BUENAVENTURA!!!!!!!!! LET'S GO!!!!

Elder Welling and his new companion, Elder Belnap, looking out from their new home in Buenaventura

 Monday
July 30, 2012                             

Hello Family and Friends, 

what a nuts week, but also a grand one. So, Blake told me that i suck at writing and i know that it is true, but you all didn't give me any things on the olympics. <so boom, you all are worse than i am, haha but i will improve....wellll, i'll try.

Elder Welling with one of his fellow Buenaventura missionaries.

But this week was interesting, starting with monday night. Had a great day, then got back to the house and waited at the phone, because i knew that it was my time to leave. SO, the phone rang during prayer, and i knew it was going to ring. so i put my hand on it during prayer and answered it. Elder Tauaese the Zone Leader was stoked, and he said dude, your staying in the Zone!!! SO, i was too stoked and thought i was staying in Cali Andes. so i quickly handed the phone to my companion, and he got his transfer and stuff. but then after he said elder Tauaese needs to talk with you! SO, i was like oh crap. then the first thing he said is that dude, your in the Zone, but not in Andes. So then he told me i was going to Buenaventua!!!! as District Leader, crapped my pants. then he said Elder Belnap was my companion which is dopeeeeeeee! But anyways, i was crapping my pants, because i know i have to be the Leader of 2 recent Zone Leaders and the <AP, which is nuts. but i know that i am here more to learn than anything. 

But that was nuta, so it was really hard saying bye to everyone in Andes....i may have had rain coming down from my eyes.......bUt overall is was awesome. Had a great tuesday. sucked saying bye to the Brinez family and another family too. But then i woke up on wednesday and went to the terminal to get on my 3 hour bus ride to buenaventura!!! It is out in the cuts on the Pacific Ocean. But it was awesome chatting with elder belnap about our ideas and everything for Buenaventura. we started there on julio 25, and we put a goal as Buenanventura to have in total with the other 2 elders here in the city to have 30 baptisms in 30 days!!!!! On august 25 we will have 30! That was the goal. 

So we are working hard to acheive it. I have never seen anything like it here. we walk down a street, and obviously everybody is looking at us. everyone here is black and has never seen a gringo. and we can teach 10-15 new people in one lesson. We found 37 new people this week in 4 days, and have about 15 fechas for the 25 de augosto. It is Nuts, we are working hard and having a blast. there is nothing like it here. it is very poor, and i am basically opening the area as district leader. there are about 20 members and we have the church in their house.

President Prince called us on wednesday night and said we have to teach the gospel, and we have to find a Church to build to meet in!! That is our task and all eyes in the Mish are on Buenaventura!!! We will see how this goes, and we are going to do crazy things here. It is awesome, but stinking hot and humid. hope this letter was better and thaT YOU ALL ENJOYED IT. NOW FILL ME IN ON THE OLYMPICS!!!!! 

Elder Welling