The Work is Just Starting to Look More up Than Ever

Hello momma how are you doing this fine Monday??:) Well on my week last week it was really good. We had our Family Home Evening with the family Seron and Hermana Ingrid and her 4 kids.:) 3 of her kids are over 8 and also we are helping Ingrid to become active again. They are such an awesome family and it was really cool to see how the Easter message touched their hearts!!:) Then on Wednesday Chile had the census and they told us we couldn’t leave our house until they passed our house and counted us. So then after that we went and met with Fabian and talked with him about the importance of the church and how it can help him have more peace in his life.:) He didn’t come this last week (to be later explained) but he said he will be coming this week.:) Then we had district meeting on Thursday and talked about peace and all of the principles that develop peace. The church has videos on those principles so we talked about how we could use them during the week.:) 

On Friday we had intercambios and I stayed here with the zone leader peñuñuri. We taught Jaime and Matias a recent convert. They were really good lessons and it was just really cool. I felt the spirit so strongly during those lessons. Especially in the lesson with Jaime because he is having a lot of problems with his parents letting him go to our church still. So we shared a video from Elder Holland about hope in dark times and I felt the spirit so strongly it was awesome.:) Then on Saturday we met with Sergio and Araceli and put them with baptism date for the 20th of May.:) They said yes and so we have will have three ready for when we have the new church!!:) On Sunday it was district conference in Castro (the reason Fabian couldn’t come). It was really amazing and they talked a lot about temples, Sabbath day, and missionary work. They gave some good talks about helping the missionaries and not expecting them to do everything. A lot of our success depends on the referrals and help from the members!!:) but yeah that’s about it for this last week..) Oh yeah, we also burned my shirt this last week for my anniversary so that was lots of fun!!:) haha

Things are going really well here.:) That is why I’m scared that I’m going to be leaving Quellón this next week with cambios on the 3rd of May.. We have 3 people with baptism date, I think we will be putting 3 more with date hopefully this week and we are going to go contact a family of 9 this week. The work is just starting to look more up than ever and start booming which is great, but I guess we will just keep working and wait and see...;) It’s been so fun to be here in Quellón. I’ve loved it..:)

Also I loved the photos from Max and Pato and man it is really beautiful there now!! Well it always is but man I love fall!! It is just beginning to change here.:) You can barely even notice it in the trees, but I do feel a little trunky for football because it has been like that perfect cold football weather here. I can’t really explain it.. Ya know when you can just feel the fall in the air? That means or meant football for me so I miss it a little:) haha

Well it sounds like you guys had a really great week until you got to the weekend. I’m glad that you guys got to go to the temple. But oh man... I had to read that part of your email like 10 times to make sure I read it right? What? My mind just can’t like make it real.... That’s so sad. I remember I was always so happy to see them, and when we went for home teaching I loved visiting with them. Glenn is an amazing man I know that he was called to heaven for a greater purpose. It’s difficult to think he won’t be there when I get back but I love him and I know that our Heavenly Father is using him to guide the work in heaven. That is one of the things that I have learned a ton in the mission is that thanks to Jesus Christ it’s not just death.. We have the opportunity to live and see our loved ones again after this life. Glenn will be sharing the gospel on the other side and waiting to see all his family after Christ returns again.:) How is the family doing? Man I wish I could do something to help them. Please send them my regards and give them all a hug for me, especially Hunt. She’s like my lil’ sis.

When I get home (I know it’s a long time;) ) but remind me to show you the plan of salvation in the pamphlet we share. I have a cool a demonstration I like to do. But I love that quote. I love our savior Jesus Christ and I know each and every one of us can be comforted with him because he has suffered for each and every one of us. Including Glenn. Thank you mom and thank you for the quote. “All that is unfair about life can be made right through Jesus Christ.”

Thank you for your email and your testimony momma. I know that it is hard and will be hard but God has given us the path and put the people in our lives to help us overcome the challenges of life. Glenn is with our Father in Heaven now, but he lives in the hearts of all the family and friends who loved him. He will be their protector through this path and help them to return to him and our Father in Heaven. I love this gospel and I know it’s true. God is our loving Heavenly Father and for that he gave us this plan. This plan is to help us be happy, not only now but for all eternity. There is no end thanks to God and Jesus Christ. Love you momma and tell the Sutton's I love them as well. Have a great week mom!!

Love you to infinity and beyond!!:)

Elder Shawners

PS - here was a note he put in his dad's email this week explaining more about the place he visited week before last: Muelle de las Almas is a really cool place. The story behind it is that when people died, their souls went to this bridge to wait for the seaman to come pick them up and take them to the other "peaceful shore" or eternity. Also the price to enter on this boat was a small rock, so there used to be small rocks imbedded on the bridge. But people stole the little rocks so now there are little holes in the bridge. It’s a really cool place though.

Getting ready for the ceremonial shirt burning -
commemorating the one-year in the mission mark.

Celebrating the birthday of the Jermana Ojeda our mamita.

It was her birthday on the 18th!!:)

Muelle de las Almas for Easter!!:)

Thank you and happy Easter to you as well and also happy year mark this Wednesday as well!!;) haha. But this last week was really great, to answer your question we did do our activity for Easter and we showed the videos from the church. The #PrincipeDePaz videos of Jesus Christ and it was really good, then after we played games and had refreshments! :) We played a game where you had to try and unwrap a chocolate egg with kitchen cleaning gloves the fastest you could. Also some other fun but it was a great activity and we met a new possible investigator!!:)

On Saturday we went with the family Ojeda to "Muelle de las Almas" (Translated this means Dock of Souls). It’s so beautiful and I’ll add some photos in. It was so much fun, I love that family!! :) (it’s our mamita). We also passed by where we had a reference in a place called Compu.:) Then we also got to meet with Jaime and Fabian. They are doing really good and we are just trying to help Jaime stay activated and keep trying to get more spiritually strong before his baptism in May!!:) Also our new church is advancing really well and we might be able to enter in May so that is great news as well!!:) For this week we have a family home evening in an hour then we have intercambios with the zone leaders later this week and just meeting with our investigators so it should be great!

As far as the cost of our mission.. idk exactly but I talked with some tourists from Germany and they said Chile was the most expensive of everywhere they’ve visited.. It’s just prices of food and living are high in regards to the normal income here. When we have time, we cook at home:)= mostly rice, potatoes, and noodles, soup... It’s pretty good. I’ve blown some minds with my alfredo!!;) I definitely miss just the way we cook though, like your cooking, dutch oven potatoes and chicken, bacon, sausage, Wendy’s baconator, Taco amigo burger and fries... hahah. In the south of Chile, they don’t have sausage. They have some form of bacon but it’s not anything like the amazing good bacon from the breakfast in Duchesne and it’s way expensive. But there is a lot of good food from Chile: casualas, porotos chilenos, empenadas💙, and manjar, alfajores, mate hahah both have their perks:) I’m trying to learn how to make this stuff but it’s a little hard because they don’t have a recipe or measure.. they just do it.. haha. OH MY GOODNESS... I forgot one other thing I love from here too. It’s lemon pie!! It’s friggen bomb and I know how to make it!!:)

Also everyone is amazed with my heated jacket.. haha but it works great too. Thank you mom, and dad and CJ!! Yes thank you for the package momma it was bomb!!:) and yes I love the pen. It was funny because I opened my package and didn’t find any pen then later saw the part of the message that said it was in my shoe;) haha

It sounds like the rest of your week went pretty good. I’m glad that grandpa is doing better and now he can just recover and be in less pain!:) Also its been unusually hot here this last week but really cold at night.. so its weird.. I just want cold but it’s ok it will come.:) and I wanna see the fall fotos! (Pato and Max -- Shawn wants to see some of your amazing fall fotos you’ve taken around Villarrica recently.)

Also I loved that talk from Elder Holland as well (None Were With Him) and the talk from Pres. Eyring (Walk With Me) as well. Both really good choices thank you for sharing!!:) It’s so true a servant of Christ is always loyal and always works to become more like Him in every way by following his example:)

Here’s my thought for the week from Pres. Utchdorf

“All things shall work together for your good, if [you] walk uprightly” Therefore, let us set aside our fears and live instead with joy, humility, hope, and a bold confidence that the Lord is with us.

I love this promise and statement of hope that if we trust in God and go confidently, confiding in God that all will work out. So put aside your fears and trust in God and remember that YOU CAN DO IT. Because of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ all is possible, even overcoming death. Love you momma and hope that you liked my thought for the week..) Love you to infinity and beyond!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners Spencer