Punta Arenas (Means Sandy Point)

Punta Arenas is the southernmost city on Earth, overlooking the Straits of Magellan. Situated astride one of the world's historic trade routes, its prosperity has risen and fallen with that trade. Punta Arenas enjoyed its first great boom during the California Gold Rush, when it served as a haven for great clipper ships. Although the port's importance diminished after the opening of the Panama Canal, the city reached even greater prosperity early in this century as the center of Chile's international wool trade. Today, Punto Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly fascinating testament to the Chile's rich history. Punta Arenas is also the starting point for excursions to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

PUNTA ARENAS: capital of the 12th region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, with 100,000 inhabitants. Located at the base of the Andes Mountains and the western riverside of Magellan's Strait (in that sector, the strait goes from north to south).The regional activity includes: fishing industry, sheep cattle raising, mining, hydrocarbons and tourist services. At the end of the XIX century, together with the import of a flock of sheep coming from the Malvinas Islands, 600.000 hectares of cattle lands were bid in the sector and there it is where famous last names related with the sheep cattle business appear, like Nogueira, Menéndez, Saunders and Braun among others. In 1987 begins the exploitation of carboniferous mantels close to Punta Arenas, one of the biggest reserves in the world. In Cabo Negro a great methanol plant is inaugurated.

OTWAY INLET
The penguin colony is located 65 kilometers north of Punta Arenas on Seno Otway (Otway Inlet), along the northwest of the Brunswick Peninsula. The Magellanic Penguins return annually to this spot between October and March to lay eggs and raise their young. At the site, you will walk approximately two kilometers to the middle of a natural reserve filled with penguin burrows to see the comic antics of these delightful and defenseless creatures at close range.

Hard to believe that she is living so close to a penguin colony in South America!

I am in Chile!

8/26/2006

alright, so i finally get to write. sorry i don´t know how to do cap locks on these key boards, they are different then the ones at home. i only have like ten minutes so i have to go super fast. it is saturday about 720. we are only three hours ahead, we were wrong. esta bien. so i bet you wished you knew what has happened to me in the last like five days or so, the anticipation. welllllllll.......i am all the way across the world, i am on the other side of the globe. right now i am sitting in an internet cafe in punta arenas where the wind blows and you have to walk sideways and it is raining. they say it doesn'tn really rain much usually but is dang cold. i got here a few hours ago. my comp is hna arguto who is from chile, santiago and doesn't speak a lick of english and neither does anyone else. life is great. i was in puerto montt the last three days with two latinas who spoke no english. we got here early because transfers are on saturdays but one of the hnas i was with was going home and her comp needed a comp so that was me for three days. we got to osorno and got picked up and then ate with the pres and went straight to puerto montt. then yesterday we went back and we received like eight new missionaries from the ccm in santiago. we all got oriented together. we all stayed in a hotel last night and then this morning early we headed out from osorno on the buses and then onto another plane. it was a two and a half hour plane ride from puerto montt to punta arenas. pdays are mondays and i will be able to email you again. we can only email our parents but you can forward and do whatever with letters after that. so, there is so much to tell you but i have no idea where to begin. so much has happened and yet understand like nothing. chileans dont speak spanish, they speak gibberishis I, i can understand mexicans but not chileans, they slur everything and don´t pronunciate anything. my comp now i can understand so much better than the ones the last couple of days , she speaks way slower. so, i don´t understand and people laugh at me and i just smile and say si and i dont even care, it will come. who knows i answer correctly or not. everyone greets with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. everyone is your best friend. they are sooooooo nice. latinos are sooo incredibly nice and accepting. the house arent very nice here. we are the only area in the mission with heating other than space heaters because they can get gas cheap from argentina since we are so close. the last few days have been veryyyyyyyyyy cold. i´m excited to be down here. i wantedy wanted to come here eventually. a little overwhelming at first but it will be great. my comp is awesome already . hna morphis is still in osorno, she heasn't left yet. i´m excited I've allready been and taught in three different areas. the people are awesome. i should go. i do´t want to abuse this. church tomorrow, we are off to go visit some people. monday i will buy more warm clothes, we could only bring once suitcase on the plane here that weighed 20 kilos, about 40 punds and a carry on, they will mail me the rest of my stuff and it will take about 10 days if you want to mail anything, only to the mission home, just a rule. okay i am out. hope you are all great. i can write again on monday. hope you are surprised and excited, i´ll fill you in more later. peace out, hasta luego, chao!! te amo, jamie

New Address in Chile

Jamie left for Chile on Monday. She was able to call us from the airport. We were able to talk to her for a couple of hours. Thank goodness for phone cards! She sounded good, tired but good. It was good to hear her voice. She was excited to get to Chile but knew it was going to be a long couple of days. We have not heard from her since she arrived, so we don't know where her first area is. We are guessing she made it fine since no one has called looking for her! He He It is weird to think of her in Chile and not know where she is. But knowing she is doing the Lords work makes it easier.

She told us her time zone will be four hours ahead of us Pacific Time same day. That make it real easy for us to keep track of what time it is for her!

Here is her new Chile address. This is the pouch address which means you can only send letters to this address. No packages. If you want to put picutures your letter you can but you have to print them on paper. If you want to send a package you can find her mission home address at the bottom of the blog.

Sister Jamie Michelle Pratt
Chile Osorno Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-015

You can also use another letter service we are using. You have to sign up and make an account but it doesn't have to cost you can use the free service. Or you can use the express account which is 8.95 a month and they will print out your letter in Chile and she will get it in just a couple of days which is quicker. The web site is:

DearElder.com

It is really an easy way to write her. She likes it because she gets the letters so fast. She says to say Hi to everyone and thank everyone for all the letters and prayers and well wishes! She also told us she had to give a talk in Sacrament meeting before she left the MTC and it had to be totally in Spanish. I think she said it was on the Holy Ghost but I really don't remember for sure. But she said it went pretty well. She made some good friends at the MTC and will keep in touch with as many as she can. They have a lot in common while they are there that is for sure.

Well, the next post will be from Jamie in Chile! That is exciting! I can't wait!

Last MTC Letter

8/19/2006

Hi There. So this letter is going to be really boring because I didn't have much to say because all the days are the same and we are leaving in like 0 days. This week has gone by really slow because we are anticipating leaving. We have gone to a lot of extra meetings to help us know what foods are safe etc and how to study your language while you are out. You should study your language every day of your mission and every day for the rest of your life.

So, I think it is funny, my nylons are by far holding up the best over everyone else's. Either I just take care of them or they are really hard on them, I have no idea.

Congrat's to LeAnne! Thanks for the pictures that was awesome to be able to see Grace before it was weeks before I could see her pic's (Grace Kathleen was born on Aug 15 weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz and 20 1/2 inches long). They both look good LeAnne didn't even look like she had just had a baby! It's awesome.

I hope the boys have a great time starting school and with football. I can't believe they are starting so stinkin early. It is way early. They had no summer at all.

That is awesome you took Nelson and Di to see the Sacramento Temple. Thanks Mom for you conversion story. I didn't remember alot of what you wrote so it was alot of fun to hear about it. It was way fun!

So this letter is going to be super short because I have alot to do and will talk to you on the phone in 2 days. I can't believe it has been almost 8 weeks since I have talked to anyone. I got my haircut today and cut it 2 inches! It feels really good.

I will sum up my last week at the MTC. Ever since I have been called as the co ordinating sister I have changed for the better. I usually like to just stay behind the scenes. I like to just watch and observe. When I have a "leadership" calling it makes me talk. Being a missionary should make me talk anyway but I haven't. I'm alot better at taking control and making things happen. The Elders make fun of me because I always steal their notes and not let them teach with them so they have to do all their Spanish from memory. I've gotten to know the Elders really well. The other Sisters have all been disappointed in our district because the Elders are slackers. BLAH BLAH, Blah All but like one of the Elders or 2 had a hard decision if they were coming and didn't' know if they ever were going to too. It is amazing they are here and the strong Spirit they carry with them. They are almost 19 year old boys who goof around alot and are really im mature. I just decided to take a different approach with them. I decided I was going to lift and build them up as much as I could. Since then all the Elders totally like me and will totally start telling me family problems is funny things that happened. I have a lot of fun with them and try to help them as much as I can.

I said goodbye to my favorite teacher last night. Hermana Lee. She is so awesome I think she is, which is always a little awkward and uncomfortable but such is life. This mission is all about stepping out of my box.

It's been a really fun last couple of days as we are packing and everyone getting excited to leave.

We had 4 new sisters come in this week. I got to orientate them, show them around answer their questions etc. I know what those first few days are like. I have just wanted to help them as much as I possibly could. It is such a crazy few days, you need all the help you can get. I've really tried to be there for them, motivate them, encourage and comfort them. They are going to be so good too. We are sad we won't be here longer with them but not sad enough to stay. That is for sure.

The MTC has been an amazing experience. The temple has been the highlight. Watching the new sisters comes in makes me realize how far I have come in such a short time. How much Spanish I have learned! It is incredible how much I have learned! How much my faith has grown, how much more I rely on the Lord and remember Him. It's amazing. I was talking to the new sisters and helping them and I was surprised at what I was saying. I realized my faith in the Lord is so much stronger. I know the Lord blesses me as I work hard as I can. I know the Lord has blessed me. If it wasn't for the Lord I could have never learned all my vocab so quickly and still remember it. I know the Lord is opening my mind and allowing me to learn the language. WSe taught the 1st lesson in Spanish again. It was so awesome because I can explain myself so much better than before. I can express my feeling better. I can fell the Spirit stronger because I am able to focus more on the Spirit then the words that we are saying. It is getting easier and easier to speak Spanish. I'm not always speaking correctly but I know the Spirit will help the people understand. My teachers have told me that my Spanish is very good and the people wont have problems with it. My problem is going to come with not being able to understand other people because they speak so fast and the Chieans will have a different accent. I've accepted the fact that I won't understand.

I'm nervous to go. I know it is going to be really hard. I know my trainer is going to have to have a lot of patience with me. I hope she is a native so I will learn quicker. I'm going to work as hard at it as I can. I know if I do that the Lord will bless me with the gift of tonues. I know missionaries can learn lauguages quicker than anyone else because we are doing the Lords work and have the spirit with us. Now I just have to make sure and have the Spirit with me.

I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and God sent him because He loves us so much. He wants everyone to return toHIm. I know I am going to have alot of trials coming up. I know my pride needs humbled. I need to not fear to talk to people. The real tests are on now. I don't just talk to people and now I need to buck up. I need to talk to people and learn to love them. Strangers need to know of Christ as much as the people we know already. I can't fear man more than God. That is hard for me. I try to remember- their salvation is on the line! After all Christ has done for me-Stepping out of my bos is the least I can do! And then He is still going to bless me! Crazy how that works. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect and so amazing. I don't know when you will hear from me next but I'm sure it won't be too long!

Thanks for everything! God Bless!
Love, Hermana Jamie

Moving on to Chile! Crazy!!

8/12/2006

First things first. We got our travel itinerary yesterday! Crazy!

Depart MTC Aug 21 @ 5:30 AM

Delta Airlines Flight 1292 SLC 8:05 am to LAX, arrive 8:59 am
Lan Chile SA Flight 601 LAX 2:05 pm to Santiago Chile, arrive 6:05 am Aug 22
Lan Chile SA Flight 251 Santiago Chile 9:35 am to Osorno Chile arrive @ 12:00 pm Aug 22

It is just the 2 of us going that day, everyone else is going on Wednesday. They aren't letting us take anything liquid with us. They say there was some big thing that happened in the world and I have absolutely no idea. We have been so sheltered it will be really weird to go back out into the real world again.

We have been kind of counting down our days here. We are excited to go but know that we ill know nothing when we get there. This time has gone by fast and will go faster once we get there. It is crazy! I need to remember to just enjoy my time and get the most out of it as I can. We heard a quote by President Hunter, " you only have 18 months to serve and have the rest of your life to think about it!" I really like that.

I get a little nervous as the time approaches to going because I will not understand what they are saying because they will speak so quickly and with different accents. I know the Lord will help me for sure though because He already has so much.

At the beginning of this week we had 13 people in our class. Another district left but not all of them and so we inherited some. We got a 3rd comp for a day before she left, it was weird but fun. Our classrooms are so small, max is 12 and most only have 8. So it makes it close quarters. Think of the yellow room ( our spare bedroom) with 12 desks, people, a computer and teacher. SMALL!!

My Spanish vocabulary is growing tremendously, it is grammar and structure that is taking the time and requiring patience. I've been told I have the best vocabulary in the district but I don't agree, I just study it the most because it takes me so long to learn it. I have been blessed this week in that I've really been praying for the gift of tongues and took that to the temple with me last week. Last Sunday I memorized like 80 words in no time. By Monday I had the 80 plus another 70! It was awesome. I could have never memorized that quickly on my own, it was incredible, that is for sure! I don't remember if I told you I memorized D&C 4:1-7 in Spanish! That was hard. Spanish is crazy too because some words depending on how you pronounce ti and where you put the accent with emphasis on the work, it will mean something totally different. That always makes things a bit more difficult. So fun!

So I got a letter from Pops this week it was really cute. I also got a letter from Nelson too! It was one of the nicest letters. It was way nice! I'll have to keep it with me so I can read it over and over. He is a good ole guy! :)

Hermana Lee our teacher left to go back home for a week. She isn't going to be our teacher anymore after she gets back. Since I am working on being nice to people I decided why not start with her. She is awesome. So, I told her how awesome she is. One thing that I really admire about her is how much you can tell she loves people. When she looks at you, you can see the love of Christ in her eyes and in her expression. You can tell that she really cares. It is awesome! I tried to compliment her and she kept trying to compliment me so I told her to be quiet because it wasn't about me it was about her. Our Elders treat her like crap and are so disrespectful, well 2 of them and so I wanted to make sure she knew she was appreciated and loved by the others. Everytime someone asks how to say overachiever she says Hermana Morhpis and then she says Hermana Pratt. We work so hard, we are not overachieving we are just trying to do our best and learn the most we can. If I work hard the Lord will help me. It is cool though when Hermana Lee compliments you because she is so obedient and so full of the Spirit herself. She is so awesome. She has a very strong spirit when she teaches and is always happy and excited.

We taught the 3rd lesson alot this week. It is about the 4 principles of the Gospel. Faith repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, Ok 5 and enduring to the end. It is an awesome lesson to teach. It is one that you can really here the Spirit with you strongly when you teach. It is awesome to feel that increased Spirit with you as you teach it. We teach it in Spanish and when I am done I am amazed that I had just said everything in Spanish. One Elder tried to give us a whirl and started talking about drinking. I had to find the scripture in the Word of Wisdom about it in Spanish. It was a little difficult because I can't read Spanish. I think I did it though. I am ready for the Book of Mormon in Spanish I am looking up words that I don't know which are many. It is fun though. I understand so much more of it now. It is awesome. I have so far to go though, so much to learn and actually be able to use it when I speak.

I was listening to the tape you sent and listening to Ethan and Paige speak. I was thinking that we are at the same level. People probably understand with much of my Spanish as we do them in English. Thanks for the tape, it was fun. I heard everybody but Jake and Chris. Everyone else was there. Thanks for all the stuff. We were all excited for the shoe powder and put it in our shoes immediately. I appreciated everything in there. It sounded like you had fun putting it all together. It is really weird to talk into it, I agree. I did the same thing, I didn't know what to say either. ( we sent her a tape recorder to make tapes for us and us for her) But thank you thank you. Everybody sounds the same and sounds like they are doing well. I could here a ll the parents in the background yelling at kids. Paige and Ethan were both speaking really well, tons better than when I saw them last. It was fun to hear from Kyle and Jen too. They are a kick.

So, I was realizing the other day how much you can learn, study and read when you have no TV's, movies or just plain flat out waist your time- no computers either. It is amazing how much time in a day there is for all that stuff! Crazy!

Hermana Binderhauff's aunt died this week. It was hard to know what to do for her. I called the branch president and that was awkward because it was the first time I have called someone I know in 2 months. I wanted to say it was Jamie but no one around here knows me as Jamie. It was really weird. She is doing fine now though.

So yeah, we will start packing this weekend Heraman McGuire doesn't leave for 2 more weeks because she has to do Visitor Center training. We get 4 new sisters on Wed. We will have to orient them. That will be my job as co ordinating sister but I don't know if they will release me tomorrow or not since I am leaving in a week, we will find out tomorrow.

Oh I got another letter from Grandma too, that was nice of her. Thanks for keeping up on the blog for me. It was awesome and I think a lot of people are appreciating it.

Oh one of the Elders complimented me the other day. He told me that he loves it when I bear my testimony because I don't get emotional but yet it is so powerful and strong. I thought that was so nice of him. It was Elder Rowley. The funny thing about him is he ALWAYS has the spirit with him so strongly so he is so much more in tune to the Spirit and can recognize it. The Elders have really complimented us on our example to them as always working so hard and being different. It surprised me that there are some Elders who are now in the MTC that it is going to be the first time they read the Book of Mormon on their own. I was shocked. But they still have always known it is true. Crazy!

I got another letter from Grandma today. 2 this week telling me she went to the temple. I got the pictures from the lake. They are way cute! Looks like you had an awesome time. Wish I could have been there, but oh well. I also got a letter from President Papa about my blessing. Lets just say that man has a mind like a steal trap! He probably almost remembered the whole thing. What he said is interestingly enough what I need to hear right now about being able to learn the language in a reasonable quick period of time. That surprised me. Thank you for having him do that. It was awesome. I'm going to keep it with me always. I way appreciate him doing that. It was way awesome I will have to write him a thank you note.

I also go LeAnne's little package. It is way cute and was way nice of her to buy my something to do on the plane. It made me smile and I loved the little note/picture from Paigey. It's way appreciated. Tell her I said thanks a bunch. These little things go a really long way!

We are staring to pack! CRAZY!

Spanish 24-7

Look very closely at this picture. Jamie at the Vending Machine!!! She does eat junk after all!!!

8/5/2006

i Hyla! c Como estan?

Tis another coveted letter of the week! So glad to hear you enjoyed my present. Didn't get much feedback but I'm sure I will on the tape that you send me. So yeah, my calling was a surprising. I think I told you I am pretty much the "zone leader" for the Sisters. I have leadership meetings with the Pres's tomorrow. I check the Hermana's out on Monday when they leave. I have to make sure they have cleaned up appropriately and all that good stuff. I didn't get my naps last week because of all the training meetings I had to go to. We met with the MTC Pres's wife, the RS pres of the MTC. It was good. I haven't had to do too much yet. There are a couple sisters who don't always get along with the Elders. Last night I pretty much spent all night letting the Elders vent to me. They are so immature at times. I talked with the Sisters too. We just need to focus on building them up and gaining their confidence. It is good they trust me because there is such a stereotypical between Elders and Sisters. It seemed to go well though.

So, I was thinking about it the other day...I realized that I have never helped anybody come into the church. I thought it was really interesting. So, this whole mission thing and getting to Chile will be pretty different for me. Interesting. That is way awesome about Steve! I was way shocked but way pumped for you all. You are doing more missionary work than I am and I am on a mission--ironic! :) You will have to let me know how it all plays out. Read Preach my Gospel it will help you to know what to do with investigators and what to teach. I finished reading the would thing minus one chapter. I also finished reading Our Heritage last week and started another. Crazy how much I am reading! I never stop doing things! It is awesome! Keep up the good work with Steve-just remember to convert him and not just baptize him. Converts need you guy's. I want to hear your conversion stories and why you are all active in the church today. :) Why? Like Mom, what was it about those missionaries when they came or you could have Nana and Papa answer also. And Dad why did you go on a mission? What led you to doing that? You can tell me missionary stories too. You can have any of the family share these with me, it would be fun. We had a speaker last week talk about planting seeds and we never know what will happen. Like did those missionaries that came to Nana and Papa know that so many people down the line and friends would become members of Christ church because they were baptized on small family. It is interesting to think about.

It is so funny because we have all been here too long. This next week will be the end of week 6. Things that are TOTALLY NOT funny and should never be funny are funny! It is terrible. We all have MTC cabin fever. We are starting to get antsy. The time is really flying by now. This week went incredibly fast! It was soo fast I couldn't believe it. I can't believe it is already Temple day. It is so awesome to get to go and be with our district. It was way crowded last week because it was the first Saturday it has been open in 3 weeks. It was funny- I saw my dance teacher there from last semester. It was awkward and he is weird. It was all good.

So, I only have like 100 pages left in the Book of Mormon! I will finish it in no time. I read like 10-11 pages a day. I am getting so much out of it. It is awesome.

It is really interesting with their calling thing. The second I got called I have felt like I have had an extra need to be obedient. I need to make sure that I am the best example that I can be. If the other sisters see me doing something wrong then they think they can too. Our whole district has been trying to work on obedience with exactness. It is so hard though for everyone. The Lord helps us through when we try and that is what it is all about I have for sure tried to do even better this week at thing not that I was bad before we all need to work on things that is for sure.

We were talking about baptism the other day and our own baptisms. I don't really remember much about my baptism. What do you remember about mine? What was I like, what did I do, was I excited, etc? Do you remember your baptisms? Tell me what you do.

Nana and Papa write me alot which is awesome. They sent me a package this week with pictures and mango's- yum. That is way nice nice of them to do that. It is great hearing from everyone. Erica sent me a long letter this week. I don't care if they are on Dear Elder, it is all the same. I'm sure she told you how Ali thinks I am going to be like Dora now and she was devastated I won't be able to talk to her again. She is so cute. She sent tons of pictures I don't know what I am going to do with them all. But I love them! They are perfect. My desk is covered with pictures now and it is awesome! It is so fun! I love it!

How is LeAnne and Justin? How is the house coming?

So last week or more we learned about the House of Israel, the 12 tribes and the scriptures in the Bible that talks about joining the stick Joseph and stick of Judah. I never really understood any of it before. One of our teachers explained it all to us and we went through the scriptures. It was awesome! It was cool to see how the Book of Mormon people trace back to the line of Judah and how the Bible prophesies that hey will be spread and then brought back together again, and that was fulfilled in the Book of Mormon. It was awesome to learn about that. We learn so much here it is crazy. I can't believe how quickly I am learning things. It astonishes me I have memorized D&C 4 1-5 in Spanish. I need to get 1-7 though. It amazes me how the Lord is helping me do all this. Here is one verse just for fun! (There is no way I am typing Spanish). Usually I can't understand what is going on and I pick up a few words here and there. One day this week it really hit me and all of a sudden I started understanding soooo much more. I got the just of what was going on and not just a few words. Granted there is still a lot I don't know and can't read but it was cool just to see how much better I have gotten. I am tying not to read Spanish and translate it in my head but to just read the Spanish and understand. It take a long time but that is OK. It was way cool though. The Elders don't think they know very much and we know so much more, but it is because they aren't putting themselves on the limb. I took away one Elders notes so he wouldn't just read his lesson and it was way good. He totally found out and gained the confidence that he could do it. It was awesome! So, last night I took away his English Book of Mormon and made him start working on Spanish again. These boys need whipped in shape for sure and somebody has got to do it!

So, out teacher Hermana Lee. She is awesome. I way like her. She took us to the TRC(not sure what that is) yesterday like every Friday. We go and teach "volunteer investigators". The spirit prompted her to like take away all of our notes so that we could rely on the Spirit. All the Elders were bummed but we were ready we practiced a lot. We taught a Mexican family, well half of them- the Mom and 3 daughters. They were so cute! The Spirit was so strong as taught them. The family was so sweat. We just fed off the Spirit. It was awesome! We didn't worry that much about our terrible Spanish we just went with it. One of us would say a few things and then the next one, we listened to each other and for the most part I understood everything. It is exhausting to listen and understand Spanish. The girls could speak Spanish but couldn't really read it. They helped us a little with our Spanish. Hermana Lee always compliments us on how good we are doing. She thinks we are doing awesome. I know our Spanish needs a lot of work to say the least! It was so cool. I was so calm and peaceful and really didn't' worry that much about my Spanish. It was awesome!

By far it was the best experience we have had in teaching. We did it with out our notes. We just went for it. It was hard but really good. Thinks really are coming along. I need to just remember to have faith when I get out there. I am not going to understand anything when I get there. I have to have faith that the Lord will bless me and is blessing me with the gift of tongues. That will be able to get my message across and have the Spirit with me and speaking through me so they can feel and understand our message and the importance of our message in their life.

We are getting so close to leaving! It is insane! We are pumped though but not really prepared enough. I don't think we even will be.

Thanks a bunch for the package, flashlight and all. That was fun! I was surprised because you said you hadn't' sent one yet. It was fun though. So next week when I write I will be able to tell you my travel plans. :) Tracie wrote me this week! Thanks for getting her the letter. It was way nice of her to write back. It was fun to hear from her. She even sent me pictures which was way fun.

So, you'll have to fill me in on anything new going on. How was working at the temple? How were the Finlay's? The works!

I can't think of much else. We get to of the temple today. I love letters they help so much. I don't get homesick, the Lord keeps me focused on the work. It is amazing to see how perfect God's plan is and how every single piece fits perfectly together. It is amazing how is all makes perfect sense, it couldn't be more perfect how everything is and is set up. It is amazing to feel his Spirit so strongly everyday. I have grown a lot in the sense that I can recognize the Spirit so much better and I am so much better at acting on it instead of ignoring it. Every time I act on it it brings me peace and then the next time I am better at recognizing and acting again. It is awesome! The spirit is teaching me. I know he is. I got a little frustrated with the language this week because I felt my brain couldn't take anymore but the Lord is humbling me and strengthening me. Hermana Morphis and I doing better we work well together. We don't mesh perfectly. I know I need to break my walls of pride and whatever else. I need to learn how to love people who are different than me. No complaints really, just little things. We work hard though.

Well that is all for now I think. We are going to do laundry, write letters and go to the temple then class again tonight. Yet another full and busy day at the MTC. I love P-Day though. It is great!

Thanks for everything!

Love Hermana Jamie

Remember how good life is and how blessed we all really are! I know that I am blessed!

Jamie in her element. Playing sports! Looks like right in the sprinklers!

I love this picture! Look at all the name tags hanging on the fence!

Funny Missionaries! They are soo cool!

Chile Osorno Mission President

I thought as it got closer to Jamie's departure to Chile that it would be fun to meet her mission president and his wife. He began his mission in Chile on July 1, 2006. They will serve for 3 years. There are 9 missions in Chile. 8 in the North and one in the South where Jamie will be serving. Jamie's misssion is highlighted in red in the map you see here.

More than one third of the missions worldwide received new misssion presidents this year. 122 mission presidents began on July 1st. The total number of missions world wide is now 339.

They were at the MTC when Jamie was there! Wonder if she met them? She hasn't said she did so most likely she didn't.

Carl Riley Faulkner, 58; Chile Osorno Mission; Cedar Pass 1st Ward, Eagle Mountain Utah Stake; stake president; former counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor and missionary in the Colorado-New Mexico Mission. Partner at Sonora Development. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Charles Huston and Dortha Taylor Faulkner. Married Catherine Ann Smith, seven children. Sister Faulkner is a former counselor in stake and ward Young Women and Primary presidencies and Relief Society enrichment leader. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Douglas H. and Barbara Jean Bradshaw Smith.