Elder Siaosi: Faith is a hope for things which are true, and hope is a power beyond all imagination

What the crazy week! Lets see, started out with another mini cambio with Elder Trancoso again, he loves the cambios I guess, so we´ve had a few(3). It was a sweet experience. One thing about the people of Chile, you never know if they are able to be taught. The HARDEST part about the work here is that about 80 percent of the time people are either not ready to be taught (not home, or too busy to be taught) or they never take things in, as a serious matter, they talk fast, and talk a lot about nothing, straight up nada haha. Half our conversations talk about how freaking hot it is! Buen pe, we did have one lesson with a super progressive family of 5, and we taught the 10 Mandamientos, and the Palabra de Sabiduría. After they agreed to follow both laws, my companion (Trancoso) said, well then, do you have anything that goes against these laws, and she said she had coffee, and so he said bring me your coffee. And she was a little taken back, and then he asked again if she was ready to follow all of God´s commandments, and if so bring me your coffee, and then he stood up and we went with her into the kitchen and had her get her coffee and I put it in my backpack! So sick! One thing I have begun to notice is that the days go by super slow but the weeks are fast, and another Elder who has been out 11 months told me that soon the weeks will be super slow, and the months are fast! One bad thing about the cambio, I think they have straight up poisonous plants around their house! But at least the rash went away! One thing I have realized, we as missionaries walk for miles, have aches and pains, get disappointed, and have a fear for every lesson and contact. That is what it is all about though, because for that one baptism, I´d have it no other way!

Had a little fit with my companion this week, we use bikes sometimes, and as a rule, we need helmets, so he made me buy one, and he would get one later since the store only had one. Well he never bought one and we went on using them for about two weeks. Then one day he told me we were not going to use bikes anymore, and I got a little frustrated because I had to buy a helmet (they are not cheap) and he told me we needed helmets so we can´t use them anymore, WHAT THE HECK, but oh well, it was just an hour of bad attitudes, but one thing I realized, it was not worth it, nothing went well, and as Rep. of JC himself, I was not being my best. We got over it after a while, and things are back to normal. If there is any place to change yourself, it would be during the mission, so why not change for the better.

Well we finally have someone with a baptism date, but she was not able to make it to church this Sunday, even though she said would. And so my companion and I waited for her outside of the church, and when it was time for La Santa Cena, the Usher would not open the door for us because they just started the song for the Sacrament, and so we didn´t get any, which I was disappointed but not to bothered about it, AND THEN the next hour we had a meeting with the stake president telling us how we were bad examples for the young people in the ward, and how we have bad planning (which we walked 20 minutes to the investigators house and she was not there so we left to get another investigator, and then 10 minutes before church she called us and said she was walking over), and how we are missionaries of the Lord and need to be the example for the ward! But I guess all we can do is just try to be better, and represent the Lord better.

OH! So we had this super sweet fundraiser for the jovens to be able to pay for EFY, and it was a big tournament for fútbol and we had food and drinks to buy and it was an all out great experience. The missionaries made it to the Finals and lost to these super scrubby guys :P But after this sweet activity for the Branch, my companion and I were walking back to our casa and we saw an accident! It was a hit and run, this white truck rammed a blue van at a cross section and both went straight into this concrete casa no one lives in! And the truck reversed and then hauled. Well my comp and I ran over, there were two people in the van, both were conscious, but the driver had her leg pinned to the door and her arm was broken, but nothing fatal so that was good. That was a crazy night!

Almost time for my first real cambio(which we have every 6 weeks) I do not think I will be moved or have a new comp since I am still being trained but who knows. I feel like as soon as I get the Spanish down I will be PRO! Teaching people is not that hard for me to do, I know what people need to hear and be taught, this I have been trained in, and my companion is a great teacher as well. Hopefully by the next cambio I shall have the language in the bags! Hope everyone at home is heathly and well. I am doing great. One thought for all at home: It is a Mormon message about why sometimes God lets us go down the Wrong Roads in this life. For all those who feel like they are have problems and doubts about their lives.

Les Amo, and wish you well,

Elder Siaosi