Pictures . . .

6.25.12

Familyyyyy!
Wow this week went by way too fast. Monday we went to some ruins for pday, they were awesome beside the fact that it was like and hour and a half hike to get there. Haha everyone was making the joke that I started my misión there haha (back when it was a city). So ya it was a good pday, definitely worthwhile.


Tuesday and Wednesday I was with the missionaries from Concepción. If I havent told you yet Elder Parada (my first born son) is there. I went to be with them because Elder Janco had to go to Lima for a training that all the new kids have. So it was cool being with him for a couple days. He has progressed alot and is a great teacher now.


Saturday was the multizone conference. Awesome. They surprised me and asked me to give my "last testimony". I was even more nervous than I was giving my testimony in stake conference.


Well bad news. I lost almost all my time today trying to send pics and it didn't work. I'm gonna see if there is time to go send them from a different computer. I'm super sorry. Wish me luck. I love you all so much - keep being awesome - reading your scriptures and praying !!!!
Love, Elder Paolacci

6.18.12

FAMILYYYY!!!
Great week. Monday we had the traditional multi-zone soccer game. Fun as always. But it also reminded me how long I have been around this city(Huancayo) for a long time haha. I think ive had like 4 of these pdays.
This week we've been helping out the people we found last week, really focusing on helping them prepare for their baptisms on the 30th. Kinda bummed cause I totally failed on my whole baptize once a week goal to finish but I am glad we have found the people we have. We have 4 baptisms that we are thinking are sure for the 30th but we are trying to not get ahead of ourselves. But the truth is that we have been super blessed with the people we have. One is named Isabel, she's the one that came looking for us and it took us like a week to find her. She is amazing, already has a very strong testimony and is excited for her baptism. She couldnt go to church yesterday because she got super sick and it made us super sad cause we really wanted her to experience stake conference (more details to come). We also are teaching another lady named Ingrid. She's super funny and we've grown to have a super strong relationship with her. We contacted her about a month ago in the store she works at and she's been progressing Little by Little and is very excited for the 30th. And the other two we have are mother and daughter named Gloria and Shirley. Haha they are great.
We were also bummed for them yesterday because they were super excited to go with us to stake conference but Sunday morning at around 3am glorias brother showed up drunk and she had to take care of him. Its funny how the opposition does his best to try to stop this work, but the truth is he cant. Last night we went over to their house and taught them about baptism and the spirit was super strong. They are so prepared. And they aren't gonna let anything get in their way before their baptismo n the 30th. Sooooo i need you guys to pray especially for them so they can be strong in these two week that are coming and also so they can go to church Sunday. So ya, well Saturday we had our multi zone conference with president. He's doing it kinda different here in Huancayo, he's doing it in 2 parts. The first was Saturday and the second is this Saturday. It was really spiritual and we learned alot.
Sunday we had stake conference and President was there with an area seventy named Elder Mestre. It was a great meeting and we wish all of our investigators could have gone. Haha but the highlight was that during Elder Mestres talk he said "well at this momento I am going to ask that Elder Paolacci come up here and bear his testimony" Oh man what a surprise! It was quite the experience. I have never talked in front of so many people in my entire life. But the spirit was sooo strong and the words just came out. What an amazing experience.
well my time is up. Have a great week! i love you all
Love
Elder Paolacci

6.11.12

No Pictures :(

Heyyyy fammmmm

Ay yay yay what a week. We are working super hard, trying to get our baptisms ready for these next couple of weeks. We fasted and prayed and decided last night that it would be better for us not to go to that little town of Chacrampa. We realized that even though there are a ton of people that wanna listen, it is impossible for them to go to church. The bishop is gonna try and find a way to start a little branch there to see how it goes, but it seems as tho this month we are gonna just stay here in Jauja to help the people we have here in a better way. It also made the decision alot easier when we had a ton of success here in Jauja this week. We found a family whose lifelong bestfriends are members in another stake and they are super excited to get baptized. They are super awesome and I am excited to help them out. We also had a super cool experience this week. I wrote it to president in Spanish and I don’t have time to write it again, but im sure someone will help you out as far as translating it goes.

Buenos días presidente!

Ha sido una semana excelente, estamos teniendo bastante éxito aquí en Jauja. Hemos encontrado una familia que esta bien animada y quieren bautizarse. También mi testimonio en cuanto de los susurros del espíritu y como escucharlos ha aumentado bastante. El domingo anterior llegamos a la capilla y el obispo nos dijo que una hermana vino buscando como podía bautizarse. Por su puesto fue un momento de gran gozo pero cuando le preguntamos sus datos nos dijo “ohhh eso me faltó” jaja. Bueno después de la capilla salimos a buscarla pero no tuvimos éxito. Le buscamos toda la semana pero nada. Y bueno ayer (domingo) en la mañana estábamos super ocupados recogiendo investigadores donde sentí preguntar una señorita en una tienda si conocía la hermana (solo sabíamos que su nombre era Isabel).Y la verdad es que toda la semana sentía preguntar allí pero yo siempre rechazaba el sentimiento al toque. Pero fuimos y le preguntamos y bueno, nos dijo que tal vez era su prima. Nos dijo donde trabaja y pasamos en la tarde. La hermana supuestamente fue informada por su prima que íbamos a buscarle porque cuando llegamos ella estaba super animada y nos dijo que estaba esperando. Ella de verdad está muy preparada y es una escogida. Nos contó que su papa en lima se bautizo hace seis meses después de ser alcohólico por 25 años y ha cambiado completamente. Ella ya tiene un gran testimonio y ahora tiene fecha para esta 30. De verdad hay personas preparadas y necesitamos buscarlas. El espíritu nos va a guiar, ya tengo un testimonio muy fuerte de eso. Solo necesitamos saber como seguir sus susurros, y si lo aprendemos se que todos encontrarán los que están preparados por las manos del señor.

( Translated )

Good Morning President!:

It has been an excellent week, we are having a lot of success here in Jauja.

We have found a family who is very motivated and wishes to get baptized.

Also my testimony regarding the whispers of the spirit and how to hear them has increased a lot. On the previous Sunday ( hes talking about Sunday the 3rd) we got to church and the bishop told us that a sister came seeking of how she could get baptized. Of course that was a moment of great joy, but when we asked him for her info he said "oh I missed that" haha. Well after church we went to look for her but didn't have any success. We looked for her all week but nothing. And well yesterday (Sunday) in the morning we were really busy picking up investigators where I felt I needed to ask a miss in the store if she knew the sister ( the only thing we knew was that her name was Isabel). And the truth is that I felt all week that I should ask there but I always rejected the feeling right away. But we went and asked and well, she said that it maybe they were cousins. She told us where she worked and we went by in the afternoon. The sister was supposedly informed by her cousin that we were going to look for her because when we got there she was really excited and said she was waiting for us. She is truly very ready and she was chosen. She told us that her dad in Lima was baptized six months ago after being an alcoholic for 25 years and has changed completely. She has a great testimony and has a date for this 30th. There truly are people who are prepared and we need to look for them. The spirit will guide us, I already have a very strong testimony about it. We only need to know how to follow the spirit's whispers, and that way we will learn I know that everybody will find that which was prepared by the Lord's hands.

(I am sure that promptings would be what he means instead of whispers, but just translated it exactly)

What an amazing experience. Helped me out alot.

Well I gotta go! Love yall! Have great week!

Elder Paolacci

6.4.12

No pictures this week :(
Fam Fam,
Another great week here in jauja! Monday played some soccer, downside was that i didnt have my contacts in so i played half blind, but it was still fun. Wednesday we had district meeting and elder avalos came. Haha i love that kid, taught us some useful tips and had a nice little talk with him. Really cool kid. Also Wednesday i did splits with a companionship in my district, its always cool getting to work with other missionaries and getting to know them better. And Saturday we went back to chacrampa to work with the people there again. They are just amazing people, i love them so much, my main goal before i leave is to start baptizing some if not all of them. They really need your prayers, it seems as though they are scared to make the decision.
I know they feel the spirit when we teach them but they arent used to making changes in their way of life. In the little towns here they kinda have a set way to live. But i know we are going to be able to help them. We are planning an activity with the ward to go visit them with all the ward leaders. So ya we are praying for success, they deserve it, pray for them.
So update on jonathan! Haha this guy is awesome. On Sunday he was ordained a priest and on Friday hes gonna go to the temple with the ward to do baptisms! How cool. Hes loving the gospel and whats even cooler is that the ward is loving him. Hes progressing a ton and its possible that he could get the melchezidek priesthood this month after stake conference. He wants to serve a mission but hes not able to because in 1 year hes gonna be too old. But i know hes gonna serve a big part here in jauja. We told him his mission is going to be helping his family get to know the gospel.
Oh so ya we would also like that you guys pray for an investigator we have named ingrid. Shes 19 and has all the desires to get baptized but its always a challenge for her to get to church. She has a baptismal date for the 23rd, so pray that she can achieve it.
Well cole trains bday is tommorow huh! Happy bday bro! Cant wait to work you in bowling!
Well thats all i got for today. Sorry for the lack of pics, i promise some next week Love Elder Paolacci