State of Emergency : Flash Floods

Hola Familia,

Wow this week has been insane ha ha. So we had an awesome P-day making tacos and then a sweet family home evening with a bunch of families. Then the next day all the fun happened ha ha.

Tacos

 We had a pretty normal day, but we did have Elder Montoya with us because his companion was in Arequipa. So he was staying with us. We went to the outskirts of our area to look for people. I am almost 100 percent positive that that was the first time that those people had missionaries in the town that they lived in ha ha.

Limits of our Area - Ongoro

 Then we came back and then it began ha ha. It started to rain and then rained some more. Geez it rained like crazy. I actually got to use my big raincoat finally ha ha. It was like dumping rain. So in Aplao the mountains are rock and then just really soft sand dirt. So when it started to rain the rain just came down. There was some insane flooding ha ha. There were rivers coming down the streets from the hills. The highways were cut off and destroyed also. The canyons just made huge rivers where there should not be rivers ha ha. So that night we just walked around making sure everyone was all right ha ha. Then to add to it there were no lights and no water going to the houses. So everyone didn’t have light or flashlights. Luckily I had an awesome flashlight so I was good. There was huge rocks falling form the hills and it was nuts.

Flash Flooding

Then it rained for two more consecutive days and nobody was ready for it at all. It has not rained like this for 30 years ha ha. So we were like stranded in Aplao for like two days ha ha. But luckily nothing happened to any of the members and everyone is doing all right. But it was insane how much it rained and how unsafe of a place Aplao was ha ha. But my companion and I are good and nothing happened to our room. 

We had another soccer activity on Thursday and it turned out really well. On Saturday we had an awesome mission night. The activities are really helping the members make the Gospel and the traditions of the Church a part of their lives. 

Sunday we were able to have a ton of success with the less active members that are coming to church. We were able to have most of the people that we are teaching come to church. We have an investigator that has been coming and so we just need to teach him a little more and he could be baptized (Spanish version).

Overall this week I have learned so much. I know that the Lord helps us when we have hard times in our life and he will keep us protected when we put our faith in him.

I love you all and I hope that you all have a great week.

Elder Cooley

Questions:

1.Favorite scripture?

Matthew 6:1-6 (Spanish version)

 2. Do you have any plans for Easter?

We have zero plans for Easter ha ha.

3. Have you seen the Church’s Easter video (Spanish version)?

We have and it is awesome.  We are working with it.

4. Do people down there celebrate with the Easter bunny?

They do not celebrate the Easter Bunny or anything ha ha.

5. Have you shared the blog address with any people down there?

Yeah I have shared it with members and people are looking it up.

6. Why were you wearing a motorcycle helmet last week?

It was a member’s and so I put it on to take a picture.

7. Do you ever write in Spanish?

I write in Spanish a lot that is the best way that I learn in reading and writing.

8. What type of pizza did you make? 

It was a ham and cheese pizza.

9. Have you ever gotten any feedback about the blog from the people down there?

Yeah they liked it but the translation is not too good.  So it is hard to read when the Internet translates it.

10.  What is the most satisfying part of being on a mission?
Just seeing the people come back to Church and realize the blessings that they have and when people just are happier from following God.

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Elder Holden & Montoya

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