Santiago East, Chile Mission

Santiago East, Chile Mission
January 16,2013

Week #41 Nope We Don't Celebrate Thanksgiving!

wow! can i first start off just by saying I cannot believe kyn is gone. She is going to be such a good missionary.and i know she's killing it. it will be exciting to share experiences together. sounds like the boys are killing it in europe and so cool kels got to go over. enjoy london for me boys!! (i loved london, harry potter, hehe) but to answer your question mum no they don't spend thanksgiving here and if they did i would be scared because they give enough food as it is. hehe.

ok so this week was a bit crazy, we had a fantastic week though. we had the most lessons i have ever had, and we are just talking to everyone we meet, its fun, i like talking to random people in the street (now hehe) i love hearing their story... the chileans love, i mean LOVE to talk. i don't know if you guys remember milagros.. from a while back? well, we started teaching her again and she is so special. she has come to church two weeks in a row now, and she loves it. she is the cutest, i mean cutest little lady and just always has a smile on her face no matter what. she recently found out that she has cancer and is struggling a bit but you would never know because she is always smiling. we are working a ton with her and she loves to ask lots of questions, which is fun because we have a good conversation answering them. we pray with her. also, we finally, after working with maria ugaz for my whole time here, got her to come to church also, we are going to pass by her house this week to see how she like it. i hope so bad she felt something special. it was so funny because during sacrament i was trying so hard to distract these 3 kids of theirs and they are crazy kids like I'm pretty sure they are above average ADD... and so i thought it would be a good idea to bring markers and paper. bad idea! alejandro 2 years old, starts scribbling all over everything! i had the paper on my lap and when he was done my whole skirt was just covered in scribbles..haha it was funny i couldn't help but laugh, the only thing i wanted was that the moms could focus on the talks and feel the spirit, so we'll see this week if they felt anything, and my poor skirt is probably going into the garbage hehe.

it was cool this week because we did divisions and i was talking to the hermana i was on divisions with, and we were talking about how in divisions miracles always happen and it was true. it was probably one of the most successful days in all my mission, and everything just seemed to go right. this week was good! i realized this week how very blessed i am to have been I'm my sector for so long. yes, sometimes it's boring and really sucks, but it's been so cool to see the changes in the people here. benita and florencia came to church this sunday. florencia had bought a cute little skirt and little high heels for church and benita put on makeup and was all dressed up again. it was neat to see how they are becoming faithful members of the church and it was just a so fulfilling to see, and my heart just wants to explode with joy and there are so many other people i have seen change and i just am loving it so much. i feel blessed to be a missionary and be serving here right now. i know god loves me and even on those days that are hard he is always with me, and i think the most on those hard days. i knows he's with all of us and sometimes we just need to humble ourselves and ask for his help and he will help us. well that's it for me this week.

i hope you all have a great thanksgiving! and send lots of pictures i love you all so much and miss you all tons have a fantastic week and ill talk you, next week. oxoxox
con mucho amor,
hermana godfrey
your lil missionary

Photos for Week #40!!

Our Newest Member Paulina

Check out my shoes!!  They are hardly worn

Waiting for Elder Holland!!!


Cupcakes!!

Es Premabvera Aca... Week #40!!

 ok so i am sitting here writing you all and there are dogs from the street sleeping under the computers... there are so many dogs here!! hehe gotta love chile. well, first off, i cant believe the time has come and kyn is leaving. wow! i don't have words, i'm so proud of her and i know she is going to do such a great job.

so this week was a crazy week.  we had the opportunity this week, all the mission here in chile got together and elder Holland came and talked to us.... it was so cool! missionaries woke up at 4:30 in the morning to have front row seats when it didn't start until 10... haha we ended up getting there at about 7and it was full, but i talked to some of the missionaries and we ended up sitting 3 rows behind the pulpit, and squished together… hehe it was fun and it was such a neat experience. elder holland is an amazing person. it was so crazy because when he entered the room it was like getting hit by a wall with the spirit and i just love the way he talks — he talks so strong and so blunt....it was so neat. it was cool because he talked a little about the age change and how we have to be more prepared then the missionaries before and that there is a lot more expected of us then before for that we must learn faster, study hard and grow faster then ever. also that us being at such a young age is a benefit because people have to believe us because we are so young.

elder holland lived here in chile 10 years ago for about 5 years helping the church grow here. he is a funny guy... he talked a lot about how us as missionaries are making history, and that this marks a moment in history just as high as the restoration of the church, the book of mormon and the restoration of the priesthood... pretty cool huh. but because of this, a lot more is demanded of us as missionaries, for that we must be prepared. he also talked very strong that we are not just here to say what we need to say and then go home... we must speak from our hearts and take what we learn and use it in our life at home...a mission is meant to change us, to help us become better people. also how we are just like the investigators we are teaching — we are learning with them and if we don't put our part how do we expect the investigators too as well (makes a lot of sense.) one thing he said that i absolutely loved was that the world is full of great starters but not very many finisher, and this world needs more finishers. he told us i can't promise you a million baptisms, i cant even promise you one... but i can promise you 1 strong convert and that is YOU! if all you do as a missionary is save yourself that is ok with me, because your soul is just as important as any other. he also told one thing i loved so much ¿why is this life so hard? because salvation was hard, it never was easy, so life will never be easy...but it will be worth it in the end. so true!  i love elder holland and it was incredible to even just be able to be in the same room as an apostle... i feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet him and the words he said have entered my heart forever and it just made me want to be that much better of a missionary. how incredible is it that we have 12 apostles and a prophet to lead and guide us here on this earth i don't know how after meeting him and hearing his words, people can doubt that he is a servant of god.

as for my sector this week it was a pretty good week! we had 2 lessons with lana the russian girl and it was good. she got really mad and the gate guy one day and started screaming at him in russian... russians are scary when there mad... good luck kyn!! hehe.. but she said that she was really having a bad day and after our lesson she said that she felt 10 times better and that we had changed her day... that was cool... i hope so bad that kyn can meet her in russia. how freaken cool would that be! as for benita, she came to church with florencia and it was so cute! they came in the dresses (always came in pants before) and benita was a different person. its been such a blessing to be here to continue to see how much she has changed. we had a new investigator come to church this sunday her name is milagros. she is so adorable and just always has a smile on her face. we are working with her and we'll see what happens this week. well that's about it for this week. president holland def. was the highlight as it would be for any missionary. hehe

 i love you all so much and i hope you all have an amazing week. oxoxox
 con mucho amor,
 your lil missionary.

Photos of Week #39

New Dress From Mom for Hermana Guevera

Our Less Active practicing his baptism skills

The Sisters!

Week #39... Start of a New Transfer!

ok so you all now know that i am still here in los platanos one more transfer and then I'm sure i will be going. im a bit bored but im here for a reason... it was interesting because before the other hermanas left, (hermana adams and hermana zelaya) hermana adams was telling me how she knows that im here for a reason and that something is going to happen and i didn't believe her. well, this week interesting things happened and i dunno if i am the one to be here for these experiences, but i feel blessed to be here. but first off, the new elder came into our sector so me and hermana guevara live alone, witch was a bit difficult to get used to, but now we are good. but the new elders that came to our sector were out working their 3rd day and they were here when one of the elders was hit and ran over by a motorcycle and was in the hospital and now cant walk...he is training another missionary and the poor new elder couldn't speak a lick of spanish and was trying so hard to talk to all the cops and emts....  then we were sitting in church yesterday and we were getting everything ready for relief society, and all over a sudden the presidenta shrieked and fell to the ground crying uncontrollably ... she finally told us that her mother had died just then. the worst part it is most of the ward in los platanos is part of this family (La familia alegria y saldaƱa) so me and my comp went looking for the rest of the family, and then we all left to the hospital... it was probably one of the saddest things i have ever seen and the worst to see was the husband of the lady who died, he was just balling hysterically, and after then, they brought his body to the church and it was just full of people there to support the family. it was cool to see the support that they have, and i started to think that i feel so blessed to have the knowledge that we have as members of the church. the funeral is going to be tonight.

so the other day it was so funny because my comp was dying of alergies so i wanted to help... so i grabbed the benadryl mum sent me and on the baggi it said 2 pills so i handed them to my comp right before bed and told her to take them... well they didn't work till the next day and she was completely drugged. she couldn't even hold herself up! (i think our drugs are a bit strong for latinos) it was hilarious!! i couldn't understand why she was so tired and neither could she! she was like, hermana im so weak i don't know what happened. i then remembered that i had given her the benadryl and started laughing and then told her, and we know have this joke that i drugged my comp. hhahahah it was pretty funny.

as for investigators this week was a good week. we had a lesson with a women named elizabeth, her mom is the one who died about 3 weeks ago. we asked her where she thinks her mom is now, and if she thinks she will see her again. she told us no, and that she only believe in reincarnation.... and super hard headed, this woman. she said she doesn't like god.  she believes in him, but hates him because he is a cruel man that made her mom suffer for 3 years, and said, don't tell me it was a challenge in my life because I'm a good person, why would god do such cruel things to people like me. i really in this moment didn't know quite what to say. i told the only thing i could think of: "pray" elizabeth!! i cant make you believe me, i don't know all things but there is someone who can. god! i invite you to pray and ask him ask him your doubts. ask him if your mom is ok and most important ask him if he loves you... she told me she would do it and that that made a lot of sense because the only one who knows is god. so well see. we also had a fast this week for all of our investigators so well see fingers crossed. well that's about it this week!! all is good and well, and we are just working our butts off and trying to kill it out her in los platanos. our presidente only wants elders or hermanas in each sector, :/ bla so we will probably leave this next change... we are the only two sisters left. but ya that is about it life is good, loving the mission and miss you all tons and love you all so much!!! have a great week kyn, enjoy your last week as a normal person!! hehehe. OH!! and Finn is sooooooooo dang ADORABLE!!  he is the perfect mix of emily and brent!!
oxox
con mucho amor,
hermana godfrey