Week 4 in Marcavalle! Zone Conference

November 25th, 2013 

Hello Everyone,

Well today is exactly two months since I left Lubbock and it has gone by so fast! We had a lot of traveling for Zone Conference Meetings. 

This past week to Tarma for Monday and Tuesday, then La Merced for Thursday and Friday.  La Merced is gorgeous, but it is more hot and humid than Miami. It was so humid the inside of my watch fogged up, and still has water inside of it but I can at least read the time and I couldn't do that for 2 days.It was a big climate change, from the mornings in Marcavalle which are super cold.  

I have a couple funny stories to share! During a lesson I meant to say pedazos (pieces) and I accidentally said (pend*!%^) which is a really bad word... and the girl we were teaching was only 12! So that was pretty embarrassing but luckily everybody laughed. 

Also, I've been teaching Elder Zapata English and he already knows Spanish Portuguese and Ketchwa(some ancient language they only speak in the mountains of Peru). So during the lesson with Maryuri who just turned 21 and is getting baptized the 20th of December, Elder Zapata accidentally said, ''I want touch you'' and she doesn't know English so I just lost it and started doing my hyenna laugh in the middle of the lesson which was horrible... Then during church he told a lady ''I want your daughter'' and I just lost it again because I forget that nobody knows English except us! 

 I completely forgot about Thanksgiving. I'm bummed I missed Black Friday that was always so much fun. It looks like we'll be having 4 baptisms in December which is awesome!  

Tarma Zone

Love, Elder Pincock

Mailing Instructions

Hello Everyone,

This is Elder Pincock's mom. Some of you have asked me for  information on sending letters and packages to Caleb.  Here is what I've been instructed.

The fastest way to communicate with Elder Pincock is through email.  However, his time is very limited at the computer so he might not be able to respond to you right away.

LETTERS:
You can still send him pouch mail through the Church Mail Services. This takes a while for him to receive it since it first goes to the mission home and then gets delivered to him at a later time.
However, he has reported receiving all the pouch letters that have been sent.
Now, I'm just trying to get him to send some back!... but, ..I guess I got to cut him some slack since he's pretty busy.

Elder Caleb Benjamin Pincock

Peru Huancayo Mission

PO Box 30150

Salt Lake City, UT  84130-0150

(Only postcards and letters that are single sheet, folded into three-pane, and taped at the top only (no envelopes) may be sent through the pouch mail system.

Another pouch mail route is through Dearelder.com (select:  write a letter, then select:  Peru, Huancayo   Mission).  They print it out for you and send it for free.

PACKAGES:
Sending packages is not that easy.  There is a very tedious customs process that can take a very long time to for Caleb to receive packages.  Most of the packages sent has to be claimed by the person at the post office.  So, the fastest and securest way to send something to Elder Pincock, as instructed by the mission home, is to send a large padded envelope instead of a box.  If you put Catholic Stickers on the envelope they put it in a separate bag and they don't mess with it.  I was told it even arrives within 2 to 3 weeks. I am planning on trying this theory out myself. I use the Priority Mail (Federal Express) padded envelopes that you get for free at the Post office.  They have a flat rate of $23.95 dollars for any amount of weight. So I stuff my envelopes to the max.  One more thing, it is important that your claim for the items in your envelope is written as under $100 including the shipping cost.  If it is over $100, they charge him a fee to collect the package. Also, they don't allow any liquids or aerosols.

They ask that you address it to President David Y. Henderson and then Elder Caleb Pincock under it.

President David Y. Henderson

Elder Caleb B. Pincock
Peru Huancayo Mission

 Jirón 
Cuzco # 278
Huancayo
Junín
Perú

Hope this helps. 

Week 3 in Marcavalle

Nov. 18th, 2013

Hey everybody!                              

Right now I'm actually in Tarma for our Zone meeting. The drive was supposed to be an hour and a half but we got here in 45 minutes. Mom you would die of a panic attack because they drive so crazy and sometimes it's literally only one lane. Yes not 1 on each side just one total. They fly around the curves and drive on whatever side of the road is more smooth.  The lines mean nothing. 

Everybody started coughing in the taxi when we drove through a dust cloud, but for me it was a nice reminder of home breathing in dirt once again. We saw a Google maps street view car drive past us in our area with cameras on top so maybe I'll be on the Google maps street view for Marcavalle! 

Here is a picture I found on the internet of the crazy Taxi cabs in Peru

We got 11 new investigators this week which is a lot! My  favorite part about teaching so many people is helping them feel the love God has for all of us and how The Atonement can help people change their lives and feel happiness.  I love sharing experiences that I've had, and also what President Shumway has taught me. 

Many people think repentance is like a punishment or something, when really it's a way for us to use the sacrifice that Christ made for all of us and feel clean once again. Life isn't about being perfect, because that's not possible. God knows when we are trying our best, and that's why he sent His son to help us reach what we couldn't without His help. 

I speak more and more Spanish everyday, and I love learning the language. 

Thank you everybody for all the emails!

Love, Elder Pincock

Week 2 in Marcavalle!

This was an amazing week! I had my first 2 baptisms this past Saturday. I got to baptize Suleisi. We taught Suleisi for the first time this past Monday, and she got baptized Saturday!

We also baptized Xiomara who is only 9 but the other missionaries had been teaching her a little bit before I transferred here to Marcavalle. 

I was having some stomach problems this past week, but I'm pretty much all the way back to normal now so don't worry! Our pensianiesta made me some weird hot drink called hierba that really helped. I looked it up in my dictionary and it means weed... so needless to say I feel great! haha Just kidding please don't freak Mom..

 It's rained almost everyday here, and it's colder than I thought it would be. There's only been one day I didn't need to wear my jacket. We've had a couple awkward moments this past week.. We talked to a lady WHILE she was breastfeeding on the side of the road. Also, there's always drunk people walking around the streets and we call them zombies and I think my count is around 7 so far. 

We went up to Alto Marcavalle and the stairs are ridiculous. They go until halfway up the mountain! We saw one zombie fall down the stairs for a little while trying to urinate so that was pretty funny. 

The most awesome thing I've been seeing in all the people here is their faith. It's amazing to hear how strong the faith some random people we talk to have, and also the people that lack in faith and when we help them strenghten their faith, it also strengthens mine. One of my favorite scriptures in The Book of Mormon that I have shared a lot is Alma 32:21 ''faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.'' My faith has definitely been strengthened within the past couple weeks, and I hope to continually strengthen my faith, and the faith of others everyday for the next two years. Also, I finished The Book of Mormon this morning and I started at the end of September. Honestly, it's the first time I can really say I read it straight from cover to cover, and I know that it is true with all of my heart. I know just as Joseph Smith said that ''any man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts''.

Love, Elder Pincock

Here are some more pictures from my brief stay at Huancayo Mission Home

This river is in Marcavalle and it's were people dump all their trash and other things too!  Notice the pipes coming out of the apartment complexes. 

Finally in the Field!

It's pretty crazy finally being outside of the MTC! It was a a 8 hour bus ride from Lima to Huancayo and we crossed the highest mountain pass in South America Ticlio Pass.  I think it was around 15,000 feet. A lot of people got sick on the bus but I just had a headache and that was all. 

Learm more about this Trecherous Mountain Pass
http://www.dangerousroads.org/peru/552-ticlio-pass-peru.html

Meeting President Henderson was awesome. He's a really funny guy.  I'm so glad he's my mission president!  When we got to the mission home they fed us Pizza Hut, Burger King, and KFC in between trainings. 

My new companion is Elder Zapata from Peru and he's been out for 14 months.

Sis. Henderson's Famous Brownies!

Guess, Elder Pincock liked the brownies!

They sent us to Marcavalle for our first area which was another 3 hour bus ride.
We have a "pensaniesta" which cooks 3 meals a day for us and does our laundry which is nice because they don't have washing machines or refrigeradors here so laundry takes 3 days to get done.

I ate a couple gross things already like hot melted grape cough syrup and cold potatoes with some nasty green sauce on top.. But also some crapes for breakfast and some really good stir fry. 

Our apartment is pretty small and has no heating so it's freezing during the night. It rained pretty hard yesterday while we were out and it was super cold, but it's still so much fun. I think I would die if I didn't have my gloves, boots, and umbrella here. Hopefully I can stay dry for the most part! They gave us a really thick llama blanket and I sleep with like 4 of them to stay warm.

I already had a couple doors slammed in my face, but it's all part of the experience right? We already have a baptism coming up this Saturday and we taught her for the first time last night. Her name is Suileici, and it's just crazy to see how some of the people live here. They have almost nothing but they are still so happy and friendly all the time. In Suileici's house, her mom spent 20 minutes trying to wire the only lightbulb in their one bedroom house. 

We walked about 12 miles yesterday, and the area is really stretched out. We're the only two missionaries in this area so it's pretty awesome. 

I finally got all the letters that were in the mission home and it was nice to read them all! I don't have much time, but from now on my P Day will be everyday Monday.  This week was just different because of transfers.

Love, Elder Pincock

The North American Missionaries Group Picture

The Latino Missionaries Group Picture
Elder Pincock is in 2nd row from top,  5th from the left.