Week 88... Miscellaneous Pics!!!

Elder Boyer had a busy day and was unable to send an email today, so here are some random pictures from the past few weeks:

Week 87... Service: it's not always just knocking on doors!

Well this week has been a pretty crazy week here. 

We did anything from help someone to make a marriage date to even switching comps. It was a very interesting week. 

Tuesday- On Tuesday we had our district meeting and we learned a lot about the Ammon and his example of service. In the mission a lot of missionaries just knock door by door, but there are so many better ways to find people. As Elder Rasmussen and I were thinking about what we could do we thought we would go to the Mayor of San Pedro. So after the meeting we went and began to talk to him. He was a super nice guy. We began to tell him why we were there. We told him that we had seen there is a big increase in delinquency in this area. We told him we had plans to make sports programs and teach English classes. We told him that in the area we were 28 missionaries with all types of experience from all parts of the world. He seemed very interested. He told us he wanted to talk more with us and how we can help more young kids stay out of drugs and learn more about having Christlike backgrounds. It was a very spiritual experience for me, because the missionary work is not always door by door, but it can be something like offering service. I know that through small things, great miracles occur. 

Wednesday- On Wednesday we went to Concepcion and had a meeting with President. It was awesome to see all my buddies from the CCM. We all got to talk about what we have been doing. In the meeting President Wilhelm was able to help us learn more of the Doctrine of Christ. Because the more one understands the importance of the doctrine the more willing he is to act. As we left the meeting I felt as if I could baptize the world.

Thursday- Thursday in the morning we helped a few investigators we have get signed up for a day to get married. This Family, Eduardo and Luz are the best family I have ever seen. They came to church one time and they know the Church is the true church they want to be baptized and they know they are supposed to be married. So we went with them at signed them up to get married the 23 of June. They will be married and baptized the same day. On our way home from helping them, we got a call from Pres. Wilhelm. He said, Elders I need to speak with you at 7, will you please come to my office. I began to sweat bullets. I had no idea what he was going to say. So we go into the office of Pres, and he calls my comp in first, then he calls me in after. He then explains that Elder Rasmussen will be his new assistant and that I was going to receive a new comp, Elder Gomez from Argentina. I was pretty excited.

Friday- Elder Gomez got to the sector, he is super funny. He was a clown before, so he does all the magic tricks and he is super funny. We already get along. 

Sunday- Sunday was a super good day. We were able to take a bunch of our investigators to church. It was awesome to see them all in the church with their smiling faces. After church my comp and I went out looking for new people to teach. We walked by this big new church that was being built. It was an Evangelist church. There were a few people there and they invited us in. So we went in and started talking to them. They then asked us to eat with them. So we went back and met their pastor. We then began to have a long conversation with like 30 people at the table. They all we amazed by what we were doing. It was so awesome to be there with them. It really opened their eyes to who we were. At first they had a lot of negative doubts about us, but as we left they realized we were normal people and that we really do try and live Christ like lives. The mission is a once in a lifetime experience. 

I have never felt so happy preaching the gospel. I have seen the Lord’s hand in my everyday work, in my everyday contact with the people here in Chile, and it has made me so happy to the see the changes people can make.  

Week 86.... Staying in the South Mouth!!!

For those who don’t know we had our transfers last week. I am staying in my same sector, Boca Sur.
I am super happy because we are teaching a lot of people and they are all progressing really well.



My new companion is Elder Rasmussen. He is from Orem, Utah! We are already best friends. We actually lived with each other last transfer and so he just changed beds. I am so excited for this new transfer it is going to be so fun. 

This week we were able to see so many miracles. The Lord really has blessed us here in this sector. I have never been so happy, neither have I seen so many miracles. This week we found a family that is so special. Their names are Eduardo and Luz. They are just the cutest family ever. They are a very young couple, they both are about 25 years old and have a little baby boy who is 2 months old. We have begun teaching them and they loved our message. They have actually been looking for a church. They have been to many churches but they have not found one that has made them feel good. So we began teaching them and they said they wanted to come to our church. They came yesterday and they loved it! The whole time they were ear to ear smiles. The Dad, Eduardo, loved Priesthood and Gospel Principles. He told us that HE HAS FOUND THE TRUE CHURCH!!! They both told us that they want to be baptized because they want to be sealed as a family. So, pretty much one of the coolest miracles. I felt so happy talking to this family because I know there are so many people who are just waiting for the gospel. This family has been so ready, they only didn’t know where to find the happiness. Now they can experience that happiness.

I am so happy to be a missionary and bring people unto the truth. There is no better work, this work changes lives. This work helps bring people to salvation. I love being a missionary and helping God in His eternal work. 

Keep on moving forward because no matter what trials we face, no matter what happens, we know that God loves us perfectly. 

One of my favorite scriptures is:

 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"

I know that as we come unto Him, He will strengthen us!!

Elders Rasmussen and Boyer

Week 85....Mother's Day Skype!!!

Elders Boyer, Inman, Rasmussen, and Putnam

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mother's out there... and especially to MY Mother! I love you so much, Mom! I appreciate all of the sacrifices that you have done for me in my life! 

This week I got to Skype with my family! It was great to see them all, but I'm not going to lie....It made me a little trunky! I can't wait to be with them again, but I really want to stay focused on my mission, as I still have a lot of work to do here in Chile!

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Scriptures in Espanol

Elder Boyer's video

Elder Boyer's testimony

Week 84.... Opposition Brings Blessings!!!

Wanderleia's Baptism 

This week there was a lot of opposition that happened, but we all know that "ALL GOOD THINGS COME FROM OPPOSITION"!! 

I have never seen such an amazing baptism. The baptism of Wanderleia literally brought tears to my eyes. To see her Dad, who is 85 years old, do the baptism was probably the coolest thing I have seen in my mission. 

For Wanderleia, it took a lot for her to make the decision to get baptized. After long, heartfelt prayers, and one last push a half hour before her baptism, she finally made the decision. Literally 30 min before her baptism she called me and said she had a terrible day. She had lost her wallet with all her money for her monthly rent. She had spent all day in Concepcion trying to get everything back. She had gone through so much opposition and she just wanted to give up and not go through with the baptism.

Elder Inman and I ran over there and helped her understand that as we overcome opposition, we receive heavenly blessings. 

D&C 29: 39

39And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet— 

If we would have never gone through those hard times… if we would have never felt the heartbreak; the baptism would not have been as sweet. 

This baptism was a spiritual up- lifter for me, as well as everyone involved! What a blessing!

Early morning at the beach...

 

Week 83... Clementina and the Font Frogs!!!

Elder Inman and I have been 

working super hard and have been seeing many blessings. We know God has been blessing us in everything we do. This week was a really great week. We were able to see one of God’s daughters make the decision to be baptized. Clementina was so happy as she came out of the water. It was awesome to see her conversion and how excited she is to be a new member of The Church. 

Funny story of the week; before the baptism, Elder Inman and I went to clean the baptismal font. We began to fill up the water and from the drain out jumped 2 frogs. They had been living in the water in the drain and we don’t have any idea of how long they have been there.

It is funny the things you find down here in Chile!

         

On Saturday it was a really great day because at the baptism of Clementina, she was able to bring all of her family… all of which are not members. They were all excited to see the change in their mom, and they are all preparing for their own baptisms. The best part is that the son, Nacho, came to church the next day and loved it. He became best friends with the young men and says he wants to be a member too. It has been amazing to see all the blessing the Lord has given us. 

For this next week we will be planning on having 3 baptisms: Wanderleia, Benedito, and Matias Riveras.

 If you can pray for them that would be really appreciated. 

filling the font

Lunchtime!!

Studying!!

Week 82.... Still, Small Voice!!!

A Day in the Life ...

This week was a great one for Elder Inman and I. We have been helping a lot of people who should be getting baptized here soon. 

This weekend we will be baptizing a lady named Clementina Molina. She has been a super awesome investigator. I actually found her with my last comp Elder Woods. It was kind of funny because we found her and she was super strong in her religion. We taught her a little bit and at the end of the lesson we invited her to go to church. She said she would go. So Elder Woods and made plans to look for her and take her to church. That first Sunday she went to church. After sacrament meeting she had to leave so we walked her out of the church and we began to ask her how she liked church, and how she felt. She then replied, “I thought it was super boring”. She didn’t like it at all. In her church they have musical instruments and sing, and she said she feels the spirit that way. Elder Woods and I looked at each other and were like... well here we go. We then began to explain to her that if she keeps coming she will feel better. That the Spirit speaks to us in a STILL SMALL VOICE. The spirit will not talk to us in a voice of thunder, but in a way that is super subtle. We told her we would be passing by her house in the next few days to explain more. After that lesson she has been progressing ever since. She has not missed a day of church. She has been reading and praying every night. 

One day Elder Inman and I went over to her house and she did not want to let us in. We insisted that it would just be a moment. She said that she had been having problems with her husband and that it was not a good time. I offered to just say a prayer. After a while of being insistent, she let us in to say a prayer. We gently walked in and we offered a heartfelt prayer. After the prayer we asked her how she felt. She began to open up a little to us. Apparently her husband is a drunk and has been using all their money to buy alcohol. She wants to kick him out of the house. All the stress and pain that her husband causes her has really affected her health. We began to teach a little bit about the importance of our message and how it could help her. You could see that her eyes lit up. She was at the point of breaking down. My comp then invited her to pray and ask if these things were true. We all knelt down and listened to her prayer. As she began to pray you could see that she really was praying from the heart. She humbly asked the Lord to show her if these things were true. After finishing her prayer we sat there in silence and listened to the promptings of the spirit. 

  

We sat there for over a minute as she sat and pondered what she was feeling. Finally after about 2 min. She broke the silence explaining to us what she had felt. She had felt a warm feeling come across her. She felt that all her pains and sorrows were lifted from her. We then went on to explain that those feelings came from the spirit. She knew without a doubt that these things were true. Clementina is a really awesome lady and she has made the decision to be baptized this Saturday. We are so happy for her and happy for what she has done.

In this moment right now, I have felt that I am doing what the Lord wants me to do. This has been the best time in my whole mission. I feel like I am getting the hang of the missionary work. It is funny, because a lot of Elders would tell me that it takes you 18 months to learn how to be a missionary and the last 6 months to apply it. I feel like I am in that application time. Obviously, I am not done learning, but I feel like I have never seen or ever been this happy in my whole mission. I love the work! I know that our Savior is at the head and He leads and guides this church.

Sister Balden