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

The work is going great!

The work is going great.  We have a lady and her sister who want to get baptized.  One is 100% on going with it; well, at least she says that.  There is just one thing she needs to give up and that’s the hard part.  Saturday we were with her and her family and were teaching and sadly the idea of gold plates came up.....and I had to do all I could to get that out of the way because she thought gold was from the devil.  I tried to explain that it is not, greed is what comes from the devil.  Then the word of wisdom came up and they thought it was ok just to drink a little.  They don’t understand why we have such "strict rules".  I put my foot down and told them it is a commandment from God and we must therefore follow it—even if God tells me to go and bark on the street like a dog.  Well it felt powerful; I was very scared but they stopped with all that and we did our best to end with the spirit.

A couple days ago we had been having a very long day and could not find anyone to teach and ended up on a corner not having any plans.  Well, the next thing is a miracle happened.  We just saw a man entering his home and started talking to him.  He was nice and let us in which of course made us happy.  The whole time my comp was and his prayer was answered as this man let us in.  We get in, talk a little, get to know him, and then we teach.  It was one of the most spiritual lessons I can remember, giving the first vision made me cry and we taught with such power and the spirit was so strong.  Near the end, we asked him how he felt; with his watering eyes he said he just felt important and special.  I don’t know how else to explain it except the love of God our Father was there in that moment and we all felt it.  He promised to read and pray with a firm promise.  We left with a good feeling and high hopes.

Sunday came and we arrived with our investigator, the lady from before January, sitting in the back and reading.  She greeted us with a smile and stayed for sacrament meeting.  We had a tiring week and lots of times we could have just said, “Well we did enough”, but keep going.  I love it here, it is the hardest thing I have ever done, but am grateful for the experiences my Heavenly Father gives me.  I have learned so much here.

Off to Pudahuel

For the mission, my week has been a little blurred because I had changes.  The weekend was remembered because I said goodbye to a lot of people I care about and they the same for me.   It is weird to think 4 and a half months passed by so fast.  I am now in a sector called Corona Sueca, Pudahuel.  It’s near where I first started actually.  Also I am with a gringo after the string of Latinos, named Elder Roberts.  He is from West Valley City, Utah.  We will be opening a new sector.  Yesterday was goodbyes.  I also meet a Swedish woman the other day.  It was at a house where a member rents in the back and she was a daughter or something of the owner.  I had the chance to talk to her a bit.  I found she was a translator and knew Swedish (of course), English and German; also a bit of French and Spanish.  She is self employed and said there is lots of work here, since it’s Swedish and German and she does other stuff.  She goes on lots of trips and knows quite a few places.  She was really nice and I did get to share a little about the missionaries and the church.  I was just happy to meet a Swede other then family.  So that’s my week and we'll see how all the change go this next month.  It is crazy to think I have been here a year.  Well thanks for the letters.

-Elder Shelley

Soccer in Chile and my birthday

Chile is doing great since they won a very important soccer game against Peru yesterday.  I have no idea how the soccer game works, my companion tries explaining and I get most of it, but it’s a whole different world.  Apparently soccer matches affect politics, and that’s not being sarcastic people down here are fanatics from the street bum, who I saw at a pub watching on the TV with the room packed, to the President of the country.  Sadly it affects the work too, there was not a soul outside yesterday, and one house we got into was with a less active member.  He let us in and then sat down watched the game for a minute then finally looked at us and said "elders how can I help you?"  Well this should have been a question directed at him so.  We said we just wanted to see how he was doing and that we would be stopping by later and left.  Another time we were let in and the guy who let us in told us to sit and be quiet while the game was a play and we talked during commercials, but let because it was pointless.  My birthday was spent in the street with all our visits failing.  My companion, being the weird loving person he is, bought me some ice cream and a sandwich and told me happy birthday.  He also bought me an Inca Cola, a soda from Peru.  Sunday I had a surprise visit at the church when I arrived.  There was a convert, her mother (non member) and her uncle.  I was shocked and happy, because I care about that family a lot, and it was great to see them.  I am doing great, just continuing teaching and preaching. I love it here.

Working hard, doing great

It has been almost 11 months in the mission for me.  I am in Conchali 14^th Ward, a ward near the center of Santiago.  My current companion is Elder Arcos, from Argentina. We get along great and we are both working hard.  I have been here in this ward for 3 months and know it like my ward back home.  I will be here for another month and a half, so it has become a little home for me.  The work is going great.  We have plenty of people interested and teach lots of lessons.  The Chileans are in vacation now and the weather is as hot as can be; I look like a native—except for the hair.  The language is also great with many times people thinking I am my companion on the phone (because if they saw me they would know I was a gringo).  The mission is a wonderful place and my testimony grows everyday.  I love studying the scriptures and know of their truth and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the restored gospel.  Thanks to all for your support, it’s a wonderful work and a privilege to do it.

-Elder Shelley

Transfers, staying put in Conchali

Nothing comes to mid as new and exciting the past few weeks.  Elder Gomez and I knocked so many doors and asked all the members for referrals, but nothing.  Sergio and Ivan left us and we are still teaching Cruz but she is struggling a little.  I guess I got blessed to be in the hardest sector of the mission, which is what all the other missionaries and members say, anyway.  We walked and talked to everyone we could this week, but nobody seemed to want us to come in; but we still work hard and long and I love feeling good at night knowing I tried my best.  We have gotten close to a family that treats us like their kids almost, I think it’s because I shared my candy with them, but I am doing great and love the work and enjoy talking to people and learning about Christ from the scriptures.

The weather is in full swing with boiling dry heat, but I think my body is getting used to it all.  I can’t see the mountains or the ocean, sadly because it is all city, there are a few hills, one which is Cerro Renca.

Yes, transfers have come and I am staying here but my good friend Elder Gomez has left.  I got along really well with him and am sad to see him leave.  Now I am with another elder from Argentina, Elder Arcos, he seems chill and I met him before in Estrella Sur. This past week we went to the Centro on Monday which was fun, I got a couple of shirts I liked and it was all pretty cheap as well, which helped.

I love you all and appreciate your prayers and letters.