Like the Talons of an Eagle

(Jaren’s Birthday is this Friday, August 12^th)

Well I feel really strange that I am going to be this old. I feel like I really shouldn’t be this old, 20 years is a lot for me I guess.

 We had a fantastic week… we had the opportunity to baptize four kids that I really love. Their names are Kevin (13), Michael (12), Lucero (10), and Justin (8). They all belonged to an inactive member family that we reactivated and now they are all members… YAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was really hard teaching all of them because like I explained before I think sometimes It is really difficult to keep the attention of a bunch of little kids., but we got though it all without any problems.

One really fun side note is that when Justin (8) was ready to enter the water he got really, really scared. He just kept whispering to me that he didn’t know how to swim. I persuaded him to just enter the water.  He put one foot into the ICE cold water and said ¨ I don’t want to get baptized.¨ I laughed a little to myself and said to him that he was tough and that he could do it. He then grabbed my forearm and I lifted him into the fount. Shivering like someone strapped to a vibrating machine, and a vice grip to my arm like the talons of an eagle, I got him under the water. I pulled him up quickly and practically (with him in my arms) leap out of the frozen freezer water. I gave him a big huge hug and we both felt a little bit better.

I haven’t received the package yet, the reason being that my leaders have not been to the mission office so I don’t know if I will receive it before my birthday, maybe or maybe not.

I have some other news that is a little bit interesting. Today, by my count, is day 300. Which means that I almost have one full year here in Peru, how crazy is that? I cannot believe how quickly time flies. I feel like I gage time with the amount of occasions that I come back to this same internet and write to you guys.

We have four more baptisms planned and we are really excited for all of them. Let me introduce you to them.

Isaac:

This last Sunday we were in the church and he just showed up… we were so excited because he really liked being there.  We taught him that same day and he accepted the invitation to get baptized. How crazy cool is that?

Silvia:

Is a 40 year old mom that has three girls and lives solo. She is awesome.  She loves her family so much and wants all of them to go to the temple some day. She wants to get baptized real bad… but she wants to wait for her girls.

Eder:

He is 28 years old and is madly in love with his return missionary girl friend. That should explain everything, but for real he has a very strong testimony of the gospel and likes to be in church.

Yamilet :

Is a young girl about 23 years old that we have been teaching for some time. She has been off and on because she has not received an answer to her prayers. Last night she called us up and BAM!!!!!! She wants to be baptized and all that jazz. She talked to a member and he helped her realize that the answers she had been receiving were specific to her and that she had already received them. She then noted her own emotions and found her answer. Later she got the permission of her super catholic mom and now she has a baptismal date!!!!!!!!!!!

Know that I love all of you and that I miss you and I pray for you.

Elder Harris