P-Day # 30 - Exchanges, Referrals and Exploring Kitchener, Ontario...

READY, AIM......

FIRE.....

This week has been a week of learning as I have gone on two exchanges. One with the Zone Leaders and one with our District Leader. I was able to learn different ways of teaching like asking inspired questions and also how to be comfortable knocking on doors and the door approaches. I have also learned a little bit of the roles of a District Leader and also the roles of a Zone Leader in the mission. It was fun for me to see. They definitely do a lot for the areas they serve.

Elder Perry on Exchanges with
His Zone Leaders

This week we made a lot of contacts and gave a lot of referrals to other missionaries from those contacts. One experience I had was Sunday night. We decide to go contacting and blitzing. We stood on the street corner and wondered where do we go from here. I felt impressed to go into this suburb and as we walked we saw a car trunk that had been left open. We knocked on the owners’ door, where we let them know that it was open. They were grateful and we started talking about the gospel. We were able to set a return appointment with her and plan to teach her.

Elder Perry in front of a Monument
Kitchener, Ontario

We will continue to contact and try to find new investigators that live in our area. We did receive a member referral from a member and we are working with to set up a meeting with his friend. His friend lives in our area but we will have the first lesson in his home, to make it a nice friendly environment and he will have someone he already knows. We will see how it turns out and hopefully we can teach him on a continual basis.

Elder Perry Exploring Kitchener, Ontario

Last P-Day a few Missionaries and I went to see some sites here locally. Later today we’re going bowling as a Zone. We have some fun, but we work a lot also!  

Pray for you Every Day and Night,

Elder Perry

Waterloo Ward

Kitchener, Ontario

Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day #29 - Kitchener, Ontario, Cleaning Up and Seeing a Horse and Buggy...

The Kitchener Zone
Elder Perry In Back (Center)

With heavenly fathers help, nothing is impossible.

We have been very busy with getting up to speed with our new ward, The Waterloo Ward in Kitchener, Ontario. We have been trying to update records because the previous missionaries had not been very accurate. We have a good list of former investigators that we are trying to see and a list of potential investigators that we are trying to get in contact with.

Elder Hank and I have been getting along very well and we have been working as hard as we can to get our records in order. We’ve been trying to find out who is active in the ward and who we can visit for reactivation. We recently had a meeting with the Elders Quorum President and he gave us some names that we could visit and also about someone he is trying to set up a meeting with the missionaries. As we met with the E.Q. President and as the meeting progressed, I felt the impression to ask about his family. He expressed some contention within the family, so I was able to share a scripture with him about prayers and how they are answered in the Lords timing and not necessarily ours. He seemed really grateful that we stopped by.

Kitchener and London Zones
Elder Perry Center Almost on Back Row

Kitchener is a little slower paced than in downtown Brampton. In The Weston North area in Brampton, we would hear sirens every day and ambulances would always pass by speeding through lights with fire trucks in tow. I felt like I was in the middle of a War Zone. We saw this guy with a sign that said that “The End is Near” and other biblical things. We had to catch a bus so we couldn't talk with him, but it was cool to see. Out here in the Waterloo Ward in Kitchener, I’ve seen a guy who lives out in Mennonite Country and it was cool cause as we drove by, we would see his horse and buggy. It was dark so I couldn't get a picture but I thought it was cool to see. My mission has been really good. I have a lot of good experiences and a couple of bad, but the good always outweigh the bad.

One good thing, Mom and Dad, I did fix Bacon and Eggs for Elder Hank and I. We are eating and I am cooking, Voilà!

I am confident that we will be able to get some more appointments and lessons this week.

I Love You and Pray for You Every Night,

Elder Perry

Waterloo Ward

Kitchener, Ontario

Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day # 28 - Emergency Transfer, Saying Goodbye's and The Apostle Picture...

Wow, a lot has happened in the last week!

Elder Hank and Elder Perry

The CTM President Shields called us two days ago, and said that he needed someone for an emergency transfer.  A missionary was going home, so he needed a trio to be broken up and he said I had two days to pack up. I am now in Kitchner, Ontario in the Waterloo Ward with my new companion Elder Hank. I just got here late last night.  I like him and we are getting along very well. Elder Hank is from Draper, Utah and he is really awesome. Him and I say movie quotes already and he is a "Good Fella". I now also have a car. That’s cool now and no more waiting for a bus in the cold and snow. Also, I have my very own bed, not just a mattress. All the comforts of home!

It was hard to say goodbye to Elder Monson and Elder Strong. These 2 companions are VERY GREAT MEN and strong in the Gospel. I appreciate their friendship and look forward to meeting them again, somewhere, sometime.

Oh, I might have forgot my glasses…. NO I DIDN'T FORGET MY GLASSES. ARE YOU CRAZY?!

Elder Monson, Elder Perry and Elder Ballard
Future Apostles...Maybe???

Guess who I ran into at transfers? Elder Ballard. He was in my Camp Helaman Zone as one of my District Leaders. Elder Ballard is in the Weston Area and is Spanish speaking. I was happy to see him and we were pretty close. It was cool to have someone I knew before the mission there with me.  This is a picture of the apostles.

The CTM President had some jaw surgery, so I almost didn't recognize him but then we talked. it was cool to see him. President Shields and His Wife are fantastic people.

I am finding out that the mission field is suffering. In general, either people come on missions and it’s too hard for them or they don't come at all. All the languages are suffering and we need Missionaries. Most of the Spanish Speaking Sisters and Elders are leaving to some degree and so they need to be replaced. The problem is having no one to replace them with.

We also had the opportunity to meet with another investigator. She hadn't been keeping the specific commitments that we had given her. So, we were re-teaching the lessons again, to see where she had gotten a little lost or confused. But she said that she would like to come to church.

Where there are Missionaries, There is Food! Me and My Peeps in the Food Court of the Big Mall in Brampton, Ontario

I was able to go with one of the members of the ward to get a food order for a recent convert family. We were able to see them and they were very grateful for the assistance. The snow messed with our plans and we were not able to meet with very many people, but we were able to set a couple appointments and between us and the Weston North Missionaries, we were able to discuss some different ideas we thought could help the ward improve with retention. Also, with giving our investigators another way to interact with the ward beyond just the Sunday connection.

I also had to say goodbye to and investigator who called us her sons. She promised me that she was going to give us a baptism date tomorrow. Whenever we see her, she always says "it's to cold and we should stay inside". She has quite her coffee, I will be excited to hear when the baptism is. This is the 2^nd baptism I have missed due to transfers.

Elder Perry at his Favorite Burrito Shop...
Did You See the Size of that Burrito???

The snow was bad this week and what would normally take 15 min for a bus ride, took an hour and a half.   I am pretty confident that Weston is better than when I found it and so am I. I feel that I did some good there and I was able to help some people along the way, but I feel I'm better having served there with great companions. It’s great to have a feeling of success.

Hey, just a reminder, P-Day will be on Tuesday February 21^st next week because of Family Day. Family Day is observed in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan on the third Monday of February. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities. Imagine That...Canada promotes Families. Isn't that what the Missionaries are trying to do, also? Maybe the US needs a Family Day!

Love You and Pray for You every Night!

Elder Perry

Kitchner, Ontario

Waterloo Ward

Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day #27 - A Great Week, A Police Chase and Following the Spirit....

I have been in the field
for 6 months and Love
being a Missionary!

This week has been a really good week for us missionaries. We have been kept pretty busy with appointments and helping people learn the Gospel. We had a really good experience with Zone Conference and being more obedient in the mission field.

After the Conference, we decided to go tracking and visit some former investigators in the area. we knocked on their doors but they were not home. we were just about to turn back to head home when I got the spiritual prompting to hit another button on the elevator. I hit the button and looked around to see if there was going to be anyone there. No one was but I felt impressed to walk down the hall to a certain door. We knocked on it and we were able to talk with the guy there and got his number for future contact. This process repeated another three times and we were able to replenish our potential pool. The Spirit really does guide you when you decide that you will follow the Spirit completely and not be afraid of the consequences.

We were able to teach our investigator Josie about chastity and also about baptism. She calls us her “sons” which is fun and she also committed to live the law of Chasity.

Now for an exciting Story…. We were walking on the sidewalk going to the bus when all of a sudden, this Police car and another car came racing and squealing around the corner. The Police car got side by side the other car and the guy rammed the Police car deliberately and almost spun out the Police Car . The Policeman then gained control and did a “Pit” maneuver and made the guy crash into the side walk…. all right in front of us! It was awesome!

Grandma and Grandpa Gibson, I received your letter and sent you an email on the computer. Thanks for trying to keep up with technology. Megan, I got your card also…. the talking one. IT was very cool! Johnathan Levenseller, Thanks for your emails! It's good to hear from my peeps!

I love you both so much and Pray for you Every Night!

Elder Jacob Perry

Weston North

Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day #26 - Great Companions, Transfers and Plenty of Investigators....

Downtown Toronto, Ontario

This week has been a week of miracles. 

We've been having a really good time getting to know recent converts and less actives this week. We have been running for buses all week and trying to make crosswalk lights. We get a pretty good workout! 

Elder Monson and Elder Perry
Super Hero Missionaries

We met with this one recent convert after stopping by her house every day for the past week. She was finally home and we were able to find out the reasons for her not being home. She had started a new job and had not had a fixed schedule. We talked with her and shared some scriptures with her on how following the Lords commandments will bless our lives, even when we don't see the results right then and there. We are working with her and finding a time when we can meet her again. 

Elder Perry and Another Super Hero
Elder Strong from Alberta Canada

We had one of our investigators come to church this week which we have been trying for the past three weeks. She is one of our French investigators and I called her before our Ward Council meeting started. She said that she would not come to church because of knee problems. Elder Jensen called her to see if she would come, but she said no to him also. She then related how the Spirit said that she needed to go. So, she got a taxi (because we called off the ride we had setup for her) and came to church. She said that she wanted to surprise us. It was really awesome to see her at church and enjoying it. 

We taught an investigator who has been investigator for over a year. She is still not sure if this is the true church. So, we are going to meet with her and see if we need to turn her over to the Lord or not. We will continue to do our very best and what is within our power. 

It's Raining....Just like Home in Oregon!

We have been working with an investigator named Lucky and we had invited him to read the Book of Mormon and he said he would. We then returned to find that he tried but didn't really know how to read the Book of Mormon. We went through the first chapter of Nephi and he then understood how to read the Book of Mormon. We invited him to come to church and he came. He said he liked it.

Elder Perry and a Selfie of
Him and Elder Monson

We've had a lot of appointments fall through but we will still keep trying. We did some advertising for our English class and that has been really helpful in finding new people for the Spanish Elders to teach. 

We found out that one of our investigator's girlfriend had a baby and that he won't be able to meet with us for a while because the delivery was premature. That really gave us a shock but we are hoping this will provide some good incentive to come to church and raise a family in the church. He sounded excited so that was good. We will try to keeping doing the work the best we can.

Re-posting the SKYPE photo of (Left to Right)
 Elder Monson, Elder Perry and Elder Strong

Lastly, we had transfers and my tri-companionship is remaining the same here in Weston North. I am so thankful for my companions Elder Strong and Elder Monson. They are truly Men of God and fantastic friends. We joke and laugh a lot. Their parents did good! 

Well, that's about it for this week. All is well! And Remember that ole' saying, "Where Ever You Go....There You Are!" ha-ha

Praying for you every night! 

Love, 

Elder Perry
Weston North
Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day #25 - The Hot Sauce Incident, Great Companions and Finding my Glasses!!!

Elder Perry, Real-Time Photo on P-Day

Wow, what a great week. We’ve been super busy and trying to make all our bus switches has been quite a task. Lots of planning goes into our day.

We had an investigator say that she wasn't going to come to church and after we talked with her and hung up the phone, the spirit said to her “go to church”! So, she did and surprised us! What a great surprise!

This is my original tag from the MTC. You try to wear it for as long as you can, but I may need to get a new one sometime.

We also went to a baby shower and we ate some food. It was for a Sister in the Spanish Ward. The guy asked Elder Monson if he would like some chili. He brought over a little bowl of this sauce and Elder Monson started eating it by the spoon full. It was “Very Hot Homemade Hot Sauce” and Elder Monson started tearing up and his face got all red and looked like he was crying. I started laughing because I thought the mix up was funny. Then he then tried to laugh because I was laughing and we all just busted up. We had a fun time.

I really like Elder Strong and Elder Monson. They are VERY good fella’s. Their Mom’s and Dad’s should be proud as I know they are!

Elder Perry saying.... "Check Me Out!!!"

You know I lost my glasses about 3 1/2 months ago, right? We contacted the Zone Leaders up in Sudbury and they had found my glasses, but didn’t know who they belonged to. They mailed them to the mission office and then my Zone Leaders picked them up and gave them to me. 

Here’s a funny story… I was walking out of the bus and this lady said “Bye Satan”. I walked away and I just couldn't stop laughing. Someone else may have been offended, but as one of Gods Army, I just turned my other cheek and chuckled. I figured she had issues and maybe tomorrow she’ll start talking to us in the bus.

I have been teaching an investigator in French. Also, I have been setting up appointments in French, so I am still keeping up on the language.

Elder Perry in his Penguin Hat

So, you asked what my area is like…. If you want to see what my areas like just go to downtown Portland. It’s very similar. I used to be very apprehensive about the “Big City” and its people, but it’s growing on me!

One last experience this week. At Zone Conference, we played “Kill Ball” which is like dodgeball but with no sides and a free for all. I would recommend it as a young men activity, it’s really good!

Well, this is my week in a nutshell!

I Love You and Pray for You Every Night!

Elder Perry

Weston North

Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day #24 - Being Very Busy, Teaching A Lot and Parents Who Find Pictures on My Google Drive....

Zone Conference, Elder Perry in Upper Right

This week has been really a good week for us. 

I know why some missionaries sleep for two days after their missions, we are constantly on the go and busy! We are super busy and we have had to plan in-depth to make all of our appointments and to make sure we have time to even eat, but we are making it work! It’s a really good problem to have, so I can't complain at that.

We managed to find a couple of new people this week. We have been working hard on trying to meet up with people that we have already met and to find new people when those appointments fall through. We have 6 investigators we are working with and a couple with first lessons coming up. We need to set some dates with them and see where they are at on keeping commitments.

Elder Perry with his Companion
Elder Thompson (Left)

We had a pass off lesson with an investigator named Josie, she is fun and she seems to be understanding the gospel a lot better. When we first met her, she was really in touch with the spirit and the gospel. When I started teaching her (because she only speaks French), she shared how she didn't even watch TV that day and she had just read the Book of Mormon… all day and wrote down questions to ask us. That was really cool!  She always worries about us and is always willing to buy things we need, but we just tell her that we are doing fine. She wasn't able to come to church because of health, but we will keep working on her.

We have another investigator who is progressing well. She understands our message, but due to work schedules, she can only meet once a week on Sundays. We are hopeful she will come to church. 

Elder Perry and Crew at the MTC

We have been receiving a lot of referrals for bibles and so that gives us the opportunity to share a bible and a Book of Mormon, if they choose. We have been able to turn a lot of these referrals into appointments and even when the person doesn't answer the door, we are always able to talk to somebody. 

The Lord really does put us at the right place at the right time. We went to go see a person we had talked to earlier in the day and she wasn't home. We had traveled a long way to come back and we saw a lady and her kids just standing outside. I decided that maybe that's why we were here, not to talk to this one lady at the door but to talk to this other lady standing outside her door. We talked with her and we set a return appointment with her. 

Elder Perry at the MTC..."In Your Face!"

My French is improving and I am able to make appointments with French speaking people. I am able to address their concerns. I also setup quite a few appointments in French on the phone. We had Ward Council this week and we are trying to get them to focus on missionary work. We had a Passover lesson, and since I speak French, I am teaching all the people in the area who speak French. They say that there are lots of French people here, but we have found only a few of them, but we will keep looking and contacting people. Sometimes French speaking people just cross our path. The Lord prepares people and then he sends them our way.

It is amazing that my companions and I are always on the same page. We teach really well together and we push each other to be better in some way.

Show the picture of the cereal to Grandpa and Grandma. They will understand the inside joke! 

Elder Jacob Perry with a Professional Hair Cut

I had a professional cut. It feels like it should. 

I Love You and Pray for You Every Night!

Elder Perry
Weston North
Canada Toronto Mission