One week in... change is good.

Flight to Lima, getting adjusted, companions, call him gringo, expedited schedule, practice makes perfect, temple trip and loving the food (so far).

Dear friends and family,

We are thrilled to be able to share the letters and pictures that Jacob is sending us from Peru. It's been a week since we dropped him off at the airport. We received his first letter today, and it was like Christmas! We are starting a blog as a place to post his letters, stories and pictures.  After this week, we hope it will be up and running.  Look for a link to be emailed to you so you can follow along on his Peruvian adventures.  Until then, I'm enclosing his letter here (I had to do extensive editing and error fixing as a mom/English teacher). Thank you all for supporting us and Jacob at this time.  Your love and prayers mean more to us than we can ever express. Enjoy the first installment of Elder Neves Takes Peru By Storm!

Glynis

Hello everyone, from Lima! I'm super excited to be writing all of you guys for the first time. I am having an awesome time, and it all started out with us getting here at 4:00 in the morning, and waking up at 6:30 the same morning! When we woke up we went to get our name tags and haircuts and to switch all of our money and stuff. The President of the MTC (CCM) spoke to me, so I had a conversation with him in Spanish. He decided to switch me over to the 3 week program! So, yeah, I'll be out in the field 2 weeks from now. I'm a little scared but I know that the Lord will help me to be ready. I'm in a district with exclusively natives, and I'm the only gringo. They always ask me questions that are really funny. 

My companion's name is Elder Sedano, and he is a native from here in Lima. He knows English, and I know the Lord gave me him as a companion to help me with the language struggles that I am having. The first night was so hard, I laid in my bed for so long and I couldn't sleep, I was so stressed. The natives speak Spanish so fast that I can barely understand them. I sort of just pick out words and then get the rest with context. But Elder Sedano is helping me so much! He is a huge blessing!

So, we do pretend knocking on the doors and teaching people here, and it's very hard for me, for some reason. The investigators all have SUPER thick Peruvian accents, and I can't understand their Spanish. I'm doing my besth, though, and it's working out. Elder Sedano and I are teaching a guy named Jaime right now, and we just taught him the Plan of Salvation, but when I was teaching, I swear I forgot every part of Spanish I know. The more I was talking the worse and worse it got. It was so weird and frustrating, but my companion helped me out, and rescued me but dutting in, and later I was able to teach mucho mejor.

The food here is SOOOOOOOOOOO good! I'm in love! And I'm eating so much because everyone here tells me that the food in Iquitos is bugs and turtles and all sorts of really nasty things. The natives here all hate the food from Iquitos, so naturally I'm very scared. My dorm room and all the elders in there are really awesome! There's Elder Canepa, Elder Apaza, me and my companion and then 2 gringos named Elder Hainey and Elder Parminter. Elder Sedano and I are sort of the ones that have to communicate everything between the three companionships because we are the only ones that speak both languages. I am so grateful for all of the Spanish I took in high school; it is helping me so much! The natives have included me and they call me "un latino de corazon." So, I'm a latino at my heart. Isn't that funny?  I've had the time of my live and I know it's all hard, but it's going to get better and better. Today I got to go to the temple and that was awesome! My first time in Spanish, and it was such a great experience. My companion was crying and I helped him and comforted him and told him I loved him. He said he's the luckiest missionary in the world to have me. I honestly just think he's being nice because I've got a loooooong way to go to be perfect, but I know that through the help of the Savior, I'll be able to do anything. I love you all and I hope you are all having an awesome time back home. Feel free to write me anytime. I'd love to "talk" to you guys.  May the force be with you (and by the force, I of course mean the Holy Ghost). Until next week! Elder Neves