Week 44.... The Three Gifts!!!

This was such an amazing week here in Mulchen. First thing first, we had Ward Conference this week, so everyone knows what that means: activities every day in  church!

This was so good for me, because I was able to go to these activities and get to know the members and really get to gain their trust. I was able to get to know the members who I am going to work with and really have a good time with them. It was also really successful because we were able to bring a lot of investigators to these activities and the members here were so good with our new investigators. The investigators had a great experience and were able to overcome their fear of not fitting in, or being a little weird. 

On Tuesday I went on a mini- transfer and I went to Santa Barbara, a little town outside of Los Angeles. I got to work with Elder Montecinos from Santiago. We had a lot of spiritual lessons. I went there to get to know my district a little better and to know their investigators. I was blown away by the spirituality of the investigators they have. They are all so good and so ready for baptism. One lesson we had was seriously amazing. We walked into this one house and Elder Montecinos tells me that we are visiting a recent convert, but also we wanted to talk to her mom about baptism, because she is scared and has never accepted a baptismal date because she is Catholic. We went in there and began to teach the daughter. They daughter was a little unfocused, so then we turned our attention to the mom. The good thing about inter-cambios are that as the new guy you can ask a bunch of questions and really get to know the investigators needs. That is exactly what we were able to do. Me being the new guy, I went in there and just started to ask questions. She really opened up to us. She told us that she was scared to change her religion because all her family is Catholic and that she just wants to live and die catholic. We were able to share really powerful scriptures with her. We were definitely guided by the spirit in this lesson. We were able to explain to her that if she puts her Faith in Jesus Christ, she will be able to find her answer, and that Christ says COME UNTO ME. We were all overcome by this overwhelming feeling. At the same moment my companion and I looked at each other and we both had the same idea. In that exact moment we challenged her to be baptized. She looked at us for a second with a look that was like Elders, I have already told you no many times. But then she began to talk. She at the end accepted the invitation. She is now going to prepare and really give it her all in finding an answer. It was such a great day!

The rest of the week we had great activities. Wednesday we had Karaoke night, Thursday we had a Talent Show, Friday we had a night of food, and on Saturday the best of all we had a baptism. We finished off the week with the best thing possible. We had 3 baptisms this week. It was definitely a gift to me. I recently just got to this sector and these people were ready. THANKS TO ELDER ZACHARY NELSON; (all girls that are 19-23… he will be returning home from his mission here in 4 weeks. He will be returning to Holiday Utah, so be on the lookout for this incredible missionary.)

No, but for real, this family is so awesome. When I first met this family they were amazing. But in my time here they did go through a few trials. The mom and the daughter decided not to get baptized because when the daughter was a baby she was on the verge of dying and them being catholic took the daughter to the Virgin Mary and she was saved. Now they are scared that if she is baptized that she will be going against the virgin and the virgin will take away this contract and that she will die. So it was a really big challenge for the Dad to hear this, it had a really big effect on him. On Thursday we went to his house to make sure he still wanted to get baptized. In this lesson, he told us why he wanted to get baptized. He began to get emotional and told us all the changes her has made in his life. He went from a drunk that never loved his family to a person that spends all his time with his family. I have never heard such a powerful testimony. Even though he doesn’t understand much and it is difficult for him to read, he has changed so much and really has the desires to grow and follow Christ.

This weekend with a lot of prayer and fasting we were able to overcome all the doubts and we were able to baptize him, and his 2 sons of 12 and 14. Alejandro, Alejandro and Ricardo. It was so awesome to see how happy they were after their baptisms. Then on Sunday at their conformation they were able to be confirmed in our Ward Conference. There were so many people there loving and supporting them. I was able to confirm Alejandro the dad, during the middle of the confirmation I was hit by the spirit and knew that he was going to stay in the church for a long time. It was a great end to a great week!!

Week 43... MULCHEN!!!

Mulchen is so awesome. I have only been here 7 days but it has been a great sector. It is a pretty big sector. It is still a little city but it is super awesome. Mulchen is set in a valley. Surrounding all parts of the city are huge hills. The city of Mulchen sits in the Valley of these hills. There are a ton of people  here; over 8 thousand people. I am super excited to work here and help people come unto Christ. This week was such a great week.

 On Tuesday I got here and I got to meet my comp. Elder Alvarado.

 He is from Cordoba, Argentina. He is a super awesome comp. He is really funny. He is a lot like me. Both of us are really good at being jokers and getting people to like us really fast. When I got here everyone would come up to us and talk with my comp. He loves helping the people and loves helping people progress in this gospel. I am super excited to work with him. I know it will be a great cambio. It is the best when you really get along with your comp. 

I also got to meet my housemates. Their names are Elder Fowlks from West Jordan Utah, and Elder Ludeña from Peru. They are super awesome. Usually it takes some time to get to know the Elders in your house and joke around. On the 2nd day, we were all joking and we are having such a fun time. I know we will have a great cambio. I am really getting along with all my housemates. I will let you all know more about them and more stories.

 I am also so excited to be here in this ward. It is my first ward that I have had in the mission. My first day at the church was so amazing. I was not used to so much organization. It was good to see leaders and good to see how they worked. The Bishop and all the leaders have so much excitement to work with the ward. I am super excited to help this work go forth and help people come unto Christ.

As far as investigators; when I got here I was able to meet a family that we have, a family of 5. They are so awesome. They are all so ready for baptism. They will be baptized on the 25th of this month. This was like a free gift. I get here and they will be baptized next week. I feel like I didn’t have to teach them anything. We have been passing by every day making sure they are ready. And this Tuesday they will have their interview. I know they will pass. They are so good. I love them so much. We already have such a great relationship. I am best friends with all of their kids. To get baptized, we have the Dad Alejandro, the Mom Jessica, 14 yr. old son Alejando, 11 yr. old son Richard, and 10 yr. old Camilla.

(not sure what Tyler is doing in this picture...) 

I am super excited for this weekend. As far as other investigators, we have been able to find a lot of new people. It is so easy here to find people who are interested in our message. We just need to help them progress. I love Mulchen!!

Funny story this week: so my first day in Mulchen, I get here and my comp tells me that we have an appointment with the family of 5. So I was super excited to go and get to meet them. So we get to the house and I start introducing myself. They ask to see a picture of my family. So I show them a picture of my family. The 11 year old kid then looks at me all weird and then looks at the picture and then at me again. He then says Elder Boyer, did you eat pasture before your mission??? I said no why? ... Super confused. He then said because you were a cow... And everyone began to laugh. It was really funny. Their culture here in Chile is way different than in the states. Everyone here is so direct and there are no limits. But it was super funny ;)

Ok now for my spiritual experience for the week.  I was reading this week in 2 Nephi.

2 Nephi 25:23:

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our 

brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

I just wanted to bare my testimony about this scripture. I know that if we turn our trust in the Lord and work in all diligence we will be saved. I know that God will make up for the rest, AFTER ALL THAT WE CAN DO!!! We must do everything we can and then the power of Grace will come into play. God is a loving God and if we push forth with a firmness in Christ, always looking for ways to grow, He will shape us into the people, children that he wants us to be. And one day we will live in complete happiness. 

Week 42... 20th Birthday, New Area, New Assignment: Mulchen District Leader!!!

What a crazy week it has been. We really worked hard this last week of the cambio to get it ready for the next one. It was kind of sad knowing I was going to leave, but we had a great week with the Branch.

 They threw me a surprise party to help me celebrate my 20th Birthday!

This branch, by far, is the best branch. I am going to miss everyone so much. I have really gotten to know everyone so personally, and it is amazing the love the missionaries get to feel for the people they serve. Yesterday in church was a bitter sweet moment. I gave my last talk in the Branch Los Sauces. I was thinking a lot about what I wanted to tell them, and what I wanted to leave them with. I gave a talk about hope and faith.

 I wanted to share the scripture with you guys...

            Mosiah 23:22

       "He that putteth his trust in the Lord will be exalted in the last day". 

I know as we put our trust in Christ, He will lead us to the straight and narrow path. He will lift us up from all of our affliction and all our troubling times. As we suffer the Lord will always be there to help us get back on our feet and become the people that He wants us to be. I read one time in a talk, I can’t remember where, but it said everything we have is from God. Literally God is in control of everything we have, EXCEPT our heart and desires. If we give Him our heart and turn unto Him, He can shape us into who He wants us to be. I have seen so many miracles that have come through putting my trust in Christ. I have loved the changes that the mission brings. I love helping others and bringing them the message of happiness.   So last night was a real big surprise. I entered in the house expecting to relax a little bit, when all of a sudden I got a call from President Bluth. He called me and thanked me for the time I had in Los Sauces, and he asked me if I would go to Mulchen and be a district leader. When he told me this my heart started to pound. I am super nervous, but I know the Lord will guide and bless me in this new assignment. 

I am so grateful that I will have this experience to learn and to grow in this Gospel. I know I will be able to grow so much with this new assignment. I am so excited to go to a new Sector and get to know new people and grow even more as a missionary and a member of this church.

More Birthday Party pictures:

Week 41... Isabella's Baptism, and finding comfort in the BOM!!!

This week was such an amazing week here in Los Sauces. We have been preparing so many people for baptism. We have seen the Lord’s hand in every possible situation in this work. 

This week we were really blessed to baptize an 11 year old girl 
named Isabella. She is a daughter of a really active member. The reason she wasn’t baptized is because her dad is completely against the church. Her parents are now separated and live in completely different parts of the country. About a month ago her mom came to us on confidence and talked to us about baptizing her daughter. We had been passing by this family a lot to help them stay active in church and the grandma we just called to be the relief society president. We went over a lot to help this family and really began to gain a great relationship with this family. When I said my goodbye to this family a couple weeks ago they were so sad, that I was leaving. I was super sad too, and I still felt like there was more I needed to do. I don’t know if your guys remember, but I wrote in an email that my work here in Los Sauces was not done. I now know why;) When Hermana Alejandra came up to us a month ago and told us that she wanted us to teach her daughter, we were so happy. The first lesson we went over there and this 11 year old girl did not want to listen. She suffers a lot with ADD so it is super hard for her to sit and listen. The first lesson was so hard to teach her. I remember my companion and I looked at each other and said this is going to be one hard task. But it was a lot easier than I thought. We would go over there every couple days and help teach her. In these lessons we could feel the spirit so strong. I have never seen a girl change so fast. In the first lesson she couldn’t pray, or even pay attention. And then every lesson after that she got better and better. We could feel her desire to be baptized and that she really was doing the things she needed to be doing. She was reading, praying and helping her family. Isabella has so much faith. We learned so much from her and her example. The day of her baptism, the spirit filled the church. I went over and talked to Isabella, she was super nervous, but super excited. I started to ask her questions about her preparation and what she did. She began to tell us stories of how she came to know these things were true. I wanted to share with you guys one of these stories that can help all of us.

So Isabella told me this before her baptism. She told me that one night, her mom had to walk over to the neighbor’s house about a couple blocks away. It was about 11 at night so it was super dark. Isabella is super scared of the dark. Her mom asked her to go with her. Isabella was super scared and said no at first. She didn’t want to go. But her mom insisted that she went and accompanied her. Isabella ran to her room and grabbed her Book of Mormon and then ran outside with her mom. She went with her mom to the neighbor’s house the whole time, she held tightly to the Book of Mormon.

We can learn so much from the testimony of the 11 year old Isabella. When I look into her eyes I see Christ. She feels the comfort that comes from the book of Mormon. She know that this book protects her from the scary things in the outside world. She knows that Christ will protect her if she reads and prays about this book.

 I want to testify that the gospel principles that this little girl showed me are true. If we feast upon the words of Christ we will be protected. We will feel the love of Christ in our lives.

        

 2 Nephi 31:20:

“FEAST UPON THE WORDS OF CHRIST; YOU WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE" 

I challenge all of you to come closer to Christ by reading from the Book of Mormon each and every day. As you do you will be strengthened and you will be protected from the evil things of the world. It is amazing the things you can learn from an 11 year old girl.

I am so happy that I had the chance to help this little girl make the right decisions and she the changes in her life. She is really a great example to me I hope my faith can grow to become just like hers.

Week 40... Miracles have not ceased to exist!!!

 I don’t have much time this week. I want to start off by apologizing. On Monday it was a Holiday here in Chile, so all the cybers were closed. We were not able to email, so we got permission to write today, but we have a really busy day ahead of us, so I will not be able to write for very much time. I want to share a couple of experiences I had these last couple weeks that has really helped grow my testimony that our Savior Jesus Christ lives, and that miracles have not yet ceased to exist. 

  Experience  #1:  So about a few weeks ago I went on a intercambio with an Elder from California named Elder Kirk. I was with him working in his sector in Angol. He is actually from the same group as me, so it was a really fun intercambio. While we were walking around in the street looking for people to teach, we got a call from the Bishop of his ward. The Bishop said that there was a member who was in the hospital and was about to go into surgery and that he needed a blessing. He told us that he was out of town and that they were asking for the missionaries to come and give him a blessing. He told us to hurry and run over there. So we ran over there and when we got to the hospital we were greeted by 20 people all in a huddle crying. One of them came up to us and explained to us the situation. This Brother is around 75 years old and he was been struggling a lot with pain in his stomach. So they took him to the hospital and the doctors told them the results. The Doctors came out and told them that if they didn’t do surgery right now he was going to die, and if they did surgery he was going to die in a couple of days. So the family was all in distress not knowing what they should do. They knew that their dad, grandpa, husband, was going to pass away and they were all so upset. They all looked at us with water filled eyes and asked us if we could give him a blessing. We said of course we would love to give him a blessing. We asked them who they wanted to give the blessing. I was expecting since this wasn’t my sector that they would choose Elder Kirk. But the wife pointed to me. I have never been so nervous in my life. I began to pray harder than I have ever prayed before. I was asking for guidance to help me in this blessing. I needed to know what to say in the blessing. I was literally shaking before we went into the room. The doctors only let Elder Kirk and I enter into the room. We went in there and there a ton of sick patients. We both look at each other and say "Here we go." Elder Kirk does the first part. The whole time I was thinking of what I was going to say. Finally it became time for me to give the blessing. I prayed so hard right before I gave the blessing. When I gave the blessing I felt this warm feeling run through my body. I gave this blessing and I will tell you that I do not remember one word I said. I felt the power of the spirit running through me. When we finished we walked out and we were greeted by the whole family asking how it went. We talked to them for a minute and then we made our way to the next appointment. I never knew what happened to that guy but yesterday I went on another intercambio with Elder Kirk and I asked him what happened to this brother. And he was like Elder, The most amazing thing happened; the Sunday after we had given the blessing, the daughter came to church and ran up to him with tear filled eyes and thanked him for everything that he had done. That her father had the surgery and that he had made a full recovery. He is still in the house and can’t do much, but he lived and he feels really well. Elder Kirk told me this story and I began to feel the Love that The Savior has for us. I can tell you that Miracles have not ceased to exist. That through our Faith God brings forth Miracles.

   Experience #2: This happened yesterday. So yesterday I was on the intercambio with Elder Kirk, haha, I guess Elder Kirk and I need to be comps, because we have some awesome stories. Yesterday we went and taught their investigator who has been planning to be baptized for a while now. She finally said that she wanted to be baptized last week but she wanted her boyfriend to baptize her. Come to find out that her boyfriend could not baptize her because he was not yet worthy. He had been working to get worthy but still had to wait some time. He would not be done with his process until the 21st of July and this causes a huge problem because she is looking to go into the police academy and if she gets accepted she will leave on the 18th. So Elder Kirk and I went in there not knowing what we were going to say, all we knew is that we needed to follow the spirit and hopefully help her understand that she needs to get baptized this weekend. We went into the lesson with a really great member, returned missionary. We went in there and began to talk to this girl and her boyfriend about deciding when she was to get baptized. We spent about a good 30 minutes and it had only led to arguments and wasn’t really getting anywhere. Then all of a sudden I felt this prompting that we should all kneel and pray. So that is exactly what we did. We all knelt down and asked God when she should get baptized. When we all got up none of us knew what to say. I was like oh no, what are we going to do. I began to flip through my scriptures hoping to find a scripture that says something like she needs to be baptized this day... but of course I didn’t find a scripture that said it exactly. But as I was flipping through I did fall upon a scripture that caught my attention. It was Joseph Smith History. It was the verse right before Joseph sees God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. Before this spiritual experience happened, Joseph was attacked by Satan. This scripture testified with power that She was to be baptized as soon as possible. Even if she wasn’t going to be baptized by her boyfriend. She needed to be baptized now, because the longer she waited the more time Satan would have to attack her and bring her down to destruction. When we began to share this scripture you could feel the atmosphere change. The spirit began to fill the room, the answer was clear that she needed to be baptized this week. She began to feel the spirit. She looked at her boyfriend with tear filled eyes and said that she was really feeling that she should, but that she was confused. She told us that she was going to think about it. I know without a doubt in my mind she will accept. The spirit was there and testified to us and to her that this was what God wanted and that she needed to do it. I know that by the promptings of the Spirit we can be guided to choose the right things. Even though waiting a few weeks is not that bad of thing, we knew that she needed to be baptized this day. 

Sorry I don’t have much time, but I thought I would just share with you guys these few stories that have really helped grow my Faith in the Savior Jesus Christ and His love that He has for us. I testify to you that Miracles have not ceased to exist. I know this to be true I know our Savior lives, and works miracles every day. I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen