Classic Chile

¨They say the gospel is supposed to heal you, and its done much healing!¨  Totally had a moment like that this week. I started off a contact by testifying, and then looked at Greenwood to pass it to him. By the time I looked back, the door was closed. Classic Chile.

I really don’t know what to tell you about the week. We started chopping a lot of wood for people and have been stacking it a lot too. I am professional and all the members saw me stack it at our mamita’s house and now they all want me to do it. Both of our main investigators ended up in the hospital for different reasons so church was a bust, but we had a really nice sacrament meeting.

I love you all so much.

Elder Rich

Elder Rich and Elder Greenwood P-Day Photo Shoot. Apparently, Elder Rich has become a big fan of the vest. 

Planting Seeds

The weather here is really nice. It is really hot during the day, hardly ever rains, and the salty breeze can always be felt and tasted coming off the ocean. It is going to be hard leaving this place and going back to the desert of St. George. This week was just kind of a regrouping week. Getting over sicknesses, doing without some things [Elder Rich’s apartment was robbed], and weeding out the people that don’t seem to be progressing right now.

We had a cool experience this last week. We were helping Carla with some stuff around the house because she just had a surgery to remove her appendix (Is that how its spelled? I have been speaking Spanish too long.) Her mom came home from work and asked us why we were even there and even bothered. 

*Back story: Carla´s mom used to listen to missionaries 20 years ago but hasn’t since then and has not been very supportive of Carla´s Mormon investigation. She got pregnant young, divorced young, and has not had an easy life. She has spoken maybe 4 words to me and avoids us.*

Anyway, I told her it was because we loved her daughter, but even more importantly, God loved her. She went upstairs and that was all she said too us. The next day we were picking up some stuff from the grocery store and someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around and it was Carla´s mom. She told me she had appreciated what I had said and done, and invited us to dinner. We went over and taught about the restoration and the love of Christ and it was so quiet you could hear the wood stove crackling the whole time. I just told them they were beautiful and that I loved them and that we were genuinely there for them and the atmosphere was so warm and spiritual.

Carla came to watch conference and her mom has invited us back, she isn’t "investigating", but she doesn’t hate us. I think they will both get baptized somewhere down the road, but I am happy with progress in the right direction. This is the first time in my mission I have sincerely understood the importance of planting seeds. I have taken myself out of the equation and it doesn’t matter to me who baptizes them, I just want them with me in the presence of God and I want them to know His love.

I love you.

Elder Rich

My first 'missionary photo' from Chile.

Still has some wrestling moves left in him.

Ancud, Chile. A view of the inland and Pacific Ocean at sunset.

"Don't tell the cat about my new friend."

It takes a lot to get me through studying.  Elder Greenwood says, 'Hello!'

Sick and Delirious

This week was crazy. Greenwood and I had to travel to Puerto Montt [about 60 miles by ferry and bus] to get some drugs for me, and I was so delirious and sick. The antibiotics make my head spin but I am healing. It just makes me so sick and I don’t know why. I think I have something else and the impetigo is just an outward manifestation. I am honestly fine though. It was just one of those days you are glad to see in your rear view mirror. Poor Greenwood just kind of entertained himself this week. Of the 72 hours between Wednesday and Friday I slept 65 of them, and when I was awake I was a grumpy beast. He was a pal, and the trip to Puerto Montt together along with the talks at 3:00 in the morning were great experiences. I realized that I really do love the kid. I mean I have to ¨love¨ him, but I really like him too.

I am still picking myself up but I am fine. We had an Easter dinner with Marco and Yolanda and their family. It was really cool to just hang out with my converts because we haven’t had much time for them. They are already ready for heaven. Honestly they amaze me, just take them up Jesus.

I love you all so much. Thank you for the pictures you send, they are awesome.

Elder Rich

Patience is a Virtue

So boring I know, but there is nothing to report. We found a couple of new people to teach, and one guy named Sebastian has accepted to be baptized the 16th of April. I am 90% sure it is going to happen. I have impetigo again which sucks but what do you do? [Elder Rich has been battling impetigo off and on for the past two months. He has had difficultly getting proper medical treatments in his area.]

We had a little tension in the house this week between Greenwood and me, and the other two elders here. I really don’t always agree with the way my district leader leads, but I am learning patience and problem solving, which will help me a lot in the future. It got kind of heated last night, but I think everyone got out what they needed to say and it is calming down. Nobody hit anybody else, so I view that as a win. :)

I love you.

Elder Rich

These are grey geese and they are insanely rare. People were freaking out when they saw them and they basically live right in our backyard on the other side of the fence.

P-Day Jams

Elder Rich taking the mission car out for a spin.

Ancud, Chile, on the Island of Chiloe 

Ancud, Chile with a fall sunset over the Pacific Ocean.