So first off... HAPPY NEW YEAR!! its crazy we are now in 2013! The way they celebrate new year here in Peru is they make life size figurines of people and burn them. its been interesting for the last little bit to see a whole bunch of manequins lining the street. Also they do a ton of fireworks here.
I got to spend the new years eve with the other missionaries in Lambayeque. Lots of fun. :)
oh and other Thing!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I didnt get to email last week due to christmas and the fact i got to call home instead. and HOLLY COW everyone is growing so fast i cant beleive it. Im going to get back home and the world will have fastfowarded in time haha. It was really neat to see everyone.
It sounds like there is a lot going on at home and Im really happy with all the great news im getting from everyone about missions and school and awards and things like that. Its clear to me the Lord is blessing my family, and he is taking care of my friends.
First I hope this isnt too weird to say in an email to everyone, but WOW, CONGRATS EVERYONE ON THE MISSION CALLS!! Im soooo happy to hear about so many people leaving on missions. I often wonder what it would sound like if someone was to write about how times in terms of Book of Mormon writing. haha. Im sure it would sound like this.
"And it came to pass that the Lord prepared many of his sons and daughters to preach the everlasting gospel to the world, and yea, they left in great numbers, yea, in this time so great of numbers to cover the face of the earth and preach the gospel to every people, language, and toungue, as was foreseen by the profets of old.
And they became a deleightsome people, yea, a people of everlasting Joy, and they cried in one voice the Song of eternal salvacion, and repentance that all might participate of the same everlasting Joy, yea, even with their bretheren that had never heard of Jesus the Christ."
(Elder Bunker 1:1-2) haha, but seriously, I cant express my excitement for what is happening. I am praying for all of you as you prepare. it is the best experience i have had up into this point of my life.
So I know Michelle Perry is going to California, and Natalie Cameron is going to Paris, and I just heard from Raelene Oler that she is going to BRAZIL!! but i still havent heard from Stephanie Horan and a few others. So please! if you havent told me where you are going let me know! (Im sorry if im terrible at replying. its hard to find time to write hand written letters in the mission).
Oh and another thing. if someone could do me a favor and get me the address of Dallin Eliason, and Tanner Browning and fill me in on how they are doing, I would love to hear from them.
So this week has been intersting with christmas and to be honest we had a hard time finding ways to teach people because they were all traveling, BUT we were really blessed and we broke a record this week, in one day we taught 9 (effective) lessons. the normal day here is 3 or 4. but we taught the whole day! and were really blessed to find great people to teach.
Funny thing as well. A few weeks ago we just got a new zone leader. His name is Elder Fabri, he is from Argentina, and he looks like michael from the office. but whats even funnier is his companion Elder Kettering (from Arizona) looks like Dwight... so our zone leaders are now Dwight and Michael from the office. I wont lie its made a few of the zone meetings a little hard to take seriously now. Heaven forgive me for thinking of such worldly things, but i thought i would share haha.
other random thing from these last few weeks thats made my day is the stars. In morrope sometimes the lights go out and we can see the stars really clearly at night. I was really sad when i left because i thought i would have to say goodbye to the stars i know. but it turns out many of them show up here as well due to the fact im up north.
I love the constalation called Orion. and it turns out we can see it year round here! (where as in the united states you can only see it in the winter) I know its strange but it really seems like a tender mercy to me.
Well thats about all but I want to share one experience really fast.
we have 2 investigators progressing in our area named Juli and Magali, and they are really awesome (i think they will be the first baptisms in morrope) we have been teaching them for about 3 weeks now. (a little less these last few weeks due to christmas) But they read almost everything we leave with them and they come every week to church. They both have felt the holy ghost and feel like the church is true, we just have a little bit more of helping them take the step of baptism. we were teaching them this last sunday about the plan of salvation, but it a different way than we normally teach it. we explained that we each need to repent and and be baptized otherwise we cant progress or enter the kingdom of god. they seemed to understand, but we could tell they were just listening instead of applying what were teaching to them. we were there for 30 min and we normally wrap up a lesson around that time. so i was about to ask our member freind who was with us to give the closing praying, but i felt hesitant in doing that.
I looked at my companion to see if had something to say, but he sat silent. we sat in silence for a moment, and he looked up and said, (translation) "i dont think we have said everything we needed to say"
He then looked at both of them and said that they, in their state right now, cannot be saved. (pretty straight foward) that they need to REPENT and be BAPTIZED or all is in vain. if that is not calling repentance i dont know what is. we spent the next 45 min explaining why its so important to be baptized and repent and the spirit filled the room.
our lesson lasted 1:30 but wow.
Love you all out of time
Always turn outward and keep smiling!
Elder Bunker
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