Final Post!

This week was good. We focused a lot on our recent converts. Right after baptism, there comes a lot of hardships and trials. And wow, they are all fighting. But the important thing is that they keep on fighting!! Forever and ever!! But if we stay close to God in all that we do, we can conquer anything and everything. You just have to keep on fighting:) I just hope I have done and said everything in my power so that they all remain strong in the gospel forever and ever

Yesterday, a member family made us Churrascas and afterwards I was kinda sad...because honestly who knows when I´ll ever be back to visit them... I hope that one day I will be able to return. But when the real world begins again, life gets really busy. But the years will tell. 

We had a couple of baptisms planned for this Saturday...but I am not sure if they will happen. They are being kind of hard-hearted. Right now, my main concern is that the members help out our recent converts and that they are taken care of when I leave Ovalle...

We had interviews with the president today. and they were awesome. I absolutely LOVE my mission president, he is so inspired. I promised him that I will continue to work hard until the moment comes that the Stake President takes off my plaque....that's going to be weird. So no worries. I will be working until the end!! Its double over time in a soccer match, and I will just keep giving my all. 

Baptism & World Cup Celebration!

Yesterday was great!! It was my companion's birthday. And so we had a family home evening with most of our recent converts, and...wow we ate a TON of cake. When Chileans make you something,, and you don´t eat it, they get offended, and as missionaries we try not to offend people, so sometimes we just have to eat...ha. But it was so fun to spend time with the people that I love so much.

Also yesterday, three of our recent converts all received the Aaronic Priesthood, it was powerful. 

We also had a baptism yesterday. For the special musical number, my companion and I sang a son in a mix of spanish and english and the members LOVED it!! His mother was going to be baptized as well. For the baptismal interview she got all ready and pretty for the interview and passed it with flying colors. But...three days before the baptism, she got sick and went to the hospital, and she is still there...she was so sad, but she´ll be baptized this weekend so its ok.  

One of the less active members we helped activate is coming to church regularly. And most of our recent converts are doing really well!!! yay:). She can sew anything, and she always fixes my dresses.. she´s amazing!

We are working hard with a few people to get them baptized before I leave, and with the recent converts so that they stay strong when we leave the area.

World Cup celebration!

Nelly, giving Maggie the hymns to practice for next week church services.

Mission Nurse quizzing Maggie about proper nutrition.

Receiving the "Broccoli Award" at a leadership training meeting in Viña.

Record Breaking Rain in Ovalle, Fathers Day

This week, we are supposed to have 3 baptisms...but two are wavering, so we will just have to pray really hard and then work really hard and then pray really hard again. One didn't come to church this week, and hasn't attended church the requisite three time. We'll have to see if we can get permission anyway.  And another is having second thoughts.. so we are just praying really hard for a huge miracle.

Some of our recent converts are not coming to church for certain reasons...that makes me sad, but I know everything will be alright. Its frustrating as a missionary that we can't control every little thing that goes on. We can just work work work and pray pray pray and continue with the faith and hope that all of our weakness and downfalls will be made up with God's help.   

We found some new people this week. The grandma, grandpa, and grand-daughter all live together...but the sad thing is is that 7 members of their family (children and grandchildren) died in an accident...how sad is that. Plan of Salvation time! 

Life is good in Ovalle, its beautiful during the day, and cold during the night. And it rained last week which was a miracle. it hasn´t rained like that for 7 years, and it also snowed in the zone, which was a history breaker. 

Breakfast In Bed

On the bus to Viña for a mission conference.

Friends from Peru

Happy Fathers Day

Staying In Ovalle for the Last Transfer

Great news!! I get to stay in Ovalle for my last transfer!!! I am so happy and excited about that. And I get to stay with Hermana Lucas!!!! We get along so so great. These have been the funnest changes. She speaks english really well and she has dreams of coming to BYU. I feel very blessed. But in every situation Satan attacks as well. It was a difficult weekend. Only 5 of our 12 recent converts came to Sacrament Meeting. They slept in. Satan works so hard with the recent converts. But other than that they are all doing great. Hermana Lucas and I are very similar. In fact, way too similar. We are so crazy together, we are free, nobody holds us back. ha. The other sisters in the branch, were taken out of the area. And they closed the area. So now we are the only missionaries in the branch. This is definitely the biggest area that I have had. 

We had another double midnight expresses to Viña and back. Wow, they are a killer, we were dead tired. And tonight we leave at 3 in the morning again to Viña for a mission conference!! yay!! with the whole mission!!! the mission president loves us. 

Yesterday, we learned how to make Churrascas. Nacor, our recent convert taught us. He is so great:) Its like unleaven bread. But its way good with avocado. I´ll send you pics:) 

We are trying to baptise incomplete families right now. We have baptismal dates, but we have to keep working really hard.  

We have two other baptismal dates of a mother and her son. they have a lot of family members who are LDS. I am excited for their baptism. She is elderly and at first did not want anything. and now all she talks about is how excited she is to be baptized with her son. 

We are working hard with an 80 plus years old less active member. She is making plans to go to the temple and is beginning to go to church again. She is a very special person. And God loves her very much. 

Its very fun being a missionary. A lot of work and tears, but its so very worth it to see the results. Our theme as a companionship is ¨if you want to do something that nobody has ever done, you have to do it in a way that nobody has ever done it.¨ and ¨you have to work for what you want¨ Dad´s words always comes into my mind. ¨I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul¨ We can be happy in the good times as well as in the bad times. We CHOOSE to be happy. Smile and laugh instead of stressing and crying, and just WORK. 

After the "red-eye" to Viña

Castillo Wolff

Churrascus

Rock Carvings on a District Activity With Recent Convert Couple

This week was great. A lot of amazing people have been baptized and we have some good prospects for June. Ovalle is a chosen place. We are currently praying for rain, because its been really dry for way too long. We all hope it does rain next week. The temperature is weird here. Its hot during the day, but it is bitter cold in the night and in the morning. All of our converts are doing well. We need to help some of the youngens serve missions so that this chain can continue. The key to help people stay firm in the gospel is the Book of Mormon. That book is magical. It is the secret to have the spirit with you throughout the day. There is a visible difference to the people who read it. 

The president have given us an awesome temple magazine to give to our recent converts. So right after baptism, we talk about temples and put a temple goal to enter and to seal the family for all eternity. Its pretty awesome to do it. The temple is an amazing place. We have to fight to get to the temple and after to keep enduring to the end by doing the little important things.  

Its amazing being a missionary and experiencing so many miracles every single day!! God truly takes care of His missionaries.

Ovalle district

Ward Missionary Coordination Group

Sister Missionaries in the ward. 

Rock Art

Site of ancient food preparation. 

Rock carving: "The Devil's Face".

Baptism & Fence Painting

This week was another week of miracles. God is blessing us so very much. Three men were baptized yesterday and it wa a powerful baptism. 

A lot of people came to the baptism. The branch is great, they really support us. 

Saturday night, we stayed up a little later and we made a cake thing and some no bake cookies sort of things. It all turned out well. 

I love my companion. We are very similar in a lot of ways. We always say that the President put two crazies together. Because we are not normal, we do the craziest things, but hey it all works out for us.  We strive to be the best instruments we can possibly be for God. I would love to stay together with her for my last change. But we will just have to see. I want to make sure that these people are well taken care of before I leave Ovalle. 

I love you all so so so much!! Keep moving forward. We can do hard things!!

Maggie's district in Ovalle.

Fence Painting

Baptism last week.

Banana bread for district leader's birthday.

This week's baptism.

Hooray for Chile!