4-11-16

we workin hard. hello!

family, es un gusto de poder saludarles hoy y ver como están. This week has been a miracle! 

I say that more than anything because of walking a lot, we are in houses teaching the gospel.

I have a deeper testimony about setting high goals and reaching them. Looking back on this

one all I can think is how we were very blessed to be guided by the hand of the Lord. On 

multiple ocasiones Elder Henao and I felt the same impression to do something, and we 

acted on it and saw a miracle happen. 

One story is that all our appointments fell, and so we were walking down the highway, kind of 

aimlessly, but I looked to the right and it just stuck out to me, a  house. I dismissed it at first,

 but kept feeling the pull to go knock on it. I told my companion and he said, I felt the same thing.

We went and knocked, and right when we were aboput to turn back, a shirtless man answered

and said, "Elderes! Come on in." We looked at each other and were like WHAT?! Carlos told

us a little of his story and how his wife was less active and that he remembered the lessons

the missionaries had taught him long ago, and how he still reads the Book of Mormon and 

believes its true. We were so blessed to meet with Carlos and find him and now we are

teaching him. Spiritual impressions we can sometimes dismiss as just our thoughts, but as it 

says in the scriptures, even a good thought en sí es criado por el Espiritu. 

We had another experience when we walked by this whole family we found in house twice, and 

twice we neglected to go an talk to them. Their door was wide open to us on the dirt street.

After at last, walking a little farther away I said to Elder Henao, we gotta go back and talk to them.

We approached their adobe house and they let us in very graciously. Another Carlos (haha) and his

wife Kelly, and their 3 kids. They are wonderful and are now doing family prayers together. 

I love the work here! We are working so hard, and my whole district! all very new missionaries but 

very humble and obedient, im so blessed to be with them, they are reaching their goals as well and

most importantly helping people come closer to Christ. I hope you all have had a lovely week as 

well. Ether 12:27 is what keeps me going most days. I am a very weak dude and dont have much

going for me, but if I rely on Christ to make me strong I know itll all be alright. 

Peace.

Elder Caldwell

we went to a restaurant today

and sorry didnt take many photos. half district photo from last week

4-4-16

What is good?

I am back! I am back in the field. I love my area. It is a really big area, and we are panamerican highway rats. We walk along the Panamerican everyday, finding people to invite to Christ. We already have a faithful band of people we teach, and we are busy all day walking in the dirt, getting their by highway taxis and sweating like crazy. It is so hot here!! 

My companion works for Zion. He is one of my best companions yet, I am so excited to work with him. Like I mentioned before, he is from L.A. and he is quite the gangster kid but we get along great and we work hard. He has so much desire to just put it all in for the Lord. I´m feeling very thankful for that right now. His name is Elder Henao. This week as we were watching general conference, after listening to Jeffrey R. Holland top it all off, in his classic L.A. mormon slang, said, "Dayung that Elder Holland just flamed all of us clowns." Hahaha. 

I was also grateful for General Conference this week, holy cow. It was the best conference I have ever listened to, to be 100 percent honest. So many talks focused on the choices we make, to honor was we have, to using the atonement to be free from sin. It was exactly what we needed out here, and I felt more than once that they were speaking directly to my needs. I wish I brought my notebook of notes to share atleast one quote that got me good in the heart, but I forgot. But one thing that stuck with me was something Elder Holland said (go figure). He said something along the lines of that when we leave our spiritual peaks, sometimes we can find really discouraging circumstances or be disappointed with ourselves. To be honest, in missionary work it happens all too often. After Conference, or after studies for example, when we feel the spirit and we are ready to do everything and we are happy, we go out in to the world and see a people so confused and so shut to us and the ideas we want to show them. It is something that Moses faced, and more than anyone, something that Jesus faced. We as missionaries and as members go out to battle everyday it seems like against temptation, sin, and others peoples bad choices. But im learning to look at it all positively. thats the only thing that can get us through sometimes.

Ill let you guys know a little more about the people we teach out here next week. But they are great, with doubts, as always, but children of God. I am so excited to be out here working every day for the time I got left. Time to put it all in.

Love you guys!

pics:

The district of Chao and Chanquin.

My companion.

Arco iris.

3/26/16

friendships,

Holy moses! I´m leaving the office on tuesday. I´m going to go chambiar for my final showdown in Virú, in a place called Chanquin. I am so pumped. Virú is about an hour away from Trujillo going south, and its just a chacra place, like all my old areas. But it´s also right on the coast, so a little different. I have heard a lot of good stuff about Virú (mainly that my area is a hard area) but that is ok, because I am excited to work really hard and put everything ive learned in practice for this stretch. 

My new companion is Elder Henao, from Los Angeles, California. He´s new, but he already speaks spanish because his parents are from South America. He´s one of those gangster LA kids so I´m sure I´ll have a lot of good stories with him. I´m really excited. We are just going to work hard man. 

I´m sure going to miss this place though, I have had fun learning how to deal with office life and trying to change things around here, I feel very humbled for the major lessons I´ve learned here. I´ve also had a blast with my district, we all have amazing families we are teaching with great desires and who plan on getting baptized. I feel like I´m leaving right in our prime, but its ok. "Ill go where you want me to go!"

Today in district meeting we talked about Helaman 5:12 and the importance of building ourselves on the rock. I have a new found love for scriptures we are all familiar with, or subjects. Even though we  hear the same things over and over as missionaries, and members, there is still so much to learn from even the most simple principles. Later on in life, reading the Book of Mormon and you will find something you never even noticed 10 years ago or something. 

I felt that same thing yesterday night, as we visited the Narciso family, (the family im going to miss a lot) and we read with them 1st Nephi chapter 1. It was such a simple, beautiful lesson. After we read, we compared the life of Lehi to their lives, and how if Lehi didnt act and pray, him and his whole family couldve been destroyed in Jerusalem. But because he did such a little thing, like prayer, he had a spiritual impression to go. So with that little act is why we have the book of mormon and so many blessings. Then they committed to us to act, and to go to church. I love the Book of Mormon! Like nephy says: And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him. 

I love you all! have a great week! I wont be writing though, til 2 mondays! so the 4th of abril youll hear me again. bye.

elder caldwell

pics:

office experiences

and

jesús te ama.

3/19/16

im coming in with some news this fine day.

boy i have slow internet today. Well, this week I picked up the missionary im training to be the next secretary here in the office and he learns really fast. His name is Elder Millett from the great factory of missionaries called Utah. He is from Lindon. He is my 2nd companion who is taller than me and that makes me feel good because it adds a different dynamic to life. He is just a lightning bolt with the finances here so im happy for him, he will do a great job.

and that means im leaving this place here in a week! i probably wont be in trujillo for the rest of my mission. Im probably going to go to Chimbote or a place called Casma. Either one, Im really excited and nervous for the new adventure ahead, with more challenges. Probably next week Ill be able to tell you guys where Im going. But for now, im happy just to train and make sure the mission is in good hands. 

we went to the temple today as a district, it was fantastic. Everytime I enter into a temple I feel my soul just kind of rest and it makes me realize how long I had waited to go back. As we walked in today, a latino brother said to all of us gringos in english, "Welcome home." 

in regards to our investigator friends, we have been recently teaching a family really interested, im going to miss them a lot. They have SO many questions, we usually take an hour just to answer all their questions (i dont dont suggest this way of teaching) and then we have to leave, so we are moving little by little right now but it always leaves a nice spirit in our hearts knowing that we are helping this family come closer to Christ. They are the Narcisso Family. The last time I went we were talking a little before the prayer and I was telling them all where I had been in my mission, and it just amazes them that a gringo like me survived up in the mountainous areas. We laughed about it for awhile and it made me realize how far I have come and how much I have learned out here, holy cow. Im loving it. 

Well, I love you. espero que todos puedan perseverar hasta el fin escribiéndome, porque me ayuda mucho como misionero. les prometo que les voy a escribir también. les amo. 

I know that the Atonement is true!

Elder Caldwell

pics:

one is of me and a guy name Elder Harper. He reminds me of a hippy. The other is my financial son, Elder Millett. He is the taller one. Theyre great friends.

3-12-16

Hello my electronic friends I haveñ´t seen in 19 months,

how are you? this week has been ok. I learned this week that my replacement for the office (my financial son) is coming next week, so I will be happy to announce who he is next week, and Ill be training him for 2 weeks until I head out into the field again. Im really excited for the change, and nervous. But I know the new responsibility will help me grow.

This week I´ve been ironing out some wrinkles in myself and trying to help others do the same through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead of trying to think and constantly fix on what I can´t do good, i´ve been trying to think about what I can do as a missionary and imperfect son of God. I think as humans we think way too much about things we dont have much control over. But if we just think about what we can do, and magnify that, like reading the scriptures, or praying, or going to church, we can find true joy in this life taking it one step at a time. this is another philosophical moment of chase caldwell. thanks for tuning in.

but more seriously, elder alcazar and I have enjoyed going to see a special family in the post-apocalyptic waste land called Santa Rosa, Perú. I think I mentioned someone called Lita in the past. Well, this week she finaly introduced us to the half of her family that were in the house. there was a crazy mountain man dad, her sick brother, her sister, and her sisters boyfriend. we taught them how Christs Church is and how to find out if it is true, by praying and feeling. I feel like to some people we teach, this is the hardest step (though it should be the easiest) because they are always asking which church is true out of all of them. so we got down on our knees with the family as Lita prayed and gave a great prayer. Now all we can do is the same thing on our knees for them and encourage them more to do the same to find out about the gospel.

this was a busy week and I sadly didnt take much pictures, but here is one of the other office elders took of me and my friend elder Jackson from mesa Arizona. He was there when I came into the mission in Otuzco and he´s still here as a great friend. Love this guy!! 

and love you guys!

Elder Caldwell

3-5-16

hey,

hello. the baptism of francisco happened, and it was very nice. he lives alone, but some of his kids (out of his 8) were able to leave their homes and come. he is the definition of calm, and he took everything very calmly. he took the water with his ice cold huamachuceño veins and our friend, ward misison leader brother Silva baptized him, and the bishop confirmed him the next day, sunday. I believe I was the most impressed and touched as they asked him to go up and share his testimony. we had never expained to him really how to bear testimony or what that meant, but he went up there and said in his simple language, "I know the church is true." He had been an investigator of many churches, and I am just glad he was able to say that and really feel it, finally he has found his rest in this church. 

now we just keep going! Im excited to find more to teach here in Santa Rosa. It is more or less an area untouched by missionaries, and we found a middle-aged woman named Lita really, really interested thanks to one of the only members that live there. She had so many questions. I have to be honest and say I have never seen a person so interested in our beliefs. She takes everything in very quickly, and with hunger. We just need to find her husband who is a workaholic. It happens. but Im excited to go out there in the dirt roads and find more people, and to teach Lita and her family more of the gospel. 

other than all that good news, I am doing good. I am learning little by little what is expected of me here by Heavenly Father. Reading my patriarchal blessing, one of the biggest promises I have seen is that I will face a lot of challenges. As Neal A. Maxwell said, I´m learning to "partake of lifes bitter cups, but without coming bitter." and taking consolation in the words of Kim B. Clark last conference, "We dont have to be perfect, but we do need to try and getting better." The gospel works man. It´s good. Love you all. I´ll keep chugging along down here!

Elder Caldwell.

pics:

the baptism of francisco :)

we went to the park today. hammock time again.

2-27-16

¿que pasan por sus venas?

we are really excited for the baptism of francisco tonight. it´ll be in a short two hours, so unfortunately i wont be able to send you pictures today. we were really grateful we took the advice of our leaders and decided to wait a week for his baptism. we loaded this week with visiting him with more ward members to get more acquainted with him. he is also going to be recieving the priesthood tomorrow, after his confirmation. he is such a good guy.

truly work works. my whole time ive been in the office we have been teaching francisco. i feel like ive written you guys 100s of times about him and his progress. there were times I was really discouraged about how it was going. but when we put in what work we can, we leave the rest to the lord and He knows how to do the miracle part. we owe it all to Him. I was especially humbled last sunday as he sat next to us and while we were singing a hymn, pulled out his tithing slip half filled out, but with all his money there. he humbly said, "I did the best I could. could you help me fill out the rest? I didnt understand..." and, "I´m ready to pay my tithing this week." he was able to give it personally to the bishop and I felt real joy seeing that. 

the work of the Lord is good. we see the fruits everyday. im emocionado por ser un obrero en Su viña. quiero hacer mis mejores esfuerzos. small and simple things everday. 

I have nothing more to report for the week. just that i played ping pong for the first time in half a year for pday. I got still got the swing, thanks to years of training in the Cox household. its also getting blazing hot here in trujillo. REALLY HOT.

ps. this week im going to huaraz for zone meeting so i dont think i will be writing this saturday, but rather on monday. see you then! love you all.

elder caldwell.

pictures:

ping pong tournament. champion.

one of the payasos in the office tried putting an egg in the microwave. blew up plate. it looked radioactive. but nea