New Year Changes

Welp. My time in the country side was shorter and sweeter than a cold lemonade on a hot summer day. I am writing from my new sector here in the heart of the ciudad! It was a little bit of a shock to receive the news of changes but god has his hand in everything so I am sure it will all work out.

I am now in a part of the city called Amengual, it is pretty cool though because I am in like the first stake that they had in chile! It is quite the change though from the country side! I was said I wanted to live in the city... but after a little bit of time in the country and in the coast... I started to like it a lot! But I know I will love the city as well!

My new companion is named Elder Manrique he is from Peru. He is my third peruvian in a row! I think I am destined to know how to make really good peruvian food! He is super new in the mission this is only his second transfer. I came to finish training him because it looks like his first trainer wasnt cuttin it. But he is super awesome! He is a convert of four years and was the first to get baptized in his family but now just about his entire family has been baptized.

I was a little bit sad to leave my last sector though because we were just getting started! We had a little bit of a miracle this week because there is a family of converts that we were teaching who have been members for almost a year now. Before they were mormon they were Jehovahs Witness.. so it has been a pretty impressive change for them and sometimes they still have some of their JW traditions. So when the parents got baptized their daughter Josefa was 8. But they thought she wasnt prepared enough to get baptized. Now she is 9 and so that makes her our responsibility. Anyway we were on our way to a lesson with them and we ran into the bishop.. and he counseled us to not go in right away with the idea to baptize her because he said that the dad was pretty closed off to it. He said we should try to be comfortable with the dad first. So we changed our lesson plans to follow his suggestions. We showed up to their house and started the lesson we got to know them and I asked how long they had been members. They replied a year and so I said oh that is great you are all just about ready for the temple then! And the dad said no.. I dont think so we still lack a lot of things. Then out of nowhere he said and besides Josefa still has to get baptized! So the rebel that I am just came out of nowhere and I asked Josefa why she hadnt been baptized and she said she hadnt felt prepared. Then the dad just told her that it isnt necessary to have a perfect knowledge of the things before showing our faith and getting baptized. So we went with the idea of getting the dad to let us help her get baptized and we left with the dad convincing his daugther she was ready. 

Then on sunday the bishop said... Elder that is a miracle!

But the sad news is that they had to leave on vacations so I will only see her baptism in photos. 

I hope everyone has the greatest week!

Elder Holdstock