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