We live again

 Most beautiful skies you have ever seen are in Chile.

 Met up with some of my old friends

 Super cool views as we walk

 I knew before I came the kids would be my favorites, and I was right!  These guys are so cool.

 A golden Family.  I really am falling in love with these people.

What a fun week for you guys! Paul and Emma going to school dances, dope! Luke I'm so happy for you it's not even funny. The mission sometimes is hard because I miss my little brothers and sister so much, but it makes it easier when I hear how happy you are. Please be happy for me.  Thats all I want.

My first week with a Latino comp. It was awesome. We talk pretty much all day even if we have to make it simple. This transfer will really help my Spanish. He wants to learn English so we also speak a llittle bit of english. My comp is from Buenos Aires and said Marie is in the most ghetto part of all of Argentina! That is so awesome!

We found the coolest investigator this week, mainly because of his name. Maximiliano (insert applause here). He was super cool to us. He is about fifty and is an artist/painter. He honestly has some paintings that are amazing. We taught him the restoration and at the end extended a baptism commitment. He got all mad at us and started asking a bunch of questions. Honestly, I REALLY like when investigators get mad to a point and ask a bunch of questions. It shows that they are thinking and want to know why. Honest whys lead to honest answers.

Julio and Karen are our golden investigators waiting to get baptized but can't, because of divorce issues. For the first time Karen opened up to us and said that it is really hard because her brother died and she wonders how he is, and feels so sad without him. I read a talk from Elder Shayne M Bowen called Because I live, ye shall live also.  (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/because-i-live-ye-shall-live-also?lang=eng#d) First of all Elder Bowen is amazing because he served in Chile :) but he said that of his babies died when he was only 8 months old. It's the hardest thing that could ever happen.I cant imagine living through that. He wondered if literally his heart was going to break. Without all of his family being together, in this life, he cannot be truly happy. But he feels peace and comfort because thanks to our Savior, we will live again and if we are faithful God promises us we will live with our families together forever with himself and Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for this knowledge.

I hope everybody has a wonderful week. Thank you for your emails, they are such a boost :)

Race with Patience

Lukey I wish more than anything I could be at your baptism this next week! You look so good in your pictures :)

 September 18 is like the independence day in Chile. But of course it wasn't really just one day it was more like thursday and the weekend!

On the 18th we hung out with ward members all day. They cooked us the best food. So much meat. Like every kind, steak, chicken, sausage, pork chop. It was so good. In the night we made empanadas. It was cool because they showed us how to cook them. The food was so good.

Changes were this week and I have a new companion! Elder Jimenez from Buenos Aires Argentina. That must be destiny as Marie would say.  She would say 'See Max, we are so connected"  I think Marie is rubbing off on me because I think this comp is connecting me with Marie.   I've only been with him a little bit but he is awesome. It's his first time being senior comp so we'll see how that goes! He keeps telling me he has no idea what he is doing, which is making me a tiny bit nervous but hey, its all good.  We both are going to work hard and love these people. Sunday night Elder Pence met with some families from the ward to say goodbye. It was pretty sad but he got moved up to zone leader so he was happy about that. 

I love this quote this week I just want to send it back.

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.” 

I have a testimony of "the wait"  The wait is actually what we do most of our lives.  We are waiting for some prayer to be answered.  We are waiting for the language to come.  We are waiting to get better or feel better.  We are waiting for someone or somthing to change.  And life has given me moments when prayers are answered and I know for a fact God is there, but guess what.  The wait begins again.  Waiting for investigators, waiting for the new comp to learn the language, waiting for your little brothers  baptism, waiting for more money or more patience etc.  Im trying to be happy in the wait.  Im trying to even see the wait as the whole purpose of my life. I love love love the scripture in hebrews 12, Paul says let us run this race with patience. Just take it day by day.

Have an awesome week, Luke I'm so happy for you and your baptism.

Yelling the discussions is ok

Hola Familia! How is everyone?  Remind me again when Luke gets baptized?

                                      Tomato sandwiches.  Tomatoes everywhere!  So good!

 A few of us missionaries hit some golf balls for Pday.  It was fun to do somthing Dad and I always did.

This week started out really slow. We were doing a bunch of walking and didn't have a lot of success. It's funny how just one day changed everything. On Friday we taught more lessons than we did that whole week before. Missionary work is fun because you never know what the next person you talk to, or the next house you knock on, can lead to.

We met this older woman named Olinda. Olinda is probably 75ish years old. She is pretty deaf so we have to talk pretty loud for her to hear us. Sometimes my comp and I crack up a little after yelling at her for so long.  She is the biggest sweetheart in the whole world. She told us she read the Book of Mormon and believes in it. She feels huge sadness for her son. Her son, who is not probably over 50 is addicted to drugs and steals money from Olinda for his drugs. Olinda started crying trying to explain the situation to us. She feels so sad and so helpless about it. We told her we loved her and were here to help her in anyway we can, and we know that Christ and his gospel can bring her hope and peace. I also remembered my promise to find people who are really hurting who could really benefit from the message of the Savior.  Olinda seems like a beautiful answer.

We had a huge service project on Saturday with a bunch of the missionaries. We went and painted old buildings along this street. It was fun to see some of the missionaries from the ccm and also get to meet new ones. The buildings were looking a lot better when we were finished.

I hope everybody has a wonderful week this next week. Life is meant to be enjoyed, so enjoy it :)

I will help you, not the other way around!

Huge birthday week! Happy birthday Marie, Dad, and especially Lukey! I wish so bad that I could be there! I really need to get a baptism for the day Lukey gets baptized so I can experience it with you guys!

This was a pretty good week. We started off the week with interchanges. I went with Elder Aguirre from Argentina. It was really fun. I told him my sister was in his homeland so we were instant friends. I was kind of stressed about it because I just didn't know what to expect. I was with him for a whole day and slept over in their house. We taught a really cool family. It was awesome. It was cool to see what different sectors are like. 

One of the missionaries from the CCM came and spent an afternoon with us. He was super cool, and I knew him from when I was in the CCM. His name is Elder Dowdell from Saint George and played basketball for Pine View. He said he understood almost nothing, ha I totally remember my first time in the field feeling the exact same way. My spanish still kind of stinks ha but it is definitely getting better. I just have to stay diligent and keep working hard. This is the first time, I can see Im making progress. There might be hope for me yet.

Yesterday we were doing contacts and I was talking to this women for a little bit. She said she got baptized a couple years ago but works on Sunday so hasn't been to church in awhile. She invited us in her house. She was really nice to us. We are going back this week and talking with her whole family. 

So kind of a funny story. I was talking with this girl and was explaining to her I was a missionary and I was here to serve the people. I THOUGHT I asked her if she needed any help but I guess I said she NEEDED to help me. She went into her house and brought out some money. I felt so stupid, but bless her heart for offering money to some stranger!

A lot happens in the week, but I don't have time to write it all down..I pray for you every day.  I am happy.  I hope you guys have a fantastic week this next week!

Oil of Joy

 It was awesome to hear from you guys this week. I'm so glad everything is going well.

This week one of the Elders from the Quorum of the Seventy came and spoke to us, Elder Viña. It was hard to understand what was going on, I must look like I got punched in the gut 24/7 because I cant get over the shock of never being able to understand a language Im studying so much,  but I could feel the spirit so strong.  Afterwards I met a bunch of cool missionaries. Honestly, Santiago North has the coolest missionaries. They were so happy when I caught them up on music this last year especially rap! I felt it was my brotherly duty to act some of the best music out for them.  I dont know why they were all laughing hysterically, because really it was some of my greatest performance.  Shouldve been a performer;(

We have been doing a bunch of contacts and found some new people to teach. I wish I could speak better because I want to get to know these people better and be really good friends with them. My companion is so warm with people and puts everyone at ease.  One reason he can do this is because he is so fluent.  I want that so bad it hurts! During teaching I have so many feelings in my heart but I can't really say them. By the time I rack my brain trying to figure out what Im going to say, its time for us to go! Oh well, just need to stay patient.

 Fany from the Dominican Republic is one of our new investigators this week. When we went to her house she wanted us to say a special prayer for her new baby son. It was a really tender moment. I was so choked up I was struggling just not to let the tears flow.  Children are Gods most adored.

We made a couple trips to the temple this week. One of them was for our investigators and one was because one of the families that Elder Pence taught in his first sector were getting sealed. That was such a cool night. Pence was smiling ear to ear that whole night. I felt his joy of being able to watch a family he had labored so hard with reap such a huge reward. He had so much love for that family and was so happy that they were so happy. While I was there We went into the CCM and I saw Taylor Frossard. He is doing awesome. I got a picture with him.

For P day today we went bowling and played pool. It was actually really fun. The bowling was pretty ghetto though. A little reminiscent of the plastic bowling set Marie and I used to play in the entry way of our old house. 

I found that verse in Isiaha you always reference that says the Savior will take your tears and give you oil of joy. I almost jumped out of my seat when I came across it in personal study time.

Isaiah 61:1-3

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Awesome scripture. Right now I have a goal to finish the Book of Mormon in Spanish before I'm done being trained. It'll be hard because it takes me awhile flipping back and forth between Spanish and English. After I'm going to go really hard in the Bible because I feel like there are so many verses about Jesus that are almost poetry. I want to find all of those and share those with these people
 I hope you guys have a great week this week! I love you guys!