May 20th and May 26th Update

May 20th, 2014

Hola Amigos!

Yesterday we had an awesome zone P-Day. We hiked up to a mountain called Huaytapallana. The altitude was over 5,000 meters so I'm not sure what that is in feet but its around 16,000 so it was really really high up! 

The hike was a little over 2 hours after driving almost two hours up in the mountains. The air was so thin which made it really hard to breathe and the hike was really hard for some of the people. I had a pretty bad headache, but so did everybody else… 

It was still awesome, and so pretty when we finally got to the top. It was freezing cold, but the adrenaline was what kept me excited the entire time! 

This past week while we were in Huachac for a family home evening, a lady came in the house crying and screaming for her husband. Everybody was kinda freaked out so we went to her house next door to see what happened. Her car was like on fire and the engine had a little explosion while she was inside. Everybody was running around screaming like crazy, so we helped them calm down and nobody ended up getting hurt which was good, but still it was just a little crazy… 

Also, we got a reference from some guy in our ward, and the reference turned out to be an ex bounty hunter and killed like a ton of people. So needless to say, we don't have permission to visit him... Luckily the guy lives in the area of the other Elders… haha!

This week went by super fast and I'm really happy to be in such a good area and training. My companion and I get along really well which is awesome! I love and miss all of you tons and hope you all have a great week!

Love Elder Pincock

May 26th, 2014

This week was a little colder, and I can't believe we're almost in June! I can't believe how fast the time is flying here, but at the same time I really wish that it wasn't passing so fast. I love being here and I want my time to pass slower in the mission. They say the coldest month here is July so it's good I'm here in Huancayo it could be a lot worse like in Cerro de Pasco… 

We had a good week this week and found a lot of more awesome people that we're teaching. There are so many investigators we have so close to getting baptized, so hopefully it all starts falling into place soon. 

Something cool I was studying this week was in John 6. when Christ does the miracle of feeding the 5 thousand, then walks on water to meet the apostles during the storm in the early morning. When they get off the boat, the people Christ fed were looking for him because they just wanted more food, knowing that he had the power to do so. All the people just wanted something so temporal and worldly like food that only satifies us for a short period of time. 

Christ then explained in verse 35 that "I am the bread of life, and he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." I love that He uses the example of hunger and thirst, something physical, and changes it to a spiritual meaning. 

He explains that in the time of Moses, even though he provided manna, the people died, but through Christ we will never die, or have thirst or hunger and be spiritually full, because Christ is the bread of life. 

I love and miss you all like crazy, and hope this week is a good one and everybody is enjoying their summer.

Love, Elder Pincock

April 28, May 5, and May 12th Update

April 28, 2014

Hola Amigos,

So this week was super exciting and awesome!!! We had transfers and my companion Elder Allred left to Cerro de Pasco, and President Henderson called me to be a trainer! I got to go to the office with all the other trainers and be there for the orientation of the new group. 

The new group was pretty big 18 missionaries, and my new companion is Elder Carhuaricra from here in Peru! He's 23 and he got baptized just barely over a year ago, and now is here serving a mission which is pretty awesome! It's a really awesome experience to be training, and he was only in the CCM for 2 weeks, so right now he has almost 3 weeks in the mission. It's crazy I feel like it wasn't that long ago when I had 3 weeks in the mission, and time is literally flying by. 

It's a good experience having a little bit of responsability being a trainer, and always having to be a good example and really obedient. President Henderson always talks about how trainers have such a big impact on their trainees, and it's up to them to help their trainee start their mission with good principles, obedience, and hard work. I already had him invite somebody to be baptized, which he was really nervous, but ended up doing a good job. I remember the first time I invited somebody I was also really nervous... It's funny seeing him ask a lot of the same questions that I had when I started, and now I'm the one answering them! haha also now I have a cell phone which is pretty awesome :) 

We're working super hard, and we have a lot of potential baptisms in May which is awesome! Something I was studying this week was; What is the purpose of our lives? and Why are we here on earth? A lot of people think there is no purpose, but a scripture I love is in Alma 34:32 "For behold; this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." 

I know we have a purpose here, and a lot of people lose sight of our real purpose, and get caught up in worldy things. I know its easy to forget our purpose, but I also know that when we don't forget, and really try to prepare ourselves to meet God, we become better people. I've seen it in my own life, and in the life of others, and that's part of Christ's promise to us that through him, we really can become new people, and change how we used to be. I hope everything is well back at home, and I love and miss you all like crazy!

Love, Elder Pincock

May 5th, 2014

Another week has already flown by! We had a really awesome experience this week. There was a lady we talked to outside her house one day, and told us to come back and visit. We tried for days, and finally found her one night. She let us in to tell us that her daughther just got out of the hospital, and has a serious health problem in her head, and hasn't wanted to eat for 2 weeks, and they pretty much released her daughter from the hospital thinking she was about to die. The day we visited, was the same day she got out of the hospital, and we gave her a blessing. 

My companion was a little nervous, so I ended up giving the blessing. Well we ended up visiting her the next day to check up and she told us that her daughter is so much better and eating and moving and talking, and that basically a miracle occured. The mother was crying a lot and was really happy and grateful, saying that we came at the perfect timing. It was such a cool experience, and there's nothing better that feeling like an instrument in the hands of the Lord. I know The Lord guides us if we listen. He works through us, if we are willing and worthy. It's a simple concept to be willing and worthy, but at the same time so important. 

It was cool having such a good experience in the first couple weeks of my companion starting his mission. Everything is awesome here. This week was also crazy with a big festival here in Chupaca. This whole week there has been so many drunks, and pretty dressed up in costumes with black masks with whips and they dance like crazy. Shapish I think is what its called even though I'm not sure how to spell it…

I'm super excited to talk and see you guys this Sunday for Mothers Day! I hope all is well, and I love and miss you all like crazy.

Love, Elder Pincock

May 12th, 2014

We had another great week here in Chupaca! It was awesome talking to a lot of you guys yesterday! We had a baptism this week for a girl named Luisa which ended up going really well, and her mom is also planning on getting baptized this week so we're pretty excited about that! 

Something I forgot to tell you guys yesterday on the phone was that our apartment got flooded this week... When I got out of bed I realized the entire apartment was filled with water. We had no idea what happened so we asked the landlord and he said our neighbor on the same floor is like a drunk and left his sink on all night and flooded the entire floor so that was nice to wake up too this week.. haha!

Something cool I found and was studying this week was in Luke 7:41-43, 47 were Jesus was talking about how there was a man that had two people that owed him money. One man owed a lot and the other man owed just a little. The guy forgave them both of their debts. Jesus then asked, Who hath this man forgaveth and loveth most? and the man said it was the man that owed him more, because the owner had to forgive more. 

It's something I realized it doesn't really matter how much we "owe" to Christ. He gives forgiveness to everybody because he loves all of us so much. But at the same time we shouldn't let ourselves get in more spiritual debt with Christ, just hoping that he forgives us one day. 

I love and miss all of you guys a ton and I hope you all have a good week!

Love, Elder Pincock