Twenty-six

There is a reason why I am writing today and not yesterday......ready....

Elder Russell M Nelson of the 12 apóstoles came to Chile.  My mission (Santiago North) and another mission, Santiago East had the awesome opportunity to join together for a conference with him.  I will never forget this conference.  A couple points that really struck me was from the talk that Sister Nelson gave.  She talked about pondering and reflecting about our ¨premortal selves.¨ That she wishes everyone could have a DVD player that would allow them to watch 10 minutes of their premortal life when we lived with our Heavenly Father, when we accepted to follow His plan, the moment we left before we were born.  That we were born with a ¨list¨of things that we were to do in this life.  She said that she knows one thing on this list for each of us as missionaries was that we was to serve a mission here in Chile.  When she said this I felt a confirmation of this truth.  That part of Heavenly Father´s plan for me was to serve 18 months here in the beautiful country of Chile.  She also talked about our relationships with others in the premortal life.  How there are times in our life when we meet someone and it feels like we have known each other before or for a long time.  Premortal Friends. How true is this.  

Elder Nelson gave a blessing as an apostle for us.  In the blessing he included a great part for the families of the missionaries.  I want you to know that many people, including leaders of the church are praying for you.  He talked about certain things we should concentrate in our studies.  In the spanish scriptures there is a extra guide to the scriptures which is fantastic which we studied with him in the conference.  He said that with investigadores, we as missionaries need to be able to see them dressed in white in the temple.  The temple is the goal.

Funny story of the week.  My companion had a appointment so I was seated outside the office waiting for her.  I was studying my spanish/english dictionary..when this mother and son entered and sat down close to where I was sitting.  I also had my Book of Mormon in my lap during this time.  This mother and son were conversing and I am guessing they thought I did not speak spanish ...so I would not understand their conversation.  They started talking about the Book of Mormon..how many times they have read it, their thoughts etc.  I decided I would make a medical call to check up on one of the Hermanas in the mission.  The moment I started talking in spanish in this phone call, their faces were priceless jaja.  After the call I talked with them.  They are members ( menos activos I believe) but it was one of the funniest experiences I have had in the mission.

Mucho amor y cariño

Hna Duffy

Twenty-five

Wow...it looks like you guys went all out with Halloween!  Chile had a feriado (holiday) this past friday and saturday.  Halloween is now a holiday here.  I guess it is new as of the past 5 years in the way that people are celebrating it.  It was tons of fun to see kids dressed up in costumes and trick or treating...phrases they use here are ¨dulces o travesuras¨-  It is interesting because here in Santiago the culture is a big melting pot of many countries.  So much fun!

Awesome news....I am staying in my same sector with Hna V.  We are super happy to have more time in this sector.  This last cambio was to reactivate a lot of menos activos and now we are going to set goals to maintain and look for people who have been prepared to accept the message of the restauraction of the church of Christ into their lives.

We had some really awesome opportunities this week to give lessons with the help of members.  This is the goal of our mission right now is to do more lessons for investigadores with a member present.  It has made a grand difference in the obra.  It does not only bless the investigador but it also strengthens the member.

One realization I had this week.  I entered the mission thinking that by the end of my mission I would have become the most perfect person that I could become in this life, but now I know that when it comes time to leave chile...I am still going to have weaknesses and defects, but now I know that I can rely and confide in Christ to lend me support, change my heart, and comfort me in my life.

I know that Christ lived a perfect life in the earth that He created under the direction of our Heavenly Father.  I know that He lives and is directing this work...la obra misional.  I know that each person is a son or daughter of God.  I know that I am knowing without Christ.  I know that Thomas S. Monson holds the authority and the keys as the living prophet.  I know that the Book of Mormon is more evidence of Christ and is evidence that Heavenly Father gave us a guide in this life.  

Mucho amor

Hna Duffy

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Twenty-four

EN SERIO

no way....that is so exciting that Caden will be serving as the medico in his mission also.

I just sent him a list of medications with the names in spanish and english, and tips on how to treat the exciting things in the mission...diarrhea, dog bites, gastritis, inflammed knees.  He is going to be fantastico.  Maybe he will be inspired to change his major when he gets back home jaja

So I realized this week I might need to learn some french.  There are tons of people from Haiti in this sector.  The people from Haiti are super receptive and open.  We are teaching a man from Haiti named A.  A and his family attended church this sunday which was awesome.  His wife only speaks french but hopefully the spirit was able to carry the message to her heart.  It has been really fun to serve in the city because like any city there are people from all over.  We have a street in our sector which basically only has people from Peru.  It is really funny because people often will think my compañion is american because she is with me.  We are practicing on helping her with her english.

Wow it gets hot here.  Maybe it is because I had two winter in a row, and so my body is not use to the heat.  I am SOOO happy to feel the sun once again.  I am going to have Christmas in the Summer.  Sorry Frosty the Snowman.

The medical problems have changed since the weather has changed.  Now we are dealing with allergies, bloody noses, heat exhaustion, dehydration, and food poisoning.  Hna V, the mission president's wife has done tons for the mission in regard to the health of the mission.  My role really is to help with the calls from the missionaries right now and to translate the needs to the Doctor that is supervising the missions in Chile.  Hna V was so kind the other day.  We were communicating a lot about a missionary in the mission who was experiencing some problems.  She was using a lot of medical words in spanish that I had no idea what the meaning were.  So the next day she got up early and translated and practiced everything in english for me, so she could explain it more profoundly to me in english.  I know that the ability to work with her is a blessing and a grand part in my mission.

I had my 1st completo...the hotdog of chile....with members this week. They made them especially for my comp and I because both of us had not tasted them.

There were emergency cambios in our zone, so we were given the sector of the elderes for the rest of the cambio.  We are focusing on contacting and visiting the members of the ward in the sector for the time we have the whole ward as our sector.  I love the ward...VIVACETA.  There is soo much support and love from this ward.

One lesson that I keep on learning in the mission is that I am NOTHING..without the Spirit and without the Atonement of Christ.  Everyday you can try to accomplish everything and give all...but still you will fall short.  Everyday we need to ask for perdon and to ask for the strength to try a little bit harder the next day.  I love the experiences in the mission when both my comp and I feel the same prompting to do something at the same time...la obra misional es la obra de missionaries...it is the work of our Heavenly Father.

Mucho mucho mucho amor

Hna Duffy

Twenty-three

What a week...pretty sure I start every letter out the same :)

This week we had Zone Conference and presidente gave a lesson about Family History which I loved.  If every family had one person who was a member who did their own family history..how great we could accelerate this work!  I think about Nana a lot.  One year anniversary.  I am so thankful that she is part of my life.

We are going to have an one of the 12 apòstoles come speak in our mission this next month!  I love the opportunity to explain to people about the priesthood.  This is the clave.  The permission from Heavenly Father to act in His name.  Since serving a mission my respect and appreciation for church leaders has greatly increased as I try to serve the people in my sector.  I know Thomas S. Monson es the mouth piece of Heavenly Father in the earth today.

This past Sunday was our ward conference.  We were able to achieve the goal that the Bishop set of having 100 people attend Sacrament Meeting.  Every menos activo who attends church again is another mini baptism.  A hermanita se llama Marianela attended church after more than 20 years of inactivity...the Spirit touches hearts.  It was so special to see her interact with the sisters..and she was so touched that people wanted to get to know her and her name.  Things so simple a veces in our minds, but can really change lives.

This week I continued my studies about humility.  This is an attribute of Christ, that I can study for a life time and still not understand completely.  Ether-If men come unto me I will show them their weaknesses.  I do not know how many times I have read this verse in my life, but it really struck a cord in my heart this week.  The more I serve in the mission..the more weaknesses I am recognizing in myself.  It is not punishment, but it is a opportunity to change...an opportunity to confide in Christ, and truly accept Him as our Savior.  We are nothing without Him.

Mucho amor y cariño.

OH GREAT NEWS!!!!! Guess who can roll their Rrrrrs after 5 months in Chile...whoot whoot.  Trying to lose the Gringita accent...still a work in process :)

Take time to realize the tender mercies of God in your life and you will be surprised how many miracles happen every day.

Hna Duffy

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Twenty-two

I think I would need to serve a mission for the rest of my life to learn all the things I need to...however I know that a mission is a time to construct and fortelecer a foundation for the rest of your life.

The mission I am learning is not a race but a time to learn to walk with the spirit.  A person can sprint through the day and check boxes, but in the end leave the spirit behind.  I am so thankful I am learning that I am nothing without the spirit.  The gift of tongues is truely a gift.  The other day my companion mentioned to me that in the lessons my spanish is a lot better than outside of lessons.  Heavenly Father supports the missionaries because this is His work.

This week I have been thinking a lot about charity.  How Christ never built up walls to protect Himself while He was persecuted and refrained His love.  But He continued to succor and love people even though it would mean that He would suffer in the end.  We are nothing without charity, and it is a attribute we can have with us always.

We had a experience really special the other day.  We were had picked a street to contact, old investigadores on, we were not having too much success, but we noticed a abuelita and her daughter sitting on a bench in a plaza.  My companion thought we should go talk to them so we did.  We then noticed that the daughter was crying and the mother was obviously upset.  They accepted the oportunity to converse with us.  In the end we were able to teach them in the plaza about the atonement and to pray with them.  During this time, a random guy joined us and said that he always liked to participate in the word of God.  I am not sure what will happen with these people...but I KNOW that we were guided to them.  

Hna Duffy

PS. Going to spend p day in a home of a menos activo and my companion is going to teach us how to cook Aji de Gallina (popular dish in Peru) whoot whoot.

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Twenty-one

MUCHO CARIÑO

What a great weekend..cierto?  This week was a week to find new investigadores, and it is very humbleing to see the hand of Heavenly Father in this work.  Also we have been able to work with a TON of menos activos.  Some of them have already rededicated themselves to the gospel and are preparing to once again renew their convenios.  It is NEVER too late to change.

I loved conference!  For me all the talks bascially were the Plan of Salvation.  Teach your children to confide in Christ by doing the essencial things every day, through a prophet we can know the will of God, and there are hard times but Christ suffered all.  I loved when the speakers spoke in their native tongues.  I was really hoping Pres. Uchdorf was going to give his talk in German:)

This church is the church of Christ.  

Pres. Monson is the prophet living in the earth.

Mucho amor,

Hna duffy

Twenty

This semana was FULL of changes.  New sector, new companion, our sector was split in 2, I am a trainer now, new misioneros en el campo which I presented in their orientation...WOW and I know my companion and I were only able to do everything with the help of the Spirit.  This is not our work, but I know that Christ is over His work.

LOVE my new sector....mucho mucho.  Google map the streets vivaceta and independencia and sevilla...and that is my sector.  We live in an apartment located on the 20th level, next to the hipodrome (track where they race horses).  The sector is really beautiful....one part has houses painted all colors under the rainbow with beautiful gardens.  There are more families and the people like to talk.  I have so much love for this sector and ward already, and feel blessed to have this time to serve the people here.  Our goal right now is to reactivate in this sector.  There are soo many menos activos.  I love conversing with menos activos because there is always a doubt or something that is stopping them from attending church.  It is NEVER too late to change.  I love seeing the faces of people in lessons when they have a ¨CLICK¨moment when they feel the spirit.  

 

I learned a really important lesson this week.  At times I feel that there is too much to do which leads me to focusing on time..but I learned that this is not the way of Jesucristo.  I wrote this to Elder Caden Duffy about this realization...

El ministerio de Jesucristo no era un ministerio donde él estaba corriendo y siempre mirando al su reloj, pero él enfocaba en las personas.  Jesucristo esperaría por alguien si ellos necesitaban su ayuda.  Tengo un miedo estar floja o no usaré todo tiempo a bendecir el sector....pero no es mejor correr más rápidamente que tenemos la habilidad. 

Christ took time to bless every child.  Christ took time to wash the feet of His disciples.  Christ took time to bless and eat with His disciples.  

It is easy to think of other things that we want to do when someone is talking to us...but I know that when we focus more in the individual we will feel more love and power of the Spirit to help the people that are put in our lives.

We need to learn to accept Christ as our Savior.

We taught a joven (youth) this week.  He has had a super hard life, does not believe in God, and is questioning his purpose.  This teenager..D..has probably tried every thing of the world to find peace.  We were able to compart with him a lesson about God and that he is a son of God.  How powerful is that phrase...A child of God.  I am so grateful for this knowledge.  I am a daughter of Heavenly Father..who loves me.  I am so thankful for this time to compart my testimony with my brothers and sisters here in the beautiful country of Chile.  It is easy to focus on our diferences but in the end, we are more similar than we are different.

LOVE YOU MUCHO MUCHO MUCHO,

Hna Duffy

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