Some Things Never Change

So this week finally came to an end. My last Christmas in Chile was a good one, from sharing messages and Chilean foods with the amazing people here, I would have it no other way. This upcoming week will be another week of fiestas for new years eve, maybe it will be a little more exciting that last year haha, but either way it will be enjoyable.

This week I want to share a little message on settting goals. Off of the talk which I loved  called Some Thoughts on Goal-Setting by ELDER DEAN L. LARSEN, I would like to put emphasis in this part of the talk: 

Following her release from the hospital, this sister deeply felt the need to spend some private time with her scriptures and in prayerful quest for understanding. She reported that on a day at the close of the month she was at home alone, particularly impressed and inspired by some part ofthe scriptures she had been reading. A sweet spirit of peace and consolation rested upon her, and she felt a closeness to the Lord and the reality of his love in a way she had never experienced before.

She was absorbed in this experience when the telephone rang. She reluctantly answered. On this occasion the call was to solicit a time during the day when an official Relief Society visit could be made to present the lesson for the month. When the sister asked to forego the lesson in view of the fact that the visiting teachers had already been in her home several times during the month, and more especially because she did not wish to have her refreshing interlude with the scriptures interrupted, she was reminded that this was the last day of the month. On the earlier visits the official lesson for the month had not been presented. Therefore, the visits could not be counted.

Reluctantly, the sister left her scriptures and cleaned her house inpreparation for the visit of the visiting teachers. The spirit of the morningwas lost and was replaced by a feeling of resentment and hurt. The visiting teachers’ perfect record remained intact—but at what cost?

As humans sometimes we lose track of ourselves in the numbers game, who can have higher numbers. And sometimes even as missionaries we find ourselves in this trap. We look at the numbers of other missionaries to rate ourselves. Or sometimes, we only think about getting that last number, and forget about things that may be more important.. I believe if we all had the attitude and goal to always strive for the admiration of the Lord, and not of men, including numbers, records, peer reviews, whatever the reason, if it is not Godly it is not worthy. I am grateful for all of my family and friends. 

I hope you all have a great New Years, eat a lot of meat, as the Chileans say. Love you all!

Elder Siaosi

Everybody is Coming HOME

Hey everybody! Again another crazy busy week, just trying to keep it real! I do not have very much time, hardly any time at all now that they cut our hour down, but just wanted to share a little about our how we are. Healthwise, all super good. Emotionaly great as well. And spiritually high as we should be, all out superb! This week we focussed on the consecration. I love the message by Faust, The pathway to Freedom: Obedience! My favorite part out of it all. IS the quote by McKay to the missionaries. “It is better to be trusted than to be loved. We try hard to earn the trust of the people, as all people do in this life. And sometimes we are not loved for it. Sometime we get mocked, harassed, all sorts of things. But it is the life of the missionary right. We love it. It is our calling. And from it we create relationships with the people. I mean, sometimes I stop and think how strange it is!

Well before I get cut out I got to go!

Love you all

Elder Siaosi!

All the lights

Hey everyone! Not a very long letter today, it is a holiday for the Chileans and that means all the Internet Places are closed. just wanted to send a little something to say that I am thinking of you all! Love it here in the Pradera!

Elder Siaosi

PORFIN!!!

Nothing sounds better, than the sounds of running waters in the Church.

It was such a good week, filled with lessons, great contacts, baptisms, American food, sweet 70 degree weather, it is the life here in La Pradera, Chiguayante.

So many wonderful experiences, First of all I want to share an expereince that we had early in the week. On Tuesday, there we were late at night talking with people until it was time for us to return home. It was still light out, the sun goes down at about 9, and it is still light out till about 10, so it isnt too late out right. Well we walked past a few of these punk looking kids with their snap backs, smoking, with a bottle of beer on the ground as they sat on a bench, and they called us over. We went over, and they asked us, what do you guys even do all day. Ha, well after 5 or 7 minuted we had taught them a little about Jesus, the straght and narrow path, and our destinies. Well it was one of the more interesting moments this wek as well. Two of the guys just laughed. One of them just sat there staring at the floor not saying anything, Well we just started to walk away since we figured they just wanted to mess with us because they were bored. As we started walking away, the one boy who was looking at the ground got up, threw his cig away and left his beer and started to follow us. Well in short we visited him then and there, he lived close and he told us about how his father was alcoholic and he did not want to end up like him. We shared a little about the atonement, and we are going to visit him again tomorrow.

Another great experience that we had was with one of the less actives that we have. I will share that one later because now it is time to go!

BAPTISMS THIS WEEK TOO!

Great quote that I got from another missionary! 

"You can count the number of seeds in an apple but not the number of apples in a seed."

Love you all,

Elder Siaosi!

The baptism of Family Pinchiera, Andres, Olga, Marcos, and Pablo.

Selfie

Some peeps from the Baptism service

La Pradera

¿Comó estaí familia?!

I am in such a sweet little sector. There are way more people that come to church that my other sectors, but the area is a lot smaller!  But I guess that is because it is because I am in the city now, well a suburb of the big city. The weather, glorious, low 70s everyday. The people, even better. I love the church, it is so true.

My new companion is named Elder Tafur. He is from Peru. He is so crazy and energetic, I love it. We get along well, and teach even better. I am going to enjoy my time while I am here.

This week I think I will share a little something something about The Refiner´s Fire. The trial of our faith. The Diamond Cutter. I am been studying the Bible lately, think I might as well read it all the way through. And there are so many examples of the people of the Lord getting tested, tried, to see if they would hold their faith. Prophets such as Job, Abraham, Daniel. They were through into the Lions den, had everything they held close taken from them, even asked to kill their own beloved ones. The thing that they went through were inconvievable. 

Just a few scripture that I feel I want to share.

DyC 101

 2 I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them,wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of theirtransgressions;

 3 Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when Ishall come to make up my jewels.

 4 Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even asAbraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.

 5 For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me,cannot be sanctified.

DyC 95 

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom Ilove I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with thechastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things outof temptation, and I have loved you—

Mal. 3

 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall standwhen he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’soap:

In this life we will all have trials, that is just how it is right. But the blessings that come from the problems are hundredfold. Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder Siaosi

Chiguayante

That is the name of my new sector. It is just South of Concepcion. Finally going on the inside, aka, the coastal city. Definitely going to miss how it is here in the country, but excited to finally see how Concepcion is!

Well, do not have much time, President just changed the time limit to our internet, so we only have an hour now! Got to learn to type faster!!!

Love you all!

Watering the Lawn because the rain stopped, its just hot now.

Noche de Hogar!

Friends in Longaví, Mickey and Barby.

Dreamed a Dream (letter from November 10)

Hey everyone! It´s been a long time hasn´t it! So much has passed since last week! From tons of activities, to almost burning myself in flames, to meeting a group of gringos, to giving a sweet talk about Conversion in church for 25 minutes haha!

I do not have much to give this week, so I will just share a few great scriptures that were shared with me this week, some by members, others by random people that we taught!

We had lunch at a member house and he cooked this super strange meal with pig intestines, strange fruits, and juice from a fruit that I do not even know howto decscribe. He told us that he thought we ought to share some classic Chilean food with us, and when we told him that we were good with just eating the tomatoe salsd he shared this wonderful inspired scripture:

 Lucas 10:8   8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

Again as we were teaching another member, we helped with clean up his house a little, he asked us if our own house was dirty, yes we said, our house does hav some cleaning to do, He then shared with us this scripture: 

1 Timothy 3:5  5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

And the third scripture to share was given to us to read from a random peron in the plaza that we contacted in te morning, he was ust sitting on a bench taking in the fresh air. He did not really want to share with us but before we split he told us that we ought to read. Proverbs 27:14 After reading the verse, I guess he did not want to be bothered haha!

Proverbs 27:14  14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

Also to touch a little on the talk I gave, I thought it was a fairly worthy theme I was given on Conversion. The Branch President assigned me this talk, named the Hour of Conversion. It is  eally great talk about how to gain a great testimony! 

BUTTT Now it is time to go! Thanks everyone for all you do. Love you all!

Elder Siaosi