March 19, 2012 - A Wedding & Baptisms

Hi family,

Wedding #2 - A great day! Tumbes March 2012

So this week was great! To start off, we married a couple! That's two that we have married in the duration of my mission!

The happy couple - Tumbes March 2012

So the same day that we married them (which is a real headache haha gotta say that), we ended up baptizing them, but there was not water in the pila (font) and the water pump broke too haha. So we decided to call a big ol' bus and drive to a river. I don't know if you can imagine a bus with 60 people driving to a river to see a baptism, but it was legit! I included some pictures of it!

Baptizing the newly married couple in the river - March 2012 Tumbes

Baptizing in a river - Tumbes March 2012 - At least the water is warm!

Alright, so when we arrived in the bus, it started to pour rain, jungle type rain, I'm talkin' heavy! haha but it just added to the experience! It was surely the only time that it will happen in the mission!!!

So me and my companion are getting along good and what not, and we and working hard! Anyway, that's the storyline for last week! we'll just have to see what this week brings us!!!!
sinceremente,
Elder Pinegar

PS: thanks for sending the packages. I appreciate it and just a saludo a la familia les amo son lo máximo. take care!!

(Jared said he also baptized in rivers in Peru--and that Alex will probably do this again someday. Luckily the weather averages 90 degrees each day in Tumbes and cools down to a balmy 74 degrees at night--so the water wasn't even kind of cold--just very dirty.)

March 12, 2012 FINALLY THE JUNGLES OF PERU

Hi Familia,

Baptizing Ernistina (85) in Tumbes March 2012

Yeah, this week has been good, and we had another baptisim here in Zarumilla. Her name is Ernistina, a woman with 85 years. So we're doing good here. Tumbes is much more beautiful than that of La Union. Here it is jungle (celba is Spanish).

In la celba of Tumbes March 12, 2012

Me and my companion are getting along, gratefully haha ;) We're working hard and have a matrimonio planned for this week viernes (friday) haha. Yeah, second marraige, this will be good! Anyways, it's good here and were doing work! My companion is from Argentina and kinda looks Chinese. The people here call him chino haha. Sometimes his language is a little bit hard to understand cause he talks with a jhhhh. Ask Dad. He knows what I mean, but its muy distinco. Anyways, all that and more. We're puttin in work and sharing the gospel with every person we know.

Happy birthday Bek!!! haah 16...I remember that day... haha careful driving, I got in an accident in the first 6 months haha ;) Love you all so much, and I pray for you guys too! Keep it real and keep sending me the pics! I like that!!!!

ohhh and things a need in a package:

dental floss, (glide-its green and dad uses it)
20 dollars- I'm on the border and can change money here really easy hit me up with some flow....I'm down a bit haha ;)
skittles (candy or something that is from America!)
yeah that's about it.....





Love,
Elder Pinegar

March 5, 2012 - SURPRISE!! NEW AREA AND COMPANION

Elder Pinegar, Joven (9) and Elder Martinez Tumbes March 2012

Elder Pinegar & Elder Martinez Tumbes March 5, 2012

Dear Family,
Yeah, so this week has been a little bit crazy, but I've been pullin through. So I told you guys that I wasnt going to have cambios right? Well someone screwed up  and when the president was announcing the cambios he said my name and said that I was going to Tumbes Zarrumilla. Yeah, that was a shock considering that I didn´t have any of my things haha. So I went back to the room after talking with the leaders of the zona and e dijeron que nesisitaba irme to my old area and got all my stuff packed up. They told me to come back before 5:30 pm. I left with another missionary, and we went there and came back. Turns out they left at 4:30, and we had to go solo haha. That was alright... We got to tumbes at 3am and I got to sleep for nada mas than 3 hours.

My new companion is Elder Martinez. I got put as senior companion. I hope I get along with him alright.  Yeah, so another thing, haha... I got sick this week, and I have had diarrhea for 3 days straight. I  sure hope I dont get sick....haha.  I'm working hard here.  I am going to learn to love my new companion.......with time haha ;) but yeah pray for me. I need it a little bit. So we have two companionships to a room, and it just happens to be that I'm with Elder Castillo again haha but this time he isn't my companion, but it's all good. We're puttin in work haha. Also we had a bautismo this week, un joven de 9 añitos. I sent a pic of him, but this area has alot of room for potential, and I think we'll do good here. But it is HOTTT--freaking hot!!!!!! It's 5minutes from the border of equador.

Anyways, love you all sooooo much!!!! oh and Bek, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and Spencer, GOOD LUCK BUD!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Elder Pinegar
** Elder Castillo was Alex's 1st companion in La Union.

february 27, 2012 - 6 Months

Some of the "weird traditions" of Peru - As Elder Pinegar says - Piura Feb 2012

6 month tie burning (glad to see the paper on the ground)Feb 25, 2012

Ready for ignition - Piura Peru Feb 25, 2012

Yeah, so this week was a little crazy, but it was all good. We all have been enjoying ourselves here, and working hard. We had to drop a bunch of investigators because they weren´t progressing, I don't know if I was more mad or what but that's the mish right? Anyways, so church was chevre. We had 2 investigators that came, to end the dry streak of nobody that would go. This family I hope to see progress, I talked with the dad who was drunk later that night and just listened to him bash the church  and all the missionaries that are here. He kept calling me rich and a little more. I got a little frustrated, but I kept my cool. He harassed me about my clothing and apparel, so I kindly took off my tie and set it on his lap, telling him that he could have it as a gift......that's when the la boca se caó and he started to listen a little bit..

Yeah, so today we had changes, and I thought that if anybody was going to go, it was to be me. But apparently not. My companion is going and I am staying here another month and a half. This week has been good! I hope you got the email about the change of addresses (for sending packages). As for now, that's all that happened this week haha! keep it real fam, and Bek! happy birthday next week! Be good and don't get in any car accidents. (Bekah turns 16 March 8)

Love,
Elder Pinegar

February 20, 2012 -

Piura Peru Elders--Feb 2012

P-day in Piura Feb 20, 2012

hey fam!!!

so I guess that a lot is going on. Nice to hear that life is giving us the switchside a bit. Glad to hear that basically everyone is getting married haha yeah....cool to hear that Mandy (Alex's cousin) got married. Good for her. Give her my saludos. I'm glad that Nick's got my back! Tell him thanks for that. Ya know helping me out a bit since I'm like 3000 miles away haha... lejos ya i know! and for the DeMilles, great for them. (Alex's cousin Emma is engaged too!)

Yeah on a more happy note. were doing good here, but it's just a little bit dry on baptisims, no ay nadie que wants to come to the church......but we keep the chin up and walk with a strut, we know that God's got our back. As for my companion, we are doin good, but Elder Stephenson, the elder that I have been with since day one, got changed this week. He's going to be the new financial secretary. So I'm guess that if you want to send packages, you'll need to send them with his name instead of the name Elder Swazy....but I'll give you a little bit more on that in the next letter.

Thanks for all the support that you give me. I don't know what I'd do without you guys......yeah I complete 6 months this week haha kinda crazy but muy pronto será un año and yeah but its all chevre and what not haha. Just know that you guys are always in the back of my head. I love you all, and when I have a down day, I just think of ya´ll and what family means! Thanks for every thing. and yeah I got the package with the pics, I loved it! Thanks for being the best!!!!

Love, Elder Pinegar

February 13, 2012 - Espanol--Good thing there's Google to translate & DAD!

así es la vida! ya entonces, pienso que escribiré todo mi mensaje en
español hoy. muy bien, voy empezar de principio. esta semana fue muy
difícil, estábamos enseñando alguien que habíamos encontrado durante
EL EXPO S.U.D. él se llama David. tiene 18 años e esta estudiando para
ser abogado. Es una persona muy inteligente y vi un poco de mi miso en
él. él esta siempre preguntando porque algo es así o porque tenemos
que creer en esta forma. pudimos hablar con el como intelectuales. le
gusta bastante a leer filosofía,  y tiene una mente muy abierta. ya
entonces, él pareció a entender todo lo que estábamos hablando. le
enseñamos todo la semana, y el sábado pasado tuvo su entrevista con el
líder del districto. Él pasó y estaba muy animado para su bautismo. yo
también estaba animado porque él quería que yo le bautizo. ya entonces
pasó la noche todo tranquilo, mañana vino y la iglesia empezó a las 9
en punto. cada vez antes él fue muy puntual, sentimos que algo fue
incorrecto. fuimos a su casa media hora lejos de la iglesia y tocamos
su puerta. el abrió la puerta y apareció un poco desanimado. nos dijo
que no creó nada y que no había encontrado una respuesta. este es
cuando mi corazón empezó dolor. Entonces, no tuvimos el bautismo que
estábamos pensando y fuimos al cuarto un poco triste. Esto fue mi
semana, pero espero éxito esta semana y tengo un sonriso en mi cara
porque sé que ay mas, y buscaremos los demás personas que estén
esperándonos

finalmente, les amo con todo mi corazón. cada día oro para vosotros ;)


That's life!  I will write my letter in Spanish today. Well, first off,  this week was very difficult. We're teaching someone who we had found during THE EXPO S.U.D.  David is 18 and is studying to be a lawyer. He is a very intelligent person and I saw some of my myself in him. He is always asking why something is so or why we believe this way. He likes to read philosophy and has an open mind. He seemed to understand everything we were talking about. We taught all week and on Saturday had his baptismal interview with the district leader. He was very excited for his baptism. I was also encouraged that he wanted me to baptize him.  It was a quiet night, morning came and church began at 9 o'clock. Each time before he was very punctual. We could feel that something wasn't right. We went to his house a half an hour away from the church and knocked on his door. He opened the door and was a little discouraged. He told us he did not believe anything and had not found an answer. This is when my heart began to ache. We were sad for him and didn't have the baptism we had been planning. 

 That was my week. We hope to have success during the coming week. I have a smile on my face and I know there are other people that are waiting for the message we have to offer.

I did splits with a North American this week and worked hard. 

Finally, I love you with all my heart. I pray for you every day.

Love Elder Pinegar
(Alex's pensionista family communicated with us this past week. They said he was kind, sweet, nice and very helpful.  It was a surprise to us to have them call Jared's skype through gmail. They are very happy to have the Elders living with them.)  

February 6, 2012 - EXPO S.U.D. & Out of His Comfort Zone

Remember this picture from Jan, 2012? The explanation is below!

Preaching on the streets at the EXPO S.U.D. - Feb 2012 La Union

Teaching about Mormonism at the EXPO S.U.D. - Feb 2012 La Union

Dear Familia,

So the reason I was dressed up like a Bible is because we had something called the EXPO S.U.D. (santos de los ultimos días). So we have been planning this for months with the ward, something to draw attention to the church here in The Union.  Basically what it was was that we had leccions in the street with people that were passing by. I never ever thought I would be the person to absolutely cut someone's walkway off and talk to them about God....Yeah I did that several times during this event. So we had a giant Bible and Book of Mormon, we walked around with this and told people what we believe. I thought that no one was going to show up to help us, but a lot of women members showed up.  So I sent some pics and what not about this. It turned out to be a huge success!

My comp, hes from Lima and was born and raised in the church, basically grew up how I did. He's 20 years old and is great. we have exactly the same amount of time here.

Not a ton of stuff happened this week, other than the EXPO,  but I can say that we've had the best numbers Ive ever had in the mission before. So that means we're working, working and playing haha we do it both. And yes mother and father, I'm following the rules geez ;) haha We went exploring for p- day and made slingshots, so that's what were holding in these pictures.

Love,
Elder Pinegar

Homemade Slingshots on P-day- Feb 6, 2012 La Union

Looks like the Missionaries are the tourist attraction - Feb 6, 2012 La Union

Enjoying P-day with more missionaries - Feb 6, 2012 - La Union