Clean Laundry

Question time.....

1. Have you done your laundry yet?
    FINALLY!

 2. Did you get the package yet?
    FINALLY!  The voice recorder is SWEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

So are the books! Thank you so much!!!!!!

3. Is Otuzco touristy? I remember its the place where you were holding the llama right?
    It's called the "capital de la fe" meaning, capital of the faith. It's SUPER bad apostasy here.....    They worship the virgin de la puerta.

4. Have you had any baptisms yet?
    My current area has not baptized in over 8 years...... :) like I said, it's bad apostasy here..... ha ha ha

5. How was the crab catching in Trujillo?
    It was super fun.

 6. How is your new companion? From Chicago right?
     He is cool. He is a little older than me, but that is how my whole mission has been. I think it's to help me stop laughing at bathroom jokes and humor.

7. Do you study your English scriptures or do you have new Spanish ones?
    I am weird...... I always study in English. I figure that all the rest of the day speaking in Spanish is enough practice. I'd like to understand my studies without thinking too hard. Ha ha ha. Most study in Spanish.

Dad's beard is ridiculous...... BUT NOT AS RIDICULOUS AS MASON. What the flip is he doing!? I'm going to call him Boady McCaw...... I figure that suits him better now. I love that fool to death. Where is Uncle's beard?

Sister Marler always makes fun of me because everyone I know has a beard. I hope to join them someday........ in the league of excellent beards...... We'll make everything. I am finding out that I too, have a sweet beard..... If I don't shave every day, It shows............ 

 

I am currently typing this letter with a mentally handicapped man hanging over my shoulder like we're best friends...... He's telling me about his dogs..... and touching my hair..... literally as we speak. But I have long gotten used to such things. My comp is laughing at me because I am playing it so cool. Ha ha ha ha. Just imagine it.... and now the "w" button on the keyboard is sticking bad.... and internet's slow..... i have acquired an unbreakable patience these days................ 

He's yelling now....... in my ears....

 

Have fun in Alaska dad!

Mom... it is so hard to write home..... I have to type every words three times because the keyboards stink so bad...... I wish I could show you it all...... it is SO hard.........

This week was horrible.... we got 5 lessons all week..... This is well known as the hardest place in the mission. NOBODY wants to be in Otuzco. Ha ha ha.

People are super mean most of the time. They have very little respect for us. Yell at us. Spit at us. Make fun of us in every street. They never stop laughing and mocking. I have never imagined rejection like this. It's such a hard place...... ha ha ha ha ha ha. We just hike all day hoping that someone will open their door. We knock doors here because even the members won't help us. There is no more effective way. They don't give references. They leave church early 2 hours early after showing up 30 minutes late. They are in need of some serious conversion here in Otuzco. 

To be honest, this was maybe the hardest week of my entire mission. I hope next week proves different. If not, I may be in for a LONG couple months here. Pray for me............. ha ha ha. I can't convey just how "dead" the work here is. it's especially terrible because we were just in Santiago, which was a dream come true. We got pulled out, and put in this place....... where things are different. But give me some time, and we'll have this place turned around. I just hope we don't have to go on like THIS for much longer. Ha ha ha. I'm just frustrated and running low on patience right now.... sorry for being a bum with short letters..... 

 

But I have learned so much about Christ in this.... He was always willing to do the hard things. He suffered and died for us..... I cannot imagine how long and hard the road must have looked when He stood in the Garden, knowing that what was about to happen would cause Him to bleed from every pore, and eventually die........ But He did it. That is the good news. It is done. And because it is done, we each can be freed from the awful chains of sin and death. We can be made free from our guilt, our pain, our burdens, our afflictions, our doubts, and all things that seem hard. I love Him to the very bottom of my soul. And while He requires me to be here, I will be. Hiking. Searching for someone who cares that this debt has been paid. We cannot begin to understand what He did for us. I know He is always with me in this work. The great part of righteous living, is that you can always have that confidence. You never have to doubt that He approves of what you are doing. And when you know that, everything else seems very small and insignificant by comparison. I invite everyone who reads this to read the accout of the Atonement and Crucifixion in John. I find strength in it every time I do. And it is always enough to get me through one more day. He paid the debt. We can do hard things. That is my testimony for the week. 

I love you. Mason's beard and mullet is still disgusting. Ha ha ha. I love it.

 

I love you all, have a good week,

-Elder Boekweg

Thanks to Sister Marler for the picture of Chance crab catching in Trujillo.

Hot Showers!!

1. How on earth are you going to do your laundry? You have to wash your clothes eventually.

     Haven't done laundry yet. That makes 4 weeks without clean clothes.... but everyone here is dirty too.... So I still SEEM clean. Ha ha ha.

2. Did you move to Otuzco yet?

    Yes

3. What happens to the people who have been attending your services?

     They stop going. Ha ha ha. Pretty simple.

4. So tell me about your new living situation if you have moved? Apartment this time?

    No just a room. This time, at least we have running water. It's cold though. We have a dirt floor, and sometimes, earthworms come up and crawl on your feet as you shower. It's good fun

5. When is your release date is, is it still March? I know you said you could possibly extend. When will you know?

   March 25, unless I extend. In which case, it will be early May. Like the 10th or something.

6. Have you received your package yet?

     No. But I am being super patient for it......... I HATE waiting for packages..... ugh......

I love dad. I wish I could call him once a month to tell him about things. I think ALL the time, "if only dad could see this" He would LOVE these mountains.... they make his Oquirrhs and Uintas look like child's play.  He means the world to me. I miss him a ton.

I got Betty Castagno's letter! Thank you, Betty! I love getting letters from her! I don't think she realizes how happy her letters make me here. She is cool.

I have been sticking my head in the tiendas to see the scores of the soccer games as they happen. Sometimes, I just want to stinking watch the USA games.... But they will still be there in March..... or May..... I don't know. Crazy to think that 2014 is halfway over...... We are getting so close to the end.......... it's insane......

Don't know where my mission goes from here..... President could change me out this change, and bring me back to the coast.... I hope not.... ha ha ha. Right now, Elder Bravo left, and so I am acting as Zone Leader A and B for my zone........ I have only been a zone leader for 4 weeks! I have no clue what I'm doing..... ha ha ha. My comp. Elder Nelson (from Chicago) is the district leader for Otuzco........ we are a pretty strange companionship....... I always said that I have the weirdest mission ever........... I think that stands true.

Brag moment -  Presidnt calls me "Ammon."  It is my nickname.

Seems like things never slow down in the misiòn. I can't believe that the last time I saw all of you I didn't speak spanish...... ha ha ha ha. It's been so long!

Doesn't Courtenae come home soon? Like, this month? AJ Walters? Stewart Thomas?

And finally, don't forget to send pics of the 4th of July..... I love that holiday more than any other.

Pray for me and my zone......... Ha ha ha. Im not sure how else we'll survive..... 

Mom...... I love you so much. I think about you sleeping on that couch in  our living room or sleeping by the fire. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I wish I could take more naps..... We hike all day long every day. It is absolutely exhausting. By the end of the day, my feet usually want to cut themselves off. I am so tired... ugh.... But you are one of my greatest heroes, mom. You do so much for me and so many others. I can't wait to sleep in the sunlight of the kitchen window and listen to you watch the news while you cook dinner.... ha ha ha ha ha ha. My turn.

 I am working as hard as I know how. Everyday is hard in the mountains..... there aren't so many "elect" spirits that want to listen. Despite that, I feel like I am doing what God needs me to do. Every young man should serve a mission. Just give it your best shot. All you can do. You will find that God can make much more out of you than you can. Sure it is a sacrifice..... but not really, because God always pays us back infinitely more than we give. Just do it - NIKE. 

I love you all very much and am grateful for the people who still haven't forgotten about me. I wish I could shower in hot water..... ha ha ha ha ha ha. 

I REALLY wish I could shower in hot water........... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

- Elder Boekweg

Moving to Otuzco

1. Do you have a font there or what will you use?

    No font. We will baptize in volcanic thermal rivers.... sweet, right?

 

2. Do you have the ability to cook in your apartment? What did you mean when you said that you don't have an apartment, you live where you have church?

    We don't cook. We live with some really converted investigators.... odd, or what?

 

3. How do you do your laundry?

    I haven't done laundry since I've been here...... there really is nowhere to do it. Especially since the city has not had water in over 4 days now...... I am so dirty.... ha ha ha ha. But so is everyone else.... I want a hot shower SOOOOOOO badly....

 

4. Have you had some crazy varieties of potatoes yet?

    Yes.
 

5. How are your Sunday services? Do you hold all 3 meetings?

    We hold 2 hours of meetings. We do EVERYTHING. From the Sacrament to Gospel PRINCIPLES CLASS.

 

6. What is your companion like?

     Elder Bravo is awesome. We get along really well. Which is nice when you don't have much else in the world..... ha ha ha ha ha. One less challenge to face right now.

 

7. Is anyone there talking about the World Cup?

    I am in South America.....  what do you think? Ha ha ha. Soccer games are all they have for entertainment.

 

8. What do you do on P-day in your new area?

     Last week we hiked a mountain. This week we are going to visit a famous Spanish poet's house. (Cesar Vallejo is from Santiago)

 

9. Have you been healthy?

    Sort of....... I have had a bad cough for 3 weeks. Ha ha ha. But I don't feel sick. We are upheld by something extra as missionaries, I think. We get special help with stuff like that sometimes.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!!!!!! Sorry I forgot! In the mission, you don't even notice holidays.......

Sounds like we are getting moved out of Santiago and getting put in Otuzco. Crazy stuff.. I'll tell you all about it when I get home..... Ha ha ha. Nothing bad happened on our part, but there were some confusions. No worries. It'll still be the mountains, and it sounds even more dangerous than here...... I am stoked. I love being in places like this. People here are awesome. I will miss them.

I dont really have much more to say...... I can't send pictures from here because internet is too slow....

One cool thing happened this week. Apparently, in Catholic tradition, yesterday was "Corpus Cristi" or, "Body of Jesus" day.... The people here painted the entire plasa de armas with colored sawdust in images of Christ and white doves and things. We then watched the main priest from the cathedral march around the plaza with burning incense in his hands, and people waving smoke at him and stuff. HE HAD PEOPLE CARRYING A CANOPY OVER HIS HEAD.  It was a cool cultural thing. This city is very much Spanish, I would say.


I love you. I hope everyone has a good week!

- Elder Boekweg


These are some more pictures from the SD card Chance sent home.

Be Where You Are

1. Do you have a maid?

     No

 

2. Do you have hot water?

    Hmmmmm............. I went 3 days without bathing this week because there was no hot water..... and it is too dang cold to shower in cold water....... ha ha ha ha ha. But it's cool, because nobody here bathes....

 

3. Tell us more about the man who came 2 hrs by bus for church.

     How did he know you were there?

     How many people attend your service?

     How did that man hear the gospel?

   He got baptized in Trujillo. He heard that we were coming months ago from the Elder doing scouting here. We have 18 in Sacrament last week. 22 Yesterday.

 

4. How often will you travel to Trujillo to meet for zone meetings?

    Haven't gone yet.... looks like we are on our own out here.

 

5. What are you eating there?

    Good question....... bread...... and hot chocolate.

 

6. Are there places to buy things?

    No.

 

7. Did you buy a coat or jacket?

    Yes.

 

8. What is the temperature?

      Low

 

9. How is the work going so far?

    Good and REALLY REALLY hard. It's difficult to work with members when there are none....

 

I love you a ton! I wish with all my heart I had more time to write you. You deserve more than my lame letters. I don't know how all my friends do it. Do they have more time?

Don't delete the world cup games..... I want to see them eventually........ Ha ha ha.

I will keep trying to figure out how to attatch pictures.... I am SO bad with computers..... I am sorry. It must be torturous to go without information week after week..... but I can't type fast enough to tell you everything I want to! Just know that I am okay. I am happy and safe and making the most of my mission here in Santiago de Chuco. Far as it may be from home, I know that in reality, it's not all that far. Be where you are. I love that quote. Thanks dad.

I have to go. my computer is beeping telling me that my hour is up.

I love you so much!

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

 

These pictures are from the SD card he sent home. These pictures were taken in Casagrande.

 

 

 

  

Santiago de Chuco

So lets start with my questions:

1. Where will you email from now?

     A dank, cold, wet internet hotspot. Just like before. Except cold this time.

 

2. Who is your new companion?

     Elder Bravo from Arika, Chile

 

3. What is your apartment like?

     Ha ha ha. We don't have one. We are living in the same place we have the Sacrament meeting.   This is NUTS. It`s like being a missionary in the 1800`s.

 

4. Is it cold there?

    YES

 

5. Do they speak Kechwa?

    Nope. Santiago de Chuco is very much an old Spanish town.

 

6. Is it a poor undeveloped place?

     Yes.

 

7. Why haven't they ever had missionaries?

    Church hasn't made it this far yet. It's pretty isolated from the world.

 

8. What do you do for church if there isn't one there?

     We have it in our room. Ha ha ha ha. We do the entire block of meetings.

 

9.  How do you travel back to the mission office for meetings?

     5 hour bus ride

 

10.  How can you be over a zone if the next missionaries are 4 hrs away?

       Who else is going to do it? They're not close to anyone else, either. Ha ha ha

 

11. How will you get your mail?

      ???

 

12.  Do you really think you will end your mission there? That's still 9 months away

       Maybe. If I do leave, I will be surprised. I am not sure that they will want to move me if I have confidence from the few, new church members here. One man who came to church had a 2 hour us ride that made him wake up at 4 am to catch. He is from even deeper in the mountains.

 

 

Wow....... this is by far the most insane thing I have ever experienced. We are SO far out here..... ha ha ha ha. It is super cold. I am trying to attach pictures, but public computers aren't easy for me to understand..... I can't figure out how to do it. I hate computers so much......

 

I am glad RJ is still the Great Scott I once knew. I love him to death. Can't believe he's already home. Seems like it was yesterday that he left. I will not have seen him in almost 3 whole years when I finally do again. Crazy. He's my brother.

Please send thermal garments. Ha ha ha ha. It's pretty cold at 9,500 ft. And they say that it is summer up here.........

 

I wish I could type faster. I don't have enough time to write all the letters I want to write. It has been the frustration of my entire mission. I love everyone and will tell them all what I want to when I get back.

 

Early summer in Pine Canyon? My favorite. This is the coldest June ever. Ha ha ha.

 

I am really typing slow. Cold fingers plus broken keyboard. This might be how it is from here on out.... ha ha ha. Sorry.

 

I know that our Savior lives and loves us. He is merciful, and asks only our best. Nobody is perfect, and that is why we have the Atonement. Because He lives, we too will live again.

 

I love you Lane.

 

Comfortably dumb

 

Study hard, Courtney. It's worth it.

 

I love you mom. I miss you a ton. Sometimes I wish could just annoy you again like I used to aways do. But that can wait for now. I love you and wish I coud write you more.

 

Grandma Boekweg, I am grateful for your stories. Keep sending them. I love you

 

Love you all, Goodbye,

 

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

Saying Goodbye to Pres Marler. Off to the Sierra Zone.

Chance and new companion Elder Bravo.

 

BIG CHANGES

It is confirmed that I am getting sent to the Mountains. Santiago de Chuco....... there is no church there. No members. No missinoaries. It is 4 hours from the nearest missinoaries, who are also in the mountains. I will be the very first set of missionaries to ever be there. I will build the church from the ground up. There is nothing there............ crazy, huh? Some pig farming kid from Lincoln, Utah, in the Andes. Pray for me.... ha ha ha ha. Stuff's about to get REAL. I'm hoping to roll in there like Ammon and convert the king and then the whole city. Ha ha ha. I might even get thrown in jail and stuff. I am teaching to the Lamanites in their same old mountains.... it's like a real life book of Mormon adventure. Ha ha ha. I am going to die......

I really hope everyone understands how little time I have to write. It takes 20 minutes to write President, 20 minutes to read everyone's emails, and then I am left with 20 minutes to write. And when your typing speed is like 3 words a minute, it's hard to get out more than one good letter. I am sorry to everyone who has been bummed about me not writing back. I wish I had another half hour of internet a week so I could show everyone that I appreciated their emails. 

There are SO many terrible pictures of me on that mission blog.... ha ha ha ha ha. Seems like every time I make it on, I see it and then wish I hadn't been. Ha ha ha ha. I am so un-photogenic. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

It sounds like I will be ending my mission there in Santiago. Crazy, right? I'll have 7 changes there when it's all over. I will be building the church up from absolute 0, and they are going to need a solid, unchanging person to trust. Sister Marler told me to get ready to stick around up there. It's odd to think that it could all end so soon....

Mom..... I really don't have much time this week........

Dad is so funny. Love you man.

I have the WEIRDEST mission ever. I went to the office at 16 weeks in the mission field. Then I trained a sister. Now I am going to Zone Leader without ever having been District Leader............ ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I have never heard of another mission like mine. It's bizarre.

I love you Brayden

Kaylee Hopper...... you are running out of time........................

Linzi Kelsey - You are the bomb.

Rj Scott - CONGRATS, MAN! Be sure to keep the old home warm for me! (you probably haven't been warm in a long time.....) Ha ha ha ha. I wish I could hear your homecoming testimony. I love you and am proud to call you my brother. See you soon enough!

I think that's all I've got time for this week....... one last thing that is really important: I heard that I have to register a year in advance for BYU if I want to go in the fall of 2015? Will you make sure that's either true or not? Because if it is, I am going to need to start working on it before August, right? I just don't want to make a dumb mistake like missing the registration deadline. ha ha ha ha. 

-Elder Boekweg

More pictures NEXT week!

 

 This is the Sierra Zone where Chance is going.

 

 

 The rainy season is over and the flowers are beautiful

 

 

Finding out he is a Zone Leader in the Sierra Zone.

One More Week.....

Mom,

Well...... it's been a crazy week. I am here training my replacement. Elder Winterton. He's going to be GREAT at this job. How a pig farmer ever wound up as a flight agent/doctor will always be a mystery to me. Ha ha ha ha ha. I wonder why God chooses people like me to be here. We are so full of flaws. But I am here as long as God wants me here. I will never give up. I will keep trying. Keep praying for miracles. Keep believing. It is all I can do. I can do no mighty things of myself, nor can I help even one person without the help of higher power. It is so humbling to know that I am completely useless here without divine assistance. 

 

Pres. Marler & Elder Winterton  (Chance's new replacement)
Chance will be leaving the office next week.



Looks like I have one more week in civilization...... then, it's off to the mountains of Perú........... that's so crazy. I hope I do the church well up there. Things are about to get REAL.

Brayden is the assistant! I so knew it! I wrote him months ago and told me to let me know when this happened. Congrats, man!

 

Dad's beard is sweet. He's not going to shave it until I'm back, huh? Is that the deal?

Does that mean Grandpa Thorpe is going to shave his stache when I get back?

I just hit empty on things to say..... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Sorry. My letters home REEK! I skim everyone else's letters, and mine are definitely the worst! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I'll just talk to you all later. It's not like we are never going to see each other again. I'm not dead. Ha ha ha.

I love you all. Thanks for the pictures! They are always cool!

 

.... and thank you for never giving up on writing me long letters. I appreciate them so much.

Love you!

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

Elder Boekweg and Elder Zavaleta gave a great training, and it was great to hear Elder Boekweg teaching. (From Sister Marlers blog.)

 

Chance sent home an SD card from the first year of his mission. Here are some of the pics.........