Austin: 8/8/2013 - Hola from Peru!

Peru. I can´t really say anything about it because I´ve only every been in the CCM. I´m leaving to go out into the city in about an hour. I´m super excited. After just a week, I can see why John said he felt like the MTC is a prison. It´s awesome, don´t get me wrong, I love it, but I do feel trapped seeing as I haven´t left the walls of the CCM for a week.

The hardest part here is Spanish. No doubt. I´m terrible. I said I understood some things that latino woman said and they were simple words like food. And since then I´ve found out that that woman knows english. She isn´t exactly fluent, but when they make announcements for the americans, she always makes them because she knows english. I discovered about 24 hours later how little spanish I know. Or in other words, I know no spanish. Ha. I am without a doubt in the bottom three in my district, but it´s ok. I´ve been getting a lot better. I´ve started to memorize at least ten words a day and that has helped a lot, even after only a couple days. I´m starting to get there. My companion´s name is Elder Jensen. He´s from Cache Valley. He´s about 5´8¨. He´s a good kid. We are very different though. It has been a good learning experience to 1) have a companion and have to stick with him and 2) to have a companion that I´m so different than. I really like to do things like study, and he...doesn´t. He likes to sleep. Which is totally acceptable. Well no, it´s not acceptable, but I understand it. I think yesterday was the first day I didn´t fall asleep in class at all. It´s so hard to stay awake when you´re sitting in a desk for literally about 14 hours a day. That is the second hardest thing, staying awake. It´s been amazing though. Last night we had a devotional and Elder Waddell spoke. He´s in the 70 I think. He spoke about remembering. He had five points we needed to remember and they were 1) It´s the Lords work, not yours 2) remember the covenants you´ve made 3) remember that we need the spirit to complete our purpose and we can´t do it without it 4) always remember our purpose and 5) remember the atonement of jesus christ. my favorite part was during 2), I remembered what president walker said during mission prep (wowzers, I didn´t know I learned anything). He said that when you sent your acceptance letter, you surrendered yourself to God when you accepted your call. You promised you would use your agency to obey. I really liked that. It helped me remember that I need to do EVERYTHING I´m asked to do. Obey every rule, everything. I know I´ve been told I need to be 100% obedient, but this was the first time I´ve been able to tell why I need to be. Even rules as simple as don´t go back to your room during the day, even during break times. I tried not to, but sometimes I have already because I forgot something. I just realized I really just need to do absolutely everything I have been told to do. I was really grateful for the devotional. It taught me a lot! I took a solid 3 pages of notes in my daily planner because I forgot my study journal. it was awesome.

The third hardest thing is to call Elder Baker Elder Baker. Its super hard.

my computer just logged me out weirdly, so I had to send my letter in pieces. so to recap 1) Spanish is hard 2) staying awake is hard 3) calling Phil Elder Baker is almost impossible. Those are my points. And the devotional last night was my favorite. The spirit was so strong, the strongest I´ve felt it in the CCM and the spirit is always in the CCM. After the devotional, we went back to our district meeting and talked about it, and that was really cool too. Possibly even stronger spirit than the devotional.

My district leader reminds me a ton of the blotter twins. My first thought when I saw him was, I do not like that kid. I´m glad he´s not my comp. But then he was in my district. And then my district leader. And then I found out he is awesome. He was kind of an idiot in high school from stories he told, but he´s an awesome missionary. He is the perfect example of how people will step up when given responsibility. He really does lead our district. He´s awesome. He´s been a good example to me.

Mom, thanks for cleaning my room. I know there was a lot of work to do in there. I was going to clean it but....I never did. Ha. Yeah, I tend to do that. And I´ve really discovered the importance of journal writing the last week. Yeah, I know I´ve done it for years, but the last week, I have actually written stuff that is important. Journals are an amazing way to remember stuff. So are pictures. i would send some home, but we´re only allowed to take pictures on p day so i haven´t taken any yet. Maybe next week. if I make time. Also, I wrote some letters and sent them to our address because I had no idea where to send them. I sent them through the pouch, so they should be there in just over a week I think. One if for Eli and one for Erika. Erika wrote me a letter as I left, so I replied to that and I just felt like Eli needed what I sent to him. So if you could get them where they´re supposed to go, that would be fantastic. I did put those pictures on the back of my nametag. Everyone that sees it tells me that they`re jealous. I really like it, thanks. Every time I look at it, I don`t think about missing you all, i think about how I want every single person I meet to have an eternal family like I do.

Dad - nice work on the 5K! you probably would´ve beat me this year. Remember last year how you and john were giving me crap about being lazy and not exercising and then I beat both of you in that? yeah, I do. You got pulled over? Oh padre...did you get a ticket, what were you doing?

John - so this is how you felt about me on your mission...

Jordan - see john...

Tashie - thanks for the info about dad getting pulled over. Also, if you want to go on a mission, START TALKING TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON YOU SEE!!!!!! I love to talk to people, but like in the airport, during a 6 hour layover, i was scared to talk to anybody. It was weird. So start talking, a lot. Be annoying because you talk so much

Shaylee - Sprinklers are fun! did you like the movie on the house? we haven´t done that in a long time. The last time we did it was the pacifier I think. Or maybe Charade. Scariest movie of all time. Don´t destroy my room too bad. Haha, i really couldn´t care less. But for mom´s sake, be nice.

Oh yeah, the only thing I really miss about home, no offense family, is my bed. Every night i scream in my head I WANT MY BED BACK! But it´s ok. I still sleep on the bed I´ve got. Not quickly, but it´s not the bed´s fault. My brain like to think over everything that happened that day while I´m sitting in bed. But it´s ok. I sleep fine, so no worries mom.

Can you mail me/email me a copy of the music to I Love the Lord? I´m starting to forget the words and it´s killing me because I sing it every night to myself to help me sleep. It actually works. It´s crazy.

Well, missions are awesome. I love it already. I I´m so grateful for the opportunity I have to share the gospel. I know it is true. There is no doubt in my mind. It has blessed my life so much more than I even realized. I know Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer. He knows me and loves me. I know that I can bear my testimony, in simple, broken Spanish, and it can still have power through the holy ghost. El Espiritu Santo is the key to this work, the lord`s work. I love the Lord, He is my rock and foundation. Because I have been given much, I too must give. I have to give the gospel I have received. I know families are forever. Christ gave me my life, I am just giving back to Him two tiny years. In exchange for my righteousness, I can receive all that He has. I know it. Yo se que la iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias es verdadero.

Love you all,

Elder Schouten