Arrived in Chile!

Hey Everyone!

I'm in Chile..  

Before leaving the CCM in Mexico I had a super deep conversation with a teacher and he told me I need to decide what kind of missionary I want to be remembered as before I get to the field and start the work.  I came up with 3 attributes...

1.  Diligent: "Being diligent in missionary work is an expression of our love for God and His Gospel." (PMG 121)  We are on the Lord's time, so we can demonstrate our love for Him by working hard and not wasting time.

2.  Tough:  "The test of someone's will is measured after the frustration and disappointment" -Matt Garff.  It reminds me of Ether 12:6.  There will be a ton of trials in the next two years but I won't have anything to say until after the trial of my faith.  All I know is that I will turn tough times into motivation to work harder.

3.  Loving:  There are a million quotes and scriptures about love but I want to use Matthew 22: 36-39.  The two greatest commandments from God, or in other words, the best thing we can do to follow Jesus Christ is to love.  

I hope I can develop these Christlike attributes and always be remembered by them.

Chile... 

I arrived in Chile and met my first companion, Elder Lautaro Nahuel Cuevas Rodas, from Argentina.  I'll be his last companion because he goes home in 6 weeks.  We had an orientation meeting with President Catala and then went to my new home in Chillan.  It's about a 3 hour bus ride from Concepcion.  It's close to a ski town and we are in the middle of winter here so it's freezing.  

President and Sister Catala

We have 2 areas to cover, one is a neighborhood close to our house and the other is a 2 hour bus ride away. Our neighborhood is known for being pretty ghetto and sketchy.  Wild dogs and a lot of homeless people everywhere.  We don't have gas in our house so no heat, the shower is ice cold, and we can't cook on the stove.   Our other area, Yungay, is super chill and quiet.  On our bus ride back we both fell asleep and the bus driver woke us up and said "welcome to Santiago!"  We freaked out for a sec but then the guy told us he was just screwing with us.  

The members feed us lunch every day.  Most of it has been pretty good.  A common meal is pasta with hotdogs, and one meal was potatoes drenched in mayo.  I hate mayo and ate sooo slow, I was struggling to not gag.  The other 2 elders with me said I had tears in my eyes when I was trying to finish.  And I did!  Some members spend all their money to feed us so we need to eat every bite and be appreciative.  

In the middle of lunch on my first day my companion said I had a message to share so I had to come up with something on the spot.  I shared a couple scriptures about prayer.  

We are knocking on a ton of doors and have been able to talk to a few people.  Getting doors slammed in my face doesn't suck as much as I thought it would.  Honestly, I don't mind it at all.  I wish I could help them but I don't take it personally.  The very first door we knocked on was an older lady named Sergia. We taught her lesson 1.  It was dope.  She really liked it.  

After church on Sunday I was asked to speak at a funeral (right then haha).  I shared a scripture from Alma 40:12 and talked for a few minutes.   

My Spanish is getting really good.  I can speak very comfortably but at times I have trouble understanding people because Chileans talk sooo fast and they don't pronounce their "s" so I need to get used to that.  

I want you guys to know of the love I have for the Savior.  I am so thankful for His gospel and the impact it has had on my life.  It's hard to picture life without it.  I know that we receive no greater blessings in life than from Heavenly Father and keeping his commandments.  I hope you guys can feel His love as strongly as I can.  And I hope you guys can feel my love too.  We may all be apart, but I'm always with you.  

With love,

Elder Vincent

My first companion, Elder Cuevas