In his time and season

Today we are in Santiago to buy some stuff. It's been awhile since I've been here for a p day traveling around in the metro/subway. It kind of feels like coming back home :) I really love this city.

We have been meeting often with Juan Pablo and Karen. Juan Pablo used to be a missionary that is really cool but doesn't go to church anymore. Karen is his wife that is really interested in joining the church. She asks a lot of questions but what we have learned with her is that she wants to understand more with her heart than with her brain. She always says that she feels a little bit better each time we are with her. I think that is the key to missionary work. Not anything drastic or serious but every visit a subtle but certain love is present. It made me think of this scripture. 

D&C 88

 58 And thus they all received the light of the countenance of 
their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, 
and in his season—

On Sunday it rained like crazy. It hardly ever rains here, but when it does it rains really strong. We were outside getting soaking wet with all of our plans falling through. My comp got the idea of visiting an old contact that wasn't part of the plans. When we got there, the whole family was together and they told us that the dad of the family recently had a stroke and the doctor told them the only way he lives is if God provides a miracle. I had the chance to pray for him and it was an amazing experience. We're hoping that everything goes well for this family.

I love being in this zone. We all get a long really well. A lot of young missionaries with a lot of motivation to work hard so it's fun to be a part of that environment. 

Love you guys have a great week.

Turnaround times

Another week went by here in San Felipe. It's so pretty here I love it. In the day I wear short sleeve but at night with a sweater and a coat it's still cold. I'm getting a long great with my comp. Even after two years I'm still learning new chilean words and slang. 

This week one of the seventy came to our mission to speak to us. It was Walter Gonzalez who's also president of the area of south america south. My favorite part was at the end he answered questions that we had. Someone asked him a question about the atonement. He said there is a lot of things to say about it and we cannot understand everything. But he talked a little about the power and mercy Christ has towards us. He didn't say anything new, but it was so convincing. It made me really want to be like that someday.

It felt like for almost the whole week we had bad luck with just about every visit falling through. Nobody had time and it seemed like nobody really cared which was honestly a little frustrating. But literally the next day (Sunday) everything just seemed to click and we found 3 really good families. That has happened so much to me on my mission, where everything seems to be going bad and without really understanding why or how, after a little bit of time things all work out great. I always think that's the story of the mission but maybe that's the story of life. Just be patient and keep the faith because everything will all work out great. Dad always says things can be hard for a long time and turn around in one day.  There is alot of truth to that.  Just hold on with a positive attitude until its turnaround time. 

I've thought a lot about why enduring to the end is so important in the gospel. I think when we endure to the end we allow divine help to humble and shape us into the person who god desires us to be. Or in other words who we really desire to be. God makes the change in his timetable little by little we just need to be open and humble for his grace.

Sorry for the sermon :) a lot of emotions and a lot of meditation as the end comes closer. I'm so grateful for these two years and the things I've experienced. Have a great week!

San Felipe

I'm so glad to hear that Paul had a good birthday and that Luke won his Hershey track! That's dope!

First week in San Felipe.

It was a really good week here. It's strange trying to get used to a sector when you know you are only going to be there for one change, but oh well. I get a long really well with my comp Elder Espinoza. 3 three things you should know about him.

1. He's my first Chilean comp which is awesome I wish I could've been with him longer so he could teach me all the Chilean words but it's chill. He speaks english pretty fluently. In the house we speak straight English and he is set on studying at BYU. He thinks Im helping him, but really he's making the last few weeks of my mission so easy and sweet. 

.2. He's one of the lucky few that got to serve on Easter Island.

3. He has a guitar and jams out on it. He knows how to play so well.

Anyways I also got a chance to do an interchange with Elder Pagano from new Mexico and it was a total blast. He literally lives in the farthest sector from santiago. Actually his sector is closer to the beach than to Santiago. He has a convert that gives sushi to the missionaries every thursday so it was awesome to go there on a thursday :) but seeing the relationship between him and his convert was really special. That is for sure the best part about missionary work. The relationships we make helping people join the gospel. Im still mourning the loss of Roberto and his family.  Im amazed how dear this family became to me.

Last note. I have been overwhelmed with feelings of peace and satisfaction about the last two years.  I feel like I did what I wanted to do.  I wanted to know god better, see his people as he sees them, break my heart down and be humble and follow him as a child would follow his father.  I have seen mercy, felt amazing grace, and in quiet moment of walking the dusty chilean roads I feel this overwhelming peace and joy for the amazing people I have met and what I have gained here.  I might be the luckiest missionary in the world.  

That's it with me. Just trying to love and enjoy this last little bit. I hope everybody has a great week. 

Last transfer

What's good fam. This last week was my last week in esmeralda and it was a sad but special one. It was a lot harder saying bye to people than I thought that it would. On thursday we got a phone call telling us that they were going to transfer both of us and put in new missionaries in our sector. It caught us off gaurd so much.  We talked with a kid named david a few times this week. He's 17 and is really cool and always happy. We read moroni 10: 3-5 and he got really interested in that. That night he said a prayer, and even though he didn't recieve what he was expecting, he said it was a good experience and good after praying. He also told us he felt a little stressed out because they have like no money and his birthday is this week and he needed some new clothes. I gave him most of the clothes I have because I'm not going to be here for that much longer. He was really happy about it. We taught an english class but the only people that went were paula (roberto's wife) and her kids. They were actually way interested taking a bunch of notes and asking us to say things in english so that they could record it and practice the pronuciation later. We had found out that we were leaving the day before but we didn't have the guts to tell them that they we were leaving. Afterwards they said they wanted us to say a prayer in english to end. You guys have to promise not to tell anybody but I started crying in the prayer. I said they don't know we're leaving and they don't understand what I'm saying but maybe someday they'll really understand how much we really love them and that we just wanted him to take care of this family and keep guiding them. It was one of the best moments of my whole mission. On sunday we made breakfast again for Roberto and the fam. We made french toast, and once again another miracle took place because they actually really liked them. After church we went over to their house to do skype. It was so good to see the family one last time on skype. I'm also way glad to hear that my mom had a good mothers day. She definitely deserved it. Yesterday I got my new comp and my new sector. I'm here in San Felipe, it's the farthest zone from santiago. In a bus it would be like an hour and a half to get to santiago. It is honestly so pretty here. My comp is Elder Espinoza from chile. Finally I got a chilean comp, too bad I'll only be with him for one change. I love you guys have a wonderful week. PAUL HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK  Kevin R. Duncan  Brothers and sisters, in the competitions of life, if we win, let us win with grace. If we lose, let us lose with grace. For if we live with grace toward one another, grace shall be our reward at the last day.

Traffic Cop Training

It's a super nice day here in Chile. This is the last week of the change and I'm praying like crazy we don't have changes.

The sector we have is huge. This last friday we went out to the farthest part of the sector to meet an investigator. We took a taxi thing that's called colectivo for 45 minutes to get there. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. It was SO green. We went to his house and he wasn't there but honestly it was worth the experience.

On Saturday we had English class. On our way to the class we got a flat tire (of course we did!) and had to run. We sprinted to the chapel to find... nobody. We were there at the chapel with the keys so we tried to take people on a tour of the church but nobody wanted it. For a little bit we were pretending to lead traffic and direct people in the church parking lot.  We were trying to act exhausted by the droves of people coming to tour the church but no one bit.  It didn't work although a lot of people thought it was funny.

Roberto and his family went to church. We went early to his house Sunday morning and brought them breakfast. Seriously who can refuse a hot breakfast made by me?  They actually liked the pancakes that we made which was a miracle. At church they were friends with everybody. Honestly they are the coolest, warmest, friendliest family of all. We're really happy for them.

We gave blessings to an entire family after the parents recently were divorced and was honestly one of the most sacred moments of my mission. It was so nice to feel they were being taken care of even in such a hard situation. God loves us all the time.  But I learned during those blessings he is the closest he will ever be when we are completely broken.

 Isaiah 41:10  “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Love  you family!