Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Six











Hola from Quinta Normal,


This is the comun that I have been assigned to.  It is a sector in the city, and I am loving it!
So I have a lot to say so here it goes!
Tuesday I left the CCM..whoot whoot.  What a graduation that was.  I am so grateful for the time I had there.  Most people say they serve 2 missions, one in the CCM and one out in the campo.  Now I know what they mean:)  We drove to the mission home where President and Hna Essig welcomed us.  Paperwork, orientation, and then we got to meet our trainers.  My first companion is Hna. S.  She is from Argentina and is Awesome!  She talks with an Argentinian accent which is different and she speaks very little English, but we are learning very quickly how to work together.  This week we are going to get a new Mission President.  Neither him or his wife speak english, so I better learn quick huh;)  I am learning how to have patience with myself.  Knowing what you want to say is one thing, but saying it is another.  My brain is getting quite the work out each day jaja. 
The first couple days in the sector I was like a deer in the headlights.  But I am slowly learning the life of a missionary.  We walk everywhere!  Lots of homes are make shift dwellings, or there will be a door that opens up to a hallway of single rooms dwellings where entire families live.  I feel so humbled by the happiness and joy these people have, when some have so little.  It makes you really reflect on what is important in our lives...family and love.  I love seeing how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has given many people so much hope and purpose. 
Funny things:  already got called Hermana Cerveza (because Duffy is a beer I guess on the Simpsons???) Barbie Hermana (officially reached Gringa status jaja).  But I have never met people so giving and willing to listen, or at least talk to you!  Oh guess who gets to eat prieta this next Saturday...blood sausage.  Ill let you know how it goes! 
We have an investigador Paulina who has an amazing amount of faith.  She is ready and wanting to be baptized this next Sunday, so we will be working with her every day this week.
CHI CHI CHI LE LE LE VIVA CHILE.  La Mundial is happening and it has been a little loco here.  People here love their Futbol! 
Calls from missionaries for medical issues have gone well so far!
So much I want to tell you, but know that I love you.  I am so grateful to give my all to sharing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ here.
Much love,
Hna Duffy,

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Five



This email might be a little random because I have a lot of things I want to tell you.  Here we go..

I leave the CCM exactly one week from today.  The CCM has been a spiritual boot camp on how to study the scriptures, and how to invite the Spirit more into your life.  I wouldn´t give this experience up for anything..but I definitely wouldn´t want to repeat it.  I have officially sat in the same chair studying for about 10 hours almost every day for the past 5 plus weeks.  I might miss my desk...or not.  I was blessed with an amazing Distrito, Distrito #5!  All of us are getting ¨cabin fever¨though and are ready to serve the Lord outside the CCM fence :) More misioneros arrived in the CCM this last week.  More Hermanas came thankfully, and a couple of them are going to Santiago Norte too.  

Yesterday me and Hna B were able to street contact again.  We were able to talk with this Austrailian man named A.  We started speaking spanish to him, and he said that he didnt speak spanish.  You can only imagine how happy we got.  It is still hard speaking in Spanish because I am not able to fully express myself.  So our conversation with him went well, and I understood everything he said:)  He said that his wife is Chilean, and that she fell down stairs in January and sustained some major injuries.  He said he wouldn´t make a good Christian, but he has visited SLC and has a lot of respect for Mormons.  We were able to give him a pass along card, and we said we would pray for his wife which he seemed to really appreciate.  Trying to plant seeds of faith!  Everyone has a story (yes Dad I´m quoting you) and when you sincerely talk with others they will open up about their miedos, problemas, y deseos.  I love contacting!

I got two new Latina Hermanas in my room.  Love them so much!  Last night, Hna. S came up to me while I was writing in my journal in bed, and asked me what Peruvian coin I thought was prettier..I pointed to one and she said ¨this is for you.¨I know money is a concern for her...and this token really made an impression on my heart.  What great humility these people have for the church, the gospel, the Lord.  They are sacrificing so much more to serve.  I am so grateful that I can serve by their side.  What great people live down here in South America.  They shine the light of Christ in so many ways.  

For La Noche de Hogar, we were given the opportunity to tutor the Latino misioneros in ingles!  They have the opportunity to take ingles classes while they are here, and they receive books etc to study ingles during their misiones.  So much fun.  We all sung ¨Called to Serve¨in ingles together.  Some of the Latinos know some ingles due to video games...very impressive!

Tomorrow we are having a devotional by a member of the presidency of the 70!  So excited.  Then on Friday I get to go out with Hermanas who are serving in Santiago Sur.  It is definitely winter here.  The Andes Mountains are snow covered and stunning.  If I could only go skiing on my P day jaja.

On Sunday I was able to give a talk about the Espiritu Santo (Holy Ghost).  I talked about by going on a mision we give up lots of distractions like phones, tv, etc. which clear our minds to be open to the Espiritu Santo.  My favorite part of the CCM experience has been my personal hour for studying the scriptures every morning.  Best way to start off your day.  Remember specific prayers receive specific answers!  

What a wonderful work!

Love you with all mi corazon.

Hermana Duffy

Four

Another grand week here at the Santiago CCM!  If my spelling or grammar is off, I´m blaming the spanish keyboard I´m using...okay plus there is no autocorrect so you can see how bad my english spelling is getting.  One plus to Spanish...the spelling is identical to how it sounds!

My week was going fine, but yesterday was definitely the highlight of my whole CCM experience thus far.  I PLACED MY FIRST BOOK OF MORMON/ LIBRO DE MORMON.  One of our teachers surprised us and said that we had 20 minutes to go contacting on the street right in front of the CCM.  This is a hard area because most of the people really ignore you because they are so use to seeing tons of missionaries on this street.  However, I had been praying for the a while now that I would be ready for such an opportunity..(we get really exciting when we get to pass through the CCM gate jaja). Hna. Berrio and I started walking maybe a block from the CCM when we made eye contact with this guy.  He smiled but kept on walking.  I looked back and say though that he had stopped maybe 15 feet from us and seemed to be hesitating.  So we went up to him.  His came is A.  He is from Colombia (shout out to Elder Duffy) and I was actually able to talk to him about mi hermana serviendo en Bogota.  From what I got from talking with him...nice thing was he talked a lot slower than the Chileans here....was he has seen the angel on the temple in Bogota and the one here in Santiago, he has a close family member that joined the church, and that he has been attending lots of chapels trying to fill the void in his life, but nothing has satisfied his spiritual hunger yet.  He was so patient with me and my companera as we explained to him the Libro de Mormon, that there are modern prophets, that God loves him, and that he can find more peace and purpose in his life, by reading the LDM another testimony of Jesucristo.  In my broken spanish all I could really say was I know this Book is true and the peace it has given me in my life.  We gave him a Libro de Mormon and a pamphlet on the Restoration.  We got his contact information and have passed it on to the CCM leaders who forward it on to otras Hermanas who speak more spanish:)  This work is not of man but of God.  Christ lives.  I was having a hard time trying to process missionary work...how to open your mouth so all can hear...but I know with the guidance of the Spirit, I can be lead to those who are being prepared to hear more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love being a missionary in this great work!

This last Sunday I was able to bear my testimony during Fast and Testimony Sunday in Spanish.  I definitely brought notes up with me, but I know my simple spanish sentences in testimony are true.  My love of the gospel has grown so much.  My forgeting myself, I have found myself.  

Right now in the CCM there are probably only 20ish missionaries.  I guess tons of missionaries are going to the Mexico CCM instead.  It has been fun though.  It is like private language lessons here jaja en serio.  I have learned to be in a classroom for about 12 hours every day with guys about the same age as Cam and a little younger then Caden.  These Elders are working so hard, and it has been really fun watching them figure things out their first couple weeks being independent.  They try so hard to be respectful around Hna. Berrio and me...sometimes I feel like the Motherly/Medical Consultant in their life...but their desire to serve the Lord is so pure.  

Yesterday I worked with Dr. J for a couple hours and he taught me how to assess basically most body systems both in person and over the phone.  I am so thankful for his willingness to teach me.  He said he is hoping that the nurses will be given iphones to use so we will be able to text him questions/get medication recommendations etc instead of playing phone tag with him.  He is really shaping the medical work that is being done here.  I found out that one of the nicest hospitals in all of South America is in my mission.  So blessed.

I am so grateful that the Lord has entrusted me to be a representative for Him here in Chile.  

With much love,

Hermana Duffy