March 16, 2015 - Week of Elder Lambson's 19th Birthday

I stayed in the same area! I have the same companion, which means that I am still training.... And I got made District leader :)  Im loving it so much! This has been amazing week! I am busy as can be but I am so happy with the responsibilities that the Lord has trusted me with and I am so happy to be able to fulfill them with his help! There are 8 of us in my district, Me and my comp in Villa Hermosa, the Sister missionaries in Villa Hermosa 2, the Elders from Las Magnolias 2, and the Elders from Las Magnolias 1 (the Zone Leaders) so we are doing super good as a district, 3 of the 4 companionships had a baptism this week and all 4 of us now have at least 1 with a date and progressing. The little guy who we baptized this week is awesome!!  He just turned 9 last week (his family are members but they were less active for a little bit) we helped the family re activate and we also got to baptize Nick! He chose me to baptize him and It was the best! When we were leaving the water up the stairs he was so happy he couldn't control himself and he jumped back in the water to go swimming hahaha I had to reach down and take him out haha luckily the doors were closed so no one saw, but it was awesome to see how happy he was, and now how big of an impact he can be for his family that is just starting to return to the church. 

Its an amazing time in my life right now. This Ward is amazing and I have seen it change so much in my short 3 months and a half here. When I first got here in December, it was just a little under half way full in sacrament meeting every week, but with the hard work and dedication from the Sister missionaries and also from us, the Sacrament room was full this week. Its such a miracle to see how big of an impact the Lord can make when the Missionaries and the Members work together. This Ward is amazing its small but they are dedicated and are going out and making miracles happen, it really has been so amazing to see the huge change in this ward that was just a branch a year ago. I love these members so much they are awesome! And I'm so happy that I was able to stay here another change to be here for my birthday!  They all want to throw eggs at me, here on birthdays they like throwing flour and eggs at the people so we'll see how this goes haha.  I got Grandpa and your birthday packages, I haven't opened yours yet.

The Sisters also had a baptism this week, his dad baptized him. Since I'm district leader now I got to interview him, its fun doing baptismal interviews, they are really full of the spirit, I also got to interview a kid (17) from the other ward that has gone through soo many trials and temptations but has been able to make such a great change. Its an amazing blessing to do the Baptism interviews and be able to help people and feel the spirit so strongly And to add, I really am super happy that Parker is okay, its good that he lived (Parker was in a roll over accident last week, he's ok and so is the driver) so maybe now he can learn a thing or two haha. Tell him to write me more and tell me more stuff and if he doesn't, he is grounded.

So good to hear that everyone is okay, happy and healthy. Love you so so much and I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for a family and friends so amazing as you guys are. Have a great week! :)

At a little get together for one of the Sister missionaries who got transferred, and a picture of the Cerro San Cristobal in the center of Lima, I took that picture from our church parking lot before the baptisms. 

I also got to see Elder Haught one last time, he goes home next week! (he came to the Zone to see the baptism from his old area, the kid that I got to interview is an investigator that Elder Haught worked with)

March 9, 2015

Another amazing week! We had 2 baptisms!! He is 18 we have been working with him since January and he is great! I got to baptisms him in the morning, and then in the night time we had another baptism. He is 21 and just barely got married to a member in our ward this week and got baptized on Saturday then had the reception right after the baptism in the gym of the church! Those are the coolest kinds of baptisms when they get married and baptized because its soo cool to be able to go through that process with them! It was a week full of hard hard work. We had to do so much and it was super stressful at times, but we were faithful, we worked hard, and we were able to reap what we had sewn. Awesome awesome week.

There are transfers today and Im not sure if Im leaving or if I'm staying haha but either way Id be happy. I go where you want me to go dear Lord (or stay where you want me to stay) this has been a cool transfer my Comp is super chill and its been cool being able to training him. If we stay together, awesome. If not no worries. I love every experience that I am gaining on the mission. I love Peru its awesome. My zone is sweet and I have made so many friends. My pension and her family are the BEST , they all love me so much and me too for them. Every night that we come back for dinner they are always there and its like coming home to my family haha they are all so great. La mamita Estella loves the missionaries so much and she does soo much for us. We told her that there are transfers and that I might be leaving or staying. But she started to cry saying she doesn't want me to leave. I love her so much.

The mission is such a great time. I'm loving every day, every experience, good and bad. I am growing so much and just having the time of my life. I don't know where the next transfer will bring me but I know that I'm in Gods hands and I trust in him 100%. Faith is the most important thing you can have, with faith nothing is impossible. I love you guys so much and I invite you to have EVEN MORE FAITH. If you think you have faith have even more and you will see the blessings and the miracles. I love you guys sooo much!














My mamita


Love,
Elder Lambson :)

March 2, 2015

I love you so much!!! Haha thats so amazing to hear about that in the ward. I really do love being a missionary and my testimony gets stronger each and everyday, I love the Gospel, I know its true and I know that our Heavenly Father loves us soo much! Keep doing what ever you can to help other people know what we know too, even though some people don't see or choose not to see the love He has for us, as members of the church we can always be a channel for them, through our kind acts and service they can feel just a little bit more of that light and love that they are searching!

This was an amazing week, talking about service haha wow. We went and moved more rocks for that family up in the hillside one day but that was nothing compared to the other stuff we did this week. Almost all of my area is mountains and hills so this week we contacted and helped soo many people carry stuff up the mountain sides. We carried up refrigerators, bags of cement, giant bags of flour, huge 6 packs of 3 liter sodas, boxes of canned milk, this one guy had a concrete sink that maybe weighed more than me haha. 80% of our contacting this week was through helping people carry stuff up the mountain sides to their houses and little stores, and it really is something beautiful. Like this guy with his sink, if we weren't there, there wouldn't have been any way possible to get that thing up by himself, just the little miracles to be in the right place in the right time to be able to help people, and then invite them to come unto Christ, what a great combination right? This week we have 2 baptism scheduled, one is a kid named J who we've been working with since January, he is awesome, he's been coming to church, participating in the activities and everything, he has progressed so much and now is stoked to be baptized this week and really make the change in his life. The other is the boy friend of a girl in our Ward,  they have a baby and they have been together for a long time now but finally this week they are getting married! (you cant be baptized if you're living together, you have to get married or split up), but they are getting married this week and then he will be baptized Saturday during the same program as J!

We were teaching him the steps of repentance how you recognized that you have sinned, confess to God, never do it again, and do everything you can to correct it. So we explained that breaking the law of chastity was a sin, but now that he is getting married they are completing the steps of repentance and they are going to be a beautiful family, when we explained that we could feel the spirit so strongly, and its just amazing the things we are able to be a part of. 

I love you all so much, I'm so happy for all of my friends and family and for the life that my Father in Heaven has given me, and now for all of these amazing opportunities to share and help others. Have an amazing week!


The baptism with S



Selfie with my Comp and F



At the dance festival with some kids in my ward



With a less active family that we rescued




Fruit salad, one of our lunches we had this week








We made french toast




Skyline



Love,


Elder Lambson :)

February 22, 2015

Our investigators are progressing really well! We had 6 with baptism date but we had to drop two of them for a little bit because one just got a huge job making all of the little shoes for the little kids that are going back to school in march, the other left to go work with his uncle in a differnt part of Peru. So we have 4 with baptism date and 3 of them are on track "progressing" to be baptized march 7th! One is named J, the other is M and they are both 18, there other two are brothers that are coming to church but its been a while since we have actually visited them in their house, so its going pretty good we should be baptizing them soon and they are stoked, they are super happy. F is really doing well too, he has been to church 5 times and he is really feeling a lot better, he says almost all of his doubts have been cleared up, he is growing such a better testimony that God lives and is really our loving Heavenly Father. So he is doing awesome, but we are waiting a little and playing it cool for now when he is really ready we will extend the baptism invitation! 

We did some cool services this week, on Wednesday we woke up at 4:50 to go help our Elders Quorum president move all of his bricks up to the 3 floor of his house to add on the 4th layer. And we met this awesome family up in the hill side who are very humble. They have a little wood house and they have been breaking in to the side a stone mountain to add a little bit on to their house and we found them, taught them a little bit about the faith and then a few days later we went back to help them move hundreds of these huge rocks that they have broken off out away from their house. It was the most I have ever sweated, and the hardest service Ive ever done, but also the BEST I loved! It was so awesome, and then we went back that night to teach them, and the wife cried during the first vision, she literally thinks we are angels and she asked us if we passed by chance or if we were sent by God, and we told her that yes we were sent by God, because we really were guided by the spirit to find their house. 

This weekend was sweet because I had the blessing to be able to baptized one of the investigators of the Hermanas,  she is 7 months pregnant, it was a cool experience, and even cooler, Sunday I got to confirm her and give her the Holy Ghost, such amazing experiences. I Love Peru. I love the mission so much and I know that none of this would be possible if I didn't have the help of the Lord in every moment. I was thinking, why is it that they send out teenagers on missions? Why not send out old guys who already know the Gospel back and forth?.. But then I thought that we are sent out here, teenagers, young men, because we aren't walking with our personal knowledge, we are out here walking with faith in God, we don't know everything, and thats why it is necessary that we trust in the Lord because with out him we are nothing, we have to trust that he will give us his spirit to guide us and that we can be tools in his hands where he sends us. Its an amazing thing to be a missionary, to know that if we are obedient and work as hard as we can, give it everything we have, that God will form us into a finely tuned instrument to bring to pass his work and his glory to his lost and beloved children! I love this work, I love God, I love my Savior, and I love you guys! Have an amazing week! :)




Love,

Elder Lambson :)

February 16, 2015

Went to McDonalds this week, Elder Tadje from Idaho



We cooked with this sweet old lady, she has 3 kids but they all live in the United States, she is alone here so it was fun to spend time with her and cook a dinner. (the little guy is E, he is awesome he always goes on lessons with us)






It was my comps birthday this week

A roof shot




Valentines lunch ( they call it day of love and friendship). Thanks for the plates and decorations mom.




Wow that makes me soo happy to read about you guys and how awesome everything is going. It also makes me happy that people are thinking about me. Joe, Talmage, Bubby haha. I love my family and my friends soo much. This life isn't meant to be spent alone, Im soo blessed to have such an amazing family and such amazing friends. I am loving the mission so much, I am flipping TIRED! Every day all day we are giving it our all, (even P day haha because we are still contacting and go do family nights.) But I am so happy, because I am doing the Lords work. If I didn't know these things were true I would not be working so hard, but I DO KNOW THESE THINGS ARE TRUE and thats why I work so hard! I'm not the best missionary, I don't know everything, but I know if I work as hard as I can and trust in the Lord, that we will find success and happiness. I love my area Villa Hermosa, and my zone is pretty sweet. Me and my comp are getting along great and we are learning so much every day. Peru is legit! And crazy! Every day is an adventure and I am loving it. Soo different, but its amazing to be put in another culture like this and to compare and see the differences of everything, and then to think that we are all children of God and he has a specific plan for every single one of us. I want to share a spiritual message with you guys that my MTC teacher shared with us


"Through our lives sooner or later, we´ll face disappointment or fear , whether something new in our lives or because God asks us to do something which is hard for us, I would like to use a verses to illustrate this. in Matthew 14 :25,26 the master was coming to his disciples on the waters, because they didn't recognize him, they began to fear saying oh a ghost. Through our lives something the master is coming to us but as his disciple we can´t recognize him and then we are afraid. We can´t see beyond of this bad experience or disappointment is Jesus Christ coming to us inviting us to act, helping us to be better. later on Jesus said: Be of good cheer it is I; be not afraid.
When one baptismal date falls through, when we feel tired, when we feel we are doing our best and it seems not to work, when your companion is not so exited in the work as we would wish, when we can't attain our goal, when an investigator says I don´t  want to know any more about your church, when investigators don´t progress as we would wish. Elders and sister I know behind all of this is Christ inviting us to have even more faith, inviting us to strive even more, inviting us to walk on the waters even one step more. After the apostles recognized this ghost as their master one of them said Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water and the savior said: Come. How many of you said sometime ago oh God send me wherever thou want me to go, and then God sent you where you are now. ELDERS AND SISTERS you actually are walking on the waters in this moment, you are walking on the waters you are not as those who stayed in the boat. No you recognized the Lord and accepted to walk on the waters. Now the question is how far I´ll go without sinking. Your trials and challenges as missionaries are like those waves which scared Peter, and which made him to begin to sink. Elders and Sister every day is an opportunity to show to our Savior these waves don´t scare me because I know where I´m going, and then step one more step. When I was in my mission I learned something really important which was every day when I felt most tired I had a thought in my mind which was today I´m gonna have a great miracle for this reason I´m being tested, then I got even more strength and woke up. later during the day I was witness of great miracles that I know I wouldn't have been part of if I would have been disobedient. Elders and Sister the challenges on a mission are only a way to test how prepared we are for future blessing, like always after a storm the rainbow appears in the same way after our trials the blessings will appear.  Go ahead, I appreciate you for your efforts. I pray for you like your families, and I say this in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen."



I thought this message was awesome and it has really strengthen my testimony, I hope it does for you guys too. I miss you all so much, but we*ll see each other sooner than we know. God be with you till we meet again.


Love,


Elder Lambson :)

February 9, 2015

Oh yeah thats so weird that the papers didn't get through to you guys (in the package I sent) I put in a note for our family explaining everything (I sent) , and a note for the Jackmans but really weird they didn't make it through. I sent my watch back because, I slipped on some slippery stairs and when I landed the force on my wrist from my hand broke the watch but its an easy fix over there in the states.

Hope Sally (Dave) can keep getting better, sippin on his Tab and watching politics haha. So cool to hear about Parker and that he is actually doing stuff with his life! And its good that Alex is busy studying, Id like to hear more about him and how everything is going, I tell lots of people about Alex and I tell them Im the first missionary in my family because my brother had an accident and wasn't able to go, so I'm out here doing everything for him too. And wow my mom is amazing! I cant' believe the Parade is already here again wow. It feels like no time at all that I was just chillin in those sweet houses saying Hi welcome to The Parade of homes ..... haha. 

So cool how you got to explain the Restoration (to Kaleen's Primary class)! I explain the Restoration every single day! Its amazing! The kids sound so funny haha. 

Some of my experiences this week, we got to go to the Temple Thursday, we changed a tire on a moto taxi, saw a drunk dude get punched in the face by another drunk dude, got marriage and dating advice from a 71 year old Islamic man who apparently still "does it" once a week but not twice because he has to be careful. haha   We did a big service for this family up on the mountain side doing more than 5 travels up and down gigantic stairs with giant speakers tables and bed frames in our church clothes, and taught the Gospel to many blessed people like this one sister who was a reference, that had a dream two people in white were going to come to her house, so cool right. ¡Yo amo Peru! ¡Yo amo la mission! haha so funny and so awesome, what a week. 

Spiritual thought, "Those who don't show their love, simply don't love" -Shakespeare

If you love someone tell them! We have been teaching lots of families to show more love to their families, tell your kids you love them, give your parents a hug, just little things to always be sure that the people you love really know it! I love you soo much!! Have an amazing week! Trust in God and he will deliver you!

Love,

Elder Lambson :)

February 2, 2015

Hey guess what.... I HAVE A SON! Haha I'm training a new Elder. My comp is fresh out of the CCM his name is Elder Barrios from Cochabamba, Bolivia. Its awesome!!! I have 7 months experience and I still don't know everything but we are doing great so far! Im loving it. Some great advice that I received was to just act like you own the place, its all about the attitude, don't let this new Elder see any fear in you, because in reality there is nothing to fear, if you put your trust in the Lord he will guide you. I have been a little stressed but I know if I just keep giving it my all, trusting in the Lord, and being obedient to his commandments that we will receive the strength to keep going and endure. Like I said I don't know everything, I'm still learning bastante (pretty much?) everyday, but one thing that I am able to do is show these people how much I love them, and, as a representative of Jesus Christ, show the people how much He loves them too! We'd do anything for the people that we love, and if I want to be able to say that I love my Savior, then I will do His work the way that He intends me to do it..that he intends US to do it! I know that this work is the Lord's and I am so happy to be anxiously engaged in this amazing cause!

Update on some people that we are training, the 18 yr old, that is atheist.... he is really searching hard to find out if God exists has searched in almost every church and with lots of missionaries is really starting to make a change, at first he was really closed to lots of stuff, just kind of a negative attitude, but as we have continued to teach him, be his friend, visit him, and bring him to church with us I really have seen him open up and he is starting to gain a testimony that God exists and that he really does care for him. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and has told us that he has found lots of answers to his questions, it is awesome to see how he is changing as he receives this light. I know it might not sound like much but we always ask him how he is and he would always say eh mas o menos, (so so or ok) but now he is saying bein (good)! Haha. 

Other really cool investigators that we have are two brothers, that are 19 & 13, they are way cool and when we taught the fall of Adam and Eve they were just like Wow, they had never thought about it in that way, that it was necessary for the Fall and that God always has a plan for us, they said it was like getting hit by a car with what they learned.. haha, cause their whole lives they had just thought yeah first sin nothing else, but when we explained the doctrine in the Book of Mormon why it was important and what it means for all of us they were amazed haha. They are understanding everything really well have been to church, and should be baptized this month of Feb, one brother also says he might be interested in serving a mission! 

And another way cool investigator is M who has a date for the 21st to be baptized. He is a dad of 4, they are really poor and live in a small house on the mountain side, he and his wife sew pants and shirts. He is soo cool! He is a slow learner, but when we explain things and he reads them 2 or 3 times he understands perfectly and he loves it. He also loves serving people, always likes to help his neighbors and do nice things for people so he also likes that about the church, he is doing great, he has been to church and is reading a little bit of the Book of Mormon also, we are going to try to teach the whole family too but its kind of hard to find them all in the house at the same time, but with his testimony growing so much I'm sure his family will see it too and see the good that the Gospel brings!

So many other awesome people too but for now those are some of my coolest amigos here. A little bit longer of an email, please pray for them! Especially for F so he can receive an answer!

 I love you guys and miss you all soo much but I'm so happy to be here, I'm loving every second! Grandpa sent me an awesome quote by Russel M. Nelson "Faith is the antidote for fear" And its so true! "..Me gloriaré en mi Dios, porque con su fuerza puedo hacer todas las cosas.." Alma 26:12
Keep up the great work! I love you!

--

Love,


Elder Lambson :)