11-26-12

An American Thanksgiving dinner in Chile!

Showing off the turkey.

Doing weekly planning in style ... with cookies!

¡Buenas tardes!

To start off, you asked about the earthquake.  What earthquake? We've had a few temblores [tremors] this week but nothing big. I heard that there was a fairly good sized temblor a few days ago but I think Elder Smith and I slept through it haha. Typical me huh? Temblores are definitely a new thing for me. I feel like the whole earth is on a waterbed actually, but whenever it has happened I have gotten pretty excited. One of them this week happened while we were teaching a lesson. Elder Smith noticed it first, and then we all stopped talking for a moment to feel it. Speaking of sleeping through stuff, there was a shooting in the Santa Julia Saturday night. A lot of people were talking about it because it woke everyone up. Well, everyone except for Elder Smith and I haha. We must be dead when we sleep! Mom, no worries, because we live in a gated apartment complex and we're completely safe. Besides, no one has ever given the missionaries a problem in the Santa Julia. What's ridiculous though is that at least three members' houses are right next to where the shooting happened. The Santa Julia is a bad place to live in my opinion. A lot of drug dealing goes down there. One time, when we were visiting Hermana "S," this random guy runs into her house because he was running from the cops for marijuana possession. Another day, Elder Smith and I were walking through the street where all the drug deals go down (the same street where the shooting was--go figure) and we saw the main drug dealer take out this shoe box filled with substances that I couldn't even guess were in there, and sold some to this girl. Crazy stuff crazy stuff. But we've never had a problem. The people just want their drugs that's all--it's an awfully sad way to live, but they don't want anything else.

Elder Smith and I have been getting some new investigators and losing others. We lost "D,",the Evangelical one. He first told us his minister told him to tell us to not visit him but to visit other people who don't "know God." But, his aunt offered us soda, so we said yes and entered their house. Then, we managed to teach him the Restoration. It was okay at first, but then he started getting defensive and asked us questions that he thought would poke holes in out doctrine. When we easily handled his questions, he got offended and a little upset. Elder Smith was very, very good with speaking to him as a person and spoke very understandingly and with testimony, but David told us that he preferred it if we don't go back. So, he's gone. It's too bad that he wouldn't hear "sound doctrine" to put it in the words of Paul.

We taught a woman named "S" for the first time this week. We actually visited a less-active who is returning to activity first, and then we asked him if he could accompany us to see her.  It was in her visit that we felt the temblor haha. She's from the South so she actually let us in.  People from Santiago aren't always very nice and often reject us, so when she let us in, I figured she was from the South, and she was! Elder Smith visited her a second time this week while we did divisions [splits], and in that visit her 15 year old daughter was there and she was interested too! I hope something really good comes from them.

"J" (the gringo from Washington) came to church again! I don't know what's going to happen with him but I think it's awesome that he comes to church every once in awhile. I asked him if he was thinking about coming again and he said he probably will. I don't think he has a spiritual experience when he comes because he doesn't understand much of anything, but you never know. In Gospel Principles, we talked about the scriptures, and afterwards asked us how we justify the scriptures in Revelation and Deuteronomy that say not to add anymore to the Bible. Instead of trying to answer his question right there, I'm just going to print out Elder Holland's talk from 2008 and let him read that haha.

Thanksgiving went very well! It was really fun to have Thanksgiving with the Saldañas, because they are some of the best people I know here. Everything tasted really good, and then afterwards, we gave thanks, which was a spiritual experience in itself.

I hope you all are well! Kurt looks great. I'm also very happy that you all had a great Thanksgiving! I definitely miss Mom's food haha. I'm definitely enjoying the weather here! Although it's so weird to listen to Christmas music because when I do, I feel like it should be cold and snowy outside! [Chile's seasons are opposite of ours in the U.S.]

Tell Micah I say hi! I hope he's doing well and is enjoying work and college. I miss Sawyer and Beckett too!

Just so you know, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to skype on Christmas. :)

I love you and miss you! ¡Que estén bien!

Elder Hill