He will not forget

I am glad that you guys had a good time in Salt Lake! I love the picture in front of the Temple! This was a good week for us. For Elder Patterson's training we have to study this thing called 12 weeks. It was good at first but now it's a waste of time. So we decided to use that time to deep clean our house. We clean it out really good and put up all of our christmas decorations and our little house is a lot more like a home :) I would say our house is perfect now except for waking up in the middle of the night every night from the cats running on the roof. Like a month ago we found this awesome family. They were way interested and they told us they had been looking for a long time to find a perfect church but couldn't find it. They wanted to get baptized but couldn't find this perfect church. So they just picked a random church and were getting ready to get baptized there. We taught them that night about restoration and they were way interested. But after we lost contact and we didn't see them for like a month. We decided to go on interchanges with the bishop and somebody else so that one of us could talk with this family, and the other could meet up with brillante and joseph (haitianos). So me and the bishop went to the gonzales family. When we knocked on the door they said they didn't have any time. The bishop was like small talking, and I don't know how, but got started in a really good conversation with them. He was really direct with them, which was good because they were really open about everything. We weren't able to get into their house but we finally talked to them and we are really excited for them. Elder Patterson went to talk with brillante. It looks like Brillante is going to have to leave his apartment because he can't pay the bills. It's a really stressful time for him and we are hoping for the best. I'm not sure how much we can help him but we are doing our best looking for rent and praying like crazy for him. The only thing is that rent is really complicated and hard to find here.  15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.  16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Christmas season in Conchali

 Santa said something mean to me right before we took this picture haha!

This was a pretty good week for Elder Patterson and I. We were protected from the spiders so that's a good thing. We are really good friends and the work is fun when you get along this good with your comp. 

We had interviews with our mission president on Wednesday. Me and patterson were the very last ones to get interviewed so we were in the church forever but it was definitely worth it. I really enjoyed my interview. President wrote down the plan that we use in our sector because he really liked it. He also gave me a couple ideas and we've tried them out and they have worked really well. 

This is a really good sector and we keep finding more and more people. It's just hard for them to keep progressing because nobody will come to church.  Grrrr.  But anyways we found Joseph and he is really cool. He is from Haiti but only been in Chile for a little bit. He lives with the most interesting man in the world. I say that because he speaks 6 different languages and he has never studied. His name is Christian and he is from Chile. They are both super humble. So hopefully we can add Joseph to the Haiti project :)

We had stake conference this past weekend. It was really good. A seventy came from Argentina. He did a really good job. Something that I really like about Chile is that in every stake conference they dedicate a little time for the recents rm's and people with mission calls to give their testimonies. I loved hearing their testimonies and how much being a missionary meant to them. It made me happy to be a missionary!

Sometimes I like to say I'm learning two languages, Spanish and Chilean. Because they have so much slang and sayings. But I think I learned my favorite chilean saying. `` He is More crazy/dangerous than a monkey with a gillette (razor blade). #Truth.

I learned in my life that we don’t need to be “more” of anything to start to become the person God intended us to become. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Have a great week!

Animated Translator

The highlight of this week was our lesson with Brillante and Wilken. Wilken is from Haiti but speaks spanish perfectly. Brillante and his family are from haiti and are still learning spanish. When we got to Brillante's house with Wilken there were two members already in there house helping them set up a washing machine. We had no Idea that they were there. Wilken did an awesome job at translating. He always translated what we said, but in his own style. Like we would say something normal and he would translate it but almost yelling and moving his hands and acting everything out. Afterwards he was so happy! Literally he was smiling cheek to cheek. We went back a second time that week and Wilken came with us. Wilken is still an investigator so I think that is what makes it such a miracle.

On Sunday we helped one of the members paint their house. Elder Patterson is pro at painting and I am not. I kept spilling the paint on their floor, but I lucked out because they never saw it, I cleaned it up fast,  ha. The family that we helped was from Venezuela. I love Santiago because there are a lot of people from other countries and I've learned a bunch about other cultures.

We had a pretty bad scare on Friday night. There aren't very many bugs in Santiago but there are spiders. The most dangerous spider is called Rincon spider. I saw the biggest one of my whole life friday night crawling on our wall. I hit it with my shoe and chased it around but I didn't kill it and it got away. So me and Elder Patterson filled four bowls of water and put them on each leg of the bed so a spider would drown before it got on our bunkbed. I've never been so scared in my life, but our plan worked and we were safe.

1 Nephi 8

 14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.

 15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.

 16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.

I love you family.  Always  partake of the good fruit God has for you.  Elder Terry

Make a plan

I'm so glad that you guys had a good thanksgiving. Elder Patterson and I almost forgot about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving night we were with Elizabeth and her family and they reminded us that it was thanksgiving. So they bought pizza for us. But anyways that night we had a really touching lesson with Elizabeth. Her family is always so nice to us but aren't very interested in taking actual lessons from us. Finally they agreed to say a prayer with us. Afterwards we had a great talk with them. Elizabeth wants so badly for her family to join with her but we'll just have to be patient.

We met this guy from Haiti this last week. His name is Wilken. It was kind of strange how we met him. He was riding on his bike and pulled up to us and started talking to us. There are a lot of people from Haiti in this sector but usually they don't speak Spanish very well. Wilken spoke perfectly. He told us he learned because he lived in the dominican republic for 10 years. He is so awesome and has such a good testimony. Each time we talk with him he tells us that he prays for a chance to share his testimony. This last sunday one of the members brought a family from Haiti to church. They don't speak a lot of spanish but are really interested. So the plan is to use Wilken and have him translate for us. We think it will work really well.

Yesterday a seventy came to our mission and spoke to us. He gave a really good talk about how to be a successful missionary. He gave three steps 1. the desire 2. constant thoughts about the desire 3. the spirit. I'm learning in my mission that you truly can accomplish any dream, if you desire it enough, make a plan to achieve it, and if your persistent in the plan to accomplish your dream.

Mark 5

 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Make things new again

  This last monday we had a really good planning session. We got really organized and set really good goals. We made a system to track how well we use our time throughout the day and it really helped us. We ended up teaching a lot more lessons than we ever had before.  I'll start off with Elizabeth. She started her plan to quit smoking but it just didn't work out. We should have known better because you can't go from smoking to not in one day. So we set up a plan for her to gradually quit and she has another baptismal date. We had a great lesson with her about faith. She found out that we don't like milk that much. It was so funny when she found out! I can't describe it you will just have to imagine it! Magdalena and Gabriel are also both doing great. They live together and have a kid but aren't married. They both have gone to church several times and they both really like it. The only thing that holds them back is their divorce/marriage situation. They want to do it but don't have a lot of motivation so me and Elder Patterson are going to have to do a lot for them. Wish us luck! We got a new ward mission leader. His name is Franco and he is a the coolest man ever.  He is going to be a huge help for us and is really excited for the work. Revelations 21:5  Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Gift of milk

The biggest news of this week is Elizabeth. She is doing great. She started her plan yesterday to quit smoking. I really ilke the plan that our mission has. I've seen some people quit smoking through it so I have a lot of faith in it. She is so awesome. She loves spoiling us. Like she won't let us leave her house unless we tell her something her husband can cook for us the next visit. She is like our chilean mom. The only thing is that she has this idea that we absolutely love milk. I'm not really sure why, but she gives a thing of milk every time we go to her house. We have a fridge filled with milk. Yesterday we gave talks in church. It went really well. Elder Patterson blew everyone away when he gave a talk in perfect spanish. He hasn't even been out one change and speaks really well. I felt really good about my talk. I wrote some ideas on a paper to help me out if I got stuck but I didn't need to look down at my paper once. The spirit was really strong and almost everyone came up to us afterwards and told us we did a good job. Sorry for such a short email this week. Everything is going good here in Conchalì 14. We have one more week until changes and plan to end really strong. Isaiah 30  21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it

Hong Kong and Halloween

I'm completely shocked about the China  Hong Kong mission! I cannot believe it! I loved watching the video of Emma opening her call and Marie and Mom just screaming! It made me laugh so hard! I really wish I couldve been there to feel Emmas happiness.

Things here in Conchalì are going good. We found a lot of people this week so we were happy about that. We had zone conference on Wednesday. It's the first time I have gone to another chapel for zone conference because I've been in the same area almost my whole mission. Anyways it was awesome to meet up with old friends and be able to meet more missionaries. The doctor and the psychologist for the Santiago missions came and spoke to us and it was really good.  My takeaway is stop stressing so much, because the doctor and psychologist are overworked enough as it is ;)

Elizabeth is doing great. Thursday was my comps birthday and she invited us over to eat cake. Her family sang happy birthday to him in both Spanish and English, it was funny. Her family is SO good to us. We have only known them for a little over two weeks but it's as if we were life long friends. That is one thing that I love so much about being a missionary. She was eager to learn the ten commandments and loved the signs that we taught to her so that she could remember. 

We were also finally able to meet Magdalena's boyfriend. He's really cool and nice to us. We've taught them a few times and they are really receptive. Magdalena came to church with us on Sunday but Gabriel didn't. He's a little more stubborn but I guess that's a good thing. Stubborn in the right way can move mountains. Magdalena is already like a regular at the church because she is friends with everybody and everyone knows her son for being the one that runs up on the stand and makes faces at everybody :) 

Halloween on Saturday was great. We were able to take some pictures with kids in costumes again. The most common costume was a tie between batman and spiderman. The best costume was this little kid dressed up as a scary clown.

3 nephi 22 

9 For this, the waters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee.

 10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
 Love you guys.  Have a good week and give our Terry furture missionary a hug for me.