The Work is Good!

Pictures from Chile's Independace Day Celebration!

10-2-06

Hello family! How was your weekend with Erica and Jake moving. They are moving a ton. I hope that it went well and that you got tons of stuff done and they don’t have to move again. So on dear elder express. Sent 9-12 and 11 I received 9-25, dear elder 8-28, 9-4 received 9-30 and 9-5 I received 9-25. What happens is it gets sent to Osorno and then it gets sent to me. It takes a lot longer for everything here in Punta Arenas. Everything goes through Osorno and we are the last to get everything because we are the furthest away. Such is life for being at the end of the world. So just email me directly, I copy and paste and can print them. Well you can do both but every week I still want a email.

So, we had our conference this last week. There are 20 missionaries here in Punta Arenas and porvenir. There are 4 sisters and the rest elders and 12 Latinos and Latinas and the rest of us are gringos. There is one sister who is a gringa besides me. The pres and his wife came down and had a conference with us. It was great because I understood like everything. That is always great, they also just talked about missionary work and that is my vocab. Such is life. It was really weird because I could talk English with Hna Faulkner and the other gringos but for the life of me I couldn’t have a conversation with her. I could not think of words in English. I couldn’t think of anything, I could understand obvio and todo but I couldn’t not think of things to say. My life is sad, I don’t have a language ,only a few words in Spanish and a few in English. Que triste mi vida.

So I have discovered something else. They write letters differently here. Like their q´s are way funny. Who would have thought that we would write letters differently. way weird. We were laughing the other day too because 3 months with your companion is like 30 years with your spouse because we spend soooooooooooooooooo much time together. Like, it is so weird, when she is not right next to me it is really really weird. Like I am uncomfortable. Like I am missing something. Granted I am missing my person who can talk for me, no but it is really weird, especially since I have always been so independent too. Life is weird as a missionary, definitely different than anything I have experienced before. That was expected though. I didn’t think I would start losing English so quickly when I don’t even know Spanish yet.

We fasted to find a family this week and the next day we found a family. She said that when she saw us on the street there was like light above us and she knew that we were angels sent from the lord and that we had the truth .yeah, so that is great but there is always more to the story. We were pumped but she is crazyyyyy. I mean crazy but she is super eager to learn. She is very in tune to bad spirits and every time she gets close to the lord something bad happens so she doesn’t know what to do. Paciencia no mas. The gospel and Christ can change people and help them in their lives. That is what it is all about. So we are going to slowly teach them and nurse them along. It was weird though, she wanted me to speak English, she doesn’t understand it but just wanted to hear it. It was really really weird. I couldn’t speak. I had no words to say and thought of words in Spanish first and then said them in Spanish because I bore my testimony and I am used to doing that in Spanish. I didn’t like that but I didn’t know what else to do. Weird experiences to say the least.

So yeah, I had my interview with the pres. He really stressed to me that I am here to teach and teach through the spirit and not to worry so much with my Spanish. I am a perfectionist we all know and want my Spanish to be super good but when I try to talk well the spirit leaves. I just need to say what I feel and the spirit will teach them in their hearts, it is their feelings that are important anyway, not my words. You can’t have faith and believe without feelings, that are what converts and brings people to Christ. So, I am working on that. He is a good pres. We had practices of teaching in front of the pres. I was nervous but then I was like, okay, I just have to say what I felt. It went really well, there is a big difference. He even quoted me later in his talk about what I had taught about, heck if I know what I said. But it was good, apparently I am on the right track.

Yeah so we met with a Jehovah witness. Wowwwwwww that was an experience. They have some interesting beliefs. She really just wanted to ask questions and bible bash a little. It was not a good experience. My comp did really well with her though. They have interesting beliefs to say the least. It was a lot different than our other lessons. She just wants knowledge, she doesn’t want to feel anything in her heart. It is sad what they believe. Everyone here is either Jehovah witness, catholic is the big one, or evangelico.

So our mission has a goal to double baptisms by April, that means we have to work harder and have more faith. More faith that we can be lead to people who are ready to change their lives and accept Christ and his gospel. We are working hard for it. We have a bet about our contacts each day. We are supposed to have 20 each day. It is really hard in our sector to have that many but we are doing our best. There aren’t many people on the streets. But we are trying to do it. I even made my first contact alone the other day. I turned around and she was gone, I had to talk to them and do everything on my own. I even understood them it was great. Nerve wracking but great. But still, step by step. There was one contact who started talking to me in English and I didn’t even realize it, took me totally by surprise, good English too. Everyone here wants to talk in English. I was trying to tell him where I am from and north of Sacramento. I used the worsttttttttttttttttt English grammar of my lifeeeeeee. I kid you not, it was absolutely terrible!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it! I have no language. It was really funny though but sad because he started making fun of me big time.

The sun rises early now, in the summer sets at 11 and comes up around 3 or 4!! Lots of light.

We are visiting a menos activo, is 16 years old with a baby, their mom physically abuses them, anyway, a terrible terrible life. She came back to church last week and tried to come to conference but didn’t have a way to get there because there was only one building showing conference by the internet. She is really trying, I have seen such a big change with her since I have been here. She wants to have a good life but everything is against her .she is so cute but she needs love and something good in her life.

It is cool too, we have a baptism on Saturday, the stripper’s family. They have changed so much. The wife today said, I fell this is it, I have been baptized before but this is right. It is so cool. The son is stubborn but he is praying and wanting to learn and his prayers are the sweetest things I have ever heard. It is so awesome. The gospel is real and is here to change people and have them in their lives. It is awesome.

Conference was good, they showed the sac temple. It made me miss home. I hoe you enjoyed it, I watched it in Spanish and didn’t understand much. I hope you enjoyed it for me. It was good I think. I can’t wait for the ensign so I can actually read it and know what happened.

Next week is transfers. I don’t know what is going to happen ,I could go or stay. It is Wednesday the 11th. That means we will not have pday on Monday, it will be Wednesday the day of cambios.

Happy late bday to gran. Send me a list of bdays and recipes mom!!!!!!!!! Hope you sent me long johns, I don’t think it will ever be warm here.

Sorry to hear about Justin’s sun glasses, he is a weenie!

I am great. I have a cold and couldn’t sleep but such is life. No importa. My Spanish has it’s ups and downs. We are excited for our baptism this week and hope to have another family this month. I don’t have much more time. Thanks for the letters. Sorry I don’t have to time write everyone. Hope Chan and her fam is great. Hope they are enjoying life and her school is going great .pray for you all even if you are on the other side of the world. Until, Wednesday!!

Enjoy the pictures, next week I am putting them all on a cd and will email them home with what each one of them are. You will have to wait like a month but you can have patience. Hope the house cells. Congrats to Tara. Peace out