January 18, 2016 - One Week Left

Hola familia y amigos, 

This week was very busy and time is going by very fast. 

On Monday we finished up our pday making tacos with our side kick Aldo and his family. Delicious. there isn't much Mexican food here in Chile. 

We left to work in the afternoon and we walked around and knocked doors and visited people who were home. I was tired and feeling a bit frustrated but we kept going.The last door we knocked before we had to walk home was an old contact that Hna Pinto and I found back in October. a lady named Marisel who told us she just found out she was pregnant. We could never find her again. We knocked her door and she came out and she smelled strongly of beer. She had been drinking. She recognized me and started crying. She explained that she had been pregnant but a couple weeks ago she had a miscarriage and lost her babies, twin girls. 

She was really discouraged. crying and asking me "what do I do? I don't know what to do? Tell me what I need to do?" It broke my heart. but it was a really special moment because I was able to testify to her of Christ´s Atonement and power and that one day she will see her daughters. I told her to stop drinking and that we were going to come back and visit her tomorrow in the morning. I gave her a big hug. I don't think I've ever felt so much love for a complete stranger in my whole life. I was really glad we found her. 

We came back the next day with two sister members. We taught marisel the Plan of Salvation and helped her understand that she can see and nurture her daughters one day, but only if she completes with the commandments and necessary ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted a baptismal date. She said she felt a kind of joyful squeezing of her heart and we explained that its the Spirit, testifying of what we taught her. It was one of those moments that reminds me why I came out into the mission- to be able to help people like Marisel. 

We were able to find lots of new investigators this week and have more lessons with members. The branch members are stepping up so we´re happy. We taught a referral from our branch president, a 19 year old kid Diego. We taught him the Restoration and he accepted a baptismal date too. In the same day we had a member who just a few months ago was less active take us to visit her friend Ingrid and we were able to teach her as well. It was a good day!

We had district meeting. Hna Villena had never tried a pichanga before. Pichanga is a Chilean food with french fries, meat, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, etc. Delicious. Our district leader brought us a pichanga! so she could try and also so it could be my last pichanga. Hna Villena didn't like the pichanga.... but it was still a good district meeting! 

We taught Coni and Aldo with a member! We taught them the Restoration. They're awesome. Aldo reminds me of my brother Phil. 

We helped a member cut her grass. Here in Chile no one has lawn mowers. They either use scissors or a weed wacker. We borrowed a weed wacker and helped her cut her grass... but in the end it turned into the member cutting grass, I raked up grass and Hna Villena played soccer with the three children of the Hermana. 

Sunday we didn't have any investigators in church. We tried our best but everything fell through. Diego was in Osorno, other investigators just couldn't make it and we couldn't find Marisel after our first lesson. But it was still a good day at church. We ate dinner with Hno Aldo and his family and I shared my last scripture with them.... sad.... that's when it really hit me that I'm going home. 

Sunday in the afternoon we knocked about 50 doors and only about 5 people opened up and all of them rejected us. We knocked one more door and a guy came out and started talking to us. He shared with elders a while ago and really didn't have any interest to progress or get baptized. We talked to him for a long time and finally Hna Villena asked him for a glass of water. He invited us inside and we were able to meet his other brother and sister and their children. We talked with them for awhile and they gave us ice cream! We kept mentioning that we wanted to share our message with them but they didn't really want us to. I thought "yeah, let's go, we're wasting time here" but something told me to stay and keep trying a little more. 

 

Five minutes later they said "yeah, okay, let's hear your message" Whoot! So we shared the Restoration with them. The guy who originally opened the door didn't pay much attention but his brother and sister couldn't take their eyes off of us. The spirit was suuuuuuuuper strong. You couldn't deny it. It was awesome. We set up another day to come back and teach them and the sister wants us to come visit us in her house this week! We're

 excited. 50 doors later and it was all worth it. 

Today we went on a field trip with Aldo and his sister Sandra today! They took us to a river and we took tons of pictures on an old bridge and we made a firepit on the river bank and cooked hot dogs and hamburgers. It was super fun. Perfect last outing in the mission. 

This is my last full week in the mission. Sometimes I feel like its not real and other times I just kind of want to cry... but other than that I'm doing okay! haha. I'm determined to work really hard and enjoy my last days here as a servant of the Lord. I feel like the Lord is blessing and testing me. I feel very grateful for everything He has given me. Ror the chance to serve Him. I know that He lives and loves me. 

Have a great week! 

love, Hermana Williams