Monday, October 10, 2016

Week 13 - Evil Spirits

Hola,

I am doing amazing here in Puno! It has been another great week and I am really excited about sharing a few of my experiences.

First off of the lighter side, my companion and I were walking around trying to contact people this week when this man came up to me and was convinced that I was a celebrity from Hollywood. Although I kept trying to tell him that I was just a normal white guy who was serving a mission and teaching people about Christ, he refused to believe me.  He commenced to pull out a piece of paper and wanted me to sign my autograph for him.  So anyway although I may not be famous, but some guy here in Peru thinks I am and now he has my autograph!

Also, Soccer is really big down here in Peru and when we are out tracting, people are all the time trying to challenge me to a soccer game because I am this tall Gringo. But, I am always telling them, no, you’re going to beat me anyways.  But Elder Iza and I do sometimes accept the challenge on condition of if we beat them we get to share a message with them afterwards.  So far, its been really fun and has worked pretty well at finding people to teach!

One more story that is a little more serious, so my companion and I were contacting this week and we saw this very strange man walking in the middle of the street and we immediately noticed and felt that something was wrong with him. Cars were swerving around him and he was almost getting hit. We thought he might be drunk. So my companion and I went and helped him out of the middle of the road. As soon as we touched him, we knew something wasn’t right because he became really agitated and started freaking out. After we got him on the side of the road, the man got really aggressive and tried to punch us and kept saying that people were all around him trying to hurt him.  He tried to run back out into the street in front of the cars but, we convinced him to stay and told that we were trying to help him. He sat there for a minute but then got back up and started punching my companion I didn’t know what to do because it was either my companion gets punched or this dude gets hit by a car. So, I had the impression to give him a blessing and so I did. I placed my hands on his head and immediately I knew what I needed to say. In the blessing I commanded him to be still and as soon as I did so, he stopped punching my companion. As my companion and I were talking trying to figure out what was wrong with this man, we could feel this really bad feeling. That was when Elder Iza and I looked at each other and immediately knew that this man had evil spirits with him. So, we said a prayer and commanded the evil spirits to leave and they did so, because after the prayer, the evil feeling was gone and the man was completely calm. The man, it turns out was under the influence of some sort of drugs which he had taken with his own agency, but evil spirits had used it as an opportunity to gain a hold of this man. Satan is Real, I have a testimony of that, he is a real person and he is set on destroying those that choose to follow him.  I know this is one of the crazier experiences I have shared but I have really seen a lot of crazy things so far on my mission and they only strengthen my Testimony as the Truthfulness of this Gospel more.

This coming week we have 2 baptisms scheduled! I will tell the story of the 2 people who are being baptizing next week but it truly is an incredible story as well.

The food is normal now, at least there is nothing that has surprised me lately! I have chicken part soup about EVERY day… so if you name a body part, I GUARANTEE you that I have eaten it. I am realizing that by the time I get home, I will be able to eat just about anything!

The Spanish is coming along really great and for the past few weeks, I have started to learn Quechua which is the Native Language of the Inca's. There are a few older people that speak it so I need to know it in order to teach them.

I love being a missionary and I am Grateful for the opportunity I have to represent him every day. I Love you all so very much, I testify that this Church is TRUE! Never forget that!

--

Elder Taylor R. Fawcett
Peru Cusco Mission


Members of the Ward at a Service Project
for the City of Puno, Removing Propaganda Signs

Elder Iza and I at the Service Project



Daily Lunch, Chicken Foot Soup!!!  Yes I Do Eat It!
There is only a Little Meat and its Really Chewy
Yes, the Toenails are Now Clean After being Boiled!



Not all Parts of the Chicken are as
Good as the Feet!
.



Styles are Different Here,
Beginning my Collection of P-Day Ties!
Cost me 10 Cents



1st DP in 3 Months, A Little Slice of Heaven!!
Member Got this for Me,
Really Expensive Here!