We had an activity in the church on Saturday for the mission work! It was combined with the Elders qourum. We had them watch some videos and we all went out and contacted in the plaza for a few minutes. Everyone loved it and it was a lot of fun! I went out with a fourteen year old recent convert and when we came back, I saw two kids standing outside of the gate of the church. I asked them if they wanted to come on in to see the church and they came in! They stayed for the end of the activity and then we played some soccer after. I got their names, addresses, and I invited them to church. They came the next day with their neigbor and stayed all three hours! So, we saw immediate results of the activity for the mission work!
I did a mini-cambio (where we do an exchange with another missionary for a day) on Thursday. It was in a house of four missionaries so before we went to bed we were talking about doctrine of the church. One thing really struck out to me that I want to share with yall to finish this up...
We were talking about how eternal, powerful, all knowing, omnipresent, etc., that our Heavenly Father really is. It is something really hard to wrap our mind around but we got to talking about how he can have whatever he wants. But, there is one thing that he really wants more than anything. The one thing that he wants more than anything is the love of his children. We have our free agency so he cant make us love him. How do we show love? The Savior said, ¨If ye love me, keep my commandments (Si me amais, guardad mis mandamientos).¨ So, that is why it is so important for us to share the gospel so that people actually have that opportunity to know what the commandments are very simply and have council to help them keep those commandments. I know he loves us more than we can imagine. Thats why he sent his Son, who never disobeyed him, to suffer and die for us.
Love yall!
Elder Gregory
Update (7.18.11)
Fidel got baptized yesterday! It was awesome! This branch is small so any baptism is a huge deal for the branch and everyone is really excited about it. The Stake President came for sacrament meeting and he stayed for the baptism too. My companion baptized Fidel! I was excited for them. Fidel tried to get me to baptize him but we didnt have time to go grab my clothes so my companion had the privlege. ( I have no clue how to spell that word anymore.) Elder Rasmussen and I gave talks in sacrament meeting also. I spoke on how to befriend recent converts. Its sort of a little bit of what I talked about it my last talk in Los Volcanes so I just pulled some stuff from that.
I did a mini cambio last week and went to Chillan with another Elder for the day. We were in a small town and a drunk, agressive guy came out of a house and he followed us. He wasnt making too much sense but I stuck out my hand to shake his and he tried shaking my hand as hard as he could. I talked to his other friend there who wasnt wasted and then we tried to walk away. The agressive, drunk man came running after us and so we walked a little quicker and when I wasnt looking, he kicked me super hard! He tried to kick the Elder that I was with but I gave him a heads up and he dodged it. The man was kind of mad that he missed him so he came running after us and we finally got away! It was pretty crazy and it was a small town so there werent too many places to run to but he finally went away. So now the count in the mission is being kicked twice, having I dont know how many things thrown at me and pushed into a wall once in the mission! I think I would have been a little bit more nervous if I wasnt a missionary but I just stay mellow because we have the Lord´s protection so its no big deal.
We pretty much baptized our only investigator so we will be contacting a lot now. For some reason, I am really excited to! I love finding the chosen so we have to show our diligence and the Lord will bless us!
Love yall!
Elder Gregory
I did a mini cambio last week and went to Chillan with another Elder for the day. We were in a small town and a drunk, agressive guy came out of a house and he followed us. He wasnt making too much sense but I stuck out my hand to shake his and he tried shaking my hand as hard as he could. I talked to his other friend there who wasnt wasted and then we tried to walk away. The agressive, drunk man came running after us and so we walked a little quicker and when I wasnt looking, he kicked me super hard! He tried to kick the Elder that I was with but I gave him a heads up and he dodged it. The man was kind of mad that he missed him so he came running after us and we finally got away! It was pretty crazy and it was a small town so there werent too many places to run to but he finally went away. So now the count in the mission is being kicked twice, having I dont know how many things thrown at me and pushed into a wall once in the mission! I think I would have been a little bit more nervous if I wasnt a missionary but I just stay mellow because we have the Lord´s protection so its no big deal.
We pretty much baptized our only investigator so we will be contacting a lot now. For some reason, I am really excited to! I love finding the chosen so we have to show our diligence and the Lord will bless us!
Love yall!
Elder Gregory
July 11, 2011
Last Wednesday we got up at 6:15 to go to Concepcion. It was for leadership training and the assistants and President gave us a lot of good council. They told us a little bit about how to do baptismal interviews better, about key indicator numbers, how to do district classes more effectively, and a lot of things that helped. Us four from the zone got back to our sectors in time to work the whole afternoon there so I was happy about that. Its amazing how when you are assigned to a position that has to do with being a ¨leader¨, the love for the people you serve grows a lot more. That definentely has happend.
Fidel, an investigator, is doing amazing and he wants to get baptized next Sunday. A recent convert family has helped him a lot and they care for him since he comes from a rough background. Also, another investigator named Barbara is doing really good. She is ten years old and wants to get baptized but her mom will only give her permission when she sees a change in her. When I saw Barbara this past week for the first time, I felt that I had already known Barbara from somewhere. Its really hard to explain the thoughts and emotions that I felt but I really feel a big resposibility to help Barbara get baptized.
Here are a few pictures from Los Volcanes! There are pictures with a lot of great families from the ward and some converts and investigators.
I love yall!
Elder Gregory
Fidel, an investigator, is doing amazing and he wants to get baptized next Sunday. A recent convert family has helped him a lot and they care for him since he comes from a rough background. Also, another investigator named Barbara is doing really good. She is ten years old and wants to get baptized but her mom will only give her permission when she sees a change in her. When I saw Barbara this past week for the first time, I felt that I had already known Barbara from somewhere. Its really hard to explain the thoughts and emotions that I felt but I really feel a big resposibility to help Barbara get baptized.
Here are a few pictures from Los Volcanes! There are pictures with a lot of great families from the ward and some converts and investigators.
I love yall!
Elder Gregory
First week in Coihuec (7.4.11)
I love my new sector! I get here on Tuesday and I was so excited. I really feel like this is where I need to be and it hit me as we took a bus in on Tuesday. The town is small and there is a plaza in the middle that is the center of everything. The chapel is there at the plaza so everyone has seen the chapel before and they recognize the church. There were 35 members at church yesterday and it was fast and testimony meeting so about everyone gave their testimony! The branch president, Presidente Pacheco, is about 30 years old and his brother just got back from a mission and is now the elders qourum president.
There really arent too many investigators but there are some really good converts. One investigator, a friend of a convert, Fidel, went to church for the first time and loved it and wants to get baptized! He comes from a rough background so Im sure he feels something different in the chapel that he hasnt felt before. My companion, Elder Rasmussen, is a humble missionary. He is about 11 months into his mission and he is from Utah. He is a shy person so I really want to help him open up and express himself more. He is obviously here on the mission for the right reasons and wants to be a better missionary so Im really excited to try to help him. The relationship between the Branch President and the missionaries hasnt been too good lately so I really want to work on that. For a branch to grow, its so important for the missionaries and branch president to be able to work together well.
I really feel that I can help this sector out a lot and Im really excited. It brings joy to me to think of what this branch could be by the time I leave here and even after.The sacrament room is really small but I like to envision all of the seats full and have an extention of the church be in conversation because there is no room for everyone! That will take a lot of working with less actives and finding really good people to be baptized into the church who will endure to the end!
I talked with my last companion, Elder Jack, this morning and he told me some bad news. The investigator that we were working with and was close to baptism named Oscar, had two heart attacks and maybe a stroke so now he has no short term memory at all. If he walks five steps down his street, he forgets what house is his. He now remembers nothing about baptism and church. Its really unfortunate but the Lord is in control so he will judge Oscar on the desires that he had.
Love yall!
Elder Gregory
There really arent too many investigators but there are some really good converts. One investigator, a friend of a convert, Fidel, went to church for the first time and loved it and wants to get baptized! He comes from a rough background so Im sure he feels something different in the chapel that he hasnt felt before. My companion, Elder Rasmussen, is a humble missionary. He is about 11 months into his mission and he is from Utah. He is a shy person so I really want to help him open up and express himself more. He is obviously here on the mission for the right reasons and wants to be a better missionary so Im really excited to try to help him. The relationship between the Branch President and the missionaries hasnt been too good lately so I really want to work on that. For a branch to grow, its so important for the missionaries and branch president to be able to work together well.
I really feel that I can help this sector out a lot and Im really excited. It brings joy to me to think of what this branch could be by the time I leave here and even after.The sacrament room is really small but I like to envision all of the seats full and have an extention of the church be in conversation because there is no room for everyone! That will take a lot of working with less actives and finding really good people to be baptized into the church who will endure to the end!
I talked with my last companion, Elder Jack, this morning and he told me some bad news. The investigator that we were working with and was close to baptism named Oscar, had two heart attacks and maybe a stroke so now he has no short term memory at all. If he walks five steps down his street, he forgets what house is his. He now remembers nothing about baptism and church. Its really unfortunate but the Lord is in control so he will judge Oscar on the desires that he had.
Love yall!
Elder Gregory
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