Week 11

Hola!!!
I officially have one month here in Punta Arenas!! Woohoo!!!  This week has been great! I ate Alphacha meat (it was a little strong but still pretty good and weird), we almost got bit by a MASSIVE German Shepherd that escaped his fence, we bought chocolate and ate it by the ocean, and a lot more.
(German Shepherd story)
 So we were walking back to the house after being with a member and it was dark.  The dog started barking like crazy through the fence but we weren't bothered because it was behind a fence and every dog does it.  But it was going nuts and while we were walking I looked over and the gate was open and it charged us full speed.  I screamed cause it was coming at my companion, she turned around and saw it, screamed, the dog was shocked at first but then kept trying to get us, and I was praying out loud haha and trying to just keep walking and my companion was throwing bread at the dog and saying, "sale! sale!" (Go away! in Spanish),and eventually we just walked slow and it kinda stayed back.  Hahah it was a miracle I just laughed so hard afterward because of the adrenaline rush I got!
 I know I say this almost every week...but...I LOVE IT HERE!!  I'm so blessed to be a missionary!!  There is a little girl here named Amelia that reminds me SO much of Rebecca!!  She's the daughter of our ward mission leader and every time we see her she says "Hermanas!!" and runs up to give us hugs!  She is so sweet!!  It's been such a tender mercy to see her so much.  This week at church she came and sat by me.  She seriously acts just like Rebecca and I felt like I was home. Such a blessing. I've missed being able to help kids stay quiet during church haha it's weird but true.  Sorry I didn't write yesterday!  We had zone conference and they switched our p-day to today!  I was really worried all day because I didn't want you guys to be disappointed or worried, and there was nothing I could do about it!  But, the Lord takes care of us.  We ate dinner as a zone with Elder and Sister Bragg after zone conference (they came to speak.  Also, our zone has like 20 people so it's pretty small.).  Afterward, my companion and I had to leave a little early and got up to go.  Elder and Sister Bragg wanted to talk with us real fast before we left! Elder Bragg pulled us aside and asked if he could send a picture of us to our families that night.  That was a HUGE tender mercy for me because I wanted to say something to you guys but couldn't!!  The Lord really does know each of us and the things we need!  He then turned to my companion and said things to her that she really needed to hear.  Things that we haven't mentioned to him or anyone in our zone!  Once again, the Lord know us and knows exactly what we need.  He works through His angels (or people who love and follow Him) to bless our lives.  I know the Lord knows each of you personally and is very aware of your situation.  He will and is blessing you, even if we sometimes don't notice it.  Last week Jacob asked me in his email how I've been growing spiritually.  I thought about it for a second and couldn't think of an answer.  After we left the ciber, it started to bother me and kind of bothered me for the next few days. I'm honestly doing well here and haven't been struggling too much so sometimes I feel like I'm not growing.  Anyway it really bothered me for awhile and then I had a breakdown.  I went into the bathroom, sobbed, and said a super long prayer.  At the end of the prayer, I just listened.  Heavenly Father then let me see that I have been growing!  I've learned how to completely rely on Him when nothing else is familiar!  I have learned to communicate with others very openly and be humble.  I have learned that  God is in the details of our lives and is the PERFECT orchestrator.  I have grown closer to the Spirit.  I have had to show my faith time and time again, which then strengthens my faith.  I have learned so much and grown so much and it has been such a blessing!!  I'm grateful for prayer and that we can communicate with God.  I'm grateful for the Holy Ghost and that through Him, God can communicate with us!  I've also really been trying to learn how to apply Jesus Christ's atonement in my life everyday not only in bad times, but good.  Sometimes I don't feel as close to my Savior when I'm doing well.  I came across a talk from last conference that really helped me!!  Basically if we study the Savior everyday and try to strengthen our relationship with Him every day, we are going to be closer to Him and be changed. And we are changed through His Grace, which comes through His atonement, and that's how we can apply His atonement in the good times.  Then we don't have to wait to be humbled, but we can humble ourselves before we have to be put through a trial.  And when the trials do come, we will be that much more prepared.  I'm SO grateful for Jesus Christ!!  I love Him!!!!!  Please try to study Him and come closer to Him every day!!  There is no other way to be truly happy, have real peace, or really change!!  I love you all so much!!  Have an incredible week!!  Read Alma 36: 17-21.  It not only applies to sin, but also to our trials!!  Sorry I don't have more time once again!!  But once again, I love you!!

--Hermana West

I have a little extra time, so here's some more details I left out.
Elder Bragg is a 70!  He spoke in conference a bit ago!  But he shared that here in Punta Arenas if we do a few things (it's too long to write but they are simple) that in this time, in this area, with these missionaries right now, we will each see 1 baptism a month at least and that the work is about to start BOOMING here.  He promised we'd start seeing the blessings that night.  We left early because we had studies to finish, but also we just kinda felt like we should so we did.  On the way back to our house, a lady came up to us and talked to us (miracle) she said she's a member but hasn't been to church in forever and asked us to stay in contact with her!  She's in another sector so we have to give her name to the elders but it's all the same work!  Then a few minutes later we contacted a man and his wife!  The spirit was so strong in the contact and it started out with them not being interested, but ended with them saying they'd read and pray about the Book of Mormon and that we could meet with them!  (also not in our sector but it's the same work).  Anyway, 2 huge miracles!  When  God promised us through Elder Bragg that we would start seeing the blessings that night he wasn't lying!  Haha!
Elder Bragg also shared how he sits in on the apostles assigning calls and they take it very seriously.  Sometimes it takes 20 minutes, sometimes it takes 2 seconds, but it's pure revelation.  He said sometimes they have done a few calls and they will say, "Hey remember that call we assigned a bit ago?  Its wrong.  We need to change it".  And sometimes, it's pretty rare, but sometimes  they can't sleep and then Heavenly Father will tell them they assigned a specific call wrong and that they need to go back and reassign it. So they do.  So basically,  I know my call comes from God.  Exactly!
Also its super cool being able to serve in the same mission as your brother!!  I find random ties to Jacob all the time!  Yesterday, an elder was wearing a tie that Jacob had given one of his comps and that comp gave it to this elder!  It's so fun!!  I don't know every reason why I'm called here, but at the end of everyday I find a different one.  I feel like there are so many things that perfectly line up and it's so cool to see!!  God really has everything figured out even down to the VERY smallest detail!!  He is guiding your life perfectly!!  So keep living worthily!!
Older kids!  I really miss you all too!!  I'm so grateful for the people you are!  Keep being examples to your friends and don't be afraid to open your mouth!!  You never know how much good you do or the lives you bless by saying even the smallest thing or smiling at someone!!  I just found out like a year ago that the student body president of our school,  was really touched by me in 7th grade.  She was struggling and felt like she didn't have friends.  Apparently me and Andie smiled at her, went and sat by her at lunch and talked to her.  I don't remember it at all but even all those years later she thanked me for it and said it really helped her.  So any random but good though you have, do it!!  It's from the spirit and we never know the effects that it will have!!  I love you guys!!  Jacob, I think you are in your own category now, but keep being who you are!!  Hahaha you are such a good example to us and I've really noticed this week how the older siblings really have a HUGE influence on how the other children will act and if they will follow God.  So thanks for fulfilling your calling well!!  Keep up the good work!!  Mom and Dad!!  I love you!!  Keep teaching in love and unity!!  You are amazing parents lead by the Spirit!!  You're doing it right!!  I love you!!  Keep loving us!!  You never know how much you have, and continue to bless us, or the effect you have on us!!  We love you!!  I love you!!  Ok I love you all!!  have an amazing week!!  Also thanks for your prayers I feel them!!
Little kids, I miss you!!!  We had a primary activity this week and I felt at home!!  You guys are awesome!!  The Savior really does love you so much!!  I really feel that out here!  We made hot dogs at the activity!!  I remember when Jacob got his call I was laughing because he'd have to eat a lot of hot dogs and mayo...but here I am hahahah. Funny how the tables have turned!
 I keep forgetting to write about my investigators. One is going to be baptized in like 2 or 3 weeks and we have some pretty golden investigators that we are hoping will accept baptism pretty soon!  Another is so golden.  We have a lesson with her tonight! She's from Mexico and a social worker and going to be a very strong and good member!  I feel a connection with her!  I'm so blessed to play a part in her conversion!  but I know with all my heart it's never me.  It's only the Lord's work, and I'm the instrument.
Look at this sweet picture my companion took like 2 p-days ago!!  Basically I'm Katniss!   hahaha.

Week 10

Hola!!  This week has definitely had its ups and downs!  Mostly ups though so that's good(:  We had intercambios this week!!  I was actually super surprised at how well I was able to lead us around the sector!  I've learned a lot more than I sometimes think I do!!  But the biggest thing I think I've learned this week is that bad days end!  Sometimes days drag on or it doesn't seem like things are going to get better, but they always do!  And once the bad days end, we only remember what we learned from them, not the pain.  I can't speak the language super well right now, but in about three more months, I will be able to speak for the rest of my life (hopefully, haha).  But just hold on and bad days end!  On Friday we celebrated Christmas just because! (It was a rough week haha we needed something fun!)  But it was super fun!!  And it totally feels like Christmas here!  There is cold, snow, and I don't know why but everybody here has their Christmas decorations still up!  But it was so fun!!  And it was a great way to re-focus our lives more on the Savior!  Something else really cool that I realized is that its more about who I am than what I can say!  We had lunch with a member this week and he invited his siblings over!  Afterward, they were telling him how they felt something different with us!  They felt really happy while we were there and really peaceful!  That was cool because they weren't talking about what we said or anything but rather, about how they felt with us there.  I realized that I'm being more of a missionary than I sometimes think I am!!  Just because I am living a worthy life and trying to keep the Spirit with me, I can bring that into the homes and lives of other people when I am around them!  It doesn't matter that I cant speak!  That will come in time, but right now I'm still a missionary!!  Today we went to the Magallanes reserve (this mountain/hill that looks out over Punta Arenas).  We played soccer (my team was all Latinos so we obviously won hahah jk), walked around, saw incredible views, and ate lunch together!  It was super fun and another great reminder of how incredibly blessed I am to be able to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a beautiful place!!  I still love being a missionary despite hard days!!  Its the best thing I have ever done!!  I love you all and I hope you have an amazing week!!  And Happy First Day of School on Tuesday (or for Kyle today)!!  I love you all have an incredible week!!
--Hermana West

Week 9

HOLA!!!  This week has been super good!!  Thanks for all your prayers(:  We have had to go into town a lot this week to try to change the address of my companion (for her visa) and (mission errands) and it was so fun for me!!  I still cannot get over how beautiful it is here and how perfect this place is for me!!  I love these people so much!!  There is a giant statue in the middle of the park in Centro and the rumor is that if you kiss the golden toe it means that you will come back to Punta Arenas!  So, of course I had to do it!  Super gross, but I did it hahah. So I better be coming back one day!  But ya this week has been so fun as far as superficial things go!  We have to walk along the coast a lot and it has been so pretty lately with sunsets and everything!  Today we went to 4 shipwrecked boats and they were beautiful!!  It was probably one of the highlights of my life!  I think I have too much fun here!  But the walk there and back was incredible!!  I don’t know how we got so blessed to live on such a beautiful earth!!  It is starting to get colder here, which is kinda weird because we should be heading into spring...but...I don't know.  I guess it always gets coldest when it is going to start warming up! But apparently the wind that I thought was bad here is actually not even here yet!  In September, it is supposed to get SUPER windy and that’s when they put out ropes and stuff in the street so you don't get picked up by it!  That will be fun haha.  We made no bake cookies last night and they turned out sooo good (shout out to my roommate Amanda Brinkman for teaching me the perfect way)!  Ummm what else?  I don’t know.  As far as the work goes, this week was really good!!  We had another lesson with the girl I’m teaching violin to. And we made a rule that we could only ask questions.  We couldn’t explain anything or teach anything.  We could only ask questions and share scriptures.  It turned out super well, and makes it so that only the Spirit is the teacher.  It continues to be such a testimony builder to me that God knows exactly what each of His children need, and if we are listening to the promptings from the Spirit, miracles happen.  We have also really been trying to teach and find in the Savior’s way.  It has been nothing but successful!!  Instead of trying to knock every door and talk to every person (which is tempting to do because you know how much it will bless them), we have been starting tracting with a prayer.  We ask to be lead to the people who need us.  The people who are ready and prepared to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, someone who needs service, or whoever God knows that needs us!  It is crazy how many people you actually end up teaching or blessing!!  One day after we just finished our prayer, we started walking.  I looked up at a door and all of the sudden felt like I needed to knock it.  So we did!  They actually let us in hahah!  But it was really good!!  They had a bad experience with some Elders a while ago, and we talked about that, and about how we aren't perfect, and other things.  They weren’t interested in listening to our message, but they said we could come back and do a Family night with them!!  So that was cool!  Maybe they aren't ready for the Gospel, but we were able to fix a bad experience they had had with the church, and help bless their life by teaching them how to be more united as a family!!  Also, we worked really hard to try to help our investigators come to church this week.  None of them ended up coming, BUT 6 LESS ACTIVES CAME!!  That was a HUGE miracle!!  That is like seeing 6 baptisms, because people who have made covenants with God and haven’t been keeping them were able to renew the covenants they had made and have a fresh start again.  I love being a missionary!!  Also, real quick we stopped by a lady’s house that we had a lesson with before!!  She had read a little in the Book of Mormon.  She had no doubt that it was true.  And she started saying things like, “I have been looking for a church all my life, but I have always felt like something was missing.  I have been searching my whole life but I haven't been able to fill that hole.  But I feel like you guys are my answer.  I feel a whole being filled that never has been before.” On the outside we were calm, but on the inside my jaw was dropping!!  I didn’t expect to ever see this on my mission. But Heavenly Father has perfectly prepared one of His daughters to receive the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I’m so grateful to be able to witness it!!  Anyway, I still love being a missionary!!  Miracles really do happen every day. And if we open our hearts and minds, we will start to see the hand of God in our lives every day!  I love you all so much!!  If you feel like something is missing or you want to be even happier, focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the simple things like reading your scriptures every day, praying, and going to church!!  I promise that your life will begin to be even more blessed!!  I love you all so much!!  Have an incredible week!!

--Hermana West

Week 8

Ok! What a week!!  It has been full of miracles, but first I will start with some of the superficial stuff!  It has been super cold this week!!  Wind, rain, snow, all of it!!  I really got a taste though of the famous Punta Arenas wind!  Tuesday was sooo windy!!  My companion and I were waiting to cross the street and a HUGE gust of wind started knocking her into the street it was so bad!  Luckily I found my footing and grabbed her!  But it was crazy!!  And even though its cold, the wind is super fun!  It can help push you when you are walking, or give you a really good work out if you are going against the wind!  Also, I don't know why, but there is a palm tree here.  Ill try to send a pic.  Its so weird because its freezing and there are pine trees and stuff, and then you turn the corner and there is a random palm tree.  i love it!!  Our house is still falling apart!!  I walked into the kitchen and the Light exploded.  That was actually really funny.  But as of right now I don't think we are going to move this transfer!  We went to go make copies at a little shop here and then we forgot our papers.  The owner was so nice and patient with us!  We started leaving and he gave us a sucker for free!  When we were walking away I was saying things like,"Wow what a nice guy!!  That was so kind!"  and right when I said "Wow this sucker just totally made my day", the wind knocked it out of my hands and into the dirt.  It was hilarious haha I just kinda stared at it for awhile then started laughing.  Too funny.  But what is crazy is we went back that night to make copies again, but this time discovered that we didn't have the money with us!  He gave us the copies for free, and GAVE ME ANOTHER SUCKER!!  That was something small, but it made my day again hahah.  One of my favorite memories from this week was getting completos and eating them by the ocean!  It was beautiful and freezing and fun!  I'm also using all my talents here!  I've been teaching violin to an investigator named Maite!  Its been nice to have a reason to keep meeting with her!  Wow I don't have much more time left, but just know there were a lot of miracles.  Spanish is hard, but its coming.  Like Elder Oaks once said, "I want to wear myself out in the service of the Lord everyday".  This week we haven't been worrying about numbers and instead focusing on what the Savior would do if He were here.  As we've done that, we have seen so many blessings.  for example, one time we were knocking doors for hours and nobody let us in.  We were confused, so we said a prayer asking what He would do.  The answer came "He would pray for the people".  So we went and sat down on the coast, thought of people who might need prayers right then, and prayed for them.  It was one of the most powerful experiences of my mission.  Everything works out according to Gods timing and Plan.  He hasn't forgotten me, and he hasn't forgotten you!  This week I invite you to try doing what the Savior would do more!  I promise you will be blessed!!  I Love you!!

--Hermana West