Picture with Elder Andersen

This week has been pretty neat. Last pday my comp had to go to the mission office because he left his debit card in an ATM, and had to get a replacement. He coordinated with one of his old mission friends to send him a violin he had in his last area, because the friend had to go to the office as well that day. So, now my comp has a violin and he lets me try it out. So, now I'm learnig a little of violin. Mind you, I sounds absolutely horrible, but it's fun to play and actually simpler than what I thought it was. I only play it on the p-days, which means I'll probably have 6 more times to try it out before one of us leaves, but it'll be fun while it lasts.

This week we found our one person with a date again, she is sometimes a little hard to get into contact with. She was REALLY sick last sunday, all of her family, so it makes sense why they didn't come. She has plenty of support from the ward, so that's good at the very least. Her brother wants to reactivate himself to be able to baptize her when she gets ready for baptism, so it oculd turn into a convert-reactivate double deal. Or a triple deal, since the mom wants to come back as well.

We had interviews this week, and I think I'm staying for one more change (so at least until the end of July) before I change sectors. After that, I have no idea. He said some faint hints of "filling in the next generations of leaders,"but I don't think it really has any significance. I'll just keep working and see if something comes out of it this next change or not.

I've been reading in the book of Acts a lot this week. I think my 2 favortie chapters are 6 & 7, being the martyrdom of Stephen. I still kind of don't understnad why they got angry with him (they being the Scribes and Pharisees) before he saw Jesus on the right hand of God, since beforehand he was literally just retelling Jewish history, then how all the prophets were killed, and how Jesus fufilled this prophecy. I don't know. Maybe the fact he was condemming their unrighteous actions and they didn't like that.

In ful truth, I think I like the Bible more as the Reina-Valera (the spanish approved bible) than the KJV. I don't know why, since they bascially say the same thing, but something about it I like more.

I got to have an interchange this week with another Elder, this one from Brasil, in the south. It was fun finding out  how exactly Portuguese and Spanish differ, because they are real similar languages (like German and Dutch).

Also got a nice life story out of the day, and I found an old missionary who served in the Chile Santiago North Mission in 1983-1985. So close to dad's 1986-1988. But, he did have similar souvenirs to what dad had. He showed us the small face shots in black and white that dad told us about this last video chat. It's like a school ID photo (you know the style, with the head tilt and the facing to the right but looking at the camera). He had a good 30 of them, if I remember correctly. He said he was an active member of the church after his mission, for a good 20 years, getting married and sealed, working with missionaries, being a friend to converts, the whole 9 yards. Then, after some marital problems, they got divorced. Then he lost his job. then he left his house. In all of that, not 1 member came to him to give him support, to help him, to give a friendly word, nothing. Now, he's inactive. He told us that the church is true and he knows it, reads the Book of Mormon, everything, but "[He] will never cast a shadow through the Branch's meetinghouse for the rest of his life."That bit's not so neat of a life story. Hopefully he eventually decides to return. I think not a single person he knows still lives int he branch. It constantly cycles members because no one has permanent housing in the boundaries of the branch, so no one can fill a gap of Bishop or Counselor for more than 3-4 years.

It's funny though, because I mentioned that dad served near the same time in the same mission and

One to happier stuff. We found a lot of good people this week as well. Some of them near golden, some of them not as much. We are trying now to get to the point where they actually come to church. Even the family with a date of reactivation and baptism is having difficulty going, and they live 5 minutes walking from the church!

To invite some people to the church, this week we held an pen house at the church. We all invited at least 3 people, and 1 inactive member. Some came, most didn't. But, we got a few good commitments to come the Sunday afterwords, there were free sopaipillas, and 2 other companionships were there to help Olaiz and I in the work, so in the end it all kind of worked out.

I do feel like I could get a 2nd baptism in this area, but it's difficult getting peopleto progress. Just come to church, people!

This Sunday (the one after the 0 church arrivals, this blog update covers 2), we had to do divisions with the ward. Why? Becuase between 3 o clock and 7:30 we had 14 appointments, close to  2 every half hour. 1 every half hour a companionship cna keep if they run and keep lessons short. 2 is just stright up impossible unless 3/4ths cancel or just aren't there.

ELder Olaiz has helped me get better at a lot of things. He can go real effective contacts, he can give a lesson quick and easy (something I sometimes struggle with is letting the lesson drag on and on). There are other things he's helping me with too, I'll make a list next update.

This is the last email before changes. Considering what president told me, I think we'll stay together for at least 1 more change. Hopefully I get at least 1 more baptism before I leave. I do have time, I believe

As for the 2nd sunday, 6 people came. So, things are looking WAY up. Spirits are high, and the gruntwork we did this last week finally came to fruition. Hopefully we keep the momentum. In fact, of the 6 who attended, none were expected to come, and the 2 expected to come investigators didn't show. How odd. 

After the better sunday, we found an odd family. It{s a mother and daughter, with teh roles switched. The mother wants to find truth and light, but the younger daughter is the more reserved "well, I'm a catholic"one. Usually the roles are reversed, so it makes teaching a little differen't. That 1st lesson lasted over 70 minutes, becasue we were with there witha member and the lesson kept getting off track with odd questions. Like, "What is the church's view on Mary?"and "Have there been any feamle prophets?"(The answers are she was special and chosen among women, but we don't pray to here and she wasn't a virgen after Jesus'brothers and sisters were born; the other is women can prophecy like Ana in the New Testament, but don't get the priesthood and be a prophet in the calling sense). A challenge for me, and I think for most missionaries is to keep a lesson in line while using a member. Something I'm getting better at little by little.

Aside from that, there is just always more people to find and teach, and I've seen miracles in the changes possible for peoples lives, and cried when some have stopped progressing towards baptism. I have the luck to be in this area for 6 more weeks, at the least.

That's about all for the week and a half, see you next time!

Elder MacGregor