Buenas Dias Familia!!!
Ok business first! About the marriages. We have two familias that we are trying to get married right now, at this moment. There are two reasons that it is so hard to get everyone married here. The first is that it costs a lot of money that people don't have. The people here work to live. They have just enough money to get by with their families. Lots of them make about 7 soles a day which is about two dollars and 30 cents. There is no way for them to pay the hundreds of soles for their marriages. The second is that they need their birth certificate from their original place of birth. Most of them live a long way from where they were born. Sometimes the missionaries can get their papers for them but sometimes they are from little villages where the missionaries don't go. So to get their papers they either need to go there personally or have someone they know get it and send it to them. One of the people we are trying to help has his mom still living where he was born but she can't read so the chances that she gets the papers wrong is highly likely. We are not advertising that the church is able to pay for them to get married. They need to have a testimony and a desire to get married before we even talk to them about it. Elder and Sister Whitney also are going to help us pay. They want a written testimony and a picture from them before they help them with the money. I would like to do the same for anyone else that would like to help. President Manning has given me permission to ask as well. We need $240 for both marriages that we are doing. That will include their passage to their home towns and for their marriages. They will be great additions to the church and all have great desires to be members. The two marriages are Iber and Elizabeth with a one and a half year old son Nicholas. The other family is Mauricio and Juana with their 5 children of whom the first is already a member. They are Dantol, Max, Kimberly, Jean Pool, and Edison. I can't tell you how great the change has been in their home. The spirit can dwell there now with them. How different it is from the first time that we visited. Thank you family for your generosity and love. I will let mom know exactly how much we need after the Whitney's help as well!
We had our second baptism in the ocean this week! Ray Ramos. He was terrified to be in the water. I guess that he almost drown in the ocean twice in his life. His older Brother who is a recent convert was trying to baptize him. So with Ray being scared, and his brother never having done it before we were in the water the better part of an hour. Finally Elder Servan had to do it. Yesterday, Sunday, Ray couldn't come to church to be confirmed because he had a fever of 39 celsius. They had to take him to the hospital and they put him in the Peruvian equivalent of the ICU. We couldn't visit him because he was there. But he will be ok and ready to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost this next week. Everything will turn out ok. I have faith that it will.
Adam is home! Wow! It seems just like yesterday that I was at his farewell. Weird... did he have trouble speaking English? I know that he served with everything he had and I'm proud to call him my friend. Another friend that I'm proud of as well is my good ole buddy Stevo! I'm really excited to hear how the MTC has been for him and how New Jersey will be! I'm so Happy for him! For P-days mom usually we play soccer. I'm getting a lot better. I really like playing. Last week we also went to Asia which is a huge tourist spot where there is lots of money. We ate pizza! I love pizza! I have also rounded up stuff to make S'mores a couple times for family home evenings! That's awesome and they all think it's good! Family I love you all so much! Lauren stop being sick, and Z-man keep growing! Day told me your growing like a weed! Get out there and play some sports! haha! Mom tells me your doing well with your priesthood assignments and taking them seriously! I'm proud to here that. Thanks for writing me dad! I love hearing from all of you! Good luck with your last two games fruity. I love all of you!
love Elder Bearnson
Mom if you could email me right back and tell me how much the family would be able to donate that would be great. Oh and Liz wrote me and wants Toot to text her. Thanks Love B
