April 27, 2013 Mission Office, Concepcion

Hey family this week has been pretty good. I got to know the south of the mission which I have never had the chance to do.  We had to take some stuff to the missionaries down there. It is really pretty and I think after my time here in the office I will finish down there. This week we have had more time to work in our sector and we haven’t really found anybody yet but last night we had a really cool experience.

Me and Elder Walton got back from Temuco, a city in our mission, and our district leader and his companion were with my other comp Elder Jorqera. We had a family home evening planned with an inactive family and some non-members and there was going to be food... so naturally all three of us wanted to go but we had the other two elders so it did not make sense for all five to go so I decided to sacrifice and go out to work with an Elder named Elder Arredondo. We left and he asked me if I knew a member that lived close and no one came to mind so we started to knock a door and then a family came into my mind and the house happened to be right around the corner. We went in and there were two women that were visiting, one from Santiago and the other lives in Germany. It was the mom and sister of the member. Their names were both Margarita and we took advantage to share a short message. It turns out they both have suffered death in the family and were asking God for guidance but felt that he did not answer their prayers. And they were very surprised that we showed up right when they got home and the last night that they are visiting here. They left this morning. Now they are both very excited to talk to the missionaries from where they live. They may not live in our sector and we may not see them get baptized but honestly the message is what is important not the messenger. And I know that is what God wanted us to do last night. Even though I missed out on lemon pie I followed the prompting to work in the cold instead and it turns out that’s exactly what God needed us to do.

I have a testimony that sometimes we would rather be doing something else when God calls us to help someone in need. These ladies where in dire need to feel that they have a loving Heavenly Father who is aware of them, and that’s why he sent us.  What would have happened if I had decided to just stay at the family home evening? I am glad we went with the spirit. So that was a really cool experience from last night.  Now I know that God prepares ways for us to help people every day. Anyway I hope all is well with everyone. I love you all!

April 20, 2013 Mission Office, Concepcion

Well, being in the office is really fun! I am just always tired though. My first week in the office was crazy because it was the week of a mission conference with a general authority named Elder Zwick. He was a really nice guy and he was the mission president of President Martinez!!! So it was cool to see that. So we had to get together all the stuff that the whole mission needs like boxes of Book of Mormons and pamphlets etc. So It was a crazy week and we had no time to work in our sector. But now that the conference is over we are going to try and leave Sunday all day to work and Monday and Friday after five. It’s hard to find time to work so please in your prayers ask for people to be there when we can work! I have the faith that we will find people still.

So I live with the APs and two other Elders. I help all of them in their work. Also, in the office there is a senior couple named the Benson’s. I help Sister Benson a lot because she does not know Spanish so I do lots of calls and translating documents for her. For example in our mission President has to do recommendations for some of the future missionaries.  But he does not have a lot of time so he sends them to the office to fill out and send. So I have been translating and putting together the mission papers for these Elders and sending them off to Salt Lake! So that is pretty fun! Also, on the computers sometimes you find time to be on lds.org and that is really nice to have. Also, President’s office is here and you can go in there and study in a very quiet setting!

So the trio that I am in is with Elder Walton who is from California but his family recently moved to St. George!! And he is thinking of going to UVU which would be sweet cause he is one of my best friends in the mission. He gets home a month after me so he will be starting school at the same time. The other is a Chilean from Santiago! He is really awesome as well. We have a lot of fun and work really hard so I have felt really happy. I will be here for a while and then end my last month and a half in the field is what it looks like is going to happen.

You cannot have casual prayers and study. If you go through the motions and your heart is not there it will not be the same. Every prayer has to be a pouring out of our souls to reach the heavens. And when we really show our Heavenly Father that we want something and it is his will, it will be granted to us.

I now feel a burning desire to NEVER BE CASUAL WITH THE LITTLE THINGS THAT I NEED TO DO TO HAVE PROTECTION FROM THE HEAVENS IN EVERY MOMENT OF MY LIFE. I simply cannot live to my potential without it. My mission more than anything up to this point has given me the chance to see that CONVERSION IS LIKE THE RISING SUN. THE MORE WE DO THE LITTLE THINGS THE MORE DARKNESS IS DROWNED OUT BY LIGHT UNTIL WE SHINE AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN AT NOON DAY. I know that is true. I know the more we use the atonement the darkness is drowned out of us and we are full of love.  I am so grateful for the opportunity the Atonement gives. There is no greater gift.

I thank you all for your prayers and patience. I could not have gotten here without your help. I hope all is well with you back home!!!! See you in six months!!

April 13, 2013 Mission Office, Concepcion

So this week was interesting. I was just working like normal on Wednesday and I get a call from President saying he needs me in the office as a free agent basically. I help everyone in the office. It’s really different working in here but I love it!

It’s cool cause you get to travel around the mission sometimes and I am learning how to do different things. I am really tired but it’s going well. I am working with APs and with the finance Elder and the secretary and everyone in the office. So I am trying to get used to that. So that’s really it for this week. I will be letting you know cool things that happen I guess. It’s hard to know what to write when you are an office Elder but I will be creative...

(Nate's mom, dad, and sister, Jessie, had lunch today with Nate's first companion, Elder Corliss (Andrew).  It was sooo fun to meet him.  He kept telling us how grateful he was for Nate and what a great missionary he is and how he loves the people and works so hard, even when he was a new missionary.  Andrew is awesome too.  We are so grateful he was Nate's trainer.  He was really a blessing to Nate and is still a great friend.  We were with him when Nate emailed so that was fun to tell him that Elder Corliss was sitting there with us.)

April 1, 2013 Lomas Coloradas

Wow Mom!! I am really glad you are ok. Please don’t do anything crazy until I get back at least.

So the baptism went really well. Francisco was really happy and his family as well. It was funny because we went with him to the baptism and there was a lot of traffic. So he just went on the side of the road in this bumpy dirt road and we were very close to the other cars.. soo to be baptized we did something illegal and we only almost crashed twice. In Chile driving is like an extreme sport. I have crashed in the buses before.. It’s like normal now – like earthquakes.

So it was a pretty good week. But it’s also really hard because we divided our sector and the sector we are in does not have any people really so it’s kind of difficult but it’s ok. My new companion is really great so that’s always good. And we are still trying to organize our house it is still a little messy.. but it’s coming along... it’s hard to organize a house when you’re never there. So that’s basically our week. Oh and Francisco says hi!!