Lo Ovalle 3 - Week #2

¡Hola Familia!

I'm physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually drained (and whatever other type of draining there can be to make you not want to do much). This week was rough! And my training opportunity I've had hasn't been too fantastic... Élder Jensen is a great missionary and we get along, but it has been kinda tough for me to keep my spirits up this week as he is having a few difficulties. It is amazing to what magnitude the attitude of one companion can effect the companionship! This morning (until about 2:00 pm) was a really bad day, as my energy has been a lot lower than what I'm used to, but now we are on the uphill climb, together...

Enough of the sadness... We are trying to work as hard as possible in our new sector, Lo Ovalle3. I'm starting to remember why we stopped working in the sector in the first place, as there are very few people who have interest in even listening to us for more than 30 seconds. I think, however, that I'm finally starting to get the hang of opening sectors... they do say that the 3rd time is a charm... LOL

Sorry I'm writing a little bit later than usual today... but last week was cambios and today we had a few things we had to take care of with the zone leaders (who are awesome I might add), entonces aquí estoy ahora. Last week in cambios I didn't even have to change my bed... and I'm not sure training is something to enjoy, it is an assignment no más and I'm trying my best to do it right and have fun at the same time.

There is so much good stuff going on at home that I'm a little sad I'm missing out... between the Father/Son campout (even though I'm not a huge camping fan) and the home-made jams. But I think that a jar or two of jam would make me feel a whole lot better... *wink, wink*. Also I can't believe that Jared (Elder Hardy) already has a departure date... I wonder if he is starting to get a little bit trunky yet. It is also wild to think that Sean (Élder Gilmore) will be ending his mission pretty soon. Has anybody heard how Alex (Elder Datillo) is doing?

About the earthquake recovery efforts (request of Mom): I'm not kept real up to date on all of the goings on with the earthquake business and all that jazz. We are really limited on the amount of media information that we receive. (Although I'm very impressed by the size of the meteor that flew over Wisconsin... ¡Impresionante!). All I know is that there are 3 elders in our mission (2 that live with me and 1 other) that leave for Concepción on the 4th of May. I've heard also that there are a few sectors that are recently receiving water potable and light, and that there are still a lot of missionaries living in the chapels. The first new missionaries in the Chile Concepción Mission arrived there on Tuesday by bus from Santiago. (They were in the CCM here and the MTC in Provo). There are a lot of service projects and stuff like that happening. The Church is keeping pretty good track of it on the website for Área Chile www.lds.cl.

The weather here is finally starting to change. Thursday it actually started raining and did so for about 2 hours (light rain no más). It is starting to feel a lot like Texas weather and can't decide what it wants to do... today it is just a little cool out.

On the topic of the earthquake again... I heard about this story or quick account last week from one of the elders in the zone. The following is about what happened in the Isla Juan Fernández where one of my current zone leaders was during the earthquake and tsunami. Here is the link: http://lds.cl/s/index.php?moduloFrontend=fn_noticia&flujo=verNoticia&id=232.

So all in all not a whole lot of interesting things happening at this very moment in our sector. It is hard to start everything over from the beginning (de nuevo), but we are trying to keep moving forward. Currently we are teaching a family, la familia Stumpf, and are working with them to get them ready to accept a baptismal date... we've got a goal to have it in the next 2 weeks and the familia could easily meet the goal.

I've really had to learn a lot about myself recently. There are unfortunately a few things that I don't like about who I am, but I'm striving my hardest to change them. In our ward there is una hermana/returned missionary that says that I'm a lot like her (poco tolerante [a little intolerant]), but I'm starting to change... partly because I want to, partly because I need to... I can promise everyone at home that I'm not the person that I used to be, I'm starting to figure out who I am...

I love this work and the changes that it can make in people and in their lives... I wouldn't change a single experience I've had here or am having here for anything else in the world at this very moment. I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a full time servant of the Lord and help other people to change their lives also.

I love you all and miss you all! (And Mom, if I gained weight, good [kinda]... and I think I've gained a little bit). Look forward to talking to y'all in a couple weeks... I'm not really counting.

¡Todo mi amor y carino!

-- Élder Todd