Happy Halloween!!!

Wow this last week flew by!!! For starters we usually have consejo de lideres (council leaders?) every week in Panguipulli, but starting this week we only have consejo de lideres once a month!! So that was a new thing that President changed. Also the rules have changed in our mission so we can play soccer now!!! haha It’s not as good as football; but no one here plays football, so soccer will work for now.:) Also it is a really good way for us as missionaries to do contacts! This last week was really good. Isaias was in Valdivia so we only taught him once and we taught about the plan of salvation. He really liked the idea that we can live with our families forever so that was awesome!!:) Also this last week we did a ton of service for people and we taught Sonia!! so that was sweet. We had 2 new investigators show up to church so it was awesome!! :) But overall this last week was great and haha on Sunday I got asked last minute (as sacrament was starting) to give a talk on missionary work. ALSO I filled 15 minutes in Spanish!! It was actually really cool. I definitely had the spirit with me helping me the whole time!

Wow haha that is so sweet about the trunk or treat!! As for here in Chile not really many people celebrate it. But everyone loves Halloween because it is an excuse not to work. But hey who wouldn’t!!;) I saw the pictures that is awesome!! Thank you for the pics!! Also it sounds like your trip for work was more like a vacation!!;) haha no but that is awesome. What was your favorite place you visited??

That is crazy about Devin!! I can’t believe he is already leaving!! haha that is sweet that he is going to Mexico! I love that thought from him about being ripped with faith! I am definitely going to work on that!! Also thank you so much for your thought about fasting and the challenge, I’m gonna do it!! It is so true about the blessings and peace we can receive from prayer and fasting. Prayer is here for us to talk with our Heavenly Father. He wants us to talk with him and he wants to help us but first we need to do our part!!:)

Love you momma and thank you for everything. I hope that this week is awesome. Also I hope you like the pictures!!:) Keep praying and being spiritually prepared for cualquiere desafio (any challenge) !!:) Love you!

Love you mom,

Elder Spencer:)

This is Hermano Valenia. We helped him finish this light fixture!!!

What the... 6 months??

Well as you may have noticed by the short little intro above, if my math is correct I believe I hit my six month mark this past week on miércoles!!! (Wednesday). So that was really cool but also really sad because I can’t believe it’s already been 1/4 of my mission!! haha but oh man I hope that you are close to the new temple in Philadelphia when you are there!! Because oh baby girl that is one beautiful temple!! haha Max showed me the pictures of that temple! Ummm and as for the package, we already ate the pancakes and the seeds and they were delicious thank you! As for the jams todo vía no, because I am trying to make them last but I’m gonna eat them this week!! Thank you so much for the package and everything that you do!!

This last week was a little fome (lame) in terms of lessons taught and everything. But we have a ton of good work could result from last week! We found and taught Isaias this last week and he said that we can come back DURING the week this week to teach him so I hope all will work out well with that. Also we have a less active member (Ulga Jaramillo) who is reactivating and we had some lessons with her this past week. She said this week she is going to have her 2 daughters come and listen (because they aren’t members), so we are going to see where that goes!!:) In church on Sunday we were talking with the members and now for this week we have 2 service projects set up, and 2 family home evenings! This is awesome because we have a lot of part member families here in this branch so I’m happy to see what will happen!!:) But don’t worry I am doing good and I know that we aren’t going to have success in every moment so I’m doing my best and enjoying the little things!!;)

(In response to my question of any interesting things they do there or superstitions...): Umm well there is a ton of cool and weird things they do, like the po at the end of words sipo, nopo, como estaipo, etc. They put mayo on practically everything here, and for almost all of the desserts it is canned peach with cream, haha weird but I love it. Also everyone here drinks Mate and eats bread with everything. Mate is an herbal tea, and the Chileans love it! There are more I believe but those are a few.. haha. As far as like a weird omen type of deal (superstitions) I don’t know but I’ll ask around to see haha.

But it’s cool here people don’t really knock doors.. they just yell HALO! (the h is silent). Also it was so cool to meet Sebastian. No I can’t imagine learning 2 languages, that would be insane! As far as Panguipulli, by bus it is about an hour and a half drive, in car like an hour drive? It is smaller than Villarrica but is basically on a hill right next to a lake, it is very beautiful!

As for Pato being gone this next week, we have been eating with the family Silva-Sepulvida (Hermana Hugeth). Yes they are members and they are awesome! Haha. I’m glad you liked all the fotos, and yes we are having lunch with them while Pato is gone, but I still miss Pato a little. It is weird not having him here. And yes I actually like mushrooms now.. haha idk Chile has changed me!!! haha

Woah that is insane mom!! I’m so proud of you that you went on those rides!!! haha and yeah the cannibal opened up a short time before I left I believe!! That is crazy but I’m glad you all loved it and had fun!!! Also that is awesome about the temple I absolutely love the photos you sent and I hope it was amazing! And as for the information on the 3 degrees of love that works, you can share it with me when I get home ... haha

Wow that sounds like an awesome sacrament meeting!! Those are some great topics and I love that story of Peter and Christ! I’m glad that the bishopric shared that. They are things that we need reminders of, which brings me to my thought. I was reading, yes I Elder Spencer was reading for fun, in the book "Our Search for Happiness" and there is a section entitled "Nothing in life works until..." I really liked this because if we want to have success in our life with relationships, family, work or whatever thing in life, we need to put ourselves closer to Christ. In this section a new family was having relationship problems but they found their commonality in Christ and strengthened their relationship together through Christ. I know that it is through Christ that all is possible and that we can do anything in this life with Christ, including overcoming the death of this life.:)

Love you mom and I hope you have a great conference in Philadelphia! I love talking to you and I am glad you love your Monday's now!! haha but have a great week and I’ll talk to you soon!!:)

Love you forever momma!!

Elder Spencer

Here are a few fun pictures I got from Hermana Hugeth this week:

Houston the Package Has Arrived...

First of all, that is awesome about the bathroom but please tell me you went to my work to get the new towel bars and stuff??? haha but needless to say yes it looks amazing!!! I love the new colors!!:) Also sorry about the package but I had to have a little fun (he told me it got lost, but then said just kidding), but thank you for not being too mad.:) OH MY GOODNESS I friggen loved my package and you guys did an amazing job putting it together.:) Thank you so much. I love everything you sent!!

Also I am doing very good, just enjoying another p-day here in beautiful Villarrica Chile.:) This past week was crazy! On Monday (last p-day) we helped with an activity for seminary in the church. Hence the picture and the guy in the middle is Sebastian. He lives in Osorno and returned from his mission like 2 weeks ago. He is a cool dude. He went to California for his mission Chinese speaking!!! He was in the MTC in Provo for 11 weeks to learn English then Chinese. But it was so cool to talk to him and hear all his experiences. Also this week we had inter-cambios with the zone leaders of Panguipulli and I went to Panguipulli with Elder Juarez. It was cool. We had some good lessons with some new investigators they have and I think they are progressing and learning well.:) On a sad note, we went and visited an old investigator during the day. She is really cool but having some problems in her marriage. So we listened to what she had to say and it was sad because she said there was no love between them but she doesn’t care for it to change, or she doesn’t want to try to fix it. So that was a little sad but I know things will get better for her with time!! Then on Thursday we went with Pato to the campo to eat lunch with his family, and we went and looked for these mushrooms they have here to eat in the campo but we couldn’t find them..:/ It was pouring rain and the umbrella you sent me broke as well... but it’s all good.:) It was a great week and I think we will have some new investigators this week if we can get citas (meetings), because we had some great contacts this last week.:) I continue to see the Lord bless us every day!!:) Also no new news on Sonia and Antonio yet...:/ It is hard to go and visit them because we have to go with a member in a car for like 40 min to get there.. but they are good still and continue to come to church. We just need to get them happily married!!:)

I’m glad you are reading and liking D&C. I love Doctrine and Covenants and I’m going to read section 88 this week so thank you!!:) But it is so amazing to me all of the additional info and revelation we have in these chapters!!:) Also as for the primary we have a few kids but not enough to do a program. But I love the little kids here they are so funny and crazy!! I’ll have to try and send pics of them!! It’s insane I now have 6 months in the mission this Wednesday, but I am getting better in the area of Spanish. It’s not perfect but getting better!!:)

WOW that is crazy about the kitchen and the bathroom!! But I loved the bathroom. It’s gonna be really weird after the mission! haha but also that reminds me, the photo of my companion, he now has 31 days left in the mission!! He is going to die!! haha

I feel like I’m getting better in my Spanish. It’s still hard at times but I’m getting better.:) Me and Elder Medina are working hard and don’t worry we are going to go out and help;) convert people. Because the Holy Ghost is the one that does the real teaching and converting. We are just the instruments in the Lord’s hands.:) My thought this week is from John 14:6. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can return to our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is the light and the way to eternal life.:)

Love you momma and hope you have an amazing week!!:) Also thank you for the reminder to back up my camera!!;) Keep up the great example and the happiness that you have. It is a light to everyone around you!!:)

Love you momma!!

Elder Shawners Spencer

Halloween Package 2016

I think he likes it :)

Shawn, Sebastian, Elder Medina at a seminary activity.

Elder Medina who has only 31 days left.

6 Months in Villarrica!!!!!

Sorry it was ferrial here yesterday so everything was closed..:/ but it's ok because I can write today! Well I’m glad that you liked the pictures!!:) This last week was really good. We had cambios (transfers); and as I think you have heard, I’m going to be staying here in Villarrica for another cambio!!:) Also I am going be with Elder Medina for his last cambio before he goes home. So this is going to be a great cambio I believe!!:) As for Isaias we didn’t get a chance to teach him this last week ‘cause he was with family in Valdivia. But we taught Benjamin, who is a 12-year-old of a really cool part-member family we have here in Villarrica. We hope to get him to church this week. Also this last week we went to Lider (Walmart of Chile) and bought milk and cereal, and I left my Agenda (aka planner) (with 40 mil inside) on the counter at Lider. I realized this at the house.... and so we hurried and took a bus back down to Lider. Just then Pato called us and said Lider called and reported they found my agenda with all the money.... So I had the Lord on my side that day!!! Also it was funny they called Pato because I have his number written in the front of my agenda as "Santo Papito" which in Spanish is Holy Father!!! Haha. So that was something scary but funny from this week.:)

I’m happy to be staying here because I love the people here and the sector is huge so we have a lot of work to do.:) Plus it is very beautiful here especially in Villarrica and Pucón. We had interviews with Pres. Isom like 2 weeks ago and he seems really cool and I look forward to talking and getting to know him better.:) We have been working with Carlos a lot after his baptism. He is still doing really good even though things aren’t going the best for him right now. But he is still happy and having a good attitude. It’s is so true the devil will always try to drag us or our new members down so that is why we are here.:)

Tell Doug thank you and God bless as well.:) When did you talk with him? Wow that is sweet about Jake Oldroyd and Madi!! It will be sweet to have them here!!:) (Jake is BYUs kicker and Madi is the sister of one of Chad’s friends. Both were called to the Chile Osorno mission recently). Umm the only advice I have is bring good waterproof clothes, shoes and backpack. That’s all for now.. haha:)

That is sweet about your new calling. I know that you will do great and I hope that you love it!!:) That is so awesome about your thought and Christ.:) He suffered for each and every one of us individually, so that is so cool that he would take the time to go to each and every one of his children.:) I love that thought, thank you mama.

Thank you mama for the email! Also no package yet but we are doing divisions tomorrow with the Zone leaders so I think I’ll get my package then!!:) But thank you so much for everything. Have a great week and do work!!:) And oh my quote for this week is "We are all the architects of our own happiness." Love you and have a great week.:)

Love,

Elder Shawners