Forty-four

We have been running around this week.  I seriously could use por lo menos 5 more hours every day to finish what I would like to accomplish.  I am so grateful for the confidence that Heavenly Father has in me to serve in this sector.

'  the keyboard of this computer does not work really well so I am sorry if there are a montón de errores....or more than usual.  Papa Palmer.....might need to give me grammer lessons after the mission....please. 

Between another intercambio en Lampa, a Zone Conference in Los Andes, a musical concert in Batuco, a health blessing in Conchali, I think I have officially learned the art form of using the public transportation here.  This is usually how it goes...we wait for a bus to pass a corner by our house which takes us to the highway, we get off on the side of the highway to walk over an overpass to the other side of the highway, where we wait for another bus to take us to the city.  The drivers of the buses here have a talent...they can squeeze the bus in whatever spot that is necessary....I am talking about pure talent.

We were blessed this sunday!  We travel in a big van to Batuco for church because there is not a chapel here in Valle Grande.  We have named it el micro de mormones.  micro means bus.  But a couple named O and M assisted for the first time in years to the church!!!!!!!!!  They are menos actives that were sealed in the temple and everything.  I think I already told you guys a little about them...but it has been AMAZING to the the softening of their hearts.  I KNOW that Heavenly Father put them in our path.  They are going to be great leaders in the future for this branch.  

A is going to be baptized this next Sunday.  Her date was moved so we could verify a few things before, but it has been awesome to see her progress.  When we met her she was without work and suffering in lots of ways.  Now she has 3 jobs, someone is renting a room in her house, and she is recognizing more the hand of God in her life.  

I can not express entirely how full my heart, with the blessing that I have received and the miracles and blessings I have seen in the lives of others here in the mission.  I love my Heavenly Father.  He knows me better than I know myself..and He is patient with my weaknesses.  Jesus Christ lives.  He is in your life, and His Atonement not only lets us repent but to have the strength to keep going.  

mucho amor

Hna Duffy

Forty-three

We have been running around this week.  I seriously could use por lo menos 5 more hours every day to finish what I would like to accomplish.  I am so grateful for the confidence that Heavenly Father has in me to serve in this sector

'  the keyboard of this computer does not work really well so I am sorry if there are a montón de errores....or more than usual.  Papa Palmer.....might need to give me grammer lessons after the mission....please. 

Between another intercambio en Lampa, a Zone Conference in Los Andes, a musical concert in Batuco, a health blessing in Conchali, I think I have officially learned the art form of using the public transportation here.  This is usually how it goes...we wait for a bus to pass a corner by our house which takes us to the highway, we get off on the side of the highway to walk over an overpass to the other side of the highway, where we wait for another bus to take us to the city.  The drivers of the buses here have a talent...they can squeeze the bus in whatever spot that is necessary....I am talking about pure talent.

We were blessed this sunday!  We travel in a big van to Batuco for church because there is not a chapel here in Valle Grande.  We have named it el micro de mormones.  micro means bus.  But a couple named Osvaldo and Maria assisted for the first time in years to the church!!!!!!!!!  They are menos actives that were sealed in the temple and everything.  I think I already told you guys a little about them...but it has been AMAZING to the the softening of their hearts.  I KNOW that Heavenly Father put them in our path.  They are going to be great leaders in the future for this branch.  

A is going to be baptized this next sunday.  Her date was moved so we could verify a few things before, but it has been awesome to see her progress.  When we met her she was without work and suffering in lots of ways.  Now she has 3 jobs, someone is renting a room in her house, and she is recogonizing more the hand of God in her life.  

I can not express entirely how full my heart, with the blessing that I have received and the miracles and blessings I have seen in the lives of others here in the mission.  I love my Heavenly Father.  He knows me better than I know myself..and He is patient with my weaknesses.  Jesus Christ lives.  He is in your life, and His Atonement not only lets us repent but to have the strength to keep going.  

mucho amor

Hna Duffy

Forty-two

This week was super different....meetings, conferencias, etc.  We were happy to have every hour that we did to work in our sector.  

Tuesday we received a call from the assistentes.  They told us that are trio was now going to be a duo again.  Hna Y is now in my old sector Vivaceta 1, which is in the city.  I miss her tons.......I loved working as a trio.  But with each change we need to have faith in the inspired changes.  I know that our mission president, Presidente V was called of God to guide us here in this mission Santiago Norte.

LOVED conference.  When we have prepared questions, and have prepared ourselfs spiritually to receive answers...Heavenly Father answers them through her servents and the prophet.

We are going to see a baptism in the branch this next sunday...and we are super excited for A to open the door of baptism so she can continue to progress and receive more blessings in her life.

For my birthday the only thing I want are letters, and things I can hand out to members here.  I will think about it this week and will let you know;)  

Today -pday was the birthday of my comp Hna C.  We met up with the other missionaries in Lampa and climbed a mountain....It was super fun!!!!!!  I really think I will need to always live close to the mountains.  After we had a lunch with the family C from our sector.  

Love you guys TONS!!!!!!!!

Hna Duffy

Forty-one

This week was a little slow but we were blessed this Sunday with having 6 investigadores assist the sacrament meeting!  We had to add more chairs like 3 or 4 times during the meeting because people keep coming in.  The family Godoy, The family S (I probably did not spell that correctly), A and A (A is going to be baptized in 2 sundays), and a family of menos activos assisted to for the first time in a long time.  Whoot Whoot.  Learning that patience and diligencia pay off in the end.  The blessings do not always come when we want but they always come.

The Church has a new video which we have been using a lot this last week about the Pascua...Watch it ...Love it!  It has been super nice in this sector because we have a pen drive with mormon messages that we use (almost as good as the ipads that other missions have haha). 

I RAINED THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!  I don´t think it has rained her for like 7 months...seriously. And there was thunder and lightening too which made it that much better.  The only changes we had had in the weather/nature have been earthquakes so it was a nice change.  However, the north part of Chile was greatly affected by the rain.  Please keep them in your prayers during this hard time that they are passing.

So I love the family S so much.  They have one child named A.  He is 5 y.o.  He usually participates in the lessons which has been fun.  For example when we are choosing a hymn to sing he asked us ¨does this song talk about Dios too?!?!?)  He calls us ¨las niñas¨ and he is seriously tooo cute.  But anyways yesterday he was wanting to give the final prayer.  And this is how the prayer went.....Dear Heavenly Father.....thank you for my new friends in the church....please forgive my mom because she smiled during the first prayer...and also my dad because he has his eyes open right now too, amen.   A prayer directly from the heart.

A story in why it is important to FULLY understand what people are saying.  My comp was contacting a lady outside her house.  She asked her ...¨What are you doing?¨ The lady responded smoking....and my comp did not hear her correctly so she replied..´oh! how fun!´  I think this surprised this women...a little bit. 

You need to watch this video clip.  Search Pres. Eyring-how the missionaries calls are assigned (not sure the title exactly) but it is AMAZING.  I know that your mission call is inspired and the Lord has called you to your mission for a reason.

GENERAL CONFERENCE this weekend!  The branch is going to broadcast the sessions and during the breaks there will be a lunch in between.  SO EXCITED!!!!! 

I am so grateful to know that Christ LIVES.  I know He lives, I can feel His love, and the power of the Atonement which He offers us.  I read a talk by Elder Bednard in this months Liahona which talked about the Atonement.  Often we focus in the repentence power that the Atonement has, but we forget about it´s enabling power.  The power He gives us to overcome challenges and to help us become the kind of person He knows that we have the potencial to be.  I know that He is guiding His church through His living prophet, Pres. Thomas S. Monson.  I know that when we confide in Him, He will lead us to where we need to go.  This kind of faith in Him is the only way to find true peace in this life. 

Love you guys MUCHO MUCHO MUCHO,

Hna Duffy

Forty

We started this cambio strong as a trio.  We have been doing divisions with members from the branch which has been awesome...to do double the work at the same time.

This week was full:

-Council of Leaders:  learned more about the enfoque of the importance to teach about the spirit of Elijah and the temple to the investigadores.

-Painted the living room of a family (the parents were menos actives and their daughters were bautized recently).

-Pday with the hermanas of the distrito de Colina.  We spent the afternoon in the ¨Centro¨of Santiago (mapocho, el mercado central, etc).

-Awesome lesson with M.  Long story short...we were teaching her about the book of mormon, and when we showed her the book, she basically said...Oh I have that book because a friend of mine gave me a copy and I have been wanting to read it.  She told us that she has been feeling like she needs to do something for herself and she feels like reading the Book of Mormon is the answer she has been needing!

Love the mission

Love you guys

Hna Duffy

Thirty-nine

Cómo está mi familia ?????

We finished the cambio with many blessings!  We have been praying that personas would let us enter their houses...and Dios answered our prayers this week...but even more than we asked for.

C (who is now super active in the iglesia) is fantastica!!!  There are people that I have met here in the mission, that I know that we were friends in heaven before this life....premortal friends.  She carries this light, and here is the cool thing that happened with her this week.  Her husband (who is inactivo) has been working for 2 months far away in the northern part of Chile.  He suprised her this last Saturday by coming home early whoot whoot (new person to enfocar in).  And despite all of that she still attended all 3 hours of Church.  Maybe that does not sound like a big deal...but it is.  She is reading the book of mormon, doing her family history, and attends church solo each week.  She knows that Heavenly Father is blessing her and her family, and she is not letting anything get in the way of this promise she has made to stay faithful.  What a great example!

In the beginning of this cambio we contacted this young man named Ma.  He told us that he is atheist but he accepted the idea of a later visit.  Two weeks away más o menos we contacted his mom who also invited us come back another day.  We passed by 3 or 4 times during this time but without any success.  This last week my comp felt like we should pass by again.. and the mom Mar let us in!  All of the kids were there too.  I have had some lessons in the mission what I will NEVER forget...and this is one of them.  I felt super strongly that we should share a video (which we usually do not do with the first lesson) with them to begin the lesson ¨Gracias a El¨watch it if you havent yet!  I suggested this idea to my comp and she agreed.  (After the lesson she told me that she received the same inspiration...I LOVE when the Spirit inspires both of the comps!!!)  WOW.  This family is so prepared to hear the gospel.  She told us about an accident she had which left her in coma for almost a month, and about a year later her husband left the family.  The spirit was SO strong as she testified about her faith and trust in God.  Hna Clark asked her daughter in the end of the lesson..how would you feel to start a new life with a baptism.  Her eyes light up and she said PEACE!  Keep the Family L in your prayers.  

Another lesson bacán was with a family we met through doing service.  One night the mom was outside painting her gate and we stopped and asked if we could help.  She accepted and after she invited us to stop by for once or dinner that next sunday.  I have a strong testimony now how doing service opens up the hearts of people.  

We have been doing classes of english with a lady in our branch.  We decided to show her a video which we randomly picked from the church website to listen to together in english.  The video was about this grandson who was able to strengthen his relationship with his grandfather through doing family history.  After the video we asked her some questions, and she began to cry because recently she has been having dreams about a cousin of hers that passed away along time ago.  She wants to do the work in the temple for him but she is having a hard time finding the dates.  We were able to testify to her about the power of family history and that she will have heavenly help as she continues to look for these dates.  Nothing is coincidence...but inspired.  Prayers are answered in soooo many ways.

Funny incidence of this week.  We had an investigadora leave during the middle of a lesson because her cat was meowing none stop.  She went outside began yelling at the cat, picked up the hose and soaked the cat, walked back into the house and felt a lot better.  You had to be there ;)

Today was the day of cambios.....drum roolllll.  Hna C and I are staying in Valle Grande.  BUT we are going to serve as a trio now with Hna Y.  The mission president wants Hna Y and I to get to know this sector super well...because pretty soon there is a great chance that we will be forming a rama in Valle Grande.  WHOOT WHOOT.  Hna Yourstone is great.  I know that we are going to get a lot of jokes....she is really tall too;)  

I love you guys ton.  

Hna Duffy

Thirty-eight

Wow it continues to snow there in Ohio eh!  Give Sadie a big hug from me.  It is funny because I remember talking to returned missionaries before the mission that would say that they had a strong hatred towards dogs...I understand this more now in the mission hahaha.  But I am sure I will have a change of heart after the mission....I hope.

Talking about dogs....story.  So almost every morning Hna Clark and I run ....usually it goes something like this.  Yo:  Hna. do you want to run this morning or do exercises inside (and I am hoping that she says the latter).  Her response:  RUN!.  I have never had a strong passion for running, but I am learning poco a poco to enjoy our morning runs.  Anyway.  One morning there was a herd of dogs and one of the dogs (a pitbull ...huge....pitbull) followed us.  We crossed the street back and forth like 6 times to try to convice him to leave us alone..,.but he was super loyal and followed us.  When other dogs came up to bother him He hid behind us which put us in a predicament.  In the end he followed us all the way to our front door (see pic). Having a pitbull follow you is motivation to keep running forward.  We are now famous in Valle Grande as the girls that run in the morning.  Here in Chile, most of the people do Zumba or lift weights for exercises.  Almost everyday we do a contact in the street and they ask us...are you the girls that are always running in the morning haha.  It is one way to start a conversation right?

Today we had an activity of all the hermanas líderes.  We painted and decorated shirts with spray paint. Love the hermanas in the mission TONS!!!!!

What else has happened this week......Nina received her confirmation.  It is crazy how Satan attacks a person before and after a big spiritual step like a baptism.  The week after her baptism she became super ill...a bladder infection and stone algo así so she was not able to attend church the next sunday to receive her confirmation.  Then this last week, some other things happened, but she was able to beat these temptations and receive her confirmation.  Now with the gift of the Holy Ghost she has more support and strength.  

C is officially reactivated as a member of the branch!!!!!!!!!  (see pic).  

We had our Zone Conference this week to!  Guess What !!!!! I got to travel to the campo campo (the most country) part of the mission for the conference.  Imagine hills of vineyards of grapes ready to eat.  SOOO pretty.  Seriously this country has everything..beach, mountains, desert, llamas, penguins, volcanos.  In the conference the theme was about the Gathering of Israel. I am not sure if I have already mentioned this but...STUDY IT!.  We live in this time of the gathering of Israel..The last dispensation.  We need to help are brothers and sisters remember about their heritage and the plan of God that they have already accepted to live.

I love the mission.  Serve with Joy and Suffer with Joy is one of the phrases of our mission. I have felt the most peace and joy here in the mission than I have had in my whole life.  I know that my Heavenly Father wants me here in Chile for now and I am grateful that through prayer we can learn what is His will for us.

Love you

I am soooooo proud of Cam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hna Duffy