Buena Buena

Two things

The prophet had mercy on us and we get to sleep until 7 AM TODOS LOS DIAS.

I started to wear pleated pants.

We had a zone conference this week and Presidente let us know about the change in our schedule. We now wake up at 7 and get back to the house at 10. It is great because Chile loves to sleep during the afternoon when its really hot outside so we have lots more success finding people in the nightime.

I know mom doesn´t love the pleated pants but I found some in our pension and I dig. Sooo.. hahaha

This week has been a good one! we have been teaching Florencia. She is 9 years old and her parents are members but she has never been baptized. It is always an experience teaching her because we have to be creative so that she stays interested. This sunday her and her family came to church for the fist time in a long time So that was really cool! We are hoping she will be able to be baptized in the next 2 weeks.

There is Trump fever down here too that´s for sure. Everybody wants to hear my opinion but tricks on them I just teach them about Jesus. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang and so that is always a good talking point for us! Hey if youre intereseted in trump you should watch the choir that sang for him!

I have been studying and coloring in my scriptures because they´re super awesome! It is incredible how much you can learn just from a few verses. I have been reading in Alma, and a little quote I really liked is in Alma 2 verse 28, It talks about how the pueblo had been clamoring to God or praying fervently to him to help them. and it says that the lord heard their cries and freed them from their bondage. Faith and hope are two of my favorite topics to study about and to teach about. Because they go hand in hand you can´t have one with out the other and as you increase one you´ll increase the other also.

I hope it´s all super well up north and that everyone is keeping warm.

Elder Holdstock

The best thing about being a missionary is when everyone sees that you have blonde hair and blue eyes and just start yelling ¨HELLO HELLO¨ or ¨Come on Come on¨ it cracks me up every time. But every once in a while you get somebody who speaks more than just a few phrases. We found this guy named Rodolfo who came out of his house and just started speaking to me in english. Every time it happens it takes me a second to realize that he´s speaking english and not spanish, it´s kinda trippy. We got to talk to him about the Book of Mormon and how important it is that we have another record and another testament of christ. 

At the end he just asked us how he could get one and if we would sell him one so he could read it. I tried to sell mine to him for 500 pesos but my companion just gave him one instead. Hahaha. The Book of Mormon is so cool though in all seriousness. But don´t take my word for it (cue Reading Rainbow Music) you´ve gotta read it for yourself!

This week one of our retention or recent converts completed her first year within the gospel. She is so awesome. She is 25 the mom of two kids and just got called to be in the young womens presidency. Seeing her and the change the gospel has had in her life gave me a little bit of perspective to the importance of missionary work and the impact it has on people and not only their lives but the lives of their family and on their eternity.

I hope that all is well donde se encuentran and that you are enjoying every moment of everyday! 

My favorite thought this week is from Elder Holland, he says, that it doesn´t matter how far you think you´ve gone how bad you think you are how low you feel you are, the light of christ will reach you. There is no darkness that the light of christ cannot penetrate, but the catcher is we have to let it. We have to let christ in. We are in control, he is knocking but we have the key to unlock the door, to unlock our hearts and to let him fix us.

Elder Holdstock

Sacando la mugre means going hard. like going all out. Just working til you drop. Just thought you would want to know that little tid bit of info to carry you throughout your week! 

i have now been out for 8 weeks which means I am just about done with my training. I can talk on the phone in spanish and Sister Knudsen told me when I could do that I would know I am fluent buuuuuuuut I don´t feel like I am fluent still. 

Ahh I am trying to type fast but this guy wants to close up his shop so I will hurry. 

This week we continued teaching our investigators and they are doing awesome! we found one lady this week who is recently seperated from her husband as we met with her she started telling us. Anyway the next lesson we had with her she told us the night before we knocked on her door she had just been praying super hard for God to help her in someway have some sort o peace. She said that ever since we had visited it had been a lot more tranquilla a lot more calm. It was neat to be a part of that little miracle. We watched the video on president monson´s life this week and he said that his favorite thing is when he is the answer to someone else´s prayers and how true that is. 

Everyone has the ability to answer prayers you just have to be willing to do it and willing to listen and heed the call.

Until the next one,

Elder Holdstock

P.s. I think I am healthy hahaha we are protected as missionaries we can eat whatever and be fine. just kidding... no I am doing good!!

FELIZ AÑO NUEVO,

So I remember when I wrote you guys last time... even though it was last year.. (ba dum tss) My dad jokes have not stopped in case anyone was wondering. They´re just more funny to me now because Latinos don´t really understand that kind of humor and so I just have to laugh to myself. Which I do often. If you can laugh at yourself you can laugh all the time.. or at least I can.

I hope you guys had the best new year ever. We had un año nuevo super tranquillo. We ate desserts with the bishop and his family and hit the sack early. The holidays are taken very seriously here in chile. Nobody works because they need to rest! So that means that everyone is home with their families during the holidays. It´s also legit because if there is a holiday on a sunday that means it starts on saturday and lasts til monday or tuesday... just so you get the most out of it! 

We have seen some small miracles this week as we have focused ourselves in talking with everyone possible. Whether it´s a guy out on a park bench or little kids with a soccer ball in the streets (thats not so hard for me) we talk to them. We found a lady who had met with missionaries about 2 years ago but was never baptized because she wanted to do it with her family. But now she told us she is ready to do it with or without them. We were excited to hear that because we know about how the example of a mother can change a family. I know I was blessed with that example and though others weren´t they still have the chance to make the difference for their children.

We are teaching a little girl named florencia who is 10 years old, she reminds me of abby so I enjoy teaching her. We draw a lot to help her understand what´s going on. Her family is less active but want to come back to church so that´s awesome. her little brother is named leo and has a dirty mouth so I am learning some good words to avoid from him. But I do magic tricks for him when he is nice so he´s slowly improving.

                        (Flashback video of Clayton performing magic at the Ward Talent Show in 2008)

Enjoy the snow, and enjoy the holidays. Keep on keepin on. 

As our stake president here in olimpo told us the other day ´rip it up´

Elder Holdstock