11-20-11

Monday: Today was a great Pday. I slept in and enjoyed being able to
rest. Then we headed off to Laja Waterfall. This is my second time
going there and it was just so pretty. I went closer to the base, this
time, because there was less mist and got some really cool photos. We
came back to Los Angeles and went straight to lunch with Hna. Marita.
She made some yummy pork and rice. They showed me a picture of their
son, Mario, with my family...in MY HOUSE! It was bizarre. Then, Hna.
Marita brought out this awesome wafer cake. It was so good! When we
wrote the family, I had 16 emails! I was from more people wishing me
happy birthday. Lindsay`s in Nebraska now, and even though she wasn`t
unpacked all the way, she was able to have decorated for Halloween. We
visited Alejandro, a new investigator. He`s pretty receptive. He wants
to know our purpose for being here. We did contacts for a while,
finding a few people, before going to FHE with the Garcia family. Hna.
Garcia made completos! Mouricio Garcia, their son, is awesome. He
showed me iphone stuff, and I showed him a cool tie knot.

Tuesday: Today was a good day. We got up and went to our Distrizona
meeting. I gave a short lesson about how to find people more
efficiently. Then, I asked everyone to share what they`d learned from
their companions. Elder Gomez and Elder Barton were just chill, but
Hna. Clavero and Hna. Velasquez were crying as they wxpressed their
love for each other. They had passed through a hard time together, and
it bonded them. elder Zuñiga said I taught him what it means to be a
good teacher, and that he`d remember it for his whole life. When I
spoke of my hijo, remembering all that we`d beeen through and all I`ve
learned from him, I started to cry, too. That love just filled me
right up. In the afternoon it was hot. I fear for the sun. The air
isn`t too hot, but the sun is so strong it hurts. We were supposed to
meet up with a member at the church, but we waited in the shade across
from it, `cause there is none on THAT side. He didn`t show up so we
got ready to go. As we were leaving, we found him on the other side of
the truck we`d been sigging by. Hed been there the whole time,
avoiding the sun, like us! He`s so great. He has 5 kinds of cancer but
was the first to volunteer. He was very enthusiastic. Today was mostly
contacts and finding back-up plans. But I had a good time talking with
people. When we dropped off the laundry, we had a pillow fight with
Paula, Loreto, and Tuka--Hna. Pinar`s little girls.

Wednesday: Today was excellent. we got up and headed out kind of early
so that we could get to the other Stake`s Stake Center on time ofr our
Conference with Pres. Martinez. I got to talk with Elder Montalban for
a bit. He told me crazy Doctrine principles that blew my mind. The
Assisstants had an object lesson on the Church`s Soccer field. They
asked who didn`t like Soccer. I raised my hand and was promptly chosen
to play. The haters played the pros and lost, but it was a good
lesson. It had to do with training, and the importance of learning
from those who knew what they were doing. We learned about the Holy
Ghost from Pres. A lot of MIssionaries said farewell, because they
finish in a week. What will that be like? I had an interview with the
Pres. that I`d asked for. I wanted him to transfer me to a place with
less sun...but then I realized that was dumb and asked for a
recommendation of sunscreen because APF 50 ain`t cutting it. He
actually told me my transfer!He wants me to open a new Sector! Visit
people that haven`t heard the Gosoopel. it`s like "The Other Side of
Heaven." I`ll be with a challenging Missionary, one who doesn`t like
Spanish. Pres. thinks I can help him out. I`m kind of nervous because
they don`t have a house for us yet"they`ll get one, I hope). I don`t
know the streets, and we won`t have a phone for a while. But I`m
really excited, too! WOOT! Jorge cancelled his appt. and we did
contacts with Hno. Amstein. We visited an inactive that gave up 20
years ago. But he is having hard times and needs help. He said he`ll
try and come to church.

thursday: We got up this morning and got ready for the day. I`m
studying Alma the Younger`s letters to his son, Helaman. They`re so
wonderful. He explains a little bit about the Liahona and it`s
symbolism. the "director" represents the words of Christ that, if we
follow their guidance, will tell us what we should do. I have enjoyed
coming closer to christ through the application of what I learn in my
personal study. But I can always work on being more teachable. We had
our Weekly Planning before going to lunch. I LOVE the
tomato/onion/cilatro salads Hna. Ordenes makes. We studied Spanish for
a while, before going out to teach David, someone we`d found right
before General Conference. He asked us, first thing, about Tithing. We
resolved his doubts and, with the help of the Spirit, invited him to
be baptized. He siad he wanted to be prepared and we said we`d help.
we ran to the Centro to make photocopies and then went to pick up a
member to hlep us. We only did 1 contact because, it turned out he and
the Member had worked together, and they talked for a while. We met
with Hno. Garcia for comité. Then Hna. Roa gave me a 2nd b-day gift!
It`s a black t-shirt with "Chile" on it. The "i" in "chile" is shaped
like the country. It`s awesome. we talked for a while before we went
to our appt. She (Viviana) wasn`t there. Oh well. At least I didn`t
roast today. Cloud cover ROCKS!!!

Friday: Where did the day go? We got up and got ready. It`s been
cloudy for 3 days now, without reain or sun. It`s been awesome! It
turns out that, out of all South America, Chile receives the greatest
amount of Solar radiation, and Pres. said that, out of all of Chile,
our Mission is right under the biggest hole in the Ozone. Holy smokes!
In Alma 38:3 I found out how to have joy: Faithfulness to covenants,
diligence in Church callings/work, patience in trials, and
long-suffering with our neighbors. We passed by Marcela, a contact
from a while back, and found that she just works in our sector, and
actually lives in Villa Las Americas. So we wrote down her address and
passed it to the Elderws there. we had lunch with the Garcia family.
Their veggie lasagna was awesome. Right afterward, we had to go to
Santa Barbara for an Interview. It was different. Patricio, the
candidate, seemed to be having a hard time with the questions. He said
he sometimes thinks about other things. I eventually got him to tell
me his mom was diagnosed with stomach cancer and was acting strange.
Yesterday, she`d forbidden him from calling his big sister who`s
studying in another city. He was sad, so I read him some Scriptures.
We finished the Interview and we got back in time to visit Hno. Ruiz,
who my hijo has been telling for 3 weeks, we`d visit. I didn`t know
until today, so we went. Then the day ran out. I`m pooped.

Saturday: Today was great! We had a great companionship study,
learning about the Missionary purpose and how we are to help others
really come unto Christ. The more time I talk with people, or just see
things really, the I realize that the world is just in really bad
shape. for example, some drunk person was walking toward us, and then
he suddenly jsut threw his 1 1/2 liter glass bottle at us. But being
drunk didn`t help his aim. And in the night, we joined a search party,
looking for a rapist that had just finished the dirty deed. But I know
that, for all of that, that as a Missionary of God, I can really help
and serve p eople when they need it most. We had lunch with Hna. roa.
I love her. On the way back, Hno. Ordenes aske dus to help clean the
Church. So we did that. We did contacts on our own, and then with Hno.
Pinar as well. When we dropped him off, we noticed his family was
watching "The Lion King." That`s Alan`s favorite Disney movie! He`s so
awesome. We received our transfers! I`m NOT going to open a sector, it
seems. I`m going to Curanilahue1 with Elder Brady. It`s in the same
Zone as Tirua was. That`s great! Elder Zuñiga`s gonna stay here...and
TRAIN! WOOT! I`m gonna be a grandpa in the Mission! Elder Gomez is
going to be a Zone Leader, which is great! Elder Burch is still
Junior comp and is ticked `cause Pres. won`t make him a leader. I
don`t know how to help him.

Sunday: Today was a good day. I mean REALLY good. No day, in the
Mission, will you ever feel as loved as the day you say goodbye to
everyone. I was really surprised by how close I`d gotten to several
people. Hno. Mansicca, especially. He had threatened me on my first
day, to me sure I behaved. But today he said that I had done good
work, and helped the Ward, and thanked me for all my efforts. Same
with Mauricio Rodriguez. We had lunch with the Solar family in the
countryside, as wella s their relatives. I met someone named Lexly.
That`s a cool name. They put on Robin Hood (disney cartoon version)
while we waited. They took a really long time. Haha. We stopped by the
Hospital ato give a blessing to the wife of one of Santa Barbara`s
contacts. He`d said she was dying because of her pregnancy. It turns
out he was drunk. We got there saying, "Hey, we heard you were dying.
We`re here to save your life." (Okay, not EXACTLY like that) But she
was fine. Just chillin` with her meds. AWKWARD!!! We went by Hno.
Felix, the Muffin Man (he actually says it in English). He gave me 6
muffins as a gift. Finally, we said farewell to Scarlet. I gave her
the drawing I asked Alan to do for her. She loved it. I love her.
She`s going to do a lot of good in the Church. The Sisters in
Nacimiento (in my district) said I was their favorite district Leader,
and the Zone Leaders said I could "leave Avenida Alemania with my head
held high" for the work I`ve done. yup. It was a good day.