February 26 - Peru week 4

Ben leaves for Ecuador on March 12.  After the pouch for this week.  Send letters to the Ecuador Guayaquil South Mission.  He is loving the Dearelder.com letters that go through the pouch! Here is this weeks email:

Hola, mi familia. Thank you so much for the letters I receive every week. I love them so much. I was excited to get that letter from Andy. I wrote him a letter and it should have gone out Monday. These past two weeks have gone by so much faster than the previous two. I am so excited to actually get out into the field in two weeks. I am excited to hear about my new Mission President.  Thanks for how loving you guys are. It makes me so happy to know how great of a family I have. It is true that we had a tuna and hotdog sandwich for breakfast the other day. It was disgusting. The food situation has been pretty bad here. I am very excited to report that they fired the old company that made the food and we had a brand new company this morning. It was awesome we had bacon and fried eggs. The orange juice was real. It was amazing. I was so happy. Hopefully we will not have as many sick people around here. I am super excited to hear where Steve will be serving his mission. (Steve is Ben’s good friend that will get his call this week.)  I wish I could have been with there for Olivia's family night lesson. I am sure it was awesome and probably full of information. Mom, for your lesson in young women’s this Sunday on the Atonement, the only thing I would suggest is to tell them that the Atonement is not only just for sins, although that is extremely important, it is also for all manner of afflictions. I know that Christ has felt all the pains of the world, he has been through everything we will go through and he will always be there for us. He will be right there besides us as we go through the challenges of this life.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to go proselyting again. It was pretty awesome except nobody wanted to talk to us. It seemed like everyone was not home or they just flat out ignored us. We were able to teach three lessons, but they all refused to give us their information for the other missionaries to contact them. Proselyting is always a crazy experience. The dogs here are crazy, I almost got eaten last time. There was a little kid last Saturday that thought I was a monster because I was the tallest person he had ever seen, and I was white. Sorry I am almost out of time and the computer shuts off after thirty minutes so I just want to tell you guys how much I love you all. I miss you guys so much every day. My Spanish is improving and when I am teaching lessons I actually teach pretty well. Yo se que la iglesia es verdadera. Yo se que Jesucristo vive. Yo se que la familia es por eternidad. La familia es mas importante en mi vida. Estoy aqui para ensenar esta mensaje de falizidad. I know that this church is true. I am so grateful for it. It gives me comfort every day. I know that Christ died for all of our sins. He has felt all the pains we may have in this life. I know all this is true, In the name of Jesus Christ Amen. I love you all so much!!!!

Love, Elder Benjamin Duzett

 

February 19 - Week 3 Peru

Hi there family!!!! I do not have much time so I will just send one email to the family. I have sent you two actual letters. I hope they get to you. I get your letters every thursday. I love them so much and love reading them throughout the week. I am doing great here. The new elders are pretty awesome. I still miss the old group of latin missionaries though. They were such loving people. I got to go to the temple today and go through a session. Last week I actually did sealings because there were problems with the temple. When we went in they said they did not have tickets for us. We said we had called. But they said no so we just went to the distribution center. Then fifteen minutes later, fifteen minutes until the session a man comes running in saying they found our tickets. So we run back to the temple, Elder Stanley and another elder get names then they say no to us, they started the session. So me and another Elder had to go do sealings instead. It was all good though. I bought a Llama tie and a tie with the Ecuador Temple on it and one with the Peru temple on it. I also picked one up for Will and Dad that have the Guayaquil Temple on it, they are sweet. How are you guys doing? Dad, how is the job search? Dad, one of my teachers actually served in the Caracas, Venezuela Mission. He is like 23. He is pretty awesome. He was wondering what areas you served in! We play a ton of fútbol here. It is pretty fun most of the time. Except when they dont pass to you because you are a gringo which is the case with this new set of missionaries. A lot more competitive than the last set. My new roomates are pretty awesome though. When we sent to the temple today they split us up into two groups to go with the new group of North Americans. There are like 25 new American missionaries. The zone leaders were in the other group so I was in charge of our whole group as we went to the temple. It was pretty crazy because the bus was packed. The new Elders did not know what hit them when they stepped out into the real world. It was pretty funny. Last night was pretty awesome. One of the district of new North american elders were having a hard time. They asked Elder Stanley and I to help give them all blessings it was awesome. Two of them actually asked me to do it. One in particular named Elder Manning was extra special. He has been having a hard time fitting in. He asked me to do it. In his blessing I told him the veil was thin and that those who love him walk before him. After he was crying and he said that meant a lot because he had lost his Dad. It was crazy. This church is sooo true. I am so grateful for it. I love you guys so much and I am so grateful for you love and support. Olivia thank you so much for you message. I love you so much. I miss you guys so much. Love Elder Benjamin Duzett

February 12 - Week 2 in Peru

Hello Family!!!!

I will just send you guys one email to save time but thanks to all of you for your wonderful emails and support. I get the DEARELDER letters about four days after you send them. Keep sending them they are awesome. I havent gotten any written letters if you sent them if that is what you guys were refering by pouch letters. I just wrote you guys a letter on Sunday and it was supposed to go out on monday but I just looked in the mail and I think it is still in there so who knows. I am doing pretty well!! The food is still pretty gross but esta bien. That is the phrase I use for everything. It is actually a pretty good motto. If anything is going wrong I can just say, esta bien. Which pretty much means everything is alright!! My district consisted of five elders including me and one hermana. We are the first Elders to come straight to Peru from America in Church history. We are the first in a new program. It is pretty sweet. I have been called to be the District Leader.  Today is Pday and we do get to go to the temple. I am sooo excited. Pdays are the best because we get out of prison. Last saturday I got to prosyliting. It was pretty awesome. It was pretty hectic and one guy tried to bible bash with me and well I could only say what I know how to say which was, Yo se que el libro de mormon is verdadero. Yo se que cuando usted lee un libro, puedo saber el libro y la iglesia es verdadero tambien. Which just means I know the Book the Mormon is true and I know that you can read it and know it is true too. When you get my letter it will have more in it. Dad, way to go on putting that b-board in. It probably looks better than if I had done it. The spanish is going pretty good and while prosyliting I actually did all the talking with one of the investigators. But who knows if he actually understood what I was saying. We study all day here. It gets pretty crazy. Today it has been sad because all of the other missionaries left for the missions. District 112 or 4 elders 1 hermana is all thats left. I have met incredible people. Elder Casanova and Elder Mallea were Elder Stanley and I roomates. They are awesome. Elder Casanover want Elder Stanley and I to be his best men at his wedding. Anyways I love you guys all so much and I miss you soo much!!!!! I hope you all are safe and happy!! I am sending pictures!!!!!

You can email Ben at:   Benjamin.Duzett@myldsmail.net  (he can only email his immediate family so he may not respond to your email)

 

Or you can send a letter through the pouch:  Write a letter on a single sheet of paper, fold it in thirds, tape it closed, and address and stamp it directly on the outside of the paper.  He will be in the Peru MTC until March 12, so don't send letters to Peru after March 1.  Then you can send them to the Ecuador pouch.

 

The Pouch address is:

Elder Benjamin Duzett

Peru MTC

POB 30150

Salt Lake City, UT  84130-0150

 

After March 1:

Elder Benjamin Duzett

Ecuador Guayaquil South Mission

POB 30150

Salt Lake City, UT  84130-0150

 

Or (probably the easiest way to get a letter to him)  go to www.dearelder.com there are simple instructions for sending letters.  When you send through the pouch it is free.  He is getting these letters.  I know he would love to hear from you!!  Just pick the Peru MTC for now.

 

Here are some pictures!! Yay!! Doesn't he look Happy!!

 

 

 

The Lima Peru Temple

 

 

February 5th - Week One in Peru

Ben sent various emails to the family today. Thank you for your prayers for Ben. Please continue to pray for him. I have combined his emails for you to read ( I will put explanations in parentheses) . . .

(To Will) Will, I miss you man. You are an amazing brother. The MTC is a hard life to live but it is fun. My companion and my luggage arrived on Saturday which was awesome. I wish I could have gone to your games. The food is not that great. It is the same thing for every meal. Anyways I’m pretty much out of time but I love you so much. I hope that you are having a great day. Tell Ali and Olivia how much I love them. Love you so much, Love Elder Benjamin Duzett

(To Todd and family) Buenos Dias, Padre. Como estas? That news is so exciting. Those mission calls are awesome. (In my email to him I told him about some of his friend’s mission calls) I hope they know what they are getting into because it certainly is not easy, whatsoever. My p-day is Tuesday which means we get to go out today. I am sooooo excited. Sometimes I feel like I am in prison. My companion is Elder Stanley he is awesome. (I met Elder Stanley at the airport when he missed the flight before Ben ever met him) He is a great companion. I am so blessed to have been assigned to him. The food here is not great. I cannot wait to get out into the field already. There are practically no Americans here which is tough. There are a bunch of Latin elders throwing up and I get super nervous at night that I am going to get sick. But It is all good. I will just put my best foot forward and not give up. I have had many spiritual experiences here in the MTC already which is awesome. I can definitely feel all of your prayers. I am so thankful for your prayers. I am almost out of time so read Moms email too. I love you sooooo much Dad. It gives me comfort that you have done this too. I will talk to you in two weeks.( I think he means next Tuesday in his email) Love you so much, miss you!!! And please tell Ali and Olivia how much I love them. Tell Ali the story that is in Moms email. The power of prayers definitely is verdadero. Adios.

(To Lara) Hi, Mom, I love you so much!! Tuesday is my p-day. The MTC is a very hard. Well tons of missionaries are sick down here, throwing up which gives me anxiety. The food is not the greatest, we eat the exact same thing for every meal. Chicken with rice. Every American gets super sick of the food. The first week was definitely hard. My companion is Elder Stanley. He is awesome. Best companion I could have gotten for sure. He is super super nice. Sometimes I get nervous here but it is all good. We learn Spanish and the gospel all day long except for when we are teaching investigators. Sometimes I get sick of all the schooling but I already love pday. We get to go outside the MTC today to go to the store. I am sooooo excited for that. Anyways even through the hard times the spirit here is awesome. I have had so many spiritual experiences. One night I was lying in bed feeling sick to my stomach because every American’s stomach hurts because of the change in food and scenery and I prayed and I just had the strongest feeling that Ali was praying for me at that moment and I felt so comforted. Anyways I am running out of time so I love you so much Mom!!!!!! And I will talk to you next Tuesday!!

January 31st - Peru MTC

Ben Arrived Safely in Peru

Dear Family, I have made it to Peru. It has been an adventure for sure. My luggage did not come on the plane. Who knows when I will get it. I do not have a companion yet because he has not yet arrived. I think he is the Elder who did not make our flight. We did not get to the CCM until around 2:30 last night. We were able to sleep in today until 9:00 but I did not sleep that long. The electricity is 220 here so I will have to get an adapter or live on batteries for a little while. The flight to Atlanta was long and it made me sick but the flight to Peru was long but smooth. There was a Senior Missionary on our flight into Peru who was coming back after visiting her daughter because she just had a baby. She helped the elders get through to our ride and fill out the form because Elder Richards and I did not get our luggage. Our luggage should be delivered here but who knows how long that will take. Everybody here speaks to me in Spanish and I have no idea what they are saying most of the time but I have already started to learn a little bit. I am in a room with four spanish elders so I can not really speak to them yet. Anyways this adventure has been a blast so far. The drive through Lima was awesome. It was like wow, welcome to South America. We are so lucky to live where we do. It is awesome to be here with these people and to see a different culture. It has already been a humbling experience being here. But even with all the changes in scenery and culture the gospel is still the same. Through all of the challenges the church is still and will always be true. I know this to be true and I am so thankful to know that. Anyways I am here safe. I love all of you so much.  Ali, Will, Olivia, how is school going? Anyways I love you all so much. I thank you all for being the best family anybody could ever ask for. This is why I love this gospel so much because I can be with you forever. Love Elder Benjamin Duzett

Departure Day - January 30, 2013

The story really begins Thursday January 24, 2013, when Ben recieved a Fedex package about 3:30 in the afternoon.  It contained his passport, visa for Ecuador, his missionary tag and an electronic plane ticket for Wednesday January 30, 2013.  That was quite a shock!! Ben thought he would enjoy 3 weeks in Provo sipping chocolate milk and playing hoops in the MTC before leaving for the MTC in Lima, Peru.  This changed a few things but Ben was excited to just get going.  He had felt that something was just not right.  That package cleared that all up for him. 

January 27, 2013 was a great day!  Ben gave a great, tender, heart felt farewell talk.  He testified boldly of the plan of salvation.  We enjoyed sharing the day with family and friends.  Thanks to everyone for your love and support of Ben.  He has a big heart and loves you all.  We ate a lot of pulled pork sandwiches, fruit salad, veggies and dip, and cookies.  It started to snow in and it snowed about 18".  I thought we might have to keep everyone at our house until the plows dug us out. 

We spent the next two days taking pins out of white shirts, washing and folding white shirts, picking up a few last minute items.  It sure is hard to find mosquito repellent in the middle of the January inversion.  Ben ate his last Chik-Fil-A for two years.  His grandma made him scones.  We filled his two big suitcases each waying 50 lbs.  Packed a few snacks and a change of clothes in his back pack. And Ben was ready to go!! 

The grandparents and Bishop Owen joined us while Ben was set apart by President Hicken.  President Hicken gave him a great blessing.  As soon as he said amen Ben whipped out his missionary tag and put it on.  He was so excited to get started.  It was great!  His blessing was a great comfort to all of us!  We are so grateful for awesome priesthood leaders in our stake and ward!

We got up early the next morning to leave for the airport by 6:30.  Ben wrote some letters and drank a big glass of milk before we left.  He just wanted a good glass of milk!  The roads to the airport were snow packed and we got to the airport about 7:30.  Ben wheeled his luggage into the airport.  We checked him in and said our goodbyes then took him up to security.  We said our final goodbyes and he got in line to go through security.  We chatted with another family who had brought their missionary.  He was also going to Peru.  We were excited to know that Ben would have another missionary on the plane with him.  We went to watch him in another spot.  I stood up on a chair and had a good view of Ben.  Just before he put his stuff on the conveyor belt he turned around and gave me a big smile and waved to me.  The image is etched in my mind.  What a bittersweet moment.  So hard to let him go but I wouldn't want him anywhere else!!

 

 

 

 

 

We went to breakfast and when we got home we checked to make sure his flight was still on time.  It had been delayed until 5 pm.  This meant he would miss his flight to Lima.  We didn't know what to do.  We decided to wait for a call from either Ben or the church travel lady, Sonya.  We were very anxious.  I called Sonya and she told me she had spoken with Elder Stanley and that she was rebooking his flight for the next day and that his parents were coming back to get him.  I asked her if she was doing the same for Ben.  She said she hadn't talked to Ben and she couldn't do anything until she had.  She said when Elder Stanley called her back she would ask if Ben was with him.  Todd decided he better go back to the airport because we might have to bring him back until he could get a flight to Atlanta.  We still hadn't heard anything.  I even called the airport and had him paged.  He didn't answer the page.  Todd went to the Delta counter.  They told him that Ben was on the earlier flight to Atlanta.  That he was in the air and on his way.  What a blessing.  Todd saw the mom we had talked to earlier that morning.  Sonya had called her and told her to come back and get her son.  But when she got there her son wasn't there.  Her son is Elder Richards.  At the airport there was also a very lost looking missionary trying to use a pay phone, Elder Stanley.  Elder Stanley was the third elder that was supposed to fly with Ben to Peru that day.  His parents hadn't been called, so Todd let him use his cell phone to call his parents. We felt so bad for him.  To have to say goodbye to his family twice.  He is Ben's companion.  Todd met him before Ben did.

Todd came home very relieved.  We spent the afternoon checking the progress of his flight anticipating the landing so he could call us from the payphone in Atlanta.  The flight ended up circling Atlanta for an hour before it landed.  But it landed 3 gates away from the gate for his flight to Lima.  He called us and told us he they had put him and Elder Richards on the earlier flight.  He said there was a sister missionary and 3 other elders there.  We were so glad to hear from him!! He said the flight made him sick.  We talked for about 5 minutes and he was off to Lima. 

It was a crazy day.  We stayed awake until we knew his flight landed in Lima.  Thanking Heavenly Father that he had made it on the earlier flight.  We were so grateful for the tender mercies of the day.  For the guidance and impressions of the Holy Ghost.