Letter from Feb 16...but nothing from Feb 23. Bummer.

Feb. 16, 2015
Hey guys! Well it was a great week. I'm not exactly sure what to write because everything has just become a big blur lately. 

All of the youth in our stake went to EFY this past week and they came back just pumped on everything, it was pretty cool. They all shared their testimonies in church about how it had changed their lives and were coming up to us saying they wanted to go out and work with us because one day they are going to go on missions. Haha it was great!

We met another Adventist that told us we need to go pray to make extra sure what we are teaching is true because if we are teaching blasphemy we are in big trouble with God.

We taught this lesson that was actually pretty sad. It was a nice lady that was pretty old and apparently sick as well and her husband who at the time we came was slightly drunk I think and was kind of a jerk. He was just downing on his wife and saying she wouldn't understand anything we told her and that she wouldn't remember any of it even though she was really nice and all. Turns out the husband is a less active member. I felt really sad for her and that she has to go through that all the time but it is really nice to know that the gospel is for every person that is willing to listen and change.

This past week has been a little tough to find new investigadors for all the summer vacations but we have been trying hard to focus on finding the people that are really going to progress. It is something that has helped a lot and something I wish I would've put into practice sooner because we are here as missinoaries for such a short time. There's no time to waste with people that don't really want to listen or change. 

Oh! best thing ever, probably one of the sweetest moments of my mission. We went to an appointment with the recent convert, Eduardo who got baptized in January and in one of the lessons he shared his testimony of the Book of Mormon and the power it has and then about how the gospel has blessed his life and opened his eyes to all the blessings God is giving him. He said he has felt more grateful and blessed since he was baptized and I could just see that he really has been changed through the Atonement. Man it just made me so happy. I remember when we met Eduardo. He is really quiet and shy but the gospel has given him a different light. Yahooo!

Also, we did a pre-EFY activity with the 12-14 year old youth in the stake and pumped them up to go on missions. It was a lot of fun. I was remembering how spastic youth are. hahah. They were so hard to control and keep their attention! We did a mini iron rod/tree of life activity and it was good stuff. 

I love you guys! Thanks for everything!

See you soon! gah! Time is flying!

Love, 

Hermana Chalmers

Learning a Lot in Los Angeles, Chile

                                                                                                                                 Feb. 9, 2015
Hey! This week we saw a lot of progress with Gisela. She is reading the Book of Mormon every day and came to church yesterday and sat with a bunch of the members and made friends. It was really awesome. She has a baptismal date for the 7th of March so we are working with her so she can stop smoking for her baptism. She is taking it step by step and is really nervous but excited as well. I cant imagine how hard it would be...she has smoked since she was 13 and literally smokes all day long but she wants to stop so badly. It has been cool to see how the gospel is helping her to make bigger changes.

Also, we found like a billion 7th day Adventists these past few weeks and I know I am a jerk but when they just go wild about SATURDAY is the Sabbath Day I just want to freak out. Hahah. So I have learned a lot of patience, or at least tried to. We had this awesome lesson planned for an investigator, Fabian, who doesn't understand how God could have a plan for us where some people wouldn't be saved and how could God do that knowing the some would be lost...anyway, we were all excited and when we got to the lesson he had the Adventist's website up on the computer and was with his Bible asking us about why we go to church on Sunday and not Saturday. oh geez! All over the place! The thing is that all the scriptures in the world won't convince them if they don't feel and know that the Book of Mormon is true. It really is pretty cool to see the power the BOM has in the the conversations of other people and the willigness they have to change and act when they read it and also the problems they have when they don't...sorry, I am just rambling now. It was pretty funny because when we taught Fabian, his dad was there and we asked if he would say the closing prayer and he said, "No, I'm Satan." Hahah. I just wanted to start laughing my head off. He was just trying to give us a hard time because he is atheist. 

Something I learned this week is the importance of simplifying, of listening more than talking in lessons and focusing on putting myself in the place of others to understand them and be able to help them. It has been great because I realized I have been talking way too much and not listening enough so I am trying to change things up. 

Hope you guys are doing great! love you all!

Love,

Hermana Chalmers

FAMILY                                                                                                                       Feb. 2, 2015

Hey guys. Its Febuary! This week was great. One of our ward missionaries, Carla, left on her mission to Santiago. She is 23 and is a convert of about 2 years. She's the only member of her family and is just awesome. We are teaching her mom, Sonia ,who is SO CLOSE to being baptized! When we went to her setting apart it was a pretty weird experience for me because the last time I witnessed someone get set apart was me (does that make sense?). The great part is that her parents support her a lot and are happy for her but I can imagine it would be a ton harder to say goodbye to a family member without really understanding fully why they had to go for so long. I'm greatful that you guys support me and understand. 

We are also teaching this less active family, The Paredes. They are so funny and the daughters always grump to us about how much hard it is to find time to read the scriptures but we just give them a hard time. They also ran away from us after sacrament yesterday because they knew we were going to make them come to the classes. haha. But they are slowly coming back and it is really great to see the difference it is making in their family.

Our mission has this new focus for 2015 from the area in "Real Growth" in the church. Not just baptizing to baptized but baptizing to strengthen the church in the last days. It has been really awesome to see the results and how it really just makes so much more sense. The main focuses are on Baptizing, Retaining, and Reactivating. 

Also, yesterday we taught a recent convert's grandma that is Catholic and really sick. She has kidney failure so she has to have dialysis every other day for like 4 hours. She is so weak and in pain all the time. We talked to her and she told us how she prays for help and strength and that God will take her from this earth so she doesn't have to suffer anymore since she feels like she has already fulfilled her purpose here. It was so sad because you could just see the pain in her eyes as she spoke. My comp and I bore our testimonies of the power of the Atonement and how Jesus Christ understands perfectly how she feels and He suffered exactly for that reason. It is sad to see that people lose hope but also a miracle to see the the Atonement rescues all hope and brings everyone comfort and healing.

  I love you guys a lot!

Love always,
Hermana Meg Chalmers

Saying good-bye to Carla

Making empanadas for lunch