This Week Didn’t Make Any Censed

Surprise I've officially been counted as a part of chile. (The subject line is for all of you that think of lost my pun ability) This week we were censed. So we had to stay in the house until they passed by to count us. Everyone in chile actually had to be in their houses.. it was the law. So everyone was off work and nothing was open and they just had to wait until the census people passed by to do their stuff.

This week has been a good one! We have been working with a guy named Raul who was the very first person Elder Lazo and I found together our first day in the sector. He is 50 years old and lives with his mom Margot. We have started to help him stop smoking. So to try and help we have been doing something active everyday for like 30 mins.. we play soccer.. ping pong.. basketball. we played chess and he kicked our trash... But it has been great to see his progress when we found him he hardly knew how to pray.. now he is asking that the Lord will help him stop smoking! 

His mom is a little more stubborn but the other day she admitted to us that we were starting to convince her.. but we told her that isnt the idea.. haha she showed us a book of mormon that she has had in her closet for like 30 years and has never read it but now she is going to start. 

We have also been teaching a russian orthodox named romina... haha in preach my gospel it talks about that we should try and get people who have converted from the same religion to go to lessons with us... but it has been pretty hard to find and former russian orthodox... She gave us some potatoes and onions and pictures of angels this week.. then we went rushin home. hehe

Steve is our hatiano friend who is awesome. Thankfully he speaks spanish perfectly and so I can actually talk to him. our other hatians are a little harder to teach because neither me nor elder Lazo are fluent in creole.. but we are trying igual... We taught steve about the word of wisdom this week and he was just so excited... haha I have never seen anyone so excited to stop drinking tea in my life. haha he told us he was so glad we told him because he had no idea before hand that God didnt want us to drink coffee or tea but now that he knows he wont ever drink it again.

This week we also ate some brazilian food with an hermana de brazil so shout out  to the cortitiba mission right?? Don't worry mom's is stilll lots better than even the brazilians. 

I hope everyone is just doing swell and learning spanish so we can talk when we get back because I am losing my ability to speak english sooo sorry!

Rip it Upp

Elder Holdstock

Semana Santa

How do Chileans celebrate Easter you ask?? The same way they celebrate everything else they eat and sleep and don't go to work! This week has been a great one. Here they celebrate easter the entire week. It is called Semana Santa, and I was honestly trying to remember if we celebrate the whole week in the USA or no... because I dont think that we do but maybe we do... ahh and if we do what is it called?? Holy week?

Any way this week was semana santa and we had a great week sharing the Prince of Peace video with lots and lots of people. My favorite thing about the easter campaign this year is the theme scripture which is:

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

every description of the savior gets a little bit stronger and more powerful until at the end finishes with ¨prince of peace¨ and that really is so fitting for a description of Jesus Christ. He is so powerful and wonderful but we will always remember and need to be closer to him because of his gentleness, kindness and the peace he can bring to our lives. The hope he can give us in the difficult times. 

This week we taught so many lessons like we just walked from lesson to lesson and had zero time to even think which was great! Sunday we were able to see the fruits of our efforts with lots of people at church with us. We did a special musical number... well I played the piano and my companion sang it was good even though his voice cracked a few times and he felt really bad we could at least feel the spirit! HAha funny thing about my companion is he reminds me like 75 percent of nate he is just not quiite as funny but other that that it is like a chilean version of nate and so now I am just waiting for my turn with a chilean version of tanner. 

Chile is chilling out a little bit hehe. (If I used that joke last week I am sorry) but it has been wonderful it is like fall time here and we have been enjoying working in the good weather.

I hope that soccer is wonderful and that everyone is scoring me lots of goals. 

Lots of Love!!

Elder Holdstock

Capilla Abierta Side walk chalk Hot Cold Who Knows what (April 10, 2017)

This week has been a busy one! We had an Open Chapel for the Stake this week which is where they convert the stake center into like a portable visitors center complete with the Christus and everything.. haha it is kinda funny actually because the Christus is a picture of the one in Salt Lake Printed on a pendant sort of thing but either way it was still cool! We had a good time the whole entire zone was in our sector for a few hours running around like crazy inviting everyone and anyone to come check it out. We are excited to see all the results this week.

Elder Lazo and I hit the Feria this weekend but we didnt give out juice... we drew the plan of salvation out on the ground with sidewalk chalk. and invited everyone to the open chapel. It was fun. Feria is life. I always forget to take pictures.... sorry.

We played with teddy bears this week..... awkward I know.... hahaha To help the members in the ward get excited about Misisonary work we bought a teddy bear cut apart a white shirt put the white shirt on the bear put a tie on the bear made him a name tag and made him a backpack. His name is Elder Donoso... which is punny if you know spanish because noso in spanish is bear. hahaha We give him to a family each week and their job is to gift the materials that are in Elder Donosos backpack. Every one seemed pretty excited about it. 

this week we found a russian orthodox lady that is super chill and always invites us in to talk with her. Russian orthodox's are a dime a dozen here... not. 

We have also started to teach english classes because i know english pretty well and we thought it might be a good way to get people to come to the church! Our first one was ehh three members came but they all promised to bring their friends next time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful easter and watches the easter videos because they are awesome!!! 

Keep it real

And keep rippin it up.

Elder Holdstock

P.s. this is what happens when you go play soccer at the chapel and forget to pack a tie... but there is a rag laying around. 

PPS. i might be getting slow and losing my touch but today I juggled 357 times without dropping it.. so #watchout @Mitchell @Sam

Conference and Completos

hehe I actually havent had any completos this week I just couldnt think of another word that started with C... 

This week has been a good one! Our Mission president presents us with a plan de capacitacion or a training plan every six weeks so that as a Mission we are all focused on one purpose and that we can learn line upon line how to be better missionaries. This week we were taught about how we can work better with the members in our wards. We have been counseled to have more members with us as we teach and especially that we have the right members there when we teach not just the members that are always available.

We are teaching a 70 year old mom and her 50year old son... we started to think about who we could ask to come along with us to teach and we finally settled on a brazilian sister who is about the same age as the sister we are teaching. We went to visit her to ask her to accompany us but unfortunately she couldn't... but she told us about another sister that might be able to help... so we went there next the next sister.. sister blanca received us and we asked her about her conversion to the church and her experienec with the missionaries. She told us all about it... We finally asked her to come share that experience with our investigator and she agreed. The day came and we went to our appointment.. as we approached the house the sister looked at us and said 'oh dont tell me we are going here!' I thought that for some reason she was not excited to have arrived where we did.. but just the opposite as she went walking into the house on her own. We had arrived to a child hood friend and long time neighbor of sister blanca. As we taught we really saw the wonderful effect that sister blanca had on our investigator she was able to help her understand better and animate her a little more!

That was a testimony builder for me that the Lord is in every aspect of our life especially the life of missionaries. as we do our small part the lord will always do the rest! 

I was super stoked that we got to listen to conference this week. I loved all the talks and I wish I had time to tell you what I liked about each one buuuut... time goes faster in chile hehe... Just kidding.. but I did love Elder Braggs talk on the light of christ and how as we seek the light it will shine brighter and brighter until the perfect day. 

Our new zone is ochagavia... it is the sketchiest part of the mission.... haha i only say that because it is true.. but i also only say it because our sector is super tranquilo super calm because if it wasnt I wouldnt say anything becauuuuse I wouldnt want to scare anybody. oh shoot I forgot to take pictures of our house... but its pretty normal nothing super cool about it!

But here are some old pictures of my first district and of me and my new companion! Elder Lazo.. El Chileano... I think president wants me to develop a love for chileanos cuz this is my second one... haha just kidding he is great!

hope everyone has a wonderful week!!!

Rip it up.

Elder Holdstock