3-6-11

Tuesday: We got up today and went o our Disrizona meeting. On the way, I go o talk with Elder Elder. Last nigh, we had to share a matress `cause he and Elder Gibbs arrived oo late to make it to their house. Anyway, Elder Elder thinks highly of me and I hink highly of him, so we get along quite nicely. Unfortunately, Elder Gibbs was so sick, he told us it felt like he had eye cancer. I paid Hna. Olivares the lunch money, after receiving assurance hat I`d get reimbursed for i. Weve been working with Victor muñoz, a member that`s inactive and going to another church, for some time. oday, he agreed to come on Sunday. that`s cool, because Pres. Swenson said he might come down to Tirùa on Sunday. Today`s heat reminded me of the Joker`s quote fom "The Dark Knigh." Bu instead of "why so serious?" I thought, "Why so wet?" It was REALLY hot. I came across something in my thoughts today. I had been thinking of how I was, emotionally, before he mission. I woul have described myself as depressed, judging by hte music and attitude I had had. Bu even in that time, I wasn`a depressing person, and even though I listened o music that said I wanted to be alone, I really didn`. Even in those itmes of emoitonal disress, when I hough I had to act differently or though I had changed, I hadn`t. We are always in charge of ourselves, and maybe here`s a line we can`t cross, an identifying characteristic, that makes us who we are, no matter what. Maybe THAT`S our soul/spirit that we got from Heavenly Father?

Wednesday: today has been such a good day. Actually, it was rather ordinary, bu I am so happy! I just want to shou on top of a mountain...and then explode or something. We woke up at 5:00 so we could arive at the training conference by 10:00. A lot of Elders said their farewells today--including Elders heiser and Frankson. I`pm going to miss them terribly. One of the Elders said "We miss our family for two years, bu we`ll miss these two years for the rest of our lives." I think that`s true. But boy, do I miss my family. A lot of people complimented me on my spanish. A few said that I sounded like a native. It`s not like I ask for compliments. they just note my spanish standing out of the other gringo`s spanish. I was so happy becuase I got to see all my friends. And Elder Lisonbee called to tell me he saw a red-eyed squaker--the evil bird that chased us in Temuco. I got letters from both Cassies (sister and friend). Cassie (friend) is so awesome. I believe her letter made the difference in my day. Cassie (sister) old me she loved my tape and consiered it a blessing in a time when she really needed a big brother. I`m spending tonight with Elder Heiser. He`s really happy too. And when we`re boh happy, we smile...a lot. He`s in love with the girl that`s been writing him the whole of his mission. He told me all he sweet things she says and does. I really care a lot for him. He`s said he`s only felt free to talk so openly with only one other person in the mission. I told him I`d come to his wedding.

Thursday: We go up early so we could come back to Tirùa. Elder Montoya says he`s tired of having a square but from all the bus rides. Haha. He`s only been doing it half as long as I have! He`s got plenty of joyous bus rides to go. We came back and planned our day. Our distric leader called for he numbers. We haven`been in our secor apar from 4 hours on Tuesday. So hey were prety bad. We had an interesting lunch. A first I thought i was ground/creamed corn. Bu it was a purèt of potatoes, squash, carrot, corn, smoked pork sausage, beans, and onions. It was really good. It`s called, "Chakikon." We talked with a crazy man. He told us that Jesus go his powers to heal people fom a moon on Jupiter. I asked if he thought Jesus was a superhero. His response was him running away with his hands in the air, screaming. hat was really funny. We p0assed by Valeska`s mom, Elina, for the first time since sunday. According o MOntoya, She`d quit, bu we went anyway. She hadn`t quit on us. She told us what she`d learned in her Book of mormon study, which she`s been doing. We told her about Diego`s baptism on Saturday. She was like, "So anyone can come? May I?" She also really likes how we don`t repeat the same things as the other churches, and how we have classes. Then we went to the beach with Dego o choose a spot fo his ibaptism. It was really prety. We chased off a flock of seagulls (well, some chilean version anyway.) then I responded to my letters.

Friday:I feel like today was something of a waste. Not terribly, but it wasn`t spent very well. We did divisions with our district leader, Elder Gibbs, so he could come and interview Diego for his baptism tomorrow. I go to go with Elder Allen to Lebu. He`s only got 2 months in the mission field, so I was Senior comp. We have a lo in common that I haven`t found in anyone else. But it was interesting to see him making the same mistakes and experiment wih the same experiences hat I did when I had his time. We didn`t get in the secor unil 4:30, and we`d missed our appt. a 4:00. So we skipped lunch and went over o Stefani. She go o the sector abou two weeks ago and wants to be baptized. We taught her he Plan of Salvation. Allen couldn`t talk very muich, and I was in a state of suprise as I saw things from the perspecive of the comp. that speaks the language. Very strange. We taught snother invesigaor the Wod of Wisdom. He was willing to commit,l and understood it was because our bodies are temples. I loved being in a sector wih actual invesigators and members tha help. It was a good experience. Gibsb said Diego passed his interview. yay! Something really funny, is my english. Lisonbee and I always spoke with fake british accents. I`ve been with Latinos since that transfer (3 months). Now that I`m with gringos, I speak with it again, and they thinik it`s cool, and wouldn`t have been able to tell if hey didn`t know me personally. So that`s fun.

Saturday: So school`s staring again. The vacations started when I arived in Tirùa, and now everyone`s going back. When I was little, Summer vacaions seemed to las forever. Things are different now. I`m different now. Elder Allen and I met up with our own comps. in a Supermarket. He shopped and complained that "They have `this` in the states, why not ehre?" I told him we weren`t in the states. And I had a weird deja vù as I remembered Elder Barajas telling me he same thing in he same voice. It was a strange feeling indeed. On the news, there was a cat/bunny mix. The head was a cat`s, bu the rest was a bunny. It was foggy and rainy all day. I said a prayer that it would improve for Diego`s baptism. 3 hours later, during the talks, it got sunny. We went to the beach, and changed behind blankets. We walked hrough the VERY sticky mud. A german shepherd chased us down and played in the water. Very cool. I said the prayer, and as I ried to let Diego down and get beter footing, my foot go REALLY stuck! Diego`s weigh almost tipped me over, bu tI got my foot clear. It was really special. We went back to the chapel o celebrate with alfajores and chocolate milk. 5 min. after we returned, it started to rain again! Heavenly Father gave us a hole in the clouds just big enough for the baptism. So I baptized in Tirùa, thanks to him. something that hasn`t happened since last February. I`m so grateful for his love and for Diego`s desire to follow him.

Sunday: Todya, Victor muñoz, our little apostate member hat goes to another church, came o ours. Acually, he go up front and bore his testimony. I was praying he wouldn`t ruin things. When I said, "Amen," he wrappe dup quickly and go down. I heard a story about a nosy neighbor who always looked out her window ot see her neighbor taking clothes out of a rinse cycle and hang them up dirty. Time after time, the clothes were always dirty. She mentioned it to her husband. He looked out, to he neighbors and said, "Honey, go wash he windows." sometimes we`re looking for fauls in each other so much tha we can`t open our eyes and see our own dirty windows. We had 32 in chuch today! Only 15 were attending when I got here. I taught my class on eternal marriage. At the end, everyone raised their hands when I asked, "who wants to get sealed in the temple?" Everyone but Solange. She liked he Elder that baptized her, and did it for him. She said she didn`t want to be with her loved ones forever. It was weird. We gave Diego the Holy ghost today. It was so cool. He otld me several times he wanted to talk to me, bu we didn`t have time. On the news, there was a saber-toothed deer. There are a LOT of really weird animals showing up on the news lately! During my lunch of spaggheti, I bit ino something that CRUNCHED! then my mouth was on fire. They threw an ajì pepper in my lunch! Montoya go mad at me for walking ahead. I was on the phone with the ZL`s and he sopped walking to see if I would notice. I was busy so I dind`t. He lectured me until I saw readon, bu the did it so hurtfully. Now I join him in counting down the days we have o suffer each other`s presence. The only difference is that I do it in my head. Also, something cool that I figured out is the deal with Diego. We were so focused on Maybilline for all those weeks that we ignored him. But by teaching Maybilline wih him present, we reawakened his desire to be baptized. I think that was the lord`s way of blessing us for our work. Oh! And Maybilline called to tell us he missionaries there have passed by 3 times, and she went to church. yay!