Let It Go

Hola!

So this week we seemed to lose everything. We got our keys last Tuesday, but then we forgot our phone in the house of a member. We had intercambios the following day so we didn't have our phone for two days until we could get it first thing Thursday morning. The day we got back and got our phone, our lider misional called us and asked us where exactly did we drop off the face of the earth...and that he had my companions missing hymnbook. So now, every time we leave our house, we double check ourselves to make sure we have everything! And it has been working the past few days. 

Intercambios was fun. We went to La Dehesa, where it has a mix of rich and poor people. The past intercambios that I have gone there, I was on Cerro 18, where the houses are very crowded and the roads have all the same name. But this time I got to go work a little bit in the rich part, and it reminded me of all the past memories that I have working in Las Condes. We had a couple lessons with some investigadors and got references. It was a good working day. 

In one of our recent coorelation meetings with our lider misional, he said to my companion and I, "You girls have a song prepared for us, right?" My companion and I looked at each other and asked him what we were supposed to sing when he said, "Let it go! Let it go!" So now our lider misional has given me and my companion a nickname: Frozen. My companions hair is long and blonde like Elsa, and mine is brown, not so much like Ana, but he thinks its close enough. But he's not the only one. A lot of other people have said we look like the princesses from Frozen and we have heard plently of people singing Let It Go as we walk past. 

I also attached some pictures. The first one is my district which is pretty awesome. We have some great missionaries in our district with lots of laughs and good times. Also I get really impressed with a lot of the graffiti I see. Its pretty awesome.

My companion and I are also trying to be healthier by eating healthier and running in the mornings. I hate running, but I do it because I know its good for me. We usually run two miles, but this morning we ran four and I nearly died. I'll get used to it though in time. 

Chao!

Teaching Simply, Charla Fogoneras, and Keys

Hola!

Our mission right now is focusing more on teaching simply. And its awesome because we are learning so many fun ways to teach simply and fast. Yesterday we had district meeting and it was so much fun because we shared all the cool ideas that we have and I was so excited to leave and start teaching the world. My companion and I have a goal to teach a lesson in each contact we make, teaching about the restoration super simply or the plan of salvation. And since yesterday its been working super well!

This past week we had a charla fogonera (a fireside). Our mission president tries to do them in every stake in our mission at least every month. The first one this year was in Las Condes, and this past one was in Vicuña Mackenna. Knowing our president, my companion and I prepared a song to sing, and I used a copy of Be Still, My Soul in Spanish, which is called Mi alma, ten paz. The song doesn't exist in Spanish hymnbook, but I got a copy from a member a while ago who has a lot of different music of hymns. This copy was also meant for a choir, so we talked to two elders in our zone to accompany us singing. This past Tuesday when we came to the chapel to practice, another companionship came and joined us. So it ended up being four elders and us. A lot of people really liked it in the charla fogonera. 

There was also another family there who came and talked to my companion and I. They are from a stake where there aren't any sister missionaries (because its dangerous for us to be there) and they told us they come to every charla fogonera that our President puts up. They said they annoyed him, because they are his biggest fans. My presidents the best anyway so they were just saying a truth :) . The mom talked to my companion and I separately, explaining that her daughter was listening to the missionaries. She said her daughter liked more of the sister missionaries because we are more loving (en español seria que somos mas de piel pero eso no se traduce muy bien en ingles) but she can't listen to the sister missionaries because there aren't any in her stake. So she asked if we could talk to her. Apparently we've sung a lot in charla fogoneras that she felt more connected to us. After the charla, we talked to her for a bit and said what she needed to hear. She cried at the end and gave us a great big hug. Actually several hugs. Its always the best when you get to help someone when they need it, even if they aren't in your area. 

We also had a situation with our keys this past week. Yesterday, we worked and got home at 9:30 as usual, but realized we didn't have our keys. We called our investigadors and they told us that we left it in their house. We hurried and ran to their house and our lider misional gave us a ride home, and got home before 10:00. #blessingsofhavingasmallarea. But today, the same thing happened! My companion had the keys today since I lost them yesterday. We went to the temple (which was awesome I love the see the temple) but got back home to realize that we couldn't find our keys in my companions temple bag. We dumped everything out, called the temple, and weren't able to find them. But we are ok, because our mission president's wife has two copies of our keys, and our mission president is coming to our zone tonight for a meeting with our stake president, and he will give us the extra keys. #blessingsofhavingasupersmallmission #bestmissionpresidentever #thatoneconferencetalkaboutkeystothepriesthood 

Sorry I can't add pictures right now. My camera cord got stuck inside my pension and I'm going to get the keys tonight. 

Singing

Hola,

So this week was awesome. Hermana Hair and I have been working a lot in teaching, helping our investigadors with what they need and so on. We are teaching a very special family and this weekend in particular they have been waiting for one of their daughters (who is going to get married soon) to have a baby. She's overdue, so every time we meet with them, they tell us about the stress of waiting for their daughter to have the baby. We are also praying that the baby will come soon so everybody can be healthy and well. 

We had concillio de liderazgo this past week, which was great as usual. Our mission president is really funny and very caring of us. During one part of the meeting, we were talking about teaching simply when I shared that we could sing with our investigadors, no matter what our talent is. Our president smiled and told the meeting that when he was deciding on transfers, he said as he put Hermana Hair and my picture together and he "felt peace, and I could almost feel the music." Hermana Hair also sings well, by the way. We both felt very complimented about what he said, but when he continued saying that he could see us singing in every house, Hermana Hair and I talked later and said, "Well we need to start doing that!"

So we started doing it, and have seen a lot of miracles sharing our talents with everybody. 

I would like to write more, but I ran out of time and my computer is slow. Exito!

Pictures por fin!

Hola!

We had cambios again, and I am still in the same area but now I have a new companion named Hermana Hair. She is also from Utah, also from a family of seven, who also did choir, and a lot of other things that we seem to have in common. She seems awesome and I am super excited to see how we work together in the area. And for those who are wondering, yes I am still in the same area that I have been for a while now. Next week I will complete one year in the mission and its gone by really fast. 

This week we had a meeting with the area seventy President Jose Teixeira and it was awesome and inspired the whole mission to work even harder. As leaders, we also had another meeting before where he instructed us how to be good leaders and it was also awesome. He taught us a new way to teach and help find people that I had never done before in the mission. We left from that meeting feeling inspired and put what he said into practice, which was awesome. We were able to have a lot of success from that. 

And now I have a cord for my camera to send pictures! Enjoy!

We had lunch with the young women's president, her mom, and her friend. She is the best!

My companion saying goodbye to our investigators.

Our president wants us to have a new logo, and here is an example from one of our missionaries. 

Getting to know more people

This week we had our paseo del barrio (ward vacation or something) where our whole ward rented a place where people could swim and eat. It was out of our zone so we called our Mission President and got permission to go. We brought some of our investigators and they really enjoyed themselves; swimming and playing soccer and talking with people. We got to stay there for some good hours before we went back to our area. It was very very fun and awesome. 

We had a good week of work this week: lots of lessons, lots of new investigators, lots of people reading, and because my area is small, lots of running into investigators in the street. Its nice when that happens because you get to talk to them for a bit and ask them how they are. 

Its very common in a normal day to see the same person sitting in the same store at least five times a day. I've gotten to the point in my area where I say hi to them by name and ask them about their family. I still have a lot of more time in my area (I'm pretty sure) and my goal is to get to know even more people. 

There is an elderly man who is always sitting next to a fruit store called Daniel. He is the sweetest and is always looking out for us. Sometimes we see him walking to the clinic. But he loves to talk to us about God and helping out the people. He's over ninety years old and takes care of himself, going to the doctor and everything. 

Hope you guys have a great week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hola!

I only realized it was Valentines Day an hour ago. Happy Valentines Day to everybody who celebrates it. Or as one of my brothers always says, happy single-awareness day. 

Anyway, this week was also really good. We have a paseo del barrio planned for this Saturday, which is a day that the whole ward goes somewhere to have a fun time. We called our President and got permission to go for 4 hours, so we are pretty excited too. Some of our investigators are planning on coming and are pretty excited to come. I'll let you guys know what happens. 

We had some great lessons this week. I would love to go in detail, but I ran out of time and now its time to go and trabajar en la obra. 

Éxito!

Carry On, Carry On, Carry On

There is a really funny version of Hello by Adele made for missionaries. You should find it or something because my companion has it in her music. I don't know who made it but its funny so you should find it.

I had such a great week! Wednesday was full of miracles! One of our investigadors accepted a baptismal date and is just the best ever. Her name is Miriam Pardo and it would be great if you guys could pray for her. She has cancer and she finished her chemotherapy a couple weeks ago. Her tests came out really good, but she is going to continue to have tests and everything. She has been reading and came to church one time, but will just have to keep coming to be baptized. She's awesome.

We also had another miracle happen with one of our other investigadors named Astrid Cerda. She has a daughter who has the mental capacity of a 5 year old. She's suffered through a lot of hard things in her life. When we first started meeting with her she didn't want to come to church. But a while ago we made a huge step in finding out the real reason is that she has trauma with large groups of people because of her daughter and people harrassing her. We promised to help her out and everything. This past week we taught the ten commandments, and she recognized that she does not live the Sabbath day. So we invited her to church and she committed! We brought her to church, and it happened to be fast Sunday full with testimonies and a baby blessing. Everything was just so great and she even talked in Gospel Principles and Relief Society. It was awesome and she really liked coming.

Also another small miracle that happened this week that I find pretty significant. I was in intercambios with another hermana in my zone when it was near the end of the day. I consulted with her on whether we should go try to find our investigadors who live on the other side of the area, or stay in the area we were in and visit someone closer. She suggested we stay closer, so we went to visit some neighbors of some members. As we were on our way, I noticed a family I had talked to, so we took the opportunity to talk to them again. They hadn't been receptive before, and that day was no exception. Silvia, the abuelita who lived in the house, said she respected us and everything but didn't want anything more, but then somehow we ended up talking about the temple and the promises of an eternal family, and set up another appointment. When we left, the other hermana and I talked how we viewed that the granddaughter was more receptive and everything, but there was still a hope that even someone super Catholic like Silvia, to listen to us. 

So we went back on Sunday to talk to them with two of the kids of the LDS family who lived right in front of them. We started teaching and the member kids testified of how they gained their testimonies. It was so great! They could see how much the kids had grown and immediately let us know their needs. They had even asked the father of them to give blessings to their own child who had cancer, and the following day the child was 100% better. As Silvia shared some experiences I could see how God has slowly opened her heart. I left the cita feeling amazed seeing a completely different person that we had known previously. This is how I see that God is Almighty. Like the experience of Elias, he stayed behind the rock and refused to come out not for the storm, not for the earthquake nor the fire, but for the still small voice. God really shows his power in the small things he does to open our hearts again. 

It also bore testimony to me to keep working hard. Sometimes I get frustrated trying and trying, but the more I lose myself in the work and the joy of serving, the more I can see God's miracles.

Something that has made me know even more the power of God is the testimony of our investigadors. When they come to church, they have had the opportunity to bear their proper testimonies and have testified how we as missionaries appeared in their lives when they needed us, and how we have made a difference to them. 

I love the mission and I love you guys! 

With one of our investigators

Two kids of a member that we've helped reactivate

Hola

This week, we had the great miracle of having one of our dear investigadors, Miriam Pardo, come to church. I told you guys about this last week, and she came! She was there for all the three hours and really enjoyed it. She actually bore her testimony valiantly in one of the classes about her experience with cancer and how my companion and I have helped her when she needed it. It was a huge step for her and both me and my companion are really happy.

The other day we also left to work with a member. We visited a friend of hers and the member, Hermana Marlen, was really excited. She couldn't stop talking because she was so excited. We then tried to visit other people with us, and Hermana Marlen did everything she could to talk to people in the street and took every answer with stride. Her example really impacted me to be not just a missionary in my mission but to always represent him in my life like she does.

As I said before, this ward is the best. Every member is awesome and they try to help us whenever they can.

Hasta luego,

Hermana Reed

Babies

Hola mundo!

So this week we have been working harder and trying to reach more and more goals! We've had some success with some goals and have put even higher ones. So that has been a good point of the week. Some days this week have been really busy, with us going from house to house teaching, and other days we have walked in the hot hot hot sun and finding the sparse shade of the few trees. But we are going to change that and have EVERY day be a great day. 

One of our investigators received an answer to her prayer the other day. She has twins that are seven months old and probably the cutest babies in my area. Our lessons are fast with her because they lose patience and start to cry. Our first lesson with her was a while ago when we were sharing the Christmas video. As she watched it, her babies were silent and paid attention, but after they were anxious and wanted to move and go outside for a walk. But as we said the prayer to leave them, they grew quiet again and didn't make a peep until my companion said, "Amen." Every lesson since has been different with them. We invited her to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it was true, and she did one night after putting the kids to bed. When we came the next lessons, she said she got an answer, because she felt a lot more peaceful, and her babies slept more and have been more tranquil. It was awesome. 

Another one of our awesome investigators has cancer. She has wanted to come to church for a long time but for health reasons, she hasn't been able to make it. She said she will come this Sunday so we are praying that all will be well. She loves the Book of Mormon and reads it a lot, and finds out for herself questions that she has. She's really really really awesome.

We also had cambios this week, but both my companion and I are staying for another cambio. We called our ward mission leader to tell him we were staying, and he was so happy he drove to the church during our meeting to talk to us. A lot of other people were really happy that we stayed. Again, my ward is the best. 

Have a great week! Éxito!

Mechanic Shop

Hola,

So the pictures weren't downloading, but this isn't the first time I haven't sent pictures, so I think we are all good. 

This week was very interesting. We had intercambios with La Dehesa, which is the place the Hermana Captacitadora Entrendadores are. They are hermanas who help out the hermana capacitadoras. I spent the day in a trio with my trainer Hermana Velasco, and Hermana Steed, whom I spent a little time in the CCM. It was fun being in a trio for a day, but I don't know how it would be for a transfer. We got to do service and clean windows of a free daycare center, and teach great lessons to some awesome investigadors. It was nice going on intercambios instead of having intercambios. They are much more enjoyable to go to. 

Which was also sad because my trainer is going home this next week and we had one last day to work together. Its crazy how much time passes and how much you learn in a mission. 

We had a unique miracle in my area the other day. It wasn't a so successful day and not a lot of people wanted us to be there, when we ran across someone we talked a couple days before named Connie. She's 13 years old, and we asked if her mom was home because she said she couldn't meet us without permission from her mom. She didn't seem to want us there, but we asked her if she could ask her mom if its okay if we visit. So Connie went to where her mom lived, and came back out after a while saying, "Pasen." (pass). It really surprised me at first, but we came in and the mom, named Marcia, was in the midst of piles of clothes that she was ready to donate. We quickly offered to help, and helped her fold them and put them in bags. It was great to see the change in Connie. At first she was not very interested in knowing us or letting us talk, but as we talked and helped, she and her mom opened up  and were very grateful for us for being there and helping them out. 

It was awesome and it was also great finding them. They live behind a mechanic shop and I would have never guessed someone lived there until we saw it. It just helped me realize that even though my area is small, there are still people who have never had the chance to listen to the missionaries and want to listen. 

Have a great week!

Happy New Year

Hola!

Happy New Year! As a missionary, I slept right through the new year and didn't wake up for any of the fireworks. But my companion, who woke up and sleeps right next to the window, said they were very pretty. It was also really funny seeing the stages of New Years: the excitement of New Years Eve and everybody buying things for their parties, everybody drunk the next day, and the following day that everybody is a little bit on the edge and angry. Despite the stages of New Years Eve, we managed to have lessons and work the same as we have every day and have some amazing miracles happen. One of our investigators has a fecha bautismal (a baptismal date yay!) and we have been able to have new investigators. One of them is Joseph.

He came to Chile from Haiti 5 years ago and slowly has been helping his family. His son, Jean, came to Chile 4 months ago, and he is the only member in his family. We recieved his reference, found Jean and Joseph, and have been helping them recently to know the ward (for Jean) and teach Joseph. Its a very interesting because Joseph speaks Spanish fluently, and Jean understands a little bit. As we talk he is usually silent until he understands something and gives a very big smile. When we ask if he can give the prayer, he asks if he can say it in French, and we say that is perfectly fine. They have been a miracle and I am excited to see what's in store for their family. 

Its weird sometimes when I hear four languages in a day: Spanish for everybody here who speaks it, English for the random people who try to talk to me in English, Portugese when people speak to my companion, or French when we teach Joseph and Jean. 

This past week has been really fulfilling for me. We have been working harder to help people and though everything we do may not turn out, miracles still happen. And this week I feel especially happy for the members in my ward and everything they do to help us, for the investigators we have, but most especially for my Heavenly Father and how he has helped me and guided me throughout my mission. There is no way I would be here without His help and continual guidance and strength he gives me. I have learned so much in these past three months that I never thought I would learn about missionary work and how I can be an instrument in his hands. I have received more than one confirmation every single day that he is there and watching over me and the people in my area.

I love being a missionary. Have a great week!

Merry Christmas!

​​Merry Christmas family and friends!

While some of you may be freezing or already icicles in the cold snow, I have been eating watermelon, a lot of corn, and getting a pretty sweet missionary tan on my feet. And dying of heat as usual. Luckily this week we had a breeze that helped us out with the sun. 

I just want to say how awesome my ward is because in the end, its the best ward. The members are so nice and always looking out for us. This past week they especially showed our love for us by giving us presents from the Relief Society and several sisters and our ward mission leader. Anyway we have been spoiled by our ward and everything they do for us. Also our stake president gave us a breakfast on Christmas Eve. They are pretty much the best. 

We also had a Christmas devotional as a mission, because my mission is so small, and so we all gathered in a church big enough for the mission and listened to testimonies, a lot of songs, videos, lunch, and a special message from our mission president. My Zone sang Silent Night for the closing finish. Save the best for last! 

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day our mission President asked us to not set up to many citas but to visit everyone we know; members, investigators

, friends, everyone. So we were busy walking around, singing Christmas songs and sharing the Christmas spirit. It was really awesome and got to meet some great people. 

Have a happy New Year!

Christmas is Coming

Dear Family,

This week was pretty great. We had a couple of great miracles, one being a less active that came up to us the other day in the street, saying he wanted to come back to church. We visited with him this week and taught him about repentance, and then we saw him in church. Everybody welcomed him back with smiles, and he even joined in on the group who sang a special musical number in sacrament meeting. It was the first time that he came back to church in years and he says he wants to stay for good. Which makes me so happy. 

This week we also had a lot of citas set up, but as usual some of them fell through. Saturday was one of those particular days. We had five citas set up and didn't have an hour to spare, but as we walked to each cita nobody was there. We visited a lot of other people who weren't there, and it turned into a day were we walked all over. But we still took every opportunity to talk to people on the street and share the special Christmas message. 

On one particular street, my companion and I were walking to a supposed cita, when I felt like there was somebody behind me that would pass me, that I felt like I should talk to. As they came up to my side, I turned around and said hi to a very tall Colombian named John David. We got to talking and he turned out to be a very respectful open young man who lived in our area (yes!). We invited him to church the next day, and he accepted. 

Also, on Sunday, I walked out of ward council and who should I see but Neil and Shawn in the living flesh. I was very surprised and very happy to see them. Mom, you liar, you told me they didn't have time and I willingly accepted your excuse  A lot of the members were surprised to see that the two gringos that showed up were my brothers, but the bishop invited them to come to the lunch that they were already going to have with us. They got to eat a traditional Chilean dish that I am sure they will show you a picture. Its called pastel de choclo (corn cake, very similar to shepherds pie). They got along really well with my bishop and their family, and the ward really liked them visiting. A lot of people have asked me about them afterward too and were very happy for me to have my brothers visit me. 

I guess even being a continent away won't stop someone from visiting me. 

And also thank you a lot for the Christmas present. My companion thought it was hilarious that Shawn said he traveled with the garbage over the mountains. It was fun to see them for a brief time. 

Santa Claus is Melting in Santiago

Hello from the other side...

I am hearing that people are getting a lot of snow in the United States. Or at least in Utah. It is the exact opposite here in Chile, where in the desert of Santiago the sun gets stronger every day. Thankfully, members in my ward are very nice and always give me a drink when I come to their homes. I just have to specify to give me WATER from the tap, instead of the soda or the juice that they give me. A day full of soda doesn't feel as great as it sounds. The building that we live in also has a pool, and recently we've seen a lot of people swimming in it. I just have to stay strong every day and remember that I do not have a swimming suit (which helps a lot). 

We also get to talk to a lot more people who leave their houses because of the heat. We've been finding new investigadors, talking to more people about "Ilumina el Mundo," and sharing this great Christmas message. In my new area now, we also have houses to meet people. Its a lot better than talking to conserjes (doormen). But whenever a house does not have a doorbell, we ring the door the Chilean style and yell 'Alo!' If the people don't have headphones on in their house, they usually hear us and come out. Or their little sister hears us and tells them that we are outside, which happened to one of our investigators this week. 

We did have one day of the week that it rained all day, and it was cold. It was a great day, especially since it cleaned the air here. 

Have a great week!

Light the World

This week was a week we had some more time to work. We have had some new investigadors of all ages, been contacting referrals and spreading the news of the new video "Ilumina el Mundo" which is "Light the World" in English. Our president wants us to give out at least 10 cards a day so in between lessons we are doing our best to light up our little area of work by sharing the message. Its a really great video and I would suggest anybody to watch it and to follow the example of Christ. 

We've had some good contacts and some good lessons. Our members are also really excited to help us in the work. Yesterday we went with one of our members Juanita to her friends house to get to know her. Her name is Mirian, and she is suffering from cancer and taking chemotherapy. We sang a song for her and shared the video with her. She was really grateful to have us there, and it made me happy that we could visit. 

We finally got to visit some investigadors that have been really sick. I am really excited for this month and all the activities that will happen for Christmas. But I know that the best part of this month will be every moment of every day, and every new opportunity to talk to people and share a message can can make their day a little brighter. 

Merry Christmas!

Talent Show

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a successful one. Hermana Sousa and I have been working hard, walking, teaching, and dedicating all this time that is not taken up in meetings to finding people in search of the gospel, and there have been small miracles and big miracles every day. Some of the best is when you don't expect it, like when we were with a family, and the mother received news that the car they needed for work finally turned on after two years of not working. It was the best when she told us that things just started to go right after we started to visit her. 

We have also have had the miracles of finding people at the right times and to be able to console people just when they need it. Our investigadors, Jose and Juanita are passing a trial right now. Juanita has found a tumor in her stomach that causes her a lot of pain. They are going to the doctor and come to every activity that they can come to, but others Juanita can't come. We are praying for them. When we talked with Jose last time, he told us that they need our help and to keep coming. They are a great family and I really hope everything can turn out for the best. 

We had a fantastic Talent Show this past Saturday. A lot of people showed up and we got to see talents from telling jokes, dancing the cueca (traditional dance here in Chile), people singing, and seeing the Primary dance the Zumba. Jose and Juanita came and they enjoyed the talents they got to see. As missionaries, we acted out a show about spirits finding each other in this world, which a lot of people liked, and we also sang some hymns. All the members who came loved it. I don't have my camera but once I get the opportunity I will send the pictures I have. 

Have a good week!

Chris

Hola!

This week has been a less busy week, but still busy otherwise. Besides visiting sister missionaries and intercambios like usual, we had Concillio de Liderazgo (Leader Council in English I think?) which we talked about the visit from Elder Rasband and how we can still learn a lot from what he and the other leaders taught us, which is very true. I can really testify by meeting sister missionaries every week how important it is to study and apply what we learn to our lives, and not just from General Conference, but from church and daily scripture study. If we don't apply anything, you can't progress. Which is why I love the gospel of Jesus Christ because it isn't just once we learn it but we are constantly renewing our faith, repenting, taking the sacrament, listening to the spirit and enduring to the end. Its really something that helps anybody in any circumstance. 

Like Jose y Juanita. We have been meeting with them and Jose is always looking to better his life and not fall into his old habits of doing drugs. He tells us of his struggle, and I know every time we talk that he has managed to get out of his drug habits through his study of Christ. And he tells us thanks when we visit him as well. He's just awesome and I love to see the small changes he makes. 

Speaking of changes, we have a new ward mission leader. For those who don't know, he is a member who helps us and is in charge of the missionaries in the ward. We didn't have one for a month, but then Hno Catalan was called as a ward mission leader. He is a good friend of ours and my companion actually predicted he would be called as a ward mission leader. He didn't want it, but he came out of an interview with the bishop avoiding our smiles. But he's great and has been very motivated to help and to guide us as missionaries in the ward. 

There is also another member in the ward who likes us to visit her, and calls us practically every day. But she's used to us telling her that we sometimes have days we are too busy. We call her Abuelita (grandmother). But she also has given me a new name, and I realized it this past Sunday in church. She would look at me and say "Chris, Chris!" I had no idea who she was talking to until I realized she was talking to me. I tried telling her my name was Reed. She said, "Chris?" I said, "No, REED." She replied, "Chris." To make it easier, I said, "Yes." I have no idea why she hears Chris, but if that is easier for her to say, she can call me Chris instead of Reed. I've never been called Chris before, and there is always a first time for everything. 

Have a great week!

Hermana Chris

Miracles

Hermana B. Silva from Brazil and I. She's from my zone and she's awesome.

Hola!
This week was pretty great. First things first, we had some investigadors come to church! Their churchs are Jose and Juanita. Juanita is about 77 and Jose is her son who is 51 who lives with her and helps her out. Jose has had problems with drugs and was clean for two years before he fell again. He knows a lot about the gospel and likes to talk to us. Juanita helps him out but suffers a lot because of his past addictions. But they finally came to church, and it was fast and testimony meeting. After the first two testimonies, Jose got up and went to the pulpit. He started out saying, "Hi, my name is Jose. I am Evangelico Protestante (Protestant) and I believe a lot in Jesus Christ." He then continued to tell about the problems he suffered from, but how he was grateful that the missionaries passed by his house and how we help him and talk to him about Christ. It was a really great testimony. When he sat down, his mom asked him why he bore his testimony and he told her the Spirit came over him. She was so happy and at the end she said it was a big and good step for them.
We also had another miracle. One of our recent converts recently received the Melchizedek Priesthood and is doing well. His whole family was baptized before I came to the area and the first Sunday I was here his dad blessed the sacrament. This past week we met with a member who was really sick so we called the elders to give her a blessing. Because there wasn't a man in the house they came with Matias, our recent convert. It was his first blessing and the Spirit was there so strong. The member felt it too, and was really grateful for us for passing by and helping her out.
Also, we had a great privilege this week to have a special devotional from an apostle, Elder Rasband. But not just him, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Craig. C. Christensen and his wife, and a Seventy, Elder Jose A Teixeira and his wife. Elder Rasband's wife didn't end up traveling with him this trip. Elder Christensen actually served in our mission, so he was really excited to tell us some of the history of what happened before we came. He's pretty awesome. But it was the best to be able to listen to an apostle speak to us, and only to our mission as well. He invited the missionaries from the MTC at the last minute, so they were there for the last bit of it.
He also shook hands with everybody there, which was a lot of missionaries (I have never seen the whole mission together before). He told us about the great calling we have to preach repentance by the Holy Ghost, and to baptize converts. He is a really inspired man and I know he is an apostle of the Lord. I feel so grateful for the chance that we had to meet with him and the other leaders that were with him. It just confirms to me that this is the Lord's church that is restored again on the earth. I know He lives and He guides this church through revelation.
I love this gospel and I love serving the Lord in the mission! I know it's true and I can literally see the changes the gospel has made in the lives of the converts here, and how it improves the lives of others.

Hna. Reed

An awesome sunset against the mountains.

Earthquake!

Hello!
I am writing from the ruins of a broken down house with a phone that only has one bar of a signal...just kidding. I'm all right and writing in an internet cafe. We had an earthquake this week, and it was pretty awesome. There are always earthquakes that happen that we don't feel, but we got to feel this one. Apparently it was a 6.4. I was in intercambios that day, so I was with another missionary in a house with one of their investigators. We had just finished praying and were ready to go when the house started to shake, small at first but then stronger. We walked out of the house while it was still shaking, and the other missionary freaked out and thought that she was going to die. But we were all right. Chile is well prepared and all that happened is that it shook the ground a lot. But I hope that investigator got an answer to her prayer.
Trinidad is going great. We are working with a couple of investigators to help them out. We had stake conference recently, and a seventy and our mission president and his wife came to give talks. They were really good. Some of the members gave their testimonies, and it's great to see how the Lord works in their lives and helps them become happier.
The weather is really hot, for those of you who have been asking. We are putting a lot of sunblock on, drinking a lot of water, and I have a nice tan-line on my feet from my shoes. People say later on in the summer the winds stop, which I am not looking forward to because the winds make the day so much better. For now, we are just planning citas in the hottest parts of the day.
I also have heard a lot about the elections from the people in Chile. I hope you all make the right decision and choose a good person who can lead the nation in peace. And just remember whatever you decide makes a ripple effect not just in the United States, but in other places, such as Chile. For those who are still unsure and those who are sure (everyone), you should read Alma 46 and pay attention to verse 12.
I am really grateful for this gospel, and I am really grateful that I have made the decision to come and serve a mission. I can see the small and significant differences it makes in people's lives, and also how it helps me out in my life. I find whenever times get tough that God is there for me, telling me through the scriptures and everyday experiences what I need to hear and to know. I know this gospel is true, and if I could I would tell everybody in Chile. For now, I'll stick to Chile Santiago Este.
Thanks for all the support. 

Hna. Reed

My companion (Hna Sousa) and I with Noelia.

Halloween

Hola!
It sounds like everyone had a fun Halloween this past week. We didn't get to have any lessons yesterday, but some people knocked on our door for candy when we were planning. Sadly we didn't buy any candy in preparation, so to make up for it we gave them a card with a picture of Jesus knocking on a door. The kids whom we gave them to were pretty excited about it. We got to see a couple Darth Vaders, Batmans, and Spidermans walking around in the street.
I am also still a sister training leader, but now I am in charge of two zones instead of one. This past Monday, when we had Capacitacion de Zona, I wemt tp Vicuna Mackenna while Hermana Sousa stayed in Javiera Carrera. It was weird helping out the other missionaries without my companion, but it worked out all right.
Though I don't know my area too well yet, I am now pretty familiar with the boundaries. I am also getting to know the members better and a couple have come out with us for some lessons. We also got to meet some new investigators, which was awesome! Also ran out of time, but have a good week!

Hermana Reed