Week 54

Hey fam!!  A TON happened this week but I don't have any time to write 'cause we have cambios and my companion needs to do some things...but Hermana Weber is coming to be my comp!!  We were in the same district together in the ccm (Missionary training center) so we are really good friends and I'm so excited!!!  

Sooo this week I was chopping kindling and the hatchet bounced off the wood and landed in my finger....we went to the hospital and they took xrays and were going to stitch it but decided not to because most of the cut is in my fingernail.   Hahah. That was eventful.    I'll send a pic of after it was cleaned up.  It doesn't look that deep but in real life it is.  Hahah.  SO funny.

Apart from that we have seen lots of miracles. We have been following the spirit and we have seen so much progress.  We have been focusing on serving members and investigators and discovered that's the best way to do missionary work.  Serve like the Savior.  Go about doing good.  Anyway, look for ways to serve each other this week!!  I love you lots and I'm so sorry I don't have time to write!!!  Talk to you next week!!!

--Hermana West

Week 53

HELLOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whats up family??  This week was soooo good for lots of reasons...

1-Basilio GOT BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED

2-I completed one year on wednesday

3-We had zone conference

4-We went to a national reserve today for p-day and hiked around...

5- We found lots of new people to start teaching

Anddddd I'm just enjoying life!!  Its so good hearing from you all!! its sounds like things are going great!  I'm so happy that Kevin was able to go to the temple and happy that dad had a good fathers day!!  Love you all so much!!

On Wednesday for our year mark (mine and Hermana Hill´s) we invented an oreo cake that turned out really well actually and we had a small party after district meeting!  Woohoo one year!  It feels so normal hahahahah

Basilio's baptism was so good!! We went and filled up the font like all day which was good, and basically things just worked out perfectly all day.  For example, it was the coldest day we have had all year and the pipes froze so water wasn't coming out.  BUT by some miracle the water started working right when we needed it to!!!  And there were a lot more small miracles like that that just happened.  

On Sunday we were sitting in church and Basilio got confirmed. Right after a young family walked in and sat right in front of us. They didn't look like members so I gave them a hymnbook and talked to them for a second. Turns out that the wife got baptized in Santiago in September and then they came here and she stopped going to church. But they came back on Sunday and the husband isn't a member but he is really receptive!! It was really cool because Basilio just got confirmed and in walks another guy. The thought popped into my mind immediately "ok, here is the next step" and then it turns out he wasn't a member! So cool!! We are really excited to start working with him! 

Anyway...lots of miracles this week!!!  I love you lots!!!!  Have an incredible week!!!!

--Hermana West

Week 52

Hey family!!! 
Wow this week was so crazy and soo good!! 
First things first, HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!  I love you so so so so so much!!!
Random things
-We went sledding on trash bags this week
-We had to buy spikes to put on the bottom of our shoes so we don't die
-I complete a year on Wednesday (where did the time go)
-We traveled to Aysen twice for intercambios and for house inspections (its so pretty)
And that's about all the random things that I can think of.  Oh ya other random thing, our branch president wanted me to say hi to you all haha.
This week we have a baptism and Zone conference.  We are so excited!! We went over the baptismal questions with him yesterday and man.  I have never seen anybody more prepared to be baptized.  My whole mission I have always felt like the people who were so close to baptism weren't really ready to follow the Savior for the rest of their lives.  But as we were talking to him, it was clear to see that he was ready to give his life for the Savior.  After lots of fasting and prayer and prayers of so many other people, he finally made it.  He is ready and we are so so so excited.  He has changed a lot.  Its incredible to see how Christ´s teachings really change people.  I love him so much.
Anyway...the most eventful thing that happened this week was the snow.  It snowed so much and it has been so fun, but so cold.  But we enjoy it!!  Hahah I sleep with a sleeping bag liner, my 0 degree sleeping bag, a hoodie and sweats, and a wool blanket on top of all of that and its still a little cold.  But it will be fun memories am I right? hahah.  I'm so glad that you are all doing well!!  I love you so much!!  Thanks for all your prayers I love you all so much!!  Here is a quote that I like...
Many people hear the word disciple and think it means only “follower.” But genuine discipleship is a state of being. This suggests more than studying and applying a list of individual attributes. Disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry.
I know when we try to develop Christlike attributes that we come to know Him better!!  Choose one and work on it and you will be even happier!! Love you guyssss!!

Week 51

Hellooooo!

It was a really great week.  We had intercambios, we had lots of meetings, andddddddd I got the flu.  Hahah it was really bad.  But first for the good stuff...

1- In our intercambior ( I went to the Hermana´s sector with Hermana Galeano from Paraguay) we were walking at night and saw some guys trying to push a semi that was stuck in the road.  It was going nowhere and there were only 2 of them so we offered to help.  They told us no at first and as we started walking away they said "bueno, si quieren".  We started to push and it was so funny because the semi immediately started moving and we got it out of the intersection in like 20 seconds.  They were staring at us so confused and laughing.  We were also sooo confused and laughing.  Hahah God helps his missionaries hahah.

2-One of our investigators told us that after our lesson with him about the law of chastity he decided never to come back to church.  BUTTT then the branch president ran into him and they had an interview.  After that he told us that he actually really does want to be baptized next week and he will do it out of his love for God.  That was a miracle.

Ok now for the sad part.  Hahah on Wednesday for our intercambio we all went to eat lunch at an Hermanas house and her family had all just had the flu. The next day I felt super weird but we kept working.  That night we got to the house and had to make cinnamon rolls for something and I kept wanting to pass out.  I felt awful.  But in never crossed my mind that it could be the flu.  Anyway, the next thing I knew I was throwing up all night.  I thought maybe I had just eaten something bad, but then we called the Hermanas and one of them was also super sick.  The next day we did divisions and the sick hermana came to stay with me.  We had a lot of fun but we diedddd.  Our bodies hurt so bad and we just slept all day.  That continued until yesterday but now we are all good.  Buttt we learned a lesson about obedience. 

On Saturday we were so hungry but Hermana Isom told us we could only eat burned toast and bananas.  Anyway our companions went to lunch with some members and they were eating completos.  We asked them to bring some back and they told us no, but we begged them.  We decided we would save them and eat them when we got better.  They ended up bringing us completos later hahah.  While we were laying in bed hungry and bored we were just staring at the completos.  We decided that because they are mostly bread and because we mostly felt better that we could at least eat like 2 bites.  One thing lead to another and the next thing we knew each of us had just eaten a whole completo.  It was sooo good but then we started feeling soooo sick again hahahah.  Our fever came back and we wanted to throw up again for the next 2 hours.  Anyway it was a good reminder of the commandments.  Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and for that he gives us commandments.  Even though it may look like its a restriction, its because it will help you have LASTING happiness.  Hermana Sobotka and I enjoyed those completos in the moment, but then after we felt so crappy.  Keep the commandments with exactness and be happy!!  I love you all!!  Have a great week!

--Hermana West

Week 50

Wow.  This week was nuts.  Hahah but first....HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATELYN THIS WEEK!!  I love you lots!! 

So, last Monday we took a plane to Puerto Montt and we stayed the night there with the Hermanas.  Then on Tuesday morning we woke up early and traveled to Osorno to go to the leadership conference.  That was fun!!  We learned a lot and we are starting to implement a plan in the mission called the "nido unido"  haha it means the united nest. Long story short, you ask members to do specific things for your investigators all day everyday.  Like sending them a message, saying a prayer for them, sharing their testimony about a certain thing, etc.  But the idea is the they will feel like the ward is their family and it will help them in their conversion. We are excited.  Then we basically spent the rest of the day talking with missionaries and traveling back to Puerto Montt.  The next day, we woke up and took a bus to the airport and then flew back to Coyhaique.  That took the whole day as well.  So basically, I feel like I still just got here even though it’s been 2 weeks haha.  But its ok. 

As an Hermana Líder it has been nothing but busy.  There are a lot of things you have to do that you wouldn't think of, and for some reason things just happen every day that you aren't expecting.  I have felt like I haven't even been in my sector at all, but it’s all the same work(:  Its really fun, tiring, and time is flying by!!

This week lots of things happened.  After traveling I'm not sure what happened but I got pretty sick.  I couldn't concentrate and my mind was all over the place.  I felt like fainting every moment. Honestly, I don't remember the past week super well hahah.  But I got a blessing from the Elders and things started getting better.  I'm still not 100% back to normal, but I'm a lot better.

We have an investigator who is going to get baptized in June.  He is awesome.  But we realized he doesn't really have an understanding of the things he’s been taught so we are really pushing to have a lesson with him every day so that he will be ready and converted before his baptism.  He’s going to Concepcion this week so please pray for him!!!  

We also had a district talent show this week (a district is like a stake).  We had no idea what we were going to do as missionaries because they asked us to perform something last minute.  Right before the talent show, we brainstormed and did an improve skit.  Welcome to the mission where you just wing everything.  The elders literally made up a song and sang it and we listened to the words and acted out what was happening.  It actually ended up going really well hahahah.  Miracle. But it was so fun.  One of the highlights of my mission.

This week with everything being super crazy and busy, I've realized that even as missionaries you need to take time to be still and take time for Christ.  It doesn't matter who you are or what you do, we have to consciously make time for Christ. I know you guys are all super busy with school, sports, and work.  So if you want to be successful in those things, take time to put God first and everything will work out(:  I love you all!!!  Despite it being crazy and stressful, we find time to enjoy and laugh.  I'm praying for you all!!  Have a great week!!

--Hermana West

Week 49

Hey hey family!!

I LOVE it here in Coyhaique.  It feels and looks like Utah.  So weird.  But I love it.  I’m also super sorry I don’t have a ton of time to write, we have to fly to Puerto Montt to go to a leadership conference in Osorno and then we will fly back on Wednesday.  

Anyway, I love it here it has been really fun!!  We have been super busy ever since I stepped off the plane haha.  The time is flyiiingggg by.

It’s pretty cold here, but it’s not super humid so if you wear a coat you are good.  Such a blessing.  We are in the Patagonia mountains so it feels a lot like Punta Arenas which I also love.  There are 1 million dogs here hahaha. I’ve never had so many in my sector before.

Anyway, I love you all a lot and I’m doing well.  My companion is Hermana Query from Alpine.  We actually knew each other in high school and had some classes so it has been really fun.  We get along really well.  Our zone is just a district.  There are ten of us, so our zone conference will basically be District meeting with President and Hermana Isom.

Basically, I’m just really happy.  I feel like I’m at Sundance with all the leaves (it’s fall here). I love you all and hope everything is still going well with the stress of school and stuff.  You are in my prayers!!  I’ll talk to you more next week!

--Hermana West