Burdens pass away

Elder Patterson and I had another good week here. We were able to try out some new ideas that went really well for us. Each week we teach a little more and we are learning a little more each week. It's cool to see the sector growing and progressing. So the big news of this week is Elizabeth. She came to church last week for the first time with her cousin. She asked a bunch of questions and was really interested. A couple days later we met with her and talked with her in her house. It was a great lesson. As we were getting ready to teach and introducing the subject, she interrupted us. She said she already knew that the church was true. Awhile back while she was with a doctor, the doctor gave her a book of mormon and told her to open it and she would find what she was looking for. She followed his advice and found exactly what she needed. She accepted a baptismal date. She is SO awesome. She is like our mom and is always trying to spoil us :) We went to church yesterday with Magdalena. She really enjoyed the church. She stayed the whole time and by the end of church she was talking to everybody. It was like she had known everybody for a long time. We had a lesson with her after church. The lesson was fantastic and Magdalena started crying when the member gave his testimony. She has problems with divorce and she needs to get married but things are looking really good. So we heard a really cool story from one of the families that we visit this week. The story is that the grandma was taking care of her granddaughter. the grand daughter got sick and the grandma didn't know what to do or how to help her. She said a prayer and realized that she also started getting sick. She went to the doctor the next day and got medicine. She took the medicine and gave some to the grand daughter also, they both got better because they had the same disease. The only difference was that the grand daughter was unable to get help. We were actually able to relate it to the atonement pretty well. Dallin H. Oaks One day all of these mortal burdens will pass away and there will be no more pain (see Revelation 21:4). I pray that we will all understand the hope and strength of our Savior’s Atonement: the assurance of immortality, the opportunity for eternal life, and the sustaining strength we can receive if only we will ask

Valuable lessons

Elder Patterson and I had a good week here in Conchalì 14. Our second week here. We were able to meet almost everyone and we now know our sector really well. We were thinking about the best way to work here and so we decided first to talk with the bishop. So at the beginning of the week we talked with the bishop. He told us about the goals that the ward has and what they are doing to reach them. We were able to talk to him about what our mission wants to do and how they want the ward and the missionaries to work together. It was a really successful meeting. We left being on the same page and with new ideas on the work. We had a goal to visit every leader in the ward and ask them how they were doing and how we could help them. We were especially looking for families that are part member part investigator. It was nice to talk with the leaders and gain their trust a little better.  One of our investigators is named magdalena. She is from Peru. She is really awesome. Her situation is a little complicated between her and the dad of her son. She had talked with the missionaries before and is really open. We're hoping that she can progress. Also we had a miracle on Sunday. One of the members brought her friend to church. In gospel principles she was asking a bunch of questions. We set up a lesson with her this week.  We have been visiting the Briseño family often. They were less active for awhile but now they are going to church and always recieve the missionaries. The best part about going to her house is we read the scriptures verse for verse. They have a 4 year old daughter that doesn't know how to read but she wants to participate. So when it's her turn she gives her best guess on what the verse says. She always says the funniest stuff about her family, animals, and favorite foods. Ok one more story. So our toilet broke and was leaking so we had to call somebody to come fix it. We told the guy when he came that the toilet was broken. He went into the bathroom to go look at it. After awhile we realized that he was using the bathroom. We told him the bathroom was broken and he was like yeah yeah don't worry about it. And then for like 10 minutes we heard the shower going. Afterwards he taught us that we can still use the toilet we just had to flush with the showerhead. The next day he came and put a new toilet in. But I'm just grateful for learning valuable lessons in my mission :)  Romans 8  24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. I love you guys have a great week.

All things work out

Mom I'm glad you had a great birthday! You definitely deserve it! So my new comp is Elder Blake. He is from Gilbert Arizona and he just graduated high school and he is a total stud. He already speaks really well. He is super motivated and dilligent. I really lucked out having him as my comp. Were going to have a great time here in Conchalì! We spent a lot of time this past week walking around learning the sector and meeting investigators and members. The members here are great. Almost all of the leaders here are young, like under 30 and excited for the work. On sunday we were able to meet almost everybody. We also introduced ourselves to the ward and we already feel really comfortable being here. Our first day here we ate with a woman named Maria Soledad. We started talking to her and she told us about a lot of hard things that have happened in her life. She told us that the biggest question she has is why it is so hard for her to be happy. I think that is a good question for a lot of people. I guess I don't have a perfect answer but it made me think of this scripture. Something so great about this gospel is the hope and light that it brings.  DC 90  24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, andall things shall work together for your good, There is a lot of work cut out for us here, but that is what we want! I love you guys have a great week!  Jeffrey R. Holland Today I declare from this pulpit what has been saidhere before: that no love in mortality comes closer toapproximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child. Mom I have so many memories of you showing kindness and starting conversations with complete strangers in my life.   I saw you pay for someone's groceries more than a couple  times and you even let that lady cry on your shoulder,  literally,  at the passport office.   You were so kind to her and you didn't know her from Adam and I thought to myself if I can be a missionary like my mom is to people I will be a success. 

Now I see

The big news of this week is that we had changes. I got transfered to Conchali. It was sad saying bye to everybody, I'll talk about that later, but I'm excited about the change.  Cristina and Juanito were going to have their baptism this sunday, but we decided to change it because of general conference. Cristina finished up her plan successfully, we were so happy for her. On sunday night we passed by her house one last time to say goodbye. We both cried a bit at not seeing each other again when we've grown to love one another so much.  I just told them I was so grateful for them and that my heart was so full of love for them. I'm so grateful for my mission and for all the relationships I have been able to make here.
General Conference was so nice. I loved being able to hear the prophet and the apostles. General Conference is literally better than Christmas in the mission. There is always such a good feeling with conference.  Looking forward to a great change here in Conchali. I heard a song on the radio in the taxi  on my way to the new area called this girl is on fire.   I felt the fire of the gospel burning in me and I promised God I would finish my mission on fire.   I can do all things.......... Thanks for all your love and prayers. Have a great week!  John 9  16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. 24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.  25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

Wheelbarrow champ

So I'll start with a funny story. On Sunday we ate lunch with a family. This family has three little kids and their youngest simon is four years old. He is always telling funny stories and doing funny things. Before lunch we were telling stories from the scriptures to simon. For example I told the story of the brother of Jared and how he needed light for his ships. I asked him what he did so that their was light. He thought for a moment and he was like he gathered a bunch of rocks. Everyone was laughing because we were like how could he possibly know? And we told him 3 or 4 stories more and he knew all of them. It was awesome. It made me liss how hilarious my little brothers are.
On Saturday we had an activity in the church. It literally lasted all day. Chileans do church activities different than Americans.   They plan for a long time and spend hours and hours together.  It was a blast though. We ate a bunch of food. Played games. Bishop won the potato sack race but elder bof  and I dominated wheelbarrow race :) Afterwards in the night we watched the cueca (chilean dance) It was a total success. We were able to bring a bunch of investigators between all of the missionaries. Everybody had a good time.
So the best news of this week is that Cristina, Juan's wife decided that she wanted to get baptized this sunday. We are so happy for her. Like Juan, she needs to quit smoking. We gave her a plan to quit and so far has gone four days without smoking. Everyday we are so nervous to talk to her, and it is such a relief to hear that she is still doing good. Something that I have learned with Juan and Cristina is that they have been able to quit something that has been so hard for them. I think the main reason is that there was no pressure or no fear. Only love and positive things.   I love you guys have a great week, and enjoy conference this weekend! 1 John 4  16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.  17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.  18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  19 We love him, because he first loved us.   I love you guys have a great week, and enjoy conference this weekend!

Earthquake

We had a fantstic week this week. We started this week with zone conference. It was a conference with the whole mission because the 18th was Independence Day. It was awesome to see all my friends from the mish that I haven't seen in awhile. Elder Jimènez leaves this change so he bore his testimony. He did a really good job. He had a great mission and I loved being his comp.
WELL,  Wednesday was the earthquake. I have felt a ton of earthquakes here but this one was definitely the stronest. It started out small but gradually kept getting stronger and stronger. Things were falling from the walls and cabinets. Even Buenos Aires felt the earthquake.  It was a little scary but mainly made super scary by people yelling and acting like it was the end of the world.   If someone could teach the Chileans to remain calm in a disaster we would all do better :)  
We ate non-stop empanadas this week because of the 18th. They were so good! We spent the 18th with the Rojas Family. We've had some problems with them as of late. They're really dramatic and said that they wouldn't go to church anymore for something that happened. We have tried a lot of times to go to their house but they said no. Finally we were able to go on Friday. We bought expands to them and had a really good time with them. She told us that she was really lonely and was happy that we were with them and thanked us for not giving up. I love what preach my gospel says. It says the best thing a member can do for others is be their friend. Most of the time all people need is a good friend but one really important step beyond that is a friend that will listen. I love you guys have a great week. 

JUANS BIG DAY

I'm so glad to hear that you guys had a good week. I'm sad I wasn't able to be there for luke and dads birthdays, but it sounds like they had a good time without their favorite son/brother! :)  We had a really great week. Things started off slow because we got behind with interviews being on monday. but we ended the week really well, including Juans baptism! Everyday this past week we passed by Juans house, asking him how he was doing with giving up smoking. Each time we prepared ourselves for the worse, but each time he said that he hadn't smoked. His wife and his kids were so excited for him. On Sunday we went to church with him and his family. When we got to the church we had all sorts of problems setting everything up. Turns out nobody had keys to the baptismal font, so we had to break in using a fork. We started the water and it looked like it would easily fill up by the time of his baptism. Right before, we checked the water and there was hardly any. Me and Elder Bof panicked and we found a bucket and a garbage can and cleaned them out. We filled them up with water from the hose outside so that the font would fill up. The good news is that it filled up. The bad news was that the water was ICE cold. Juan afterwards joked with us and said that the ocean was warmer. But the baptism went real smooth. The best part was when he bore his testimony. He has had a lot of struggles getting to baptism with his smoking and health issues, but he said he didn't wait too long or too short. That everything was perfect timing. And that he has hope and faith that in the same timing all of his family would join with him so that they could get sealed in the temple. Now we just have to work with his wife :) We had a really cool experience with one of our investigators. We were teaching her about the plan of Salvation. We got towards the end and we asked her a question. We told her there is only one person standing in her way to be with God some day, who is that person? She thought for awhile and guessed a few times. She guessed the evil in the world, temptations, bad influences, the devil. But we told her no. The only person in your way is your own self. It was a neat experience because it was like she lit up. I have been thinking a lot about that as of late and I really like this quote- The Savior seems to say to us: “Come unto me, and I will give you such assurance and hope and strength that you cannot be taken hostage by anyone who seems to do you harm. I will liberate you into love. And then you will no longer give anyone cause to resent or fear you. Instead, they will respond to the love that I have bestowed upon you. By abiding in me, you will do much good, bear much fruit.” C. Terry Warner Time is flying here on the mish. this week is independence week for chile so I'm looking forward to all of the empanadas and mote con huesillo! I love you guys have a great week!