Happy Halloween

JUST PICS

Well Dylan was short on computer time this week so we just emailed back and forth a bit and then he had to go. Between our emails and Elder Biliter's (Dylan's companion) moms email I got a good recap of the week.

But we did get pictures. Always a plus.

First thing is Dylan is LOVING his companion. He continually tells us they are like twins. They have all the same likes and interests. I can also tell that they both are dedicated to working really hard. They know how to work hard and they know how to play hard.

They had a stake missionary movie night on Monday they were hoping and praying to have several investigators and new members there. 

Changes are this week and we are hoping that Dylan and Elder Biliter get to stay together at least one more change. They are working hard and there is great success ahead. They are working with a few investigators that are future missionaries and holders of the priesthood. They had 7 people at Sacrament meeting and 4 were guys who could receive the Melchizedek priesthood, which they are very excited about. We hope they get to stay in the area  and see their progression. One of the new members they have been able to help, Amador, received a calling in Young Men which they are SO excited about.

They have been visiting Milagros and her mom and sister a lot and last night they came to a FHE and it was awesome. They were able to help a family this week giving service by painting a house. They absolutely love it when they get to do service, and everyone gets a kick out of seeing them in their street clothes just out there working hard. 

They love the opportunity to do anything to serve the people of Peru.

 It is amazing to watch your son grow to truly love those he serves. He has grown so attached to them and I know he loves them with all his heart.

We will be excited to see what next weeks brings.

October 17, 2011

wellllllll
long time no talk haha. i seriously feel like i emailed 2 hours ago haha. the time is seriously going soooo fast its insane. i still don't accept the fact that coy is gonna be home in less than a month. when he gets home that means ill only have 9 months left! crazy huh. got a letter from Kelly last week, i cant believe he's already past 6 months, we are all just growing up huh, i don't like it haha. im so pumped for Shane, i was way excited this morning when i remembered i would be finding out his call. i started getting a feeling about Boston, but new jersey isn't too far off. he's gonna do awesome there, and im pumped he's gonna speak Spanish, Spanish is the BEST!
this weekend was good, super fast haha. Thursday after email we went to McDonalds to get lunch! it was so awesome, even tho i hate McDonalds back at home i thoroughly enjoyed this trip to the golden arches. the McDonalds was right across the street from the university of lima, and i just got the strongest impression that i need to come back and study here for a semester, i think it would be awesome. who knows, well see what happens. after lunch we went to the national museam, which was sweeet.
its huge and had a bunch of sick Peruvian stuff. the only bad part is that i started feeling really sick there and i was pretty dang sick until today, but im feeling alot better so everything is dandy. haha so ya story of the week has been that we are without pension (food) so we are having to eat off the street. the pensionista went to huancayo for a week. but we are fine, my stomach has been Peruvian for like 10 months now, im invincible! sunday was awesome again! cristina showed up with a friend and he loved it. carolina came and was super happy, idk if i told you but she is pregnant and 14 years old and the ward didn't know whether to put her in young women's or relief society.
The bishop prayed and fasted and she is now going to relief society with her grandma so she can know how to be the best mom to her baby, she seemed way happy to be there so i have no problem with it. now comes milagros haha, so the young single adults have officially stolen her from us.
she is so dang happy in the church it is insane. after the 3 hours she didn't want to go home. sunday afternoon we had lunch with a lady that got baptized right before i got there. she's the nicest lady ever and she cooked AMAZING, after that we watched the Joseph smith movie with her.
after that we went to have a family home evening with milagros and her family. we walked up to her house and she was crying outside. her dad had come home from work and he was drinking and she was devastated because she had been planning on it all week. so we ended up having a prayer outside and we took her, her sister and her mom to a members house and had a small family home evening. she was so happy after and had the biggest smile ever. im so glad i have been able to help people like her here in peru and i wouldn't give it up for anything. me and biliter were talking about the relationships that we get with these people and how close we get with them in so little time. it marvelous and im so insanely grateful to be here in peru. i seriously love this place and its gonna be so hard to leave, good thing i still have 10 months left haha.
Letter to President Ardila -
Presidente!
Que tal, ha sido una semana muy edificante y aprendi mucho. estoy estudiando bastante en el libro de 2 nefi y estoy aprendiendo muchos relatos que he podido aplicar a las vidas de mis investigadores, especialment la historia sobre nefi cuando el se aparto de sus hermanos con las personas obedientes por las iniquidades de sus hermanos. aprendi como podemos salir de la tentacion y recibir las bendiciones que necesitamos, y se ahora como puedo ayudar a mis investigadores y conversos seguir adelante en rectitud, jaja el libro de mormon es lo maximo. tambien presidente una pregunta, estamos enseñando a una hermana, su hija recien se bautizó. ella es super buena y quiere seguir el evengelio pero cuando le prometemos bendiciones le hablamos de la vida eterna y ella dice que no quiere la vida eterna. dice que este vida ha sido tan dificil que no quiere mas despues de esta vida. le explicamos que la vida eterna es en la presencia de dios con nuestras familias, y le gusta ese parte pero no quiere vivir para siempre. se que es falta de entender la vida eterna pero la unica cosa que le pudimos decir era orar. se que ese van a ayudar, pero tal sabe usted algo mas que puedo hacer para ayudar.
gracias presidente por su amor y ayuda
Google translation
That such has been very uplifting one week and learned a lot. I'm studying a lot in the book of 2 Nephi and I'm learning many stories that I could apply to the lives of my researchers,the story of Nephi especialment when he turns from his brothers to the people obedient tothe iniquities of their brothers. learning as we go out of temptation and receive the blessings we need, and now as I can help my investigators and converts continue in righteousness, haha ​​the Book of Mormon is the maximum. also president a question, we are teaching a sister, her daughter was baptized recently. she is super good and wants to keep the promise evengelio blessings but when we speak of eternal life and she says shedoes not want eternal life. says that this life has been so hard not to want more after this life. we explained that eternal life is in God's presence with our families, and I like that part but do not want to live forever. I know it's lack of understanding of eternal life but the onlything he could say was pray. is that this will help, but maybe you know something else I can do to help.
President thanks for your love and support

bye mom! love ya all and have a great week! keep praying for me and study the BOM. it will bless your life beyond measure. i love this gospel.

elder paolacci

Elder Biliter and I took our zone to the museum for

 last weeks p day.

Take a look at some of the cool art.

they had the cool exhibit on terrorism here in Peru over the last 20 years. It was really so sad. 

Doesn't that one look like a baptism font?

One time I was actually excited about McDonalds !!! 

I LOVE THIS PLACE !!!!

What a Week

wellll what a week! and a half haha
hmm so lets start with last Monday, we finally ended up going to that zoo, it was awesome. it was pretty small but it was way fun, not alot of people and no one in the zone complained (the best part). Tuesday we had zone counsel! it was awesome, went to the temple and ya, it was a great day. Wednesday thru Friday were kinda normal, we went on a couple visits with president Ardila, he is amazing. this weekend was one of the best weekends of my whole mission. Saturday morning we had a "helping hands" service with all of peru. each stake in Peru on Saturday did a huge service project. our stake did a bunch of stuff, they cut and washed kids hair, handed out clothes, picked up trash, and put roofs on houses. since I'm the tallest person in all of Peru (ha ha) i of course helped with the roofs. we put a roof on a house on the top of a mountain like the size of squaw peak, it was awesome. unfortunately i got super sunburnt tho. but Saturday night totally made up for it. that night we had the baptism for Milagros and Carolina, seriously the coolest thing ever. they are two awesome converts, Milagros is seriously one of my favorite people ever. her story is one i will remember forever and one that has strengthened my testimony soooo much. Sunday morning we had another baptism! it was the baptism of Cristina and her little brother Jeremy.
Cristina is soo awesome and has such a desire to learn and follow the commandments. sunday at church was awesome. Milagros and Cristina came to church super dressed up and pretty, i couldn't be any more proud seriously. that feeling when i saw both of them in the chapel just so happy was one of the strongest feelings I have had on the mission and in my life. we gave all of our converts Sunday their scriptures that the mission gives, and i also gave them each ctr rings. i told them they weren't from me but from you and they were so insanely happy. Milagros's says hi and she loves you. just seriously an awesome weekend and its super hard to explain how happy i was for them. i am sure being a parent you must understand the joy i felt. keep them in your prayers.
today we just went to the temple as a zone and we are gonna try and go to a museum. wish us luck on that one.
well i am going to send some pics real quick and then i gotta go! love you lots! ill update more on Monday.
keep being awesome - study your scriptures and keep saying your prayers !!!!
Elder Paolacci

(you can click on pictures to make them larger)

No Email today . . . .

But I did get a facebook message from a missionary who just completed his mission and returned home to Ecuador. his message said
" Sister Paolacci. I know your son. I served with him on my mission. He is a powerful missionary with a very strong testimony of our Savior. He is my friend. Thank you"


But I did find the picture of Elder Paolacci and Elder Rider (one of his best friends he was with during his training in the MTC and CCM) after consejo last week (consejo is zone counsel that is held the first Tuesday of every month, where all the zone leaders come to Lima and have a training with the mission president and his wife. Dylan LOVES this every month getting to see some of his buddies that he has served with. What an amazing opportunity to be a Zone Leader. He is learning and growing in ways I am sure he never thought possible and he is doing an amazing job) 

(not often Dylan is serious in photo's with his friends)

Here is another picture I found of some of his buddies. I am going to assume that Dylan was taking this picture because his companion Elder Biliter is in it.

Back Row : Elder Taylor, Elder Rider, Elder Biliter, Elder Johns Front : Elder Brown

This is a picture from Pedro's baptism last week

Dylan says he reminds him so much of grandpa Paolacci. Pedro has had a stroke and so Dylan and Elder Biliter baptized him together, they said it was a really cool experience. 

It was a true act of faith for Pedro because of his health concerns and going in the water that  was freezing cold. Dylan and Elder Biliter had to be up to their necks in freezing cold water and Dylan had to lift up the Pedro's feet so he could go under all the way.

Dylan said after Pedro got baptized he stood up and gave his testimony and he started crying and the spirit was super strong.

A very memorable experience I am sure! 

October 3rd

Hello family!!!!
it has been quite a week haha. lets see Monday we were gonna go to the zoo, BUT no one wanted to go lol. kinda lame but ya, we just ended up chillin in the room again. Tuesday was district meeting. i taught a way how to read the scriptures better and how to teach them better. it was really cool, hope it helps the zone alot. Wednesday i had divisions with elder vizcarra, haha love that kid. um lets see Thursday was a normal day had some really cool lessons. Friday we had the baptism of Pedro.
i cant remember if i told you but hes and old guy who had a stroke, but he looks just like grandpa Paolacci! me and biliter baptized him together, it was a really cool experience. after he got baptized when he stood up and gave his testimony he started crying and the spirit was super strong. Saturday we were gonna have another baptism but there were a couple problems so we have to do it this Saturday. and well Saturday session of conference was awesome! really enjoyed (like everyone I'm sure) a talk by Holland in the priesthood sesh. really gave it to us. but i know that's gonna help alot of young men to stay strong.
Sunday sesh was awesome too. the chapel was packed and we had an investigator show up like an hour early. i know it sounds weird but my favorite talk Sunday was the talk by the young women's president sister Elaine Dalton, not gonna help me right now but when i have a family its gonna help a ton (don't laugh).
so ya it was a great week, and this week should be even better! we got
3 baptisms lined up for Saturday. a girl named Christina (the one who was gonna get baptized last Saturday), another named Carolina, and the girl i told you about, Milagros! Milagros is seriously sooooo awesome, i feel the spirit strong with her. shes the one that came to conference like an hour early. she told us yesterday that she wanted to get baptized and wanted to do it as soon as possible, haha she was like, can i do it right now? shes awesome along with the other two girls for this Saturday.
it was really cool watching conference again knowing that you guys are watching the same thing, really makes me super happy! i hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. wanna hear something crazy, only one conference left! that felt so weird thinking about it.
coy gets home in like a month, I surely don't wanna talk about that. I'm seriously loving the mission, having alot of fun and learning a ton! don't want to think about it being over half over.
i love you guys so much!
like you say mom STUDY the Book of Mormon, I'm studying it 1 chapter a day with that study guide you sent me, and its teaching me SOOOO much. i truly believe that the heavens will open and the blessings will pour out as we faithfully study.
have a great week - i love you all - ELDER PAOLACCI!