Off to Chimbote

Questions first:
1. How was the conference with Elder Anderson? Remember Court met him at Prom. She even got her pic taken with him.
     Good. They said he speaks Spanish..... but,........ ha ha ha ha. He speaks French and Portuguese way better! But I loved his talk either way. He talked about the things that are not seen are the most important things in the church. Testimonies, etc.

2. Are all those beautiful cakes in Elder Harris's pics from a store or are they homemade? Gma Boekweg and I cant decide. It seems you have cake a lot!
  No idea what you are talking about. They make a lot of cakes here in factories.... most are kind of gross. I usually steer clear of them.

3. Have you had guinea pig or hamster yet?
    Yes. Heinous.

4.  Did Elder Harris get transferred?
      Nope. I did! Ha ha ha ha ha ha. I will now be serving in Chimbote! Zone leader of another crazy zone. They say it's as dangerous as Casa Grande there..... this should be good. At least I speak Spanish this time. I can't believe I got swapped again! that's four times in 2 changes! You'd think I caused trouble or something.... Sounds like I'll be with Elder Oyarzo, from Chile. He is in my group. Meaning, we arrived here at the same time. Let's go work the GHETTO!!!!!!! WOOOO!!!!!!!! Back on the coast, I guess..... I loved the mountains to death..... it will be hard to leave them. But I will go where I am called.

5. Did you get gpa Thorpes letter?
    YES! Thanks Grandpa! I hope you know how much letters mean to me. Especially coming from a man who I respect so much. I cried a little bit as I read it.

Hmmm............ I can't say that I really know what to say this time around. I am writing late because the bus ride to Trujillo was 6 hours long. I didn't have time to do it in Huamachuco. Anyway, Take a look at Chimbote on Google earth. I will be close to "El Carmen" district. They say it's pretty spooky over there sometimes. I am excited. I have a zone of 24 missionaries now. 20 Elders and 4 Hermanas. In the mountains, there were only 8 of us. ha ha hah a. Big change.

Elder Stewart Thomas coming home? I feel like I sat at his farewell just hours ago.... could it be that it has passed that fast? What about AJ Walters? I remember he was one of the very first of us to leave.

How is RJ doing? I love that guy.

Tell Lane Liddell to write me sometime. I miss hearing from him.

 

I had a dream this week that I was walking down Churchwood dr in the early summer when everything is green still. It was so beautiful. I think Tooele is my favorite place in the world still. Despite its desolate landscape and subzero temperatures. Not beacuse it is the biggest or richest or prettiest place on earth..... but because it is MY place on earth. But Perú still needs me and here I will stay for a few months longer. I am not afraid. I believe all things are possible. (watch the movie "ephraim's rescue" this week for me) and I will do whatever is necessary to bring to pass God's work here upon the earth.

I should also quickly mention that I had surgery this week. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Kind of. I had my entire right big toenail extracted because it was so horrendously ingrown. So now I have 9 toenails..... I think it will grow back in a few months. It is weird to walk with no nail.... your toe feels too soft............

I love my Savior. He did for me what no other could. He died for my sins so that I could be forgiven and saved with Him at the last day. I know He lives. I know He loves each of us. I know that someday we will understand the why things are the way there are completely. There is no end to His goodness and glory. He is my master and I am forever indebted to Him.

Have a great week!

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

Lots to do in Huamachuco

1. Do you need a new camera? Can you buy one in Trujillo or should I send one to you?
    I might be able to get one in Trujillo. We are going down there this Friday for Elder Anderson visit. I don't know how much it will be....

 2. Did you get Grandpa Thorpe's letter?
     No

 3. Have you had altitude sickness adjusting to 16,000 feet?
     The first day only. I adjusted really fast.

 

So this week was really fast. It has been the biggest party in Huamachuco of the year. The missionaries usually get pulled out of the city for a few days because it gets so dangerous...... I have never seen so many drunks in all my wildest dreams. They are so funny. They pee all over everything and poop in the middle of the street. That is why I call this place "Neverland". You can do whatever you want here with no consequence. Ha ha ha. No police either. At least, not any that aren't drunk themselves....ha ha ha ha. Fireworks every night until the morning.

This keyboard stinks.

 I can't send you the poem yet, but next week maybe. Camera still broken.

Dad and Linzi and Grandma - 1 Nephi chapter 22

I don't have much time..... forgive me. Besides, I am on the mission blog a thousand times this week. That ought to cover it. He he he.

I love you. Good to see everyone is happy and safe. I wish  could write just a haf hour more....... but I can't. So..... I guess this is it for this week. Please pray for me this week.... we have a TON of work to do in Huamachuco.

"Our circumstances don't define us, they reveal us" - Van Heder

Love you all!

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

 

 

 Marcahuamachuco Ruins

 

 

Pig Farmer

1. What do you want to eat first when you get home?
     Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich with REAL red cap milk (not from a box)

 2. Do you have hot water and laundry facilities in your new place?
     Hot water... sometimes..... when we have water. It depends on how much it rains during the day. The electric shower head sometimes works, but if you leave it on for more than a minute at a time, it trips the breaker and the whole house loses electricity. You've got to be faster than the shower...... ha ha ha.

 3. Where did you get the pig in the backpack? We saw a pic on Sis Marlers blog last week of you at a conference with a pig peeking out of your backpack. It was so funny. You really have been dubbed the pig farmer. Im glad to see you still have your sense of humor.
     Sister Marler handed it to me in front of the whole leadership council. Ha ha ha. Right as she walked in for the meeting. She thinks it's so funny that I raise pigs.... everyone laughed. Ha ha ha



 4. Do you have any promising investigators right now?
     We are Teaching Felipe, from Madrid Spain right now. God hand-picked this man out of Spain and brought him here where the missionaries could more easily find him. He is awesome. He speaks differently than Peruvians, but it is good practice.

 5. Have you had any baptisms in the mountains? What is the font like?

     Right as I got here, Elder Harris had one. I don't know if that really "counts as mine." I haven't had many baptisms in the past year.... just one. I've been in the office and moved around so many times that I haven't had enough time to work with anyone until they reach baptism. Not to mention that the mountains are notoriously hard in our mission. People here are generally really uneducated, and as a result, they have problems understanding the doctrine. But it makes you a good teacher because you have to teach simply.

 6. Is it still cold in Huamachuco?

     YES

 7. I am sending you a package tomorrow. Do you need anything in particular in it?
     Pop tarts. Strawberry flavored...Swedish Fish(huge bag).... also, if you can, I would absolutely love another stack of pictures like the ones you sent for my birthday. I love pictures. They don't end after an hour.... ha ha ha ha.

8. How is the voice recorder working out?
    Great. I have two whole albums on it...... ha ha ha ha. I got a guitar for a day, and went to town. They should last until I get home.

9. Are you studying German now?
    Jah, aber ich bin nicht ein Deustcher.

10. How are all your clothes holding up?
      Shirts are doing great. Pants also... Garments not so much. I take better care of my clothes than any other missionary I have seen, so my things are still pretty nice. Not to mention.... THEY'RE FROM MISSIONARY MALL! They are indestructible. My shoes are perpetually soaked, and therefore smell really bad, but I don't mind. My feet always plug them up. I do have some crazy athlete's foot though..... I don't know if something to help that could be included in the package........ The cream you sent me with is almost gone. And they don't sell it in Huamachuco...... Maybe also some warm socks from the states.... the socks here are all hand knit from alpaca wool and are super uncomfortable when you walk all day. The knitting pattern is thick.....


Happy Birthday Courtney!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE TURNING 13 YEARS OLD!!!!!! YOU ARE SO OLD! three more years, and you'll be dating! It seems like you were 5 just yesterday!
(Courtney is actually turning 17! We are all having a hard time believing it)

Dad and Linzi - I am on 1 Nephi chapter 14. Keep pace!

I hear it only gets colder in the mountains from now until March.... which means that I am in for the biggest baddest winter ever.... The temperature isn't as low as Utah, but it's much more wet here.... It makes things SO cold. Wind chill will kill you if you're not careful. Send me a cool wild rag. It will make me a true pig farmer. Seriously. I think that might come in handy.

Sorry I keep asking for things..... I never knew how much we inthe states take fore granted. I thought Casa Grande was enough of an eye-opener, but there is NOTHING in the Andes Mountains like what we've got 15 minutes from the house in Utah. I miss..... things. Hot showers, Nutella, Real milk, Not rice, Double stuffed oreos, being barefoot, wearing shorts, Walmart, fast internet, nice clean cars and houses, and people who speak my language. Ha ha ha. You never know what you've got, 'til it's gone.

But I love the mounatins. It is the most dramatic landscape on earth, I am sure. I cannot imagine a beautiful place. Dad would LOVE it here. Endless mountains that are HUGE and grassed over. Not many trees, though... that is my only complaint. Ther are rivers and lakes and caves and hot springs....... it's got every natural wonder your heart could ever desire. Beautiful land.

Uncle.... I love you. Every wisdom you shared with me about your own mission has been invaluably applicable in my own. I am finding that I have all the same problems and worries as you did. We really must have been best friends in the Pre-earth life. Tell me about the Xbox1?

Thank you for sending the songs. I will try to send a poem home next week. It's a super long one. I've been working on it for a month solid now. It's hand-written, and my camera doesn't work anymore, so I will figure it out somehow. 

Love you all, and have a good week!

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

 Sausacocha Lake in the Sierra

More RICE

1. Do you live in an apartment? Hot water?
    We live above a small restaurant that our pensionista lives in. We eat there..... but it's not an open menu type deal, as much as it is "you get what I cooked today" setup.

 2. Do you have a maid again?
     Yes. Worst thing ever. Ha ha ha. Me and these pensionistas do battle.... I am telling you, it is the worst thing ever. I refuse to eat rice anymore. They HATE me for it. Ha ha ha ha. She told me "a plate with no rice is not a Peruvian plate" I said, " I don't care. I'm not from here." H ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I dream of the day that I will be freed from these ladies....

 3. Do you have a ward there or branch?

     We have a very weak and struggling branch. I will have to tell you about it when I get home. Ha ha ha. Things are crazy here... it's a different church almost..........

 4. What kinds of things do you eat in Haumachuco?

     Rice, rice, rice, rice, and rice. Sometimes, we eat rice with a bit of rice to the side. Oh my gosh I hate rice......... Ha ha ha ha ha ha. But they have pretty good soup here.

Courtney - Congrats on the stock show.

I only have five minutes left.............. Internet time is like a pensionista.......... Uncle might laugh at that one. I miss that guy. I wish he would write more than once a year.... ha ha ha ha ha. 

 

Well, I wish all the youth luck as a new school year starts. Study hard. 

Love you all,

Elder Boekweg

Get on board

Mom-

 

I know that the Savior lives. He is with us unto the ends of the very earth. There is no place that we can be that He cannot find us and be with us if we let Him be. Don't give up on Him, because He never gives up on us. Yes, we are imperfect, and sometimes even stupid human beings, but He understand that. He understands that we have doubts and concerns. He understands that we don't understand the vast majority of what He does. But He keeps with us still. He asks us to get on board His ship in life's stormy seas, and not let go for anything. It is the only way to safety. It doesn't make sense to abandon ship just because it looks like the waves might rock us. There is less hope in the ocean than on the deck of the only boat. He asks us to not jump ship´. To hang onto what we know, and be patient until we undertsand the things that we do not know.

I also need to say something to dad - Dad, don't forget about my truck. You are running out of time. Ha ha ha. But way more importantly, I wanted to ask you to do something cool with me. I want to read the Book of Mormon at the same pace as you. I will read one chapter every day and never fail if you promise to do the same. I am going to start tomorrow. That should put us ending around the same time as Christmas, I think. 

Courtney, THANKS FOR THE PICTURES of the Boekweg cabin!?  I love them. 

Mom. I love you so much. Most every day, I am thankful for the things you taught me before my mission. how to love people was such easier to figure out once I used the example of your life. Being a mom to so many.... you are a near perfect example of love. Thanks for being patient with me as I passed through the idiot days....... which might not be completely over just yet..... I am still stoked to laugh like a fool with Uncle until the wee hours of the morning someday..... I don't have much time to write today.... like always......... but I wanted to tell you that I do think I will still be here in November.... in fact I am almost sure of it. Every six weeks, we don't have "changes" we have "stays". Ha ha ha ha. My President likes to put us places for a LONG time....... 

Anyway, I love you and will try to write more next week when internet is hopefully a little bit faster.

- Elder Boekweg

Eden Water

Courtney- I am getting changed a ton because there are insane things going on in the mountains. Areas are getting closed and shrunk all around. Sounds like the church might make us shut down the mountains completely. In which case, I am extremely grateful for my chance to have been in them. Even if they are the hardest part of the mission. They are so beautiful.

I am pretty jealous of dad. Alaska sounds awesome. I want to see some whales someday. 

Huamachuco is crazy...... It's probably my favorite area in my mission so far. It's SO beautiful. Today for Pday we are going to a place called Eden which is like an hour from here up in further into the mountains. I am going to drink the water from the spring that I hear is there just so I can say I drank Eden water........ Maybe it's the fountain of youth? Ha ha ha.

Reagan is HUGE! All of the sudden it looks like she can throw baseballs and do big kid things..... I can't believe how big she is already! And London too! It's crazy!

 

 

How is Erin doing? I haven't heard anything about her in literally years now. Ha ha ha. She comes home pretty quick, right? 

That brings up Jared. How is he?

We had a baptism this last Saturday, though I only taught him once. Still, it was cool to see. 

I only have 15 minutes left, but I will get in what I can.

I still wish I had more internet time. I hear that in other missions they have 2 hours...... Oh well.

I love you mom and dad and Courtney. I have realized that I really have very little in this world except for you. When you take away everything, all you have left is family. 

I will try to send more pictures. The internet in Huamachuco is a little better that in Otuzco.

 

I hope you know just how much I love you, mom. You are so important to me. And I miss you a ton. It's hard to go almost a year and a half without seeing your own mother. It's probably harder to do the same without seeing your child. Thank you for everything. Someday I 'll have time to tell you all the insane things that have happened here. 

Have a good week.

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

 

 

Transfer to Huamachuco

Dear Mom,

You will be happy to hear that I got transferred again this week....... but you will be unhappy to hear that instead of being pulled back into Trujillo or the coast, I am being sent even farther into the mountains.......... ha ha ha. Huamachuco is the furthest out place in the whole mission. I'll be zone Leader A up there. in charge of the mountain zone of the mission.... Elder Harris, from Salt Lake, will be my comp. He is half Japanese. (Cool, right?) We will be FAR out there..... seems like President took the fact that I am a pig farmer to mean that I am used to being a zillion miles away from civilization........

You should know what I did this morning. So we have been living below our branch president's room for a few weeks now. Early this morning, his wife knocked on our door crying, and told us that he had finally died after a long fight with cancer. We were able to put him in his temple clothes and shave him and get him ready to be buried. There was a very special feeling in the room as we dressed him. You could feel that his spirit was no longer in his body. Makes me think of just how "shellish" our bodies are. He was a good man. It was odd to be around a body. I have never done it before. But nothing felt creepy. Just peaceful. I know he is happier now that he is free from the pain that accompanied his last few months of mortality.

In other news, I am glad Germany won the world cup. BECAUSE NOBODY WANTED TO RECEIVE US DURING THE GAME.... You should've seen it...... The world cup is way cooler in South America. People were lined up outside in the streets watching whatever tv they could find, be it in a bar or even a guy who owned the tv store who had turned on the biggest highest definition tv onto the game. People here wanted argentina to win, because they wanted the cup to stay in south america. It was funny. EVERYONE was drunk. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. The whole city reeked of beer. I admit that I stuck my head into a little "tienda" or basically a living-room store, which are abundant here, just to see the score, and this guy who owned the house (a complete stranger) said, "come on in! sit down, amigo!" Like soccer was the most sacred thing on the planet and he thought that every human being deserved to see it. I kindly told him that I just wanted to see the score, and he laughed and said it was cool - I was always invited to take a seat in his house during the world cup.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD, JOYLYNN AND DALLON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I love you all.......

Will somebody send me a picture of my showerhead in it's glory? With lights working and everything? I haven't forgotten it....... it is still my favorite place in the world.

- Elder Boekweg