Dear Family, 1-19-11

So yes I did have to get a shot in Provo sorry I forgot to mention that last time. but yes I did I had to get the yellow fever shot and now have this yellow card that if I lose it could be hard getting me back in the country, because I have to have proof of that shot. Anyways thanks everyone so much for you emails and support. It was great to hear from you too G-Ma ;-). So next Tuesday I will be out in the field, after 10 weeks it’s finally here!!! I´m super excited and my Spanish isn´t anywhere near perfect but at least I don´t have to be culture shot, I have been around fast talking Latinos for almost 6 weeks now. We got to go out on sat and track, I´ll talk about that in a min. ummm for things you guys could write me, ummm, just tell me cool things that have been going on that is different than your routine, I´m sure you have some cool things you do like about playing in the snow or something. Oh and things I need, if you could find a cord for my camera or a card reader that would be really cool then I could send you pictures over email.

Oh and I had a talk in Sacrament Meeting Sunday and it went really well. All Spanish and just using an outline not a word for word talk, it was awesome and on the atonement. They always just randomly pick people right then and everyone should have a talk ready on a assigned topic, usually one from each district but this week they choose one from our district and then picked me too so I was the last speaker.

So next Tuesday I will be leaving and getting a new companion and I´m so excited. My companion right now is from Lima Oeste (west) and he is always telling me about it, but he is going to La paz Bolivia.

We got to go out prosyliting on sat. and it was so awesome. So they split the CCM up into 4 groups ours was the smallest group but they drive us somewhere in the Lima central mission give us a whole bunch of pamphlets and LdM´s and tell you to go to work. In the morning we had a teacher with us and so we went to our little spot on the map, where my companion and I were supposed to go, and I’m thinking I guess this is where it starts feeling real. lol and so he´s like well start and so there was a door right there and I walked up to it and started knocking. The guy leans over the balcony and gives us like the hand that I thought meant go away but he walks down and lets us right in, it was crazy. We sat there and taught him for 45 mins and I´m thinking man this day is going to be so successful, well it was successful but not that easy. We ended up teaching only two people in the morning. Where we were teaching was little houses going up the hill and it reminded me a little of Pittsburgh with a lot staircases going all the way up to the top and just small houses crammed together. The other person we taught in the morning lived with nothing it was dirt floor his door was like a piece of ply wood and he didn´t have much and just sheets for a roof and sheets dividing the rooms. Later in the day it was just me and my companion and we taught at least 7 or so people mostly in the street but also a couple in the home and it was so cool. One time we were talking to a guy and gave him a Book of Mormon and some kids 12 to 14 years old were looking all curious and right behind us trying to see what we were doing and so I turn around and start teaching them by myself and it was a little hard but so cool. And they didn´t know anything about Jesus Christ and so that was cool to teach someone that. and the other guy we gave the Book of Mormon we walked by there a couple times and he was just in front of a store and he was just sitting there reading it and we would always wave to him and stuff.

Well love you all and Thanks for everything!!

Elder Corbett

1-13-11

Yup tour was defiantly the highlight of the CCM here. it was a blast, so we first went to the beach and saw it and it wasn’t the prettiest beach but it was the beach. It’s like you couldn’t tell where the horizon was because it was just a gray blur all the way our there but it was nice to be down there. Then we saw some other cool little things and then we went this center square area and they let us off the bus in front of this huge Catholic church, I thought it was funny. And then they said, alright you have 1 1/2 hours to do whatever so me and Elder Paulson went around and just went down the streets looking for things. I bought a cool shirt and sweet jacket and a couple other little things. It was a blast! We got some of that pizza, it was SO GOOD. Yeah for 2.50 soles you get a piece of pizza and a small drink. I got two. (1 dollar is equal to 3 soles) so it was less than a dollar for each one and then a got 2 scoops of ice cream for 1.50 soles. It was so fun! When you go and buy things you barter for them and try to wedge down the price. The most annoying thing was that this little girl followed us almost all the way down the first street trying to sell these little pins of people, she was like 10 years old and keeps saying, or me my friend and my question was why are you not in school little girl but it was a lot of fun and took some pictures.

So Sat. we get to go out on the streets, there are 4 groups and 4 busses that go to different places and from 8 in the morning till 5 or 6 at night we will be out on the streets. I am so excited. It will be awesome and we have to get like 15 or something contacts information and they give us 2 Book of Mormons and we can’t come back with them so it will be a fun experience. You are so right Logan I am so blessed to be able to come to this CCM because I felt like I knew nothing in

Provo. I can communicate now and knowing I won’t be able to understand completely what they are saying won’t be a shock and neither will the fast talking because all my teachers down here can talk is Spanish. It’s really good and even this last week I have gotten a ton better with my new companion. Oh yea so my new companions name is elder Zavala he is 24 and so much fun. He comes up to my neck/chin in height and is just so funny. He is always putting his arm around me and we are always doing fun stuff. He is so amazing at soccer as well and for you that saw me be bad at soccer playing world cup oh do I have a surprise for you!! ;-) well out of time again.

LOve you all,

Elder Corbett

p.s. tell Emily to send the package to my mission home and I will get it as soon as I get in the field

Week 7 (who is counting)

1-5-2011

You guys really need to write on Tuesday night because this whole Wednesday thing just isn´t working for you(I promise we were sending our emails at the same time, we are doing better, until his p-day changes) but I will check the computer again later so please write still. Abby and the prune size baby were the only ones to write me, again. lol (Good thing we have Abby and the prune size baby - now a lemon size baby - in our family. Just so you know we are excited to have that baby in full size coming to our family)

We only have like 40 missionaries here right now so it’s so nice and I will check this again at around 10:30 just to read your email. I´m glad Abby and them are doing well. let me know what Scott is up to. I think he´s going back to school right? so starting this week you can send packages to my mission home and at I’ll get you that address if it’s not in the my call packet. So I´m sad to see another group leave, but at least I will be in the next one. :-) only 3 more week of the CCM, I´m so glad. I can´t wait to get out and start teaching, I can´t believe 10% of my mission is in the CCM. That’s crazy. It’s like a tithe of a tithe lol. So new years were alright I didn´t do anything and the next day just felt the same, lol but I still can´t believe it’s 2011. Wow soon it will 2012 and then I’ll be coming home. lol see it’s not that long at all. I am really enjoying it here though and Lima isn´t as scary anymore as at first with the busses and crazy traffic, I´m used to it now. so my companion is gone and now I´m going to get a new one his name is Elder Zavala (I think, it’s on a sheet in my room he´s not here yet though.) Oh and today we get to go on a tour which everyone says is the highlight of the CCM. I´m so excited and I’ll do some fun shopping and get to see a whole bunch of cool things and actually got to walk on the beach!! It’s going to be awesome, I´ll take lots of pictures so you can see Lima. ;-) and then after I have to get another hair cut, :-(. I want my hair back.

Well Sunday was a nice relaxing day they had us watch like 2 movies, we watched the best two years and then later that night the Joseph Smith movie. I loved the JS movie of course but the best two years we a little home sickining, I love the movie but I had to pull myself back into what was going on after and so it was a different feeling.

My Spanish is improving and I taught a lesson on Sunday in district meeting without writing down exactly what I wanted to say and just said what I wanted people to truly understand about what I was teaching. It was really good. I´m also getting really good at ping pong because we can play after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ummm...oh yeah...we get to go contacting on the streets on sat. So that will be an awesome experience and fun. I hope my new companion is cool, it’s crazy to think it will be his first day, I feel like that was forever ago and I´ve been here forever but it also feel like just a day. I don´t think you have any sense of time while you’re on your mission. Oh I saw a puppy last week and it was as cute as a little guzman. hahaha oh so funny story there, we had a Elder in our latino district who came up to like my chest and he was the coolest Elder ever and so we always say it’s as cute as a guzman or that’s about one guzmark away. He was so cool and for some reason he really wanted to trade me watches and would always point at me and wink at me and stuff, I´m sad he´s gone. Well this week was pretty routine and not super a lot has happened but it’s been a lot of fun and our districts just switched up!

Anyway I love you all,

Elder Corbett

So I just saved a couple mins to read your emails and send some short stuff back. For packages and letters now just tell everyone to send them to my mission home. I will be there in 3 weeks and that will be fine! for that package that emily wants to send yeah just send it there as soon as you want but don´t send any packages here to the CCM (MTC). My mission address is: Elder Carson Corbett; Misión Perú Lima Oeste; Carlos Salaverry 3664; Urb. Panamericana; Los Olivos, Lima; peru! Every semi-colon is a line below. sorry I don´t know how to get an enter on these computers, it like doesn´t work. So if you want to send me that little card reader I could send you pictures through the email or you could just wait till the card is full and send it home. But do send that other one back to me that I gave to heidi. hope you enjoyed those pictures, put them up on my profile on that website that has something to do with books and faces. LOL ;-) oh and dad it doesn´t look like emperors new groove, traffic is crazy, there are like 5 lanes for a 3 lane road and it’s just really fun . They have huge roundabouts everywhere and if I had to drive I would be stuck for hours in it, it’s just a whole different style of driving but traffic actually moves faster! Its defiantly poor and the tops of building...well there are no real tops LOL the bricks just kind of stop and you see everyone’s clothes hanging up to dry. Its very third world and I´m loving it. Oh and I´m loving the food as well...MMMM rice has never tasted better! I´m excited for some pizza tonight though, we get to go eat somewhere on our tour and someone told me there is a really good pizza place I could go so I’m excited. I´ll buy lots of cool stuff for super cheap and just have a load of fun today and then when we get back play some more fútbol or fútbol americano. We played Fútbol americano this morning and it was a load of fun and I’ve taught some of the Latinos in the last group how to play Ultimate Frisbee and that we so fun! But yeah get that address to everyone and anyone and I´d love letters! ;-) If you could get me the Hermanas Howards address I want to just write them a quick little letter! If you send pouch don´t put anything but the letter itself into the envelope you aren't allowed to put pictures or anything just paper. lo siento. and tell Emily to send that package, I would love it! ;-) Thanks for all the Christmas gifts, I wake up every morning and make me some hot chocolate at breakfast and that kit will come in handy and it was so much fun opening every little thing. Well love you guys I miss you and will just enjoy every min while I´m here. Oh and I knew we were in the same time zone. ;-) It drove me crazy at Christmas time though because I knew exactly what you were probably doing! But I´m glad we are here!

Love you all and hope to you hear from you soon!

Elder Corbett!

week 6

12-28-2010

So let me first get logistics out of the way!!! For packages, don´t send them to me while I’m here. In two weeks send them to my mission office because while I´m here in the CCM I can´t receive packages it just too much of a hassle because we have to go pick them up and stuff and so just don´t send them. If you want to do letters send them through pouch. I hope Emily gets my letter soon and I also sent Emily and Scott one last week. For letters they say it takes about a week through pouch mail and a week through the regular mail system, if you send it through the normal way you just have to pay for the foreign stamp and we always have ours sent out on Monday and it takes 2 days for them to get to SCL and then sent out from there. Also with DearElders we get those once a week, so I got your letters last Wednesday night Abby and Logan, Thanks so much!! Ummm am I forgetting anything? oh yes and the address is just the Lima CCM address in the packet for letters and I can come prepared to get you my mission address next week if you don´t have it, but yeah just the one that says the Lima CCM or MTC whatever for letters right now. Oh and also I have no idea when I have internet it could be at 6 in the morning or at 5 in the afternoon it changes each week because we go to the temple at different times. (The enter bars don´t work here)

But today I went to immigrations and we have to get our ID´s and everything but while I was there I was telling another Elder about DC and how it has a lot of traffic all the time and I was explaining kind of the roads and this lady in front of us probably late 20´s she turned around and started saying about DC´s roads and how they were arranged and a grid system and I started talking to her and she got up and had to do something and we had five elders there and they all told me I needed to talk to her about us and so when she came back and sat back down I started talking to here again about why she was in Peru and that kind of thing and then I asked her if she had ever seen missionaries before and if she knew what we do and things like that. And she was really receptive and I didn´t have anything on me like pass along card or even my book of Mormon but I pretty much taught her about Jesus Christ and the restoration and it was so cool and then I gave her the mormon.org and lds.org website and she was just asking all types of questions to us about why we are on missions how does it work and what do you do and it was so good. I really hope she goes and checks it out. I feel so bad though I never asked her name. :-( I was also very nervous but because she was really nice I really was happy she let us teach her. After talking to her a little bit just about Jesus Christ and our Church I asked do you want to know more? and she was like well you´ve already started so go ahead and it was really awesome and we talked about eternal families. It was kind of choppy but really good.

Ok now about Christmas, for Christmas I opened my presents in the morning! THANKS I have a new favorite tie, I LOVE that orange one, lots of people have this blue one with that pattern but I had never seen orange and I absolutely love it! So we broke piñatas and played volleyball and kickball as activities and it was really fun and then we had a speaker and devotional that night which was really good, I loved it!

I´ll be honest though Christmas eve was really hard because it just didn´t feel like Christmas at all and I just could imagine what you guys were doing but that night we all were in the garden and we sang every Christmas song we could think of at like the top of our lungs and it was so fun!!! My Spanish is still improving I think, lol

Well love you all and send my love,

Elder Corbett!!!

Merry Christmas!

Dear family, 12-22-10

I´m upset no one wrote me any emails or anything and I even told you when my p-day was. :-( and its right before Christmas. That’s ok though I better hear from you next week. If I don´t I´ll just stop writing :-). Abby wrote me though because she loves me. lol. (we did write it was just that he wrote at like 6:00 am and we wrote at like 8:00 am.)

So anyway it’s so awesome here, it’s a whole different feel then the other MTC where it’s stricter in some senses but not in others; like we have 1 hr. for breakfast and 1 hr. for lunch then 45 mins. For dinner, and after we eat we can go out and play like either fúsbol(fútbolita), or ping pong, or this weird tossing coins game. and it’s just a little more relaxed in a sense that it’s not so tightly wound but then we have class all day and TRC(teaching reasures center) everyday where as in Provo you do it once a week. Its just you practice teaching to a teacher, me and my companion taught yesterday and we did a really good job. I got us in the door by testifying, I didn´t know everything my companion said but I just started testifying and it got us in the door and we really got to know him and gain his confidence, that’s what they are really trying to focus on, gaining the confidence of the investigator then they will want to listen when you begin teaching. My Spanish is getting so much better, since we all have latino compañeros my compañero´s name is Elder Girón, from Columbia is 24 and his brother is here as well who is 19, so that’s cool. They get to serve at the same time. He doesn´t know any English and so I am forced to speak Spanish and its so good. Oh and our teaching don´t speak any English to us either I love it. I´m getting so much more comfortable with Spanish now, I´m not super good at saying everything I want but I´m getting better.

So we get to play soccer everyday for an hour and it’s so fun! The last 2 days we played Latinos vs. Americans and we beat them 6-4 then we tied yesterday 3-3 but we aren´t doing that again it got way to intense and its like it was win or die so we don´t want to build a wall between us.

The food is so good here! The first day I ate before sending my email home and I didn´t like that meal but I have loved almost everything since that meal. -and rice rice rice is what they give you. I have probably had like 2 meals without rice since I’ve been here, so you won´t have a problem anymore with me not eating rice. ;-). I just don´t bother to ask what anything is so I just don´t know. I don´t like that fruit that they serve with it though it’s weird, but that’s the only thing.

I´m loving it here it’s probably in the mid 70´s nice little breeze always rolling through and the sky is always gray (probably pollution) but it’s amazing here. I love it. I can´t believe it’s almost Christmas that feels so weird, I´m excited everyone gets to be home though and have fun with their families. Just remember why we truly have Christmas it’s not about the gifts we give or receive but about heavenly father’s gift to us! His son who atoned for every single one us that we can make it back to our father in heaven again. And I know that’s it is true and I know that Jesus Christ lives.

Love you all,

-Elder Corbett

p.s. Don´t send any packages till I´m out in the field because if they hold it back at the post office here they don´t go and get it because you have to bribe like a bunch of people for it. but like 2 weeks before I get in the field you can send something there and my mail leaves on Mondays takes 2 days to get to get to SLC and then they send it out from there. Oh and I´m going to be in here for 6 weeks and just can´t wait for all the cool things I´m going to do here. ;-)