Staying in Coihuico

Hello Friends and Family!

 

 This week was really stressful but really successful. We were really stressed and worried but everything turned out fine. Got some big news today....

 

First I´m staying in COIHUECO.... so is my comp. We have been together for 3 cambios and I was praying for a long time he would get changed out. For some reason Pres has decided to keep us together. I guess after 3 hours full of praying and thinking what he should do with us he decided to keep us together. I´m a little frustrated because he doesn´t really help with anything. This cambio is going to be a bit difficult. BUT...

 

I just took the next step on the ladder of leadership... Say Hola to the next DISTRICT LEADER!! Yeah that's right... I`m a little nervous about it but Elder Bracken my ZL is going to help me out. He is probably one of the best elders in the mission. I told him we are chillin after the mission. His dad was the guy that wrote ¨My orange Dufflebag¨ book. Anyway I have to now teach our District class and I´m a little nervous. Should be a good learning experience.

 

This last Tuesday I had 3 interviews in my sector. I ended up going into another sector and my DL came to do the interviews. I called at about 9 to see if they passed and they told me they couldn´t find one lady and the other girl failed her interview. Luckily they were lying. The three passed.

 

We had our Christmas conference this last Wed and I got a Christmas package with decorations and candy in it. We had an hermana lend us a Christmas tree and we set it up and put the presents under it.

 

Well, during lunch this week the hermana had the TV on with the news. I can`t remember which day it was but it was right during the shooting in Connecticut. It makes me sick to think someone would shoot a bunch of 1st graders. There is a special place for sick people like that. I can´t even imagine the heartache the families have right now. I felt like crying. One thing I really don´t miss is seeing news and all the violence and stuff that happens. I guess almost a year and a half without seeing stuff like that it kind of hits you harder when you see it. I will be praying for the families.

 

I am going to send a package home this week so hopefully it gets there. I have bought a couple things for everyone and I´m going to send them this next week.

 

At the Conference everyone kept coming over to me and asking if I was the Elder in Coihueco. I don´t know how but every one knows about the success we are having. One elder said he had heard there were a couple bombs in Coihueco and wanted to know who they were. I thought it was pretty funny....

 

This weekend we had another three baptisms. Juan, Claudia and finally Evelyn. We were really stressed but everything turned out alright. I actually had to perform another baptism this last week end. I have learned I don´t like doing it. I´d rather have a member do it. I was a little nervous about this one because Claudia is a little hefty. I wasn´t sure I was going to be able to do it. But everything went great.

 

We just found a new family of about 6 and none of them are baptized. We had a really good lesson with the mom. She has had a rough time lately. Her mom just passed away, her brother just passed away and her neighbor just passed away. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and she was crying by the end of the lesson. She ended up giving us both besos... haha

 

We just got a whole new branch presidency and are really excited to work with them.

 

Well not much else is happening. Not sure if i´m excited to talk to you all or not... Just means one step closer to finishing my mission. I am hoping that we can go into Chillan to call you guys. If not the Internet here in Coihueco is really slow.

 

Well love you all and miss you tons.

 

Elder Torgersen

Hello friends and family!

 

Well this week has been good. We are really excited for this next week. We should have another 3 baptisms. We have a mini cambio tomorrow and our DL will do the interviews.

 

This last week we had a mini cambio for 2 days. I was just about done after the two days. The sector I was in was really boring. I didn`t like it at all. Their Investigators were really weird and my DL is really awkward.

 

We are really excited because Juan and Claudia are going to have their interview tomorrow and they are really excited. We are also hoping to baptize Evelyn this week end. We found out she is not a member and will need to be baptized.

 

This week We had a family night with Juan and Claudia and their mom. You will all be surprised but I actually played the ukulele and we all sang I am a Child of God in Spanish. It was pretty cool. We had a fun time with them playing a weird game my comp taught us and eating potato chips and Cheetos.

 

Yesterday we were sitting in church and the Stake president came in. Next thing we know our president is released and we have a new Branch Pres. Our New BP is a missionary that has been home for 2 months. We were really excited because he has still got a little motivation to help with missionary work. Yesterday him and the other RM did divisions with us and we were able to visit INV´S and MA´s. We are really excited.

 

We had a mini Conference this last week and MP is changing the way we teach. I guess there is a new way to teach the youth... More like Christ would... We are now starting to teach more like Christ would. I think It will be great. We are still having to memorize over 50 scriptures word for word. It is kind of ridiculous.

 

This week we were able to help out 2 families with service. We cleaned up garbage and pulled weeds for Evelyn. There was a tree with a couple rose bushes... and a lot of big rocks. I ended up cleaning the garbage out, pulling out the weeds and lining up the rocks in a design and she just about died when she saw it. She was really happy with the work we did. We also helped a MA, Mauricio, clean up the outside of his house. He is a younger guy and recently married with a 3 year old little girl. His little girl has got to be the cutest little girl I have ever seen. We are really trying to get the wife, Pamela, to church with the husband. She isn´t a member and hasn´t really given time to the missionaries. We were there at the house on Monday and asked her to share with us for 5 minutes, after a couple seconds she finally walked in. They have been having trouble in there relationship. We told here that we were there to help. The sister of Mauricio is a member and came to me crying the other day asking if We could go pass by there house. She went with us to the lesson and she said that it was the first time she has sat down and actually listened. She said she always says she´s busy and walks out. We are hoping we can help them out.

 

The Relief Soc. had an activity this Saturday giving away clothes in front of the church. We were able to contact lots of people and give away pamphlets and pass alongs. It didn´t really help us out but it was something new to try.

 

I got an awesome letter from Aunt Kay along with a box of caramel popcorn. She sent a box of 4 big ziploc bags of it. It cost her $60 to send! Tell her and her family I love them all and thank you for the treat and the awesome letter. The letter really helped me out this week.

 

Still have been a little sick, Cough is about to kill me, Nose bleeds have stopped though.

 

We had a total of 62 people in church with 3 INV´s and 6 RC.

 

We don´t have plans for Christmas.... we will be going to Talca for a Conference on WED.

 

Well not much else happened this week. We didn`t have much time this week. We ended up having to go into Chillan and didn`t get back till late. Love you all and miss you tons. Tell Colten I will write him next week.

 

Con Amor,

Elder Torgersen

December 1, 2012

Hello Friends and Family!

Well this week was really slow, not just for us but for the whole Zone. This week was full of lots of stuff.

This week started off with a Zone Class. Every Tuesday we go to the Church in Chillan and we meet as a district. Sometimes we meet as a Zone. This last week we had a Zone Class. We had a couple announcements about Conferences and then the ZL´s told us they wanted to talk to us about something serious and a little depressing. They told us that with the announcement of the prophet and with so many missionaries entering into the MTC... They will be changing our transfer dates to meet with the MTC or something like that. They weren`t 100% sure why but we are all getting screwed over by a month in our missions. The room went completely silent. After a minute or so people started asking questions. There is nothing we can do... We are finishing a month earlier than planned due to the changes in ages of missionaries. I´m a little ticked... even though its only a month and I will be able to see you all earlier I´m still mad. 

This week has been really slow for us. I have been getting over my cold and it hasn´t been fun. Every morning when I wake up, I have a headache, sore throat, and congestion. I had this for a few days and to make it worse... just about every hour I was getting nose bleeds. It was really annoying. We were leaving the house one day and right as I was leaving my nose started bleeding and wouldn`t stop. Finally, after about 20 minutes lying down, pinching my nose it stopped. But just about every other hour it would come back. In church Sunday we ended up having to walk out during the closing prayer because it started again.

I did get the package from Halloween. My comp was really excited and said to tell you all MUCHAS GRACIAS! 

We did hear back on SLC if Evelin is a member or not. She is not a member so we will hopefully baptize her here soon. We have also received just about a million blessings. We visited a less active and tried a thing we have learned to get references. She ended up giving us two and she invited them to church this last Sunday. They came and we have talked to them and got them with a baptismal date for the 22 of December. They are progressing daily and are really excited to be baptized. 

The Assistants were traveling assistants they go around the mission looking for future leaders and helping build sectors. They came out looking for future leaders. 

The fruit has been amazing. It is getting to be really cheap and we are about to get into summer and have all the fruit. So far we have had bananas and strawberries. We have also been buying palta or avocado. It has been really good.

Ignacio my recent convert has been working with us. He even wears a shirt and tie. He bore his testimony the other day during a lesson and it was awesome. He was like,¨before my baptism I had this really heavy feeling and then I entered the water and was baptized and the heavy feeling went away.¨ It was so cool.

We have a mini Conference this week with the MP and the Asistontos. I´m not sure what we are going to do... but we should see if I have mail. 

We also have the Christmas conference this next week. Should be pretty fun. We usually eat something really good and learn from president and everyone.

Well really not much is happening. I have no idea if I will stay here.We are not sure what will happen. We still have a lot of people preparing for Baptism. We should continue to have success here. 

Well I love you all and miss you tons. 

Elder Torgersen