Teaching and Service

Hola gente,  this past week in Victoria felt like a really fast one!  The weather is starting to change and you can tell we are coming out of winter, although it stays a bit chilly in the night and in the morning.  This week was full of preparations and this coming week will be even more because the 18^th of September is here once again!  The 18^th is Chile’s Independence Day, similar to our 4^th of July by Chileanized.  The people get pretty pumped for it and the celebrations last about 3 days.  Last year I remember being a little disappointed because it didn’t turn out to be all that they said it was going to be, but hopefully this year we can make it even better!  In our house we all have over a year in the mission so we will be having our last 18^th in Chile so we are going to have to make it big!  It’s crazy to think that it has already been a year since I was with Elder Casperson in Catrihuala celebrating it there! 

This week all started with an emergency trip to Los Angeles, which is a city here in Chile about 2 hours away from where I am.  My permanent retainer broke and I had to go get it fixed.  It was a good time traveling by bus, and besides getting lost a couple of times, the big city of Los Angeles was really cool.  The Orthodontist was a member and a really cool guy and didn’t charge me much to do it.  We got home when it was really late and we had to walk quite a while in the freezing cold but it was a good day! 

This week I am going to tell you guys about the people we are teaching because that is what we have been doing this week, contacting and teaching.  We have someone named Juan Pablo, he is really good!  He’s about 30 years old and has a girlfriend and a son, who is a cute little guy.  He has attended church 5 times and really wants to be baptized.  It’s really cool to see his attitude towards things because even when things aren’t going too well, he always has a smile on his face and a good attitude.  The only thing that is holding him back from being baptized is he has to get married. We are working on that but it has been pretty difficult.  He is an amazing guy and really does want to do what God wants from him.

Then we have Alejandra who is the girlfriend of a less active member named Victor.  They are both about 25 and both are really cool.  Alejandra has grown up her whole life in the Evangelical church so she knows quite a lot and has a lot of faith.  Victor, even though he’s less active has a strong testimony of our church and in the restoration.  It has been really cool to work with them and see them come to church even though it is extremely hard with Victor’s work.  Alejandra knows she can get an answer from God and she really wants to but the biggest problem is they don’t have a lot of time and are busy with their 3 year old daughter, Daphney.  Also, they have to get married haha.  They’re getting there little by little.

The last one I want to tell you guys about is Maribel.  She is a very impressive single mother with 3 kids who are 14, 11 and 8 years old.  They are pretty much the craziest kids ever and it’s amazing to see the patience Maribel has with them.  Maribel has been Catholic her whole life but feels like it wasn’t the Church of Jesus Christ.  She is very receptive in lessons and has expressed to us the spirit that she has felt since we have passed by.  She still has some doubts and questions but she is progressing very well. Those 3 people are the main people we are teaching and I have developed a love for all of them. I hope and pray that they can overcome everything they need to and receive the blessings that this church holds. 

I want to end this week talking about callings and service. A calling or service that God has given you to do is NEVER an obligation but a blessing.  We never DESERVE a break after a calling or a service.  Jesus Christ was our greatest example in that aspect.  After the spiritual and physical suffering that he had to pass through and yet the moment his spirit left his body and entered the spirit world, I have a strong testimony that the instant he got there, he started preaching the Gospel.  He could have rested, and probably deserved a rest more than any other person at any other time, but he didn’t because he understood the importance of the Gospel and was obedient to his Father’s commands.  A couple of scriptures to end with, 3 Nephi 13:3, Mosiah 2:17 and one of my most favorite scriptures, one that my Dad sent to me James 1:27.  I love all you guys and hope that you guys have a good week