Challenges with Change, Loving the Mission

What’s up family and friends?!  It`s been two weeks since I sent something, sorry last week I had a lot of stuff to do and there was some miscommunication so I didn´t have time to write the group email. I will try and cover everything that has happened in the past two weeks in this one! It`s going to be hard because a lot has happened. I can`t remember if I already said this but right now I am living with an Argentinian, Colombian, and Peruvian. Three Latinos and one gringo haha it is a lot different than it was before but I am experiencing something that I want to. At times it is definitely difficult but there are times where I love it! The need to speak Spanish 24/7 has definitely helped and I can see my growth.

Elder Rivera, from Argentina, I have already been living with and we have become good homies and we have had some good times together in intercambios and stuff. His new comp, Elder Hurtado, from Columbia, is very nice and pretty funny too. We get along well and he tells me every day how much he loves me and if I come to Columbia, I have a place to stay. he´s a good guy. That leaves us left with the missionary from Peru. My new comp, Elder Maguiña! I went from having practically someone who was the same person as me for a companion, Elder Casperson, to someone who is different than me in many ways. He is from Lima and is 23 and at first sight and for the first couple days he was a very quiet and withdrawn person. I have come to find out that he is a very outgoing person,  and yet he doesn´t talk alot. He has 14 months in the mission and he is a convert of 3 years. I am being challenged in many ways but I am grateful because that is how we learn and grow.

My prayers and hard work at contacting finally paid off this last week and we were able to find some new investigators to teach! We`ve also been working a lot with less active members and our recent converts. I wish I had two missions, one to find, teach, and baptize new members, and another to work solely with less actives and recent converts because here in Chile, there are SO many less active members. Like if everyone who is "in" our ward came to church, there would be over 1000 members haha crazy I know.

Last P day I had the opportunity to watch The Saratov Approach, I had never seen it before and I loved it! Almost cried in front of my new comp, but I refrained:) But really if you haven´t seen it, I suggest it. The faith and reliance the missionaries put in the Lord is amazing and I can´t believe it´s a true story haha my mother would die while watching it.

Our lessons with Patricia and Paulina have been very good lately, we still have a couple of stumbling blocks to get over before they can be baptized but I feel like they will do it. During one of the lessons when we were teaching the Plan of Salvation I had one of my most favorite moments on my mission. Patricia told us about her life before, her experience meeting us, and that she knew that she had to get baptized. It was incredible. She was crying and it was one of the strongest times I have felt the spirit on my mission. She talked about how she has always tried to be the example for her family and how she is pretty much alone in her decision to do this, but she knows that it is the right thing to do. I know that the Lord will provide the way for her.

We´ve been working very hard this past week and we have had some opportunities to do some service. It felt good to do some manual labor again, I´m not sure if that´s what it is called, I´ve forgotten English. So now I have trouble speaking both languages haha. I have forgotten so much but I hope that I am filling the open space with spiritual things, because that is what we really need in our lives. I have started to really focus myself on trying to learn and see the true love that God has for his children. The days here are really hard for me, especially of recent, but I know that the Lord blesses me with little things throughout the day that keep me going and working hard. I am so grateful to be out here one a mission and for all of the experiences I am having. Especially for all of the people I am meeting. The mission is not easy and continues to be the hardest and most humbling thing I have done but there is nothing else I would rather be doing right now. I encourage all who are thinking about it, to do it. The Lord will provide the way. I love and miss you all, especially with the package I received from my parents recently that had a ton of pictures of everyone and my life before, but soooo worth it:) Until next week, and always remember, the Lord is ALWAYS there for you!

Love, Elder Clay

Zone Conference

This is a picture from last week at Zone Conference, his mission presidents have a blog called LoCo in Chile and we found this.  His last meal with Elder Casperson (sitting at his left).

Connor wasn’t able to email a blog letter today however I did get to email back and forth with him this morning for a time.  He is missing Elder Casperson, and says this past week has definitely been the hardest one so far.  His new missionary companion is from Peru, Elder Maguina, he can speak some English so he speaks English to Connor to practice and Connor speaks Spanish to him.  He is a little discouraged as no one seems to want to hear their message.  No matter how discouraged he is, he always ends with an optimistic outlook for the new week and says “I will work hard, keep my head up and don’t worry mom, I will be fine!”

Something I was ecstatic about was he received both packages I have sent to him, so there is hope he will get the Christmas packages that are now on their way to him!  He only opened one package with some photos, treats, letters and a t-shirt we sent.  He didn’t know whether or not to open the Thanksgiving one.  I told him there was no Thanksgiving dinner in it so to open whenever he wanted.  I am hoping with all your messages of gratitude to him, he might open it on a day he’s feeling down and then he will be smiling before long!

Scorpion in the Shower and New Peruvian Companion

It´s sad to think that this was the last week with my papa, Elder Casperson. My training experience has definitely been one to remember and I am forever in debt to Elder Casperson for everything that he has done for me. I couldn´t have asked for a better dad in the mission. It was amazing to have somebody who is so similar and helpful as he was, he has given me an example so that when I have a son in the mission, I will know what to do.

As for what we did this week there wasn´t a lot of stuff, just a lot of work as usual! There are two questions that I have written all around my desk to help me be a better missionary and help me grow and they are, What can I do better? and What can I do right now? With those in mind I’m sure things will continue to get better for me.

One day some of our investigators asked us to tell them some swear words in English so that they could say them. So if anybody from Chile asks you if "BAPTIZEME" is a swear word, say yes! Hahaha they thought that it was so bad and that it was like the worst word ever. They were so excited to say it and they were saying it every other sentence. One of the funniest things I’ve experienced.

We helped one of our recent converts with responding and applying to her scholarship letter, but the thing was she had to do it in English. She knows English pretty well but asked for some help. I COULDNT REMEMBER ENGLISH FOR ANYTHING. I tried to think of words to make it better and I couldn´t remember any words haha. I’m scared for when I have to come back to school.

The people continue to love us here and they give us so much food. We can´t leave a house without carrying something that they have given us. I have succumb to the fatness, not really but I am getting a little bigger.

Halloween in Chile is pretty much the same but they don´t do as many decorations. There are still little kids dressed up in costumes running from house to house getting candy but it just isn´t the same. It was kind of sad thinking about all the memories I had from the old Halloweens but it was a good experience to be here in Chile.

Also this week I had an intercambio with a kid who only has 3 weeks in the mission! Elder Davies. We did work! We set a baptismal date with someone that we contacted and taught, the whole zone thought it was a miracle. It was another time to test my knowledge of the language and it went well!

I hit the 4 month mark which is crazy to think and today is the cambios. So Elder Casperson is leaving to go be a zone leader up north, Elder Miller is also leaving. So it’s me and Elder Rivera still in our house. I am receiving a comp from Peru! His name is Elder Maguiña! and Elder Rivera is receiving somebody who is from Columbia! I’m going be living in a house with missionaries from Peru, Argentina, and Columbia. And I’m the only gringo haha definitely going to be a change. But everyone is telling me that my Spanish is going to be amazing after. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll let you guys know how everything goes next week! Hope everything is well at home!