Not going to lie. This last week was a little bit challenging. - 2/24/14

WARM greetings from Paita!

24 de Febrero 2014

Well, I'm still alive. Not going to lie. This last week was a little bit challenging. Physically, mentally and spiritually. But I made it through. And there is no reason that I won't be able to continue on. Each day you just have to get up and take on the task at hand. It doesn't matter how tired you are, or what you are feeling. You just gotta do it. 

One of the reasons that this last week was pretty rough was because on Tuesday I got sick. Being sick in the mission is the worst. You can't watch TV, and you definitely don't have a mom that loves you and makes you chicken noodle soup. I felt absolutely horrible for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 3 whole days. I think I had some kind of flu or something. Headache, sore throat, congestion, my whole body was dead tired. Everything. I called Hermana Rowley and she started me on some medicines that finally started to work and now I'm feeling tons better! I only have to blow my nose 200 times a day, but other than that, I feel completely back to normal. jaja. Hermana Rowley told me that I needed to rest which was much needed but it was something I didn't like. I hate being in our apartment. It is small and I feel super cramped and I want to be outside doing something productive. I was kind of beating myself up inside and telling myself that I was lazy and just not wanting to get out and work. But looking back on it, it was much needed rest. There is no way that I would have been able to leave and work productively with how sick I was.

So that made the first part of the week a little bit unproductive. But it is okay. This weekend we were able to work pretty hard and we actually taught a lot of lessons. 

Wednesday night I was still feeling sick but we had an appointment with a new investigator. We ended up going to that one appointment and that was probably the spiritual highlight of the entire week. He is 20 years old. We were able to teach him about the restoration and honestly it was probably the best lesson of my mission. The spirit was SO strong. You can't deny the spirit that was felt in that lesson. I know that he was able to feel it too. And when we invited him to pray at the end of the lesson he said an awesome prayer. I am super excited about teaching him more. After that lesson I was talking to my companion and we talked about how awesome that lesson was. Even though I was sick as a dog, that lesson was super awesome! It motivated us to work harder, to be more obedient, and do everything we can on our part so that we can have the spirit that strongly in all of our lessons!

Another reason that this week was pretty rough was because on Saturday morning we went to visit a family in the ward and they told us that Friday night Hermano Inga passed away. Hermano Inga is the person that I was able to give a blessing to. After we gave him the blessing he started to get better. Each week we visited him and he was getting stronger and stronger. But this last week he got super sick again and passed away Friday night in the hospital in Sullana. They say that it was kidney failure. That was pretty sad for me. Hermano Inga was honestly one of the nicest people that I have ever met. He was always laughing and smiling. He didn't have many worldly possessions but that isn't what made him happy. What made him happy was his family and the gospel. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to get to know him here in Paita.

Sunday morning we went to church which was super great, but after church we had the funeral for Hermano Inga. A lot of the members went to his house at about 2:30 pm and met and talked with the family. After that they carried the casket about a half mile to the church. At the church we had a super spiritual funeral service. There were a lot of his family members there that are not members of the church. A couple of people from the Branch spoke about the Plan of Salvation. During those talks I was really just sitting and thinking to myself. I really am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I know that death isn't the end. I know that one day I will be able to see and talk to Hermano Inga again. And I know his family will be able to as well! After the funeral service we left the church and we walked a mile to the cemetery while people carried the casket. It's tradition to walk from the church to the cemetery carrying the casket. Once we got to the cemetery the family said their last goodbyes and the some of the people from the branch dedicated the grave. I was kind of sad, but at the same time I was thinking about how blessed we are to have the Plan of Salvation and for the knowledge that we have that families can be together forever!

Other than that, not much happened this last week. It's still a little bit stressful being senior companion. But I'm getting through! Pon tu hombro a la lid! [Put your shoulder to the wheel!] I know that this church is true. I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time. I have received so many blessings here in Peru. I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven who loves me and helps me every single day! I'm so so so so so so grateful for the gospel in my life! I KNOW IT'S TRUE!

Thanks for all the love and support! Love you all!

Elder Baker

P.S.

I think it’s kind of funny that we are both super excited because the weather is going to start to change! There it is going to finally warm up and here it is going to finally cool down!