"Yesterday was a pretty cool day. It was ward conference and we had a good assistance (attendance) of about 120 people at church. This is good because, last week wasn't ward conference and we had 115 people go to church. We are doing really well, especially considering that when I first got here we only had about 70 people going every week. I've been really happy with those numbers and hope to keep them up. Elder Holton and I were asked to sing in a choir with a few people in the church. We sang, "I Am a Child of God," or "Soy un Hijo de Dios." It turned out really well. I began with a solo, then went into a duet with Elder Holton, and then the whole choir joined in. Tity participated too and called the familia Barrueto. Hermana Veronica and Alan came to be my cheerleaders. After church we all had lunch together, so I got to spend more time with them. It's strange to have people from 2 sectors mix, but at the same time it's a cool blessing. It was fun."
"I'm not kidding. These people take such good care of us that it is almost getting embarrassing. Last Monday we went to eat with Tity and her mom and they favored me by making all of my favorite foods. They also bought a juicer, just to make us juice! Then during a conversation, it was brought up that I didn't have a caliente cama, or electric blanket. Elder Holton told them that I didn't have money to buy a caliente cama. He didn't mean that my family didn't have the money, but that I had lost my credit card and was waiting to get a new one in the mail. They went off and said that I might not have money, but I have a family and they were going to give me everything I needed. They feel like they have to take care of me. haha Anyways three days later, they gifted me a caliente cama. They cost like 40 dollars and I tried to tell them not to, but they always get mad at me and tell me to be grateful for the love that they are showing me. Also Hermana Veronica bought me some thermal shirts and socks, along with a big can of hot chocolate. It's crazy! We teach English classes on Saturday and they always bring all four of us Elders things to eat. Elder McBride said that our converts spoil them more than their own, and it's true!"
"On Tuesday I went on divisions with Elder Crane. He was one of the Elders from my district in Maipu. It was fun and we had a good time. He is really funny and we taught some great lessons together. It is getting really cold here and they have a crappy pension that is freakin' cold. I went to bed in sweats, 3 blankets and two coats, and I was still freezing. I feel bad for those Elders. It was still a good division. Elder Crane took me out to the middle of nowhere called Chinigue. It's a small poblation of people. It was cool and they are working really hard. Elder Crane is a good missionary. While I was in their pension, I adopted a pulga and brought it home with me. I got bit for 2 nights and then it stopped. I think it must have died from being so cold, or maybe it hopped over to Elder Holton's bed! haha"
"Tuesday was also our Zone meeting. We presented a few iniciatives. The mission is really trying to get us contacting again. The missionaries in Utah are lucky because they receive tons of references, but here we have to contact for all we get. I introduced an iniciative we made up called Talabajadores en la Vina. It talks about a program we have called Permaneced. It's going to get us working with a list that lets us know where there are incomplete families. Then we can go over and activate families while also be able to baptize those that fell away. I think it should work pretty well. Everything worked out and the assistants came. It was hard though because I was super sick with a cold. I didn't miss any time working, but it's not fun being sick on the mission."
"We went to a wedding on Saturday. One of the recent converts got married to a member girl. It was cool and they gave us lots of good things to eat. It's interesting how much people here love missionaries. I'll miss the automatic love that we are given because of our callings. It is the best being a missionary!"
"We have an investigator who is the best friend of Tity. We had a really cool experience with her. In our first lesson, we shared about the law of chastity. We really went into depth about why we have this commandment and how it blesses us and keeps us away from the unclean things of the world. The spirit was way strong and she just started crying. Later that day we went back and taught her about the Restoration. She had already read a little of the Book of Mormon and was so ready. She is really sensitive to the spirit and wants to change her life. She has accepted a baptismal date for the 30th of June. We are hoping that she will be able to reach her goal. She is experiencing changes in her life already and it's cool to see the spirit working so strongly in her."
"Tomorrow we have interviews with President King. We also have changes this Saturday, so we will see if I stay or go. Lots are saying that I will leave, but I kind of feel like I'm going to stay here. It freaks me out that I only have one change and a half left. It's going by so fast!! Next change I'll have to give my last testimony to the mission. I can already feel my heart getting tight."
"Well it sounds like you are all having a lot of fun. Summer would be so nice right now. I miss it. I'm never happy. It's either too hot or too cold. haha At least with the cold, I can escape it. I think I like the cold better except for the fact that it is harder to find people to teach. Have a great week and enjoy it while you've got it!"
Elder Dallon Smith
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| On divisions with Elder Crane |
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| Birds of a feather... |
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| Talagante P-day Crew |
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| Elders Crane, Smith and McBride |
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| Zone barbeque at the parcela |