Hello friends and family!
Well this week has been awesome! We have been having a lot of success. Lots of good things happening and better things to come.
Well this last week we found out we are both staying in Coihueco. It was kind of a surprise but... I can´t change the outcome. This transfer will only be 5 weeks instead of the normal 6. If we would have kept the normal 6 weeks, Christmas would have been the same day as transfers. We will now be getting transferred the week before Christmas. I´m not sure who will end up going. I found out this week that my old comp in Los Volcanes had problems with his knee and is now back in the office, his comp for some reason was taken out, and two completely new Elders were put in Los Volcanes. We have no idea what happened and why they were changed out so quickly. I guess Obispo Richy Orellana was pretty happy that they left. I guess the members really didn´t like them and they ate a lot.
This week we had our interview for Ignacio. We had been really worried because DL and I passed by his house and he wasn´t there. He and his mom weren´t answering their phones. Finally about an hour and half later he called and said he got stuck at school doing some project. We went to his house and had his interview. He was really nervous. His mom later told me he had never been so nervous. She said he had studied all the pamphlets that we gave him the night before his interview. My DL said he answered every question perfectly. My DL said that Ignacio said that abortion was like killing an angel. I thought that was pretty funny but true.
Saturday we had a service project with the family... LEPEZ. From Los Volcanes. They had bought a piece of property close to Coihueco and are now in our branch. They came to church last Sunday and were really surprised to see me there. They needed help building part of their house so... My comp, Presidente, others from the elders quorum passed by and fixed a lot of the house for them. They made a breakfast and lunch. We had to get up and leave the house by about 6:30 to be there by 7. They were really surprised with the work we had done and how fast we did it. We ended up driving back and going right to the church to start the font. We got there and found out that the switch to drain the water last time was turned on but didn´t suck the water out. We had to switch it on and off a couple times to get the water out. We then filled the font with clean water. We made sure to start it early so that we had a lot of water so the mission leader wouldn´t complain.
We got everything ready, setting up chairs, cleaning the chapel, and sweeping. Ignacio showed up right on time and we told him to hurry and change. Our mission leader last time got made because we took pictures with the family and stupid stuff like that. Before he showed up we took some awesome pictures. The last time he got mad because we were laughing and joking around with David. It just took all the fun out of the baptism... so we took pictures before he got there. He told us that we shouldn´t be laughing that it should be a serious, spiritual moment. I´m sorry but I don´t have to be as serious as him to feel the spirit. Ignacio was really happy, his family was really happy and they thought it was awesome. His dad had taken off work and traveled all the way from Santiago to come see his baptism. When he showed up we were completely stunned. It was so cool to have the whole family there. I sent some pictures of the family, the youth, and the kid that baptized him.
So... our mission leader shows up and without telling us changes rooms in where we were starting. We had already set up chairs in the room we always start in. Also, Richy (Ricardo) our investigator that is supposed to get baptized this next Saturday, walks over to us and says, ¨hey did you guys hear we changed my baptismal date?¨ I look at my comp and said ¨who changed it?¨ He says Hermano Lobos. (our mission Leader) Let me tell you I have never been so ticked in my life. First off, he has no authority over our INV´s. Second, He didn´t even tell us. Third he got mad because we keep baptising people on Saturday so they can get confirmed right away on Sunday(that was info directly from Elder Arnold from the Seventy. Elder Arnold told us that NEVER EVER again should we baptize someone on a day other than Saturday unless there is a special occasion.) He ended up ¨changing¨ his date to the 28th... a Wednesday. I was ticked. We got into the baptism and we were sitting in front with Ignacio. Our ML starts the meeting and announces everything, talks are then given and we start to head into the font. All of a sudden he steps over to my comp and asks him if he wants to be a witness, without even looking at me. My comp says yes and then he walks over and gets right into my grill and asks¨We good¨ or Estamos Bien?¨ I look at him and answer yes and walk away. Not saying I ever would but I could have easily dropped him. I was so ticked that he just steps up into my grill and asks me that. I seriously have no idea why he has so many problems with us. We have gotten multiple less active families back to church, baptized more in the first month here... When the missionaries before hadn´t had a baptism in over 6 months... and have gotten the attendance up to 62. My ZL´s ended up coming to our baptism and ended up seeing everything. We had to basically hold one of them back from punching our ML. They were ready to go off on him about changing our baptismal dates. but the Baptism and every thing went well and after the meeting our ML left right after before our ZL´s could even talk to him.
Sunday we got to church and didn´t have enough chairs to fit everyone. We had a total of 62 people in this little tiny chapel. This last week we visited a lot of the people that have a date to get baptized and a lot of less actives.
Sunday morning we get to church and of course Richy comes over and says, ¨hey did you guys hear we changed my baptismal date again?¨ He says, ¨yeah we changed it to the 22 of December.¨ Just because our ML won´t take time off work and can´t be there for the baptism he thinks we are going to wait a full month and a week to baptize him. I DON´T THINK SO!! A lot of stuff can happen in a month. Our purpose here in the mission is to find the chosen people and invite them to follow Christ by being baptized. I´m not going to wait a month and a week to baptize someone that is prepared and ready to make this promise with god. After church we met with the BP and his counselor and told them all the stuff that has been happening. They agreed but said we just had to have patience. While we were waiting to talk to President... My ZL´s and my DL called to see how many we had in church and I had to tell them both that the ML keeps changing the baptismal date. The ZL´s told me if I didn´t give them his phone number I would lose my P day. haha I guess they called him and were really nice to him and just asked how Richy was doing and why his date kept changing. They said he is ready and willing to be baptized and if he isn´t going to be there to baptize him they needed to find someone else to do it. I guess our ML stuttered and then hung up on them. Our ZL´s called to tell us that they were calling the Stake president to have him released... Guess who we have lunch with tomorrow.... yup, that's right ML´s family.
But not everything is bad news... This next week we should have a total of 4 baptisms including a Part member family. The Mom (Evelin) and the two sons (Rodrigo and Cristobal) should be getting baptized this Saturday... Along with Richy. We have a meeting with the two today. We are going to meet with Richy and after with Evelin and her family. Pray that the ML will not be a stumbling stone this week with his baptism. My DL, ZL´s asistontos, and president are still amazed at how much success we are having. At the end of this last cambio we had the goal of 2 baptisms this month and now we are saving the Zone with 5!! We are really excited.
The picture of Ainsley was hilarious. What is Breaking Dawn? I don´t know what that is.
Tell dad to take pictures of the $12,000 table.
Ethan.... Taking first assistant seriously? Wow what happened? Are we talking about Ethan Torgersen? The punk that was always teasing his sisters, wearing my clothes and using my stuff... That Ethan? Tell him he better be taking it seriously. Tell him he better be taking Seminary and mission prep Seriously also. But that does sound about right. Even with the size that he has, he never did hit or fight with anyone except me.
The empty bottles, weren´t empty. They had water in them. They were frozen in the Freezer. Yes we do clean. You would be surprised how much I have cleaned here in the mission. That is one thing I have learned. Our stupid crack house was crappy and small but at least was clean. I´m getting so sick of tiny, moldy, stinky, dirty Chilean mission houses.
As far as more missionaries, I have no idea. also being with my comp for Christmas... NO idea. We have transfers right before Christmas. But he doesn´t get very many letters or packages.
These past 3 weeks I haven´t slept at all. I have been so stressed, worried and frustrated that I´m tired during the day and at night I´m so worried and stressed that I can´t sleep. I have talked with Sister Humphrey and she said if I can´t sleep I´m going to have to go into Conce. I have been so tired that by about 5 i´m literally just dead tired. Throughout the day=dead tired. Night=Restless. We are out in the middle of nowhere with only us two. We don´t have really anyone watching over us so it is really hard to wake up on time when I´m just so tired. I´ve literally never been so tired, exhausted, and stressed in my life. If it doesn´t get any better I have to go see the Doctor for the mission in Conce. I have tried natural sleeping pills, sleeping pills, and just about every herb that the members have given me to try and relax and sleep.
Well Not much else happening. Pray for our INV´s and for me so that I can sleep. Love you all!
Elder Torgersen
No comments:
Post a Comment