The first time I missed church in the mission and...

Well before I talk about church I’m gonna leave you hanging a little bit and talk about the rest of the week.;) March has seriously passed by so fast, it’s insane! This last week was really good and also as you know we didn’t have cambios so we didn’t have to worry about traveling this past week for that! So we met with Jaime this past week and we talked about the importance of seminary and he really liked the idea and decided that he wants to go!! So he’s going to start going to seminary this week! (and he’s not even a member yet!!) Also Fabian is going really good. We went over the restoration with him as well but he ended up having to work on Sunday so he couldn’t come..:/ but he still wants to come so we are working with him!:) Then on Thursday Chile played Argentina in soccer and we had a lesson with a part member family, then they invited us to watch the game after with them!:) But Chile lost.. so sad day. But it was funny to watch my comp freak out. I was thinking in my head that this is me for football in the US!!;) haha

Then back to the subject line.. on Saturday I had a little stomach ache and didn’t think anything of it. Then Sunday morning really early I had "Double Dragon" all morning (throwing up and diarrhea), so I couldn’t go to church in the morning. I called Hermana Isom (because she’s the mission nurse) and she told us to stay in the house. I was sad because they were at our church!! The first time I don’t go to church in the mission and the mission pres. (Pres Isom) comes to Quellón! (First time in like 5 years a mission Pres came to Quellón). I know I have some luck right? haha but they came to our house after to say hi and check on us. Today my stomach still hurts a little but I’m doing a lot better!:)

So we have a new branch president but yes we have the same mamita. Her husband is just Brother Ojeda now though.. it’s kinda weird... haha but our new branch pres. is Claudio Bornand! He’s so dope!:) He served his mission in Argentina. He'll be great I think!:) We have like 50ish who usually come to church:)

For this week we have zone meeting tomorrow and then meetings with all our investigators and trying to find them and new ones too.:) That is so awesome about the Holy Cow and Bridger! I didn’t even think that he would remember me, but he still does what a champ!!:) Tell them I say hi!!:)

Wow that sounds like a pretty uplifting spiritual week!;)  That lady is so amazing. It’s so cool that through all of her challenges and difficulties that she still could walk and do things normal and have a good normal life and get all those degrees!! and I can give a second witness to that: “Happiness is the key to having success in our lives.” If we aren’t happy, why are doing what we are doing? We are here to be happy and learn how to become better people.:) Also thank you for the scripture and I’m gonna go look that up!! (D&C 123: 12-14)

For conference this weekend I think that we are gonna go watch it in the church. But a little bit of a sad note is that I have to watch it in Spanish.. I can understand but it’s not the same because you can’t hear the voice of the apostle.. but it’s all good, I’ll still love it!!:)

Love you momma! I hope that you have an amazing week and hear some good news!!;) love you to eternity and beyond!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners Spencer

I believe this is what's left of his cake hahaha :)

Hamburgers for birthday dinner!

Translation: machines working....

Cambio Time....

Well no worries I don’t have cambios this time!!:) and my Comp Elder Gonzalez is going to stay here as well!:) So as for that, things are really good here in Quellón!!:) We had some really good lessons this last week!:) We got to go visit with Fabian. He is 23 and is an old investigator. This last week we had a meeting with him and he decided that he would like to come to church with us. Unfortunately he had work last week on Sunday but he said that he could come this week so that was really cool!!:) Also this week with Jaime we talked with him about the Holy Ghost and then on Friday about the Priesthood.:) It was a really good week.:) 

Also we visited some members and then we visited a menos active (less active) family called the Carrocas. They are super cool and the mom and son are members and the dad isn’t, but he is still a really cool guy! I hope that we can continue to work with and help them.:) Also for a funny story we went to cut wood this week for an abuela (grandmother) in the branch and I accidentally cut her electricity!!!! haha but no worries it was an easy fix and I had it up and running within like an hour! haha.:) As for new people, we had a menos activo come to church that I didn’t know and she wants to reactivate! Her youngest daughter isn’t a member so we are going to visit them this week!:)

My birthday was pretty fun. Our mamita made us a bomb lunch then on Sunday the members that fed us gave us some salmon and it was way good!!:) Saturday night just me and my comp had a party and made my cake at the house!!:) It was so fun! ALSO thank you so much for the gifts!!:) I’ll try to send some pics but I loved it!!:) Thank you so much for the birthday package and thanks to all who wished me happy birthday!!:) I absolutely loved all the gifts that you sent: the tie, shirt, sweats, belt, and the Broncos apron!!:) They are all so bomb!! so thank you momma and Mel and fam.:) That’s so cool that you got to go to the temple and that you got to go and have a party for gramps in Duchesne!!:)

I Love you so much momma!!:) I hope you have an amazing week!! Love you to eternity and back!!💪😀😘

Love,

Elder Shawners

Backed up...;)

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes!!:) It is ok that it is a few days early!!:) The work is going really well right now. We are in the zone now where I feel like everything is starting to go the way I want it!:) which makes me a little scared to leave this next week for cambios but we will see.:) Also yes I have my package now and I love it!!!:) THANK YOU so much mom and Mel!!! I haven’t opened the packages for my birthday yet... but the one with I think sweats was opened a little but my comp Elder Gonzalez took and hid them and said I can’t touch them until Saturday!!;) haha so no worries.:)

Well you’re probably wondering what’s going on with my subject line...;) haha well I’ll try to make a long story short. I pulled a muscle in my back last Monday and it was hurting pretty good. So we just went to our visits we had, then on Thurday we had intercambios. I went to Castro, with a painful ride for my back on the bus (I’ll talk about that in a sec). That night it was feeling a ton better... then on Friday I felt little to no pain.:) On the way back from Castro in the bus my little suitcase fell over and I tried to catch it. I don’t know what I did but I wrecked my back.. haha. I like almost couldn’t walk for Friday or Saturday... I felt like an old man!!! but no worries mom.:) I talked to the infermera (nurse) and have my doterra oils and they have been helping a lot to make the pain bearable.:) Right now as long as I don’t really move my back, I don’t feel the pain. It feels a lot better but still hurts so I guess I’ll just have to be very patient this week so I don’t hurt it again...;) And yeah we have tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday full of citas already so I feel like this week is gonna fly by as well! But mom don’t worry I’m OK!!:)

Oh but the intercambios where so sick!!:)  I went to Castro with Elder Ballard and we found this man named Jose Luis knocking doors, and he was just like "come in" which is not a phrase you hear all that often in Chile with knocking doors;). But we found out he is less active and he just lost the church when he moved from Punta Arenas! So he said he wants to come back to church!!:) also we visited another less active from a member referral and she was surprised but said as well she wants to come back but just needs some help.:) It was so cool!!:) Then to end the night we had a FHE with a member family who has 2 non-members living there. It was so spiritual and the 2 non-members are so cool. They are gonna be baptized! We also played a game with matches and the loser gets marker drawn on his face, Elder Ballard and I lost...;) haha (in the fotos)

It was a successful intercambio minus the back.. and my comp here in Quellón found a lot of people that we haven’t found in weeks so this day made up for like the whole week!!:)

That’s sooooo funny about grandpa!!!!!😂😂😂 haha that honestly doesn’t surprise me at all. He is so funny. Please tell me you were recording the interview or something??:) haha I love grandpa and it’s so true he can make anyone’s day better just by talking to them!!:)

Haha that’s really cool about the "Daughters of God" because we had the same lesson in priesthood as well. It was actually a really great lesson. Memo (the teacher) showed a video from Joseph Smith and then he gave his neighbor the advice to help out around the house. It was a little funny but it was a really good lesson!:) I love that quote that you shared with me!!:) If we have angels with us, we can do anything and work any miracle. In all it was a great lesson about the divinity of women and our role to help them to recognize and continue as a daughter of God.:)

Love you so much momma!! Like to infinity and beyond!!:) hope all is well and that you have an excellent week!!:) Thank you so much for the birthday wishes again!!:) I loved that video!!:) Love you momma!💪💙🙃

Love,

Elder Shawners

Walking an Hour to Get Lunch This Week

Oh man that sounds pretty crazy about the storm. You have to send me some pics! I’m doing pretty good. Yeah this last week honestly flew by but it was a great week!:) Also yes I hope that we get the opportunity to go back to Chaitén to hike the volcano! Hey is that a fat joke about the ice cream???;) haha jk jk but it worked out pretty well. President laughed and said it was a great example.:)

This last week was a crazy one. As you already know we got back from Chaitén Tuesday, then for this week our mamita (branch President’s wife) and their fam went on vacations so he set up another place like a cafeteria for us to go and pick up our food for the week. It was on the other side of town haha so it was an hour walk every day to pick up lunch.:) Jaime is doing really well. We taught him more this week, then on Sunday he bore his testimony! It was so powerful and oh man I just loved hearing him bear his testimony – and he’s not even a member yet!! Also we've been trying to contact Joaquin, a joven of 18 years, and when we went to his house, we knocked and he wasn’t there. When we stopped at his house there were 2 guys behind us and they stopped on the other side of the road when we went to his house to knock. So when we left because Joaquin wasn’t there, they turned and started to follow us and for a sec I was like ready to fight... haha. Then I had the feeling that they wanted to talk to us so we turned and asked if we could help them. They were super chill and wanted to know about our religion! So I told them our beliefs and bore my testimony and gave them a Book of Mormon. It was so cool. I could feel the spirit so strong and could tell they were 2 men just looking for an answer like Joseph Smith.:) haha so it was a crazy week indeed. Also crazy story we had FHE with a member fam and my comp ate a marisco (oyster) raw!!! haha I took a video!!:)

Man that’s kinda sad about your former roommate from college but it’s ok because she can always come back.:) That’s the thing I love about our church and our beliefs is God still loves her and is waiting and preparing her to return when she is ready.:) Oh, also it was a little chilly on the boat but I loved it!

Woah that sounds like a great week!:) I’m so glad that you got to go to the temple! and that’s good you heard about my package but I still haven’t gotten it. (It’s a good thing I sent his birthday package early. He still doesn’t have it almost 4 weeks later…) but we have intercambios this week so I should receive it then.:) No worries I’ll let you know!

That is sweet that you get to teach about that (Daughters of God)!! That is a sweet topic!!:) I love to talk about the divine potential that everyone of us possesses and more so como a daughter of God!!:) That is so awesome that you learned about that and its true Emma was so amazing in loving and supporting Joseph. I bet it was a great lesson!!:) Thank you momma for everything!! I hope this week is great and that you stay safe!!:) Love you to eternity and beyond!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners Spencer​