Dear Mom and Dad,
Hey, I made it. I’m not dead, and this place is decent. There’s a lot of new weird things. My companion, whose name I do not know, is from Argentina, and he doesn’t speak a word of English. I tried communicating with him during lunch, but its really hard, because even when he tries to explain things, they still don’t make any sense to me. Oh well. Give it time.
Anyway, yeah. This place is very different. The native people seem to always get really mad at us when we don’t understand them, and although I’m not supposed to compare myself with others, I know more than a lot of six weekers. But they could have just been beginners or something. Maybe.
Yeah, today was really boring. We didn’t have any classes, and we have like six hours of free time. Which would be nice, if I at least knew some of the people that were in my district, and I miss that. But they are all beginners too. I think every single one of them is, except or me. It’s weird why they would put me in that, but its ok with me. Anyway, they just told me I could get on and send you a thing to let you know that I am ok. I love you! I know that this mission will help me. I’m so grateful to God and Jesus and the Atonement and everything. Its hard to have a good attitude, but I will surely try to. Again, I love you.
Last thing, however. They gave me a new address. Its weird. It says Street Address, and then says
Apartado Postal
12-167
Lima 12-Peru
But right across from it, it says:
Elder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . & your Mission Name
(write you name)
Av. Melgarejo 159
Urb. Campo Verde
La Molina, Lima, Peru
I don’t know what it means. So you probably use the Elder Reber & Mission name one as the main thing, but then what’s the street address for? I dunno. It’s really confusing. Maybe Dad will know, or maybe someone else. I dunno. If you write me one, and if I’m still here, and I actually get it, I’ll just use the return address. It also says, for the first four weeks, you should send to one of those, for the Last Three, you should write the Missions address. I really don’t know. It’s kinda dumb. Anyways. Yeah. Also, do NOT send me any packages. It’s bolded. Its better if you just put money in my account. I converted forty today into Peruvian money. It’s like a hundred and ten plus a coin. Not sure. Ok. Well, its almost time. I’ll write the other one for everybody now. Again, I love you! Pray for me and wish me a lot of luck.
Love,
Elder Jace Reber
Dear Everyone,
I am now officially in Peru. I have served my three weeks there and make it safely on the plane with little problems. I did have to give up my shaving cream and shampoo, however. I thought the guy doing it was gonna punch me square in the face with the way he was talking to me. But other than that, my first flight was relatively easy.
A lot of stuff has changed in me. I’m super glad I came here. I know that I will be a changed guy and that life will be different for me when I come home. Thanks for the support. So, yeah, not many interesting things have happened. Lots of studying, lots of class, lots of food. The last week went by really fast, but now its gonna all start being slow again. I hope not. I really just wanna get out into the field and start already. It’s killing me being in here for so long. I hope it all actually helps me. Ummm, that’s all. I’ve ben to the temple a lot, that’s good. I got pooped on by a bird during studying We caught a bird in our dorm hall, and then another in a hall two floors lower. I don’t even know how they got in there, but it’s awesome. Got to go to the TRC, or the Referral Center, and talk to real people wanting to know more stuff. That was cool, too. Spanish is really hard. So much for it being one of the easiest languages to learn. Mentirosos!
Ok. I’m done. No mas es interesante in mu vida. Otra vez, gracias. Gracias por sus oraciones y persimientos, Keep them coming. Te amo!
Con amor,
Elder Jace Reber