Hola Familia.
So this week was a little interesting. We are basically working with like three different familias.
Vania and Janet- They are super friendly, we met them talking to people in the street like way last change. Vania was sweeping outside and we talked to her and well basically she asked me if i could help her son with english homework because he had some huge end of the year test that he needed to pass. So we passed by a couple days later. Thats how it all started. We have been going by every once a while since then. But then we shared with them a christmas dvd and they loved it. and then we have slowly started teaching them. They have LOTS of doubts about everything. Its like they look for doubts. They are those type of people who have heard like all the rumors about the church, research stuff on the internet, but have never really asked missionaries anything. They claim to be methodists but go to church like twice a year. The cool thing is that there is a really active family in the ward here who used to be like leaders in this same methodist church but then got baptized in La Iglesia de Jesucristo. So have helped us a little. I really want them to progress. I have gown to love this family a lot. Its just they believe everything they read on the internet. PROBLEM. so we have to deal with new doubts everytime we go by. We just have to explain that everything goes back the book of mormon. and how the only way to know if everything is true is through reading it and praying to ask God. Because if they don't read or pray...they never really did their part. I can research all I want on the internet but if i never read and pray about the evidence (the Book of Mormon) the missionaries give me....I will never know. I will have concluded my research in the same spot I started. Confused. And not knowning. Its so simple. We just have to help them develop the faith to actually ask God (like it says in James 1:5).
Miriam and Antonio- They also are a really awesome family. I talked to Miriam in the street and gave her a book of mormon. when we passed by her house a couple days later she was there waiting for us and had read. over the past weeks we have been able to teach them a little bit. The husband works a ton though and is only home on saturdays and sundays. lame. but we went by on saturday and talked with them. They find the Book of Mormon really interesting. I also hope they get baptized. Their son matías has 8 years and when we left on saturday he wanted to invite us over for a sleep-over. haha. it was funny.
Nancy- she is the mom of a member and has been listening to missionaries for like 12 years. But she finally has metas to put things in order and she wants to get married, hopefully at the end of this month. yesterday she accepted to be baptized on February 12 on the condition she gets married. She was really sick this week and before we left last night we gave her a bendicion de salud. It was one of the more spiritually edifying blessings I have given in my mission. Heavenly Father loves all of his children, and wants the best for every single one.
Dayna- She is the girlfriend of the bishops son. They are getting married on February 10. Hopefully she will be baptized on February 12 as well. She has been listening to missionaries forever tambien. she has made lots of changes in her life and just needs to be married to be able to be baptized.
Elder Lopez and I are hoping this week we can put fechas bautismales with all these people. And that they can all start asisting church. It is going to be interesting, but...when you teach about Baptism...people usually just understand. And when they read the book of mormon or hear the account of the Joseph Smiths first vision....they feel the spirit, which enlightens their understanding.
Other than that this week was pretty normal. On saturday we did a zone service activity helping this member family clean up a lot on this hill in Quillota called Cerro Mayaca. Ok, now you all get a history lesson.
In the 1850's Elder Parly P. Pratt came on a mission to Chile. He was in Valparaíso for some time (in fact his son died there and is buried in the cementary in Cerro Alegre). Anyway, due to varias circunstancias things didn't work out very well. But he traveled inward and ended up in Quillota (which he considered one of the most beatiful places on earth). There in Cerro Mayaca, knowing he would have to abandon the missionary efforts in Chile, he prayed and dedicated Chile so that at some point the restored gospel of Jesus Christ would be able to be preached once again in the country. Years later in 2002 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, came to chile and on Cerro Mayaca rededicated Chile for the preaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 10 years later, in 2012, 16 missionaries serving in the stake of Quillota also climbed up Cerro Mayaca for a service project. It was a fun project. And, in the wake of all the success Quillota has seen in past couple months, it's comforting to know that I, with my district and zone, am part of the answer to a prayer offered more than a hundred years ago.
Well that's about it for this week. Have a great week. and day.
Elder Hyer
So this week was a little interesting. We are basically working with like three different familias.
Vania and Janet- They are super friendly, we met them talking to people in the street like way last change. Vania was sweeping outside and we talked to her and well basically she asked me if i could help her son with english homework because he had some huge end of the year test that he needed to pass. So we passed by a couple days later. Thats how it all started. We have been going by every once a while since then. But then we shared with them a christmas dvd and they loved it. and then we have slowly started teaching them. They have LOTS of doubts about everything. Its like they look for doubts. They are those type of people who have heard like all the rumors about the church, research stuff on the internet, but have never really asked missionaries anything. They claim to be methodists but go to church like twice a year. The cool thing is that there is a really active family in the ward here who used to be like leaders in this same methodist church but then got baptized in La Iglesia de Jesucristo. So have helped us a little. I really want them to progress. I have gown to love this family a lot. Its just they believe everything they read on the internet. PROBLEM. so we have to deal with new doubts everytime we go by. We just have to explain that everything goes back the book of mormon. and how the only way to know if everything is true is through reading it and praying to ask God. Because if they don't read or pray...they never really did their part. I can research all I want on the internet but if i never read and pray about the evidence (the Book of Mormon) the missionaries give me....I will never know. I will have concluded my research in the same spot I started. Confused. And not knowning. Its so simple. We just have to help them develop the faith to actually ask God (like it says in James 1:5).
Miriam and Antonio- They also are a really awesome family. I talked to Miriam in the street and gave her a book of mormon. when we passed by her house a couple days later she was there waiting for us and had read. over the past weeks we have been able to teach them a little bit. The husband works a ton though and is only home on saturdays and sundays. lame. but we went by on saturday and talked with them. They find the Book of Mormon really interesting. I also hope they get baptized. Their son matías has 8 years and when we left on saturday he wanted to invite us over for a sleep-over. haha. it was funny.
Nancy- she is the mom of a member and has been listening to missionaries for like 12 years. But she finally has metas to put things in order and she wants to get married, hopefully at the end of this month. yesterday she accepted to be baptized on February 12 on the condition she gets married. She was really sick this week and before we left last night we gave her a bendicion de salud. It was one of the more spiritually edifying blessings I have given in my mission. Heavenly Father loves all of his children, and wants the best for every single one.
Dayna- She is the girlfriend of the bishops son. They are getting married on February 10. Hopefully she will be baptized on February 12 as well. She has been listening to missionaries forever tambien. she has made lots of changes in her life and just needs to be married to be able to be baptized.
Elder Lopez and I are hoping this week we can put fechas bautismales with all these people. And that they can all start asisting church. It is going to be interesting, but...when you teach about Baptism...people usually just understand. And when they read the book of mormon or hear the account of the Joseph Smiths first vision....they feel the spirit, which enlightens their understanding.
Other than that this week was pretty normal. On saturday we did a zone service activity helping this member family clean up a lot on this hill in Quillota called Cerro Mayaca. Ok, now you all get a history lesson.
In the 1850's Elder Parly P. Pratt came on a mission to Chile. He was in Valparaíso for some time (in fact his son died there and is buried in the cementary in Cerro Alegre). Anyway, due to varias circunstancias things didn't work out very well. But he traveled inward and ended up in Quillota (which he considered one of the most beatiful places on earth). There in Cerro Mayaca, knowing he would have to abandon the missionary efforts in Chile, he prayed and dedicated Chile so that at some point the restored gospel of Jesus Christ would be able to be preached once again in the country. Years later in 2002 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, came to chile and on Cerro Mayaca rededicated Chile for the preaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 10 years later, in 2012, 16 missionaries serving in the stake of Quillota also climbed up Cerro Mayaca for a service project. It was a fun project. And, in the wake of all the success Quillota has seen in past couple months, it's comforting to know that I, with my district and zone, am part of the answer to a prayer offered more than a hundred years ago.
Well that's about it for this week. Have a great week. and day.
Elder Hyer
