Novembers Letters

11/02/10

Hello Family!
  I have been getting to my mission.  This letter is just to say everything is great .  I am being flooded with all the information.  First off, don't send packages that claim more than 100 dollars.  They will charge me a lot of money to get it out of customs.  Only send packages through the Untied States Postal Service, not Fed ex or any other mailing system.  Also put my entire name on the package or letters Kevin McKay Clouse, otherwise they don't know who I am in the mission office.  Do not send money in the mail.  They will take it.  Until I know more things, thats all for now.  I am doing great.  I will let you know about my companion and everything else on Monday.  OK.  Love you all.  Last thing, send everything to the mission office.
Love, Elder Clouse

11/08/10

Hello Family..
   I am in my new area, Galera..  my companion is Elder Vilca..,. things are going really welll... I live in an apartment with just my companion.  I have a lady cook and laundress.  I eat lunch with the members and I am having a blast.   I have two baptisms coming up.  Ceasar on the 20 and Jose on the 27th.  I would have 12 baptisms but marriage is a huge problem here in Peru... My spanish is getting better and I am working hard.   My area is mostly dirt roads and hills so I am climbing rocky hills all day.  Most of the houses have tin roofs , dirt floors and cardboard sidings.  My area is the poorest part of Lima.   All of my mission is the poorest in Peru.   Everything is great and I love the people.  Yesterday I met the bishop and the ward counsel.   They are very nice people.  In church it was testimony meeting.  The bishop got up and said it is fast and testimony meeting, but first we will hear from our new Elder about faith.   It stunk very badly...haha... but I did OK and bore a good testimony I hope. My area didn't have missionaries for two years... I am the first white kid to be in this part for three years.   The area was opened up three weeks before I got here.  One of the members knows English and he told me the ward has been fasting and praying for missionaries for 8 months, and who did they get??? Uncle Kev!!!Ha ha!   Everyone the first couple of days kept looking at me and saying" a gringo is here."..haha, it was funny.  Our baptisms are the first the ward has had in a year and a half.. so the Lord is blessing us a lot.  Now for some buisness.  Number 1, do not send money in anything, it will get stolen.  Don't send money, cameras, electronic devices, high value objects, clothes, beef jerky and plastic toy action figures.  Everything else is going through fine.  Today I don't have much time... I am doing great, the work is great and I am healthy.
Love you with all my Heart,
Elder Clouse





11/15/10

Hello from the other side of the world!
    So much has happened this last week.  First off I will tell a story that happened yesterday.  Sunday I was in church and it was my favorite Sunday of all....THE PRIMARY PROGRAM....it was so cool to see all the kids get up and talk.  At the end the older kids got up and bore their testimonies.  In the testimonies each and every one said they were grateful to the Lord for sending us a one latino and one gringo missionary, especially the one that can't speak spanish...he is really funny though...Ha ha it was so funny!  All the kids sang the songs I learned when I was working in primary.  It was cool to hear it in spanish.  The work is going good.   I have two baptisms set for the 27th and another that wants to get baptised but we have to work out a few things.  I have a lot of investigators but marriage is still the problem so we are waiting to all get married here....a lot actually,  But with the help of the Lord we will work it all out.  
   On Saturday we got a call to go to the chapel to help the zone leaders with a baptism.  Little did we know it was a baptism of a lady who is 110 years old.  In order for her to be baptized, three elders had to get in the water and hold her in their arms.  They pronounced the ordinance and then when we started to put her under the water, it was really cold.  We don't have hot water heaters here.  She started wiggling around and yelling..."es frio, es  frio!"  It was funny.  Finally one of her daughters who is 85 said, "just dunk her!"  So we just dropped her in and out..she started yelling, "you mean!  You Mean!,  I am old! I am old!".  After we got her calmed down, she realized what she had been through and thanked us over and over.  It was Hilarious!! I am really happy here and I am starting to understand a lot of espanol.  It is still hard to speak  but I got one of the parts down.  I recieved a new comp this week , so I am in a trio companionship.  Elder Rojas is from Arriquepa, Peru and is waiting for a visa to go to Mexico.  Now I have two walking dictionaries.  It's really fun.  I have lost a lot of weight in two weeks, not because I am not eating,  I actually eat more than I ever have.  My area is all mountains in the very northern part of Lima.  I always said I hated hiking, well that is all I do everyday.  By the time I get home I'm going to be skinny.  I already punched two holes in my new belt!  It's great... I love the people here .  There isn't one person here that has been mean to me.  Everyone says hello no matter where I am.  Well I have no idea what the letter problem is.  All letters need to be sent to my mission home ( he gives the address)
 Mision Peru Lima Norte,
Av. Carlos Izaguirre 124
Casilla de Correo 054-Independencia
Lima-28
Peru

Sorry the computer is different here.  I don't think you need to do any thing else but go and ask the people at the post office if there is anything different.  I recieve mail every Wednesday.  If I have stuff it takes about three weeks to get to me and two to get to you.  Don't send money.  Everything is great, I am enjoying my mission.  I am singing in my ward this Sunday and I sing a hymn every time I start a lesson so I have a lot of practice.   Well I love you all and am glad things are going great.   Love you a lot!  Yo se' que la igleasia is verdadera y jose smith is un porfets llamade pordios restauar la iglesia otra vezenla tierra.  Jesucristo es nuestro salvador y redentor.  El vive and queirre nosotros sefgui8r la plan de dio.  Estoy en Peru ensenar ta verdad y yo se que el envangelio de Jesucristo .  Es necesario para todo de hijos de dios.  Gracioas por todos enel nombre de nuestro salvador Jesucristo, Amen
Love, Elder Clouse

11/22/10
Dad,
   Thanks for everything.  Your letters and Love.  Tell mom that I love her and think of her everyday in prayers and thoughts.  have a wonderful holiday.  Believe me I will be thinking of you all this Thursday on Thanksgiving.  Love you so much, talk to you next week.  Love, Elder Clouse
                                                                      

11/29/10
Hello Dad,
   Wow, go to Casa and eat something for me, some enchaladas would be good.  I have to go now, this was a letter I was writing to you when I got the love you mom haha...love to you dad...I have a phone in my house that is able to call you.  I have no idea if tyou call me or I call you... This week when I am in the mission office I will ask the secretary.  I was sad not to get a letter from mom, I hope she is doing well this week.  Tell her that I love her directly and think of her every day.  How are things going for you?  I am glad to hear you are down 25 pounds.  Keep it up.. I am not even worried about my weight because I am losing a lot of weight.  All my pants are loose.  I have to go... I love you a lot and think and pray for you, Dad everyday.
I love you so  much thanks for everything.  Love you a lot! 
Your Skinny Missionary, Elder Clouse

11/29/10

Dear Fam!
   I got em wet!....my first two baptisms are in the books.   Now 7 billion to go ha ha!  On Saturday was the baptism for Byron Smith Camaren Gomez and Jose Alberto Pinuria Puma.  I baptised Byron and it was the coldest water I have ever been in.  It was quite an exerience trying to get in the water.  Ha ha!  It was great, my spanish was good enough.  It was really a special experience to have the people you have been working with get baptized.  It is so much better than just hearing about baptisms.  I am the first elder in group of 14 gringo new missionaries to get my first baptism, so I feel pretty good about the way I am working for the Lord.  I put my trust in Him.  Don't worry about the language or my teachings and He will take care of the rest.  He really has blessed me so much.  This week other than that was an ordinary week.  I worked all day Thursday and told everyione feliz dia de gracia.  Most of the people had no idea what I was talking about, so I had to explain my self.  Before I went to my house at the end of the day, I bought my companions a piece of cake that made me cry it was so good, a soda, and some san juan picante chips.  We went  our house, chowed down, and then got on our knees and thanked the Lord for every blessing we recieve everyday.  
We each said a prayer out loud to each other thanking the Lord  and asked him to bless every single one of our family members.  They were amazed I had 20 people to ask be blessed.  They only had four or five.  But it was a great day and they love dia de gracia.  It is a Thanksgiving I will always remember.
  I am helping the ward with the music and Christmas.  Unfortunately 99% of them can't sing so well, so it is an experience.  But I love them and I am trying to help them the best way I know how.
   This morning I bought the most amazing thing in the world...a soccer ball...we had 16 elders playing soccer this morning and it was getting intense.  Latinos are so freaking good a soccer.  It's amazing that Peru doesn't have a good team because there are a lot of good players.  I am glad to hear everyone has had a great Thanksgiving and are doing well.  I am doing great and am happy.  The people here love me and help me everyday with my spanish.  The Lord has blessed us all so much.  This week I have a meeting with my mission president with all of the other new missionaries.  It should be great, and best of all he is buying us all Papa Johns Pizza, American food, not rice!  Happy whatever day I will call it..ha ha it should be great.  Well, I love all of you, hope things are going great  this week.
Love, Elder Clouse