Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

For thanksgiving, we are going to just eat a normal lunch with a member. (but she said she is going to try and make sweet potatoes for us wahahaha!) But my comp and I are planning on making a Thanksgiving meal when we get back to the apartment at night with the recipes I asked for, and we are going to buy a small chicken or something. We are going to do the American way!!

 I was on interchanges in Quilpue, we were walking in the street, when a random man stopped his car and told us that he was looking for a religion to join and wanted to come to church. That was the first time that a person actually stopped me to say that they wanted us to share with them. He´s coming to church (not in my area) this Sunday which is pretty cool

Silver Lining Following Missed Appointments

This week was fantastic. We were walking down the street after two of our appointments fell through. And da da da da!! we found a mom with her three children struggling in the street with all of their groceries. So of course we helped them out. As we walked to their apartment, we come to find out that she was sharing with the missionaries in Santiago about 4 years ago and she had a baptismal date and everything!!! But because of family issues that did not happen. She has been here for only two weeks and BAM God lead us to her. Her kids are ADORABLE. When we had an appointment, we came and her kids and 9year old brother had prepared a huge ¨show¨for us where we had to look at the wall without moving for 30 seconds as they danced around us singing. And then we were rewarded a prize...loved it!! But they all came to church yesterday and have baptismal dates for December 7. We are excited for them!! 

New companion, Sister Stewart from Cottonwood Heights, Utah.

New PJ's!

New Companion, Staying Put.

This week was full of miracles!!!  First off, I got a new companion named Hermana Stewart, she´s from Cottonwood Heights, Utah. We are seriously the same person. I love her to death already. She is focused and is full of faith. Already, we are seeing the miracles. She likes to eat healthy and we go running, and we both LOVE to laugh. I get to lead the area, and so I am a very a very happy camper.

An entire family came to church. It was incredible!! and so beautiful:)  We put a baptismal date with the father last night with his family!! We are very happy. We were reading ¨The family a proclamation to the world.¨ and the little son was on the point of tears because he couldn´t find his little blue car. It was beginning to be a distraction to the family because he was ¨causing a disturbance.¨ But kids are more important. So I said, 'little boy, you are so important, lets find your car'. So we paused everything and everybody searched and we found his car. Afterwards, he was so happy (mostly because he knew he is important to us.) and he listened and participated and told his dad that he wants him to be baptized which helped us a ton!! Christ cares about the little things in life. We need to take care of the moments we have together as a family. But afterwards the dad gave us a ton of icecream..ha!

Birthday/Halloween Party

This week was super awesome!! we had a Halloween party in the ward, and the whole ward sang happy birthday to me and to Maria Luisa and we blew out candles, it was very fun. there were so much food, and yes I ate a lot. wahahaha. Everybody dressed up in costumes of people in the Book of Mormon. 

We found a wonderful family this week and put baptismal dates for the end of November. They all came to church minus the dad because we was working. But it was so fun. We brought them cake for breakfast. (yes cake for breakfast) and then I carried the diaper bag and held the little 7 year old Rento in my hand as we took the micro to the stake center. It was so much fun. I am honestly so excited to have my own family!!:) They are super receptive and have a ton of faith. I love how God puts us in people´s paths, and all we have to do is teach them:) We watched the joseph smith movie. We call them ¨la familia de oro¨ because they really are a gift from God. 

We found a mom and her three daughters who are also very receptive. The dad died 7 years ago and so we taught the plan of salvation. it went really well. I love that plan. I made a poster of the plan with all the different steps and symbold. its always cooler when you can see the whole picture with the symbols and all. 

One of the days, a sister missionary had to live with us for a day and we took several trips to Viña with her because she needed medical help. But it turned out that she is going to be sent home to do the surgery. She was so sad. I would hate to leave my mission early and not finish the year and a half. But it was fun to have her live with us and to take extra trips to Viña.

Ward Halloween Party. Book of Mormon costumes.

Pumpkin Smash smoothie.

Birthday pumpkin pie.

Mother and Daughter Baptism

This week was awesome because we had two baptisms!!! We are so blessed and it was seriously a miracle how it all happened. They. Are. Adorable. The elders in our ward baptized a family of 5 on the same day which was pretty awesome! I felt like I was in the temple because 7 people went right after each other and we changed baptizers often.  And then on Sunday with 7 confirmations, nobody hardly had a time to speak. 

Yesterday, one of our investigators finally understands the book of mormon and now wants to read it. I love that book and it seriously is powerful!! Investigators that read it with sincerity get answers. And its the same with everyone!!

A lot of people that I talk to on the streets think that I am from Brazil which is funny because we have very distant relatives that live there. And so I have a weird accent in spanish...like I have a weird accent in English.

I am learning a lot in the mission! We have a ward party on my birthday eeeee:) so no worries about me, I got my party all ready! And I am going to make myself some pumpkin pie as well wahahaha! Thanks everyone for the sweet birthday wishes! 

Right now we are focusing a lot on part member families. We are teaching an adorable family. She is not a member; her husband is less active. I love making the gospel as romantic as possible. Eternal families, whats more romantic than marrying someone for eternity.

Cleaning the font before a wonderful baptism!

Baptism Next Saturday

This week was fantastic. We have two investigators who have baptismal dates for this Saturday. The daughter was always convinced and recieved her answer from God since the start. The mom received her answer in church. During one of our lessons with her, we thought, well, she needs to have a little more fun in her life. So the next lesson, we taught her how to make cookies from a box, and we sang songs and talked about the love of God in her life. She was thrilled how easy the cookies were. The spirit was super strong in her house, I have never seen her so happy.  :)

Our other investigator came to church!! wahoo! After 5 months of teaching she finally came, and she is still as convinced as ever that she needs to be baptized. 

Christ really is our Savior, and he does not want us to be burdened. I have come to understand the atonement more fully in the mission. I live through the repentance process with these amazing people I teach and to feel the power of the change in people´s lives. 

Panini with zucchini at an Israeli restaurant.

With Sister Alegre.

Teaching and a Bus Accident

We have an investigator who lived in Spain and had a LDS friend, but they didn´t talk about the gospel much. Then she moved to Chile and was visiting Santiago and BAM she found her same friend serving a mission in Chile!! Then three days later BAM the missioneries (before I got there) knocked on her door and now we put a baptismal date with her and she came to church yesterday on her birthday, her boyfriend in Santiago is also being taught by the missionaries, and he came to church with her. We put an appointment with her for Tuesday at 3:00, and her boyfriend told us "Oh, the elders and I have an appointment the same day but at 6:00".  You gotta love it.

We are working with a mom and daughter, they have baptismal dates in two weeks. They come to church every week and are super faithful, but she is scared of committment and church callings. But we will change that. She has a son who is not receptive at all...but him and I made up a "secret" hand shake together, and I always invite him to share with us, so I hope one day he will actually do it. 

O I got into a bus accident!! wahoo!! So the buses here in Chile are CARAZZY!! seriously, if your don´t have both hands free, you will fall. Well this time I was just sitting peacefully when the bus DEST¨ROYED a little truck that was parked horribly. 

Making a presentation at a zone conference.

New companion in Mirador.

On exchanges.