ONE WEEK TILL CHRISTMAS....

Hey momma how you doing????:) As for me I’m doing absolutely amazing. I am here working in the Lord’s vineyard, Christmas is next week, we are lighting the world, I get to talk to you guys in a week, what more can I ask for?:)

This last week has been really good here in Alerce. With the less active family that we found from the week before last (Alverado family), they said that one of their daughters said that she wants to get baptized. Her name is Consuelo and she is 10 years old!:) She is such an awesome girl! We are starting to teach her now and we are hoping to have them in the church this Sunday. Also we had an awesome lesson with Julieta, a newer investigator. We talked about the restoration and we read the scripture in the pamphlet about apostasy. She said "This is me! I’m looking for the Lord’s church!" So that was a really cool experience, and we showed the video of the restoration of 20 min. It was a really spiritual lesson!:) It’s amazing all of the little miracles and blessings that we see daily. I know that the Lord will use us if we are willing and worthy!!

Also that rain slide that happened in Chaiten, wasn’t actually in Chaiten. It was like 70 Km away. So no worries the elders there are doing great, we already talked to them!:) It’s funny because the elder that was just here before cambios went to Chaiten so the whole ward here was freaking out to see if he was ok!:) This ward is great!!:)

Sounds like your week was really great as well!!:) I loved all that fotos that you sent. It seemed like just another week in paradise!!:) haha. That’s sweet you got to go to the temple as well!:) And that is so true (the thought I sent about contemplating the Savior’s birth). It’s cool to think when the Lord came the first time (in his birth), it was very humble. There were all the signs of his birth, but it wasn’t a huge event. He was born in a stable with poor conditions. But when He comes again, He will come as King of all Kings in all his glory, with trumpets to announce his coming. So NO ONE can say that He is not Christ, the son of God. It is cool to think but thank you for your thought and I’ll keep that in mind this week for sure!!:) But I love you so much momma, like to infinity and beyond. Hope you have a great week! I’ll SEE you next week!:)

Love,

Elder Spencer

Us after service... hahaha

No hands selfie on the bikes!!

E. Vaughn cutting his investigators hair on intercambios

Our service at the fruteria sorting potatoes

Playing soccer on p-day

 The rest of these pictures are from the Christmas package I sent:

Our Christmas tree and presents! :)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town....

Hey momma!!:) How are you doing??:) This last week was awesome here in Alerce. We have been working a lot with the referrals that we have gotten from the members here, and we found a family of 9 this last week thanks to that!:) They are a less active family that haven’t gone to church in a long time and said that they had seen us in the street a few times and wanted to talk to us but were always busy with their work (bus drivers) so they couldn’t stop. But this week we have an appointment with them and they want to present their son in the church. Also one of their daughters isn’t baptized so we can help her with that as well! But it’s been an amazing week. Now we just have to start teaching all of these referrals and helping spread the Light of Christ!:)

Julieta is doing awesome. She is reading the Book of Mormon but she wasn’t able to come to church on Sunday because she was working. But she wants to come this weekend!:) Also Light the World is going awesome. We have been doing lots of service to help others and we have seen their happiness as well!:)

Also for the spiritual experience, when we found the family of 9, we actually went for a different referral close by... Then as we were leaving I had the thought pop into my head that we should contact the other referral. So we turned around on our bikes and that’s when we found the family Alverado of nine!!:)

That is so sweet about your week in Texas and that it snowed there for the first time in many years and it just so happened that you were there!;) Also that is sweet about the packages so thank you! And no worries I will let you know when I have them!!:) Also I love the thought ''But if not.'' It is so true. We have to have the faith to not be healed. Do we have the faith necessary in Jesus Christ? Is it as detectable as we would like it to be?? I love you so much momma!!:) I hope you have a great week!! Love you to infinity and beyond!!!

"What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create."

Love,

Shawners

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

First of all I hope your anniversary is amazing and you guys had a happy 30th anniversary!:) All is great here in the mission. I’m as happy as ever and it's been an awesome time here!!:) I love my companion Elder Longo. It’s amazing how well we get along. I’m teaching him English and he’s teaching me a little of Portuguese as well!!:) Also yeah... about the umbrella... I was just walking with it and it was kinda like a cool cane. But obviously I didn’t use it to put weight on it, I just walked with it in my hand. But I like tripped when I was walking and put a little bit of pressure on it and it just snapped... haha but it’s chill. It’s been super sunny here this last week. The Lord has been blessing us with some amazing weather lately!:)

This last week was really great! We found 2 families that we are starting to teach now. One of them was a reference from a member here in the ward. It is her brother and he just had a baby and wants to present him in the church and bless him. So it will be awesome to keep working with them and get them to come to church again!:) Also him and his wife and other child aren’t baptized. So we can help them to feel the light of Christ again and hopefully help them to be baptized as a family!:) With the other family, we were walking this last week, just walking to the house, and then I felt I should knock on this random house. A lady came out and only she was there with her daughter. We talked about Christ and prophets with her for just a bit and we are going back this next week to share when the husband is there!:) All is going great here. I love Christmas time and Jesus Christ!:) Isaiah 9:6!:)

But I’m glad that your last week was really good!:) I loved the photos that you sent to me from your and dad’s dinner and walk in temple square. It looks like so much fun!!:) That looks really cool the German Christmas Village that you went and visited in SLC!:) But also I absolutely loved your thought that you shared (from Elder W. Craig Zwick’s talk "Lord, Wilt Thou Cause That My Eyes May Be Opened"). It’s so true. The world would be such a better place if we could look at others through the eyes of Jesus Christ!:) but we have to do what we can for us first to start changing the world!:)

I love you to infinity and beyond momma!:!) Thank you so much for all that you do!!:) Also have fun in the snow and stay safe and love this season of Christmas!!:)

LOVE YOU MOMMA!

Shawners

Sweet view of the volcanos in Alerce!

Our house in Alerce

Service helping Hermana Claudia

We put all the stuff in this room (in the pic above too).

On the bus to Puerto Varas

Churrichanga

In the process of churrichanga

With the crew in Alerce