Last One!

HEY GUYS,                                                                                                                          March 2, 2015

 So this is the last email I will be able to send you guys as a missionary. crazy bus! Time has gone by like crazy. I am so happy and so grateful to have been a missionary and to be able to work this last week. We are going to work hard. I don't have a whole lot of time to write since we went to this lake for P Day and the bus broke down and we got back late, but it was a bunch of fun so its okay.

This past week we taught this new investigator, Jannet, the restoration. She has a really sad story and has gone through A LOT. Her husband passed away 3 years ago, has cancer right now and her 2 daughters are moms at a very young age. She is really sincere and when we taught her, the spirit was really strong, but also really simple. It was like there was a little bubble around us there at the kitchen table and even though there were dogs barking and cars flying by outside it didn't matter because we felt at peace and calm. We invited her to pray and ask God about the truthfulness of what we had taught and about baptism right then and there. She did, and after she prayed, the Spirit was there. I feel like saying the Spirit was strong isn't really right because it wasn't any earth shaking, crazy thing. It was even better because it was a peace and calmness that you don't feel from any source other than God and it is that peace that I know is what helps people to change their lives. It is something that I have been able to feel so much here in Chile and that is really a huge blessing. 

I am excited to see you guys and grateful for what the mission, the Lord, the people and the spirit have taught me everyday. I have felt the power of the Atonement in my life and seen it work in the lives of others and that is one of the greatest blessings.

I am not sad but I will miss the mission a lot a lot. I am happy!  Because I know how blessed I am to be here for another week and to have been here for all this time and to have learned and grown so much and had so many amazing experiences and also to be able to see you guys again. 

I love you all a lot!

Love always,

Hermana Chalmers

this is my favorite scripture- 

Alma 33:23 - it has helped me out a lot, especially the last line.

 23 And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree,springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then 

may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will.

!Nos vemos pronto!

Fun at the lake for P day

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

The rest of January!

Hey guys!                                                                                                                         1-26-15

It has been a great week. Today I am starting my last transfer! Hermana Hungria is still going to be my companion which I am really happy about. Things are really picking up here in Villa Obispo. This past week we found some really cool people that we are excited about. One of them is a family who told us their lives are like the life of Job from the Bible minus the plagues... The son, Fabian, has so many questions about the Plan of Salvation and the mom explained to us how she just doesn't feel like she has a purpose in this world. She said she wakes up in the morning and wishes she could be excited for a new day and new adventures but she isn't and she doesn't feel a real happiness. It made me so so sad to listen to her and also at the same time I realized just how happy and blessed I am to have the gospel in my life that is genuinely makes me so happy everyday and gives me something to work for every day. Our lives have purpose and that is someting that lots of people don't have. Could you imagine that? Just not feeling like there was any reason to wake up and go to work, or go to school or whatever. Hermana Hungria and I are really excited to teach them and we have been studying up on ways to help them understand God's plan and the importance of agency.

We also found this lady, Gisela, that left the Catholic Church and is now looking for a church that fills her soul and that is really the truth. She was going to come to church but sadly her husband came home and she is scared to leave during the morning because that is when she makes lunch and she says he will get mad at her. She also smokes a TON and says she has smoked since she was 13. (Cam-Im gonna smoke when Im 10!)

We also are teaching a less active family that always gives us a bunch of blueberries because the son's wife works on a blueberry farm that ships all of their fruit to the "gringos." 

Also, we ate lunch with this other less active family on Friday and on Sunday they came to church! They showed up late and sat in the back and when I looked back behind me and saw them it just made me so happy.

I am really excited for these 6 weeks that I have left. Really I am. I know there is still so much I can accomplish and lots of people we can help so I'm going to, as Dad always says, "Take it to the next level!" hahah. It is going to be great.

I love you guys!

love always,

Hermana Chalmers

Hermano Carlos Quezada - coolest guy ever

Hey! Its Wednesday!                                                                                                          1-21-15

This week was really good. We had an activity in the mission in the Southern part of the mission in a little town called Traiguen. It was so much fun. It was like girls camp 2.0 or something like that but with missionaries. We got shirts and played a bunch of games, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, kickball, watched Meet the Mormons and had a BBQ. I will send some pics. 

(hey! shout out to Courtney, they are playing Green Day in this cyber)

It has been a little tougher this week with finding people with all the people in LA on vacations or at the river because it is so hot so we have been focusing in finding through less active members and part member families which has been pretty cool. Sunday was a harder day and we didn't see a lot of the fruits we were hoping for from the work we had done during the week. I was pretty bummed sitting there in sacrament. My companion showed me a scripture in DyC 78:77-88 that says, 

 17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in hisown hands and prepared for you;

 18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of goodcheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and theblessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

It really helped me out a lot and was an answer to a lot of questions I had had during the week. God asks that we try our best and give all we have. There are a lot of things that have happened in the mission with our investigators or with the ward that are hard to understand and are tough but we are here to learn every day, we can't have all the answers in one moment which means that sometimes things won't make complete sense, and that is when God asks us to exercise faith and confidence in Him and His perfect plan.

Also we found this family and the dad is a hard core 7th Day Adventist that has studied everything and anything that has to do with religion. He is pretty intimidating but it has been learning to trust in the Spirit and have confidence in the power and authority we have as missionaries. But I won't lie, there have been moments when I just wanted to pee my pants as he talked to us about all kind of doctrine and information.

It is SO hot here in LA but I love it! I would definitely prefer it to the rain and cold in the winter here. Cambios are this Monday but I am pretty sure I am staying here to finish my mission with Hermana Hungria. At least I hope so.

love you guys!

love always,

Hermana Chalmers 

The group I got to the mission with

pics from the activity

1-12-15

Hey team! It was a great week, Eduardo got baptized! Yahooo! The day of his baptism we had to fill the font in the morning and the heater didn't work so he got baptized in freezing water, but its alright because its like 100 degrees here every day. Also his grandma, mom and two friends came to his baptism. That was a big one because Eduardo is a pretty quiet guy and he kept telling us he didn't think anyone would come but they did and they really enjoyed it so that was a miracle in itself. President Martinez baptized him and it was pretty funny because he came out of the bathroom in all his white clothes except his pants and said, "Hermanas... we have a small problem. I left my white pants at my house." hahah. It was a really simple and short baptism but it was so great. The spirit was strong and I know Eduardo was happy and content. When he was getting baptized I remembered the first time we taught him and all the questions he had and doubts as well. It is so cool to see how the gospel can put our lives at ease and bring us so much peace and hope. I know that is what it has done for Eduardo and what it will be able to do in the future for the rest of his family. On Friday before Eduardos baptism we taught him about baptisms for the dead and temple work and he loved it. He told us he didn't know why but all of what we were teaching him was really familiar and also that he had been thinking about what happens to the people who don't get the chance to be baptized the night before. It really is such a miracle that we are a part of the true church. It gives us all the answers. I love teaching the plan of salvation because it really does fill in all the cracks and takes care of everyone, every situation.

Thanks for everything! I love you guys!

Love,

Hermana Chalmers

p.s i will write you next wednesday instead of monday because we have a mission activity next Monday.

The freezing water in the font

Eduardo's Baptism

some grafitti

Pictures from Zone activity on the 1st of January and from the mission P Day activity on January 19th!

HOLA 2015!

Hey!                                                                                                                                     January 5, 2015
2014 was definitely the quickest year of my life. This week was really good. We ate dinner on New Years Eve with The Quezada Family. They are the funniest people ever. They have two little daughters and both served missions and love anything that has to do with missionaries. We ate SO MUCH. In Chile, the holidays=meat in all shapes and forms. We stayed up until midnight with the four of us girls in the house to celebrate the new year so it was good stuff.

New Year's Day we planned an activity with the two zones in Los Angeles at a cabin that a member has. We played games in this huge field, 7 on 7, frisbee, soccer and a ate chorripan (mini sausage hot dogs, a Chilean favorite) and pebre. It was super fun. We all got super sunburned, too.

Friday was one of the hottest, hardest and best days ever for Hna Hungria and I. Everyone was out of town for the holiday weekend and we were fasting and it was about 1000 degrees outside. It was just a show. The first house we got into the guy kept trying to make us soda so we had to explain to him what a fast was and he just said our church was trying to hurt us, hahah, then when we left he tried to kiss us on the cheek and we had to refuse that too so that was just the cherry on the cake. Later, we contacted this lady outside her house and I think she was having a bad day because she just blew up on us and told us that we don't respect Chilean lives, people flee from us, we try too hard, and while she was going off and we were trying not to laugh her taxi passed by and she missed it. She stared at the taxi driving away and then turned around, stared at us and said "I missed my taxi and it's your fault! Look what you do!" hahah oh man! She told us get far away from her house but we were just hysterical afterwards. The best part was even though it was a hard day, it was a really great day ,too. There genuinely is a lot of power in smiling through hard things, laughing it off and just keep working hard. When we pass through hard days or trials or whatever it is, God is mindful of it and blesses us and we really did see the blessing because the next day, Eduardo came to church! and he is going to get baptized on the 10th! AND President Martinez (our old mission pres. who is in our ward) is going to baptized him! Earlier in the week he came with us to teach him and it was the coolest thing ever to watch him teach and listen to Eduardo and answer all his questions. 

We had lunch with a family yesterday and the dad LOVES the American Flag. He is just obsessed with it for some reason. So I gave him one of the mini ones mom sent me and when I handed it to him he shed a few little tears. Haha. It was the sweetest thing ever. Also yesterday, we visited a less active member, Gladis, and we were trying to get to know her a little and see how we could help her out and as I stood up to put in my USB to watch a mormon message I stepped right on her little poodle's foot and the dog screamed and starting barking at me. I felt so bad! and Gladis was trying to keep it cool but I could tell she was a little bugged. My compaion was just cracking up and you guys know I'm not a huge fan of dogs but I was trying real hard to be nice to that dog to make up for it but to no end...he is so scared of me now. 

1 Nephi 9:5-6

Love you guys!

HNA MEG

at The Quezada's for New Year's Eve dinner

Happy New Year!

Chorripan!

New Year's activity...

Feliz Navidad

Hey guys! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!                                                  Dec. 29, 2014

This week has been a good one, a little tougher to find people in their houses for the holidays, but still great.

As I told you on Christmas Day we went to Salto de Laja, that is about 30 mins out of Los Angeles and then ate lunch with some members that live out there. They are this old couple that are constantly fighting or making jokes or teasing so it was hilarious. 

I love Christmas here. It is so cool to be able to experience it in such a different way but also be able to feel so happy and content serving others and seeing their lives change. We went and visited a recent convert, Audelina, who is in her late 70s and lives alone, on Christmas Eve and gave her a gift and sang her some Christmas hymns. She was so happy and told us about her conversion story and how she learned to read with the Book of Mormon. We read some scrips with her and she was so pumped to read, even if she couldn't do it too fast. I love to see that we can find joy in simple things and also that if you can feel the spirit with people you love and serve, even in such a simple moment, it is so fulfilling.

On Christmas Eve we ate dinner with a young family in our ward and before we ate we watched "He is The Gift." I have seen it a lot of times, but it was so sweet to watch it there with that family with their little Christmas tree. There was a really sweet spirit present. I love when it says, "He is the Christ. He is Christmas." The joy that everyone feels at this time of year is because of Jesus Christ and His love for us.

Also, Eduardo, our investigator who we are really excited to be baptized the first week in January took a complete turn when we went to see him on Sunday saying that he just doesn't know about the church with all the stuff about Joseph Smith and the 12 apostles and such. That morning I read a General Conference talk from the last conference, "Joseph Smith" and it talks about how in the world there is so much opposition right now against the prophets and the truth especially in these latter days and that it is our responsibility to strengthen our testimony of Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon and the living prophets because it will be tried at some point. Remember those things and that the Book of Mormon is so strong and has the power against all the opposition.

I love you guys!

Love,

Hermana Chalmers

Zone Gift Exchange

Christmas morning

Salto de Laja

                                                                                                                                    Dec. 22, 2014

I don't have a bunch of time but it's all right because I will be talking with you guys this Thursday! Christmas really snuck up there. This week was awesome. I am so happy with my companion Hermana Hungria. She is just the best and we work together really well. This past Friday we had leadership council in Concepcion and we Skyped with this guy, Hermano Donaldson, who gave us a training that just blew my mind and changed my whole perpestive of teaching in the mission. He did a practice where he taught us the restoration super simplified using the pamphlets we have and it was just so awesome. He talked about how when we invite people to be baptized really we are inviting them to accept the redeeming power of the Atonement in their lives. So great. So that same day when we got back to our area we went to an appointment with some future investigators, Connie and Miguel, they are 20 and 21, brother and sister, and we applied what we had been taught that day in the training with teaching the restoration and it was one of the coolest things ever. They accepted the invitation to be baptized and The Spirit was just so strong. Hermano Donaldson said, " When we participate we allow The Spirit to teach us" and I just love that. I have been talking way too much in lessons. When people can come to their own conclusion and we just ask questions and guide their thoughts, miracles happen. 

Also, I have been teaching my comp some English phrases. Right now we are working on, "take it easy" and "don't mess with me." I taught her "see you later aligator" "in a while crocodile" last week and it's a hit. We are testing it out with all the North Americans.

Wahooo! I am really happy and excited for this transfer.
Feliz Navidad! I love you guys a ton!
Love always,

Hermana Chalms

I love Hermana Hungria

me and Hna H.

Loving Life in Los Angeles

                                                                                                                             Dec. 15, 2014

Hey! Today is the start of a new transfer. Hermana McFadden finished the mission and my new companion who is getting here tomorrow is Hermana Hungria from Ecuador. I am really excited! We came to the mission together but she was in the Chile MTC. Also I'm staying here in Los Angeles. 

This week has just been kind of a blurr, but that is a good thing I think. I did an exchange this past week with one of the hermanas who is in her first cambio in the mission and it was one of the coolest experiences. We saw all kinds of miracles. The first was a recent convert that has been struggling lately has been almost impossible to find. She is 17 yrs old and we have been worried about her. Well we stopped by that day and she was home with her sister and starting asking us questions about her personal progress and asked if we could help her out. She has been going through a tough time lately so it really was such a miracle that we were able to have some time with her. Also at the end of the day we had like 15 minutes left before we had to go into the house and we said to each other that we were going to invite someone to be baptized before the day ended. It was so great because like 3 minutes before we had to go home we knocked on this door that is on the same street as our house and a girl answered and we asked her if we could share a short message of Christ and she let us in! She is 19 yrs old and has a 3 year old son and looked so tired and worn out. Her family was teasing her that she let us in and was talking to us but I was grateful that we were still about to feel the spirit, teach her something simple and invite her to be baptized. She said Yes too! It really is so cool to see how mindful God is of us and of all of His children. I have been thinking a lot lately about our agency and the agency of others and how much it affects missionary work and whether people have the opportunity to accept the gospel or not. It is a beautiful thing to witness other people letting the spirit touch them and being willing to learn and to change and seeing it in their eyes when they really do understand or really do feel the spirit testifying of the truth.

Also, we had the primary program yesterday in sacrament and I witnessed quite possibly the cutest primary program instance ever. This little girl, Fernanda, was asked to share her testimony of what she had learned that year in primary (she is about 4 or 5) and she walked up nervously to the pulpit, stared at the audience wide eyed for like 30 seconds and then said really slowly, "You should never hurt animals.....and always leave them alone." Her little lip was quivering the whole time and then she just stared at the congregation breathing heavily until her mom came and got her and then she started bawling. Ahhh I love the primary program and good thing it's a hit in all parts of the world

I love you guys! Thanks for everything!

Love always,

Hermana Chalmers

hermana pendley, the mission secretary. i love her!

hermana mcfadden and i at the christmas conference in san pedro

hahah trying to get hermano jose to take a selfie, he didn't understand it at all haha

SOY churrasco. i love my life

Mi querida familia,                                                                                                      Dec. 8, 2014

This week was so good. I learned a lot of good things. Lots of little miracles also.

- We ate lunch with an Hermana that is recently reactivated and after we finished eating we shared a spiritual thought with her. It was my turn to share so I pulled out my scrips and turned to Helaman 3:35.

 "Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctifcation of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."

I really love this scripture and I wanted to share it with her and turn it toward missionary work but as we read it, the part where it says, "they did fast and pray oft" stood out to me and I felt like I should share with her about the importance of those two things. It turns out that this hermana has been having a hard time finding a job. She barely had enough money to give us lunch and has been praying so hard for help and not knowing what else to do. She said that it had never come to her mind to try and fast as well and that the scripture was an answer to her prayers. It was really cool for her to be able to see how the Spirit can work through us to help others and also how the scriptures hold the answers to all of our questions and help us to receive constant revelation for even the simplest problems and questions.

- Also we found a family that is awesome! It is a mom, Carmen, a grandma, Teresa and the son, Eduardo. We taught them and they were super excited about it all, especially Eduardo (he ended up coming to church and even stayed after with us to watch a ward baptism!). At the end of our lesson we invited him to pray and he said he would even though we was a little nervous but it was so funny because right before he prayed he said... "yeah... Im going to turn off the lights" and shut off the lights real quick, said the prayer in the dark and then turned them back on. hahah.

- We taught some recent converts, Jose and Magdalena, (they are cousins and are both about 50 or so) and invited them to invite some neighbors or friends to a ward activity we are having next week and they ended up getting into an argument about being judgemental on what neighbors to invite and who REALLY deserved an invitation even if they would say no. Hahah it was quite the scene to observe.

- In a contact in the street the other day we talked to this really nice guy who told us, "Sorry it's just, I don't have time to be Mormon." How ironic is that one? We tried to explain to him that really the fact was that being Mormon would make all the other time he has even more worth using and really the most important thing he could be doing with his time was finding the true church and coming closer to Christ. He wasn't really having any of but I thought that was interesting what he said, such a backwards thought when you really think about it.

I love you guys a lot!

 Thanks for everything! 
Feliz Navidad!

Love always,

Hermana Megan Chalmers