Monthly Update

I’m healthy and happy.  The weather is changing and the cooler days are settling in nicely; that makes me happy.  I have read the Book of Mormon, the D&C and the New Testament in Spanish.  I’ve read a lot and am now in Mosiah reading in English.  I love the scriptures and think 2 Nephi is my favorite; that’s honestly really where my testimony grows the strongest in the scriptures.

The field in front of our apartment building caught on fire...and being a little later at night and had finished planning, we all went over and took pictures.  It was pretty cool and we watched on the corner as the firemen put it out.  The work is going well and we have a couple people progressing and other decent investigators who we teach.  One investigator went to a session of conference.  Conference for me was good and I felt the spirit and learned how I can better my life.  It’s different to go to a stake center and listen in Spanish.  We get it here live, but it is translated in Spanish of course.  Also for the questions about the other elders we live with, there is Elder Garza and his companion Elder Olvera.  Both are from Mexico and the first goes home in a month.  We see them plenty and talk a lot; I have made friends with Elder Garza since he was here last exchange as well. One p-day, my companion and I went to a part of our sector we found one day that is at the end of our sector.  We will played soccer and enjoyed the time.

We have a few people with a date to be baptized and many others who are great investigators.  For example, the other day we had all day set with visits, but they all canceled or just weren’t there.  I had an idea to stop by a guy we had taught before with a broken foot and see how he was doing.  When we got to the house a lady was sitting outside.  We asked her if Jorge was home.  He had left.  My comp, being the great elder that he is, asked her if we could share a message.  She accepted.  I taught and basically told her who we are and what the message can bring.  She told us she had been looking for something to get her closer to God and that made my day.  She’s real nice and we will be teaching her again tomorrow.  In this sector the elders make their own food; so I have learned basic stuff, like rice, fried rice, salsa, stuff with eggs, and ways to cook meat.  I make my own food and it’s all supported with fruit; but the fresh fruit season is coming to a close so it’s getting pricier.  I sing in lessons and in church now.  It’s funny because everyone expects me to know every hymn.  We are teaching plenty. Marcel is one, and he is doing great and reads a lot and prays and has gone to church every week. José is a kid whose mother is a convert of 3 months or so and he wants to be baptized.  A guy named Angelo is the Bishop’s neighbor and he is really humble and is doing great.  Saturday we had a baptism.  We went to the Temple here in Santiago and I had a wonderful time, it’s quite pretty.

El Salto and Easter Week

Well I am doing fine, but changes have hit.  I am staying here in el Salto, while Elder Roberts goes to the island of Juan Fernandez!  It was sad to say goodbye.  We had become good friends, but we both are from Utah so the possibility to see each other again is always there.  I am now with Elder Xavier, from Uruguay, the capital city I think.  He is a great Elder.  We already get along and he seems cool and super nice.  The week was alright, it went by really fast and I don’t remember much.  Saturday we had FHE at the church.  A lot of people came and it was quite fun.  We had a lesson and played games.  The Elders did the games as well.  I think that was the best part of it all and I’m sure everyone had fun.

Easter here is a week long thing that has been morphed by commercialism.  It’s the weekend that does it though.  Friday is doing nothing but watch videos about God.  I did see a little bit of The Ten Commandments.  They only eat fish, so fish prices sky rocket; other meats are cheap so we take advantage of that.  It is supposed to be a week to remember Christ and his death, thus, it makes great contacting and bringing up that He lives again.  This week with my new companion has been fun and we have worked very hard.  Thursday and Friday are kind of a holiday, where if you are young and rebellious, you go be that.  We had to return home early on both Friday and Saturday.   There was a lot of noise and activity—such as gun shots and cop cars patrolling the streets and such.  My companion and I hung out with the other two Elders in our apartment.  The work is going great and we have 3 people with a date to be baptized.  One investigator came up to us yesterday at church and asked if we could teach him.  Our gold investigator is Marcel; he’s an older fellow about 50 or so and is looking for the truth.  He has lots of belief but lacks just that little push, but we teach all the time and he progresses.

Thanks for all your love, support and prayers