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.

A weird week

Well this week was just, well, I don’t know, weird.  Work was slow so that part isn’t too exciting. We talked with two very odd people this past week.  One is a man who is an evangelist and he loves the missionaries.  He talks a ton and says weird doctrine; like our body is the church and if we love God then we don’t need to be a part of a church. But, he’s a good guy and very kind to us.  Another person is an older lady; well really old.  She told us that she receives healing powers from the sun and believes it is God giving it to her.  Sadly she used this so called power to heal someone, and I honestly felt she possessed the poor person with a demon, but honestly things like that are common here....but life here is fun.  The house we live in is a little shack that likes to keep in the humidity and make it super hot at night and a home for the cockroaches, which we hunt with a hammer and a makeshift flamethrower.  One day I had an exchange with a kid from California, who is Latino through is parents.  He knows Spanish.  We got along very well and mostly talked the day away since no one would talk with us.  Also, people have been asking a lot about Obama and Romney and really all I can say is I have no idea, I don’t watch the news.  Oh well I guess.  Scripture study is always my favorite and I just love reading and learning.  I have food, a home and a proposito (sorry I don’t remember the word in English) which is just to share and I do that with the spirit and scriptures.  I’m happy, just trying to be obedient and work.

Transfers and Elder Bednar

Transfers have hit and I am in a new sector with a new companion named Elder Arriagada, a Chilean.  He seems like a good Elder and has 16 months in the mission.  The sector is called Cunchali, and it's right next to Renca.  I am really sad to leave my old sector; there were some real good people there.  We taught some good lessons there and have investigators who will be baptized for sure.  Elder Bednar visited Chile.  We met in a building next to the Temple.  Our mission and another mission met with him at the same time.  It was amazing!  He had us ask questions and make comments.  I even got to say something, and I talked right at him and he looked at me!  It’s so amazing to meet an Apostle of God and learn from him. I just can’t describe it, it was just wonderful.
 I am doing fine and just working and enjoying all the learning and experiences.  Thank you all for your prayers. con cariño
-Elder Shelley

Conference weekend

Well this week has of course been another blur and some days as I go to bed I think, did I not just get up? We have plenty of lessons, this week we had 22 not counting with menos activo. We have 3 with a date, but two live in another ward, but either way it’s great to get people to baptism. I just work and learn.

 I am getting a good hold of the language and understanding the Chileans, it’s just when they get excited (or really mad) that they just fly and I can not understand a thing.  Well summer has hit, but this week has been cold and cloudy. It even rained a lot this weekend. There are mountains close, but there is always smog so it’s hard, but there is a bridge that we cross to get on the other side of the highway, and there they are big and snowcapped. We are in a valley, a lot like Utah, but deeper and more hills, at least where I have been. Cerro Renca is the dominate hill right next to us with a cross at the top. Renca is a smaller town; I was told it used to be an old farming community back in the day. We will walk most of the time unless we have something far away; we take the bus, or micro as it’s called, if we need to. Our sector is long and skinny. The streets may be paved, but there are plenty of missing parts. They are a hard working people and care about family. I love them.  My companion and I are just two good friends sharing the gospel. He will have me help with English sometimes, but president has asked me to talk as much Spanish, so it’s Spanish basically 24/7.

We watched General Conference in Spanish at the stake center, so that was fun trying to understand everything, but I got most of it. It is really not the same though, listening to other voices for the speakers. I was a little sad, though, only about 20 people came Saturday, and most were missionaries in our stake. Sunday was better; at least we almost filled the chapel. We had a few investigators come, but only for the Sunday morning session. I was edified though, it is not anything like crying my eyes out, but a simple truth, to go and do my duty and go forward with faith. The announcement of the new missionary age minimum was great to hear, I hope many will answer this great call to serve. It is a wonderful experience. I can’t think of any better experience I could be having right now.

Speechless

Well honestly I have no idea what to write this week, Chile is Chile and I am learning Spanish.  We teach and walk and talk to people.  Nothing exciting has really happened this week with me; it was a little bit of a blur really.  We had a birthday party at a member’s house that has become like a second family for me and my companion.  They love to hear about our lives and our countries.  So sorry if it’s short, just write any question down and ask me when I get back :)