Thirty

How is my family doing?.....tranquila ?;) I didn´t realize how often we use that word here until I talked with you guys. My comp. told me that I was talking a lot in Spanglish with you guys...sorry jaja. It was SOOOO good to see your lovely faces. This week was a little different with the feriado (holiday) but we learned a lot. Christmas eve we had lunch and dinner with a family from the ward which was awesome. Then Christmas morning my comp and I had our little celebration together (thanks sooo much for the packages) and then had an asado (BBQ) while we took turns talking with our families. After that we visited some investigadores y miembros in our sector. The night finished with a call from obispo that he was outside our apartment with his wife with treats for us (best bishop ever!). Did you know that here in chile people open their presents at midnight instead of in the morning? There is this bread that everyone eats...I do not know why because it is pretty hmm what is the word...it is called pan de pascua...fruitcake but super dry. This week has been interesting because a lot of people have left for vacation. I am learning more and more patience with myself and others ;) We have been doing a lot more contacts and have some awesome potential in this sector. Little miracles every day. For example we had basically finished all our plans for the day and we were without a lead on what to do next. Prayed and felt that we should pass by this lady we contacted the other week that lived far away. So we went and nobody answered the door. But a group of kids who lived next door approached us and started talking with us. In the end we talked with the abuela of these kids and found out that she had visited with missionaries before, and we have an appointment to visit them this week. There is no such thing as luck or chance...but the spirit and the hand of God in our lives! I have been receiving tons of calls from missionaries this week after navidad (christmas). A lot of heat plus a lot of food equals GI problems. I can basically give my speech about what someone needs to do for diarrea in record time ;) Thanks so much for your love and support. Hna Duffy

Twenty-nine

HOLA!!!!!

Sí pues vamos a conversar esta navidad!  We have everything planned out

 to use a computer in the home of a miembro.  There are 4 hermanas that 

will be having Christmas dinner with this family so I am not entirely sure 

what time...but if possible probably Christmas day is the best for me...if not..

let me know and I will work on something else.  But if you assign me a time 

I can work with that too;)  SOOOOO  excited to see your beautiful faces in Skype.  

This week was the last week of the cambio.  It is a time to reflect on what went well this cambia 

and what we need to work on the next cambio.  I love that in the mission we are always reevaluated 

our progress and goals.  There is always something we can work on.  

CAMBIOS:::::::::the suspense.

I am staying in my sector.  I will be a hermana trainer again..and my comp nueva is a very 

cute hermanita se llama Hna Henry.  The first time I will have to have a compañera gringita 

en el campo.  She is from California and I am sooo excited to serve with her.  We have a lot 

to do in this sector.  Vivaceta es la máximo.  We have tons of support from the ward which has 

been a great blessing.

One thing that I have been thinking a lot about is the many ways we do missionary work.  

For example this last cambio, nobody was baptized in our ward.  It would be easy to think 

that this was a ¨failure¨but what I have learned is there are many ways to have success in a 

cambio.  And furthermore it is not our success but it is the spirit.  Our job is to remain 

worthy to have the companionship of the spirit, and in the end people have the opportunity to decide.  

A couple experiences from this week.

We contacted a lady in the street who said she is atea...atheist.  We asked her if she had

 something happen in her life that basically shook her faith.  She responded that there were 

a lot of reasons..but we could pass by her house one day and maybe she would be there.  

So of course we went.  A miracle happened and she came out of her house and talked with us.  

She told us about her experiences with missionaries, with churches, with God.  It was super 

interesting to listen to her.  One thing that happened with missionaries in the past she said was 

that the missionaries just talked and did not listen to her.  And as soon as the missionaries 

stopped talking they tried to push her to commit (missionaries from lots of different churches). 

 I learned  a lot about the importance of being a good listener.  Often it is more easy to enter 

a home, give a spiritual lesson, and to leave, and then expect changes.  But each person is 

different, and at times we just need to listen.

I have been thinking a lot about this because in the mission I have had the opportunity to meet

 a lot of people in really poor conditions-physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Sometimes in my

 mind..I am wanting to teach a family ¨without¨any huge problems.  That would not have to give up 

addictions, etc. to progress in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I read a talk in the Liahona this week 

where Elder Uchdorf stated that if Christ was living in the earth again He would be found amoung 

the meek, humble, and poor in heart.  This was a answer to my prayers that it is not up to me to decide 

who would best fit to progress in the gospel of Christ, but I need to seek out those who need this 

message of hope, love, and purpose.  

I know that lives change when we accept the Atonement of Christ more into our lives.  We accept that 

we are not perfect, that we need help, and that even when we try with all our might to do what is right 

we can confide in Christ to make up the difference.  

Christ was born in lowly circumstances.  Lived a humble life.  And in the end of His mortal life, 

He was still focused in the needs of others.  I know Christ lived and lives.  That He already suffered 

for all that I will do in this life.  And that this gift, the greatest gift of this season, is the mercy He offers

 us to return with Him to live with our Heavenly Father.  

I love you guys so much

Hna Duffy

Twenty-eight

Hope you guys passed Thanksgiving wonderfully with mucha comida....I was able to eat pavo (turkey) this week for the first time in the mission which was awesome that it happened the week of thanksgiving.

en serio I am soo sorry my spanglish is getting worse every week....

Oh there is a niño en my ward here who wanted me to write to you guys to tell you that he thinks we look like the creatures from Avitar jajajaja.  

Update on the dog whistle...it works.  It was the best thing ever.  We passed by some dogs that we dont have the best relations with this week..and the sound that the whistle makes..causes them to run away.  Thank you Presidente Videla for the gift!  But we found out if the dog is old it does not affect them.  We were in a house and my companion used it and the dog didnt react at all.. it´s old ears did not pick up the sounds oh well.

This last sunday...Una jovencita se llama Mitxi and I sung in the sacrament meeting.  We sang the song, A Child´s Prayer..pero por supuesto en español.

We live right next door to the Hipodromo en Santiago (horse races)..and there was a huge race this week..fireworks and everything..whoot whoot.  There is an investigador en our ward right now who is a jockey and races in the Hipodromo.

Awesome experience this week.  We are teaching this jovencita se llama Berta.  We had been teaching her mom (who is through o through evangelica) but in the end she stopped progressing and in the end we are now teaching her daughter.  We introduced her to the Book of Mormon..and basically in 3 days she read up to 1 Nefi 10.  This was the first time in my mission where someone has really ¨feasted on the words¨in the scriptures.  She said she loved the vision of Lehi and felt like she was a part of this vision when she was reading it.  Please keep her in your prayers!

We had another milagro/miracle this week.  We are teaching a menos activo hombre and his wife.  They just had their first baby and are super bueno.  Are sacrament meeting is the last meeting of the 3 hour block.  We had invited them to attend the church Saturday night and they said they would.  During the last talk of the sacrament meeting...they walked in holding their baby!  There is such a joy to see someone that was baptized years ago but has been inactivo for mucho tiempo to enter the chapel again.  The ward was awesome to befriend them...always helps when a couple has a cute newborn too ;)  If you can put M en your prayers too (the wife) the next step they need to take is matrimonio.  I love the mission!!!!!! I love the opportunity to see people use their agency to make changes in their lives.

My comp and I have started studying Doctrina and Convenios.  Read Section 6. Especially verses 14-15. 29-30.

I have been thinking a lot about what is my purpose as a missionary..what does Heavenly Father desire of me in my time in Chile.D and C 1:24....we are called as representatives of Christ..but still have weaknesses.  With these weaknesses it forces us to trust more in Him...to Repent each day..and realize that the Atonement is a gift we need to utilize every day in our lives.

Christ lived and lives.  He fulfilled His mission in the earth to carry about the plan of God our Father.  He did it out of love and he was perfectly humilde en everything.

Con cariño y amor

Hna Duffy