Nineteen

What a week!  Where to begin....

I did my presentation again to introduce the health plan for the mission in the other zone conference.  The first goal is for the missionaries to drink more water during the day, especially as the weather is starting to get warmer.  We will see how the first round goes!

My trainer is leaving today to return to her home in Argentina.  So thankful for my 2 cambios with her for my training.  AND my cambio (3rd...crazy) I am now a trainer, in a new sector, with a Hermana from Peru.  Always there are changes in the mission...never a dull moment;)  I know with every calling the Lord qualifies and supports the person.  I know there are things that I am suppose to learn during this cambio.  My new sector is called Vivaseta, which is in the sector of santiago called Independencia.  It is more downtown and I am really close to the mission office too.

This week was a feriado en chile to celebrate their independencia from Spain.  This means 4 days of celebrating.  I think Chile has a big holiday each month!  We attended an asado (roast) with a family.  The wife made us (four hermanas) a meal just for us with all foods traditional..empanadas, this drink that is juice with wheat kernals, a traditional soup.  So much fun!

Awesome experience of the week.  We felt like we needed to visit a certain investigadora antigua...we had seen her early in the month walking in the streets and she said she would attend church but did not end up coming.  During our visit we were able to do a lesson about the Book of Mormon.  She said that one reason she stopped meeting with the missionaries is because she has fear....her fear is because for the first time in her life when she reads the BOM she feels like God is talking to her.  WOW she told us she know the Book of Mormon is true and wishes that everyone in the world would have the opportunity to read it.  We were able to talk about how the next step is to act with her faith.  She has a date we are shooting for for bautismo.  She is in my previous sector so I am excited to her what happens!

Also...a man we met in the street named G.  He is from Haiti, does not speak Spanish really (speaks french), and is living far from family due to work.  He attended the iglesia the next sunday and continued to do so each week for about a month.  He did not understand everything due to the little amount of spanish that he knows, but he persisted.  We found out that he lived in a different sector.  We gave him all the missionary pamphlets in French and gave the reference to our companions in this sector.  I found out that he is going to be baptized in 2 weeks.  A miracle is in the ward that he is attending now, there is one hermano that speaks French and has been able to befriend him and translate for the lessons.  I am so happy for him!  The promptings of the spirit can transend all language barriers.

Love you mucho

Hna Duffy

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Eighteen

I love being a missionary!  It was an interesting week because we had many things to do outside of our sector, but there are so many ways to serve!

I was able to present the new plan of salud in the Zone Conference!  And it went super well, and it was greatly received by the missionaries!  It was interesting because when the different zones were talking about their numbers muchas veces they noted that some of their missoneries had been sick.  I am stoked to work on this project to empower the missionaries with the knowledge to prevent problems of salud from happening so they can spend more time working.  The name is T.A.C (templo a cuidar).  Hna V and I are going to work on the goals to impliment.  

A dream came true!!!! I got to wear a Mormon Helping Hands bib, during a service project Whoot Whoot.  This Saturday was a worldwide day of service.  Half of our mission traveled to the campo (country) south of Santiago for the project.  The country is sooo beautiful in our mision.  Check out Los Andes y Curacavid.  We painted along the main street, walls, houses, etc.  It was a miracle because it was raining in the beginning of the project but stopped, and then rained again after we finished.  My comp and I were painting this wall and a abuelito passed us to buy groceries.  When he passed us again, he gave us each a chocolate bar and his thanks.  Tan lindo!

Other highlights of this week:

-a new convert whom we have been working a lot with gave his first talk in the sacrament meeting.  So proud of him.  The topic was the Abrahamic Covenant (a poco difícil por su primera vez cierto??)  

-the wife (of the couple we visited the templo with earlier) attended sacrament meeting this week!!!! so so so happy.  The ward was awesome and gave her mucho support.

Durante the Zone conference, I learned so much.  The misioneros that are leaving after this cambio..including my comp...bore their testimonios.  I realized that en the end, we as misioneros are not going to be perfect...but that is not the point of a mission.  A change of heart is the clave.  To accept Christ as the Salvador, to dedicate the rest of your life to the work, and to confide en the Atonement, because we need His mercy every day in our lives. 

Mucho amor,

Hna Duffy

Seventeen

(Found a book of mormon at the top of the tower someone left :)

¿Cómo están po?  I am pretty sure I say this every week but this week literally flew by! 

Everything from planning a new health program in the mission, to running around in the rain to lessons, to an intercambio I am loving being a missionary.

So the other day Hna S and I were brainstorming what we could do to improve the health of the missionaries.  It is one thing to respond to the calls after the problem, but it is another thing to prevent problems...and CLICK.  I love the mission because I am learning to recognize the Spirit as my guide.  I am praying that this program will help our mission a little more with the health of our missionaries!!!  Basically every 3 weeks (half way through a cambio) the mission will have a new goal.  Por ejemplo to drink more water ( a specific amount every day ).  Every compañerismo will receive points por every day that they complete this goal.  But to make it more intisive we are making it a competition between zones.  And yes there will be prizes...whoot whoot!  Hna V (mp wife) is super excited about the plan and we are going to present it this next week at the zone conferences.  I will let you know how it goes!

Cool experience this week.  We were invited by one of our investigadores to tomar once (basically a small dinner) with her, her son and his wife.  The whole time the daughter in law and son basically throw out questions at us.  By the end of the hour I think we hit almost every point in all the lessons.  They do not live in our sector but hopefully we were able to set a foundation for them in the future.

Lesson learned about speaking spanish this week...the accent over a letter is super important.  

During my intercambio I will helping to teach a man from Colombia.  I asked a question but since I didnt stress the accent he thought it was a statement ...porque vs-por qué.  The joke know is that I am going to carry a sign with a question mark on it and flash the sign at the person before I ask a question ;)

Chile continues to prepare for the feriado 18th of this month.  It is basically a rule that each house needs to hang a flag. RED WHITE and BLUE same colors

Today we went to Santa Lucia ....google it...super pretty.  

I have been thinking a lot about why do hard/bad things happen to good people.  We get asked this question all the time by people.  My thoughts on this are, we accepted this plan knowing that it would not be easy, but we knew that it would be possible through Christ.  Salvación is not a ¨cheap opportunity¨(Pres. Holland).  Our lives are times to learn and progress.  How would we learn to rely and confide in God and Christ if everything was perfect in our lives.  Christ is always ready to help pull our burdens with us.  He is ready to stand by our side in the yoke and pull with us.  His strength is more than we can do by ourselves.  But as we give our all, He makes up all the difference.  I read the Prodical Son passage this week.  I love that the Father ran to the son while the son was still far away.  As we turn to the Lord, our path still might have mountains to climb, but we will have a guide and all the things we need to preseverar.  

Thank you for your love, your examples, and your faith.

Hermana Duffy

Sixteen

It is officially September!  There is a saying among the locals that basically means (thank goodness we got through August).  The trees are blooming and the gente are starting to prepare for spring.  September is basically a fiesta/feriado here in Chile all month to celebrate their Independence.  People are starting to hang their banderas de Chile and prepare for the festivities.  Think empanadas, music, dancing, etc.  The people here sure love their country!

This week was a little slow, but we were able to feel the promptings of the Spirit and witness milagros/miracles and blessings.  This cambio has been a lot of building up the ward and the members.  The other day we felt like we needed to visit the family of one of the counselors in the bishopric.  We were not sure exactly why but we quickly found out why.  We knocked on their door one night and the wife answered the door.  She was taken back that the Missionaries were visiting her family.  She told us that this is the first time they have ever received a visit from the missionaries in their home.  Her niños were super felices with the visit.  Probably we were in their home for 10 or 15 minutes but I know that we had been prompted to visit this family.  It is easy to think that somebody or a family is ¨fine¨and does not need help...but this is not true.  Everyone needs TLC or the phrase that Hna Seta y yo use (TAC..ternura, amor, cuidados).  As missionaries it is also our role to support and love the people who have already entered the door of baptism and who are trying to preseverar. 

Another experience this week is another strong prompting to visit a Hna.  Hna E. lives in a home with 7 dogs and 7 cats and her friend named Fritz ( he is from Austria but has lived in Chile now for 8 years...his accent is awesome haha).  Both are in their 70s.  We felt like we needed to visit her monday night.  When she opened the door she seriously exclamed LAS HERMANAS!  I love that people appreciate our visits but it is not us it is the presence of the Holy Ghost we can invite into their homes.  I love this Hermana because she has a strong love for animals.(I showed her a pic of Sadie and she loved it;) )  She always says ëvery animal has a spirit¨and cites a reference in DC about this...I still need to find this reference;)  The proximo sábado we had lunch with her and she informed us that is was her birthday wednesday.  This Hermana does not have any siblings and both her parents are deceased.  I am so thankful that as missionaries we are able to work as the hands of the Lord to serve those who need company or something simple like a visit.

My goal this last week was to try everyday to do something a little better.  The Savior learned poco a poco.  He had patience with himself and others.  He is the perfect example of every attribute divine.  

Oh I got a smart phone to handle all the medical calls which has been a blessing..and I will be able to have an app for medications too..epocrates whoot whoot.

I am learning that as a missionary sometimes my role is to just to listen to people.  As we listen we will recognize more of their needs, and the Spirit can do the rest.

mucho amor

Hermana Duffy