It's interview time again

            Yes, it is interview time again.  Between the six-week transfer cycle and the three month training cycle we are always counting down to one event or another.  During the January interviews, I sat with the missionaries who were waiting while President interviewed.  I will admit it was hard because my Spanish was not very good, also sometimes I was trying to entertain 10 or more missionaries at a time.  

            This time we decided to change around a little, and it is working out very well.  I meet with each Latin missionary about their progress in learning English.  I have been pleasantly surprised at how well the missionaries are doing with this challenge.  Preach My Gospel contains a challenge for Latin missionaries to learn English and we feel it will help them through the rest of their lives.  Plus, they learn empathy with the English speakers who are also trying to learn a new language.  It is a great opportunity for everyone to cooperate.  This time around, I can understand so much better what they are saying.  In addition, the assistants meet with each companionship to learn about their investigators and to do a teaching practice.  It is a great opportunity for them to get acquainted with each missionary and help them learn to teach better.  We have enjoyed spending more time with the assistants—what great young men they are.

We love our wonderful coordinadoras.

            We are taking three weeks to do interviews in contrast to our usual hectic schedule of trying to finish before transfers.  A typical day includes picking up the assistants at their apartment at 8:00 a.m., driving to the chapel to start by 9.  We take a break for lunch, start again and usually get home around 7 or 7:30.  We are all exhausted by the end of the day, but we drop off the assistants at the office so they can keep working.  We did two days the week before last, six days last week and have four days this week.  After we finish, we will definitely be ready for a P-day!

This going home group includes two assistants, three zone leaders and a comisario.
We have really missed them; they were all great missionaries.

Weekly Letters to the President

     In addition to writing emails to family and friends each week, the missionaries also write a short letter to President Warne during their internet time.  These letters include a report of the work in their sector, investigators progress, challenges they are facing and a general report on how they are doing.  The letters are wonderful and inspiring.  Since nearly 250 arrive each week it obviously takes President time to read through them all.  But he reads every letter every week no matter how busy things are.  We thought it might be inspiring to share some of the things missionaries have said in their letters lately. 

"I love my Heavenly Father so much!  I am so grateful for the time I have to serve in the Chile Rancagua Mission.  I feel full of light and want others to feel this way too."  

"What is the greatest thing I have learned on my mission?  I have come to know the Savior."

"I have never been this happy in all my life.  I am not saying that there aren´t challenges in my life right now but I am learning, growing and I am seeing so many miracles."

"What have I learned on my mission?  I have learned that I can do hard things and when I get home after my mission and find myself going through hard times I will only have to think of my mission and I will know that I can get through anything."

"At any rate I am so happy.  The mission isn´t something you can explain to someone who has never lived it.  I have never worked so hard in all my life.  I have never loved people so much...  I have never been this close to God in all my life.  I have never changed so much inside than while I have served here.  I am not the same person that I was and I will never be that person again."

"I do not know how to put it into words.  I work hard.  I love what I am doing.  Before I only could think of going home and resting for two years after my mission but now I cannot even imagine that.  I want to serve the Lord from this day forward and forever."

Aren't they great?  It is our privilege to serve with these amazing young people and watch them grow as they serve the Lord here in Chile.

Sisters who are training new missionaries

A trip to Santiago

We had a wonderful experience on Tuesday of last week that I'd like to share with you.  Missionaries who are going home may attend the temple one time during their last transfer.  We don't have a temple in our mission boundaries but we are blessed to have the Santiago temple close enough for this to happen.  The missionaries eagerly look forward to the opportunity, especially since many of them live many hours from the temple closest to their home.
     We were invited by an elder to go with them (14 this time!) which we were very happy to do.  Then President Warne was notified of a new opportunity for mission presidents to help the missionaries during the session as a temple worker.  We were so glad we were already planning to go.  Now it will be a privilege and a tradition every six weeks as missionaries are getting ready to return home to attend the temple with them.
      Everything worked out wonderfully.  The session was full of our missionaries and also missionaries from the Santiago West mission.  The Santiago temple is beautiful inside and out and the weather was warm and sunny.  As we were taking pictures after, outside the MTC, we met some of the missionaries who will be arriving on Tuesday, definitely a bonus.
      One elder knew of a Brazilian style restaurant so several of us went there for lunch.  It was a Chilean style Brazilian restaurant which was interesting but the food was good and the company excellent.  I don't think the restaurant made a profit on those elders.  They sure can eat!
      Any time we can spend with then missionaries is time well spent.  We are confident we are sending home young men and women who are strong in the gospel and ready to help wherever they are assigned in their home units.  It is a privilege for us to know them and serve with them here in Chile.  Thanks for reading.

These missionaries are going home.

These sisters will join us on Tuesday, plus 15 more.

Baptisms

     Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend two baptisms.  We always try to go to one on Saturday night, but this week President Warne had interviewed one young sister, and we also went with the sister missionaries to a lesson with a mother and her daughter.  They asked us to come and since the two were at different times, we were able to.   The son/brother was baptized nine months ago and was a wonderful influence in helping to convert his family.

     Members of the wards and branches are very supportive about attending baptisms.  Often the Relief Society president welcomes a new sister.  This time a young woman bore a touching testimony about how membership has changed her life.  The branch president or bishop is often there to preside and/or give a talk. 

     Of course the missionaries are an integral part of any baptism.  They sing special musical numbers, bring refreshments, lead the singing, open and close the buildings, take pictures, give talks, and do whatever else needs to be done.   Here in Chile, confirmations are always done in church the next day.

     Baptisms are the reward for the hard work missionaries do day after day.  To witness the joy of a newly baptized member and realize they have made the commitment to come unto Christ is an unforgettable experience.  We are so grateful for our dedicated missionaries who follow the Spirit to find those prepared for the Gospel and for members who help with references, attend lessons and baptisms and of course feed them well.  Thank you for all you do in your wards and branches as well.  What will you do this week to help the work?  

We love baptisms!

Next time we will show elders, but don't they look great?

Feliz Pascua!

Feliz Pascua! or Happy Easter!  We would like to take the opportunity on this very special day to share our testimonies with you.

 

I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement for all of us.  My testimony has grown stronger here in Chile as I see missionaries change from being a little unsure about the whole experience to strong and confident sharers of the gospel.  I see the joy on the faces of the people who are baptized, and know we are all working towards the same goal of returning with our families to Heavenly Father. My testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon has increased as I read it in Spanish and feel the power of those ancient prophets and their teachings.  I am so grateful for my family; this separation has helped me realized even more how much I want to be with them forever.  I am grateful that on this day especially we can realize and appreciate the sacrifice our Savior made for us, and ponder the power of the Resurrection.  Sister Warne

 

We feel privileged each day to represent the Savior as His missionaries here in the Chile Rancagua Mission.  I often think of 2 Ne 25:26 which in part says:

 

And we  talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, ... that our children  may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. 

 

I love the Savior and love doing His work.  He is the reason we are here.  I have a certain testimony of the fact that He lived and died for each of us, that He suffered beyond our comprehension in the Garden of Gethsemane for our sins, that He has provided us a path forward to repent and become clean again through His blood and that each of us will have the blessings of the resurrection in our lives.  From all this is the crowning blessing of living with our Heavenly Father as families again.  All this is made possible by our Savior Jesus Christ.  I love Him and testify of Him in His holy name.  President Warne

A beautiful sunset view from our home.

April zone conferences

                Let’s talk about zone conferences!  Yes, it is that time of the quarter when we meet for training with each zone.  Since this is the month of Easter and general conference, we decided to focus on becoming more like Christ.

                We are mostly meeting with each zone individually, which means 11 days worth of conferences.  When we go to Talca and Curico we will have one zone in the morning, meet together for lunch and have the other zone in the afternoon.  We are also doing influenza vaccinations as mandated by the Missionary Department.

                First, President Warne shows pictures from our trip to Israel and shares stories from the Bible and from the life of Christ.  Then I give a talk about why and how we should become more like the Savior.  Nine of the missionaries give a short talk about different aspects of the Savior, such as faith, patience, love, humility, obedience and so on.  We are challenging each of us to work on one aspect each month as we try to become more worthy individually and as a mission. 

                During a break we provide homemade muffins, fruit and juice boxes as a snack.  During this time they also fill out a survey about our mission web page.  After the break we have a special musical number; we are always happy about the musical talent in our mission.  Then the assistants give a demonstration about how to teach investigators about Christ and we break in to groups for a practice.  To finish up, President gives a great talk about the Atonement.

                Before lunch we give them their vaccinations; they are mostly very brave and smile during the whole thing.  Lunch is tortilla chips with chili, fruit cocktail, and a peanut butter chocolate bar.  We try to have plenty for everyone.   After lunch, the elders in charge of apartments parcel out blankets, heaters, ironing boards and other household items.  We are making a concerted push to improve  living conditions for our missionaries.

                And there you have it!  We really appreciate the senior couples who are helping with the snack and lunch, with the shots, and the household items.  We love them and all of our missionaries!

Time for flu shots!  Even the president gets one.

Earthquakes and Elder Archuleta

It has been a busy week in the Chile Rancagua Mission.  Most will have heard about the earthquake in Iquique Chile earlier in the week.  It was a magnitude 8.2 which is a strong earthquake.  We did not even feel it since we are about 1100 miles south of there but were alerted to the chance of a tsunami along the Pacific coast so we had our missionaries in one town move further inland and to higher ground but figured the others in a different town were far enough away and high enough that they were not in danger.  Other than that we were largely protected for which we are grateful.  We pray for those up north and are grateful for their preservation.  We did send out an email to all the parents in Spanish and English the next morning assuring them that their sons and daughters were safe.  We have blogged about our preparations for just such events.  Each missionary has their emergency backpack and we have a plan for how everyone is supposed to react if something happens.  For the parents reading this blog please be assured that we are taking appropriate precautions at all times.

We started our Zone Conferences for the month of April in San Fernando.  We will do 11 in total over the next two and a half weeks.  With this month being the celebration of Easter we are focusing on the attributes of the Savior and our efforts to become more Christ-like as a mission.  We will share more on this later.

Finally, you may be interested in going to KSL.com and viewing the special on Elder Archuleta´s return from his missionary service in the Chile Rancagua Mission.  He served with honor and distinction and was humble and faithful in every way.  The special is well done and there are even some cameo parts featuring President and Sister Warne.  You will definitely get a feel for life in the mission here as you watch him go through his daily activities.  This is the picture we took of  the Elders in his house when we picked him up to go to the airport for his return.