Life in the Mission Office

Questions first:

1. Do you go on the trips to other places with the Marlers?

    Yeah. They told me I'll see the entirety of this mission, including some areas that haven't been opened up yet. I get to help President open places. That'll be sweet.

2. Does Pres. Marler know you know how to play the guitar? Are you going to get the chance to play his?

     He knows. He told me he wants me to do a musical number sometime. I'll told him YES. Ha ha ha. He has the nicest guitar in Perú. Haven't had the chance to play it yet.

3. When you make a facebook can we friend you?

    Don't have one yet. I'll resist it as long as I can. Ha ha ha ha. Funny how I will only get one when God Himself wants me to..... Ha ha ha ha.

4. Are you going to have an IPAD?

    Don't know..... I would say though, that if anyone here is getting one, it's the assistants, then me. 

5. Did you get Dads letter? I know shocking, he sent you one.

     Nope. I got one from Sister Taylor, though! She is awesome. I miss her unique brand of humor. People here don't laugh at the same stuff I do. I'm always looking weird because I laugh at things that nobody else does. Ha ha ha.

6. Will you send us pics of your new apartment and city?

     I will when I get some. This job keeps me so busy that I haven't had time to take even one pic of Trujillo. But I feel like I just got transferred from Perú to Spain. It's a lot nicer here. REALLY European. It's like........ a filthy version of Madrid.

7. Do you do the trainings for zone conferences?

    Yeah. President Marler also told me that in the future, I will be doing splits with the assistants to go work with Zone Leaders, and we will be teaching them how to become better teachers..... which is a daunting task for me, as I have never been even a senior companion yet......... apparently, My job floats somewhere between Zone Leaders and Assistants. I'm like a weird 'special task' missionary. They're even going to make me get a new plaque that says I'm from the office. It's all very weird. It's very humbling, because I stink at just about everything that this job entails. Ha ha ha ha.

8. Where will you watch general conference?

    Thanks to my new job, I will be watching it at the mission President's house..... right at his side.... I am going to learn SO much. It's so cool, because already, I will be somewhere with President, and he will lean over to me and teach me some profound doctrine that I had never thought of before. I am so lucky to be able to spend so much time with him. It's like drinking straight from the spring. Unfiltered, pure and personal. I LOVE that part of it.

My Spanish is also improving much more quickly here. Half of the office speaks English, so I am constantly having to switch between the two. They say that's better for retention of a language. Sometimes I can't remember if people just told me something in English or Spanish. Even some of my own thoughts are that way.... Not to mention I have to call places like Argentina and Puerto Rico now, so I get to hear all sorts of accents and forms of Spanish. Argentinians have beautiful Spanish. It's soft and gentle. At least, more so than the Caribbean guys.... they are barely understandable. Especially over the phone. Ha ha ha ha. This job has grabbed hold of every one of my weak points and is just pulling on them to make them grow. I can't believe how much I'm learning here. It's disgusting.

Like I said before, I am the health guy too. Which means I get to work not only with President, but Sister Marler a lot too. She is crazy. it's so funny, because she is way more....... brutal than President is. President always wants to send people to the clinic for any sickness. But Sister Marler always wants me to tell them to buck up. Ha ha ha.

And the clinic.................. Uncle, imagine Verruckt zombies level. That is exactly what the hospital here looks like. I always envision Nazi Zombies jumping down from the holes in the ceiling when I have to go there....

My job requires me to not ever sleep..... People call me late at night from Lima asking questions about Visas and things. Last night, I went to bed at around 12, and then woke up at 5 thirty to take a missionary to the bus stop to get to Chimbote. And that's just a normal day! I am working SO crazy hard here....... by the time my time here in the office is done, I am going to know everything about everyone. This must be how Brand Reynolds feels. Maybe he can help me learn about parasites, since pretty much everybody here has them. By the time I come home, I will be like a witchdocter/ultimate survivalist. I will know how to cure every problems that one can acquire in the 3rd world country of Perú. Ha ha ha. Maybe that will come in handy when my own kids get sick.... maybe to some extent, I will know what to do when they get bitten by death mosquitoes and piranhas. :) I love this weird country.

Roberto..... ¡estoy esperando su respuesta! Tengo una invitación de una familia en Casa Grande para regresar un día y gastar una semana con ellos en Hawai, (cual es un citio cerca de Cascas) y me dijeron que puedo traer mi familia. Entonces, Tal vez podemos visitarles juntos un día. No sé, quizás aún visitar a Lima también. Quiero ver su país con Ud. Sabe mucho más que yo a cerca de la cultura y todo.



I love you all, especially you, mama.

- Elder Boekweg

 

Big Changes

I got a call from President Marler, and he asked me to accept the assignment of being the ''Personal Secretary to the President.'' Which means I will now live in the office of the mission in Trujillo. I don't really know what that job entails. It looks like I'll be in this position for at very least 6 months, but probably more like 9. I'm really nervous. I have to have perfect Spanish for this job, because I'll have to talk to the mayor of Trujillo and stuff. I also get to call the Provo MTC to organize the new coming missionaries. It looks like I will be working HARD in this position.

 

 

We had some questions for him:

 

 

1. What is your new apartment like?

    We have hot showers here! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I can't explain the ecstasy of taking a hot shower after only having either cold or molten lava showers for 5 months...... The apartment is nice. It is much cleaner than the Casagrande place. I live there with 5 other Elders. All the office Elders live, work, breath, and die together. We do interchanges ALL the time. Stuff gets CRAZY here.... I can't believe how hard my job is.... until now, I felt like a mission was do-able. But now...... the computer has ruined my mission, too. Ironically, I'm going to have to learn facebook on my mission.... I swear that is a problem that only I would ever have in the entire world. Ha ha ha ha

2. No pensionista? Do you do your own cooking and laundry now?

    The local bishop does our laundry and things, and we have a lady make lunch every day except Sunday. The rest of the time we are on our own. Which I am eternally grateful for.

3. Do you shop for your own food?

    Yes. There is the Peruvian attempt at a Walmart called ''Wong's'' right next door to the office. 

4. Do you have a companion in the office?

    Yes. Elder Tway is from Parker, Colorado. He is the definition of what you'd think a financial secretary would be. He came to Per'u at the same time I did. We are both being trained for our new spots right now. It's good to have a buddy that truly understands your situation. We will probably be comps for a very long time... maybe up to 9 months. You should get in tough with his parents or something.

5. What is Trujillo like?

     Picture Salt Lake..... but without laws or cleanliness. Tons of chicken joints. That's basically all I know about it so far.

6. Will you get your mail quicker now?

    yes. By a week or so. Now I can get it the minute it comes in to the office. Normally, I'd have to wait another week.

7. Can you buy your own socks now :)?

    yes.

8. Will you be on the greeting committee for the new missionaries at the airport?

     Yes.

9. Is it the same apartment you stayed in when you went to Lima?

     Yes

 

 

  Wow..... I was NEVER destined to be an office worker. My computer skills are pitiful. Everybody laughs at me. Ha ha ha ha. They're all convinced I am a hick. A pig-raising Tooele County hick. I guess they're right.... Ha ha ha ha. At least it gives me an excuse for my computer abilities. Elder Tway, on the other hand, was a financial secretary for an insurance company before the mission. That's a bit different from being a pizza guy or a warehouse worker... Ha ha ha. He is having a much easier time with this transition than I am. It is SO hard. I can't believe how many things I have to worry about now. One of my jobs is health.... and right now, the mission is receiving like 20 new sister missionaries every change. But I still proselyte too..... I am going to be SO responsible at the end of all this. I have to keep track of a hundred little things every day. College will seem easy in comparison to this. 

   I love you.

- Elder Boekweg

 

 



Moving to Trujillo

To start off Chance's Aunt Deedre asked a few questions. Here they are:
Ok so I am late to figure out how to ask a question: 1-Tell us about the culture. Do people get married young? Do multiple families live together in a house? Do most people farm or are there other jobs they do? Is there such a thing as Peruvian standard time (i.e.15 minutes late)? What do you like most about the Peruvian people?
People here....... actually don't get married. It is always a challenge, because people live with each other for 30 years, and then ask us what the difference is between living like that and being married, and we have to explain that they are still breaking the law of chastity. But they usually start living together young. Like 20 or less.

Usually, it's just the normal standard family in the house, plus a grandparent. Here in Casagrande, everybody has one of 4 jobs. They either own a window store, operate a Moto taxi, work in the sugarcane fields, or sell food by the curbside. And I would estimate that only about 40% of people here have a job. 

Peruvian time........ IS LIKE AN HOUR LATE TO EVERYTHING. Even church starts at least 20 minutes late every single week. Something I love about Peruvians is that they are really open with their problems. So it is really easy to find out what investigators need to be happier. People will straight up lay their life out in the open for you in the first 5 minutes of knowing you.

 

I have some news.... I got transferred and I move to Trujillo tonight at 6. Also my P-day will be on Saturday now... So don't wait for my emails on Monday anymore.  THEY SELL PEANUT BUTTER NEARBY!!!!! PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWHICHES EVERY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

 

Now that I'm leaving Casagrande, let me tell you a little bit about it. During my time here, it changed from a ''yellow zone'' to a ''red zone.'' which means it is actually incredibly dangerous. Ha ha ha. I didn't write home about this, because I didn't want you to worry, but there was a murder literally 20 feet from the front door of my apartment. And during my time here, there was so many murders that I lost track of the count. Robberies and assaults are like a normal daily occurrence here, and many of those happened very near our house too. Prostitution is a huge problem here. As is alcohol. EVERYBODY here is always drunk. There were many nights that I heard gunshots out my window, screaming, etc. That is why I dubbed the nickname ''The Great, Wild North'' for this area. The far north of the mission. Things are CRAZY up here. When I leave, it is very likely that they won't send another gringo for a very long time. At least not until the city gets less dangerous. Pretty crazy, right? Ha ha ha. 

 

These first 6 months of my mission have been the hardest, craziest, most beautiful time of my whole life. There were days I cried in the streets because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. But I learned more about Christ in these months than I ever thought was possible. And here in the last few hours of my first area, I can't believe how fast it all went by. I'm sure that a mission will feel the same way when it's all over. I think that day will actually come much sooner than I want it to. My mission already means so much to me. Before my own mission, I used to hear people say that ''their mission meant everything to them,'' But I never really understood how much they meant it. I can't believe how much I love my mission. It is so dear to me. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. But I love it more than anything I have ever had.

 

The pictures are of Casagrande, my companion, and my collection of mosquito bites I got while cutting sugarcane with a machete during a service project in a little town called Roma. I counted them, and between my 2 legs, I had 44 bites. As you can imagine, my legs itched pretty bad. Ha ha ha. I guess I'll wear pants next time.

 

I love you mom. Thanks for everything you do for me.

-Elder Boekweg

Casagrande

 

 

Companion

 

 

Mosquito Bites

 

 

 



 

 

Cool Ruins

  Here are some pictures of the ruins I visited today. It's a place called El Brujo, or The Ghost. It was cool. Indiana Jones style adventure. It was in the middle of NOWHERE....

 So the pictures describe the ruins better than I can. But the story with them is that a billion years ago, some lady named the ''Lady of Cao'' was Queen of this ruin, and she had a junk load of money. She had a million slaves, and she died during childbirth. When she died, all her servants had to be killed too, according the beliefs of the people (Lamanites) because she would still need her servants in the afterlife. We saw where the bones of her slaves had been used to build the walls and stuff... pretty creepy. She also had human sacrifices made to her, and her wicked priests drank the victim's blood. Basically, this woman was a hag, and she was mummified so well, that we could still see her tattoos. Ha ha ha. Long story made short, the Lamanites had a lot of wicked years before the Spaniards came. And their weapons were so weird... They are like..... drum cymbals that they used to bash each other with. Kind of like a club, but less heavy-looking. Super odd.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes..... that is me in the Indiana Jones hat. Ha ha ha ha. I couldn't pass THAT opportunity up.

 

 

   I have a few shout-outs for the week. First off, to the people who occupied my brain for a few moments this week;

Brett Paulick. Dude, the church is true. I was thinking about your situation this week, and I realized that I promise people every day that going to church and saying nightly prayers will improve their lives... so why can't I make the same promise to you? That's my challenge for you. Head to church this week. I don't know exactly what you need in your life right now, but God does. And with that being said, I can promise you that by showing God you want His help, He will give it to you. He loves us and wants us to be happy.

 

Next person; Eileen. Thank you for your letter. I loved seeing your Asian kid, and I loved the advice you gave me.

 

Now Grandma Linda; Thank you for taking the time to write me, and tell me about things back home. I will never stop appreciating that.

 

Deedre; when we get back, I would like to attend a concert of the Utah symphony with you again. Something very classy and clean and proper and mannerly and high-class..... That way, I will be able to appreciate it all the more in comparison to the dirt here. Ha ha ha.

 

Roberto; estoy TAN animado para hablar con Ud. después de mi misión. Estoy aprendiendo su idioma todavía, pero creo que en dos años voy a hablar casi perfectamente. También, quiero aprender algunos chistes para compartir con Ud. Dos días detrás, recordé su chiste sobre ''Cual es al animal mas perezoso,'' y todas las personas con que estaba compartiendo lo amaron. No sé si puede entender todo lo que estoy escribiendo ahora, pero quizás con la ayuda de un gringo, puede traducir mi ''Gringo Castellano.'' Bueno suerte con eso, mi tío.... Y si quiere una camiseta de Alianza o la Uni o algo así, puede decirme. Hay bastantes tiendas acá que las venden. Y creo que por ahora, eso es todo... Por favor, no olvide escribirme un día. Quiero ver si puedo conversar con un Limeño. He escuchado que Uds. hablan en una manera diferente que los Casagrandinos... Entonces, debe escribirme si tiene tiempo. Yo lo amaría. Y le amo. Gracias por enseñarme un poco antes de mi misión. He tenido un instrumento que mis compañeros no tenían. Hasta Luego  

 

Courtney cannot be dating. That is too weird. But the asking idea was pretty cool. I give Nash props for that.

 

   Next item of business... I don't know if you can somehow get me some kind of shoulder brace to fix my posture, but that would be cool. My posture is suffering, with my backpack all day. Just something to pull both my shoulders back that I could wear beneath my shirt... If you can do it, thank you a ton.

   So people are sick of hearing me complain about the food, eh? I'll tell you what.... I will start sneaking pictures of the food when the pensionista isn't looking, so you can all see what I'm up against... Ha ha ha ha ha. You will all understand why I bring it up so often....

 

 I GOT THE PACKAGE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I GOT IT YESTERDAY, AND IT'S BASICALLY GONE ALREADY... THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I stinking love you all.....

 

-Elder Boekweg

 

 

 

 

Answers

Chance asked for questions last week, so here are his answers.....

Q.Chance, are you in the area where the H1N1 flu virus is? Has the Mission President suggested getting a flu shot? Grace Duffy
A.I am in the H1N1 Area, but the thing is, I already had it back in the states. So I guess I am immune?

Q.Do you sing to people? Have you gotten your hands on a guitar at all? We listen to your CD all the time :) and we have one saved for Tali when she gets home... which she will appreciate. Did I tell you about the phone Levi bought at a garage sale (a Stansbury teenagers old phone) with your songs and Tali's on it ? Very funny and kind of weird! We laughed and laughed.  Nancy Gomez
A.One of out investigators has a guitar. I play it for them sometimes. And I even sing to them when we have a little extra time. That's crazy about the phone.

My questions:

1. Did you get my package?
     No package. I think it probably got stopped at customs. That means I won't ever get it. So maybe packages are a bad idea... If you want to show me some love this week, I need like..... 15 dollars for a jar of nutella. The zone leaders are going to Trujillo this week, and I guess they sell it there. HA HA HA. Times are pretty desperate... food here sucks.... can't even try to sugar coat that... ha ha ha.

2. Tell us a good missionary story?
     If I have time

3. Do you baptize in a font or river or ocean?
     We have a makeshift font. Half of our church is outdoors. Just an awning of some sort to block the sun, when it shows. The font is beneath that. Super dirty. Funny.

4. Do you ever eat at other peoples houses? I know your not supposed to but do you have to sometimes?
       Sometimes our investigators make us stuff, and if we don't eat it, we know we may not get the chance to come back. Like last night, this lady made us some kind of concoction of purple corn and vegetable oil. We ate it with spoons...... I smiled and said thanks. Luckily, here in Casagrande people are usually too poor to offer you more.

5. Are you liking your new companion? Does he speak English?
    My new companion is cool.

6. Is it ok without having a trainer? Do you feel prepared?
    I am not afraid of anything anymore. I've learned that when I am asked to so something, it means I can do it. In fact, things have been easier without my trainer. My Spanish has improved a million fold, because I have to teach almost every lesson alone. I even gave a 15 minute talk in church this week! I say these things not to brag or be a martyr, but to show that everything in this world can be done with God's help.

7. Have you played any more soccer?
     Every P-Day. It is the ONLY thing the native Elders ever want to do. And they outnumber the Americans that want to go see ruins and junk. Ha ha ha ha. So Yes....

8. Describe your P-day?
    Soccer

9. Have you tried Inca-Cola? We have it here in the Mexican market haha.
    Inca Cola is SICK. Ha ha ha ha. I tried just a sip of it, (Because You have to try Inca Cola if your in Perú) it tastes just like bubble gum. Super Gross.

10. Have you written any songs?
      Yes..... I have been using my camera's video ability to record the little melodies that come to me..... I really miss recording music... But it will still be there when I get home. So I'm not worried.

-Elder Boekweg
   

Ask me a Question

1. Did you get your package?

    No packages yet. Just the one from over a month ago.

2. How do you like your new companion?

    New comp is from Iquitos, Perù... the jungle. He plays the Incan flutes all the time, this change is going to be really interesting... his voice is the exact same as Roberto's.... so that is weird for me...

3. Did you ever buy socks?

    No socks bought. But it's all good. I stopped caring about clean socks when I realized that most of the time none of my other clothes are either.... ha ha ha. Sometimes I go 4 days without changing pants... ha ha ha. It just doesn't matter here. It's not like anyone is going to care.... most folks here don't even shower.

4. Would it help you if I sent you some international stamps? Do you have access to a post office?

    I would love some international stamps, there is no post office here, But I hit Trujillo about once a month.

5. Are you staying healthy, gaining any weight? Your not sick right?

    Not sick. doing good.

   Now... I have kind of given up on letting everybody know what's going on here.... it's like there is always WAY too much to convey, and it's not like I can converse with people and enjoy conversations about it, so I figure I'll just talk to everyone when I get back in 2 years. Ha ha ha. Isn't that so ''like me?'' It would be impossible to tell you everything that has happened in a week in a foreign country, in one hour of typing... It will just never happen... So I had an idea.... maybe you could have people post questions to the blog. That way they could ask whatever they wanted, and I would know what you all want to hear about. Even if it's like a million questions.  So everyone should write me a question to answer next week. Maybe something that requires like a short paragraph answer, so that I can have time to get to everyone's question...... Yeah?

 

We baptized a man named Leo. He told us he was minutes from killing himself when we found him on the street. He actually cried like a child to us in the middle of the road, which oddly enough, nobody here found weird. Anyway, a few weeks later, and he's a member of the church! He's super happy now and loves to go to church with his wife every week.

 

I want Peanut Butter popcorn SO badly... I was offered guinea pig HEAD yesterday. I gratefully eat rice now - which I also hate - so that I don't die. I will NEVER eat guinea pig head... Nor chicken feet. Nor cat paws. Nor any form of fish eye ugh......

 

HAPPY BIRHDAY TAYLOR! WOO WOO! I can't believe how old you already are... I remember when you first started coming to church with my family... it doesn't seem so long ago... and yet, it was over 4 years ago.... Anyway, enjoy your birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LONDON! 2yrs old. Wow.

 

Got to go.... think of me as you eat peanut butter popcorn while watching soccer this weekend....... Heaven knows I miss that.... ha ha ha ha ha ha. Peru is the land down under.

 

- Elder Boekweg

 

 

Staying in Casagrande

We'll start this week with the questions:

A few Questions:

1. How are you sleeping? You've never been a good sleeper and I pray everyday that you will be able to sleep.

    Sleep is kind of like a fleeting blessing... by the time I hit the bed, I am so tired that I fall asleep within seconds... we walk ALL day. And I mean ALL day. I can't believe how tired I am at the end of each day... so no problem sleeping.

2. Is it very cold there? Do you wish you took a jacket?

    Cold here is different. It's not like the brutal cold and face whipping wind of Utah, but it's just..... a constant state of never being completely warm. In Utah, you can go inside a warm house when you are cold. But the houses here don't have heating, and are made totally of cement or adobe, usually missing windows and stuff.... So you never really warm up. It's cold in your bones... I use my sweaters just about every day.

3. Did you pick your haircut? I cant get over how short it is. Who did it?

    I did NOT pick my haircut. Funny story about it. I sat down in this rusty chair, in a creepy barbershop that I'm sure had not been cleaned in 10 years or so, and this guy asks me what I want with my hair. I tell him ''Just a bit shorter'' or, ''justo un poco más corto.'' He then proceeds to buzz my head with a 1-clip... without asking or giving any warning, right down the middle of my head. At that point, the damage was done... As I stared at the naked strip of my head, I knew there was nothing I could do... so I just let it happen......

4. Did you get our package?

     No. I have only received 1 package from you since I've been here.

 

 

 I want to die over your comment about Peanut butter popcorn... I mentioned that just last night to my companion... ''quiero cancha con mantequilla de mani.'' Then he made fun of Americans and THEIR weird food....  ha ha ha. Yeah right....

I just want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich..... with all my heart.......... ha ha ha. I miss cereal too...... and milk that doesn't taste like diseases.

 

It looks like I am staying in Casagrande for 6 more weeks. My new comp is named Elder Tayo, or something like that. He is Peruvian. 

That street is in 8 de Septiembre.... the poorest part of Casagrande. I don't imagine it gets much poorer that that anywhere in the world... it's nuts. It's also my favorite place here

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY! I can't believe how old you are..... It's weird to think that you are at the point in life where you can finally drive yourself places.... I wish I had more time to write you. I will work on a written letter, but we just lost our ''free monthly letter home'' deal, and I don't know when I'll be in Trujillo again... So I may not get to send it for a while.... But be patient. It'll come

My beloved father... I have thought about you a lot this week in particular... Thank you for teaching me to be a man. ''Buck up'' has become my motto.... Ha ha ha. I think about your little ''wisdoms'' all the time. I don't know if you realize how many of your one-liners have stuck with me. It's like...... dumb logic. I like it. My comp hates it. Ha ha ha ha. I say stuff like..... ''when in a painter's house, make sure the wall is dry before you lean on it,'' and to me, that is funny humor. But to him, it's just dumb. And maybe it is... truth is, I don't know what humor is anymore... Peruvians laugh at the weirdest stuff.... I don't know if I'll be funny when I come home... And that worries me, because it was the only chance at a wife I had.... ha ha ha. anyway, I just hope you know how much I miss you. The neighbors to our apartment always blast 80's rock music, which always reminds me of you.

   Casagrande Peru is totally going through it's 80's right now. People all dress like it, and they only listen to 80's music... I guess things hit a little late here.

 

I have to go. I love you, and will write y'all next week. Good luck in the modern world. These letters get sent through time as well as space, I think....

- Elder Boekweg