You cannot Graft Good Branches onto a Corrupt Tree

After a while, you just cannot figure how to start your letter off. So I will just say, God is good, the work is great, and Longaví is crazy.

This week was just a sweet, well worked week. I feel like Longaví has been struggling a little, there are many new converts, and we reactivate menos activos all the time, but the attendance never goes up! But we have a plan to change all of that of course!

 Elder Mackliet is such a good worker and knows the gospel through and through. He is just a missionary machine, always knows how and what to do! So I finally decided to buy myself a new part for my bike, and consistantly it keeps breaking on the same part, with the brand new piece, when we are way far out in the boondocks. So after the third time, my companion just tells me this phrase, Elder, your bike keeps breaking because ¨You cannot Graft Good Branches onto a Corrupt Tree,¨ and bro, your bike has been corrupted. His is such a champ right haha!

Oh! Good story, last night, we had a noche de hogar at 7:30, and it endedat 8:45, it was great, we shared The Testament with a less active family and a random nieghbor came in mid video, sat on the couch and even got interested in our message. After as we were leaving, we realized the walk back was going to be a little miserable since there are no street lights, we both forgot our flashlights, it was supppper foggy (by the way it is foggy every single night here because it is so humid and cold, and then the people add on to the fog with all the smoke burning from the stufas. But to our luck! As we started to leave, for Longaví a cab comes by and ask us if we are heading into town, being the end of the month, we don´t have any money right, well he says its on the house and we hopped in faster that a hot pepper! We talk to him and he tells us that he has been searching for God in his life, and his family as well, then he asks us to come by and we say Tuesday we will give you the best lesson of your life, we get his address, number celular, and by then we are in town, drops us off and drives off. So sweet huh!

Well this week, we have been continuing to work way far out to find new people, and this past thursday we decided to spend all of our day out in Miraflores, the morning, lunch, and the afternoon, which adds up to be 11 hours. We knew that we did not have any money nor food in the house to bring so we just headed out with the hope that someone would help us out with lunch. Well after finding a bunch of cool familes out there we finally hit 1:30, the ideal lunch time. At the first house we get to we say, Alo, an oldish lady comes out of the house, and  I just ask ¨Señora, we are missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ, we are from Longaví and we do not have a place to eat lunch¨ and the very moment after I said that she said pass in and I will see what I have. Well she made us a humble lunch, we talked, ate, and asked her why she decided to help us. She said she has children in Mexico whom she is worried about, they are far from home, and also do not have a home to go and eat. She prays everyday that they are alright, and says that she hopes that if they were to ask someone for lunch, they too would bring her young boys in. She told us one cannot pray for mercy if they too are not willing to be merciful, and as such she will always help those who ask. Funny part, after we shared a scripture and asked to return she said that she does not want to hear our message, but if we are ever in need, we know where she lives! How strange but awesome as well right haha! There are so many things to learn, and traits to attain. Another story that comes to mind is how a return missionary once told us that his mother would always buy those janky things people try to sell in the streets, buses, or in the plaza, because everyone has a family they are working for, and the fact alone that they are working, and not stealing, and doing nothing, is enough reason to help out our fellow brothers and sisters. Be that helping hand right?! The people here are so loving, and caring, more than any other around. I know that Longaví is a little Zion in my heart, humillity in the Lord is all around.

Be of good cheer, for the Lord is always with us. I am glad for the time I have here in the mission, and know that I will not have another opportunity to be where I am today. Help our nieghbors, to find out if they need help we need only just ask. Be the better man. Don´t regret your time that you used on the things you wanted to do rather than what you should have done. Be like Jesus, aim for perfection, and joy will flood your souls!

With much love from Chile,

Elder Siaosi

The day we rode our bikes to Miraflores for the whole day, and decided that it would be best if we just ate lunch their with someone that we did not know (hoping someone would help us out). Someone did actually, love the people here! And thus we just sat at a bus stop bench doing our studies till we hit the road again to work!

The 23rd of June

Dear family and friends,

 

This week flew by so fast, I can not even believe I am already in my third week of the cambio. Everything is all good down here in Longaví, the companionship is great, and the work is even better. Before I forget I have got such a good story. It is so classic! So on thursday we decided to work out in Miraflores, and this is about 45 minutes on bike north, then we worked in a little bit, about 15 minutes towards the mountains, to meet up with a member and some references we recieved. w\Well we meet with the members and get a investigator from the references but at 8:30 we decide we ought to head home since it is getting late, and there are no street lights, no house lights, nothing it is straight dark, all except for the little lights we bring. By the way, thanks for the head lamp dad, it is a lifesaver! So we start riding for about 5 minutes and the pedals break so I literally cannot pedal to make the bike go. Well what are we going to do now! If we walk it will take about 3 hours, we cannot take a bus or taxi because buses do not pass by and taxis are more expensive than peanut butter down here. So what else can we do besides say a prayer. Well we say it and not too long after, my companion gets this look on his face, it is one of those looks when you know that whatever he is thinking cannot be good. Well Elder Mackliet was reminded of one time when his bike broke and instead of walking home, he and his friends took off their shoe laces and tied them together, then tying the bikes together, thus making a towing system. Lets just say we made it back with enough time to get back into the house by 9:30 (the designated time to return home)!

The work down here is so inspired and great, the people are so loving! The time is up and have to go but hope to fill the next letters up with more great times! Love you all lots!!!

Elder Siaosi

Pictures of bike towing materials, and the mountain tops!

One More

Dear Friends and family!

You know, this week was absolutely amazing! It rained a huge amount and it was colder than I could have ever imagined! We had to bike through the mud and puddles everyday, sometimes up to 45 minutes to the nearest town! But I've never met people as I met last week. Humbled to their knees. We met this family that had no light, almost no food, no car (living in the middle of nowhere) and it looked like they had not bathed in a while, but we were left in place, we sat at this table, they were listening to us on the ground, it was so strange, but spiritual. We also met this family of 5 that suffered one of the worst expereinces, their 17 year old son commited suicide two years ago, and the whole family has been in sorrow ever since. We had many other experiences that opened our eyes, how we will never be prepared to helps everyones needs, but we know someone who can. We met ten new people and that is more than my sector has had for a long time, that´s what my companion told me. The country is so great! But so sweet!

 On Sunday, Elder Mackliet and missed out on this dirt road about 8, we still need 10 contacts to hit 140 (our goal), and ended up in this old bar looking building in the countryside with only a small porch light, then we went to ask what road we had to take to get home, and contacted rested only 6 people in those seats around porch that are outside the cottages on the right. Well we got a new appointment with all of them, and we managed to get home! I love the experiences that have had coming this far.

Sometimes in this life we get so caught up in the motions, don´t we? We forget what the Gospel is all about, we begin to learn more and more everyday, but do we use what we learn? Elder Dallin H. Oaks says

¨In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.¨

I found out something this week that I had never known before, and that is that though I know a good amount,  I do not  necessarily live a good amount. How many of us have consecrated our lives to the Lord? I hope to get to the point where I will follow the Lord without a doubt, never complain, always have faith for the future. I can learn something new everyday, and everyday I feel like I am prepared for the day to teach and preach. But when there is a family on the brink of total depression, through suicide, or having been humbled to their knees, am I really ready to preach to them what I know? It is a whole different story, it is like you get hit by a brick wall, a wall of emotions I believe. The gospel is simple, it always was, but it is profound too isn´t it? The atonement will answer all of our problems, we know that, but do we live it? One thing I hope to achieve in this mission, but will be a lifelong goal, is becoming unto the Lord, to become a true missionary of this Gospel. I hope to beome the aid, then be a example of the Atonement. I am thankful for this opportunity.

Time to leave now, but sending lots of love from Chile!

VAMOS CHILE EN EL MUNDIAL!!!

Con amor,

Elder Siaosi

Raindrop Keep Falling On My Head

What a wonderful cambio! I am in a house of gringos, in the largest sector of the mission, we honestly go all the way to Argentina! My second lunch we had with members was only 45 minutes in bike! And they live close to us! This shall be an intestesting area right! Also, as I finally move out of the heat, I get send straight to the COLD! It has been raining since the day that I first got here, and it really comes down too, a big part of my area is known to fload too, not our house though, we live in the safest of areas! Also, I love my new companion, the house, and the Branch we are in. This Sunday we had a lot of people for their standards, a total of 51 people, usually they only have 40, and of those 40, only 20 are people that come almost every week. I would have to say it is because of the great distance of travel, since the other Elders in our house have to bike about 2 hours to get to them, and it is like 5 hours walking! It is the beginning of a wonderful few months, oh and it is tradition that if you work in Longaví it is usually for 6 months to keep the Branch steady, we have callings, my companion is the executive secretary, I am the gospel principles teacher, and we help with the Young mens! Going to love it here, I am sure of it! The rain, it will most likely grow on me!

Hope to have just tons of great stories for the next coming week!

Love, 

Elder Siaosi!

A few of the people that I will miss greatly as I get transferred!

LONGAVÍ

For the first time in 6 months, I am gratufully welcoming change. As this cambio is closing we are also closing my sector, due to more missionaries leaving the mission than incomings we have to close about 5 sectors of missionaries! And though we do have a lot of people that need our aid in Quillon A, we are passing it all on to our other two sectors in Quillon. BUT Is today not a good day to be happy!  My companion finally packed his bags and is heading home! It was tough for him to leave, but it was good for him, and it was good for us! He managed to have a little fun on the mission and we were witnesses of many great miracles, overall, it was a sweet exalting companionship! Also as he leaves I leave too! And where do I head off to? It is called Longaví and it is smaller that the town I am currently serving! Also, just as I heard news of Elder Bueno, I have heard much news of the Elders there. My companion is going to be Elder Mackliet, and we have two others in the house. One is Elder Mills, whom we know and the other is another gringo! So it makes it a house of gringos! WO! Haha but I am super stoked to move out to Longaví to work, I know that is where I am needed! As of now I am kicking it with Elder Morgan, my Zone leader, for his companion Elder Heyman also went home! He is super awesome, his family hails from Hawaii. Get to spend the next few days with him till I depart to the ice and snow of Longaví!

Thanks so much for all the love that is getting sent out to Chile, thanks Mom for the package of goodies, especially the Swedish fish and the beef jerky, you honestly do not understand how loved it is by the latinos, and it always makes a day perfect! And Dad thanks for the sweet shirt, I am going to rock it every day I can, got to keep up that USA pride. Honestly it is like Christmas everyday that I get something, package, letter, or thanks so much Aunty Jane, postcard! 

Working hard, always thinking home of the family, love you all very much and miss you all as well!

Your missionary,

Elder Siaosi

                                 Elder Heyman y yo! Y la familia quien estamos enseñando!