2011 January 31
Dear Mom,
My week was wonderful! I love being here on the mission and I have truly learned to love Perù and Pucallpa and THE PEOPLE! It is a wonderful thing to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord.
It is always great to hear how much the family is growing and progressing so fast! I don`t doubt that the Lord is blessing my family so much for the obedience you all have to His laws and Ordinances. I know that God lives and knows each of us so well, and that through his mercy we are blessed so much. My heart and mind have been opened up so much in the service of my fellow beings and my Lord and Redeemer. I want all of you to know that with the divine help of our Heavenly Father we can overcome all things and accomplish all that is asked of us. All of this is possible through the Great Plan that God has created for us, which centers in the great and infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. He lives and loves us. His prophets lead and guide us in these last days and we are the saints to prepare the Earth for His coming. This I know.
Mom, you always bring a smile to my face. It is great to read you thought feeling and commentaries of your life. It makes me feel like I am actually there with you for a bit.
This area is awesome, we are forming a Mission Plan for this word and the Bishop asked us to give a training to the ward leader and member and how they can help their ward be strengthened. Also, one event that made super happy this week, was when we went to visit a family that isn`t married. The wife is a member and didn`t want to get married and the husband is an investigator and wants to get married and baptized. We have been working with them little by little the last 2 months and they have had a dramatic change that has taken place little by little. They both now want to get married and are praying together as a family and attending church. They will get married the 25th of Feb. and then the husband will get baptized the next day and confirmed on Sunday. I love missionary work!
Now about the pictures.... there are coming along :/ but I wouldn`t expect them until the end of this month. Sorry, and I will send two different pictures to use and those two scriptures are my favorites.
I love you and wish you the best of wishes and luck. (Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity :) have a great week and keep up the good work.
love,
Elder Divis
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Dustin's January 24th Letter
2011 Jan 24
Dear Mom,
That is crazy that Will is going to be in the MTC in 6 weeks and that I’ve already finished 1/4 of my mission. It is all going by too fast! Before I know it I will wake up from the dream of the mission and have to make real life decisions for myself again :/ My mission has been great so far and I know that I will continue to learn and grow everyday (Spiritually and physically and mentally) and if I keep having experiences like these for 18 more months I will grow more than I thought was possible.
William, you are going to love your mission so much! You will watch yourself learn and grow as if you were outside of your own body looking down from somewhere else, that is why I call the mission a dream cause when I think about the fact that I am a full-time servant of the Lord, with a plaque, in Perù, I still can`t really grab a hold of it. My only advice for you is to be completely obedient! to your God, Mission Pres. Leaders in the wards and zones, and your parents. If you do that you will have the best mission ever. Don`t question why or what for to anything. There is a reason if we don`t understand them. Love you bro and it makes me so happy to know that you are going on a mission.
My week. After I wrote last week, I packed my bags and went to Lima for a training. I was in Lima for 4 days and we had trainings from the Pres. and the assistants. The day I arrived a pair of missionaries were supposed to come pick me up but there was some confusion, so I slept with the assistants the first night and met up with the other missionaries the next day at the training meeting. We got trained on something called the 8 Simplified lessons and the one more of our president. The First Presidency released a new curriculum for missionaries so that we can be better teachers of the Gospel. It is for the new generation of missionaries. First the discussions then PMG and now we have the 8 simplified lessons. We still use PMG but the 8 lessons take parts of PMG so that the missionaries not only got the knowledge of all the thing that we need to teach but how to teach it in a more effective way. I think of it as what happened with Moses and the 15 commandments but now is 10 and with the law of consecration that we couldn`t complete, they had to make it a little more simple so that we could complete it more fully. They are a wonderful tool that will bring success to missionary work around the world. The 9th lesson our pres. took from PMG just as the other 8 but it is unique to our mission where as the others are now worldwide. I got back and we went to work and we had a baptism on Saturday and 8 people in sacrament meeting. It was great! and my comp. and I taught the lesson in Gospel principles cause there still isn`t a teacher, It was a great lesson with the spirit super strong. Also, this week is transfers and.... my companion is going to my old area in Lima and I will..... stay here in the Jungle! with a new companion from Guatemala, Elder Cualla, or something like that. so that was my week.
I have a perfect picture for my plaque and I like the scripture from Moses cause it is short and simple but is packed with doctrine. I will try and send a pic ASAP. I received a Liahona of the general conference the other day so that was super nice and I got the Dear Elders from Cory and Cameron of Christmas and also one from Aunt Lyn and their family!!! Tell them thanks and that I can`t guarantee a return letter but I will do my best to send something :) I also got a Christmas card for Jer and Jill and their family, It was great to see their whole family together and hear from them. Thanks a ton!! So that is my life for now. I am doing great but still have room to improve. I love you mom and all of the family and wards and friends from back home that love and support me, but I still love you most mom :) Thanks for everything and know that I am always praying for you.
Love,
Elder Divis
Dear Mom,
That is crazy that Will is going to be in the MTC in 6 weeks and that I’ve already finished 1/4 of my mission. It is all going by too fast! Before I know it I will wake up from the dream of the mission and have to make real life decisions for myself again :/ My mission has been great so far and I know that I will continue to learn and grow everyday (Spiritually and physically and mentally) and if I keep having experiences like these for 18 more months I will grow more than I thought was possible.
William, you are going to love your mission so much! You will watch yourself learn and grow as if you were outside of your own body looking down from somewhere else, that is why I call the mission a dream cause when I think about the fact that I am a full-time servant of the Lord, with a plaque, in Perù, I still can`t really grab a hold of it. My only advice for you is to be completely obedient! to your God, Mission Pres. Leaders in the wards and zones, and your parents. If you do that you will have the best mission ever. Don`t question why or what for to anything. There is a reason if we don`t understand them. Love you bro and it makes me so happy to know that you are going on a mission.
My week. After I wrote last week, I packed my bags and went to Lima for a training. I was in Lima for 4 days and we had trainings from the Pres. and the assistants. The day I arrived a pair of missionaries were supposed to come pick me up but there was some confusion, so I slept with the assistants the first night and met up with the other missionaries the next day at the training meeting. We got trained on something called the 8 Simplified lessons and the one more of our president. The First Presidency released a new curriculum for missionaries so that we can be better teachers of the Gospel. It is for the new generation of missionaries. First the discussions then PMG and now we have the 8 simplified lessons. We still use PMG but the 8 lessons take parts of PMG so that the missionaries not only got the knowledge of all the thing that we need to teach but how to teach it in a more effective way. I think of it as what happened with Moses and the 15 commandments but now is 10 and with the law of consecration that we couldn`t complete, they had to make it a little more simple so that we could complete it more fully. They are a wonderful tool that will bring success to missionary work around the world. The 9th lesson our pres. took from PMG just as the other 8 but it is unique to our mission where as the others are now worldwide. I got back and we went to work and we had a baptism on Saturday and 8 people in sacrament meeting. It was great! and my comp. and I taught the lesson in Gospel principles cause there still isn`t a teacher, It was a great lesson with the spirit super strong. Also, this week is transfers and.... my companion is going to my old area in Lima and I will..... stay here in the Jungle! with a new companion from Guatemala, Elder Cualla, or something like that. so that was my week.
I have a perfect picture for my plaque and I like the scripture from Moses cause it is short and simple but is packed with doctrine. I will try and send a pic ASAP. I received a Liahona of the general conference the other day so that was super nice and I got the Dear Elders from Cory and Cameron of Christmas and also one from Aunt Lyn and their family!!! Tell them thanks and that I can`t guarantee a return letter but I will do my best to send something :) I also got a Christmas card for Jer and Jill and their family, It was great to see their whole family together and hear from them. Thanks a ton!! So that is my life for now. I am doing great but still have room to improve. I love you mom and all of the family and wards and friends from back home that love and support me, but I still love you most mom :) Thanks for everything and know that I am always praying for you.
Love,
Elder Divis
Monday, January 17, 2011
Dustin's Jan 17th Letter
Dear Mom,
Thanks for the reminder that my mission is flying by, it has almost been 6 months: / a fourth of my mission gone and it seems like a just started! I still have times when I am experiencing something new, and those times happen everyday!!! Nevertheless, I am doing wonderfully:)
This week we had sun... all...week...long. It was pretty hot and we were asking for rain everyday and it never came, but February and March are the months it is supposed to dump rain in the jungle so the people here don`t want the rain like we do.
In little words, this week we had some family nights in the homes of less active members and investigators and we have found new people to teach, some references and some contacts. Two of them already have baptismal dates and only need permission from their parents, and for both it should be pretty easy. Also the bishop is starting to work with us a little, so that’s good. We`ve been trying to help the ward through him, we see problems and we bring him solutions so that his stress level goes down. I think we`re progressing. We have been teaching English the last couple weeks and it has been going well. The first class there was about 8 people (investigators, references, converts, and members alike) and the next class we had more than 20 people, so I think it will be a success. We are also planning an activity in the 2 wards we are in and it will be great. More info next week on that.
Some other information: I am going back to Lima today!!! But it’s just for a training conference( cause I`ve been here for 6 months and haven`t received a training yet) I`ll be back in Pucallpa on Thursday night, hopefully in time for the activity we have planed :/ And next week are transfers again, they come and go so fast. My companion and I both think we are staying here together for at least on more transfer and if we do we will be able to do some serious work! Yes, I got all that stuff in the package :) thanks a ton!!! I still haven`t got to listen to the music cause I don`t have speakers but I’ll get some soon. I`ve been dying to listen to what you put on there and I am sure I like it. Yes I get the dearelders and they are great. I get to know how they are all doing (even those of Jackson) I would also like some from Logan if it is at all possible. I will do that picture diary as soon as I can but I don`t thing this week will be the best cause I will be in training but I will do it
Thanks for everything mom and I love you and know that I am in the Lord`s work and that thanks to my mother I have nothing to fear (you’re like one of the mothers of the stripling warriors, me being the son :) And I’m ripped like them too, well not so much now but my spirit is getting stronger than ever. Love you mom!!
Love,
Elder Divis
Thanks for the reminder that my mission is flying by, it has almost been 6 months: / a fourth of my mission gone and it seems like a just started! I still have times when I am experiencing something new, and those times happen everyday!!! Nevertheless, I am doing wonderfully:)
This week we had sun... all...week...long. It was pretty hot and we were asking for rain everyday and it never came, but February and March are the months it is supposed to dump rain in the jungle so the people here don`t want the rain like we do.
In little words, this week we had some family nights in the homes of less active members and investigators and we have found new people to teach, some references and some contacts. Two of them already have baptismal dates and only need permission from their parents, and for both it should be pretty easy. Also the bishop is starting to work with us a little, so that’s good. We`ve been trying to help the ward through him, we see problems and we bring him solutions so that his stress level goes down. I think we`re progressing. We have been teaching English the last couple weeks and it has been going well. The first class there was about 8 people (investigators, references, converts, and members alike) and the next class we had more than 20 people, so I think it will be a success. We are also planning an activity in the 2 wards we are in and it will be great. More info next week on that.
Some other information: I am going back to Lima today!!! But it’s just for a training conference( cause I`ve been here for 6 months and haven`t received a training yet) I`ll be back in Pucallpa on Thursday night, hopefully in time for the activity we have planed :/ And next week are transfers again, they come and go so fast. My companion and I both think we are staying here together for at least on more transfer and if we do we will be able to do some serious work! Yes, I got all that stuff in the package :) thanks a ton!!! I still haven`t got to listen to the music cause I don`t have speakers but I’ll get some soon. I`ve been dying to listen to what you put on there and I am sure I like it. Yes I get the dearelders and they are great. I get to know how they are all doing (even those of Jackson) I would also like some from Logan if it is at all possible. I will do that picture diary as soon as I can but I don`t thing this week will be the best cause I will be in training but I will do it
Thanks for everything mom and I love you and know that I am in the Lord`s work and that thanks to my mother I have nothing to fear (you’re like one of the mothers of the stripling warriors, me being the son :) And I’m ripped like them too, well not so much now but my spirit is getting stronger than ever. Love you mom!!
Love,
Elder Divis
Monday, January 10, 2011
Dustin's January 10th Letter
2011 January 10th
Dearest Mother,
So Craig got a job in Utah, eh? That is good, I knew everything with them would work out well. And you made me laugh pretty good with your response to Laura´s idea of all of us living in Utah, Ha ha ha, ´not happening! ´ You’re the best :) It’s good to hear that the work goes on there at home and that the house could be done when I get back. According to Dad it will be done for sure... we know what that means :) ha ha ha, just kidding Dad, You´ll get it done. I love the winter time. It is crazy to hear that you are in a sweater with a heated blanket when I’m burning hot just sitting here typing.
That is cool that you found pictures on Sis. Yost´s blog and Sis. Blunck´s blogs. Maybe you noticed but just to let you know, I’m pretty red and I am not sure if I’ve gained weight here or lost, cause some members say I´ve lost weight but all the motocars ask me to sit on the left side, they say,¨gordito a la izquierda´´ which means the fat one to the left. They didn`t used to say that: / ha ha ha.
For the week or day in my life, I will start working on that. It will be ´Bakan´ or amazing but in Peruvian slang ha ha ha. And now for my week. I recently realized that I don`t write a whole lot about the missionary work I do so I figured I’d start telling you a little more about that. This week was like a rollercoaster! The beginning of the week was normal and super hot and then in the middle of the week a ton of appointments fell through and the weather was average, and then it rained ´cats and dogs´ on Thursday and we taught more cause when it rains hard nobody works and everyone is in their house :) The streets turned into rivers and we were the only people walking through them. Every appointment we went to they let us in their house immediately and said they didn`t think we would show up because of the rain. I think that day helped us a ton, everyone saw that there is nothing that will stop us from working or showing up to an appointment. And it wasn´t dang hot! My companion and I enjoyed walking in the rain a lot, maybe too much... but all our stuff got soaked: / then we finished out the week normal and everything dried up. Well that was this week for weather... now for my ward. We don`t have a ward mission leader or ward missionaries; however, there is a new member named Moisés and I think he will be your new mission leader. He is a RM and is 25 years old and has already brought 3 investigators to the church (not just gave us their address and nothing else) and he has only been here for a little over a week. Also, our bishop is starting to organize home teaching! which will help out a ton. We only had 5 investigators at church yesterday but our class of Gospel Principles (we teach the class cause there isn´t a teacher) was great. The best class that I have ever participated in, in my life, and my companion and I taught it! :) We´ve also been visiting less active and inactive members and three families came to the church for the first time in years and a family of recent converts that hadn´t come for 3 months (and they were baptized 4 months ago) so that was cool to see that they actually came. We only have one person with a baptismal date but we are working so that more can accept Jesus Christ. Well I hope that is a little better of an update :) I am doing fantastically and am always glad to hear from home. Love you tons and wish you luck. Say hi to your seminary class and Sister Davis (is she still teaching? she was the best seminary teacher)
Love,
Elder Divis
P.S. I got your package!!!!!!! It was so good to get with the socks filled with goodies, just like a stocking at home. The candy is delicious, Elder Lazarte and I are enjoying them, the sock and shirt are a blessing and the peanut butter is like mana from heaven. I also got a package from Daryl and Lauri and their family!!!! Tell them thanks and I´ll be sure to write them soon. They sent peanut butter too but in a jar and candy canes and a little book and a lego santa and letters from each of their kids. It was awesome.
P.S.S. My companion is the greatest. Just think of Cameron Divis but he´s from Bolivia. haha ha.
Love you!!
Dearest Mother,
So Craig got a job in Utah, eh? That is good, I knew everything with them would work out well. And you made me laugh pretty good with your response to Laura´s idea of all of us living in Utah, Ha ha ha, ´not happening! ´ You’re the best :) It’s good to hear that the work goes on there at home and that the house could be done when I get back. According to Dad it will be done for sure... we know what that means :) ha ha ha, just kidding Dad, You´ll get it done. I love the winter time. It is crazy to hear that you are in a sweater with a heated blanket when I’m burning hot just sitting here typing.
That is cool that you found pictures on Sis. Yost´s blog and Sis. Blunck´s blogs. Maybe you noticed but just to let you know, I’m pretty red and I am not sure if I’ve gained weight here or lost, cause some members say I´ve lost weight but all the motocars ask me to sit on the left side, they say,¨gordito a la izquierda´´ which means the fat one to the left. They didn`t used to say that: / ha ha ha.
For the week or day in my life, I will start working on that. It will be ´Bakan´ or amazing but in Peruvian slang ha ha ha. And now for my week. I recently realized that I don`t write a whole lot about the missionary work I do so I figured I’d start telling you a little more about that. This week was like a rollercoaster! The beginning of the week was normal and super hot and then in the middle of the week a ton of appointments fell through and the weather was average, and then it rained ´cats and dogs´ on Thursday and we taught more cause when it rains hard nobody works and everyone is in their house :) The streets turned into rivers and we were the only people walking through them. Every appointment we went to they let us in their house immediately and said they didn`t think we would show up because of the rain. I think that day helped us a ton, everyone saw that there is nothing that will stop us from working or showing up to an appointment. And it wasn´t dang hot! My companion and I enjoyed walking in the rain a lot, maybe too much... but all our stuff got soaked: / then we finished out the week normal and everything dried up. Well that was this week for weather... now for my ward. We don`t have a ward mission leader or ward missionaries; however, there is a new member named Moisés and I think he will be your new mission leader. He is a RM and is 25 years old and has already brought 3 investigators to the church (not just gave us their address and nothing else) and he has only been here for a little over a week. Also, our bishop is starting to organize home teaching! which will help out a ton. We only had 5 investigators at church yesterday but our class of Gospel Principles (we teach the class cause there isn´t a teacher) was great. The best class that I have ever participated in, in my life, and my companion and I taught it! :) We´ve also been visiting less active and inactive members and three families came to the church for the first time in years and a family of recent converts that hadn´t come for 3 months (and they were baptized 4 months ago) so that was cool to see that they actually came. We only have one person with a baptismal date but we are working so that more can accept Jesus Christ. Well I hope that is a little better of an update :) I am doing fantastically and am always glad to hear from home. Love you tons and wish you luck. Say hi to your seminary class and Sister Davis (is she still teaching? she was the best seminary teacher)
Love,
Elder Divis
P.S. I got your package!!!!!!! It was so good to get with the socks filled with goodies, just like a stocking at home. The candy is delicious, Elder Lazarte and I are enjoying them, the sock and shirt are a blessing and the peanut butter is like mana from heaven. I also got a package from Daryl and Lauri and their family!!!! Tell them thanks and I´ll be sure to write them soon. They sent peanut butter too but in a jar and candy canes and a little book and a lego santa and letters from each of their kids. It was awesome.
P.S.S. My companion is the greatest. Just think of Cameron Divis but he´s from Bolivia. haha ha.
Love you!!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Pictures
I posted a picture on the December 20th post and December 6th. I found these pictures on the Mission President's wife's blog. I found 3 more pictures on Sister Yost's blog (A sister missionary serving in Pucallpa) so I added them also to the December 20th post.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Dustin's January 3rd Letter
Dear Mom,
My New Years was a normal day of work that night and the next morning. The only thing is that there wasn`t anybody to teach that following day. There wasn´t anyone in the streets and everyone that was in there house was asleep or ´unavailable´ for one reason or another, but we managed to have 2 lessons and then a baptism that night.
Sound like its gettin´ pretty cold there, enjoy it! And the progress on the house seems to be moving along at a decent speed. I love the pictures of all the fun and excitement back home. I didn´t know that Ethan was in Lima, that’s cool, and it’s true, Peru is amazing, and here we are not having any flooding right now but this month it’s supposed to start raining and through Feb. and March it rains and it will flood here but that is normal and that is why all the houses are on stilts :)
How is your seminary going? I was thinking about sending a package or something for your seminary class because I thought it would be cool to receive something from a missionary. What do you think?
I am doing well. I have hope for the investigators and I am continuing to learn more and more every day, about the gospel, Spanish, Peru, Bolivia, and myself. Thanks for all your love, support and prayers. Love you mom and all that you do for me. Take care and we`ll see what this next year brings :)
Love,
Elder Divis
My New Years was a normal day of work that night and the next morning. The only thing is that there wasn`t anybody to teach that following day. There wasn´t anyone in the streets and everyone that was in there house was asleep or ´unavailable´ for one reason or another, but we managed to have 2 lessons and then a baptism that night.
Sound like its gettin´ pretty cold there, enjoy it! And the progress on the house seems to be moving along at a decent speed. I love the pictures of all the fun and excitement back home. I didn´t know that Ethan was in Lima, that’s cool, and it’s true, Peru is amazing, and here we are not having any flooding right now but this month it’s supposed to start raining and through Feb. and March it rains and it will flood here but that is normal and that is why all the houses are on stilts :)
How is your seminary going? I was thinking about sending a package or something for your seminary class because I thought it would be cool to receive something from a missionary. What do you think?
I am doing well. I have hope for the investigators and I am continuing to learn more and more every day, about the gospel, Spanish, Peru, Bolivia, and myself. Thanks for all your love, support and prayers. Love you mom and all that you do for me. Take care and we`ll see what this next year brings :)
Love,
Elder Divis
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