Last week as a missionary. Really hard to believe that as I
write this I have successfully completed my full time service as a missionary and
Representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This past week was super
busy. Although a great deal of the week was spent getting ready to come home, I
also was able to teach my last few lessons as a full time missionary.
My investigator Milder is doing super well now. Even though
we have been teaching him off and on for such a long time, he is finally
starting to progress. His wife and him have begun to ask questions about
whether or not they should be baptized again and also be married. As my Companion
and I taught them, there was a very special Spirit as we invited them to put a
goal to be married first. The goal is currently for August with a baptismal
date shortly following. As I taught them the final lesson I would personally
teach, it was a very emotional moment for all of us. It truly is amazing how as
missionaries we can come to love other so much more than ourselves.
Along with teaching Milder and a few other people, my Companion
and I spent a great deal of time trying to help the recent converts in our
area. Russell is doing super well in school and also in the church. We also had
a quick goodbye visit with him and I gave him a pin that said “Called to Serve”
and invited him to prepare to serve a mission. He said he was in the process so
hopefully one day he can prepare to worthy serve a full time mission as well.
Marcia has been super busy lately but I was also able to have a quick goodbye
visit with her as well. She has a lot of goals in life but said that remaining
a faithful member of the church is a big one.
Karina is still going strong as well and just as I have stated before,
is very active in the Young Single Adults program in our ward. She is currently
preparing to go to the Temple in the next few months along with of the other
recent converts in the Ward.
As the week came to an end, the Ward threw a big surprise goodbye
party for me It was a really hard and emotional moment not only for me but also
for each Ward member. They made me a nice cake and all went around the room
saying nice things about me. As I sat there and looked around I felt a very
strong Spirit of peace knowing that the Ward and place I was leaving behind
would be protected and would also receive the help and guidance that they need
at this time.
Saturday morning came around and Elder Haws and I got to the
bus terminal really early where we had more emotional final goodbyes with our Companions,
other missionaries, and Ward members. As we got on the bus it was a really
difficult moment for me as I had to say goodbye to people I can come to love
and care so much about.
Our final days in Cusco were spent buying last minute souvenirs
and also having final interviews with President Herrera. My interview was very special
and the advice I received from my Mission President is something that I will
always remember to apply in my life daily. We were then able to go with him to
eat lunch following the interviews at a restaurant where they serve Ceviche (the
raw fish that we weren’t allowed to eat except with him). That night we then
had a goodbye dinner and shared our testimonies one last time with our
President and his family. Once again tears came to my eyes and I remembered all
of the experiences I have had during the past 2 years of my life.
The next day as I said last minute goodbyes in the airport
and got on the plane and left Cusco, I couldn’t help but think about everything
I had just been through. All of the incredible lifelong friends I had made
along with every experience the Lord had blessed me to have while serving in
the best mission in the entire world. But more than anything I reflected upon
the relationship that I now have with our Savior Jesus Christ. He is my best
friend. There was not a day that went by that I didn’t feel the power of his
love in my life. I know without any doubt in my mind that this is his Church,
that contains the Power of God. I know that power is real and am grateful to
hold it and to have seen tremendous miracles through it. I am grateful for the
Book of Mormon. It is the Word of God and not only the key to our religion but
also the key to coming to know the Savior. At the start of my mission I knew
who he was but I didn’t truly understand who he was. Although I still have not come
to know him perfectly, I will strive each and every day to continue to come to
know him and hopefully someday have the opportunity to know him perfectly. I
love each and every one of you who has been support to me throughout these past
2 years of my life and am grateful to my parents who raised me in the Gospel
and prepared me for this incredible experience that I have had in Peru.
Love,
Elder Fawcett
My Homecoming is at 11:00 am on 15 July 2018 in the Willow
Brook Ward at 1505 Whispering Meadows Lane in Kaysville Utah. I look forward to any of you that can come!
Snapshot of the Past 2 Years!!! Ward Goodbye Party!
Hola, What a busy week! Time sure seems to be going by faster than normal. This week the World Cup started and it is the first time Perú has gone in a very long time. People here are going super crazy and we have seen hundreds of people go take out loans so they can buy a new TV to see the games. Thursday was the first game for Perú against Denmark and the streets were absolutely deserted. Perú lost and for the rest of the day people were staring at me saying rude things. Not quite sure why but I guess for some reason they thought I was from Denmark… Most people didn’t want to listen to us but luckily Perú still isn’t eliminated so there is still hope for all of those who bought their new TVs to enjoy watching Perú for more games. We were busy for the majority of the week teaching Karina and helping her get ready to go to a young single adult activity in Cusco soon. There are a few requirements and one of them is that she needed to have up to 4 generations complete in her family tree and it was super difficult for us to find all of her ancestors. I had no idea what a blessing it is to have so many of the documents back home indexed because here in Perú we had a really difficult time finding much of anything. Luckily we were blessed and after a lot of hard work we were able to get her not only to her 4th generation but also up to her 5th. She is progressing well and is also currently dating a Returned Missionary from my ward who is helping motivate her to continue gaining a stronger testimony of the gospel. A lot of time was also spent working with the Stake President and trying to make some plans to help the Ward. They are really worried about the lack of leadership here and although it is getting better, we have been trying to continue to help improve the situation here for the members. One of the things we are trying to implement is the use of an Elders Quorum President which was recently called in the ward (he isn’t married so he cannot be bishop). We have been working with him and helping him understand the role that he needs to play in the ward to try and help the members and families with their needs. It is a great blessing for the ward to finally have someone to help lead and guide them. After months of working with Milder, the barber, we finally got him to come to church with us this Sunday. He has become a great friend of ours and although it has been difficult to help him progress, he took a huge step this Sunday and set foot in the church for the very first time. It was a very spiritual experience for him and it made him want to continue feeling what he felt each week by continually attending church meetings. Just as I have stated multiple times before, I know that each and every person has the chance to progress. Sometimes it isn’t in our own time, but eventually they will feel the love that our Heavenly Father has for them and have the desire to learn more about him. Milder and his family will someday make great members of the church, even though I will not be here to see him continue to learn, I am grateful for the chance I have had to help him learn about the plan our Heavenly Father has for him and every other person here in Perú. In closing, this week was my last Sunday in my Ward here in Manco Capac due to going to Cusco this Saturday to finish my very last Sunday in the mission in my ward there. Once again it was a very emotional and difficult experience for me as I shared my testimony with the 65 or so members present. It has been a blessing to serve in an area without a Bishop or any sort of leader. Although at times it has been quite the challenge, I am grateful for the experiences I have had and the ways in which the Lord has helped me learn and grow. I love each and every person here in Puno and am grateful for the things they have taught me and the eternal friendships that I have made here. I know that the Lord loves his children in every part of the world, no matter their situation or circumstances, I know that he is mindful of every single one of them and personally knows their needs. I am grateful to have felt his love for these people and for the opportunity to continue serving until the very last moment during this last week I have as a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have felt the power of his everlasting atonement and know that it is so pure and perfect that if each of take the time to use it daily, we can become cleansed from our sins and become who our Heavenly Father wants us to be. I love you all and hope that you have a great week. Love, Elder Fawcett
Well what a crazy week it was! Honestly it couldn’t have
gone any better! We had Karina´s baptism on Saturday and it was honestly very
spiritual. But it was also a very stressful day because the water heater thing
that heats the water in the baptismal font in our Church broke. After looking at it I determined that one of the parts had burned out and not knowing where to
get a new one, we were forced to have the baptism at another church. Although
it was a scramble trying to get everything ready, we were blessed to have
everything end perfectly. My favorite part of the entire baptism was at the
end, Karina shared her testimony and talked about all of the difficulties she
had gone through during the week leading up to Saturday. With friends telling
her she was crazy and trying to persuade her away from the decision, siblings
telling her that she was making a bad decision, and many other things that
occurred to her during the week. She shared how she had felt our Heavenly
Fathers Spirit and knew that she was making the decision that he wanted her to
make. It was a very spiritual day and also a very difficult one for me, knowing
that she will be the last person I have the privilege of helping to make a
covenant with our Heavenly Father during my mission.
On Saturday we also had a Multi-Zone Conference with
President which was also the last that I will have during my mission. With it
being my last, I also had the opportunity to share my testimony with all of the
other members of my group that were present. Although it was hard, it was a
great time for me to reflect upon the things that I have been able to learn
during my mission and also see how much I have grown up as well.
My Companion and I are still working hard in our area and
although I have a short time left, I want to leave him in the best way I can
with a lot of people to teach and people who will eventually be baptized into
the Ward. This week we found a great family who is struggling a lot with
marital problems and problems with disobedient children. We had a small family
night with them and the spirit was very strong and we were able to not only
help them feel the need to draw nearer to our Heavenly Father but also help
them to resolve a few family issues that they were facing as well.
Today for P-day we visited various random ruins around the
city of Puno and I can now officially say I have seen every ruin that there is
to see here in my mission between Cusco and Puno it has been incredible to
learn a lot about the Incan Empire and also learn quite a bit of their 2
languages, Aymara and Quechua along with Spanish during the mission. It was
also interesting to visit an ancient Catholic Cathedral that is the place where
many of the Incans living in the area were forced to attend church and if not,
then put to death. After entering, it reminded me of how much the world needs
missionaries to help declare the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and also help
clear up much of the confusion that exists in the world.
In closing, I also want to share an experience I had on
Sunday. President gave me permission to attend my very First area´s (Inca
Pachacutec Ward) Sacrament meeting and this Sunday I was able to visit. As I
entered the Ward, I was immediately greeted by members and as the meeting
started more members began to enter and immediately I recognized the converts
that I was able to teach and help enter into the waters of baptism during my
time. As the meeting commenced, the Bishop recognized me and invited me to come
to the pulpit to share my testimony. As I did so, I stood and immediately tears
came to my eyes as I stood where I had several months ago when I could not even
speak Spanish yet. As I looked out I saw the faces of every single one of the
converts and realized that every single one of them is still active and going
strong, while at the same time seeing numerous people that we had contacted but
never been able to baptize with my Trainer and other Companions in the area.
Tears filled my eyes as I realized that all though it was difficult at times,
the Lord had used me as his hands to help bring those who were prepared to his
Restored Gospel. I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. The only Church
upon the face of the planet that offers us the chance to one day return to the
presence of our Heavenly Father again. The Gospel brings the happiness that so
many are looking for. I am grateful for the people I have had the chance to see
receive the Lords Gospel and to see the change in their hearts and their souls
as they begin to accept the Savior and his atonement into their lives.
Missionary work extends to so much more than simply teaching and baptizing.
Loving others as the Savior did is the key to true happiness and I know that if
we do so he will use us to bless the lives of his chosen. I love you all and
pray you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Fawcett
Karina's Baptism
Elder Fawcett and Karina
Members with Karina
Welcome to the Ward
Kevin and His Mom Kevin is a Teacher Now!
Still Has His Chickens .
Jhon Still Going Strong and Got the Melchizedek Priesthood
