LET YOUR REQUESTS BE KNOWN

Elder Bof  and I had a really good week. We are already starting to teach well together and we are both working really hard and loving it. It was good weather here in Santiago and things are looking up with the work here in Simón bolívar.  There is no better feeling than coming home at night completely exhausted because you did everything you humanly could.  

The highlight of this week was finding and teaching the family of Cristina and Juan. We found out that her husband had been in the hospital because of heart problems and that their family was struggling. We had a good meeting and set up an appointment to go back. Kristina her four kids, and including Juan were all in their house. Juan told us that in the hospital he had been reading the book of mormon and was researching about the history of the church. He told us after a private surprising spiritual experience alone in his hospital room he already believed it was all true. Afterwards we shared a lesson about the restoration, and the spirit was SO strong. In fact I don't think I've ever felt the spirit that strong but when I think more about it an entire family was on the line,  and the love and generosity of God to pour out his love and acknowledgement to them was really palpable.   Everyone accepted a baptismal date.  It felt like a miracle family.   We have been praying like crazy for this family because they are honestly so good!  

Philippians 4:6–7. “Let your requests be made known unto God. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep 
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  

I hope everyone has a great week this week! Don't be afraid to do hard things.   Hard things are the key to joy.   And remember people are what's most important.   People's minds and hearts are what matter most to God,  and he expects us to treat everyone with love and dignity and compassion.   I think compassion is the reason we wake up and function every day.   So we can minister to someone else.   I love you guys! 

Higher Dimensions

I'm glad to hear that dad has been safe and only has a little bit left in India. That'll be awesome for all of you guys to be together again this week. Dad you are lucky to have a family who loves you so much waiting for you at home.   A little bird told me they are planning a big celebration for you.   Not like you've been on a two year mission or anything!
So my new companion is Elder Bof from Argentina. He has an awesome argentine accent. He played basketball in Argentina and personally knows Manu Ginoboli. He is really excited to work and we are going to work really hard together!  I told him I have plans to work us ragged and he said great and I knew this is a good match! 

On monday I was with Elder Frossard. While we were walking in the street this man named Juan stopped us and began talking to us. He said that he was a member but less active. His baby was born last week and he said when he saw his baby he felt the spirit really strong and wanted to come back to church. He's married and his wife is catholic. That is really common here,  to be married to someone of a different faith.   We visited him late Saturday night and he went to church the next day. He is so cool, he is only a little bit older than us, he's 22 but feels like a peer in a lot of ways.   I love the power the gospel provides to make warm  friendships quickly,  to the point you feel you  have known people a lot longer than you actually have. 

We went and visited an old investigator. Her name is Cristina and is about 45 years old. Her son was there when we visited her. Her son is 22 and we found out that we was baptized a few years ago. He helped us out a ton in the lesson and Cristina has a date to get baptized.  THIS WAS SUCH AMAZING NEWS AND HAS HAD MY HEART  SOARING THIS WEEK.   PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS HERMANA FAMILY THAT ALL WILL GO THROUGH.   Her husband is in the hospital because he had a stroke. She carries a heavy burden because of this.   He wanted to get baptized but couldn't quit smoking. When he found out that we were visiting his wife again he asked us to read a scripture with his family in 3 Nephi 27, about the gospel and especially baptism.  There was a sweet feeling in the room and I am becoming really aware of the tone in the room when we talk about families and love and being together forever.   There is nothing in the world like it.   Because it's not of the world,  it's on a higher dimension.  It was a really good experience. Basically, we had a good week this week, and plan on having a better week this week. Have a great week this week!  If you chance to meet a frown do not let it stay,  quickly (and quickly is the secret)  turn it upside down and positive think the sadness away!   Love,
your favorite positive missionary

CHANGE AHEAD

Today is a cold day in Santiago. This winter has been super dry, almost no rain. But yesterday it rained all day long. It's actually a blessing, Chile really needed the rain. We got a phone call on Friday telling us that Elder Pope would be leaving. We spent a good part of the weekend saying bye to everybody. The ward really loved him. He was such a good comp, I'm really going to miss him! All of our funny experiences and good talks,  especially that magical night about the fighting bed. 
Our investigator Camila is doing really good. She is reading in 2 nephi in the book of mormon and we always have touching lessons with her. The only thing is that she is really busy on the weekends, so it's hard for her to go to church. Her little baby Vicente, is awesome. We have been visiting her for quite some time now and Vicente has grown up a lot. It's pretty sad because he is not as chubby as he used to be. Sadly he's faithfully doing his baby exercises so he moving out of the too fat section on the baby chart.   This weighs heavy on me because he's so darn adorable with all the chub. 
Tomorrow I'll get my comp so for Today I'm with Taylor Frossard. The two springville high kids chilling for a day! I'm really excited for this next change, it should be really good. Our ward usually had 8 missionaries but they changed it to 6, so we'll see if limits get changed. I'm really excited to start training someone new and really get to work!
Alma 7  
 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will takeupon him 
their infirmities, that his bowels may be filledwith mercy, according to 
the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their 
infirmities.
Have a great week!

Party Planner

I'm glad to hear that everybody is ok and doing well! Me and Elder Pope had a good week. We are now on the last week of the change. On Thursday I hit my one year mark! Time is moving so fast!

We had to enter early in the house on Monday and hardly got to work on Saturday because of the copa de america. Chile won! Everybody was screaming and honking their horns. It was the first time in the history that Chile had won it all. Everybody was celebrating all night. Literally all night there was honking and screaming. A few people in church added the game as a part of their testimony the next day.

On Tuesday we had interviews with President Videla. Our zone is pretty big so it took awhile to get through everybody, but it was good to talk to him. We only have interviews one time every two changes (3 months) so it was something I was looking forward to. 

Josè, one of our investigators is doing really good. His wife just had their little baby daughter. We were going to go see her but we didn't have enough time. But he is really cool and is really interested. 

On Friday Elder Pope and I were in charge of a family night in the church. We set up a good scavenger hunt and people were getting really into it. Running from clue to clue and searching everywhere to find the paper telling them where to go next.  I need to major in party planning when I get back. 

1 corinthians 15

 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 

Have a great week!

a bed fights back

I'm glad that everybody is doing well. Good luck to Marie and Emma in college and I loved the picture of Paul with Jimmer. Mom I hope you are ok with dad in India for a month.  I laughed when you said you could hear the spooky Halloween cd all through the night whenever dad is out of town.  We're all ready for the Chile game tonight. Last game when Chile won, everybody went crazy! The streets and apartments explode with the loudest cheering youve ever heard! I think the same will happen tonight if not more crazy!

We had a good week here. We lost a little bit of time this week because we have to go in early to our departments when Chile plays in the Copa de America. But we know exactly how many goals Chile scores because everybody goes crazy!

One of our favorite people to visit is Marco. He's about forty years old and is super happy. Like, always really happy. We usually always start off lessons with a hymn. I'm not sure if we can keep singing hymns with him because he gets way into it, like Im not exagerating here one bit his whole body and soul start rocking out to the hymn,  and me and Pope laugh every time. Marco is also friends with other people we visit throughout the week, so at church we all hang out together. It's our little crew. It a little crew of people who need a friend and I love that we are in it ;)

On Thursday I was told that I was going to give a talk in Sacrament. So I spent a lot of time preparing . Yesterday I gave the talk in church. I was nervous about it but a  lot  of people told me I did a good job and a few even told me my Spanish was perfect, that was music to my american boy ears.  I talked about the Sacrament. Later that night we went on visits with elders quorum. It was a good time. We visited two families. We gave the sacrament to a 98 year old lady which was a really sacred thing. It was a good experience because I went with somebody that I don't talk  to a lot, but after the two visits we were best buddies :) Everyone need to feel loved and accepted.  Ive spent to much time worrying that I didnt speak good enough or that I was socially awkward, but when I stop caring about myself and just make sure everyone else feels good and has a friend, I feel happiest too.

Gabriela, our investigator, is still doing really well. We still have the same problem of not being able to find her because she works so much. We taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ yesterday and it went really smooth. Her little kids are awesome. Diego, her seven year old, told us the best story ever of how he got in a fight with his bed. He re-enacted how he felt like his bed was purposefully pushing at him trying to make him uncomfortable, so he took a few punches at bed, and low and behold bed started fighting back.  I was swallowing my laughs it was so hilarious.  Me and Pope have been together for a long time and we have so many funny experiences and stories together. He's a really good missionary and has truly become a close friend.

 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

So Im hungry and thirsty a lot, like a lot which is why this scripture really speaks to me.  It feels miraculous to have some of those needs permanently filled, even in a spiritual way.  I love you guys.  Go Chile!  Have a positive happy week!

Hot soup on a hard day

This week was another cold week in Santiago. It's freezing in the morning but not too bad in the afternoon. The weather is pretty extreme.


Everyone here is excited about the copa de america. Chile played against Ecuador on thursday. We weren't allowed to watch it, but we could tell when chile scored a goal because because everyone went crazy, it was actually cool to hear the cheering from the street.


On Sunday Camila and Josè both went to the church for the first time. It was so awesome! Finally Camila went to church! Her little baby started behaving bad at the end of sacrament :) so she went home a little early. Josè went to church in L.A. and said he felt really comfortable in the church and that it was pretty much the same as california. We visited them both later Sunday and they said that they both enjoyed going to church and felt really calm the whole time!


We visited Gabriela and her little kids last night also. The little kids love me and Elder Pope. They are gold but it's really hard to visit them, because Gabriela literally works all day from monday to saturday. We taught them the plan of salvation and Gabriela told us that she felt like it was all true, especially when we talked about the atonement.


So our ward is huge, the only ward in our mission with 8 missionaries. Me and Elder Pope are the only elders so we often go and give blessings to people in all over the ward. We've had so many good experiences with giving blessings to the members here in the ward.  This will sound strange but there have been moments here I felt pure warm fire flow through my hands into someone's body like God's love was being transported to them through me.

Friday was rough.   We had important appointments that we either missed due to time constraints or fell through. I was so upset because I felt like we wasted everyone's time.    As we were walking home in the dark I felt like a total failure.  As we were turning the corner I bumped into a man on accident.  He got in my face and started screaming and swearing at me.   It shouldn't have affected me so much but it did.   At that moment a man walked out of his restaurant and invited Elder Pope and I inside.   He said God told me to bring you into my restaurant for some hot soup.   And that is exactly what he did,  free of charge.   As I ate it I thought about our failure day and thought we don't deserve this.  AS SOON as I thought that,  I felt God whisper to me failure days are the ones he most enjoys blessing us with warm soup.   My God is an awesome God.


Our goal as mortals is to gain the mind of Christ, to believe what he believes, to think what he thinks, to say what he says, to do what he does, and to be as he is. Bruce R. McConkie


Love you guys, have a great week!

Backflips for my friends

This week we have changes. I'll be here in Simòn Bolìvar with Elder Pope for at least one more change. I'm really happy with it, we had a really good week and have a lot of hope for this change.

On Friday I had my best contact of all my mission. All of our plans for the morning failed and so we decided to do contacts. I began to talking to somebody in the street and he was immediately really friendly with us. He told us that he has only been in Chile for a month because he was living in California. He was sharing with the missionaries there and was about to get baptized but moved to Chile. It was too good to be true! We do so many contacts and usually people don't have any time, or just blow us off. So it was amazing that we were able to find Josè, the contact. Happiness looks different  on my mission.  It looks like someones face lighting up when we talk about Jesus Christ.  I hope I always remember this amazing feeling.

One of the members in our ward teaches karate in the chapel every Thursday night. He has two young students who always go and the mom always goes with them. We were finally able to find the mom and schedule an appointment with her. Last night we had an awesome lesson with her and her kids. The spirit was so strong in the room, I always feel surprised by the warm confirmation of God to his children, even though I should never be surprised. They all accepted baptismal dates so we were really happy about that.

Insert backflips on our lawn here.

I've talked about Francisco and his mom Angelina before. They both were recently baptized and have such strong testimonies. Angelina came with us on a visit and bore her testimony of the word of wisdom and how she was able to overcome all of her addictions. They invited us over for dinner one night with all their family and shared their testimonies the whole time. They are just filled with love and want everybody to feel the same as they do. It was a very healing inspiring night for me.

Have a wonderful week!

 We are the creatures of our thinking. We can talk ourselves into defeat or we can talk ourselves into victory. Gordon B. Hinckley