Monday, November 26, 2012

November 26, 2012 Talcahuano

Hey fam!

This week was pretty good, kind of slow in some parts, but the good thing is we have a baptism on Sunday and it’s the first man that I will be baptizing in my mission!! His name is Miguel and he has changed a lot to be baptized.  He feels a positive difference in himself so it’s really cool. His wife is a member who has a problem with smoking so this should help her be more motivated to quit so they can reach all their goals together.
My comp is doing good. I am kind of scared they might change me since I almost have five and a half months here... And that would be lame cause I wouldn’t get to be here during Christmas with all the people that I have gotten to know and love... Lame!!! But there is always a crazy chance that I might stay.... who knows. But other than that we are doing really good. Teaching some families and just working like always. We are getting more lessons with the members which is a really big goal for us cause they don’t have a habit of working with the missionaries very often... so we are trying to change that state of mind. It has not been easy cause this whole month our mission has not been knocking doors so we have to only work with references from members! It’s been tough but I think once it starts working it will work really well!!

Anyway I am excited for Sunday and Christmas to talk to uh... what was it called... oh yea! family!!!! wooo! Love ya all bye!

Monday, November 19, 2012

November 12, 2012 Talcahuano

Wow those are cool pictures. I definitely want to help with that in the future (the campaign). I was soooo mad I didn’t get to register in time to vote. And I have gotten all of my other packages just keep forgetting to tell you haha. 

And this week Lupe and Rayen got baptized!! It was so cool to be in the water again. It’s the only time I get to swim for another year. I made a goal with the Lord that I will have two people ready for baptism every month. So they were really happy and they got confirmed and everything and Lupe told me after church that a sister from the relief society said oh I can’t believe someone would get confirmed in jeans!!!! And Lupe felt really sad. She is the most loving person too. Wow did I feel anger... we had to tell her to forgive and forget and keep her sight on Jesus Christ. But really I know now that one little comment can ruin someone’s salvation. It’s so bad. But she said she will keep going to that class and the bishop is going to talk to that sister before I do... I am calm now but boy I got a glimpse of what it must feel like when someone does something mean to a kid as a parent.. but she is happy and fine. Tonight we are going to teach her about family home evening. 

And Mom, when Lupe found out I was sick she went crazy and sent me a whole bunch of medicine and commanded me to take it kind of like you would do!! I love you!
Also this last week another man named Miguel who we have been teaching has just been going to church on his own and we started to teach him and challenged him to get baptized on the first of December. He looked at us with a big smile, almost with tears and said yes, yes I will. I know it’s true. His wife is a member and he has never wanted to listen to the message but at an activity in the church I spent the whole time getting to know him and invited him to listen and now he has felt the difference in his own life. We also found out that he - on his own after reading what we left him - he just started to read the Book of Mormon from the beginning and he loves it. Then we shared a scripture with him in Mosiah 2:41 which is now my favorite scripture where it says we are blessed in everything we do temporally and spiritually when we keep the commandments and I asked him if he has felt that difference and he bore his testimony how now he has a lot more love for his family and the people he works with. He is so smart and understands everything. And this will be my first head of the house baptism. I am so excited for him. 

So we are doing good. And Elder Arnold, a seventy, came and basically told us to not contact doors anymore. We are only working with the members. 

Now the big miracle. Last Sunday a sister ran up to me after church and said please go to the hospital to give my nephew a blessing. He is dying. So we ran to the hospital and they let us in to the part where all the people in critical condition are. He was connected to all the machines and tubes were coming out of his body and it looked bad. But when I put my hands on his head I felt the power of the priesthood. I can’t explain it but I did and in the blessing I felt inspired to say that he would be ok and would live longer to be with his family. Well we didn’t know what happened until yesterday in church when she came up to me and just said thank you for having faith to act on the spot. He has a sickness that hardly anyone in the world has - some kind of pneumonia and his life percentage was five and he went flat line twice. He died twice. And after the blessing the worst part of his sickness was suddenly gone. He is out of the machines and tubes and preparing to leave the hospital. That power of God is real I felt it and it healed a man who was almost dead. That’s why we have to live worthy of the priesthood. It’s real. I saw God do a miracle with that power through me and now I am a witness that it is real. Never doubt it family!! We are doing really well - just working. I love you all and hope you are well.

November 5, 2012 Talcahuano

Hey mom. We are doing good. We are baptizing Lupe and Rayen on Friday. I am going to baptize Lupe and my companion, Rayen. So that’s pretty cool.


Yesterday I fell with a fever and gross mucus and I feel super sick today and yesterday. So I think I have to go the doctor yay. It stinks being a missionary sick… But we are doing really well. Sorry my letter is short but I am wanting to go rest a little bit today.

October 29, 2012 Talcahuano



Hey family!! I am almost a year old in the mission and I have been thinking a lot about the changes in me… wow… sorry for the kid you had to deal with before... But this next year will be a lot better with the knowledge that I have. I really hope to just work hard and let the Lord work through me.

Lupe is just incredible. She wants us to be teaching her every day. We are reading the Book of Mormon with her and her family right now and we are teaching her sister Elda who is twenty and has been going to church with her and we are hoping to put a baptismal date with her tonight. If you guys come out here you have to meet this family!!

Today we are going to a zoo that is close to our sector so we will take lots of pictures.

We also still are teaching two other people that are coming to church and are progressing very well and me and my companion last week worked our tails off and we are sooo tired today haha. I felt like a zombie this morning from all the walking.

So we are doing good. It’s sad that I probably won’t be here for Christmas with Lupe and this ward. We have transfers on the 4th of December and I will almost have 6 months here by then so I will go I think. I want to get a really nice gift for Lupe and her family. They get baptized on the 9 of December just so you know!! Keep praying that all goes well!! They are excited but nervous for their baptism.

I am well but there is not much else to say! We are good. Oh and this Christmas will be my last one and then I’ll be home for Christmas!!! Bye!https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif

October 22, 2012 Talcahuano



(To Dad)
Yay Gators!!!!! There is an Elder from Gainesville in my zone and we were talking about our trips there!! HAHA bye bye to the Game cocks!!! That’s cool. I love the Cheezit picture you just made me trunky for Cornbelly’s and cheezits!!! We are doing great here.

Lupe is incredible. She really didn’t want to give up coffee but she just did it and now she is used to it. She and her daughter will be baptized for sure in November and her sister is really interested too so hopefully we can help her get baptized too. We have some other investigators too that should be baptized in November so we should have five!!! We are praying for that.

The mission is putting a lot of pressure on us to just baptize and that’s getting hard. Sometimes I feel like we pray and maybe there just aren’t people or I am not doing or working hard enough so I am trying to be better but it gets hard when our leaders are just telling us to baptize and do it now. But we are being really patient with our investigators so they are converted not just baptized. So we are really doing good.

I am trying to gain more faith and be more humble and it is really hard. I have a lot to get rid of still from my past but I am a lot different than a year ago for sure. I hope I can learn to be more humble and faithful this next year. My comp is great we have a lot of fun teaching and just working. I love him. I have been lucky with my companions. We are good.  Just working and trying to baptize five this next month. Love ya all. Have a fun Halloween!!!

(To Mom)
Ya, I love that idea. That would be soo fun and cool!!! Mom I can’t believe it. Elder Corliss is home... He wrote me and said he is finding time to come see you guys.. That is soo weird. I am so close to a year.. And the other day President walked up to me and said almost done with the first and you won’t even see the second.... Jerk haha. But we are good keep praying for our investigators this next month to be baptized!!