Poco a Poco

Hey Everyone.
K, So first. Im sorry if there has been confusion with letters. I guess there is a vuelga (strike) with the postal service in peru so there isnt much being shipped in the country. so I apologize.
second, I forgot to tell everyone. Andrew Law is in My mission!! from Pleasant Grove. Haha we were in preschool together and went to the same gradeschool and had a lot of the same teachers. So cool to see him again. I guess he was only here for a transfer or two before me. Crazy!!
Third, I think everyone in the states is related to someone in Peru. haha. There are so many look alikes. This Last week I saw someone who looked like George Bush, David Archeleta, and Mystery Guitar Man. Hahaha weird. Wish I had my camera. Especially yesterday. Every sunday there is a train that travels around and plays music with a whole bunch of disney caracters painted on it. It is called "my happy world" (or mi mundo feliz). interesting. still havent gotten the point but it looks like fun.
Last week we were visiting a member family who own a Mariachi band. Sweetest thing ever. Anyway they have a little girl and she was watching tv when we walked in, and she was watching the Backyardigans, So lizy Fish, Backyardigans exists in Peru too. Haha actually this little girl who was watching it reminded me of alice, it was somewhat surreal.
K now for the serious bit. So this week, like others has had some ups and downs. Mostly with the Language, I can understand most of what everyone is saying but there a few people with a lisp in our ward, and some of the youth combine their words, so it gets hard sometimes, and a bit frustrating. But the hardest part is speaking the language. I can say most of what I want to, but it takes me a while to congegate all my words, and so sometimes people lose interest in what im saying or become impatient. I want more than anything to talk to the people here, but Im not there yet.
One thing that has helped me though, is this saying they have here. "poco a poco". I have come to love this saying. I love it because it has taught me patience. I think that is one thing I have been lacking but have been blessed with as I have been working this week. Poco a Poco is how heavenly father works with his children. line upon line, precept upon precept, sometimes unnoticable, the trick is to be doing the small things. This week I have been reading the Liahona outloud everyday, and not only did i learn gospel principles but my toungue has been loosed a bit more and i have been able to speak with more clarity, I have to work on it everyday though because every morning it seems like I almost have to start over again.
The other great lesson i have been able to take away from this week is having a greater perspective. I got a really encouraging letter last week from aunt lizy (thanks lizy, sorry I cant email you directly and thank you) that really helped me. one of the pieces of advice she gave me that I feel will apply to me for the rest of my life is to see the bigger picture. Sometimes its easy to feel down when people turn us away, stop keeping commitments, and ignore us (or make fun of us cause were two gringos in a foreign country) but I have learned to look at it in different way, a bigger picture.
Right now I am here in feild!! something i have dreamed of my whole life, and sometimes i have forgotten that. I am helping people who are brothers and sisters return to heavenly father and receive eternal life. there is nothing greater than that!!!
I thought about that even more, and expanded it even farther. The truth is, life is amazing. We are here on earth, being tested, and all of us, have already kept our first estate. We have a body!! and we are working to do the things the lord comands to return to his presence, and even better, we have a savior for when we do make mistakes. And as far as the things we cannot see, Im sure we have concourses of angels behind us every step of the way.
Im sorry this is shorter. but we are going to leave to proselyte in 5 min.
one last thought. One of the greatest struggles of the mission is help people have the desire to learn more about the evangelio de JesuCristo. gospel of jesus christ. sorry, spanish and english not good. Because it is the desire to know about these things that drives them to pray with a sincere heart. I have been searching, but I have not found a clear answer and Im not sure if there is one cause everyone is different, about how we can help people develop a desire to know. I have found those who truly want to follow jesus christ those who truly beleive in god, already have that desire and they are ready to hear the gospel and test the book of mormon with a sincere heart. It begins with their desires. I think that is what the scriptures mean by pure in heart.
sorry I didnt share many stories about investigators. I will have some next week.
all I have to say is i whish i was peruvian cause it would solve a lot of problems haha.
the church is true tell your freinds,
always turn outward and keep smiling. Because we have kept our first estate.
Love
Elder Bunker