Thursday, August 28, 2014

August 27th, 2014

Elder Thorpe with his trainer Elder Porter

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

August 26th, 2014

Well I don't have any time to talk, but I am here in Trujillo! I made it here alright, and I am so ready to get out to serve! 
My mission presidents are so amazing and so loving, and I can't wait to get out and get to work!
I love you all and I will be talking with you on Mondays!

Love, Elder Thorpe

Thursday, August 14, 2014

August 14th, 2014

This week went by so fast. It feels like just yesterday was P-day, but I'm glad that I have the opportunity to write today! I want to thank all of you for your prayers and love that you send my way! I can feel of your love and prayers every day and I appreciate all of you and the love that you have!
 
This week has been so great. I have learned so much in Spanish and from the Book of Mormon! The Book of Alma is so great and I just love reading in it because it's all about missionary work! Well there is a ton of things in the book but I love reading about the missionary work in it.
 
Anyways, to start off my week, I had the opportunity to go out and proselyte for the second time! Last time I went to Lima central and this time I went to Lima North. Both places are high in poverty, but Lima North is more of a poor area. My companion was Elder Jesus, and he is so great! Together we got assigned to teach less active families and the area that we were assigned was on top of the mountain! We taught this one family and I was able to bear testimony to them with my broken Spanish but it was all good. We also committed them to go to church on Sunday. The next visit we had was with a 17 year old boy. We taught about the Savior and the importance of the sacrament. When my companion closed I told him that I wanted to say something to the boy. As I looked this 17 year old in the eyes I could tell that he was lost and needed help.  I looked at him straight in the eye and said..
-I don't know a whole lot of Spanish, but what I do know is that you have a Heavenly Father that loves you and cares about you. He wants you to progress and return to him one day and you can do that through Jesus Christ, and Partaking of the sacrament. I know that my Savior lives, and through him and his atonement, I can become like him, and I know that you can too!
The entire lesson he never looked up at us, but when I testified I saw light in his eyes. We committed him to go to church on Sunday and I have a feeling that he is no longer going to be a less active member.
 
That experience was so great for me and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to be in the area that I was in. Before heading down the mountain my companion and I stood, looking out to the valley and I imagined us as Alma and the sons of Mosiah looking out to the land of the Lamanites ready to teach. One of the maestros came with us and took our picture, so I'm hoping to get that and send it home!
 
The rest of this week was pretty good. I learned a lot in the scriptures and applied the doctrine to my life. I also feel like I had a mini revalation while reading in Alma 25, which was super exciting. I feel like Alma 25 has a deeper doctrine then what it seems to say in the scriptures..

Anyways, I'm having such a great time here and I love this gospel! As Elder Holland says, The gospel means everything to me! I want all of you to know that I love you so much, and you all are so great! I pray for all of you every night, and I hope you know how much I care about you! Once again, I love you and I hope that you all have fantastic weeks and I look forward to writing you next week!
 
Love,
Elder Thorpe

Thursday, August 7, 2014

August 7th, 2014

Dear Family,
 
Wow this week has gone by so fast it is crazy! Each day seems to be blending in together! This third week that I have been here at the CCM has been one of the most spiritual weeks I have had thus far. Since the last time I wrote, I went to Caral (the ancient city in Peru) taught numerous investigators, learned a ton of spanish, and finished half of El Libro de Mormon! It has amazed me how much I have been able to do as all the worldly things have been put aside.
 
Also this week, Elder Wadel from the 70 came and spoke to us which was so awesome! He taught us what our mission is, which is not to baptize, but convert! I think that hearing from him was really good for all of us missionaries, because our focus has changed to be completely on the temple instead of baptizing. You get to the temple through baptism and that is why the temple is the focus and goal!
 
So let me explain the whole investigator thing. As a companionship we get to go to a room where we have about 15 minutes to teach a role playing teacher. My companion and I have taught about 20 discussions, had 5 challenges, and 4 commitments to baptism! You could say that we are doing pretty good. I want to share with you an experience that I had with one of my investigators. This was about five days ago, and this is what my journal entry said.
 
So we first started off teaching Alberto tonight about the spirit world. We had two scriptures we wanted to share, but as we read the one scripture, I looked up at Alberto and saw that he wasn´t really listening. A prompting then came to me that we shouldn´t be sharing these scriptures and that he needed to hear why we were here on this Earth. I stopped my companion in the middle of the scripture and there was an awkward silence. I then asked Alberto why he thought he was here and he said he didn't know. This is when I bore testimony to him why we were here on this Earth, and that was to grow, progress, and become like our Savior Jesus Christ. As I bore testimony tears filled my eyes and I looked up and there were tears in Alberto´s eyes. I'm not sure if I said everything in Spanish correct, or even if any of what I was saying made sense, but I do know for a fact that the spirit was present and all of us in that room needed to hear what I had said.
 
I want all of you to know that no matter who you are, a member of the church, non member, or even a teacher role playing as an investigator, the spirit always testifys of truth! That is why it is so improtant to act on promptings! You can't do anything without the spirit, but you can do everything with the spirit!
 
I hope everything is well at home! I pray for all of you every night, and I want all of you to know that I love you!
 
I have one more journal entry I want to share with you,
 
We just watched a video about a man that was favored to win the 400 in the olympics. Half way into the race he felt a huge pain and couldn't run anymore. He was determined to finish the race, but he had a real hard time. A man ran past security to go help the man finish the race. That man was his father. He told his son, You don't have to finish and you don't have to do this, but he looked at his dad and said, No dad I do. He then went on and finsished the race by himself.
The entire time watching the video I couldn't stop thinking about the Savior and how he suffered and I can gaurantee you that Heavenly Father was there saying, son you don't have to do this, but he said, yes dad I do! I love my Savior and what he did for me! I love him for enacting the atonement that saves us all!
Love Elder Thorpe