Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Matias...Mauricio...Yonathon...Francisco

Hola hola!

¿Cómo están??

How´s it going???

It´s going well here in Guadalupe!! Matias is doing so well. He is really excited for his baptism on the 7th. We have been focusing a lot on his family too…his mom and brother that are menos activos. Diego smokes a lot, and has been a little reluctant about returning to church. He didn`t know if he really wanted to repent of everything, because it´s a lot easier to not do the right. He has been really struggling inside, but we`ve been lucky to have a lot of youth in the branch befriend them and encourage them. The other day we got to their house and Diego was more than excited to see us. He had been thinking about everything and decided to ask Heavenly Father if he should follow in the church… and he said that he went outside and looked up in the sky and asked him. He said he walked inside and it was like he heard a voice or a distinct thought telling him that yes, he needed to make this change. The answer is obvious, but he needed the confirmation… and that got him so excited he read all of the faith, repentance, baptism, etc… pamphlet and even answered the questions that are found on the back. And he was SO excited to show us (because he usually never followed up with the commitments). It was awesome!!! Haha, and then He said Hna. Flake and I are like ¨good witches¨ because when he does smoke we get all sad and disappointed and that makes him feel bad but it´s like we´re good because it´s like we`re happy at the same time because we always smile… it was pretty funny, I`ve never been called a good witch before…

And then there is MAURICIO!! Mauricio is a young lad of 14 years. He goes to a school that is right in front of the church. From what I understand it`s like a school or place similar to ¨The Journey¨ because there assist teenagers from rough backgrounds and little support. But one of the Hermanas from the church is a teacher there and introduced us to Mauricio. He is such a special kid!! He is definitely someone really prepared to receive the gospel. We taught just one lesson and committed him to read and pray to see if the message is true. He had never in his life prayed before but said he`d do it. We saw him the next day and he was SO HAPPY!! He said that he kneeled down and ¨conversed with God¨ and he felt happy and full of joy. Since then says he feels different and is really excited and determined to be baptized. When we taught him for the first time I really felt something special. We asked him to describe how he felt in that moment and he said he felt relief. … and he is hilarious!! It´s really fun teaching him. I am really excited for him.

Also… The Hermanas were teaching another youth named Yonathon. He has gone to church a few times and has really liked it, but wouldn`t be baptized because his family didn`t want him to be baptized because they said he is too young to decided what he really wants. We were able to teach him AND his mom this week and were able to talk to them both about it and she decided to give him permission!!! He is really excited. This is one of the sweetest most tender hearted kid.

And… last but not least there is Francisco (Felix Francisco Valenzuela Pinto to be exact). He is a 45 year old friend of a new convert here in Guadalupe who has had contact with missionaries before but never really was taught. But he had a Book of Mormon and decided to read it. He read the whole thing in 6 days! He is what he calls an ¨intellect¨ but recognizes this as a weakness and wants to learn more and even wants to be baptized. He believes that it is all true but wants to feel it more profoundly in his heart so he is just starting to pray. Because he has never prayed before either. He said that when he read the Book of Mormon the first time he read it to read it, but now he`s reading it to understand Jesucristo. !O que bonita la misión!

Our Zone is a lot of fun. It´s quite small so it`s pretty united. Though Hna Flake and I and our Zone leader are the only gringos, so all the latinos call it the ¨Black Zone¨…interesting, but entertaining being with them all. My companions Peña and Bonilla are still really crazy, and Hna Flake and I are doing great. I feel like we are growing a lot together because we both seem to trip up on the same things, but then we are working to be better and learn from our mistakes. I know I wouldn´t be able to do any of the stuff that happens here without my Savior and his love. Today we had a conference de todas las Hermanas in the mission and we sang ¨I feel my Savior´s Love¨ from the primary songs. This song always touches me so much.

But that`s about all I`ve got for ya this week.

Oh yes, I haven`t sent in my answer (about the departure date) but I am thinking more May instead of March. Está bien??

Monday, October 19, 2009

1 year down!!! (but who's counting.... mom???)

Hola hola!

I am doing well here in my area San Fernando. Last week was kind of rough, but it all seems to work out in the end. And this week will be better. But we are still preparing Matías for his baptism on the 7th. He is doing so well! His mom and 16 year old brother (who have been inactive) went to church on Sunday and are ready to come back!! Diego (the 16 year old) has an addicion to smoking, but we have a huge group of EXCELLENT youth in this branch that have just taken both Matías and Diego under their arms and are becoming good friends. We have a leccion with them today and 3 of the young men want to come to help out with the leccion and to support Matías and Diego!! It´s stinking awesome!!

There is not a lot of new news but I am doing well. I even played soccer again this p-day. By the time I get back I´m going to be pro ;)

Well, I`ve really not got much to say, but things are moving along well... I am happy and I love the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and loves us and that this is HIS work! I love you all mucho

Monday, October 12, 2009

Playing soccer - a bucket-o-fun igual!

Hola familia

So this week (like any first week in a new transfer) has been crazy! I always thought that Machali and Graneros were big areas, but turns out Guadalupe is the biggest sector of the Hermanas in the mission. My companion has only had 6 weeks here and so she still hasn´t learned the area very well…. Which means we did a lot of walking around in circles (to say the least). But we had a lot of fun doing it! And Heavenly Father is patient with us because he´s helped us a LOT even though we´ve been a little disoriented (but don´t worry Dad, we´re being smart). The other day we were walking around trying to find a house of an investigator (that I still hadn´t met), and found ourselves walking along on a certain block. There we found this little old lady with a cane in one hand walking a tiny little poodle in her other hand. So we stopped to talk to her. We quickly realized that she wasn´t quite all together in her mind but we listened to her anyway tell us about her son and his work in the military a few times. We invited her to listen to the message and as we tried to say good bye to her she would just keep talking about any old thing that didn´t really make sense. We said good bye like 3 times and even tried to walk away but she just sped up and started hollering after us. About 10 or 15 minutes had passed by and my companion and I started to get curious why this lady wouldn´t let us go. Maybe there was a reason? We both felt this so we both listened to her once more and then out of now where her daughter and granddaughter came walking around the corner. That´s it!! We both thought that the reason we had to be talking to this old lady was because we needed to find her daughter and granddaughter. We started talking to them for a minute and they agreed for us to write down their address and stop by some day. A few minutes later we said goodbye and started to walk down the street and not 10 steps later a woman had just left her house to go somewhere and bumped into us. She said, Hey, Hermanas, my son wants to get baptized, is that okay??... For real! We found out that she was baptized years and years ago, her and her son - but they went inactive, but wanted to come back to the church and her 12 year old son, Matias, wants to be baptized! We taught them right away and it was awesome! He wants to get baptized the 7th of Nov because it´s his mom´s birthday. And you know what? We never would have found them if that old lady didn´t talk to us for so long. The timing would have been off and we would have not ran into this woman. Miracles happen every day and it makes me know with more and more firmeza that this is the Lords work, these things aren´t just a coincidence. We´re also teaching a woman named Maria Elena. She is the sister in law of Elder Zeballos… he´s the Area President here in Chile. He even spoke this last general conference… how´s that for pressure?? Eee…

But it´s exciting. I am really happy to be here in the mission. This time in the mission is incredible. Sure there are stinky moments, days… but the good all out weighs the bad. I am so happy, so grateful to be here. These experiences, relationships are priceless. It´s quite warm here. A week ago it was still winter. But now it´s like summer. I love it! Today being p-day we played sports with the Elders. Since they ALWAYS want to play soccer, I usually just chill out and write letters. But today was different. I decided to not be a party-pooper and play soccer too. It was quite the sight I´m sure (to see me chasing after the ball) but a bucket-o-fun igual. Welp. I am praying for grandma and grandpa and you guys and everyone. I love you all so much. Keep being good.

CHAOOO!!

Monday, October 5, 2009

San Fernando Transfer

¡Hola?

How`s it going?? It´s going well for me… Did you go to conference? I did, and I enjoyed it to my heart`s content! We were able to get a few investigators at the conference, so I ended up watching a couple of the sessions in Spanish this time (I watched it all in English last conference). It was a lot of fun, though it just isn´t the same actually listening to the actual voice of our prophet and apostles. I loved, loved, loved it! I had a few specific questions sitting in my heart and they were clearly answered by a few of the speakers. I am so grateful to have a modern prophet!

Other news… and significantly big news… I am no longer in my cozy little place in Graneros. I`m in another cozy little place in a city called San Fernando reeeeeeaaaalllllllyyyyyyy faaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr awwaaaayyyy from anyone else. They call the San Fernando Stake a whole other mission because if is so disconnected from the main stream of things. During my whole mission I have been so close to Rancagua that I would see a lot of people and there is the center of the mission. BUT I have heart GREAT things of this stake and area. My companion´s name is Hna. Flake. She´s from Vernal Utah. She´s really nice and we seem to have a lot of the same goals and desires for this next transfer. We are determined to help each other progress and be happy in this transfer. I am really excited. Though like every transfer into a new place brings a little bit of intimidation… But it´s going to be a great transfer… I can feel it in me bonez…arrrr! Also, we live with two other missionaries in our house. One from Argentina (Hna. Bonilla) and one from Ecuador (Hna Peña). They are both CRAZY! So this will be a fun transfer. Geoff, which mission did you serve in Ecuador? She says she´s from the Guayaquil South.

Though arriving in a new area obviously means leaving another… This is the stinkiest part of the mission. They don`t tell us that we are leaving until a day before so I tried to slip out of my home and ward family as quietly as possible, but I had to at least say ¨good bye¨ to a couple of people. Like Mercedes. And I almost didn`t say good bye to la familia Pizzarro because I knew it would be too hard, but they came and found me last night. It was horrible. I disliked every moment of it. They were crying, I was crying. Mercedes cried. I cried with Natty (a member here that I got really close to). Blah. Blah. Blah. No one told me about this part of the mission… leaving the people you love so much. Or maybe they did tell me, but I didn´t listen. I just feel a big pain in my heart, these people mean so much to me and I am going to miss them so much…la familia Suàrez, Sergio y Ilda, Obispo y Natty….aahh I have learned so much from them and they will ALWAYS be a part of me. But I guess that`s a part of life, huh? Right now I will focus on the people here in Guadalupe and I´m sure I will love them just the same. I just hate the thought that I may not ever see my friends from Graneros again…until heaven (a little dramatic?). Or facebook. Haha, jk. But not really, everyone has facebook…miiiish!

Whelp, I`ll let you know how it goes in my first week of my new home ;)

I love you all so much. Muchisismo in fact.

Chaooo!!