May 11, 2013 & Mother's Day

Well, I will save most of the stories for tomorrow and I think I will be calling around eight our time tomorrow. This last week was more traveling and is has been really cool to see old companions and get to know the misión. We have 19 new missionaries and we had to fill a couple of brand new houses which is a lot of work. This week we should finish all the traveling I think. Then back to a more normal schedule. We have not been able to work in our sector but we have been working really hard so it’s been good.

Today we went to a park by a lagoon and ate food and played frisbee and that was about it! Another pday we went to a mine and went under the mine and the tour guide was soooo lame! The only thing he told us about the mine was how the children were left to die when the deathly gases came.. awkward... and then he was like ok now ask me some questions!!! Go on I know your dying to ask em!! Nobody said anything so I asked kind of a stupid question.. how many people died here?? And he looked at me with a creepy face and said thousands.. It was creepy. He also told us you don’t need a plaque to be a good preacher. So our pdays are more interesting because we have a car. Anyway not much happened and I will be talking to you guys tomorrow!! Have a good night!

Things Elder Butterfield told us about when we talked on Skype:

One of the first things he asked us to do was to have all the mothers gather around so he could see us all at once – so that was his mom, his grandma, and his sister, Allie.  Then he told us about a new Church video called “To Every Mother”. He said that for missionaries when there is a new church video it’s kind of like a movie premiere. J  This video was made in conjunction with several different faith groups. He told us that he was really grateful for all of us and that when you are on a mission you really come to appreciate moms a lot more.  The end of the video says that “Life doesn’t come with a manual. It comes with a Mother.” http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/topics/marriage-and-family?lang=eng

The kind of food he misses most is a good barbecue – like good American hamburgers and hot dogs.

He told us more about the mine.  He said that they thought it was going to be a cool tour and they could learn about the mine.  The guide didn’t say anything about the mine – only that they would chain children up and when the children smelled the gases they would yell at the workers and the workers would run out and leave the children behind. So sad…  The missionaries weren't happy that they spent $10 to go there.

One day when they were traveling to areas in the mission, they got pulled over for speeding and one of the police officers was really grumpy and didn’t like his American driver’s license but the other officer said, “Are you Elders?  I used to play basketball with you guys.  Let’s just give them a warning.”

He told us more about Francisco.  He said that Francisco had a job where he worked every Sunday and so he couldn’t come to church. They thought that he wasn’t going to be able to be baptized.  But, then one day he called them and told them that he got a new job and he would have Sundays off and also be home with his family every night. So he was able to get baptized.

When he was teaching Lupe, they invited her to come to church.  They got to the church early and a man with two really mangy dogs went into the church (I think he said that he cleans the church) and the dogs followed him and right before Lupe got there they noticed a big puddle where one of the dogs had peed. They were really worried that Lupe would see it.

President Martinez told Nate that he could picture him someday sealed to his wife with seven or eight kids. J

In the office he helps a senior sister named Sister Benson a lot.  She speaks very little Spanish and he helps her translate things and make phone calls, etc. Also, he prepares and translates (into English) the new missionary recommendations and then sends them to Salt Lake.  He also helps wherever he is needed.

His scheduled date to come home is October 22^nd but there is a possibility that he will stay a little longer.

May 4, 2013, Mission Office, Concepcion

Well this week has been a week to get to know the mission. We have to travel to all the houses in the mission to prepare them for the now transfer. So we go by to see if the house needs anything else, we drop off beds, heaters, blankets etc. And we inspect the houses to see if they are clean or not and if not bye bye p-day. So basically people hate us sometimes but It is president who tells us to do it. 

I have had a fever for the last two days and today I feel a little bit better. I need to get better today because this next week we have so much to do for the new missionaries that are coming into the field! There are about 19 coming this next transfer. So I have been doing really well, trying to take advantage of the times when its slow to study! I love to study as you know and actually when I got to the mission I was sad because I got less time to study than I did at home but sometimes in the office when I finish my work and the others are not finished yet and do not need help I study yay! But this week nothing really happened just lots and lots of driving. I am going to start bringing my camera to take pictures of the different places I go! I love you all!

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!!

March 25, 2013 Lomas Coloradas

Good news! Francisco asked me to baptize him. It will be on Thursday. Elder Hess is leaving Lomas and I will be with a Mexican named Elder Barrera. I lived with him for two cambios so I already know that he is cool!! So I am excited for that. I really miss you guys.