Happy Holidays!

I am doing great. This past week we have been walking in the hot summer sun most of the time. Yesterday, Monday, we had activity at the mission home for Christmas; all we did was take a tour of the house because it is being converted into a MTC.  We also watched a few of the new bible videos the church has.  We had lunch with two zones.  I got to visit with my old MTC companion. The week really was quick, as normal. Nearing Christmas we see a few lights here and there and plenty of trees. Everyone is all in a buzz for the holidays and when we went to the center of Santiago for a p-day everyone was Christmas shopping. In our sector there is a Christmas Feria in Cortijo.  That’s where they sell random stuff for gifts. That’s really the highlights of anything new.  I am loving the mission though.  We work very hard but it is so much fun doing it.  I get along really well with my companion, Elder Gomez, and we chat and laugh whenever we are just in the street knocking.  We have an investigator named Cruz who is excited to go to church and knows the church is true.  Another is a father, Sergio.  He isn’t a member but his daughter is and he is bound determined to get baptized. Also a young man named Ivan, who we get along with because we all like being nerds.  I also have finished the Book of Mormon for the first time in Spanish and have started on D&C and find it so enlightening.  It’s just awesome! I know this Church is true and we have the knowledge of the fullness of the gospel.  Happy Holidays!!

Hot, sick and loving it!

Well this week was a busy one and a hard one, but I still loved it all.  Monday we just hung out and tried a bunch of times to get money.  It’s hard right now because the only supply of money we have is from tellers (ATMs) around town and there is only one in my sector.  After we found it out of money, we had to leave our sector and look for other machines.  All the other ones close by didn’t have any money either—due to every one pulling out money for the holidays.  We then ventured to a mall a ways off and again found none.  We got home tired and hungry, but thankfully the owners of the home we live in gave us a lunch. The week has been very hot; yesterday was the hottest and the day we were out the most.  We knocked an entire street and nobody let us in until literally the last one.  I learned the lesson of sacrifice there. (Even still I look white as a gringo here.)  Thursday my companion got sick and threw up.  A member gave us an ounce (?).  We had to do everything to tell her we can’t eat ounce and had to take it home.  When we ate it my comp got sick and threw up, then Saturday I got sick (a delay or something) and the same thing happened me.  Sunday was Stake conference and it was fun, we had an investigator come and she loved it all. There were great messages.  It is still awesome that I can talk and understand Spanish like I do. Also there was a choir with a few members from my ward which was very good sounding for just 15 people or so.  I just love the work and thank my heavenly father for all the strength he gives me; I say this just so you know I am growing in every way.

Enjoying Conchali

I am in Conchali, a part of the Greater Santiago area.  My companion is Elder Gomez from Argentina.  He is a great worker and we get along great; he even lets me lead, which I enjoy very much.  This past week we have work very hard in the hot sun, but, I have loved every minute of it!  We laugh and talk in the street and enjoy teaching.  It is hard and tiring but it is great and fun.  We have 10 people this past week who have interest in the Church.  We talked with a few young adult age people on the street and they said over and over that they want to come to Church.  I know the Lord blesses us if we show Him that we are will to work.  I did get to see an investigator from my old sector get baptized.  It was wonderful to see that family again.  The young lady who was baptized even talked about turning in her papers to serve a mission as soon as she can.

We have found a guardian, a dog that started following us one day.  We ended up buying some food for the dog and filled a bottle with water for it.  We named it Korihor.  It chases of other dogs.

We were talking to this lady at her door and the day was hot and I was tired and little cranky—and the lady made me more cranky.  She was calling us a cult and other dumb stuff.  So I looked at the lady and said the Catholic church is false and you need to read the Bible, chao and we left.  My companion just laughed as we walked away.

The Zone played soccer on p-day.  I got to see my MTC companion.  We caught up and he told me he hopes we can be companions again—which made me feel good.