Dear Mom,
AHHHHHHH!!!!!! Okay, so that letter last week!! (Sorry I dont respond to your letters on the day you send them. We print and read letters in the morning, then write in the afternoon, so if you send them later in the day, I dont read them til night and respond the next week.) I got the goosebumps in 100 degree weather when I read that thing about you envisioning my matrimony in the back yard. (Matrimony?? What is it called?? No sé.) I seriously freaked out, not sure why, perhaps that is the house we need to live in, not sure, but there was definitely a spiritual feeling here in Chile about that house, and I havent even seen it........ So yeah.
So this week. I have been thinking a lot about a letter that aunt Robin sent me last Lunes. She said she prayed to have spiritual growth, and she got it and more. (It was in the form of trials. I can send it to you if you want.) Hna. Hellbusch and I have a joke that you NEVER pray for more patience or more humility or really any of the Christlike attributes because He will give them to you in the form of the hardest trials of your life. (Its a joke.) But I was seriously thinking about that this week and decided to pray for that spiritual growth. I have yet to see any big trials, but something tells me they may start to come in the changes that are coming up in 2 weeks. I will be an official, full fledged missionary, out of training and ready to take on Chile with my Savior in 2 weeks, and it is kind of scary. We have no idea if I will stay here in Tupahue Rancagua, or if I will transfer, or what will happen. I hope it will be fun though. I have been on a spiritual high lately and am just waiting for that big trial of growth and spiritual awesomeness to hit me. Really, it is awesome :)
We have 6 investigators right now (YEAH!!!! That is a lot for here guys...).
Ana is trying to dejar a fumar ahora, y café. Her date for baptism is the 28th of this month and her two weeks is this week before she cant smoke anymore. We pray for her, but she hasnt been reading because of her work that makes her tired. I hope hope hope she makes it. We made her a cute calendar to mark off everyday she doesnt break the word of wisdom. Sorry I dont have pics this week, the computer doesnt have the program for flash drives.
Tomás and Noemi are an interesting story. They were a reference from one of the couple missionaries here who met them in a taxi. Tomás is 15 and Noemi is his abuela. He is interested in the fact that we are children of God (which is awesome, cuz he just needs love!!) and Noemi pulled us aside the other day to tell us he has had a hard life and thanked us for the work we do for him. (Missionary Work is SO worth it!!) However, when he came to church yesterday, he didnt feel very welcomed... That is one thing we have to work on with the members. (PLEASEEEEEEEE if you see an investigator in church, go be friends with them!! They are already tentative enough, without people not getting to know them. I swear they are real people and just need the love we feel every week at church.) But other than that we are good friends with them and Noemi wants to come to church next week ;) YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We also have Rosa, Karen y Carola (Chatchi). They are 3 very strong women, especially Chatchi, who were suprised to find out we were mormon!!! When we first visited them, we only used the real name of the church, and they felt the spirit, so invited us back. Then when they found out the were mormons, they said they hated Mormons!!!! It was HILARIOUS because we had already created that bond, so they let us keep teaching them!! I cant wait to go back and talk to them. Chatchi especially is very religious, and all of them LOVE Jesus Christ, they just hate all the churches here in Chile, but have NEVER attended the TRUE church ;) They all have LdMs ahora and Rosa is going to have her 8 year old grandson read it to her because her eyes arent very good. IT IS SO AWESOME!!
Yesterday we had a baptism!! It wasnt ours, but it was in our ward. One of our ex-comunicados got rebaptized and it was amazing! He had to go through a 15 year process, and now has plans to go to the temple with his amazingly sweet wife in a year. Hno. Sandoval is probably 75 years old, and already has the Spirit so strong with him. I couldnt stop smiling after his baptism because I could see the impact his choice to come back had on his family. His wife couldnt stop smiling or crying and his kids (who are like 50 years and up) were all crying. It was SO AMAZING!! I love the Gospel.
Here in the mission, yes we teach people. However also, a lot of our work has to do with KEEPING PEOPLE ON THE PATH!! I feel like the dad on the Incredibles at the beginning when he is like: I just cleaned up this mess, can we keep it clean FOR 10 MINUTES?? ;) We visit MANY menos activos who have testimonies, but arent doing what is required to build that knowledge, or keep it. What is required? Orar, Leer, Asistir!! We use the acronym OLA (like Hola ;) ). Many of the problems that come up are because people dont think they have to read the scriptures and pray every day, AND go to church every week, and those are just the beginning steps. I have seen MIRACLE changes in people that just do those 3 things for 2 or 3 weeks. It is AMAZING and I wish everyone could see it. These 3 things are essential because they keep us following the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. Faith, Repentence, Baptism, Holy Ghost, Endure to the End. Those 5 steps are what we need to make if we want to get to the Celestial Kingdom.
Sorry I kind of went off right there, but I almost feel like Elder Holland when he gets going in the Spirit, I LOVE people so much, I want to force them to follow the path, but I cant. I can only help.
I love you guys SO much. FOLLOW THE PATH.!!!!
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