Week 1

Hey everyone, my first week has finally come to an end and I have lots of fun to share with everyone. First off, my P-Day here is Thursday so you can expect an update from me on Thursday and then get Aimee´s update tomorrow on Fridays.

Peru life is very different from the US life, yet also similar in some ways. The food is pretty good, and I have actually had beans at only one meal. However, I have had rice at every meal and either chicken or fish on the side. I love it. There are some weird foods though, like there is a fruit that has slimy seeds in the middle that you are suppossed to slurp and it literally looks like snot. We also have cereal with yogurt instead of milk, and it is actually pretty good, but you can´t have a lot or it gets too sweet and fatty.
The weather is very cool here, and in fact my companion and I have almost resorted to wearing sweaters here. I know it is like 90 degrees back home, and here it is like 60 all day long, so my heart goes out to you all. the MTC, or CCM, is actually very small. It is only 3 buildings: a cafeteria with an auditorium, the office building, and the combined dormitory, classroom, and chapel building. We have about 150 people here now, and next week 65 are supposed to come in and replace 20 people who will leave.

Oh, side note: please don´t send me packages while at the CCM. Basically, I won´t get them, so don´t send them until I get to Piura. And mail is best sent through the pouch system, at least until I get to Piura.
I got a sweet tie today from the temple´s store in Lima: a tie of the Lima temple made of Llama fur. It is quite sweet and you should all feel it when I get home.
ok, now the two good stories before I end:

1) Everyone here plays soccer. that is just what Peruvians and Americans do when they get together. I then I decided to just play goalie and not get in the bloodbath of the little Peruvians. So, as i was playing a great goalie, a little like 3 foot tall Peruvian booked it over to me and shot the ball right at me. His perfect aim benefitted him quite well as he smashed my crotch with his great Peruvian force. It was a wonderful day.
2) this actually was one of the seriously scariest moments of my life and this is far more serious than my firs story. Last night, one of the Peruvians in my room came up to my companion and I and complained about something in super fast spanish so we could not understand. He was sweating and finally just left us and hopped into bed and said "turn off the lights now." So, we did, and we got in our beds. A minute later we hear him mumble something, progressively getting louder. It sounded like he was chanting a phrase and we were like....okay then. But, he kept getting louder to the point that he was screaming this word. He then instantly went back to whispering, and then suddenly started screaming again. We were horrified and had literally no idea what to do. he then yelled, "Elder!" so I got up and ran over to him. i turned on the lights and he grabbed me and said "Help me please; take me to the president." He was totally pale and didn´t look at me when he talked, so I lifted him up, ran him to a guy who wasn´t yet in his pajamas and had him run this poor guy to the president. I walked back into my room and my companion and I looked up what the elder was saying in Spanish with our dictionary. We found out that he was saying "Get away." So, say what you will, but that was by far one of the scariest moments of my life and for sure a testament that the Devil will do whatever he can to stop the work of God. Scary scary stuff.
Anyways, with that fun story i will end my post for this week. Please feel free to email me at the email I have listed on facebook and I will try to respond as quick as I can! I hope all is well for everyone!
- Elder Rich

Chaz, Brynly, Alexis and Elder (Dax) Rich leaving from Providence, Rhode Island - July 17, 2013

Elder Dax Rich at home just after he got set apart as a missionary!!

July 18, 2013 - 1st Letter Peru MTC

Hey everyone!

So, I have been in Lima, Peru for the past 10 hours now and I already love the location. Besides being 20 degrees cooler than home, the location is just wonderful. Lima is a dirty, congested, and foggy city, but at the same time humble and simple. It is like New York City mixed with Mexico. I absolutely love the location, even with the crazy J-walkers, 30 person minivans, and pizza stores no bigger than my kitchen. I am already sure I will love my time out here in Peru, and I am excited to share my adventures with everyone back home!

So back to yesterday, my flights were pretty nice, even though I never sat next to anyone who spoke English on any flights, except the first where the man was asleep literally the entire time. When I got to Miami, I was expecting to see many elders and sisters waiting to fly on my flight with me, but by the time I got on the plane and landed, I learned that I only had two sisters on the same flight. The other 31 missionaries were on a later flight that landed at 3 a.m. this morning. Counting my blessings there. I also discovered that all of my clocks were an hour fast so my companion and I have been early to everything this morning.

Oh, and onto my companion. I have a picture of him, but I don´t have the time to post pictures right now, which is sad because I have lots of lovely shots of the Peru MTC. Anyways, my companion is an 18-year old fresh out of high school who has three years of Spanish under his belt, so he is helping me out a lot. I have only met one other person who has no Spanish experience, so I certainly feel very foreign and awkward amongst so many natives and Spanish smarties. Nonetheless, I am sure all will work out. I also ran into a guy from my hall at BYU this past year who has been in the Peru MTC for 3 weeks now. I had no idea he was even coming here so that was rather cool, even if he didn´t remember my name hahaha.

I exchanged my money today for the Peruvian currency and got 800+ in whatever this currency is. I know, I should know what it is called by now, buuut I guess that´s just something else I need to learn. Anyways, I felt rich so it was a good day for Elder Rich (yohoho).

Besides enjoying the night life of Lima, there hasn´t been any truly inspiring story to share with everyone yet, so I will just keep this first post small. I will hopefully post pictures next time around so you all can enjoy my new camera´s capabilities and be inspired by the wonders of Peru. I am certain this will be a wonderful experience, and I know I will change a lot by the time I get back.

Peru is a wonderful, humble, and genuine place. The people are kind, confident, and give off a feeling of loving life. I cannot wait to serve them, and I am sure they will teach me a thing or two before I leave.

I pray for everyone back home, and hope all is well with everyone. I am excited to share my stories as a missionary for God with everyone, and I appreciate everyone´s love and support for me. Letters, notes, and cards have been uplifting and encouraging to me and I thank everyone who sent them. May God be with everyone until we meet again, and may He bless you as well.

Sincerely,

Elder Dax Rich