District Conference with President

Things are going pretty well here in Villarrica, Chile. Just chillin’ here in the cyber after we walked down from the house and stopped to take some pictures of the beautiful volcano here and the beautiful sights as well...;) haha naw but I’m good and I have liked being with my new companion Elder Vasquez. We have been killin’ it this last week and Ignacio is continuing well. We had a noche de hogar (family home evening) with him and the family of the Hermana Hugeth, and another less active family and it was really cool! Not exactly the mini Thanksgiving I was expecting but it was an awesome noche de hogar for the least!!:) As for Isaias he is in Santiago... but we have a new investigator named Monica and she is really cool. She has been really receptive to us and she has started to read and pray so that is awesome!!:) Also we have a new investigator Nivia who can speak English and she lived in Utah, in Saint George for a couple years and now lives here again!!:) Oh and this past Sunday we had district conference and President Isom came and spoke! It was so cool to hear him and his wife speak. It was so powerful to hear them speak:) also after we had interviews with President as well so that was sweet!!

As for being district leader I am here basically to help the missionaries in my district to be motivated and to help them to become better missionaries. So every week I have a district meeting. Most district leaders look at the numbers for the last week and basically put shame on their missionaries to get better lessons, new investigators, investigators in the church, ect. But as for me, I like to put our goals for the next week up and talk with the missionaries as to how we are going to achieve them and basically what is our purpose to try and achieve these. Which truthfully is to share the gospel and bring souls unto Christ in the most efficient way possible.:) haha sorry I don’t know if that makes sense...

I know!!! It’s so crazy that December is basically here!! I feel like we just started November!! but oh man I’m so happy that Thanksgiving was awesome!!:) It doesn’t feel like Christmas here. It’s hot. Right now it’s only about 80 degrees but its friggen humid... and tomorrow it says 95 degrees... with 65 % humidity… How is everyone in the family and what are they all up too?? But seriously thank you so much for the pics and I hope everyone is well! Well basically my mini Thanksgiving was the noche de hogar, so it was pretty sweet!!:) And yes mom I’ll let you know about the package!:)

That’s a really cool thought!! I like that a lot!! (I told him about a speaker in sacrament meeting who talked about how we are fighting an evil prince and must find our inner peace in order to defeat him, which we can do through the Atonement.) That is so true to find our inner peace in this life we really have to understand and appreciate the loving atonement and sacrifice that Jesus did for us. He suffered and died and was resurrected so that through him we don’t need to suffer and we too can be resurrected after this life.:)

Thank you momma for all that you do!!:) You really don’t know how awesome you are!! Thank you for everything!! Have a great week ok?!:) Love you to eternity and back!!:) and remember 1 Nephi 3:7 and #Nike2k16 #Justdoit

Love you more!!

Elder Shawners Spencer

1st Week as District Leader and Trainer

Well thank you so much mom, and I know that I can do it but it is definitely scary!! haha no but I love it and I know that with the Lord that anything is possible!! That is so true and I know that the spirit really can guide us and give us exactly what we need to know and do. This week I lost/left my keys in a random house because we knocked on their door and then went and gave them a blessing. My oil is on my keys, and when we left I forgot my keys on the table. Then later in the day I realized I lost my keys and couldn’t remember what happened. So we were in the house and I prayed and it was so cool; I had a clear picture in my head of the exact place the keys were. Then I remembered the exact house that I left them in!! Oh man it was so cool!! But when we went and got my keys, there was a drunk guy in the house and he threatened to kill us haha so we left rather quickly after we got my keys... haha

But as for Elder Vasquez he is from De Valparaiso, Chile!! He is a really cool guy!! He loves to talk with people so we were talking with basically everyone in the streets, and it was funny. He was waving at cars (and there are a ton of cars that drive by) and saying hi to everyone that passed. He is filled with excitement and it is really cool. It is funny cause I thought I had a lot of excitement!! As for teaching, President Isom showed us a way to teach really simply but powerfully with the folletos that we have of the lessons. It is great because it is clear, short and they can understand easier from what I have seen, because I have been using it with Elder Vasquez and it works really well. Also, Ignacio is doing really well. We taught him the restoration and he really liked it and said he was going to pray to know if it was true!! Also he accepted a baptism date for the 10th of December!

Thank you ahead of time for the package momma!! and thank you Melanie as well!!! But dang really mom!!!!:/ (I told him he had to wait until Christmas to open his presents and couldn’t peek at the stockings hahaha). but ahhh ok. I will wait for the stuff that is wrapped!! And thank you for the heads up, I will read the note.:) Thank you so much for everything momma!!

Wow that is cool about the product launch, how is that going? but oh man I miss going to plays!! haha I know funny right? But the plays there are really good! They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here but I’m trying to set up a noche de hogar/mini Thanksgiving with the Hermana Hugeth and her family!

That is awesome about the New Testament. It is so true that if we have the spirit with us, and do our part to have the spirit, also having confidence in the spirit; then the spirit will give us the words to say! I love that. Thank you so much momma for everything you do. I hope you have a great week this week!!!

Do work mom!! and can’t wait to hear back!!

Love,
Shawners :)

Elder Thomas, Shawn and his new companion Elder Vasquez

What can I say... that face :)

Shawn with Hermano Mora from his ward

Hay Cambios... :)

Well this past week has been awesome and insane!! Then today for P-day the craziness continues!! We received permission to watch Captain America Civil War as a District so we watched that today. Then during the movie the Zone leaders called. As far as me, well Elder Medina is finishing the mission and going to his house, and I am going to train and be district leader here in Villaricca!! As for my new companion, his name is Elder Vasquez and that is all I know as of right now. I receive him on Wednesday!! So that will be crazy haha.

But Ojos de Caburgua was tan bakan! On Tuesday, we went to the volcano with President Diaz (Branch Pres here) and it was so cool and cold haha!! Then on Thursday we had zone conference with President Isom. It was so good and we learned so much including a new way to teach, so I’m excited to start practicing! :) Also Pres. Isom removed all the extra rules so now we can play soccer, drink mate and coke, and do paseos como distrito! (district tours). It was an awesome conference! Also we had a cool experience this past week. We were on our way home at night on Friday and we started to talk with a man named Ignacio. He said he was looking for a religion and wanted us to teach him about ours!!!!!:) and he came to church on Sunday and we are going to go and teach him this week after cambios.:)

Wow that sounds like an awesome Sunday in church. It’s true that if we can turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones we will see the world in a completely different way!! The Lord always has things he has and wants to share with us but it is all on his timing!!:)

I’ll get back to you on the ideas of what to read next. But you could read the New Testament? It is really good and we use the bible a lot here in Chile to teach the first lessons. :) Love you momma and let me know what is going on with the package. Thank you so much for everything and good luck with the product launch!!:)

Love you momma and have a great week ok??:) Love you crazy lady! (To anyone reading this, that last comment may sound strange, but it's just something between me, Chad and Shawn :). Totally made me smile.)

le amo mama,

Elder Spencer (Shawners)

Shawn with their Branch President Diaz

Ojos De Caburgua!!!:)

Hey momma!! Things are going very well here in Villarrica Chile! Also thank you about the talk! It honestly was awesome because it didn’t even feel like it was that long! But my Spanish is definitely getting better though, but the gift of tongues is so real. I know I am getting better in my Spanish; and I know if it wasn’t for the Lord, I wouldn’t have this gift or the power and authority that I have right now.:)

This last week was really good! We had a "noche de hogar" (family home evening) with the branch here and not a whole lot of people showed up, but with the people we had there it was a really good family home evening. We started out by showing a video of the temple, then we talked about the "pasos" or the steps to get to the temple. After the lesson we played the game where you put the name of a person on a paper on your forehead and you have to ask people questions to figure out who you are. It was so fun!!:) And the reason we talked about temples is because the branch here is going to the temple this coming Friday so I am so excited for them!!

Also today we went to Ojos de Caburgua!! and it was so beautiful!!! Oh man I’ll try to send some cool pics but it is like a grove that has a bunch of different water falls! It was so cool and also Elder Thomas came up from Valdivia with his companion to go!

Wow I can imagine why that was your favorite place!!:) (I was speaking of the Philadelphia temple). That temple is so beautiful!! Also I am so down to go to a bunch of different temples after I get home, but it will be in a little while;) haha cause I have some work to do here!

That sounds like you had a way crazy week, but a way fun Halloween!! haha oh man I love that game and oh man Brooklyn is so cute! I remember me and Chad use to always play with her and chase her around! But I’m glad that you still love your work!

I love fast Sundays as well!! And as for this branch usually we have about 45 or 50 people in the church but this last Sunday we had 35..:/ but still the people are a little shy at first but after 1 or 2 people, a lot of people start to get up and share so it is really cool!! I love to listen to everyone here get up and bear their testimony! But oh man I remember that talk and yes that is definitely very important. For my thought this week it goes along with yours: Love the people you serve. If you can truly learn to love others, it is amazing the things you can do to help them and the trust they will have in you!!

Love you momma and thank you for everything you do!! I hope you have a great week and I’ll talk to you next week ok!!:))

Love,

Elder Spencer (Shawners)

Showing some muscle at Ojos de Caburgua

Ojos de Caburgua

Noche de hogar