SERVICE IN DICHATO!!!

WE WENT TO DICHATO AN AFFECTED AREA BY A TSUNAMI, OUR WHOLE ZONE WENT DOWN TO A PUEBLO THATS RIGHT BY THE BEACH, A CAPTAIN COMMUNICATED WITH US AND TOLD US THE PLACES THAT WE HAD TO CLEAN UP, THEY ASSIGNED 3 BLOCKS TO OUR ZONE, AND WHAT WE WHERE SUPPOSE TO DO WAS GO INSIDE, TAKE ALL THE STUFF OUT AND CLEAN THE MUD INSIDE OF THE HOUSES THAT THE TSUNAMI HAD LEFT. THERE WAS ABOUT A FOOT OF MUD AND SAND IN THE HOUSES, THE WATER WENT LIKE 9 FEET HIGH, THE HOUSES WHERE ROTTING AWAY CAUSE OF THE SALT WATER, THE WHOLE POINT OF CLEANING THIS HOUSES AND WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT IS CAUSE WINTER IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER HERE AND PEOPLE DONT HAVE A ROOF ON TOP OF THEM THEY ARE SLEEPING IN TARPS, SO NOW THAT WE CLEANED SOME HOUSES IF IT RAINS, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE NOTHING, THEY CAN STILL HAVE A PLACE TO BE SO THE RAIN DOSENT FALL ON THEM. IT WAS SAD TO SEE HOW MUCH DISTRUCTION THERE WAS, LOOKING AT LEFT OVER PICTURES IN EACH HOUSE, AND MEANWHILE WE WHERE CLEANING THEIR OWNERS CAME TO THANK US AND SEEING THE LOOK ON THEIR FACES (SOME CRYING) HELPING US HELP THEM IN THEIR HOUSES, ASKING US TO CLEAR THEIR HOMES AND JUST THROW AWAY EVERYTHING. SOME DIDNT EVEN WANT THE HOUSE STANDING CAUSE IT CAUSED SO MUCH PAIN. WE CLEANED AROUND 25 HOUSES IN 7 HOURS, THATS CLEARING ALL THE STUFF INSIDE AND TAKING AWAY THE MUD, BY THE END OF THE DAY WE WHERE WAY TIRED BUT WITH A HEART FULL OF ENERGY AND JOY. MY ZONE IS AMAZING, AND IAM SO HAPPY TO BE THEIR LEADER, THEY WORK SO HARD TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY AND THE DISPOSITION THEY HAD TO HELP THAT DAY IS PRICELESS!!! THEY TEACH ME ALOT EACH DAY THAT IAM WITH THEM AND I THANK GOD THAT IAM HERE WITH THEM AT THIS TIME. HERE ARE SOME PICS.

BAPTISMS!!!

JOSE AND HIS SON BENJAMIN GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY, SEEMS LIKE THE OTHER SIDE DIDNT REALLY WANT THEM TO BE BAPTIZED, A SERIES OF PROBLEMS OCCURED BEFORE THE BAPTISMS, THE DAY BEFORE BENJAMIN FELL OF HIS BIKE PRETTY HARD AND GOT HURT REALLY BAD, THAT SAME DAY JOSE HIT HIS HEAD ON A CONCRETE BEAM AND STARTED TO BLEED FROM HIS HEAD CAUSING ALOT OF HEAD ACHES, BUT THE MOST EXTREME BY FAR WAS WHEN WE FOUND THE BAPTISMAL FONT ALMOST EMPTY 10 MINS BEFORE THE SERVICE. (I HAD FILLED IT UP IN ADVANCED AND I DONT KNOW HOW IT GOT EMPTY.) WHAT SUCKED THE MOST WAS THAT THE BAPTISMAL FONT TAKES LIKE 3 HOURS TO FILL AND IT WAS DOWN TO MY ANKLES. SO WE GAVE WAR!!! WE FILLED IT UP TO MY THIGHS AND WE BAPTIZED THEM SITTING DOWN. THEY WHERE BOTH SUPER HAPPY AND THE SERVICE WAS FULL OF THE SPIRIT SINCE HIS WIFE FABIOLA HAD BEEN WAITING FOR MANY YEARS NOW SO THAT HER HUSBAND COULD GET BAPTIZED. I HAVE LEARNED IN THE MISSION TO NEVER GIVE UP ON WHATS RIGHT!!! EVEN IF THINGS ARE LOOKING WAY BAD, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING WE CAN DO. WE JUST GOTTA KEEP ON GOING AND FIND WAY TO SOLVE THINGS, AND IF WHAT WE ARE DOING IS RIGHT, GOD WILL ALWAYS HELP US ACHIVE WHAT WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH.

ANDACION ZONE

HERE IS A PIC OF MY ZONE FROM THE CAMBIO THAT JUST ENDED!!!

MIRACLES HAPPEN ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE, ANYTIME, NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES!!!

THIS SUNDAY WE HAD A LIGHT OF SUNSHINE IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THE TRAGEDY. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH FABIAN FATHER FOR A LONG TIME NOW, WE FOUND HIM THANKS TO OUR ENGLISH CLASSES. FABIAN GOT BAPTIZED ABOUT 28 YEARS AGO WHEN HE WAS 8 BUT LEFT CHURCH LIKE A YEAR LATER; NOW THAT WE FOUND HIM THRU ENGLISH CLASS HE HAVE BEEN REACTIVATING HIM FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS NOW, FAMILY HOME EVENINGS, CHURCH, ACTIVITIES, GOING OUT WITH US TO TEACH. EVERYTHING!!! HIS YOUNGEST SON FABIAN JUNIOR LOVES THE CHURCH AND WANTED TO GET BAPTIZED 3 MONTHS AGO BUT WE DECIDED TO WAIT TILL HIS DAD RECEIVED THE PRIESTHOOD. TWO SUNDAYS AGO FABIAN RECEIVED IT AND THIS SUNDAY HE GOT THE PRIVILEGE TO BAPTIZE HIS OWN SON!!! AND I GOT THE PRIVILEGE TO SEE THIS MIRACLE!!! HEARING FABIAN SENIOR´S TESTIMONY DURING THE SERVICE I FELT SO HUMBLED HE CRIED ALOT AND WE ALL FELT THE SPIRIT, HE SAID HE NEVER THOUGHT HE WOULD COME BACK TO CHURCH JUST CAUSE OF SOME ENGLISH CLASSES. I LOVE THE PURPOSES GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US; LIKE I SAID BEFORE IN A POST I WILL NEVER AGAIN DOUBT ON ANYTHING THE LORD SETS BEFORE ME. NOT EVEN TRIALS OR TRAGEDIES. SEEING FABIAN SENIOR AND JUNIOR TOGETHER IN THAT BAPTISMAL FONT WITH THEIR BIG HUGE SMILES MADE 4 MONTHS OF HARD WORK WORTH A WHILE!!! SEEING HIM GROW AND TEACHING HIM ALL THE LESSONS AGAIN AND WORKING WITH HIM TO BE ABLE TO GET THE PRIESTHOOD WAS LIKE BAPTIZING HIM ALL OVER AGAIN!!! I LOVE THIS MAN AND I KNOW HE WILL PERSEVERE TO THE END. IAM GRATEFUL TO BE HERE AMONG CHILEANS, I LOVE THIS COUNTRY SO MUCH AND THE PEOPLE JUST MAKE IT SO I NEVER HAVE THE DESIRES TO LEAVE!!! I LOVE MY MISSION, THE PEOPLE, THE FOOD (THATS WHY IAM CHUBS), I LOVE THIS CHURCH. I INVITE YOU ALL TO LOOK FOR A LESS ACTIVE MEMBER AND HELP HIM COME BACK TO CHURCH AND YOU WILL FEEL HOW GREAT IT IS TO DO SUCH A GREAT THING!!!

ALWAYS READY!!!

THE BISHOP IN OUR WARD IS AMAZING!!! HE HAS BEEN ON THE BALL WHEN IT COMES TO MEMBERS ACTIVE OR INACTIVE THAT NEED FOOD. WE HAVE BEEN GIVING OUT PACKAGES OF FOOD DURING THIS WHOLE TWO WEEKS. EVERY FAMILY NO MATTER THEIR STATUS IN CHURCH HAS BEEN GETTING PACKAGES OF FOOD. WHEN THE WARD GATHERS UP TO MAKE THIS PACKAGES YOU CAN FEEL SUCH A SPECIAL SPIRIT!! IAM HUMBLED BY THE SITUATIONS I SEE AROUND ME AND I THANK GOD THAT IAM MEMBER OF THIS AWESOME CHURCH!!! THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THEN BEING IN THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

FUERZA CHILE!!!!

ICON OF STRENGTH AND PRIDE!!!

THIS PICTURE JUST.............................WELL BRINGS SO MANY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS TO MY HEART. IAM SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE.

BLESSINGS FROM GOD!!!

FAMILY TOLOZA ARE A HUGE BLESSING IN MY MISSION LIFE IN THIS SECTOR, WITH OUT THEM WE WOULD BE LOST AND JUST NOT BE ABLE TO FUNCTION AS MISSIONARIES. I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS THAT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, HERMANA TOLOZA WASHES OUR CLOTHS BY HAND NOW, HERMANO IS ALWAYS WORRIED WE HAVE WATER AND FOOD, AND MAXI JUST MAKING US LAUGH EVERYDAY!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND WHAT I LOVE IS THAT DURING THIS PROCESS THEY LEAVE HUGE MARKS IN MY MIND AND MEMORIES FROM ALL THE EXAMPLES THEY SHOW ME.

HELPING HANDS, SERVANTS OF GOD!!

OUR MISSIONS MADE A HUGE TURN WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE HIT CONCEPCION, NOW WE ARE DOING SERVICE, HELPING PEOPLE OUT AND DOING WHAT WE CAN. HEALING BROKEN HOMES AND BROKEN SPIRITS AND HEARTS. THE HERMANAS FROM SANTA SABINA AND US HELPED PUT SOME FOOD TOGETHER FOR ALL THE NEEDY PEOPLE. IT FELT GOOD TO DO ALL OF THIS. I HAVE GAINED SUCH A STRONG TESTIMONY OF WHY IAM HERE AND WHY RIGHT NOW. I WILL NEVER DOUBT EVER AGAIN WHY IAM ANYWHERE AT ANYTIME. I KNOW GOD WILL GUIDE ME TO THE PLACES HE NEEDS ME WHENEVER HE NEEDS ME. THRU ALL THE HARD TIMES IVE HAD COMING TO MY MISSION, KNOWING THAT IAM HERE FOR THIS TIME REASURES ME THAT THIS IS THE TIME, THE PLACE, AND THE PEOPLE. IAM GRATEFUL FOR IT. I LOVE CHILE, I LOVE THIS GOSPEL. FUERZA MI GENTE QUERIDA DE CHILE. LES AMO CON TODO MI CORAZON!!!!! RECUERDEN QUE LAS RODILLAS PODRAN DOBLARSE PERO NUESTRO DIOS ESTARA PARA LEVANTARNOS Y ELEVARNOS!!! FUERZA MI GENTE, FUERZA MI QUERIDA CHILE!!!

DISTRUCTION.

THE DISTRUCTION IN THE EARTHQUAKE WAS WAY BAD, EVERWHERE WE WENT THERE WAS STUFF FALLEN DOWN OR READY TO FALL DOWN. THIS IS TWO OF THE MANY BAD CASES THAT WE SAW.

Earthquake

As you guys know there was an earthquake here in chile, all the missionaries are good but the destruction is horrible. here are some pics i took the first day. now we are just doing service and helping people get water. please pray for the chilean people so that they can have food, water, and a warm shelter that protects them. Thanks.