Saturday, December 26, 2015

12-26-15

fammers,

heyo. it was another christmas in peru, really great. I had my lights up in my cuarto and we actually recieved some carolers one night. it was another one to put in the books, a christmas where I wasnt with my family and didnt celebrate it too much, but one to remember because I feel I understand more what christmas is really about. CHRIST, MAS!

It was great to skype some of the family and to festivate with some other companions and to see their families. we had a strange occurence and really quite the miracle happen as we were in the office yesterday, christmas day. We were there, just kind of wrapping up some work and some lady with her young children walk in. I thought she was just going to ask us for directions but she then went on to tell us her story. Us office elders stood around us as she kind of chastened us, saying, "its so hard to find you guys! Ive been looking everywhere!! do you have a book of mormon I can read??" She is about the one peruvian person I have met who used a computer and found out about the church and wanted to get in contact us. She went on, "Ive tried about every other church but it amazes me that I have felt nothing too special with them. When I read about this church though, I did feel something. I would really like a book of mormon to read and go to mass (haha) with you guys someday!" We were thrilled, handed her every pamphlet, a book of mormon and some words of advice and direction to find the elders where she lives and meet with them. It was so amazing to see something like that occur on christmas. She left so happy, promising us she was going to the park right now so her kids could play and she could read the book of mormon.

I have no doubt in my mind she did, well, because she came in today during our district meeting and made the best interumption that I didnt mind at all. She came in and sat down and told us her experience reading and praying about the book. She told us she knew it was true based on her feelings. Honestly, I had never seen someone so ... prepared, so smart and clear and really knew her feelings. It was awesome. Im super stoked and jealous the elders are going to have teaching her in their area. 

I hope that little cuenta warms your hearts this (after) christmas day, and I hope its been a memorable one for you. I love you guys, and Im excited for another year to keep working for the Lord and being his servant for a few more months. 

elder caldwell.

adventures:

shiny shoes.
the tree
elder price burned his pants in the mountains
other thing i forgot




Saturday, December 19, 2015

12-19-15

hello from the south,

hey guys! well, we travelled again. we went to a place close to my last area of Yungay, 
called Huaraz. It is the best here. It is the only place you can wear coats and see snow.
We are preparing more and more for Christmas here, and we are travelling to all the zones
of the mission to do Christmas Devotionals with the missionaries. Its been fun seeing
everyone de nuevo. Especially I have been fascinated to be with a lot of the new missionaries
and learn from their simpleness. The past 2 nights we are going to be staying with Elder 
Price and his son (trainee) Elder Ortiz from Ecuador. I was able to proselyte with Elder
Ortiz last night. He only has about 5 weeks in the mission and he is already inspiring and
helping his family, even miles away. Him and his mom are the only ones baptized in his
family but he just found out that his sister will now be baptized as well, after waiting about 7
years of his life. We taught a less active family, and he told them how important it is
to just read, pray and go to church. We commited the family for the new year,
(new years resolutions = great technique for missionaries trying to do commitments)
to read as a family every night. The mom of the family was super excited and so were we,
in the freezing winter rain of Huaraz. She gave us some bread as a parting gift. I love the 
mountains here.

With all the cosas going on this end of the year, I have been searching for a lot of spiritual
and mental refuge. A really great section of this months Ensigns (or Liahonas) gave me just
that with this quote: "He recalled that when he prayed in his earlier years, he diso with list of requests and   solicitudes. He would approach heaven with what  he called “a kind of shopping list.” But now, he said, “I think [I am] trying to grow in just being   there. Like when you sit in front of fire in winter,  you are just there in front othe fire, and you don’t have to be smart or  anything. The fire warms you.2"

we dont have to be smart or elegant or anything in our prayers. I love that metaphor, we can just pray and kind of just soak in the warm spirit of the Lord, until that peace we require comes. As the cold approaches us spiritually, and phisically this time of year, hope we can all learn from this council and pray in such a way.

Love you guys. Wish I could send some picture but I have forgotten to llevar mi camara hoy dia. disculpeme. Next week will be chalk full of some mountain pictures. 

also pray for my mom if you can! she is having surgery soon. also for our investigator francisco so that he can progress. 

Elder Caldwell. 

Saturday, December 12, 2015

I like the desert 12-12-15

to those who still read,

hi. how was the week? thats good. much love. im still here in Perú. 
This one was quite a good experience for me. We got to travel
the mission once again, and I was able to help my companion
do some legal things while president and the assistants did
interviews. We got to see all the missionaries and feel their
fire that they all have. My favorite night out there was when 
I was able to go on divisions with two elders, Elder Rice
and his trainer Elder Rodriguez. Elder Rice reminds me of my
first days in the mission and it was awesome. We went out into
the middle of nowhere in their area, called Cambio Puente. Just
dirt everywhere and we got the chamba going. We taught some
and I got to know them pretty good. A touching experience was
when we were driving back to home, our taxi man. I told him
my feelings of God. It was a long drive, so I was able to delve
into my testimony with him. I felt the spirit that night.

Elder Uceda when he was here made a really special experience
when he shared his testimony. He made sure to mention that
sharing a testimony is actually a really sacred experience. It 
is to show what we know, because of what we have experienced.
We cannot say we know something if we have not experienced it,
it would be more like lying and the spirit would not be there. 
That what the most powerful part of his training to me. 

Im thankful for testimony and the little one I have. I hope it is growing.
Im thankful for you guys. Here is a little poemI love, and lets me know
how important we are, whatever we do or whoever we are. Its all for God.

"Father, where shall I work today?
And my love flowed warm and free
Then He pointed out a tiny spot
And said, ´tend that for me´
I answered quickly, óh no, not that!
Why, no one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done.
Not that little place for me.´
And the word He spoke, it was not stern,
He answered me tenderly:
´ah little one, search that heart of thine,
Art thou working for them or for me?
Nazareth was a little place,
and so was galilee.´
-Meade McGuire

Love,

Elder Caldwell.

pics:

title.

also thanks mom for the christmas package!!! love you.







Saturday, December 5, 2015

12-5-2015

My family,

Hey there. Its has been a few tedious days for me. I have learned a few things here in my days of trying to figure out things and help run a mission.
1 .I never want an office job.
2. I love people more than computers.

Haha, well, I’ve learned a little bit more than that. Christmas is approaching, the end of the year is approaching, we just finished a mission tour and the waves of work here in the office, the time I am here, is a lot and it stresses me out. I often feel my work is useless, and I question why I am here, why I got this position, why can’t I just be outside preaching the word more than I do. I have battled much inside of me, and I have tried more to pray harder and read more to understand why and how I can overcome what is becoming a challenge to me. I hope this doesn’t appear to those who read that I don’t like my time here. It has its ups and downs, but the down has come this week.

In turn I have tried more to be a missionary in every moment. Even to my fellow companions. To listen to those who come to the office with problems, I am trying more to listen with a compassionate heart. Or to talk to those I am surrounded about daily about the gospel. I feel like God placed me here in this strange position in the mission to really help me to realize what outside, non-mission life will be like in the future. I will not be preaching the gospel 24/7 at home, I will be place in uncomfortable situations a lot at home, I will have to deal with money, business stuff… God just is kinda shoving me out of the little cove of safety we like to call missions for a minute to show me what it’ll be like. And I’m learning. I’m learning to put God first in the world. And that is why I think I am here.

I have also really enjoyed reading 1 Nephi 3.7 in this time, and pondering over the talk “Bearing up their burdens with ease” by Elder Bednar. In that talk he compares a small story to our own personal burdens we have every day. Whether that be sin, or business, family problems, we all have something on us. A man gets his truck stuck in the snow in some mountains while he goes out to chop wood. He does everything he can think to get the truck out of the snow, but to no avail. He finally gives up and cuts the wood anyway. He loads up his truck with this wood and thinks probably, “what next?”. He starts the truck and try to back up, a little hard at first, but finally escapes the snow and gets back on the road, towards home. So, it was the burden that got him out of the snow. It was the burden that gave him the traction. In our lives our burdens get us back on the path. It is our constant burdens of sin, family, business, school, or in my case, weird office/financial things that constantly remind me of Our Savior and what he did for us so that we could feel happy, even under burden (Mosiah 24.15). Burdens are essential to life, and right now I find myself grateful for the burden of being placed with tedious tasks to shine forth with faith, with ever growing fervent prayer, searching scripture study, going to church with a repentant heart.

I realize todays letter is a long one, but it feels good to express my feelings and what I’ve learned this week.. I am looking forward to recognizing my burdens, thanking God for the challenge, and just try to keep moving forward. Love you all.
Elder Caldwell.

Ps. don’t worry, here we also go out and teach people. We are teaching a fantastic man named Francisco. He has huge desires to be baptized, to help his ancestors. I will talk a little more about him next week. LOVE YOU!

pics.

ran into an old returned missionary, elder cano
ponderizing jaja

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Mission blog

To ready more about Elder Caldwell's mission.  Go to

http://beatrizymanuelrios.blogspot.pe/