From President and Hermana Perez!

President and Hermana Perez wrote us a letter and sent this photo! It was really good to hear from Landon's mission president. They do not speak a word of English but the language is not a barrier! They are communicating well. They sound like they have a deep love for each of the missionaries and I know Landon will be in good hands for the next 2 years (not just theirs, but the Lord's also).

Landon also included a note expressing his love and appreciation for them. They will be with him for the entire time he is in Peru. He has felt very small and inadequate as more and more new challenges come his way. He has relied on the power of prayer and is feeling a great peace as he faces each one. He is parting with some wonderful friends that he has worked and trained with and looks forward to meeting up wtih them after they all return home from their missions!

It's GO TIME!

"So I am officially within 5 days of being shipped out. I am so excited, its kinda crazy but the last couple of days my ability to understand Spanish has really clicked and I am beginning to understand the Latino accent and its such a relief for me.
We just got back from immigration and I am now officially a Peruvian Citizen. While we were sitting there a lady came and talked to us in English. it took me a sec to understand what she was saying but then I realized she was speaking English I understood. She was from Europe and she has lived in Peru for two years. She is a member and her mom lives in Logan Utah. It was pretty fun to chat with her for a while. While we were waiting we had to sit and wait in line. And it just so happened that there was a nun on the middle of the bench. So Elder Smith and I sat on one side and two other elders sat on the other. I wish I had a picture of that. A man came up and told us that this would be a classic photo. A catholic nun in the middle of four Mormon Missionaries. Classic. We also met a man there who is working in the Peru for a while. He is from New Mexico and it was great to chat with him. He was pretty quick to give us the latest scores from College BBall and stuff.
President Gorberg has officailly taken over the reins here at the CCM. He is quite a bit different from President Crayk but he is still an amazing guy. I haven't had to much of a chance to really talk to him yet but hopefully i will.
Tomorrow we are going out and knocking doors again, except this time my comp wont be Elder Mollo, its going to be Elder Smith. So with two very green North Americans we are going to attempt sharing the word. I am way excited though, i love actually working with real people with real problems. The CCM scenarios are good but its best when we get to talk to actual people.
President Nelson´s talk was so amazing. We heard from him on Saturday as well as Sunday. And at the stake conference he was talking at the First Lady of Peru was present. She then came over to the CCM and we got to meet her. It was a very eventful weekend.
This is my last letter from the comforts of the CCM. I am very excited to be out among the people. These people are all so very humble and yet they are very happy.
I hope everything is going great. I love hearing from you and knowing that you are all doing great. Thanks!!!"
Elder Schofield

"What an amazing week! I feel as though I am making great strides in not only my teaching, but with my Spanish as well. I still have a long way to go, but I can see that the Lord has blessed me with the gift of tongues as well as interpretation of tongues. I am just really grateful for the blessings I am receiving.

Alot has happened in the past couple of days. We have met President and Sister Groberg, bid farewell to President and Sister Crayk, had a fireside with Elder Nelson and his wife, Wendy. When we were preparing for our meeting with Elder Nelson, we were in our classrooms when all the missionaries from the surrounding missions started coming in. My district was looking at them as if they were SUPER STARS! They all had a glow about them and the comment was made "I can't wait until we are REAL missionaries"! It's true. Just looking at them gave me a peace that we are part of a great work. I experienced an amazing meeting: We were in the presence of two CCM presidents, five mission presidents, the temple president, an entire area presidency, 600 missionaries and member of the Quorum of the Twelve! There was a lot of power in that room! Before the meeting, Elder Nelson took the time to greet each one of us. He looked me right in the eye and said, "Good Morning Elder Schofield" Then he spoke to us about the importance of truly knowing our investigators and more, and he left us with a beautiful Apostolic Blessing. I was really comforted and I know I have a big responsibility in this great work.

Thanks for all your letters! They really put a smile on my face!"

Love, Elder Schofield

"Hey Everyone,
Well I have less than two weeks left here in the CCM. I'm way excited and I'm super scared at the same time. Its a little nerve racking to be thinking that I am going to be out, doing what Ive spent so much time learning how to do. Its a big responsibility and I really excited. I'm feeling a little inadequate but I'm excited to get out there and get to work.
Our new CCM President, President Groberg, comes in at 2 o'clock today. This place has been crazy with getting ready for the new President and Elder Nelson. There is going to be a big youth fireside with Elder Nelson here today and he will speak to us tomorrow morning. There will be over 600 missionaries here for that. I cant wait to here from him.
The food is kinda getting old, haha. Its funny cuz once you think that they can't possibly make a different kind of variation to chicken and rice, they surprise you and throw something new at you, lol. But what I wouldn't do for a cheese burger, lol. We had some of the new elders go to interpol today so i made sure they are bringing me back some Mt. Dew!!!
I hope all is well back home. I'm so thankful for everything you all are doing for me."

Elder Schofield

It's Real!

'Just walking through the streets and the markets it became so real to me. All of the people, the sights, and the smells are nothing I have experienced before and seeing how these people live would really humble anyone. The people are so willing to talk to you, even a 'gringo' from Idaho! Oh, and by the way, I did get called a gringo!

At time I think we take things for granted, but getting to know the Latinos makes me step back and realize how blessed we are. Many of these Elders from Latin America are the only members in their families. Many of them have scrificed so much to be here and seeing their smiling faces and positive attitudes is such a strength to me."

They Have Mountain Dew in Peru!

"Hey Everyone,

Ok so alot has happened in the last week so I will try to get in all in. Last Saturday we went out and had our first experience with real door to door missionary work. We left early in the morning and went to a small town ( about 500,000 people) called Ventanilla and its actually in the North mission. We went to the stake center and got paired up with a member and went to work. We contacted several less actives and did alot of street contacts. My companion was Elder Mollo and the two of us worked really well together. Pretty much throughout the entire day I had a hard time understanding what people were saying to me but overall i could gather the jist of what was going on, until our very last contact. She was a less active and we thought she was the only one home but her mother was there with her. Her mother was a really hard core catholic and hated her daughter being a member and just couldn't believe the Book of Mormon. She started out listening to elder Mollo and I but then she started yelling at us. I was seriously freakin out. She kept yelling and i looked at elder Mollo and he didn't know what to do either, but then I knew we had to calm her down so I interrupted her and looked her right in the eyes and bore my testimony to here. after I finished she sat back and seemed to be open to our teachings, we taught about the Restoration and how the book of Mormon and the bible work together. I don't know what will happen with her but i was just really excited i actually knew what was going on and I felt like I taught her. Even though she agree 100 percent with what we were teaching i know that she felt the spirit. But by the end of the day I was so worn out. The town on Ventanilla is a slightly impoverish city but the people there are so willing to let you in and teach. It truly is amazing. It was most definitely the hardest thing i have ever done but it was a great time.

Yesterday several of us had to go to interpol to become legal Peruvian citizens. It was quite uneventful until the drive back to the CCM. Our driver stopped at a gas station and let us get some goodies. I walked in and there it was. An ice-cold can of MOUNTAIN DEW. It was totally unexpected. The only problem was that it cost about five soles, so me and Elder McGavin were going to go halvesies on it.

Yesterday was also our big day of fun. For lunch we had pizza hut and all afternoon we spent exploring Lima and taking in the culture. We could wear our normal clothes with our name tags and basically be tourists for a day. We got to see the Peruvian white house and all of the big tourist attractions. For an entire hour we were turned lose to go and do whatever so here Elder Cooke, Evans, and I are all alone in Lima Peru and we basically stuck out like a sore thumb. We went to the soccer stadium and bought soccer jerseys. That night we had a steak dinner and were able to play football and soccer all night under the lights. It was a blast.

We got a new shipment of Elders today. So now there is about 120 missionaries here. It was sad to see Elder Mollo and Elder Oreallana head out but they will be great.

I appreciate all of your emails and letters, they lift me up so much. Thanks!!"

Hola!

"Hey Everyone,

So everything down here in Peru is going great. Last night was probably the craziest New Years Eve celebration I have ever seen and I didn't even leave the walls of the CCM. The people here make giant dolls of bad world leaders like Bin Laden and people like that and then at midnight they Blow them up! All night there were explosions and music and all kinds of stuff. It was tough to get to sleep but eventually I was able to tune everything out.

So the weight that I gained back in Provo is now officially gone. I had a little bit of a pudge but my pudge is no more. We are so much more active here and the food is alot healthier so all and all its a good deal

The other night I was able to meet my mission President and His wife. President and Sister Perez. They don't speak any English so my first interview with him will be very interesting, hopefully i don't say something really bad and they send me home for it, lol. But they both demand so much out of their elders but they also have a great deal of love for them. It was great to have been able to meet them so soon. I am taller than both of them and I’m not that tall so that was kinda funny.

This sat we are going out on the streets to teach to REAL people. I cant wait. I’m really nervous cuz my Spanish isn't all that great but still way excited. We will be paired up with a Latino companion that way us North Americans don't blow it and something is actually taught, lol.

Elder Smith and I officially passed our first milestone or test with lesson one. I can officially teach lesson one in Spanish. Its definitely shaky but its all good. I was pretty stoked about that. We also had to make a street contact by ourselves and I survived that as well thank goodness.

Oh and you all know how I always have a rubber band on, well my Latino roommates asked me one day why i wore one and I told them I had alot of reasons and they said that it looked cool, so I gave them each one and they are so proud of it. Its crazy how something so simple can mean so much to someone. But it made my day!

I seriously wish you all could be here to experience what I am. It truly is an amazing place!! I will try to send pictures as soon as I can but I'm not real sure when I will be able to. I wish I could send more emails cuz I hate not being able to personalize them, its just kind of a general ´´this is how its going´´ kind of a letter. but I hope you all know that I am so thankful for your support and prayers."

Elder Schofield