Well hello my family!

This has been a great week.  We found several male investigators this week that are really interested in what we teach.  We taught one one them 4 days in a row because he kept wanting us to come back.  His parents have been inactive for 20 and we are now activating them and teaching him.  He thought it was really interesting about Thomas Monson is is really excited for general conference.  He lives with his girl friend and they have a little baby boy and we talked to them a lot about the temple and the plan of salvation and they loved it.  we talked about marriage and they say not yet but we´lll see about that:)

Yesterday the man that we activated a couple weeks ago that went to the snow activity with his family asked to speak to me alone in the bishops office and told me that he wants to be 100% active, get married before i go home, and his girlfriend wants to be baptised with her son!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  When he told me that i was so extremely happy you have no idea.  I have wanted to marry a couple my whole life and now i will be able to.  hopefully 2!  I love being Branch pres.  We are litterally activating 5 or 6 families so far and we baptised 2 people this weekend!  The Lords work is going great down here.  With the man who told me he wants to go 100% he also found work here in the city. they were going to have to leave the city because he couldnt find work and they both feel that they really have recieved so many blessings for getting closer to God.

Tomorrow is transfer day and my comp are staying together!  i am really happy about that i like my comp a lot he´s a lot of fun.  And that also means he´ll stay for my birthday, the indepence day which is a HUGE deal down here, and also the temple trip we are going on.  This next transfer is going to be great.

On saturday we baptised 2 people.  I baptised the 13 boy and a member that sent in this mission papers this past week baptised his mom.  When he baptised her they hugged in the font for about a minute.  She is so so happy.  He waited for 2 years for this day.

It was seriously one of the best weeks.  I also worked in my area with a different missionary for a day this week and he was really jealous of how good our investigators are.  We realy have been blessed with great ready people.

Ok well i got to get going. i am trying to send pics but its being a pain.  ill keep trying.  bye everyone i love you all

Elder Elder

Elder Elder is now a Branch President in Chile.

Here is Elder Elder's last letter where he is taking his branch on a bus to the snow.

Man what a week. I really have so much to tell you all. I dont really know where to start off. Well things are going great in the Branch. We had 32 people in church and that being that it used to be 10, 12, 15 consistantly for years. We also had 7 investigators in church! We were even lacking 10 or so faithful people that could go yesterday so we would have broken the record for sure. My goal is that have at least 50 in church before i go home.
On saturday we had a branch activity planned and we went in a bus to the snow!!!!!! I was in heaven and the members even more. Almost all of them had never even seen it before. they were all like little kids at christmas time when we got there. But it gets better. At the bottom of the mountain we all saw that there were sleds for renting so we went to check it out and they more we saw the happier we got. We found out they were really cheap to rent for the day and so were snowboards. They members asked me if we could rent some for everyone...............so we did! It was probably the funniest thing i have ever seen in my life. Almost every one went sledding and they were laughing their heads off the whole time and my comp and I taught several of the bigger people how to snowboard. I went down 2 times and i could not stop smiling the entire time. We were only going down this hill but it was still so amazing! The really funny thing too is that the member in charge of renting the bus said that we were going to have a bus for 40 people. We didnt get it. We got one for 25. But we already had 41 people going! So come saturday morning realize we all had to cram into the bus. It was a nice tight fit both of the 3 hour trips ahahhaha. It is chile so there aren´t the seat belt laws and stuff like that that we have in the states.

Friday night was a very crazy night for me as well. We were walking back to the church down a long dark sidewalk and i was telling a story to my companion about a friend and how he once was walking really crazily. Well as i was showing him i lost balance and fell off the side walk. But the thing is i didnt realize because it was so dark that right in the very spot where i was walking i was walking over a small bridge. So i fell back first off the bridge into a stream. It was about a 4-5 feet drop and i landed squarely on a huge rock above my buns. I didnt move because i was terrified i had broken something in my back because i really did fall way hard. I kinda whispered yelled to my comp to take me out. we both were soaked. I ended up going to the doctors office and being that we are in a very developed county they only gave me some antiflaming pills. We got homp at like 1130 at night. Now that i think about they story i can laugh my head off because of how funny it wouldve looked. I am just glad i wasnt hurt.
We had a lot of really great lessons this week too. We are getting really really close to reactivate another member that hasnt gone for 15 or so years. All kids went to the snow activity and church. We have a family night planed with them tomorrow and we´re making waffles! I really am excited for the missionary work in this sector. There really is so much potential.

I hope you all havea great week. I love you all so much. I willl send more pics later but i need to go. take care
Elder Elder

August 8 2011

Well this weekend was a very different weekend that I have had on my mission. The week went great on friday and saturday we visited a ton of people and got them excited to go to church, I really thought we were goign to have more than 40 but we didnt. Next week. Anyways the crazy part was right before church. Church starts at 10:00 and about 9:50ish our investigator and her mom that is the new Relief Society Pres were walking in the church and all of a sudden the daughter trips on this rubber foot cleaner thing and falls litteraly on her face right on the curb. She got knocked out on impact and was bleeding. I was inside preparing the sacrament meeting and i hear everyone shouting call an ambulance! I run out side and i see her laying on her face on the ground. I froze for a second when i saw her because i was so stunded but someone called an ambulance and i ran to my bag to get the oil to give her a blessing. I did the first part and my comp did the second part. His spanish isn´t the best but getting a lot better but in the circumstance i had to remind him the words of what he had to say during the blessing. Well after a few minutes the ambulance showed up. We hadnt moved her because we didnt want to hurt her more. I thougth she had hit her forhead or temple. It seriously hurt me to see her like that just unconcious. After she left we had to start the meeting. We started about 10:25 or so. My comp and I kinda shuffled everyone inside and i did a special prayer for her then we started the meeting. Right after the meeting ended we made sure the classes were going then me and my comp ran to the doctors office to see her. She was really disorientated but now concious. They brought her to a hospital in a newbye town called Traigen. In the afternoon my comp and I went to visit her and we were there with her and her family. Her sisters are kinda against the church so i really think it helped them. We gave her another blessing in the hospital(i seem to do a lot of hospital visits here in chile) and shared a scripture from D&C 121 7-11 and applied it to her. She was crying and we talked that she still had had a miracle that day. She fell on her chin and not her nose or her temple. She did chip a tooth but they are going to be able to fix most of it. There will be scar tho. I feel really bad for her. She is only 20 years old. It was a really good visit and them we left. The next bus leaving the town left and hour later so we started walking home.(a 35 min drive) hahahaha we walked for a long time and then finally someone picked us up. We got their address too of the people drove us and we are going to send the missionaries to their house. We´ll see what happens.

But that was my weekend.

We only had 26 people in church and 3 investigators but it was still pretty good. Still a lot of work to do tho.

Today we went as a zone to this one lake to go rock climbing. The cool part is that we went with my convert and his wife and kids in their 1980 RV!!!!!!! It is so old school but so awesome. hahaha man it was a great time. We had the guitars and we playing on the cliffs. We had a BBQ and just relaxed. It was a really good Pday. Its scary realizing how more mondays I have left.

This weekend we have 2 baptisms! We were going to maybe have 3 but the girl that fell now cant, not for a little while longer. It is a 13 boy that is the future Thomas S Monson. He really is so smart and is so excited for everything. All her wants is the priesthood and to go on the mission. His mom is now quiting smoking and getting reactivated. And the other is a 40 year oldish lady and her son that is a member is going to baptise her. I am really so excited!!!

That is really awesome about Elder Bednar! That is something i am actually really excited for. Seeing all the top guys more often. And you all of course.

Things are going really good down here. Its getting warmer too!!!!! This week we were riding in our new bikes that the mission gave us and we rode in our white shirts. It was very very nice. Well have a great week.

Elder Elder

I've been out a year and a half!

this week was one of my favorite weeks so far in the mission. It was ward conference so we had a blast. We had 3 activities, 2 baptisms, the most people i have ever seen in church here in chile, and 27 people in our new people class on sunday! On tuesday my comp and I were in charge of the activity so we taught a little about the iron rod and then played a bunch of games. One was there was 2 teams and they had to throw a ton of balloons to the"balloon popper" on there team. there was like 30 balloons flying around and everyone screaming and pooping balloons. It was so funny. and then we tied little balloons to the shoe and you had to stomp the othere people balloons while you protected yourself. you know that one game we always played for our birthday parties as kids? ya it was legit. and then another game where it was a contest to tie a tie and if you lost you got kicked out of hte circle and your face got drew on. everyone was laughing so hard and said they really had a good time.

On Wednesday there was a kararoke night with shishkabobs that were way good! we sang really loud when the microphone came to us.

And then on Friday night we had a costume party! I was batman and my costume had huge muscles and everyone kept feeling my chest. i felt extremely awkward hahahah. My comp was a three muskateer. The ward here is so awesome i love it so much. And they keep thanking us for the work we are doing here.

Saturday we baptised my chilean grandma and members sister. She is the one that wants to be a missionary. It was another of the best baptisms ive been in too. We sang a special number. the primary heavenly father melody but in spanish. It sounded really good. Well at least in my opinion......................................................after the actual baptisms we went back in the sacrament room to finish and afterward every one went over and congradulated them. there was probably about 40 people there in the baptism. I just stood back and watched them hugging everyone just way happy and it made me really really happy. Ha, i actually started to cry a little. A brother from the ward said me that God was really happy for the service we have been doing here. I really love this place so much. I am scared I am leaving soon. I really dont want to.

So today i had to go do some visa paper work stuff and at the foreigners office place there was this way funny guy from Australia. I asked him if he had seen Dumb and Dumber and he said yes!!!!!!!! So i aksed if he remembered the beginning part when he pulls up to that lady and she says she from Austria and he´s like well good day mate! lets put another shrimp on the barby! hahaha when i said that to him he just looked at my stupidly and i could help but laugh. ahhahahahahah i probably looked like such an idiot. all well. I thought it was so funny. and he told me that they really do say that there tho! and then i taught him about baptisms and he wants to get baptised! no just kidding. that would be really cool tho.

Alright my family. I love you so much. I hope all is well with you all. And i will see you in exactly 6 months from this morning!

Love, Elder Elder

I also had my last interview with my pres. He leaves in a month. I am going to miss him and his wife so much. They are such great people.

And we also celebrated my year and a half mark! i burned some pants. six more months and ill burn the whole suit!

I just read a ton of letters! that took a while. Well we had another great week. i feel like i always say that in my letters, like the same thing but its really true. i love this place so much. We had another baptism on saturday and it was one of the best ones ive had. Her name is Ginette. I´ll send you a pic. She is 39 with 3 kids. She used to be a top studier for the Jehovas witnesses but never got baptised with them. So she knows the bible a TON! Last monday we had a lesson with her and explained really well how Jesus is Jehova not God. She gave her testimony about how her baptism went and thanked my comp and I so much for caring so much for her. She is a really awesome lady. In church on sunday it was so awesome! We do the Gospel principal class for the newly baptised people and investigators and there was 20 people in the class!! The bishopric is really happy with the work we are doing in the ward and every one is excited to help us out. Oh ya and with the baptism we had my comp and I made programs with the hyms we were going to sing for the baptism and showed them to Ginette the day before and she actually started crying because someone took the time to make it more special for her.

This weekend we had HOPEFULLY 2 baptisms........hahahha its really funny. There are 2 more people that really want to get baptised but one said that it might be......................you know like that time of the month............and she doesnt want to if it is. so we all started laughing and we said we could pray so it doesnt happen this weekend hahahahha but they are both really really excited. One is the grandma of 2 other people we baptised and we call her Mama and the other is an 18 year old girl that wants to be a missionary. We had 2 other men but they are losing interest. We´re trying to keep them there tho. The really fat guy we baptised last transfer got the priesthood yestderday tho! Man, that guy is so funny. We are going to eat lunch with him and his fam today actually. I was way surprised by Kevin´s story tho! I really thought it was gonna be like some crazy guy chasing them but im glad it wasn´t. It so weird that he is finishing 7 grade and Katie is graduating!

Alright well I am doing really well and loving it down here. I love you all so much and hope you have another great week! Good luck with all the new babies new houses and jobs and everthing! Happy birthday to those who are having birthdays soon! bye every one.

Elder Elder
We had a Zone Paint Balling activity!

We had another great week. We had two more baptisms that we weren´t even planning on having. This huge fat guy that is probably the coolest guy in the world named Oscar. His kids were baptised a couple weeks before i got here and we have been working a lot with him but never wanted to put a set date. Then on wednesday we went to his house after not seeing him for like 4 days or so and he´s like Elder´s! Im getting baptised. What do i have to do? I asked him when and he said Saturday and started laughing because of our expression. So we had a couple more lessons we had to teach him and he was ready. On friday morning we were going all over town desperately trying to find a shirt that would fit him and we finnally did. XXL when we gave it to him he went to his room to try it on and came out of his room with it unbuttoned and started slapping his stomach. You know when you throw a huge rock in a pond from way up high? Ya.......very similar. He started laughing again and said a bad word and that he looks pregnant. He used to say a TON of swear words but now hardly any at all. We´re still workin on that part with him hahaha. oh man i love that guy. The other that we baptised is the girl that was in the bycicle accident and her dad died and her family blames her. She got baptised too but on Sunday she showed up way late to the sac meeting and didnt get confirmed..............................................................so next week i guess.
This week we have two more baptisms so we will finish this month and transfer with 5 baptisms. We are both way happy. We already have 4 more people that will be baptised next month too! I love this sector so much. We keep finding people that want to be baptised.

This past week we did this service project for a sister in the ward and there was this old guy that was in charge of the construction and...........................does not know how to do it. I pledge that i will never hirer(cant spell) a chilean construction guy because there are all horrible. But there nice people! it was a fun service project i just feel way bad for the sister.
Well i love you all i need to get going so i will see you all later!
Oh ya and Matt and Melinda´s baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The whole week i was thinking about it wondering when it was coming and it came! that is so awesome i really am so happy for you two you are both going to be awesome parents.

bye everyone!
Elder Elder

well this week is going by great. we are having a lot of fun and talking a lot about baptism to several people. So that is always good right? we are going to be baptising a person on the 9th and then after that we will be having a bunch of other baptisms. we are way stoked! Its really cool as well to because in our zone all the sectors have baptismal dates and are going to baptise. Me and my comp are pretty busy always with having to do minitranfers with other missionaries to help them out and stuff but i like it because i get to know more people. The only people i cant do mini transfers are the sisters missionaries, well not for 7 and a half months! Man, it is gonna be wierd talking to girls in a flirtacious way again.........hahahaha




My comp and i are getting along great too. He is a way chill kid. We both like working really hard too so there isnt any problem. Today we all had a zone activity, we watched its cloudy with a chance of meatballs in the church then went to the food court in the mall. Didnt get any pics of that dangit. but i took a bunch of other stupid fun ones so dont worry.



I coulndt watch any the videos taht dad sent me.......but i bet you all had great time! Happy birthday Katie! I was thinkin about ya on your birthday so dont think i forgot it. I have it written on my calander. I cannot believe that you have 18 years! Man that is so crazy, i bet you are loving it huh. yes you are. Hey have you touched another guys lip? hahahahhahahaha awkward older brother question.



Well everyone i love you all so much and im glad you are all happy and i am too. Have a great week and enjoy general conference because i will! ill be looking for you all on tv. stand up and wave your hands or something so i can see you. Thanks.



bye bye now.



Elder Elder