Really Good Potatoes

These pictures look like something dad and Uncle Terry would do. It makes really good potatoes. I cant remember what the stove is called but its so weird how they build it. They get the dirt clumps really hot then they knock it over and put potatoes in it and then cover that dirt with more dirt. Oh and the car is an American classic a Buick just chillin' in the streets of Peru and I had to take a picture of it.

9/30/13

MOM

Wow sounds like a really awesome week. Well thank you for all the prayers and putting our names on the temple prayer roll. We knocked a lot of doors this week and wait for it......... nothing. Well its ok because we are doing what we can and also its ok because there is a ray of hope. This week in ward council we got the missionary push we need. They went through the list of less active and we have members that are going to come with us to every lesson this week for those people. This week will hopefully be good. Actually i know it will be good.

Spanish is good. Not great but good. I feel like i could survive on my own in Peru.

Well that's awesome that your classes are going great. It is awesome that you are continuing your education. Keep up the good work and I know you will excel.

I cant believe that Katie is leaving for her mission and she will also get back before me. That's really not fair! hahaha.

I love you so much and I hope y'all don't miss me too much.

Elder Kotter

PS That's awesome mom your super strong now!

9/23/13

MOM

Hey how is it going? Well the work here is moving forward. We were able to get another lesson with Nelly but now she is gone for like 2 weeks so that kinda stinks, but we just gotta keep pushing forward with the work. Half this week Elder Green was in Cusco because he he is a district leader. The new president made some new rule changes which are basically the mission handbook. For me they weren't really big but for a lot of people they were because the old president changed a lot of rules. But they really will help us be better missionaries.

So classes are hard. Well just remember that there is one person that knows everything. Pray and ask for help everyday twice a day even all the time. Why do you feel so old? What is your other class what is the usual work load? If I can help at all let me know.

I love you all so very much and I miss y'all but it is really only when we get back to the apartment and I have time to think. Time is going so fast. It is so strange I have almost been gone 4 months which is almost a semester of school so I don't get why time is so fast but it is. I really have learned we cant waste time.

Elder Kotter

PS I don't know why the internet had problems

PSS What do I want in a Christmas package.... whatever I really don't need anything. Maybe just use the money you would spend on me and do some service with it. Help someone else and send me some pictures. Also testimonies of people would be awesome and as always pictures of everybody and everything.



DAD

Thanks for the prayers we really do need them. That's probably why the dogs and drunks haven't gotten me yet. hahahaha Thats awesome that y'all put a service project in there I knew that day was missing something. That just makes it so much better. Please help Shelby and Shae and mom out I feel like they are starting to really miss me. Also I feel like you are too so every once and a while for me can you do something with brother Gerber and brother Frandsen and just have a good old time.

Dad I will keep working with all my heart and I really hope I don't forget that and start having regrets.

Love you lots,
Elder Kotter

9/16/13

Mom

Hey what's up? It sounds like you had an awesome birthday and so much more this week. How did you find tickets for so cheap? So I got the package and I was so happy(see picture). Oh and whoever wanted to send me shoe laces is super in tune with the spirit because this past week I looked down at my shoes and noticed one of my shoe laces was starting to break so when I saw the shoe laces in the package I couldn't believe it!!!!!! And thanks for all the yummy awesome stuff. I also have been wanting some pocket candy to hand out to kids and the Jolley Ranchers are perfect!

Well I think I might of found at least one reason why I am here. We received a reference and on Tuesday we went there. The lady is a single lady named Nelly. Well we taught the 3rd lesson and yeah the spirit was there but just kinda normal if you know. Then we invited her to pray. She truly prayed with all of her heart and as soon as we said amen the spirit came into the room so strong basically like only what I have felt in the temple. She just broke down and started crying and she told us that she wanted to be part of our church and be baptized but she just doesn't know if God exists. She said she has prayed and prayed and hasn't felt anything until that prayer. Well me and elder Green both feel like she will be baptized so I will keep you informed on what is going on with her. Please keep her in your prayers because we haven't been able to make contact with her since Tuesday I think she feels ashamed she cried in front of us.

Well we also had stake conference and it was on the TV and Elder Scott can speak Spanish by the way. He also gave a freakin awesome talk about the awesomeness of women. It was so good I couldn't even write any notes. Just please tell everyone that is a girl they are daughters of God and they need to embrace those things that makes them a women because that is closer to Godliness than manhood

I love y'all all so much,

Elder Kotter

9/9/13

Mom

Well sorry if I made you worry with the time this email is getting sent. Every p-day we have a zone meeting, then go to internet as a zone but today I didn't go to the meeting because Elder Alarcon was sick. So since my companion and his companion are both district leaders they went to the meeting and we stayed in our room. That's awesome about the stake meeting and it is so true. We have to keep trying to get better everyday. In fact something that I learned is to pray every night about the sins I have committed. Then when i wake up and leave I am clean and pure so I can at least have the spirit when I leave the room well until I mess up on something. Then you repeat the process and hopefully you won't make the same mistakes.

That sounds like an awesome date!!!!! Keep doing fun things like that.

Shae b-day party seems fun what did y'all eat I hope it was fried chicken. I really miss fried chicken hahaha. Well Gino seems to be doing awesome! and my Spanish is coming along. I think I am starting to understand so now I can practice talking to people because I finally kinda know what to say. We are teaching people we just are having a hard time with either getting a hold of them or not having them progress. I can tell you this now because I have some time in the mission but our area was the place the old mission president would send the struggling missionaries. He wouldn't send them home just to one of the 3 zones here. So the new president is trying to fix that so right now we are basically the first wave of missionaries to work here so we are still trying to get things moving. They are moving and things are improving it just takes a little while.


Well thanks for the awesome letter

Love,
Elder Kotter



Dad

Sorry I leave out so much detail. If you put together all the emails of everyone I email you might get a better idea of what is happening. I just forget to write about stuff I have already written about I will try to do better.

Spanish is going much better I think. The problem is every time I think I am doing well I get humbled and can't understand anything. Is there a way I can think I'm doing good and not get humbled by the lord? Well it's awesome that the roofs are almost done. My companion is awesome. He is super patient with me when it comes to Spanish and I am so grateful for that. We are trying to work with lots of people but things are tough(see moms email).

I love it here though and I am always happy except when my alarm goes off at 6:30 in the morning that is really hard.

Well I love you so much,

Elder Kotter



Shae,
Yeah I know that is crazy!!!! I don't like the snow!!!! Well tell me about your school week I want to know everything. Oh my Spanish is getting lots better. remember to trust in God oh and I really want to hear your testimony please!!!!! Umm this week's story is I had a Latin companion this week because we went on changes and he said I walk like a black man!!!!! So I'm pretty much like uncle Taurus now!

Love you lots,

Elder Kotter




The pictures are of the hail storm this morning and of a catholic church we visited on P-day in Lampa, Peru. The other is a picture some other missionaries I'm serving with!

Package

Mom and Dad sent me a package via some friends of theirs, Pat and Debbie Carroll. It made it to the mission office. Hopefully it will make it to me here in Puno very soon!!!

Really it SNOWED!!!

MOM

Guess what IT FREAKIN SNOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to be sending pictures too but it was so cold that day. Luckily, I was sick again with the stomach bug so I got to stay in bed all day and stay warm. Other than that the work is going just normal. we are still working with Karina but we might have to limit our visits with her because she just isnt progessing. That will be sad. She is basically a member but she just wont make that next step.

How do I use my testimony in missionary work? Well the real question is how do i not. Well are always using our testimony.

That seems so much fun. Labor day is always really fun and that looks like the same in field fly. Keep being awesome and remeber that I love y'all!!

Elder Kotter

Oh also we are going to some catacombs for pday today I'll send some pics next week.