad!

Love you so very much. Been thinking about you a lot and all of the nice things you have done for me. I was a crazy kid and I regret not showing my appreciation for you more. Love you so much, life is good.

I just got off the plane and am in Trujillo now with my mission president! Him and his wife are one of the nicest people I have ever met, don't ever worry about me. It's all a real big family here and they aren't grumpy and have so much compassion for us. You should check out the mission blog Mission Trujillo that sister marler has created, it'll have pictures of me soon! and I will be able to send all the pictures I have to you guys next monday, which will be my pday for the rest of the mission. 

Mom, you should meet up with one of my good friends moms, Elder Connelly. Her name is Elizabeth Connelly and lives in GIlbert! you should meet up with her sometime and have lunch or something, and talk about your sons in Trujillo or something!! her number is 520-331-0603 shoot her a text or something! 

It's been a good day and I'm a little nervous to meet my trainer! I hope he speaks a little english. 

I also saw ELDER PASSEY!!! He came and saw me right after I got off a bus and it was so refreshing to see another friend from AZ. He's been out a year and is a veteran! I'll talk to you guys more next monday, please be safe and pray for me! I pray for you every night.

LOVE YOU MOM, and LOVE YOU DAD. 

Elder Caldwell.

Thu, Oct 2, 2014 at 12:12 PM

¡buenas tardes!

 

I've been out a month and a couple days now, and I hit the field this Tuesday! This month here in the Peru MTC has been one of the hardest learning experiences of my life. But it's been so so good. filled with laughter, #thestruggle (thats for you hudson), the spirit, teaching, and meeting all forms of life haha. I've loved it. Every night I reminisce about the good old times in Mesa, AZ feeling like I've been out a year haha. Don't worry though I'm not homesick, just remembering the good times. I'm going to miss the MTC and my district homies, it been like a six week efy program out here x10

 

This week I've learned so much about Christ and his life and the importance of being Christlike. It is a life long pursuit to be like Christ and I can only hope to be a fraction of how kind and humble Christ was. Preach My Gospel chapter 7 about christlike attributes is genial! I encourage everyone to read that section. (hopefully its chap. 7) haha. I have developed such a love for everything and everyone here that I have never experienced because I look at everything in a different perspective. It's been great.

 

Spanish is still coming little by little, and I hope I can be a good jr comp soon! we teach maybe 14 times a week, yesterday I taught four times and being able to see the progress from being a little guy here is loooocoooooooooooooo. We heard a talk by a general authority this week and one thing he said was to write our families and ask them to pray for us to have the gift of tongues! I'm not saying you should pray for me, but atleast pray for others you know in foreign countries because that stuff is real life. (mom please pray for me) (and dad.) (miss you guys.)

 

I flipping love Elder Frost! him and all our roommates talk forever at night and just laugh, it's so refreshing. Yesterday I got up to go to the bathroom at night and as I was going in this Peruvian Elder came out fully clad, with a scarf over his mouth and nose, a beanie, a jacket, sweats, mittens and socks. you could only see his eyes, haha he looked like a straight up alien and I was laughing for eternity. its hot here I dont know what he was doing. I love the natives.

 

I won't be able to write for 2 weeks because I'm going to be missing pday when I finally get out to Trujillo so next email will be full of pictures!

 

con amor,

 

Élder Caldwell