Week 89 - Sick

This week can be explained by one word:  SICK.

I have been sick since Sunday night!  I've probably lost ten pounds or more. I need to stay close to the restroom, so we have been staying in the house most of this week.  Anything I eat goes right through me.

The mission nurse has been telling me things I can do but none of them have worked.  I'll go to the doctor on Wednesday.

We did leave Thursday which was kind of a miracle.  I haven't had too many problems today but I have only eaten saltine crackers.   I wasn't willing to eat anything and have problems on the bus.

I went to Viña to do my paperwork for my last Chilean ID.  It will be valid for another year so unlike my brother, I might have an option to extend if I choose.

The USB on the computer is not working again so I'll try to send photos next week.

Week 88 - Old Friends and Baptisms!

This week I got to go to Viña and see pretty much all my friends in the mission -- Elder Palilla, Elder Ormond, Elder Navarro, Elder Cheney, etc.  It was awesome!

In Viña, I heard some great news from the elders in my old area.  My investigator, "F", from Las Maravillas is going to be baptized this next Saturday.  That's awesome!  I might even be able to go. I'm hopeful.

Also, I learned that "R" from La Serena got baptized and that they are still working with a family that I taught.  One of them is really close to getting baptized.

I baptized a lady named "F".  She had been taught by the sister missionaries and had asked me to baptize her.

This week we mostly just searched for new people to teach.  Oh, and another funny experience happened.  My bicycle wheel broke.  So I probably have more expenses.  Ugh.

I bought some trompos for gifts.  I also bought another toy.  These are toys that come out during Chile's independence celebrations.  A member is going to Viña today and she said she would try and find me some special Chilean things there too.

A trompos (we think)

Today we are grilling meat for the holiday.  Another funny experience we had during this giant planned activity was that a member took the grill so we are having to grill without a grill -- but that's pretty much my life.

Week 87 - From Bad to Good

This week started out bad but ended really great.

We started this week by talking to lots of people.  The people kept telling us that our Spanish was poor.   They said Elder Brown wasn't terrible but Elder Hammond's speech was horrible.  So I was really stressed out and concerned.  This went on for three days.

Then we talked to one of our investigators.  She told us that she thought it must be a miracle.  And we asked "what?"  She said "that she could easily understand us" and that if we talked so bad then it must be a gift from God that we could communicate.  After that our week got better.

We  talked to "J" and she accepted a date to be baptised. She also commited to following a plan to quit smoking.  She went to church and we are getting close.   The sisters in my district showed a picture of me to one of their investigators.  The investigator said, "That's who is going to baptise me!"  So this week I should have a baptism!!!

Also, a young man came to church with his dad.  He's been wanting to get baptised for a while now but his mother didn't agree.   Now she is on board and we have a date with him too.

Next week is the independence day for Chile.  It sounds like we will have a party as a zone but I don't think that we'll be able to write very much.

Pictures from the mine (see last week's message)

Week 86 - Dressing Up

One of the converts in our ward used to be a Hindu monk.  He let us dress up and put on his monk clothes.

The last p-day we hiked the big hill in the town and I have lots of pictures. We even found some of the mine shafts.  I still don't know what was mined, but it was pretty cool and it was fun to do something different.  Now it appears that all the sisters want to go up so we will probably go up again next Monday. 

Elder Brown and I have been playing soccer in the morning for exercise. Today we played soccer on a grass field.  It was nice but my team lost.  If scores were kept we probably lost 20 to 2 so it wasn't that great -- ha ha ha.   My soccer ball broke too.  :(  

This week has been okay.   We've been teaching various people.  I don't feel confident many will progress.  I feel this is a weekness of mine. I need to trust in others more.  We have one investigator, "J", that came to church two weeks ago and for the first time read Book of Mormon.  She said when she read it she received a peaceful feeling.  I am grateful to be teaching her.

Elder Brown and I will continue as a companionship through the next transfer cycle.   Almost everyone in my district other than Elder Oliveira will be staying together.  It's too bad Elder Oliveira is leaving, but I got to spend some time with him on exchanges which were fun.

Sadly, I feel my piano skills are diminishing.  Our bishop prefers to use a cd player rather than use a pianist so I'm loosing pratice.