Hey Hey Hey

hola famillia! 

So that happened…just a normal day in Fitz Roy... walking along the sideway, when a dog came over and decided to taste hna Valle’s leg. I kicked it in the side but it still did some damage... yeah, I’m definitely a cat person now. We went to the hospital and she has to go back every 3 days for shots... for the next 3 weeks. Not fun.

Our old district in the Patagonia. Two of the elders lived on an island and have had to skype for district meeting. 

 My birthday was fun :) The elders from my district bought me a cake and sang me happy birthday. Then I went to bite the cake and my wonderful comp slammed my face in it again. Only this time is was a soft cake :) life’s good here. 

I love my new area... it’s very different. It’s a huge city and my sector is ginormous! There used to be 4 companionships in my sector but now there’s just one... I love my comp too. Se llama hna Cordoba y es de COLOMBIA! I think that the Lord is trying to tell me something... I love Colombianos. Woop woop! She’s awesome… has lots of flavor and spice. It’s cool because she was just comps with hna Braithwaite (who is now en casa!!!). Life’s good... 

I’ll be hna leader until pres. releases me. Hopefully I will get to train my last two transfers instead of being hna leader, or be a missionary normal. That would be awesome. 

We have 2 zones that we are in charge of my ward is HUGE!!!! I don’t know how to act! There are 150 members that attend. There is a bishop AND two counselors. There is someone to play the piano, lead music, we have a ward mission leader... had correlation meeting for the first time in my mission... haha it’s really weird. I kind of don’t like it. I like small wards. We get to serve more and actually know all of the members. Here I feel lost. Pero bueno! 

I haven’t received the birthday package yet... 

What am I doing for Thanksgiving? What’s Thanksgiving? jajaj I’ll be working :) 

The other hnas are awesome! DAD there is a girl here from New Zealand! She’s cool. 

With the problem hna... it’s sad... she went home the same person she was. A sad waste of 18 months.... I wish her the best of luck. 

It is sooo hot here! I forgot that the sun is hot. Yep... it’s summer time! Puerto Montt is a beautiful city that is right on a huge lake. There are 2 active volcanoes in the distance and tons of people. My first day here I got super sun burnt... haha you know it’s too a long time in Punta Arenas when you forgot that the sun is hot. 

I’ve been walking on bruised feet for the past week because my foot tendon is so tight. I have like major planter fasciitis. The area is huge and we walk a lot. Trying to see if members have bikes we can borrow because we have a few little pueblos and to walk from one to another wastes about 45 minutes. 

Oh, yes, I print out the emails. I have every email that you’ve sent me mom and dad and bros printed out and saved :) life’s good :) enjoying the heat... ummm my brain is kind of clouded from the heat and I’m still trying to get over being sick so excuse my rambling. I feel a little better... I came down with a nasty cold... but it’s okay. No pain, no gain...Glad to see that everyone is happy and healthy! 

JAKE have fun driving! 

I think this just about sums up my life (shout out to Elder Porter. haha thanks for the poem) 

A mission is a strange experience, a trial and a test 
A mission throws at you the worst, yet teaches you the best. 
I've never been so happy, I've never been so depressed, 
I've never felt so forsaken, I've never been so blessed. 
I've never been so confused, things have never been so clear. 
I've never felt my Heavenly Father so distant, He's never been so near. 
I've never been so discouraged, I've never been so full of hope. 
I feel I could go on forever, I've come to the end of my rope. 
I've never had it quite so easy, I've never had it quite so tough. Things have never been so smooth, things have never been so rough. 
I've never been though such a deep valley, I've never been to so high a peak. 
I've never felt so sure and strong, I've never felt so weak. 
I've never had so many ups, I've never had so many downs, 
I've never had so many smiles, I've never had so many frowns. 
I've never been so lonely, I've never had so many friends. 
Boy! I hope this is over soon! Gosh! I hope it never ends! 

The Book of Mormon is essential in the conversion of an investigator. It’s the sure way to know if Jose Smith was a prophet or not. If this book is true, then he did in fact translate it from the gift and power of God. If it’s true then everything else that happened is also true. If not, then everything is a lie and we are like every other church in the world. The only way to know is to read a bit and put it to the test. But so much more than that, it changes lives. It was written for our day. It changes people because it invites the Espiritu Santo to be our guide. It is another testament of Jesu Christo. Like Jose Smith says, we can grow closer to God by reading this book than by reading any other book. Testifico que el Libro de Mormon es verdad. Es la respuesta por todad las pregunta que tenemos. El libro de mormon me ha ayudado muchisimo aqui en la mision. por mis ivestigadores y por mi misma. es clave de nuestra religion. Al estudiar el libro de mormon y pregutnar con verdadera intension si realamente es un libro de Dios, su vida cambiarà. tratalo! queire saber por que estoy feliz? Por que estoy en chile? Por que tengo amino, al pesar de todas las cosas que han pasado, cuantas personas que make fun of me, cuantas personas that slam the door in my face, that spit on us, that hate us. How many days that I have walked through snow at 8 pm with snow boots soaked, been outside freezing for 7 hours because its pouring rain no one will let us in because we are sopping wet? I would not give my time, my energy, my health, 18 months of my life for a book that is false. I am here because I know and testify that the Book of Mormon is true. Because when I was 11 years old I put the book to the test and asked God if it was all real. And 2 months later, I got my response through a father’s blessing. It is essential in conversion and it is always the first thing to go, to be put off to the side. One of my fears was coming home and becoming less active. You want to know the secret? 

Read the Book of Mormon every day. 

Say your prayers. 

Go to church. 

Your life will be so much better. You will find a new strength, the strength and power of God. I love the Book of Mormon and will seal my testimony with my blood if need be, and like Jose Smith and Elder Holland, I stand as a witness of the power of the Book of Mormon because I have seen it change my life and the lives of sooo many people. Hopeless people. Drunks on the street. People with no goals. People with pain, with questions, with regret. 

 I love the Book of Mormon.