Something's on the Horizon

Hola familia!

when the elders ate here yesterday.... I'm surprised I ate it all!

KYLE JAKE JOEY WRITE ME

This week has been really strange weather-wise! When I last wrote, it was raining all week, then this past week it rotated a few days being rainy or really, really hot, humid and muggy.

Then on Friday it was freaking hot without a cloud in the sky.  We went to bed without blankets and woke up at 4ish freezing cold. 

Saturday was cloudy and freezing. 

Sunday was cloudy and a little cooler and today it is still cloudy and cold.

Something is going to happen. This weather is not normal. Many people are talking that we are going to have another huge earthquake and tsunami because this was how the weather was a few weeks leading up to the huge earthquake and tsunami in 2010 here in Chile. And to make it even more suspicious, all of the sudden, President is stressing the importance of being prepared for natural disasters and having our 72 hour kits ready. We just got a new updated emergency plan too. 

what happened here? It's like Pompeii. Yep its a gato

The Lord is trying us right now. All of the sudden, no one wants anything. I was really having a bad time with all the rain, stress about figuring out entercambios (exchanges) with all of the hermanas (we also got two new hermanas that were added into our zone just this past week), so yeah, I was a bit stressed.

I don’t remember what day it was, but we woke up to the sound of rain and I was not happy.  I began to pray for help and that Heavenly Father would give me the strength and patience to work today. That He would bless me with peace and joy in being outside in the rain. All the morning, I was angry but praying for help and joy. Throughout scripture study and comp study, I tried to think of positive things but the negativity swallowed me and I felt like I was stuck in a thick wet cloud with no escape.

I said one last quick prayer for help and animo (cheering up). Then, when we left our apartment and I stepped outside in the rain, I felt a sweet feeling come over me. I felt that Heavenly Father knew my situation and that He loved me. I felt so happy and so blessed to be able to be in Chile and blessed that I have legs that work and a healthy body so that I could leave every day to teach people about Jesus Christ.

That was one of the best days that I have had in the rain. Yes, it rained all day and I was soaking wet and no one let us in, but I felt a peace and a love from Heavenly Father that it didn´t matter to me at all.

Many times, we pray for peace or help and then just stand there waiting for it to come. We have to pray in faith, meaning we pray and then we act in what we know we should or ought to do. Once we take that act of faith the blessings come.

I could have faked being sick and stayed in the house all day, but then I would have, One, lied and felt bad and Two, I would have been even more frustrated and angry.

If you are searching for answers or peace, pray and then act. I promise you that you will get the answer or peace or courage that you need and seek.

This Sunday Eduardo got the priesthood!! It was awesome!!! It was just like his baptism—a very sweet happy experience. He was grinning ear to ear. That night we had a lesson with him about baptisms for the dead and he said that he was already planning to go to the temple for baptisms in December.

haha he also got a calling. He doesn’t like staying for the second and third hour, so the bishop gave him the assignment of opening and closing the church on Sunday. He told us that now he has to stay for the three hours because he has to close the church. But he was really happy about it and happy that the bishop and Padre Celestial trusted in him to have this responsibility. It is so awesome! 

It´s crazy how fast time has flown by! I feel like I´ve lived in Chile my whole life. I think it is going to be really rough coming back. I am so used to the disorder in the streets, the way of life, the language. I am used to the food, although it is SUPER unhealthy because they fry everything and eat the same thing day in and day out. But, I still have a few more months so I´m going to stop talking about coming home…

Sorry it’s short. I’m not feeling to great. Hna Adams had a fever last night and my nose is all stuffy. Pray for me that I don’t get more sick please!

Love you all like an ingrown toenail!

Have a great week! Make someone smile :)

les amo

the first few pics are of where we live... in a rectangle box.

Puerto Montt

last Monday we spent the most part of our p day helping some hnas clean their apartment from black mold that was growing in their room. 

elders

all of us

hermanas

Isla Tenglo in the back

Rain, Rain Go Away

 #4monthsleft ... back when it was sunny

back when it was sunny

hola familia!

Sooo can I just say that I am soooo fat. And am sooo glad that I don’t have anyone waiting for me because I think he would run away screaming. If you don’t want to get fat, don’t eat 3 potatoes every day. Don’t cook all your meals with tons of oil and salt. Don’t eat a plate full of meat everyday if you have no say in what they feed you.

The scripture in Isaiah "my soul delights in fatness" applies to missionaries. Literally. I feel so gross. When I get home I’m NEVER eating chicken, potatoes, salt, oil or bread again. We are going to ask the prophet to add to the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 4 that says "serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength" to say "serve with all your heart, might, mind, strength and body."

If you want to be a consecrated missionary, you literally have to consecrate everything.

Last Monday night we had an interesting experience with a man that literally serves Satan. It was really scary in his house. We knocked on his door and he asked if we were Christian. We said yes and he said please, come in! His mom lives with him so we went in and started talking to them.

Long story short (I’ll have to tell you guys later because it’s a good story) he told us that one time he tried reading the Book of Mormon but the Holy Ghost forbade him to do it.

This man is really Evangelico. We challenged him to pray about it and ask God if he should read it. He said no and then proceeded to tell us about a time when he asked God to help him with something more than once and that a figure came out and broke his thumb.

Then he went to a religious retreat for his church and they started chanting and doing voodoo stuff and now he literally fears God and that God whispers to him at night and tells him what he needs to do to "help his work move along."

I was thinking, "Man, I wish I had the priesthood, I’d cast this devil out of him," but it was pretty scary.

When he started talking about his experiences with "God" his eyes changed. It’s really hard to explain but it was as if they grew darker. I started testifying and talking about Christ and I’m not going to lie, I was surprised how forward I was. I told him that he was deceived by the devil and that he needs to repent or Satan will have complete control over him. We told him that God doesn’t send "angels" to hurt His children when they ask more than once for something.

Then we ended with a quick prayer and ran. 

…And that pretty much was our week. haha I think Padre Celestial has been reading my emails and now is telling me, “Is that right hermana Hess? Yeah, let’s see just how much you practice what you preach.”

It started raining 4 days ago and hasn’t stopped. I miss the sun. It’s always so depressing here when it rains. This week was really hard for that. We don’t have a fire or a heater so there isn’t anything but a blow dryer to dry our wet clothes.

Haha every morning I’m reminded of our fun canyoneering adventures when I put on my still wet stockings, rain jacket and rain boots. I’ve been wet for the past 4 days.

When it rains, all the houses are really humid, ours especially because there is no heat source so nothing dries even when we are in the house. We have to be really careful not to get foot fungus. My boots soaked through 2 days ago.

And on top of that, no one wants to let 2 soaking wet girls into their house... yesterday we spent 3 hours straight outside in the pouring rain knocking doors.

back when it was raining... o wait... it still is...my boots were hurting my feet so i went out in my summer proselyting shoes.... it took about 20 seconds before they were soaked through. not that i noticed though because my stockings were already wet.

Our investigadores live in another publacion that we have to take a bus to but the bus doesn’t run Sundays so we had the opportunity to work a little closer to our house and knock, knock, knock.

Not going to lie I was in a bad mood. People sometimes are very rude. But hey, at least it wasn’t freezing cold! Just really wet. 

Yes mom, I got the shoe inserts and they help a lot! But I think my foot pain is just because I’m standing up all day and walking. And I’ve been doing this for more than 375 straight days. My feet are just tired. And my back. And my shoulders. Everything is tired.

It’s funny because the first 3 months as a new missionary, I felt with all the energy of the sun. Everyday I walked with the triple combination, the Bible, water, snacks, pamphlets, examples..... but with time my back began to complain and yep there goes the examples. Yep, there goes the Bible. There go the snacks. Ya, I’ll carry the triple if you carry the pamphlets…

You know you’ve been out for a while when your body starts falling apart. Oh! I finally got my birthday present!!! (The one sent in October…) Thank you!

So we were walking to lunch down a really steep hill and there was a patch of moss from it raining so much. My comp didn’t see it and stepped on it and totally biffed it hard core. We thought she broke her wrist because she landed on it. It swelled up pretty good but thankfully it was just a fracture. It still really bothers her. But our zone leaders made us "blondies" to help her feel better. 

 

...still raining!

 hope you have a great week! les amo tanto! The mission’s great!

so this saddens me... we get this when we have 4 months left. it's our flight info because the office is starting to buy our flight tickets.

you can't make me go...

this is for Joey

this guy was waiting for us when we came home...

back when it was sunny...

OC Takes Puerto Montt

hola familia!!

como estan??? So.... one of my best friends now is in her country with her family and its really depressing... but my new companion is AWESOME!!!!! Her name is hermana Adams. We met one time before the mission in Brother Greiner’s mission prep class. We left for the CCM at the same time but she had to go to Provo because her visa didn’t come in time. Then we met up with each other in the airport in Santiago 6 weeks later when we first arrived in Chile. We were in the same district our first two cambios and we go home together. Same day. Same airport. She lives in Laguna Beach, near the high school and church. She’s awesome.

I am so grateful for the mission for many reasons. One of them is all of the amazing strong people that I get to meet. There are so many people and missionaries here that are truly my heroes.

Hna Adams is a convert of 2 years. At her year mark in the church she left on the mission and when she completed a year in the mission (same day as me) she completed 2 years in the church. She is amazing. She is the most obedient companion that I have had. We are going to see so many miracles together.

It’s funny because usually the first week is a little awkward. New comp with different habits, way of living attitudes, character. The first week we are always trying to get used to each other and the way one teaches and todo (all). haha but with hna Adams it was like coming home. We have the same habits and the same jokes and everything. The only hard thing is speaking 100 % in Spanish. She also is an amazing teacher and I have learned a lot from her. I am so grateful she is my companion. Padre is so good. 

This week was a week without any sleep. We went to bed really late the last two days leading up the when hna Cordoba left, helping her pack and crying. It was really sad. I’m traumatized. I’m never leaving Chile.

Then Wed night some hnas that got transferred from Punta Arenas to farther north stayed in our house and had to catch their bus at 7 am so we had to go down to centro with them at 6:30.

And then Friday night the hnas going to Punta Arenas stayed in our house and had to catch their 8 am flight the next day so we had to leave at 5 am.

Saturday there were problems with some of the hnas in our zone and Sunday night we stayed up talking about what we could do to help another companionship of hnas that are also having problems. 

One thing of many things that I have learned in my mission is the importance of COMMUNICATION. Without it we have nothing. If we don’t talk and share how we feel, no matter how harsh it might be, we will eventually explode and end up destroying more than if we had only opened our month the first or second time that we were annoyed.

I am so grateful for the mission in teaching me this. Really, any type of broken relationships can be fixed if the two WANT to fix it and WORK to fix it (by exercising and developing Christ-like attributes…see Preach my Gospel, chapter 6).

We were listening to the Priesthood session of the April 2016 General Conference this morning while we were cleaning the house (fun p day activities:) and one talk really stuck out to me. I testify that it is true and that it works because it saved the companionship of me and hna Cordoba. It’s the talk by President Uchtdorf "In Praise of Those Who Save." They are words of wisdom.

Here is another talk by President Uchtdorf that talks about being grateful in any circumstance (“Grateful in any Circumstances,” April 2014 General Conference). That too is another thing that I have learned in the mission. It is so easy to get discouraged.

Elder Holland said that it is okay to be sad, it is okay to sometimes feel frustrated, but we should never get discouraged because discouragement weakens our faith. Think about that!! When we are discouraged, whether on the mission or in life, as a member in the church, and we don’t want to continue pressing forward, we are basically telling Padre Celestial that we don’t have the faith sufficient to believe that good things will come. That we don’t have faith sufficient in the Atonement of Christ and His resurreccion.  

Do you have sufficient faith? We are just as happy as we make our minds up to be. haha you all know that I have foot problems or arch problems. Every morning when I get out of bed, my feet hurt so much. It hurts to walk in the beginning. When I’m walking to the house at 9:30 at night my feet ache. But one thing that I learned from hna Braithwaite is that we need to suffer with joy. I think of the scripture 

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" (Isaiah 52:7)

I think of my ancestors who left bloody footprints in the snow on their way to Zion. I think of the homes that they left behind, the friends, the family. I am so grateful for the early members of the church and for everything that they gave so that we can have this gospel in our comfortable homes. I think of the young men who crossed the Sweetwater River time and time again to carry across many of the tired, dying saints. The young men’s service affected them for life. Mine will only affect me until I get home.

There are so many other people who have given so much more than I have. I am surrounded by missionaries, members, converts and investigadors who have given literally everything to come unto Christ and am truly humbled to be considered their friend. Yes at times our lives may seem really hard. And it is ok to take a 5 min pity party.

But after looking down and moping, we need to look up and thank Padre Celestial for His eternal love for us, for Christ, for the gospel, for our testimonies. Happiness is a decision. And decisions determine our destiny. I want to be eternally happy in the Celestial Kingdom with Russell. Who’s with me?

I love you guys so much. Thank you for all of your support and love and prayers for me. Remember that every day is a new day. DECIDE TODAY to be happy. To fix broken relationships. To develop charity, see others as Christ sees them and YOU. 

les amo mucho! disfruten esta semana y no se olviden de SONREIR (Enjoy this week and do not forget to SMILE) :D

Sad Endings, New Beginnings

hola familia!

This has been a week of miracles and tears, sad goodbyes and remembering just how blessed we are for this time to represent the Lord. hna Cordoba leaves for Colombia this Wednesday. I am so sad to see her go. She was and is by far my favorite companion. With her I learned so much. With her I really felt that I became an adult. With her I came to know Padre Celestial y Jesucristo even more.

The first cambio with her was really rough. We did not get along one bit. We are so different, with different backgrounds and experiences. With her I learned how to make something out of nothing. I learned patience and hope.

There were times when I thought that I couldn’t make it another day. I felt like a zombie at first, just going through the motions, waiting and hoping for cambios....  we both knew that our companionship was in trouble right from the start.

It was a weird relationship. We acted like work partners. The only thing that united us was that we were missionaries. There was a wall in between us that was slowly sucking the life and joy out of the mission and out of both of us. Comp inventories were brutal. I felt like I was stuck in a bad marriage.

Then the week before cambios we decided to start praying together right before bed. All during cambios week, I didn’t feel like I was leaving and neither did hna Cordoba. Our relationship was still really stressed and a friend wouldn’t be one of the words I would have used to describe her. But I felt like we were trying and I felt like there was hope.

I had really mixed feelings about cambios. I was hoping for cambios so that I could enjoy the mission more and hopefully get along better with my new comp. but I also felt that there was hope on the horizon. I knew it would be difficult but I knew that I would progress more as a person if we stayed together. Every night I prayed that I could accept God’s will and if it so be that we are together for one more cambio that He would give me the strength I needed.

Cambios came and went and we never got called which meant that we would be together for one more cambio. The first 2 weeks were just as difficult but I testify on the power of prayer. After about a week of praying together, we began noticing a difference in our companionship.

I’m not sure how, I’m not sure when, but now she is one of my best friends. I could be with her for another cambio and be every happy. She taught me to be confident in myself. She taught me to serve everyone. She taught me about the power of forgiveness. In these two cambios with her, I needed to learn patience, humility, and confidence. She needed to learn to use nice words, how to build others up, and patience.

But recognize that this is just one-sided. I’m sure she’d say something different that she learned, like patience, long suffering and humility, from me.

I am so graaaateful for these two cambios that I have had with hna Cordoba. I love her so much! We both were what we needed to continue to progress, we both helped each other develop more Christ-like attributes.

None of this would have been possible without the divine help of Padre Celestial and prayer. Prayer changes hearts, it changes people, it changes us. Like the song, en verdad (truly), prayer can change the night to day.

The next time you feel like you can’t do it, that you feel like a zombie just going through the motions waiting for the trial to end, WAKE UP!!!!! Get on your knees, then get up and learn. Get up and go to work. Get up and trust in God and in good things to come because they always come. 

I am going to miss la hna Cordoba. She has changed my life forever. I am so grateful that we were able to have two cambios together. haha like I said, with the other 2 comps that I have been with for 2 cambios, by the time 90 days came around I was really ready for cambios, but with her I could’ve stayed one more. Miracles happen. Sometimes we just have to accept the will of God and let things play out with the hope that tomorrow will be a little better.

Oh and just so you know.... my camera got a virus and I lost all my fotos of the past 7 months....

love you all and hope you enjoy this week!!!!

 

Last zone activity

Us and our ward mission leader

Edward and Virginia

Mixed Emotions

hola familia!

espero que tuviesen una semana de gozo y alegria :) (I hope you had a week of happiness and joy)

 Last Wednesday, we had a worldwide missionary conference with some of the apostles. The First Presidency has made a few changes to the horario (schedule). We now get to choose when we are going to have comp study and instead of planning in the night we plan in the morning. That way if we need it, we can go to sleep a little bit earlier. We also get to start P day a bit earlier. That way we can finish all we need to do. Honestly, P day is the most stressful day of the week... as well as Sunday.

We are so blessed. I decided to watch the conference in Spanish instead of en ingles. Haha it was awesome. It was me and all the Latinos of the zone. I experienced this last general conf when I watched it in Spanish as well instead of English.

There is something that is missing when you see a general authority but you hear another voice. We are so blessed to be able to hear and listen and understand the prophet and the apostles. It’s just not the same when there is a voice-over. Many of the Latinos want to learn English so they too can listen to the profeta and hear HIS voice. 

The next day the hnas from Cohyique came to stay at our house. All of the mission gathered in Puerto Montt because ELDER STEVENSON, one of the new apostles came to talk to us. It was AWESOME!!!! We got to shake his hand and I testify that he is a man called of God.

He talked about the theme of this year as a worldwide missionary force, “Teach repentance and baptize converts.” It was good. Then at the end he bore his apostalic witness of Christ. IT WAS SOOO POWERFUL. The spirit bore witness to me again, that he really is a man called of God to help further the work.

One thing that I like that he said was that we need to MOVE the work, not just DO the work. As member missionaries, think about that. What are you doing to MOVE the work? Just doing it, just being a member is not good enough. We need to act. We need to work. We need to MOVE.

It was also awesome because afterwards we all ate lunch as a mission. All 180 of us. There are so many people that I don’t know... I was able to see mija hna Cookson again for the first time in 3 cambios. She’s awesome. Still in Rio de la Mano... she told me that Marta is now 2^nd counselor in the Relief Society and is teaching lessons!!!! And that Dennis is coming to church again, this time on his own and Korin as well! I thought their baptism was neat, but there is no greater joy than to hear that they are still active, WITH CALLINGS!!!! That made me soooooo happy. And one of the hnas from Fitz Roy also told me that Libardo is attending and is preparing for the priesthood and that Luis Eduardo is preparing to go on a MISSION!!!! Also Cristina from Futrono sent me a letter and wrote that she too is preparing to go to the temple in 6 months to be sealed to her parents!!!!!!!!

I thought it was cool to see all these people progress and be baptized, but nothing beats the joy that I feel to hear that they are still progressing. They are keeping the fire alive by doing the small things. They are fighting for eternal life. Man, I am so happy. I hope to feel the same joy when I come home and reconnect with the ward and old member friends.  I feel like Alma when he found himself with the sons of Mosiah after 14 years and that he was so happy because they were still brothers in the Lord.

I’m going to have to work the moment I get home because I promised all my friends here that I will be with them as they go through the temple for the first time. The mission is the best thing ever. It was also awesome to see hna Valle again. She finishes this cambio with hna Cordoba, in 9 days.... crazy... she is one of my favorite comps. Mom, I want to room with her in BYU-I.

Man, I wish I could just bottle up some joy and send it to you guys. The scriptures are so true because they are real! I am so glad I still have time on the mission. hna Cordoba is really sad to leave. It’s hard... it’s really hard. I never want to leave. 

Something profound that our ward mission leader said "pidimos por ayuda de rodillas. recibimos ayuda de pie" (we ask for help on our knees. we receive help on our feet). Today is the the day! The tank is clean! The tank is clean!? Jake, name that movie. Haha but seriously. Today’s the day now’s the time, who’s on the Lords side who?  NOW is the time to show! I am so grateful for the gospel in my life. I am so grateful for my mission. I have truly opened my eyes. I am so blessed.

We are so safe in the states. It’s hard when your mission life is safe and better than your real life back home. For me a mission was a step down in living circumstances. For many it is a step up. We are so blessed.

I know that Christ lives. He is my Savior y yo lo seguire. Amo este evangelio. Amo las escrituras. Amo la mision. El secreto de la felicidad es obediencia a los mandamientos de Padre Celestial. Testifico que el es nuestro Padre y nos ama. (I will follow Him. I love this gospel. I love the scriptures. I love the mission. The secret to happiness is obedience to Heavenly Father's commandments. I testify that He is our Father and He loves us.)

les amo mucho. SONRIEN DISFRUTEN ESTE TIEMPO (ENJOY THIS TIME) and serve everyone you see. 

i love you!

We went to a museo

It was really hot so we bought a watermelon for dinner

I LOVE MY MISSION!!!

Hot mama it's finally summer!

soaking up the sun

esta chica

hola familia!

IT IS SO HOT HERE! And the sun is sooo strong. Remember a few years ago when a bunch of people were freaking out because there is a hole in the ozone? Welll.... that hole just so happens to be directly over southern Chile.

I feel like I walk outside and 2 minutes later I’m fried. I’m going to die of skin cancer.

And lung cancer because everyone smokes cigarettes and weed. Second hand smoke is a big problem here.

But, I might actually die first from diabetes or clogged arteries because they put salt and oil on EVERYTHING. But the fun thing about summer is that there are tons of tourista and gringos!!! It’s sooo weird. There was a gringo family from Rancho Cucamonga at church yesterday. The dad served here 40 years ago and came with his family... and it’s cool to because there are tons of street performers now, dancing and doing crazy things for money. I’ll send a video next week.

But on a happier note... I want to share something awesome that happened a couple days ago with our lesson with Virginia and Edward. I talked about them the email last. Anyways, Monday after emailing we went and had FHE with them. They are sooo great!! Edward wants to go back to church and get his life back in order. Virginia never has been religious but has told us that a few things have passed in her life in the past month or two and now she wants to learn.

We taught about the importance of reading the scriptures and praying and going to church. It was great and the Spirit was definitely there. It was awesome. Then on Friday, we went back and taught the Restoration with our ward mission leader. It was awesome because when we talked about the church that Christ set up, we also talked about baptism and the importance of being baptized.

Edward then shared his experience of being baptized and said that it was so beautiful, an experience in which he felt complete and clean and very happy. We then invited Virginia to be baptized and she accepted! We then challenged her for the 25 of February and at first she seemed a little hesitant, but by the end of the lesson, she was beaming and even said that she can’t wait for her baptism!

The moment was mas especial fue cuand ella empezo a compartir su tesimonio con nosotros (more special when she began to share her testimony with us). She told us that from the moment that we walked into her house on Monday, her small one-room home has had a different feeling to it. That every time she reads in the pamphlet or sees us or when we come in, she feels like the room gets brighter.

She then told us that her baby of 11 months has always had trouble sleeping, but when we left on Monday, he slept perfectly through the night and all the nights following.

She then told us that they are really worried because she has tumors in her breasts. They act like cancer but are not and many times during the week she has a lot of pain. On Friday before we came, her chest began to hurt really bad. So bad that she began to cry and Edward said that they should go to the hospital. She said, “no, wait until the hermanas come and share and then we can go.”

Virginia said that when we began to sing Families are Forever, the pain began to ease, and now she has absolutely no pain. Then, the thing that made me get emotional, was when she told us that when we walked in the first time on Monday, she saw two people, me and my comp, but she felt the presence of 3 people. And tonight when we walked in, she saw three people, me, my comp, and our mission leader, but that she felt the presence of someone else as well. 

They came to church on Sunday. Edward said that he finally felt good again, happy, and clean. Virginia said that it was so bright and beautiful. She also asked us if it was okay that she invited her mom to her baptism :D and to church :D

Miracles do exist. People can change.

Edward told us that when he met Virginia for the first time 3 years ago, she didn’t believe in God and wanted nothing to do with religion. With time, trials and a less active, but still spiritual boyfriend, her heart was softened and she began to feel the hunger of her spirit.

This huge change that she went through, so that she would accept to listen to us (the fourth time that missionaries have talked to her) was all thanks to a member.

How great is your calling, member missionary work. Of all the people I’ve seen baptized  and/or accept the Gospel is because they knew someone who was a member who had shared something with them. How great is your call, like it says in Mosiah 18 “…to stay as a witness of God in all times in all things and in all places.”

As the world grows darker and darker, those with the truth in their soul grow brighter and brighter. We are, even as Christ said, a light upon a hill, so let your light so shine before all men, that they might see your good works and glorify your Father which art in Heaven. Oh how awesome it is to be a missionary. How awesome that it is a call for life. 

I love Chile. I love my mission. I love the trials and the tests, the light, and the joy. I’ve never been so happy. I’ve never been so sad. I am eternally grateful for this time that I have to consegrarme al Padre Celestial. Se que Èl vive, que nos ama y que nos da lo que necesitamos para poder progresar y lorgar nuestro potencial divina. ¿Has logrado tu potencial hoy? (Get to Heavenly Father. I know that he lives, that He loves us and that He gives us what we need to progress and to live our divine potential. Have you achieved your potential today?)

Man, I just want to send you a bag full of my joy that I have... you all need to come to Chile, that where the magic happens... 

Oh, and thank you Bennetts!!! I got your Christmas letter!!! Thank you so much! I’m writing one to you guys so you should probably get it in about a month (if it doesn’t get lost in the mail :)

Tell everyone in the ward that I say hi and love them and thank them for being in Church on Sunday.

love you all soo much! les ammmmmoooooo

Add caption

we were walking down a hill in centro and  wasn't looking at the ground and my foot got caught in a hole. I messed up my knee and cut up my leg. Luckily it is healing pretty fast and I only had to spend one day in the house icing.

the unlucky hole