40 people on a bus from Huanchaco

Dear Family,

If you've heard the Weird Al parody of "Another One Bites the Dust" (his is titled "Another One Rides the Bus"), it was kinda like that. The small diesel-fueled bus seemed to be struggling under the weight of so many passengers. The bus seated about 20 - that's 5 rows of 2-seat benches on either side. And the rest of us were standing, holding onto the ceiling rails for dear life (and that ceiling is about six feet high, mind you). It rivaled some roller coaster rides I've been on. We were coming back from Huanchaco, the popular tourist beach about 30 minutes away from our area. We aren't allowed to go to the beach from December to April (that's summer here), so almost every zone in the city of Trujillo came to the beach to enjoy the last opportunity. Even in the middle of spring there began to appear sunbathers (with sunbathing attire, naturally), so I understand why we're not allowed to come when the sun actually shines. Volleyball (without nets - somewhat difficult), soccer, frisbee and basketball were the main activities for us missionaries. I took part in the frisbee and basketball today. I got a little sun and a little more sand.

This week was bittersweet. One of the investigators we're teaching - Sandra Benites - has started telling everybody she knows about the mighty changes she has experienced since she started hearing the missionaries. She's a single mother with two children, and she cuts hair and sells juice and chicken sandwiches to feed her little family. We got haircuts from her last week. She and her 9-year-old are planning to be baptized on the 15th of December.

The hard part is still getting our investigators to come to church. I had high hopes this week. I expected 5 or 6 of them to come. It was a little discouraging when the meeting was about to start and there was no sign of them. But there's always next week!

We had some awesome experiences this week as well as some rotten ones. Yesterday we ran into an Israelite (don't ask) woman who had left the church after 3 years of being a member. That wasn't pleasant. After leaving there, we taught a man who expressed a desire to find the truth. He said he had been searching for years for something that would touch his heart and make him want to change. We left him with the information and commitments that he's been waiting for. Then we found another father who willingly listened to the message of the Restoration and wanted to know if it was true. I always get a little excited when we teach families who are really prepared to receive us.

The mission goals have changed. President Mora wants us to go proselyting each day, twice accompanied by a member of the church. The goal is 4 lessons each day with a member present. It's a big challenge for us, so we're working hard to get the members excited about missionary work. We're starting with a ward mission plan and frequent family home evenings. It's going to take a lot of effort, but we're determined to make it happen.

If I can, I'm going to attach some pictures of the latest events: Huanchaco (the boat things we're standing in front of are called "caballitos de totora" - they function like a small canoe that you kneel in and go fishing with - it's kind of a Huanchaco trademark), a beautiful sunset, the sunrise this morning (there's a mountain in the background), and the baptism we had last Monday.

Love,
Elder Withers