Mission Life

                As we reviewed our week trying to decide what to write about this week, we realized that every meeting we had has already been covered by previous blogs.  I guess that means everyone reading this post knows everything we do, right?  Maybe not quite, but I will just list the meetings so you get an idea of how the week went:  Monday was our usual office meeting.  After that we took our assistants to lunch and then took one to the airport.  He was one of the ones who greeted us when we got here and helped us survive the first few weeks.  I am not exaggerating when I say we probably wouldn’t have survived without him and the other assistant.  I am not allowed to list their names but they are written in heaven, I am sure.  Anyway it was very sad for us to say good-bye to such an excellent young man but I guess they all have to go home eventually and get on with the rest of their lives.  Elder (or former elder, I guess) if you are reading this, please accept our public thanks for a job very well done.

                Tuesday was our mission leadership council which went well because of course our zone leaders and sister training leaders are the best anywhere.  Wednesday we went to a district meeting which means doing the training on Tuesday and then going Wednesday to see how well it is implemented.  Thursday night President Warne went to do divisions and was very impressed at how well the elders did about talking to everyone.  They even set a date to teach someone they met in the street—very inspiring.  We teach the missionaries that they should ensure that every contact feels the Spirit even if they do not immediately accept the opportunity to hear more about the gospel.  This being the case then when that person encounters the missionaries later in their lives they will feel the same Spirit, recognize how good it felt and want to know more.  During the division a young lady that President Warne and the missionaries talked to on the street asked if she could have a copy of the Book of Mormon.  Of course they had one to give her.  She had a previous encounter with the missionaries and recognized the Spirit that night and that is what prompted her to want to know more.  With this in mind we emphasize that all contacts, done with the Spirit, are good contacts.

                Friday we trained the new missionaries who are just finishing their first six weeks in the mission—always a good experience to see how they have grown –and learned to speak Spanish during that time.  Tuesday we have 28 more coming in so we will start the process once again.

             You have probably come to realize how much we love our missionaries.  Here is Sister Warne and one of our sister missionaries that she did divisions with awhile back.  They are unforgettable.  We are grateful for the sacrifices that they have made to be here on their mission in Chile.  Some of their background stories are incredible and very humbling.  This sister is actually a software security engineer in her country but decided to serve the Lord and is doing a marvelous job.  We know the Lord will bless her upon her return home. 

                We spent Saturday and Sunday listening to conference, of course.  We are very grateful for the technology which allowed us to listen to it live here in the mission home.   I am not sure how conference can get better every time.  The messages were amazing and seemed very direct.  We were thrilled to hear the call for members to assist missionaries in the work.  Many members here in Chile are very willing to go out with the missionaries which is a priceless resource in teaching lessons to investigators.  Also the choirs were great.  There is something about hearing the choir sing live that really adds to the spirit of the conference.