Missionary Service Brings Happiness and Growth

Lauren is pregnant!!??? ahhhh (Lauren is one of Sean's friends who was recently married)

We received a reference from a member yesterday and now we have a GOLD family!!! The brother's name is Miguel.

I'm working hard and my companion's awesome.

Elder Rodriguez will be calling in a couple weeks. (They will be rooming together at BYU.)

Well.....I'm just really happy. I've grown so much in my testimony this week. I found out how to make better choices and listen to the spirit better.

I miss Nate honestly and I'm excited to room with him. (Nate is Sean's friend and former BYU room mate. He is serving in the Rosario Argentina mission right now, and left about 1 week prior to Sean. They are going to be rooming when they start back up at school.)

We have to go to the bank today to get money with the zone. I'm tired, and this letter's really short because I was doing the weekly informes....but nothing new really has happened. I'll write more next week! I love you!!!!

Elder Layton

(Steve Rau asked Sean for his input on a local program known as the Aaronic Priesthood Encampment. What follows is his response.)

I'm a missionary in the Peru Lima North Mission. I've been out in the mission field now for 19 months and I love every experience, every day, and every part of my mission. The APE helped me prepare for my mission in so many ways. Before my mission I was prideful and didn't do many things that I should have been doing to prepare for my mission. I was invited by the Stake Presidency in a formal letter (to attend) and sent my response of aception a few weeks later.

Honestly the APE is ingrained in my head. It was the first time that I felt the responsibly of helping a companion. It was the first time I could feel what it was like to have a district, or a zone. Now that I'm a Zone leader in a full-time mission I can definitely say that the APE helped me a ton. You could ask me in what way it most prepared me for my mission. It was the spirit of the APE and the spirit of the work that helped me the most.

To be honest, I don't remember anything I learned there. But I remember one night when President Rau and the other leaders called us (the district leaders) into a small tent and asked us about the "missionaries". I felt that I really wanted to help the other young men progress and learn so you could say it help me start developing a charity for others. All I can say is thanks for letting me be apart of the aaronic priesthood encampment :)!

Elder Layton

It Was Another Amazing Experience

Dear Familia,

Okay… I have to get into my English writing mode. Man, I'm so glad to hear Gabe's doing good. And… let's just say I'm grateful my apartment is on the 4th floor and is relatively safe from getting robbed. Nathan, if you find out who stole your stuff give them a punch in the face for me. Good luck with everything. (Elder Layton's friend, serving a mission in Argentina, was robbed twice recently.)

Honestly it's the weirdest thing for me that Lauren got married… I'm still a kid! My seminary class can't be getting married already… I'm not back yet to eat the food at the receptions!

There's really not much news this week. It was a little discouraging not finding many new people this week. I baptized Mabel on Saturday. It was a another amazing experience. She got up to give her testimony and started bawling. She has a firm testimony that the Gospel is true. Milagros didn't show up to her baptism… ikes!... but it was because her mom didn't want her going out at night. She came to Church yesterday and brought her Cousin Gino who also has a baptism date and was sorry for not being able to go to her baptism. She's preparing for this next Saturday, along with Alexandra and Juan Carlos.

Gainela's (the girl we baptized a week ago) parents are getting married this week on Saturday. They didn't come to Church but we're going to visit them to see how everything's going. Back to Juan Carlos…. He's a gold investigator. He always comes to church. The Jehovah Witnesses have been teaching him for a few months but we challenged him to baptism on our first visit and he accepted. He knows that it is true and is helping all his older brothers, sisters, and cousins come to Church. Cool.

Oh yeah, we found out our changes 20 minutes ago. I'm staying here, in good old Independencia! Elder Chan is going to my same area in Iquitos (9 de Octubre). My new companion´s named Elder Soto! He was in my same Zone in Pucallpa so I already know him good. He's a big round Costa Riccan haha!! (probably the Elder at the far left, and incorrectly labled as "Elder Soio") President Rau probably baptized his family ;), I'll ask him about it. He knows English and Portugese too, so I'll have him teach me a little Brazilero so I can talk with Bryan when he comes back.

Well, I'm making a plan already in my head how we can overcome the challenges of the area for this change. I plan on having big results going into my one year mark. It only makes me feel a little sad, a little old, and a little like I'm running out of time.

Nana, congrats on graduating. Hope it was fun with the girls at our house. I know you'll miss them.

Eric, have fun at EFY.

Curtis, be an Eagle Scout.

Sincerely - Your Missionary,

Elder Layton