Week 20 - A Trying Week!!!

Hola mi Familia y Amigos;

So, this week was pretty difficult. Being a missionary is NEVER easy, but it makes it even tougher sometimes when you’re faced with things you’ve never dealt with before. This week started out really good, but then my Companion started wanting to go home. He really had a rough week and even had grand desires to end his mission and return home to Guatemala. But, I am not about to let that happen. I know that I was given the responsibility of training him for a reason. Of all the missionaries in the mission, a very unqualified and inexperienced Gringo was given the responsibility of teaching him the things he needed to know to be a missionary. Before my mission there is no way in the world that I would have been able to handle or have any idea what in the world to do. But, the biggest thing I have learned on my mission is when times get tough, to rely on our Savior and through him everything can be made better. He has given me the Strength and Patience to know how and what to say to be able to handle this new experience for me.

Throughout this week, as times have been hard for my Companion and as I have been faced with these challenges, I have learned what it means to be a True Friend. Though at times I have gotten frustrated with the situation, when it all has seemed hopeless, the Lord has helped me be able to know what to say and how to go about it. But with help from the Lord, my goal is to keep pushing him, till he finishes his training.

Despite all the rough times this week, the Lord has blessed me with some incredible experiences. One of them was as my Companion and I visited a Father of 3 little girls (Ruth, Anna, Jessica) who all have a desire to be baptized. The parents are both very less active and have NO desire for the church. The Father however is strongly against the church now. Throughout all my time with Elder Iza we tried to talk with the Father but never were able too. But this week, after much persistence we got a chance to talk with him. The lesson was incredible and the Spirit was very powerful. At the end of the lesson, he prayed and thanked the Lord for the 2 angels who had come to help him. He is now starting very very slowly to progress and we hope that by rescuing him we can get the 3 little girls baptized as well.

Another experience we had this week was when we were visiting Kevin who was baptized a few weeks ago. As we were visiting with him, his Uncle who was visiting with him for the day and also lives in our Sector, decided that he would come in and also visit with us as we were teaching the new Member discussion to Kevin.  We took the opportunity to also teach his Uncle the missionary lessons. It went really well and the Spirit was really strong and he had tears in his eyes.  I felt in my heart that I needed to extend to him the invitation to be baptized and he accepted.  He doesn’t have a date yet, he still wants to find out a few things on this timing but we will continue to work hard with him.  

No matter how tough the mission gets, I feel the Savior walking the path with me every day. Life never is easy, the mission will never be, but how can we expect it all to be easy when the best person who ever lived had it Harder than we can ever imagine? I am thankful for Him and know that through Him ALL will be and can be possible!

I love you all very much!

Love,

Elder Fawcett

                                                                  When it Rains in Puno!!

A Few of My P-Day Ties!!!

Eating Pizza in a Members Pizzeria!! Elder Sarceño and Elder Fawcett

This Ones for Grandpa!!! Sheep in Peru!!!

Willy Made this to use as My P-Day Bag

Photo Album for my Mission Pictures

Week 19 - A Bitter Sweet Week

Hola mi Familia y Amigos,

So, this week was a better sweet one.  It began by taking a bus to Cusco for 8 hours on Tuesday to get my new Companion that I am training.  My trainer (Elder Iza) is serving in Cusco so we said our final goodbyes at the Mission Home there and I can honestly say that I definitely had the absolute best trainer out there!  The last thing he said to me is something that will stick with me for the rest of my mission and my life. “Elder Fawcett, you have the potential to be and accomplish whatever you want!  Give it your whole heart and dedication and you will work miracles!”  I will always remember that and I truly think it applies to each of us.  We said goodbye and it was hard to leave because I really looked up to him a lot. 

After that, I spent the night with some missionaries from my MTC group who were living in Cusco.  It was really great to see them again and catch up but I was already really stressed out when I got there and they didn’t make it any easier since they couldn’t believe that I was going to be leading and also training a new missionary.  They knew that in the MTC my Spanish was definitely not the best and they just couldn’t believe that I was going to be training.  But after that night, on Wednesday, it was time to get my New Companion.  So, the group of us Elders that were going to be trainers went to the main Ward Building in Cusco where we had a little training and an interview with the Mission President.  As it was my turn to be interviewed, President Herrera gave me an awesome interview.  He told me that he knew the Lord was asking a lot of me to train a new missionary so early on in my mission and at the same time being a District Leader.  But, he said that knew for a fact that the Lord wanted me to be doing this right now in my mission and that the Lord knew I could do it and he also knew that throughout my life the Lord was going to continue to ask a lot of me.

That made me feel a lot better because I was honestly really nervous.  After the interviews, all of the trainers sat in the Chapel and waited for all the new missionaries to enter.  As they entered, I wondered which one it would be.  Then President Herrera announced each in this manner.  “Serving in the Puno Central Region in the Ward Inca Pachactec, is Elder Fawcett and he will be training Elder Sarceño!” My new Companion stood up and that was that!

Elder Sarceño is from Guatemala and has been a member his whole life, but has been inactive for most of it!  He’s incredible and loves to work hard but he doesn’t know any English at all!  I just hope I can teach him as well as my trainer taught me!  We came back to Puno on Thursday and got right to work!  The first person we taught was a man who we had committed to baptism but decided he didn’t know for sure that it was all true.  As we taught, there was a new weight on my shoulders because being the Senior Companion/trainer, I had to lead the lesson.  As we taught the spirit took over and somehow the Lord enabled me to say what needed to be said.  After the lesson, Jhon has a desire to find out form the Lord if it is all true!

Now just one more bitter sweet story for the week.  Saturday, we were supposed to have the Baptism of a 12 year old girl named Lucero.  On Friday we visited her and her family and talked with her Mom (Geoanna). She said that she now has a desire as well to be baptized along with her other daughter Marilin.  Both of which were not interested before.  But, Geoanna wanted to be baptized the same day with her daughter Lucero.  So after speaking with the 3 of them, we have now moved the baptism to a few weeks from now in order to baptize all of them. 

It truly is incredible ho the Lord can change the hearts of his children.  I am so grateful to be a missionary and to have the chance to share this message with everyone!  I am also grateful for the great opportunity to train an incredible new missionary, Elder Sarceño he is going to be incredible!

Thanks for everything!

Love

Elder Fawcett

In the Puno Bus Terminal Elders Fawcett, Iza, Haws and his Companion

Final Goodbye to My Trainer Elder Iza at the Mission Home in Cusco

Elder Fawcett and Elder Sarceño At The Plaza de Armas in Cusco

New Sweater, 100% Alpaca (30 Soles) New Hat, 5 Soles $1 = 3.5 Soles

Elder Fawcett and Elder Sarceño
in the Peru Home and Away Soccer Jersey!

Week 18 - End of My Training, Big Changes!!!

Hola mi Familia y Amigos,

Hi everyone! This week was really crazy with it being my very last week of my training. And so my companion and I worked really hard and taught a lot of lessons. But first things first, today we had a “reunion of changes” and I got my change. I am actually going to be staying here in Puno for quite a bit more time. I’ll explain more about me later, but my companion is going to Cusco and is going to be serving in one of the hardest sectors in the mission. There is only like 20 members in his Ward that he’ll be serving in. So he’s going to a really hard sector. 

For me, I got some news that really kinda blew my mind! Cause I just really wasn’t expecting it. I don’t really know if I’m really ready for it. But today the Zone Leaders called me up to the front of the room and they’re like, “alright, Elder Fawcett you’re going to Train,” and so I’m going to be training a new missionary out of the MTC and I was also asked to be a District Leader. So, I’m going to be training and I’m going to be a District Leader this next change. And so I’ll train for two more changes here in Puno, so I’ll be here for three more months. Cause changes are six weeks, so I’ll be here about three more months. I’ll pass Christmas here. So yeah, I’m training and I’m the new district leader and that’s really crazy for me because I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m ready for that and I don’t know if my Spanish is good enough to do that. But it’s not normal for Gringos to train after their training. Because I just literally barley finished my training and now I’m training and it’s not very common for that to happen. It’s not common at all. It’s only me and Elder Haws from our big group of ten missionaries of white Gringos who are training. Elder Haws is my buddy who lives with me, he’s training too. And he’s also a District Leader. So he and I are both going to get through this together. And yeah, so that’s the news for me. I’m pretty nervous! I am honestly really stressed out right now. 

But anyway, everything was good this week and we got a lot of work done. I’m hopefully going to have a baptism this week. We are having a baptism this week. That will be pretty cool if everything works out with that. I’m just really nervous right now honestly for everything. Tomorrow I go back to Cusco and I’m there till Thursday. My new companion will come and I’ll got into a room and they will say,” Hey Elder so and so you’ll be going with your trainer Elder so and so.” So, that’s what’s going to happen with that.  I’ll get my trainee this week, so next week I’ll let you know who I am training.

Anyways, I would just like to say that I have had the absolute best Trainer! I can honestly say that I’ve learned a whole lot from him. Today was/is our last day together and this morning he did something that really was incredible and really meant a lot to me. I learned something new. My companion when he got to the mission, the old Mission President, President Harbertson, told Elder Iza that he was going to train. In his interview on the first day! He told him that he was going to train after he finished his training. President Harbertson gave him his suit that he was wearing in the interview. His pants and suit coat and told him that he was going to be a great missionary and he was going to train a missionary. And that missionary happened to be me. Today Elder Iza gave me his suit that he got from President Harbertson. I didn’t want to take it from him and I fought him really hard. Anybody who knows me, knows that I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t take his suit that the President gave him. But he gave it to me and said that he wanted me to have it and he said he’d be really offended if I didn’t take it from him. And he was just going to leave it here in our house if I didn’t take it. He’s like take it or else I’m going to be really offended. I’m your trainer and I’m going to give it to you. He told me to be a good trainer too for the missionary that I’m training. So that really meant a lot to me. The whole time I’ve been trying to figure out why he was my trainer. I’ve really learned a lot from him, but the biggest I’ve learned from him is to Love everyone no matter who they are and to just try every day to Work as Hard as you can. You know I’ve really learned a lot from him and I’m really thankful for him and I’m really thankful for everything. I’ll always remember the things I have learned from him. I’m really excited for this new adventure that I’m going to start tomorrow. 

I love you all so very much! Thank you so much for all your support!

Hasta Luego!

-- 

Elder Taylor R. Fawcett
Peru Cusco Mission

Letter From the Mission President

Dear Elder Fawcett, Taylor Richard, 

First of all, I want to Congratulate you on this call that comes from God. This is a special order. The Lord has seen your heart and service disposition and although you are not perfect, He gives you the opportunity to serve Him like you have never done before. You will have the opportunity to serve as District Leader and Trainer for a new missionary in the Inca Pachacutec area of the Chanu Chanu District of the Central Puno Area. 

It is a great privilege and I am very happy for it. I want to invite you to give your all. There is much to do in this work and through this letter I want to express my gratitude and trust. You will be an instrument in the hands of the Lord not only to bless the lives of researchers, but also members and missionaries. 

I ask you to assume this responsibility with much HUMILITY and simplicity of heart. To whom the Lord calls, the Lord enables. He will greatly bless you as you do your will with encouragement and obedience. Once again, congratulations and successes in this great responsibility. 

Sincerely, 

President Henry Herrera

Our Penchanista's Dog "Nigga", Follows us All Over

Not Quite Like Bowman's!!! Rico's Pan, a Bakery in Puno

Typical Peruvian Food

Potatoes Native to Peru, in Soup

Ketchup, Peruvian Style... Little Different

Wattery Chunyo Soup

Fruit Juice, Really Great When Its Mangos!!

Ward Activity

Various Ward Organizations Prepared Dances

Food

More Food

Activities

And More Dances

For Different Countries of the World

Gift of President Harbertson's Suit

Farewell to My Trainer and Friend Elder Iza!!!!

Week 17 - Lima, and Lots of Legit Experiences

Hola,

This week was absolutely AWESOME!!! I spent about half of the week out of town and out of my sector traveling to Lima to get things finalized for my Visa. That was pretty fun and I really missed working but it was great to catch up with all of my MTC Buddies and hang out with all of them for a few days.  While traveling, I spent 8 hours on a bus to Cusco than a 1.5 hour airplane to Lima, spent a whole day in and around the airport taking care of my Visa. (Eating McDonalds which I was surprised wasn’t very different from the one in the States although it did have some unique things but overall, it was pretty incredibly weird to be somewhere so advanced compared to Puno). Then, I flew back to Cusco (1.5 hours) and took the 8 hour bus ride back to Puno!

This week is my final week of my training, which means next Monday we will have changes. My companion, Elder Iza, will leave but I will stay and either receive an older missionary or I also have the possibility of training…which isn’t very likely.

This week, we worked a whole ton with a less active member named Victor. He was once a member of the church and is and ordained High Priest. He has been through several sets of missionaries for the past several years. He is a returned missionary, was married in the temple, and has a little boy. But, he has become very bitter against the church due to the fact that his Wife cheated on him and his life completely fell apart. Like all the many missionaries before my companion and I, we have been working to reactivate him. We have worked with him the entire time I have been here and I am happy to say that he has finally decided to start coming back to Church.  It is really great to see the progress he has made and to see him start coming back.

Another cool story, this past week, we were asked by our Elder Quorum President to go over and give someone a blessing with him and of course we said yes.  The house we went to was of a family who were nonmembers but they have always felt something special about the missionaries and the church.  As we entered his house, I saw him lying in the bed and immediately realized that this man was VERY Sick. My companion then commenced to tell me that I would be doing the blessing. I was a little hesitant but Elder Iza insisted. SO, he did the anointing and I did the blessing. As I placed my hands on this very sick man, I had the most spiritual feeling come over me. I felt the Love our Heavenly Father has for him and had a thought pop in my head. As I was giving him the blessing, I wanted to say and bless him that he would be healed. But as I was giving the blessing, I knew that was not the blessing our Heavenly Father wanted me to give him.  I knew that he would be passing away the following morning. I obeyed the feelings I received and blessed him with a knowledge that our Father and Heaven loved him and that one day he would have the opportunity to receive the fullness of the gospel. The following morning, he did indeed pass.

One last experience, last night, I was probably the sickest I have been on my mission so far.  I was up in the bathroom at least 4 times throwing up and everything else and when the sun came up this morning, I really felt awful. Today was P-day and I had so much to do to get ready for the new week and being so sick there was no way to get everything done feeling the way I did, but then I had the thought that I needed a blessing.  So I had Elder Iza and give me a blessing and it was a really beautiful blessing and as he was concluding, as clear as day, I heard a voice say, “Elder Fawcett, I haven’t left you since day one, what makes you think I would leave you now?” Since then, I have felt great all day and all of the things I suffered from all night are completely gone. The Priesthood is real and our Savior is real.  He is my Best Friend and I Know He has walked by me every single day through my mission and at times when it is the hardest, he has carried me. 

I love you all so very much and thank EVERYONE for all the support that I receive. I testify that the church is true and the Priesthood is real. It truly is the power of god here on the earth.

Love

 --

Elder Taylor R. Fawcett
Peru Cusco Mission

Elders Fawcett / Iza with Bishop Halmington and Wife and Daughter

These are Honestly the Ugliest Dogs I Have Ever Seen!!!

"Richard" is an Inactive we are Working with!!
Honestly, Don't Know Why
Elder Fawcett Has a Bunny Head on,
He Neglected to Mention that Part!!!