"UNA VOZ!!!"

October 29, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a crazy week! Really, really tiring. I don't think I've been this tired in all my life. The allergies are not helping either with my eyes really itching and having to sneeze all the time. Lots of hard work!

 

Elder King and Elder Jenson

 

Elder King is my new companion. He's awesome and is from Centerville, Utah. He went to Utah State for a year before his mission as well! Elder King even stayed in Snow Hall 201, just one floor above me! He's a year older than me and has been out 14 months. Elder King has 3 younger sisters and is a great worker. I'm looking forward to this cambio with him. We get along really well and just laugh constantly about the wierd stuff that happens here in Chile that we see every 15 minutes like all the dogs and people in the streets acting crazy because they don't follow the Word of Wisdom. Yesterday we had tons of lessons planned and were out on the street alllllllll day walking around our sector trying to visit people. I continue to try to keep my excitement level up even though it's hard at times. One positive this week is that about 20 people told me my Spanish is really good.  

 

 

Logros (Achievements)

 

bautismos  0

 

confirmaciones  0

 

con fecha  3

 

investigadores que asisten a la reunion sac  0

 

lecciones con miembro  4

 

otras lecciones  10

 

inv que estan progresando  0

 

ref recibidas  7

 

ref contactadas  10

 

nueves investigadores  4

 

lecciones a CR MA  2

 

contactos  13

 

MED  343

 

Since the MED has been the measure of success in our mission, I've always strived and worked hard for higher than the expected 300 number. That has been a blessing. I've never stopped working hard. I give it my all 110% that's for sure! Elder King and I set a goal this week to involve the members even more in our lessons and have daily contact with our investigators.  I feel this will help us a lot with the progress of our investigators.  Elder King and I also made a goal to have more people attend church on Sunday.  Member involvement, daily contact and figuring out how to committ our investigators to come to church is what we are focusing on this week. Elder King and I are focusing ALL of our lessons with investigators this week on the committment to come to church!!! 

 

Investigators

 

Maria: Maria told Elder King and I on Thursday that she's not ready to leave her boyfriend and get baptized because she still has feelings for him (they've been in a relationship for 16 years). Elder King and I have continued to pray and have lessons with Maria. Maria says she's been praying hard too! Maria told us that she is going to talk with her boyfriend and tell him she wants to get baptized and if he doesn't want her to, she's going to let him go.....I hope. We'll see what happens this week. When Maria was on her way to church yesterday morning her sandal broke. She said she went home to fix her sandal and by the time she did, she thought it was too late to come back to church (we only had 1 hour this week because it was Mayor Elections).

Alcalde en las Elecciones 28 de Octubre 2012

 

 Maria committed to come to church this next week. Elder King and I have also been talking with Maria's cunada ( Sister In-law), Yaquelin. Elder King and I actually spoke withYaquelin's pareja (boyfriend) about Yaquelin wanting to get married to him and then baptized and he said he'd think about it. Elder King and I talked at length about the importance of baptism to both Maria and Yaquelin. Yaquelin wants to get baptized now!

 

Carlos: Elder King and I had to drop Carlos for a while. Carlos hasn't been truthful about when he's going to be home and how he feels. Elder King and I will go by his house at the end of this week.

 

Paola and Osvaldo: They didn't come to church this week so they lost their baptism date.  Elder King and I are going to work hard with them this week so that they understand more fully the importance of coming to church and making time in their life for the Lord.

 

Oscar: This is a 16 year old boy that is awesome! Elder King and I taught him this week and he's very interested in everything. Oscar's friend is a menos activo (less active) member. We left Oscar with a Book of Mormon and encouraged him to read 3 Nephi 11 before out next visit. Elder King ad I happened to walk by Oscar's house later that day and Oscar yelled at us from his door,"UNA VOZ!!!"(pointing to the sky). I was like, "What are you talking about?" Oscar's like,"UNA VOZ!!!" I finally figured out what Oscar was trying to say the second time because the phrase "una voz" appears in 3 Nephi 11 in the 3rd verse when God is announcing the ascension of Jesus Christ. "And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn."  I was so happy Oscar was already studying and reading! Elder King and I are talking with Oscar about baptism the next lesson we have with him. Oscar will be preparing for baptism soon.

 

Lucia: Lucia's doing great. She's always enthusiastic and has her baptismal date for the 18th of November. Lucia didn't come to church this past Sunday because she went to vote (Hna Pino who lives right down the street from her didn't go to church either because she had to vote as well).

 

 

 Lucia is reading the Book of Mormon and loving it and is engaged and asking lots of questions. She feels the spirit!

 

Highlights for the week:

 

I received 1 package and also letters from family, Holly Butler (handwritten) and Nana and Papa. Thanks for thinking of me! I love hearing updates from home.

 

Chilean food of the week: Completos are amazing!

 

 

Chilean Completo "American Hotdog"

 



It's a hot dog with avacado, tomatoes and mayonnaise on top.I didn't like completo's too much at first but I've found a street vendor that sells them for 500 pesos (1 dollar) and they are so good!

 

 

Street Vendor in Chile

 



You'll have to try it as a family and tell me how you like it. In Chile, everyone eats soooo many tomatoes. I've actually learned to like tomatoes here on my mission. Never thought that would happen. Probably because I eat tomatoes almost every day I've acquired a taste for them!

 

I gave a Sacrament talk last week! I talked for 15 minutes on Obra Misional (Missionary Work). I talked about how members can get involved in missionry work, their role in missionary work and the idea of thinking of and inviting one friend to church, an activity or a family night. I shared a few scriptures and had lots of people come up to me to tell me how excited they were about missionary work now! Sounds like I did an alright job relaying my feelings and people felt the spirit. That was my first talk in Spanish in Chile. I was pretty scared because I was only given 2 days to prepare. But that's the life of a missionary.  President Ezra Taft Benson said this on missionary work,"We must share the gospel with others. That is our responsibility-every member a missionary. That is the call of prophets of God...."Member-missionary work is one of the great keys to the individual growth of our members.  It is my conviction that member-missionary work will raise the spirituality in any ward where applied" (Preach My Gospel pg. 13)

 

 

President Ezra Taft Benson

13th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints



 

 

This past month there have been 2 pretty strong earthquakes in Chile.

 

 

Chile Earthquake October 2012

 

I think they're awesome and entertaining! Everyone is screaming and laughing at the same time. The earthquake only lasted for about 45 seconds and the strongest part only 10 to 15 seconds. The first earthquake was about a month ago and it occurred right after we had lunch. I was doing the dishes and all of a sudden everything starts to shake! I was so excited! I ran out of our little house jumping up and down thinking this is my first earthquake ever! Ha! Ha! Then, about a week ago, there was another earthquake in the middle of the night around 4am.

 





 

 

Chile Earthqquake #2 October 2012

 

I woke up to my bed shaking all over the place and then just went back to bed. Pretty sweet! 

 

 

I'm becoming quite the baker!

 

 

Elder Jenson rolling out dough for dinner at a members home in Renca

 

Got Taylor's letter and the picture of his high school basketball shoes with the two dates of my leaving and coming home to motivate him to play well this year. That was really touching that he'd do that. I didn't know that I made such a big impact on you Tay! I hope you're doing well! What's the latest update on the colleges and where do you think you'll end up going?

 

 

 

Taylor's Legend Varsity Basketball shoes with 5/30/2012 and 5/30/2014 on them

 





 



Well, that's all. I don't have any more time. I hope all is well with everyone and that you enjoy reading my emails and hearing from me each week.

 

Love,

 

Tan