Missionaries going home

             Last week, we had transfers or as we call them, cambios.  Transfers happen every six weeks and it is a time of change and sometimes even upheaval since missionaries go home, companionships change and missionaries must move to new apartments or houses.  Transfers are another way a missionary must adapt along with a new language and the mission culture among others.

            Today I’m going to focus on missionaries who are finishing their mission.  If asked how much time they have left, they make a face because they don’t like to think about it.  In the beginning, eighteen months or two years seemed like forever, but the time passes so rapidly that it doesn’t seem long before they receive what we call “trunky papers”.  The information from these papers tells the missionaries what they need to know before leaving the mission and also ask what airport is best.  We encourage them to work hard and stay focused until the very last day, but it can be hard to do.

            I have mentioned before that missionaries leaving have a workshop on self sufficiency, go with us to the temple and have an afternoon to buy mementos.   They also bear their testimony for the “last” time many times, say goodbye in their current ward or branch, write notes to be given to their converts or former companions and wonder how they will fit everything into their suitcases.

            For the most part they are nervous, because mission life is well-regulated and now they face major decisions about school, work, and getting married.  It is like leaving a shelter and going back out into the storm.  They have not focused on their family during their mission but now the time is very short until they will see them again, also an adjustment. 

            For our part, we are sad because we have enjoyed getting to know them and serving together.  We know it is time and are grateful for the growth we see in them during their mission.  We always tell them, please stay in touch and let us know how things are going, which many do.  It is our great privilege to have these amazing young people, watch them serve the Lord as full-time missionaries then send them home to do great things.

Pictures this week are from saying good-bye to missionaries, greeting new ones and the first training.

One week at a time

     Last week I posted about the training we do for the missionaries which I hope you enjoyed but it seemed dry.  This week I would like to share our schedule for last week which was a little crazy, but you can judge.

     Monday morning we had our regular office meeting which includes the finance and history couple, the couple in charge of apartments, the assistants, secretaries and us.  Its purpose is to coordinate and discuss the temporal side of running the mission.  Before that meeting we always meet with the mission nurse, to go over our concerns about various missionaries. Monday night we hosted self sufficiency training for the missionaries who leave this week, and six sisters stayed for the night.

      On Tuesday morning we left at 7 a.m. for the temple.  After the session and lunch we ran a few errands before returning home.  President is using any available time to work on transfers. Wednesday was district meeting: we are trying, between the assistants and us, to meet with every district to make sure the training we did last week for the leaders is being passed on; so we drove to Talca for those two zones.  We also took the nurse and her husband in order to finish giving the flu vaccinations.  Thursday we attended the district meetings in Curico and then took the current assistants and the assistant who is leaving, to lunch.  Assistants usually go back into the field for their last transfer, but this is a small way to show appreciation for their hard work before they go home so we meet them and go out.

      Friday we held the five week training at our house for the missionaries who came in March and their trainers.  Since the housekeeper is out sick, a senior couple and some of the sister missionaries really saved me by helping cook, serve and clean up the lunch.  Saturday we went to the grocery store in preparation for next week's meals (transfers), packed and headed to Santa Cruz for the district conference and a baptism.  We went by Chepica on the way to deliver plastic bins since it has been raining hard; their roof has a serious leak and it is a complicated repair.

       And that was our week--this week will be busy also, but that is why we are here and we are so grateful for the opportunity to serve and be with the missionaries.

        This week's pictures include photos from the new missionary training on Friday and of course the one from the temple.

Time to train again

            Every third month our focus is on specialized training.  This means that President decides in what area the missionaries need to improve.  The training format can be also be done however he feels is best.  We have tried a variety of methods; two times we held workshops, which the missionaries enjoyed, although teaching one class 35 times can be a little monotonous.  Other times we have had zone conference type meetings.  This month, because of the transfer date right in the middle, which makes it difficult to get to each zone, we came up with a new plan:

            Last week we held three meetings which included the zone leaders, district leaders and coordinadoras.  President and the assistants each presented a concept, then everyone practiced.  The idea is that the leaders will return to the weekly district meetings each Wednesday in April to teach and practice these concepts, which includes learning to improve teaching methods by presenting concepts more simply and in shorter lessons.  Investigators do not need an hourlong lesson each time nor do they need a complex and hard to understand lesson.  Investigators need to understand the reasons why the lessons are important, and why commitment to change is crucial.  They need to have spiritual experiences and be able to understand when they are feeling the influence of the spirit.

            Now for the rest of the month we and the assistants will split up to attend all the district meetings to observe how the teaching is going and help with the practices.  Hopefully by relying on the leaders to train the missionaries, everyone will be able to learn and improve. 

Pictures from zone conference and consejo

            We have just now finished watching conference and Elder Holland’s wonderful final message.  It would be impossible to add to the amazing spirit and talks of this week end so I am just going to let you enjoy the pictures.  We finished up the last two zone conferences for Buin and Santa Cruz so some of the pictures are from those; the senior sisters were very willing to mend clothing at each of the seven conferences, and we received our flu vaccine so each missionary has the opportunity to be vaccinated (we strongly encourage it).  We also held mission leadership conference on Thursday.  Have a great week.

¡Feliz Pascua!

            Holidays are very different from those spent with our families at home.  We try to make Christmas a special experience for missionaries, but Easter is more about being grateful for the resurrection and all its promises; the Easter bunny is easy to give up.  Still it can be hard to be away from family and family traditions, so I decided to make a list of things for which I’m grateful.  I shared part of the list with our missionaries in my weekly message and challenged them to write a list of their own. 

            I am not going to repeat that list here, but I can testify that I am extremely blessed and right now a big part of my blessings are to be here in the mission field with our wonderful missionaries.  Hopefully as you write them this week you can include some of the blessings for which you are grateful, which I know includes your missionary and his service.  I know that will uplift them, reassure them they are an important part of your life and show support for the great work they are doing here in the mission.

            I am very grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission here in Chile, with the blessing of knowing and serving with amazing young people who have strong testimonies, the desire to share them with others, and the ability to be worthy representatives of Jesus Christ.  Together we are working to hasten the work of the Lord by inviting people to come unto Him.  ¡Feliz Pascua!  Happy Easter!

            This week’s pictures are from the zone conference we held this week for the Tupahue zones.  We have the final two conferences this week so you can be sure of the subject of next week’s pictures also;) 

 

A great experience

            This week I would like to share a great experience we had.  First, though, this week was zone conferences; we held four from Tuesday to Friday.  Since we usually combine zones for these conferences, we have three more to finish by the end of March.  We have enjoyed them and hopefully the missionaries have also enjoyed them and received information to help them be better missionaries.

            One afternoon we went to an appointment with two elders from Santa Cruz.  The young man they are teaching had decided he needed to change his life before he even heard of the missionaries and had stopped smoking and drinking.  The purpose of the lesson we participated in was to help him learn about the importance of baptism.  He had said he wanted to be baptized in June to make sure his family understood and supported his decision, but during the lesson, after we read and discussed scriptures from Alma, the elders asked him to be baptized on March 26 and he agreed.  It was a privilege for us to share in that special moment. 

That is the nucleus of what we do—invite people to share our belief in the Savior and join with us through baptism.  Through all the discouraging moments of slammed doors or uninterested contacts, an experience like this renews enthusiasm, and helps us realize that the Lord has prepared people to receive the gospel and through the Spirit we can find and teach them.  This young man will not only be able to move further along the straight and narrow path, but also will be a strength in the branch.  Also, hopefully his family will follow his example and also join the church.  I testify of the importance of missionary work as part of the work of salvation and I love being a missionary!

This week’s pictures are from leadership council, and zone conferences.  The three senior sisters are doing a great service by repairing the elders’ and sisters’ clothing.  The last picture is from a RS birthday celebration we attended in Peralillo.

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Mission meetings

            Today we drove to Santa Cruz to watch a broadcast from Salt Lake presided over by President Nelson.  Elder Soares conducted and spoke, Bishop Davies of the Presiding Bishopric and Sister Durham from the General Primary Presidency also spoke.  President Nelson spoke last and spoke in Spanish which was very cool.  When he visited for the Rancagua stake conference, he also gave that talk in Spanish.  It is amazing that at 90 with all of his responsibilities he is still able to work on learning a new language.

            I am also amazed by the technology involved in broadcasting from Salt Lake City to 77 stakes and 18 districts here in Chile.  The signal was so clear we could have been in the same room.  When Elder Bednar was here he said that some day we will look back at this type of broadcast as being very elementary and amazing things will happen that will allow contact between far-flung areas of the Church. 

            The subjects of the talks were very simple and direct, including President Nelson who focused on obeying the commandments.  It is what the missionaries teach their investigators as presented in Preach My Gospel but it is always good to have a reminder that we have our own personal obligations. 

            Here’s a brief summary of mission events last week:  Monday was the final lunch and testimony for 14 go homers; Tuesday we welcomed, trained and sent off to their areas 18 new missionaries, including one who returned after being ill; Wednesday was district meeting; Thursday we had mission leadership council and Friday was a training meeting for new leaders.  This week we start zone conferences for March so be sure to tune in for that report next week:)

Pictures this week include one from the temple trip last week, the picture we always take with those going home, new trainers, new missionaries and two of group of new arrivals and trainers as the news are getting off the bus: