Questions and Answers!!

We asked Elder Ridge a series of questions. Here are the questions and his answers.

Question: What are you drinking?

Answer: We get a lot of water from the mission, but I just drink the tap water because I figure I’m just going to get a worm anyways...just kidding. We do get those water jugs but we don’t drink it very much because its not that hot yet. I usually drink soda and the drinks that the members give us for lunch and breakfast and dinner. It Is usually this apple juice stuff or some sort of fruit drink. It’s not bad but most of the time I go buy soda at the store.

Question: Any fleas or bug challenges yet?

Answer: I have no bug problems yet. I do have one flea bite but that’s it. I haven’t taken my (garlic)pills yet but I will in the summer when all the bugs are out.

Question: Where do you use the internet to email us? How long do you have to e-mail?

Answer: To use the internet we go to a internet place that has a bunch of computers its just a small store and there are a ton of these stores everywhere. I have an hour to email.

Question: We saw that you used your ATM. Any problems with the ATM?

Answer: No problems with my ATM card. I just wanted (needed) some cash. I got 100 soles out which is equal to thirty dollars.

Question: What is your typical day like?

Answer: My typical day: I wake up at 6:30 and shower and get dressed then walk a mile to my pension (to eat breakfast) and then walk back. We then do personal study and companion study and language study. Then at 10:30 go out and work or teach until 1. We have lunch bwtween 1-2 with a member and then after that we work until 6. We have dinner from 6-7, then we work until 9. We then plan for the next day, talk and write in my journal, then sleep.

Question: When will you be able to go to the Lima Temple?

Answer: I have no idea when I am going but I think it is this transfer. This transfer ends November 19 so I hope by then. I had a great week last week. On P-day we went to the Zoo. The Zoo was cool. I really like the jungle section, I want to go to the jungle so bad. I took pictures so I have to send them to you. (We are really looking forward to getting some pictures)

On Wednesday, we went to the CCM and had a meeting with Elder Christofferson. It was amazing!! It was all in Spanish because he speaks Spanish. I got to shake his hand so it was good.

On Friday, I had an exchange with the district leader and it was amazing. We worked way hard together and we get a long way well. He is from Arizona. We talked to a lot of people and found seven new families to teach. It was so fun walking with another gringo down the street talking English and then walk up to someone and start speaking Spanish. It takes them by surprise.

A quick story! Yesterday we were in the street talking with someone and this guy walked up to us and started bashing me about the Book of Mormon and I was like WOW hold on a second...... you speak English? This guy was from South Carolina and he started bashing me and then he stopped and started talking about how hard it was to learn Spanish and just comforting me but it was so weird talking to him in English. I ended up just saying sir I don’t want to bash, lets just have a nice conversation in English and he was like ok.

Today we are playing soccer so that should be fun. I can’t believe I hit 4 months, it has gone by fast, and this next transfer I hit 6 months, its crazy! The Spanish is getting better, it gets better everyday but there are some days were I can’t understand a thing and some days, I can understand everything. Today is a good day because I can understand everything going on around me. I have started to dream in Spanish. My dreams are always people talking and they are speaking to me and I can’t understand them but I’m speaking Spanish to them and I know what I’m saying.

Thank you for everything, I love you all and thank you to for the support.

Love Elder Ridge

Great Update

Well , I didnt get to eat guine pig they just gave me chicken and rice oh darn.

My companion is from Southern Peru (Pictured in White) he was baptized at the age of 12. He has 14 months in the mission .

My pension (A pension is someone who feeds Elder Ridge and Elder Lima morning and night. They eat lunch with members.) is a member and we have to walk about a mile to get to her every morning. She is way nice and her food is always good. Another member in the zone does every missionarys clothes (laundry)in the zone.

The women I baptized calls me her padrino(godfather) because I baptized her. Her son is getting baptized on the first of November and he is twelve years old. We had a baptism Saturday, it was the girl Poala the one cutting my hair my first day and said I want to take your lessons. She bore a awesome testimony. It was pretty sweet.

I have not been sick yet. Our living conditions are way nice. Our area is the nicest in the zone if not the whole mission. We went to a other part of the zone for a inactive member reactivation and we visited all the members that were inactive. The area was in the hills and it was pretty different it was all dirt roads little shacks. I realize how nice I have it in my area and makes me appreciate America.

My Spanish is coming along. Everyweek is better. I understand more and can say more everyday. Elder Cheesman and Elder Taylor help me so so so much with the structure of sentences and words and all those things. If it weren't for them I wouldn't know what I know now. I can speak a decent amount of Spanish I just can't understand a lot. Only like 70 percent and usually it's just getting the gyst of it but it will come.

Today we are going to the zoo so that is why I am writting early. Wednesday we have a meeting with Elder Christofferson at the CCM (MTC in Lima Peru) so I am looking forward to that. Friday I am going on interchanges with the district leader for the day and that will be nice cause he is way cool and he is one of the missionarys that was kicked out of Bolivia.

I don't know if you have heard but sometimes the shower shocks you haha. I accidently put my head to the shower because I'm taller than it, so I always have to croutch and when I put my head to it the whole shower lit up and I was shocked. It felt weird so I have to be careful. This is the second time that has happened haha.

It's starting to get warmer here. It's cold in the mornings and nights but in the afternoon its warm, a perfect temperature.

Loving the Continsuyo Ward

Wow it was weird to talk to Dad today. (He called to get his social security number to apply for a residence card.) Today Elder Layton, Elder Hyde, Elder Ellison and myself went down to the south part of Lima to get the I.D. card we need that lets us fly in the country. I need that card when I fly to the jungle someday. It was way sweet to hang out with those guys for a p day.

I’m in the zone Tahauntinsuyo which borders Independencia, I work in the ward Continsuyo. Things are going good, the Spanish is progressing everyday. The work here is good, we have 8 baptisms set for the end of this month. The other night we were talking to a person and I heard all these people yelling and dogs barking and my companion said “let’s go we have to get out in the street. All these people were running out of there houses and I was like what s going on? It was a templor(earthquake) but I didn’t feel it but everybody else did.

This Sunday I’m going to eat guinea pig so that should be fun.

The other day I was eating some soup and I pull up a spoon full and looked down and was taken by surprise because in my spoon was the toe from a chickens foot, nail and all. I didn’t expect it but I ate it and it. It wasn’t that weird. I finally got chased by a big dog and my foot wasn’t doing the trick so I got a little scared but it was ok. Peru is pretty sweet.

The people here are way nice and humble. It is like 60 degrees here so it’s a little chilly but i don’t really need a sweatshirt or anything because it’s starting to warm up. (Peru is leaving their Spring and starting into Summer) Our room is pretty big and my shower is hot water but when the power shuts off it gets Freezing, which happens a lot. My bed is the size of a twin, but let me say this, United States Missionaries have it easy the way they live. (This is a jab at his brother and brother in law )

Serving in the City and loving it!!!

Elder Ridge has been official welcomed to Peru and to the Lima North Mission. He is serving in the city just north of Lima. The winners of the contest are: Theresa Hyde, Gwen Rich and Scott and Emily Neilson. Thanks for playing.

I am in the Tahauntinsuyo area. I had my first baptism!!! Yesterdsay I baptized Rosio in between sessions of conference. My first baptism was amazing! Rosio is 6 months pregnant so does that count as two? The water was way freezing but i got it done my first try in spanish. It was sweet.

Conference was in English for the gringos so that was nice. I saw Tim Wright in the choir a lot. Things are going good. It is great to have a Peruvian companion. My spanish is coming along pretty well. The other day we had a multi zone conference and I got to see everyone from the MTC. It was a good reunion.

I'm so jealous about the deer hunt but oh well I am where I need to be. I want to hear all about it. There are alot of dogs down hers, but I don't need any dog repellent, my foot works fine.