Baptism of William and Isabel.

 Hola Familia Y Amigos! 

I hope all is well with you guys. My week here in Perú was absolutely fantastic. The highlight of the week was Saturday, because I was able to return to my old area, Progreso, to baptize my Investigators, William and Isabel. Remember them? Well now they are one step closer to being an Eternal Family. It was such a sweet experience to return and see all the old Ward members, they were excited to see me. And were all like, "Wow Elder Reschke, you have changed so much!" C-mon, I’ve only been gone for three weeks! But William and Isabel were sooooo happy to be baptized, their testimony afterwards was so powerful, and afterwards William came up to me and thanked me for everything. Being able to baptize them, was probably one of the most spiritual and amazing moments that I have had on my mission, and I am so grateful for the decision they have made to follow the Savior.

     Moreover, I jumpstarted the very first Año Nuevo Ward English Class, which was a HUGE success. About 16 people mas o menos (more or less)  came to the class, and they are all excited to learn English.

P-day was fun...we watched a Disney Movie and then went to Pizza Raul with the Zone, which was tasty like usual.

Sorry for the shortness of this email, but the Internet wasn’t working so I’m running out of time. I hope you all have an amazing week, and just remember how important it is to always follow the Savior in all that you do. There is no other way that you will find happiness in your life, unless you let Jesus Christ into your life. 

Con Mucho Amor,
 Elder Reschke 

P. S. Saturday night at 2 a.m. a bunch of wild cats entered into our room through the ceiling and destroyed the place! They ate our food, left a little surprise on the couch, and then they got in a huge cat fight and they were screaming and growling and left big patches of hair all over the place. Ha ha that was our random moment of the week…

Questions Elder Reschke answered this week:

I know I always ask, but what is the weather like this week?

The weather is actually cooling down a little bit in the mornings and evenings which is nice.

Is your food different in your new area?

The food here is still a lot of traditional Peruvian plates, just more beef than we ate before.

What is your new room like?

The room is bigger than my other one.  We have beds, and three couches and a big industrial sink to wash clothes and plates.  It’s pretty sweet living above the Bishop, they always give us food and stuff which is nice.  That is a perk living above the Bishop.

Does your companion speak English?

He actually speaks a lot more English than any of my other companions.  But we still just talk in Spanish. It is easier that way.

What are you doing for P. Day this week?

We are going to eat at Chili’s!  That will be fun.

How was it this week with the Baptism?

The baptism was just incredible  They are so excited to be baptized.  

Just an incredible week.  

Are you looking forward to General Conference?

I am excited for Conference.  We will probably watch it at the 

Stake Center.  And we get the General Priesthood session as well.

                                   Elder Reschke and his old companion, Elder Martinez:

                         Elder Melgar and Elder Reschke with their English Class they started:

                                                                          The Chapel:

                                                                      Selfie in Peru:

 View of the road from the passenger seat of the old autos.  I guess they are technically taxis but they are kind of informal here in Peru.  They jus pull up on the curbside, everyone piles in, and they drive up to the mountains, and you just yell "BAJA" (bus stop) when you want to get off.  The cost is like 70 centimes,  mas o menos...so like a quarter or less.  Sometimes we argue with the taxi or the moto driver if they charge us one sol.

                                                                    In the taxi car:

                                                                     Dogs in the street:

                                                                        Up in the hills:

                                                   Elder Melgar and Elder Reschke:

                                                              Elder Reschke's desk:

                                                                          Selfie:

                                                       Baptism of Isabel and William:

                                                                     At the baptism:

                                                        Baptism of William and Isabel:

                                                      Elder Reschke baptizing William:

                                                        Elder Reschke baptizing Isabel:

                               "Being able to baptize William and Isabel was probably
              one of the most spiritual, amazing moments that that I have had on my mission."

COMAS: EL EXITO.

Hola Familia Y Amigos,

Lots of cool stuff happened this week for us. First of all, on Wednesday we had a visit from a General Authority, Elder Godoy, of the Seventy. He is the guy that gave the talk in Portuguese for General Conference. He talked to us (in Spanish, not Portuguese, although I can understand Portuegese pretty well), and it was really good. He said that the mission is the perfect time to prepare us for our LIVES. I know that’s true. I have learned so much in my time out here on the mission.

Also, remember my Golden Investigators that I left in my other area, William and Isabel? Well they are getting baptized on Saturday, and they want ME to baptize them! So, we got permission from the Zone Leaders for me to return to El Progreso this Saturday to go to the baptism, and so that will be kind of a fun, nostalgic night. 

Going to the gym in the mornings has been awesome…it's such a good opportunity to get better exercise, and I have been enjoying the treadmill:) ..once a runner always a runner. 

Every Saturday we play fútbol in the morning, and then we have a Zone wide competition... "Esto es Comas!" We compete with the other team finding scriptures and stuff. I’m on team "Leones", but sadly we lost on Saturday:( 

Oh, so the other day we contacted this guy in the Metro, and he had tons of good questions and everything, and we talked to him for like 5 minutes, and I was thinking, "Sweet! we are gonna baptize this guy!" Turns out he was the Bishop of one of the other Wards in the Stake just messing with us! Darn!

Well that’s about all that’s new this week. I have been thinking a lot lately of a talk from Tad R. Callister, when he talks about being a consecrated missionary. A consecrated missionary is one who leaves everything behind and makes sacrifices and completely dedicates himself to the Lord. It is my goal to be that missionary. I know that no missionary is perfect, but I know that if I give 100 percent to the Lord for two years, I will see miracles. Have a great week everyone! 

Con Amor,
Elder Reschke

P.S. Does anyone have a request for photos this week? I need ideas!

P.S.S. I came THIS CLOSE to eating a frog smoothie this morning. They just throw the live frogs in the blender with eggs and a couple of other things. It’s supposed to be really healthy, but I didn’t want to pay 10 soles for it.

Questions Elder Reschke answered this week:

What was the weather like this week?

The weather is still pretty hot.  It’s usually fairly crisp and nice in the mornings, but then it heats up big time.  However, it RAINED the other day which it never does!  Peru doesn’t have storm drains so everything was just rushing down the streets and entering in peoples houses through the roofs and stuff.  It was pretty crazy.  But today it’s hot like usual.

What are your P. Day plans for today?

I think we are going to watch a movie and order Pizza Raul…..like some of the best pizza in Lima.

How are things with your new companion?  

The comp is really cool….he kind of has a different point of view just because he has lived in Bolivia his whole life….but we work really hard.  This week we had 37 lessons, which I think is the most I have had in one week in the mission.  He is a good missionary and a good companion.

How is your Spanish?

Strangely, I am kind of at this point where I feel a little more comfortable speaking Spanish than English.  Last night, I dreamed in Spanish, which was kinda cool.

Also I jumpstarted the English classes here in our Ward. Everyone seems excited!

                                           "Comas Exito" (Comas:  Success)

                                                            A day in Comas:

                                                         Elder Reschke and Elder Melgar:

                         "Some kind of meat" with rice and yuca root on the side.  It was tasty:

            We didn't go to the baby shower, I just thought it was kinda funny they invited us:

                             This Lil Creep was camped out next to our window, and I grabbed
                                      a stack of Restoration pamphlets and flattened him:

My First Transfer!

Hola Familia Y Amigos!

 What a crazy week it has been. We had transfers on Monday, and I got transferred! I must say, it was a total surprise, and I wasn’t expecting it at all. My new area is Año Nuevo 2, in the Comas Zone. I am really excited to work with my new companion, Elder Melgar from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He is the District Leader, and he is a cool guy who likes to work hard. 

Monday night, I went around saying goodbye to everyone in Progreso, which was pretty tough because I made some good friends while I was there. They gave us lots of refreshments, fried bananas, etc, and one hermana gave us some Peruvian bracelets, and our Investigator gave us some woven scripture bookmarks which are pretty cool. I am absolutely amazed at the love that the Peruvian people have showed for some gringo stranger that’s only lived in their country for six months. They are absolutely the most amazing people ever, and I am always going to have them in my heart. 

I got to the new area Tuesday, and our new room is way nice. We have three couches, a big sink to wash clothes, and we live above the Bishop. I’m not sure what the deal is with the shower cause you only get hot water for like two minutes before it blows the circuit. 

But yeah we spent this week going around, getting to know the people, and I am very excited to work here. There are a bunch of potential baptisms, so Elder Melgar and I are excited to work hard. 

On another note, we got a gym membership today. It will be good to go to the gym every morning to work out, AND they have a treadmill, which is always good news for a runner. Unfortunately, we don’t have a pensionista, so we are on our own to make breakfast and dinner. Members still cook lunch, and for breakfast I’m eating stuff like juice, oatmeal, bread, instant breakfast, and fruit. Also, I feel like I stepped in a time machine and went back to the year 1978, because the avenue right next to our house is full of these old school cars from the 70s and 80s ready to take people up into the hills, because the old cars have better engines to drive uphill. Haha it's pretty sweet, I’ve always liked the Classics. 

The Zone is way cool. It's like THAT ZONE. You know what I’m talking about, that Zone that is super pumped, has awesome Zone unity, has a ton of baptisms every month,  and the Zone that everybody hates because they are jealous. So, my time here is going to be absolutely great.

I know that the Lord has great things planned for me here in Comas, and I am very excited to see the miracles that the Lord works day by day here in the mission field. I know that everyone is a child of God no matter where they serve, and so I am very excited to work hard, and bring them the glorious message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Have a great week, and I will keep you posted!  Stay tuned.  Til next week.

 Con amor,
Elder Reschke

P.S. My first companion, Elder Martinez is in my Zone! 

It was a pretty glorious reunion to see him again!

Questions Elder Reschke answered this week:

How do you feel about being transferred?  Were you sad?

Kind of a shock, but I know that the Lord has his plans, and it was actually kind of nice to have a change of scenery.  I am in the Comas Zone now, actually reasonably close to where I was before, just about fifteen minuted down the road.  I am excited to work here in Comas.  I am going to have some great experiences.

What is the new area like?

The cerros (hills) are equally poor as my old area, but down in the city is actually a lot more rich than down below in my old area. It is gong to be a good experience.

What is your companion like?

My companion is from Bolivia.  He has one change in this area and he has been out two changes longer than me, so we are relatively equal. Also Elder Barrientos, the old Assistant to the President is our Zone Leader and also in our District, so I’ve gotten to know him pretty well and he is a nice guy.

Do you do your own laundry now?

We just drop our laundry off at the District Meeting and somebody picks it up and washes it.  This week they left a candy bar in my clean shirts for me to find, which was a nice surprise:)

What do you do for food now?  Do you have a kitchen?

Our “kitchen” is just a table and a mini fridge.  We fix our own breakfast, 

we eat lunch with members, and dinner is just a snack.

Have you gained or lost weight?

I think I filled in a bit in the CCM (Missionary Training Center), but then lost it all out here, and I think my muscles are actually more toned now than when I left home.

Are you taking probiotics and being careful with the drinking water and what you eat?

I took probiotics this week, and yes I’m careful.  Don’t worry:)

                    Saying good-bye to the missionaries and people of Progresso is bittersweet.

                                             Elder Stilton and Elder Reschke:

                                                     Elder Walker and Elder Reschke:

                                                      Elder Sangama and Elder Reschke:

                                             Hermano Solano and Elder Reschke:

                                                           Saying good-bye to families:

                                                            Good-bye Progresso:

                                                                        Progresso:

                                                                         Progresso:

                                                            Good-bye to a family:

                                                         Good-bye to Progresso people:

                                                                            Good-bye:

                                                  Good-bye Progresso after 6 months:

                                                                Good-bye first area:

                                                                      Good-bye:

                                                              Last visit with a family in Progresso:

                                                       Saying good-bye to Tobias:

                                                                         Good-bye:

Good-bye:

                                                                Good-bye Tobias:

                                                     Good-bye to families in Progresso:

 Elder Quille's last days as a full-time missionary, Elder Reschke and hermana in Progresso:

                           What I eat for breakfast now that we do not have a pensionista.
                                  We eat juice, oatmeal, bread, instant breakfast and fruit:

                                           This brick is a pile of maggots I found under a
                                     pile of trash that I was cleaning up in my new apartment:

                                                                  My new apartment:

                   
                         The "Scary Room", which is attached to our room, and is full of stuff.
                     I think a couple of Zombies live in there, and quite possibly a cat as well:

The Dog That Was Strolling Through The Chapel......

Hola Familia Y Amigos! 

It’s been a pretty good week down here in Perú. It’s been a little strange because my companion was finishing his mission, so we spent a lot of time doing splits with members while he went to the final meetings in the offices and stuff like that. 

But, the work is going well. We did a service project for William and Isabel, and moved a TON of sand onto their roof, which was quite a job. They are progressing really well, and we have a baptismal date of the 21st of March for them. They came to church yesterday, so that’s a good sign. We also invited them to come to the baptismal service of the other missionaries, which they did, and liked.  We went to teach them, but we couldn’t teach them until they butchered their chicken.  And, as you know from New Year’s Eve, I have experience with that kind of thing, so we went and helped them butcher their chicken.

 We met a way cool girl named Vanessa, who is super open to our message. We left her a chapter to read in The Book of Mormon. The next visit, I said, "Did you read the chapter we left?" "Yeah I read it.." "What did you learn?" "That this is the true church!" Um, yeah okay perfect! We´ll roll with that. I wasn’t quite expecting that answer, but it’s good enough for me! She really wants to follow this way of life, and accepted to be baptized on the 28th of March. The thing is though,  that she has to get married to her husband first. Um...So, we have 18 days to do all their wedding papers so that they can get married in the massive marriage on the 27th. I never knew that "wedding planner" was part of the job title of missionaries, but we are trusting in the Lord that he will help us do everything in time! 

P. Day on Monday was fun, we played soccer as a Zone, and then went to Plaza Norte for lunch. Back in America, we kind of joke about Mc Donalds, but it is a welcome sight here in Perú! 

But yeah,  life is good down here in Perú, and I’ll keep ya´ll posted if anything crazy happens. But I just wanted to leave my testimony that what the Prophets say is correct: Missionary work is the most rewarding work on the face of this planet. Being a missionary is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but definitely the most rewarding. My testimony has grown so much in just this little time that I’ve been here. I have met so many new amazing friends, even though the majority don’t speak my language. But that is just evidence that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and that we are all brothers and sisters. I know that The Book of Mormon truly changes lives, and it is my invitation that you all can read this book, because it truly is the word of God, and it’s amazing.

Love you all so much, and thanks for all the prayers.

 Con Amor,
Elder Reschke

P.S. We were walking down the street the other day, and this little Peruvian kid saw me and pointed and started yelling, "Alien!! Alien!!!" hahaha I suppose gringos are a pretty rare sight in this part of Perú. Have a great week:)

P.S.S.  We were walking through the marketplace in the electronics section, and spotted some BYU Cougars Skull Candy Headphones.  What in the world are they doing in a marketplace in Lima Peru?

Questions Elder Reschke answered this week:

Why are you always moving dirt?

No idea.  But for some reason everyone has this big pile of sand they want moved onto their roof  I think they are going to use it for construction.  Because the roofs here are like hangout places…it’s where people have their clotheslines, and cook food sometimes.

What is the school schedule like for kids there in Peru`?

Today is actually the first day of school for them, so everyone had to go back to school.  They have been on Summer Vacation since Christmas.  So, it’s kind of “the dog days of Summer”, haha.

Is Summer hotter there than here in Utah?

I would say it probably gets hotter in Utah.  But, the thing is, we walk around so much, and there is SO MUCH dust and dirt just blowing around so the dust makes things interesting.

Any mail this week?

I’ve gotten a few “dear elder” letters from you, and one from Dan.  Those are always fun to read!

Your companion, Elder Quille goes home this week.  How is he?

Ya know, it’s always just kind of a bittersweet feeling.  It’s tough killing a companion (companion’s last area)  we are going to refocus, and we are gonna KILL IT this week.

In the Motto taxi with Elder Quille:

                               Elder Quille, Elder Walker, and Elder Reschke in the Motto taxi:

                         We moved sand up to the roof of our Investigators, William and Isabel:

                                                         Food after the service project:

                                                 Breakfast with the M_________Family:

                                                          Working up in the hills:

          Elder Reschke, Elder Stilton, Elder Quille, Elder Sangama by the cemetery on the hill:

                                                            Trail to the hill houses:

                                                           Serving the Lord in Peru:

                                                   Elder Quille and Elder Reschke:

                                  A random dog that came into the chapel during the baptism:

                                                                      Seafood soup:

    Crab and muscles were in the soup:

                                              The seafood soup was tasty.  I really liked it:
                                                                   

                                         Ward Leadership Training we had yesterday.
                              In this picture there are a lot of my favorite people that I've met:

 Breakfast with Tobias, who we reactivated.  If all my seven months here, the only thing I accomplished was to reactivate him, my whole mission would be worth it because he is amazing:

                                              Elder Quille, Elder Sangama, Elder Reschke: