Spiritual Experience with Rosita!!

Hey momma!! Well first off, no Chile doesn’t celebrate Memorial Day. It’s kinda lame but it's ok! But today and this last week have been super awesome!!:) Man it’s crazy how time is flying by. I feel like we just talked yesterday!! haha. This last week has been super awesome! The weather was actually on our side. It’s been getting pretty cold, but not too much rain this last week so that was good. And let me see what happened this last week.. so much. On Monday of last week, we had a family home evening and then played monopoly with Jamie and his family! His wife Ana and daughter Thiare are progressing so well. They are reading the Book of Mormon together and it’s really helping them, and Thiare is starting to listen more to us! Also on Friday and Saturday the jovenes (youth) of Chiloé came to Ancud to have a party, so I got to see all the youth from Quellón!!!! It was so cool and like 3 of the girls started crying when they saw me... haha, but the one sad part is I’m retarded and didn’t get a foto with them!!!:/ but it was so cool to see them.

Also, we found a menos activo Hermana and her family and visited her and her two kids. Her husband doesn’t like us haha so he just stays in the other room. We talked with her and just got to know her and shared a little about prayer, but we are going back this week so it will be awesome. I think she might come to church this week too!:) Also Rosita (who we play soccer with on Thursdays) is doing awesome!! She is reading the Book of Mormon and starting to pray. We are going to watch the video of the restoration this week because she wants to know Joseph Smith better. It’s crazy, we are teaching a ton but there are a few highlights!:)

The most spiritual experience that I had this past week was probably in our lesson with Rosita. We watched the video of Elder Holland where he gives his testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, then we bore our testimonies and it was just so powerful, the spirit that was in the room. It was so cool. I felt like my chest was on fire. It was pretty incredible. I love when that happens.:)

Wow it sounds like you had a pretty crazy week this last week!! haha but man you guys are so lucky that you get to go to the temple. Keep going!!:) That’s so cool but sad about Mike. It looked like a great service but man I’m gonna miss him. He was a great man! Also that’s good it looks like grandpa is healing good. What did they say on his ankle?

That is really cool I’ll look for that video on the church website! (“Why it Will All Work Out.”) It sounds pretty incredible! But man that is an amazing thought, thank you for sharing! (I shared a thought from church that was basically this: “that every moment of precious prayer can be holy time spent with our Father in Heaven”). I love the thought about prayer as well!! It’s our personal time with the Lord. He is our loving Heavenly Father and wants to hear about everything from us!:) My thought this week is about faith. It’s like a seed, it’s something we have, it leads us to action. All of these are important in faith but faith is also really important because in the scriptures it’s described as a living thing. We always need to be growing and increasing our faith because if we aren’t exercising our faith, it is decreasing. "If you have fear, you don’t have faith." Faith gives us the hope to move forward and work to the better life!!:)

Love you to infinity and beyond momma. Have a great week and stay safe!!:)

Love,

Elder Shawners Spencer

Brighter and Brighter until the Perfect Day

Things here in Ancud are doing really well! Dang I feel like I just barely talked with you yesterday on Skype! haha but no this last week was really good. We kept working with Jaime and his wife Ana. I think she already has her answer, we are just trying to help her understand that she has it. But the lessons with her are really good and we just started teaching her daughter Thiare. She is about 14 and she doesn’t really care about anything but, we got her to talk to us and to commit to read the Book of Mormon.:) Also we started teaching Daniel and his wife this last week and he really wants to be baptized, but he wants the right church so he was really interested in what we had to share. We had conference and interviews with President this last week and it was really good!!:) I shared Helaman 3:35 in the conference and talked about how we can continue baptizing with this promise from President. I talked about as well how the pioneers were really good examples. They did everything in that scripture and they gave their hearts to Christ. That is the way God helped them to overcome their sufferings!

Oh man you are killing me smalls! haha no its all good we just gotta have patience and wait for the good things to come right?:) On the back of my agenda cover I have a quote that says "it will all work out";) But it sounds like you had a great week this last week!:) and yes we need to go and try that place after the mission!!:) haha that sounds pretty fantastic!! This week we ate clams and oysters! It was actually really good. I liked clams better?:)

Man that’s really sad. I’m really gonna miss uncle Mike in the family reunions and seeing him! He always did the auctions. Who is gonna do them now?? But that’s ok at least now he is not suffering from cancer and he is resting heaven!!:) But man I’m gonna miss him. Please send me pics and info from the funeral.

I love that quote that you sent. It’s so true we can always find the goodness around us if we are willing to look!:) and that is the blessing that I have in this moment to share this light with the people of Chile and Chiloé!:) I love you so much momma and I hope that you have an amazing week this week!!:)

Love you to infinity and beyond!

Elder Shawners Spencer

Church building in Ancud

Shawn's apartment in Ancud (on the right side of the picture).

Happy Mother's Day Again! :)

Well I’m glad that I could make your day for Mother’s day and it was really cool and fun to get to see and talk to you guys!!:) Also no we didn’t end up making brownies this week but we are going to make them this week, I believe at some point.:) Also about this last week.. hmm.. we went out to visit a bunch of people, and we are currently teaching a lot of Jaime’s family. Also like I told dad we ate congrejo (crab) and it was actually really good!!:) We taught a lesson with Jaime and his wife (who will be baptized soon we hope). They invited a friend over and Ana, Jaime’s wife, bore her testimony!! It was so cool!!:) I gave a talk on Sunday and I think I did a pretty good job. I talked on "the faith that the pioneers had" it was an awesome topic.

That’s cool your still talking to Max, I do miss my families in Villarrica!!:) Thank you for sharing with me their comments!:) I’m glad that they are all doing good and I miss them and you guys a ton as well!!:) haha

Thank you momma for your thought, and I love that thought.!:) ("From President Eyring: I testify that when we walk the path of priesthood service, the Savior Jesus Christ goes with us, for it is His path, His way. His light goes before us, and His angels are round about us.”) Priesthood service is so important and it’s through that, that we can have ministering of angels round about us to bless and help others in their lives!!:) Love you momma and I hope that you had a great Mother’s day and that you have an even greater week. Love you to infinity and beyond momma!!

Love,

Elder Shawners Spencer

Loved Skyping with Shawn on Mother's Day!!! I only wish
I could upload the video of him bearing his testimony in
Spanish but the file is too big.

Jaime, Elder Pintado, Shawn

He actually liked the crab, except for the brain part :).

This was one of the sister missionaries' investigators
who was baptized on Saturday.

Casi día del madre!!:)

Dang thats crazy only 6 more days!! (until we get to Skype yay!!!!). So yeah it was a very good week, it honestly flew by!! but man it was hard saying goodbye to all of my families in Quellón; but Elder Gonzalez says that they are still seeing a lot of good things there and a new family just moved in from Puerto Mont there so that will be sweet for them!!:) As for me and my comp Elder Pintado here in Ancud we are very happy!:) We work so well together and it was a very good week last week. We have Ana the spouse of recent convert (Jaime haha not from Quellón) who has fecha for baptism for this weekend so we will see if she can complete with her promise:) Also our mamita and papito are really sick as well!!:) They always feed us a ton of food so I just basically don’t eat for the whole rest of the day!!:) haha like for real I’ve never had problems with finishing a meal but with her it’s impossible. They are an awesome family. I love them!!:)

Also this branch is really cool. Jaime goes with us to every meeting he can and always calls us to tell us when he is available. He is such an amazing guy with a cool conversion story! but also we found a new investigator this last week here in Ancud as well:) Maricella is the daughter of a member and started listening to us. Then also on Thursday nights we have soccer with our investigators so it was a great first week here!!:)

Woah it sounds like you guys had a ton of fun as well!!:) I love the temple and can wait to go again, but until then I have to help others get on their way to the temple!!;) but I’m glad you guys could go. To answer your other question Cinco de mayo is like one of the only ferrials (holidays) that they don’t celebrate that’s like an "international holiday" haha but sounds like you had a sic party and we can do it again when I get home!:)

Also thank you for your thought as well. I really liked it!!:) "and thank Him for loving you enough to invite you to do more..." I love that and I really like how our attitude and the way we see things can help us to be more successful. God always is helping us but we also need our best effort to overcome our challenges. And we have the Savior with us in every moment, guiding us and loving us.:)

I love you to eternity and beyond momma!!:) Thank you for everything you do and I hope you have an amazing week and I’ll see you on Sunday!!;)

Elder Shawners Spencer

P.S. "Let your love be unconditional -- you only fail when you fail to try" This quote is from Pres. Spencer W. Kimball and I love this because it is impossible for us to fail if we try and trust in the Lord.:)

This is Norma Vega, our mamita!

Tengo Cambios a....

Hey momma first off happy Tuesday! As for my week it flew by rather quickly, haha. You know how some weeks you can remember everything and some everything seems jumbled together? Well this last week was kinda all jumbled together, so when I can separate the days I’ll try and do that.:) But this last week was really good. We found a new investigator named Danio. He stopped us when we were walking back from lunch, his girlfriend is a member but less active. So we went to his house that night and taught him the restoration. It was such a great lesson and then at the end he said that he felt good with us, that he loved that we listened and understood him. It was so cool and I hope that my comp can continue teaching him (with his new comp). 

Then we also found an old investigator named Ismael who we found out is an Adventist preacher. Basically we have a lot of the same beliefs besides they don’t believe in a spirit world, Sabbath on Sunday, or latter day prophets and priesthood. It was interesting talking to him but he only believes in the Bible. After talking with him for a while he accepted a Book of Mormon because he wanted to read it and compare it with the Bible...:) haha. Then we also meet with Jaime to basically keep giving him animo (translation: courage) to continue in faith because his parents are really hard on him being in our church... but he is still reading the Book of Mormon and loves to meet with us.:) Also we met a couple times with the Family Serón last week to do a family home evening and I was teaching English to their daughter. Then on Sunday we received calls from President Isom and he said I’m going to Ancud!! I have mixed emotions. I’m happy to go to Ancud but sad to leave the people of Quellón, we need to come visit!!:) Ancud is still in Chiloé Island just on the other end. So it’s a close change but I’m district leader of Ancud 2 (hermanas) and Delcalhue (elders). So it should be fun.:) My new comp is named Elder Pintado from Peru. Also please mom it was a metal bucket for my shirt..;) haha (I asked him if that was a pot they burned his shirt in haha).

Woah that sounds like you had quite the week last week as well. It sounds like Glenn’s funeral was really beautiful, I really wish that I could have been there. But I’m glad that you guys could go. Oh man I bet that was really good but hard for Brother Shelly and Mike. I loved scouts with Glenn it was the best, even though he wasn’t in scouts the whole time I was. I was fortunate to have the time with him that I did, that we all did,.:) Now he is with all of us and watching over us as well.:)

As for the rest of the week that sounds like it was pretty fun. Haha grandpa’s foot looked so cool! Also what the heck??? the Jazz are going to the semi-finals?? man that’s so bomb!! It’s been so long that they have gone. I’m sorry they lost when you went but I’m glad they won Sunday. Who did they play? now they are gonna play Golden State??? DANG that should be sweet...

I love your thought about trusting in the Lord and leaning not unto my own understanding. Because this last week when we talked with Ismael, he is a preacher of the Bible so he knows the Bible really well, but he also doesn’t have the light of the Book of Mormon. So he saw things in a different light and I really had to use the spirit to try not to contradict what he was saying (there is no spirit in conflict) but give him and use a different interpretation that he didn’t see. The Bible can be very confusing because it’s a lot of parables and histories, so I’m very thankful that we have all we have to clarify and expand upon it. So I love your thought and quote thank you momma for that.:)

I love you so much momma hope to hear back from you, if not have a great week and remember trust in the Lord and have a good attitude about it.:)

Love you to eternity and beyond!:)

Elder Shawners Spencer

p.s.-

"The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem." This quote comes from my man Jack Sparrow.. I have always loved this quote because it’s our attitude that helps us or impedes us to do all that we want to do :)

Side note here was a short spiritual thought he shared in his email with Tom this week too: “Thanks to our loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ we can be redeemed and find light and peace through the gospel of Christ.:)”