Week 48 in Chile - 12/24/2012

¡¡¡¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!

Lugar: Libertador, Chillan

Compañera: Hermana Miskin

Fecha: 24/12/2012

Hola Mi Familia!!!!

               FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!! ¿Como Están Todos? I hope that you all are doing wonderful! And so that you all know, I´M STILL ALIVE!!! The world didn´t end on the 21st!!! haha so looks like we still have a lot of time left! :) Our three day of darkness was probably all the rain that we have received, this is what I get for wishing for Snow, haha I get rain!! But either way I love this time of year! and this week and year have passed by so fast!! Help me!!!! Just kidding! Things have been going great here!! I love my new sector and I love my new companion, she is freaking amazing!! I am going to have to start telling you about a few of the many things that have happened this week, just remember as always to be patient as I try to remember! So here we go!

               Well as I was saying my new companion is really amazing!!! Her name is Hermana Miskin, she is from Southern California, and she has about 4 months in the mission, but her Spanish is amazing, because she studyied before, so we are doing amazing together. I love how she is always looking for miracles!! It is such an uplifting aspect about her! We have been doing good this week, and working very hard! I´m very excited to see what we are going to accomplish this cambio together as a companionship! We have found some good people this week that we are excited to teach, we have a family, Ingrid y Ricardo, and their little son Maxi that we are teaching. This family is a great family and we are teaching them little by little to help them make the decision to be baptised, but them came to church with us on Sunday and they loved it! We are also teaching many others, we are teaching a boy named Hector, who was supposed to be baptized this week but because we didn´t get permission from the dad, we had to postpone it and we are going to talk to them this week, to see if we can in a week or two! But we are doing great here!! 

              Things in the house are going amazing! So in the house live Hermana Miskin and me, and Hermana Brennan and Hermana Frandsen, and we are all doing amazing in our little apartment, and it is little, all the beds are downstairs, one set of bunk beds and the other two beds right next to them! with our study rooms upstairs, but things are amazing! haha I feel a little bad for my Comp, because she is a light sleeper, and turns out I have been talking in my sleep for the past few nights, and she tells me every morning and just tells me that she laughs each night, because it is in Spanglish! Lol even worse right! "Donde Estan the freaking testigos" "Muchas gracias, muchas gracias" and probably others but those where the ones she could hear, it is just funny, and I feel bad, I didn´t know I talked that much! I could be because I´m worn out at night and sick, so I talk, but all in all it is really funny! We will have to see what it will be next week! :)

             Ok well many things have happened this week, and I really don´t have much more time to write because we have to do a lot of things before we work tonight and have a Christmas dinner with a family, but there was one thing I wanted to tell you before I left, yesterday there was a miracle that happened. We had an activity with the ward missionaries, who are all young men and young women, but we went out and did caroling to the less actives and recent converts in our ward it was a lot of fun! and we also sang to Ingrid y Ricardo, and they were the ones who told us to check out a school that was next to their house, because they told us there were many people who lived there who will didn´t have a house after the big earthquake in 2010, so after we found Hna. Brennan and Hna. Frandsen we went over there with the missionaries and talked and sung to a family really fast, and then we asked if there was anyone else and they told us there was an old man, but they weren´t sure if he really wanted to listen to us, but we passed by and is turns out he is a less active member who has been waiting for two years that the missionaries would pass by, he use to do much work with the missionaries before, but after the earthquake, it was like no one really passed by anymore, and  because of his hip replacement it makes it hard to go to church, but it goes to so that God never forgets and that he is always watching out for His children and makes sure they are alright, but that is my spiritual thought is to look this Christmas for those that are alone for Christmas and help them feel like they have someone! even if it is a simple hymn to sing! Do It! You will bless many lives by doing it!

          Well sorry that this letter is short but I will be talking to you guys tomorrow and let you more info with skype!!!! I´M SO EXCITED!!!!! but I will see you guys tomorrow, just remember that I love you all and I´m always praying for each of you! See you tomorrow! and more information next week in my next letter with many adventures!

   Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

    Hermana Aubrey Jo England

week 47 in Chile - 12/17/2012

CAMBIO 8 SEMANA 5

 

Lugar: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 17/12/12

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!!

 

         ¿Como Están Todos? I hope as always things are going fantastically amazing!!! Well this week has been a good week, has flown by, haha like always, and we are excited because we have found new people to teach in the sector. So before I continue on I should probably let you all know about cambios, because there has been a cambio for Hna. González and me, I will be going to Los Libertadores which is in the other stake here in Chillan to be with Hna. Misken and Hermana González is staying in Agronomia with Hna. Lish, so things have been changed a bit, and Hna. González and I knew it was going to happen because we have had a lot of time together and I don´t have much time left, so it was time for a new sector. But I´m excited and it will be fun to have a new sector and look and find new people to teach. I will be in the same house as Hermana Brennan, so just like I told you months ago, we knew there was going to be a way that we were going to be together before she goes home, because she leaves in February, but I will write more about my new sector next week, haha and I will have the ability to tell you about my sector next week, I´m so excited to be able to talk to you all, 7 months is a long time! Entonces, to move on, I´m going to try my best to remember things that have happened this week! So have patience, and here we go!

 

        Well this week has been a bit hard in some aspects, we had to drop Alondra as an investigator because her Great-grandma won´t give us permission to pass by anymore, to that was a bit hard, but hopefully she will be able to hear the message at some other time! It has also been really hard to find Valeska this week and to be able to talk with Yasna, we are trying to figure out what is going on but hopefully we can get in contact with them this week.

 

         We had a Christmas Conference for the mission this week, it was a blast and really fun. We went to talca, and we heard many people do special singing performances, had talks given, and we were able to watch a picture video that they made for the mission and it is really well done, I will have to show you all when I get home! I love it! But then we ate half a chicken again, they give us so much food! But it was really delicious! But the whole conference was amazing!

 

         One Thursday we had a lot of fun, we went over to the house or Jorge y Maggie, and we painted there kitchen as a service project, I was so happy that someone has finally asked us to paint, because I have been dying to all my mission, and hopefully it isn´t the last time. But it was a ton of fun, and we have pictures, that I will have to send next week, I forgot my cable again, what with the hustle and bustle of cambios!

 

         Yesterday was really fun as well, there was an activity with the stake and each stake sung 5 Christmas songs, some that we know and some that are original from Chile. But it was really amazing performance, and I have videos of Agronomia singing that you can see when I get home!

 

          Well that is pretty much all I can think about for right now, I kind of have a headache, but I promise I´m getting better and better at remembering. But before I end I would like to leave you all with a spiritual thought as always! I as reading the book that Nanny put together with all the stories and quotes, and I was reading in the Christmas section and there was a story that I really loved, it is a bit long, but I love it, the story is called The Sixth Word:

         

"Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I had just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door of the front room and to my surprise, Santa Claus himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out.

“What are you doing??” I started to ask, but the words choked up in my throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone…gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.

He then answered me with a simple statement of “teach the children.” I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my questions and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, Santa said again, “Teach the children. Teach them the old meaning of Christmas…the meaning that Christmas nowadays has been forgotten.” 

I started to say, “How can I…” when Santa reached into the toy bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny star.

“Teach the children the star was the heavenly sign of promise long ages ago. God promised a savior for the world and the star was a sign of the fulfillment of that promise. The countless shining stars at night…one for each man…now show the burning hope of all mankind.” Santa gently set the star upon the fireplace mantle and drew forth from the bag a glittering red Christmas tree ornament.

“Teach the children this is the first color of Christmas. It was first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed for all the people by the Savior. Christ gave His life and shed His blood that every man might have God’s gift of eternal life. Red is deep, intense, vivid…It is the greatest color of all. It is the symbol of the gift of God.

“Teach the children” he said as he dislodged a small Christmas tree from the depths of the toy bag. He placed it before the mantle and gently hung the red ornament on it. The deep green of the fir tree was a perfect background for the ornament. Here was the second color of Christmas.

“The pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round,” he said. “This depicts the everlasting hope of all mankind. Green is the youthful, hopeful, abundant color of nature. All the needles point heavenward—symbols of man’s returning thoughts towards heaven. The great green tree has been man’s best friend. It has sheltered him, warmed him, and made beauty for him.” Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling sound.

“Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring for man to return to the fold—it means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord.”  As the soft sound of the bell faded into the night, Santa drew forth a candle. He placed it on the mantle and the soft glow from its tiny flame cast a glow about the darkened room. Odd shapes in shadows slowly danced and weaved upon the walls.

“Teach the children,” whispered Santa. “What the candle shows, is man’s thanks for the star long ago. Its small light is the mirror of starlight. At first, candles were placed on the trees…they were like many glowing stars shining against the dark green. The colored lights have now taken over in remembrance.”

Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and picked up a gift from under the tree. He pointed to the large bow and said, “A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as man should be tied, all of us together, with the bonds of good will toward each other. Good will forever is the message of the bow.”

Santa slung his bag over his shoulder and began to reach for the candy cane placed high on the tree. He unfastened it and reached out toward me with it.

“Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd’s crook. The crook on the staff helps bring back the strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane represents the helping hand we should show at Christmas time. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brothers keeper.”

As Santa looked about the room, a feeling of satisfaction shone in his face. He read the wonderment in my eyes and I am sure he sensed admiration for this night.

He reached into his bag and brought forth a large holly wreath. He placed it on the door and said, “Please teach the children the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love; it never ceases, stops or ends. It is a continuous round of affection. The wreath does double duty. It is made of many things and in many colors.” It should remind us of all the things of Christmas. Again, Santa whispered, “Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas.”

        I really love this story because it helps us remember the true meaning of Christmas, which is our Jesus Christ. We need to always remember that all things that we have to decorate the tree of things that are around us have a symbol pointing us to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. So the invitation I would like to extend to all of you this week, is to sit in front of the Christmas tree and look for these things that are mentioned in the story and sit and think about the true meaning of Christmas which is our Salvador, and put these teachings into your heart not only for December but all the year round, so that we can start in our families first to have Peace on Earth and then spread it around!

        Remember that I love you all so much, and I´m always thinking about each of you and praying for all of you. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts, I really can feel the support. I promise that I will write again next week with more adventures from a new sector with a new companion! Until then please take care, each and every one of you! Love you tons!

     Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

      Hermana Aubrey Jo England

Week 46 in Chile - 12/10/2012

CAMBIO 8 SEMANA 4

Lugar: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 10/12/2012

Hola Mi Familia!!!!!

          ¿Como Están Todos? As always I hope that you are all doing well, and as always I´m just going to say that this past week just flew by and I have no idea where the time went!! haha that is life for you right? But this week has been pretty good, there have been some great things that have happened, I would just like to ask that you have patience I try to remember and do my best to write a few things that have happened. Entonces, here we go!!

          Well on Monday it was Hermana González´s birthday, we didn´t do to much on Monday, and she really didn´t want to do to much, because she doesn´t want to be reminded of her age because she is 29 now. But the Bishop is a great man and he made her a cake as well, and on Tuesday, we celebrated her birthday after daily planning, we has balloons and everything, I have some pictures, but I forgot my cable so I will have to send them next week, but it was a lot of fun!! and we have been having a good week together!! 

          On Tuesday we had a mini conference, and President came to chillan and he talked to us about teaching like Christ and using our area book better so that the missionaries have a better time finding people after we are long gone from the sector. But it was a really good conference. And I´m excited because this week and Wednesday, we are going to travel to Talca and we are going to have a conference for Christmas, so I will have to let you know how that goes this next week!

          This week we are working our very best so that Valeska can get baptized this next week but we are waiting for the dad´s permission, so wish us luck that we are able to obtain it. And we are also teaching another girl whose name is Alondra, we are trying to help her see that this is something that will help her out very well, but we are receiving a little bit of opposition from her great grandma, which is a little hard, but we will have to see how things go this week, please pray for her as well, but other than that we are still in the process of finding people, which is always fun!! :) 

          Well this next week we are going to have cambios, because cambios this year fell on Christmas, so they are doing it a week earlier, and the next cambio will be 7 weeks, but Hna. González and I are not completely sure what is going to happen, we have a feeling that I´m leaving because I have about 6 months in chillan, and only 4 months left. But anything can happen with President and the Lord, so we are just waiting patiently until next week, and working the best we can until then!! :) 

          I´m sorry that this letter is a bit short, I´m just having a hard time remembering everything, but I promise to make a list this next week so that I remember. But as always before I leave you all I am going to leave you with a spiritual thought! This spiritual thought is a story that I really love, I´m sure most of you have heard it before, but I would like to share it with you anyway, because it has a good meaning behind it! Here is the story, it is called "trouble at the inn"

    

For years now whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling better known as little Wally. It was Wally’s performance in one annual production of the Nativity play that has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind.

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play’s director, Miss Lumbard, knew that there were too many lines for Wally to memorize. So she assigned him the role of the Innkeeper who only had a couple of lines. For weeks he practiced his part and his lines. Miss Lumbard’s biggest concern for the play that year was that Wally didn’t mess his part up and therefore embarrass himself.

It just so happened that the whole town had turned out the night of the big production. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than little Wallace Purling. Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the Innkeeper was there, waiting.

“What do you want?” Wally said, swinging the door open with a gruff gesture.

“We seek lodging.”

“Seek it elsewhere.” Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously. “The inn is filled.”

“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”

“There is no room in the inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.

“Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”

Now, for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

“No! Begone!” the prompter whispered from behind the curtain.

“No!” Wally repeated automatically. “Begone!”

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband’s shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the desperate couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all the others.

“Don’t go, Joseph,” Wally cried out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wallace Purling’s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have my room.”

A few old grouches in tiny town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet most attending that night considered it the best Christmas pageant they had ever seen.

           

       I really like this story a lot because of the simple and powerful example of Wally, and the question is, how many of us are willing to give up our room for Jesus? What are we willing to give up for Him in general? Are you willing to give things up so that He can come into your life and change you? But I hope that this Christmas that we all remember what the real meaning is always, and we are willing to give our room to the Christ child! 

     Remember that I love you all so, so much!!! Remember that I pray for each of you each and everyday!!! And I promise to have a better detailed letter this next week! But please take care and I will write again next week! Love you all!! 

     Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad!

      Hermana Aubrey Jo England

Week 45 in Chile - 12/03/2012

CAMBIO 8 SEMANA 3

 

Lugar: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 3/12/2012

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!

 

          ¿Como Están Todos? As always I hope that all of you are doing fantastically well. Well another week has just flown by and I´m a little bit lost for words of what to write, because it has just been one of those week where seriously I felt like just yesterday I wrote you all, and here I am again at the computer writing! haha but that is how life just it sometimes you have to take a double look sometimes and wonder what in the worlds has happened within one week, but I´m going to try my best to write a few things that are in my mind, so please have patience with me and if this letter is short, forgive me, I´m just a little bit lost for words and a little bit lost for time, because we have to get back to work soon. So here we go!

 

      Well today has been a bit fun, we had a zone activity today, and we went to a members house that has a soccer court in his yard and we went and played soccer and we ate chutipanes (I´m not completely sure how to spell it) but it was fun, we were there for a good part of the day, that is why I´m a little late at writing. But I was a little dumb and I didn´t put sunscreen on because there were a lot of clouds, but that didn´t make a difference I still got burnt, I´m just glad my makeup has a little sunscreen in it, so hopefully my face didn´t get burned bad, I haven´t been able to see, lol! :) But that is what I get when I don´t put on sunscreen! Today has been a really weird day though, because we have been walking around in jeans and a t-shirt all day long, and I know that this is really weird because I wasn´t like this before, but I want to get home and put my missionary clothes back on because it feels weird to be all day in jeans and a tshirt and a missionary tag, Lol! :) But that is the way the cookie crumbles at times!

 

     Well our sector is doing pretty good, we are still in the process of finding investigators and it has been a little bit hard, to be honest, but sometimes things are hard and sometimes they are easy it is just the way that God uses to test ones patience! lol but things have been good we continue to work hard, no matter what come in our way. We are continuing to teach Valeska, Yasna´s daughter, and hopefully we are able to get here ready for her baptism date for this next week on the 15, please pray that we can have the ability to teach her everything. But the coolest things of all time has happened in our sector this week, there is a family that we have been working with to help them go to the temple and be sealed as a family, and this week JORGE Y MAGGIE WENT TO THE TEMPLE AND WERE SEALED WITH THEIR KIDS!!!!!! We were so happy for them and it was so amazing to be able to teach a family and have them go to the temple and be sealed, because really that is the real goal as we are here is to see not only the people in baptismal white but to see them in temple white, and this is what I hope that all my converts one day and all the people here, will have the chance to do! Because it will be the best thing of their lives!!!! Because it was for me!!!

 

     Well that is pretty much it for this letter, to time to end with a thought for the week, and this thought is going to be more like news for the family and a few things. But on Tuesday we had zone class, and during class they gave us all and announcement that all the missionaries that are going home in March and April are being moved up three weeks early to make room for 50 or more new missionaries that will be coming to our mission, because of the age change for missionaries and the change of the program in the MTC. Well so that you all know I was among the people to come home on the 30 of April, and now I will be coming home on the 9th of April, to help make room for new missionaries. When they told me that news I was in shock for quite a while, and then I went through a roller coaster ride of emotions. This mission has really meant a lot to me, but when I heard that news and I have been going through thinking about my mission, I have realized that my mission means everything for me, I have become the person I am now because of my mission, and I know I´m not done, and I still have much more to do, so with these last four months I´m trying to do all that I can to find those people I need to find and help them come unto Christ, and as well understand that sometimes I´m just here to seed and to harvest. I wasn´t completely sure why the Lord has changed and shortened my time, and I´m still not completely sure, I just know that there is a reason, and I will find out one day soon, but just because I have been cut short doesn´t change the fact that I am giving my all!!

 

     I want you all to know, sometimes we don´t understand why things happen the way that they do in our lives. Why this and that had to happen to us, but just remember that our Heavenly Father knows why and that is when we have to put our faith and trust into Him that He has a plan, and that all will work out, I testify that this is true with all my heart, might, mind and soul, I have seen and experienced that this week, and I promise each and every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ that if you keep moving forward in the darkness with faith as your light you will eventually find the things and reasons for why things happen! I promise each and everyone of you that this is true!

     Well that is pretty much it for this week, please remember that each and every one of you are in my prayers and thoughts always, and I´m very grateful for all your love, support and prayers, just know that I´m able to feel it and I want to send all my love to you! Please take care until next week, and I will have more news about how things are going here! So until then!!

 

    Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

     Hermana Aubrey Jo England

Week 44 in Chile - 11/26/2012

CAMBIO 8 SEMANA 2

 

Lugar: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 26/11/2012

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!! 

 

         ¿Como Están Todos? I really hope all is going well with all of you, this week has been a crazy week, but an amazing one, things have been really well, and as always the week just flew by, it felt a bit long but I can´t believe it is P-day. But many things have happened this week, and as always I´m going to try to my best to summarize what has happened this week so that you all have an idea of how I´m doing down here, so here we go! :)

 

       First things are first, I have amazing news are you all ready for this.... ¡¡¡¡YASNA SE BAUTIZÓ!!!! It is great that when you fill out the baptism register that you find out how to spell their names! haha oops :) But it was such a great baptism, and we are all very happy!! This whole week though was a bit stressful getting everything ready, haha we have been visiting or calling her everyday, and on Wednesday she was suppose to have her interview on Wednesday at 8, and we were calling her and calling her, but she didn´t answer, we stopped by for her house at about 8 and she had just barely gotten home from work so it was a little crazy, and our district leader is in a sector a bit far away, so long story short Elder Bracken (one of our Zone leaders) with Elder White came from there sector and did the interview, they got there about 10 and we didn´t leave until 10:30 and we where in our house at 11, it was absolutely crazy, but she passed her interview and all was well. But really her baptism was great, and now we are starting to work with Valeska, her daughter that is 10 years old. So hopefully we will have another baptism really soon! 

 

      This week we also had an activity, we did a mini noche de hogar with Cordillera and Agronomia and we talked about gratitude but it was fun haha we, meaning hna. bowns and I were trying to do something little for thanksgiving, but we had an activity and had a list of things that we were grateful for then we played "are you my neighbor" but with our lists and it was very fun, then we watched a few Mormon message about gratitude and ate some desserts that people brought, but it was right after the baptism of Yasna, and Yasna had a great time, we all did.

 

     So something really freaky happened yesterday, we had the return of the beetle. Remember how I told you that we had a beetle about the size of a nickle that was green and blue that was in Hna. Bown´s room, well yesterday we were planning and had the window open because it was a little hot, and in flys another one of those beetles, but this time yellow and black with a bit of orange, it creeped me and Hna. González out a lot, and we tried to get rid of it, but it flew and now we have now idea were it is at, so we are a bit scared, but it is all good! We have a lot of fleas in our room too, were are getting bit up good, but were are doing a deep clean today of our room, we think they got there because of an old mattress that is under our bed, but that is the good thing that someone invented raid and cleaning supplies! 

 

     Well I really don´t have a lot of time left, because we have to get going here soon to start cleaning and eat something for lunch! But before I end as always I would like to leave you all with a spiritual thought. So I´m sure I told you, but maybe I didn´t, but I have started reading the New Testament, and I really love all the things that I have been able to read and learn, I have finished Matthew and Mark, and I´m now working on Luke (I hope to finish before Feb, so I can read the BOM before the end of my mission) but I absolutely love the stories and the miracles and the teachings that I am able to learn from Christ. We had companionship study the other day, and in companionship study we share what we learned, and I told Hna. González that "well I have told you before..." because the same miracles and stories are in Matthew and Mark with a slight change but it is pretty much the same, and as I started thinking about that, I started thinking why do we hear the same things over and over and over again, or we read the same things over and over again. It is because we have to learn the little things first before God can give us more that is why He has told us "line upon line, precept upon precept" as we take care of the things that we are learning and put them into our hearts and we become converted from the little things He is then able to give us more. Think about the parable of the talents, He gave each of them a talent, two of them went to work and found more and were rewarded in the end, but the other went and hid what he was given and received nothing more because he didn´t show his ability. That is the same with talents that we have or learning the basic principles of the gospel. God gives each and everyone of us the things we need to learn in the time we need to learn it, and it all depends on what we do with what He gives us, on whether or not He can give us more. So apply and get to work to achieve more talents and when the day comes He will look at how we have taken care of the knowledge the we have received and we will hear: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

 

     Remember that I love you all so much, and I hope that you all are doing amazing! Know that all is going well here, and I´m very thankful for all of your prayers and love. Know that I pray for each and every one of you each and everyday. Please take care and I will talk to you more next week with more adventures!

    Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

     Hermana Aubrey Jo England

    

    

Week 43 in Chile - 11/19/2012

¡¡¡¡UN AÑO EN LA MISIÓN!!!!

Lugar: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 19/11/2012

Hola Mi Familia!!!

       ¿Como están todos? Another week and year has just flown by! It was so crazy on friday to think that a year ago I was a scared little missionary that didn´t know any Spanish, entering into the MTC. I really have no idea where time goes, and Hermana Brennan and I were talking today, and she basically looked at me and told me that I have had the fastest mission, she couldn´t believe that I have had a year, when not that long ago we were in Tierra Bella together on a mini cambio, the both of not knowing a ton of Spanish, her with only three months in Chile and me with three weeks! but we survived and taught all we could, the gospel. So many memories to think about!! :) But like I said this week has gone by really fast again, so I´m going to do my best and give a summary of somethings! Here we go! :)

      First things first, Jasna! :) We have a great possibility that she is going to get baptized this week, and we are so excited! because this week be my first baptism in a while. Jasna is doing really good! This week we taught her the word of wisdom, and she had a problem with smoking, tea and coffee, and she has had a little bit of a hard time dropping it, but she is doing great now because we bought her Ecco (café of wheat), herbal tea, and we also bought her many suckers to have in her mouth; haha she looked at me and told me with a smile, "yeah your taking away my cigarettes and turning me into a diabetic!" There have been so many miracles with Jasna, we have started visiting her everyday to make sure she is alright, and on Friday we had an amazing lesson with her! she has been having a lot of stress and started smoking more, so to help her out we went over with Hno. Rudy our mission leader and we talked with her and taught better about having faith through opposition, then Hno. Rudy gave her a blessing to help her out. She told us the next day that she had never had the feelings that she felt before, she said all the feeling she felt during the entire blessing was in her heart, and it was something she couldn´t describe, and we told her that was the spirit! We are so excited for her, and we are going over tonight and we are going to do a Noche de Hogar with them! So please continue to pray for Jasna, that all will work out well this week! :)

     Well things have changed in the house a bit we have a new missionary! On Tuesday we were with Hna. Bowns because the flight of the new missionaries got delayed because of difficulties, so it was good to be in a trio for a while, we has a good day, and did some good contacts. We found one family that has like 40 chickens, that is counting the little baby chicks, it was crazy, but really fun to see, haha reminding me from when we had chickens! But so the new hermana came on Wednesday, her name is Hermana Burgess, she is from Logan, UT and she is doing well. We got to see her in English class, when we went, she knows much more Spanish than I did when I got here, I´m telling you they come more and more prepared! But we are all doing well in the house!

     Pretty much this week Hermana González and I are in the process of finding new investigators to teach, it has been a little hard I will have to tell you that, but we are still working on it, haha it was really funny yesterday one contact that we did, we contacted this lady, and she looked at Hna. González and told her, "you speak very good Spanish where did you learn it!" and she told her that she was from Argentina she speaks Spanish as her natural language. We don´t know if she understood very well but said it again, you speak very good Spanish! And I´m standing there telling her, "She speaks Spanish, she doesn´t know English, I speak English and learned Spanish." But it was really funny the whole contact, we were laughing about it the whole night, "haha Hna. González you speak very good Spanish!" :) Adventures of the mission, aren´t they great!

      Well that is pretty much all that I can think about from this week, when thing pass so fast it gets a little hard, but time for the spiritual thought of the week! Well I have been sitting here looking at a few Mormon message about gratitude, I kind of forgot that it was thanksgiving this week, because one they don´t celebrate it here, but as I have been thinking about thanksgiving, really one word comes into my mind and that is gratitude, that is what this whole day is about is giving our thanks for the daily blessings that are in our life, and yes there is always something that we can give thanks for daily if we look for it. I just watched a Mormon message of President Eyring "oh remember remember" and he talked about and experience in how he would everyday (without missing a single day) pondering the question, "Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch me?" and he talked about that as he pondered and prayed about it, with out fail many many times he always found something that he was able to give thanks for! I loved his message and how he talked about asking that question, and "Did God send a message that was just for me? Have I seen His hand in my life?" I promise each and everyone of you that it is possible to look and find at least one thing that we are grateful for! and how the Lord has blessed our lives! Remember always as well, "No experience is a total loss if we learn from it" There is always something to be grateful for, because all we have, ALL OF IT, if from a loving Heavenly Father whose solo purpose and plan is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of each and every one of us!

      Remember always that I love and am so grateful for each and every one of you! I really can´t believe it has been a whole year away from you, and I say this with tears of gratitude in my eyes, THANK YOU!!! Thank you seriously for all that you have done, are doing and will do for me! Your examples have meant that world to me, at times we don´t realize how important something is to us until it is gone and we don´t have a daily access to it! Remember that I pray and think about each and everyone of you daily! I´m extremely grateful for all of your letters and love, and I promise to send another letter with more adventures this next week! Love you all, Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Eat lots and lots of turkey and wonderful food for me!

    Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad!

     Hermana Aubrey Jo England

Week 42 in Chile - 11/12/2012

CAMBIO 7 SEMANA 6

 

Lugar: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 12/11/2012

 

Hola Familia!!!!

 

        ¿Como Están Todos? I really hope as always that things are going fantastically amazing!! Things here are going well, this week as all weeks lately just flew by! As a companionship we have progressed and it is always great to see how goals help us become better than we were the week or day before! But here we go, haha I´m going to try to make my best attempt to explain a few things that have passed by this week! 

 

      Well first things first, it was cambios were today, and nothing has changed here, I´m still with Hermana González and here in Agronomia, finally!! I was changed a lot my past 4 cambios, so it is good to have a least one cambio in where nothing changes and we can continue working togther. But the only thing that is bad is I have a feeling that I may be changed the next cambio, which is in five weeks instead of 6 weeks because of Christmas, but we will have to see what happens when the time comes, but for now Hermana González and I are happy and we are excited to have another cambio together. There was a change with Hna. Bowns and Hna. Moralez in Cordillera! Hna. Moralez is going to Krav, which is close to Concepcion, and Hermana Bowns is going to be training!!! There are going to me three American sister missionaries in the house now, because we know that three sisters are coming from MTC in Provo, so it will be exciting to see what happens, and I told Hermana González today that this will be a good opportunity to learn English! haha she wasn´t to excited about that, but I told her not to worry, I would be talking in Spanish! 

 

    So on Monday we made the cookies with the Bishop and it went really well! They loved them, and then I also gave him the recipe that I had for donuts and he told me that we was going to experiment with them! So we had a meeting with him on Tuesday to talk about the missionary work in our sector, and he brought the donuts that he made, can I just say, he did an amazing job!!! He made them really good and he also added ingredients, he put a chocolate topping on one of them with sprinkles and then a white frosting that was really good! So this will be very great to see that if he will have success selling them!! :) We also made the sourdough bread with Hna. Marisol this week, and the bread turned out good, it didn´t have too much of a sour taste but I told her that it was because her starter is just new and needs to give it time, but she is going to make it again this week, and see see if it becomes more sour! :)

 

    We have been able to teach a good amount of people this week, we are always in the process of finding new people. But Jasna is progressing really well, she came to church with us this week and she loves being able to come, and she is also reading and praying and told us that each of the reading assignments that we gave her this week had an application in her life, and gave her some answers! But we are continuing to help her out, and hopefully this next week on the 24 she will be able to be baptized, please continue to pray for her and her family. We are also continuing to work with Marisol, we are still in the process of waiting for her divorce, so that she can get married to Francisco. But things are going really well and we continue to work really hard.

 

    So I saw the pictures that you all sent me of the snow, can I just tell you right now, I´M JEALOUS!! but in another way I´m not, haha I have mixed feelings! I really miss the snow! haha I forgot what snow looked like! j/k, but here it is starting to get really really hot! It is still springtime but it is moving very quickly to summer. WE ARE GOING TO DIE!! haha this week was a mixture we had many days that were very hot, but cooled down at night, then we had about three days of rain as well, haha Hna. Bowns and Hna. Morales got soaked, because they forgot to bring an umbrella. But the weather has been a bit bipolar. It has been a bit challenging this week because of allergies, so I was grateful for the rain! the only other things that isn´t good about the heat is the return of the fleas! THEY ARE BACK!! but we are working on not having them! It is going to be a bit weird having Christmas in the heat! haha but it will be fun! 

 

   Well that is pretty much it, time to end with a spiritual thought, so I have been sitting here thinking about what I would like to share with each of you, and as I was a part of a talk that we have here on the mission, called, "The Fourth Missionary" came to my mind, and there was a part that I loved that talks about giving out heart and will to the Lord and I would love to share it with you, and it says this:

     "The Fourth Missionary understands that, as King Benjamin taught, the Lord is never in our debt.  He knows that God always blesses us many times more than the measure of what we give.  Jesus said, a hundred times more.  “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. (Matt.19:29).” 

In the end, your heart and your will is all that you have to give that the Lord does not already have.  If you give your time, two years, and your strength, you give only that which He grants to you with each beat of your heart and each breath that you draw.  If you dedicate your gifts and talents, you only return to Him what He already has given to you.  If you pay tithing you only return to Him a tenth of what He has already given to you.  Everything that you have to give to the Lord, has its origin in Him, except one thing: your will.  He does not have your heart, nor your mind, unless you give them to him.  It is the only gift you have to offer that He does not already have.  And so when you give yourself, you truly give Him everything. 

Jesus spoke of this matter of giving or consecrating yourself in different words.  He spoke of losing yourself.  He said: 

25.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matt. 16:25.

   I really love what this says, because it is really true the one thing that God does not have is a our will, we each have our own agency and that is a wonderful gift that God has given us. I love that if we give our heart and will over to Him, He can work many mighty miracles in our life, because we have given it all to Him. Remember He can´t work with something that He doesn´t have, so the daily question we need to ask ourselves is, are we giving it all to Him? or are we holding it back a bit? Take a chance, give it all to Him! and watch the miracles happen, throughout your life! 

 

     Remember that I love you all so much! I´m very gratefully to be related to each and every one of you physically and spiritually, remember that pray for each and every one of you daily, and I am able to feel your prayers and strength, for which I am very grateful! Stay strong this week, and move forward along with the Lord! I promise to write more next week, with more adventures, but until then! 

 

   Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

   Hermana Aubrey Jo England

Week 41 in Chile - 11/05/2012

CAMBIO 7 SEMANA 5

 

Donde: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 5/11/2012

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!

 

        ¿Como Están Todos? Wow otra vez, this week just flew by! Time always fly by really fast if you aren´t watching out. Take this for example, 14 years ago today, I was baptized! Crazy right! We need to cherish every moment that we have! because we never know how many we are going to have in the future! But it has been a pretty good week, we had a hard time finding people because of the Halloween, and Saints day and another holiday, so it was a long holiday weekend here and many people were out of town, or visiting from another part; but it was a good week. I loved the Halloween photos that you sent me!! Danny is really getting tall and is changing! haha! Halloween here was good, it isn´t as full blown out as it is in the states, but there were some kids and teenagers that dressed up and went out asking for candy, but other than that it wasn´t that big, I believe that it really is only a holiday celebrated in the states more, for the fact that all the members kept asking me what the definition of Halloween is, but it was a good day seeing different costumes. haha we all ran home that night so that we could plan really fast for the next day, then we all got into our PJs, we made popcorn, and we watched a bit of "Together Forever" because we have a DVD player to help with training the new missionaries, Lol that is as much as we were able to celebrate as Missionaries but it was great!

 

      Tuesday was a good day, we did splits with the Hermana Marisol, who is the relief society President, and Hermana Mirea, who is one of her counselors. But we did splits and we went out with them to help them with visiting teaching because there were many sisters that hadn´t been visiting. But it was really fun, I went out with Hna. Marisol and Hna. Gonzalez with Hna. Mirea, and we helped them do there visits. Can I just tell you I love Hermana Marisol, she is such a great lady, and we have a lot of fun together, she reminds me a lot of you mom! :) She make bread every week, well a lot of people here do, but I´m going to teach Hna. Marisol how to make Sour Dough Bread, she is excited to learn, because it doesn´t exist here, and I hope it works out! haha but we are going to experiment! 

 

     Well I´m kind of hitting my head on the desk here trying to think of other things to tell you, it is a bit hard when the week passes in the blink of an eye! So there was a baptism this week, there is a family in our ward, Jorge y Maggie, and their boy Benjamin just turned 8 and he had his baptism on Saturday, so we went to help them out with everything, we went on Saturday and we helped them make no bake cookies! ;) because benja loves them, and we got everything ready for the baptism. I played the piano and I also gave a short talk for the baptism too, haha talk about last minute, it is the good thing about being a missionary that we are always studying the scriptures, so when they asked me, I had many scriptures come to mind and I picked a few and gave a short discurso, but it went well! Benja is very happy and so is the whole family. I´ve grown very close to this family as well, I really have found a second family with all the people the I have come to know here! Thank goodness for things like facebook and skype! It will make things a bit easier!

 

      Well that is pretty much all that I can think of for right now, I promise I´m trying to get better at writing a list of things to talk about, there are always things that we can do better at in life, haha right! But today is going to be fun, we are going to go over to the Bishops house, and we are going to teach him how to make "no bake cookies" because Hna. Gladys and him want to learn how to make them, and I believe they are going to start selling them in their bakery as well! So this will be a great thing, because it will be a recipe that nobody has unless you have gotten to know the missionaries!! haha :) And i´m going to teach him how to make donuts as well! i think we are just going to start switching recipes!! :) Especially for the cake he made me, it was so good!!

 

     Well that is pretty much it for today, and as always I would like to end you all with a spiritual thought! So this week we talked in zone class about the 2000 stripling warriors and a few characteristics about them that made them successful in the fact that none of them perished in the end of the battle, and I would like to share with each of you this three characteristics because it can help each and every one of us with goals and things that we want to accomplish in this life, and the life to come! The three things are this: 1. The stripling warriors listened to all of the things from their leaders and did what they asked! 2. They had faith unbreakable! 3. They were exactly obedient! It was through these three things that helped them have God on their side to protect them through the rough times, so if we give heed to our leaders (Heavenly Father, Christ, President Monsen, Bishops, etc.), if we have faith that all will work out according to HIS WILL and not ours, and do our best each day to be obedient to the things we know we have to do, all things will work out in the end! "Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them." (Alma 57:21) I testify to each and everyone of you that if we do these three things that really we will see blessings and success in our lives, we just need to continue on with this faith and remember that all is done in HIS TIME and not ours, but all will come about, and the blessing will come!

 

     Well that is pretty much it for this week! I hope that all of you have a amazing, fantastic, wonderful, week! and that your are able to achieve your goals this week! Remember the three things and I know that each of you can! Remember that I pray for each and every one of you always and each day! Thank you for all of your support and love as well, I really feel it!! Please take care, and I promise next week I will have more adventures about next week! and news about cambios! :) Love you all!! Until next week!

 

    Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad!

     Hermana Aubrey Jo England

    

 

Week 40 in Chile - 10/29/2012

CAMBIO 7 SEMANA 4

 

Donde: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 29/10/12

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!

 

        ¿Como Están Todos? Well like always I really hope that you all are doing well, things here are doing well. I´m really not kidding I really have no idea where the time is flying because this week passed by so fast in the blink of an eye, and I´m here writing you all again. So I´m going to try my best to explain a few things that have happened this week, but have patience, because when things pass by so fast it is hard to remember all these things at times! So here we go!

 

     So we have been working with Jasna and her family still, mainly with Jasna lately, but things have been going alright. She has been having a rough time, being a single mom is really hard, but we have people in the ward that are watching out for her. After chruch yesterday, Hermano Marcelo, who is a recent convert took her home in his truck, and his wife was talking to her, and they found out that Jasna really has nothing, hardly any money and don´t have a lot of food. After they knew that they went home and found a little bit of food that they could after they called the bishop and took it over to her. There are really good people in this ward and they are befriending Jasna really well.

 

    We had a Noche de Hogar on Monday and it went really well. We were with Hermana Marisol and her family, Hermano Marcelo and his family, and Jasna and two of her kids David y Valeska. But the NDH was really fun, we made Donuts (Which turned out great!) then we had a short message about studying the scriptures and pray, then we ate and we played the tie game, where you have two ties and it is a race to have someone with both ties, but it was very fun and we were all busting up laughing, because Hno. Marcelo and Hno. Gabriel were playing so many tricks during the game to get others out!

 

    On Thursday we were able to help a lady, her name is Mercedes, she is the wife of a member. But we went over to her house and we helped her clean all of her windows, and after she showed us all of her chickens (Which I loved, reminded me when we had chickens!) and she showed us some eggs that have the possibility of being baby chicks, and she said they should be ready soon, so when we go over for lunch this Sunday she is going to have many baby chicks runny around! :) but she also show us her garden and her dogs, and we sat and talked to her for a while, but it was very fun!

 

    Well that is pretty much it, I really can´t think of any thing else. Hermana González and I are doing really well together and learning a lot each and every day! haha she wants me to start teaching her how to cook the things that I have been cooking, and she is going to write down the recipes. Oh which reminds me, Mom I love you!! haha well I always have, but thanks for telling me to use raw sugar as a substitute for brown sugar, I used it to make carmel nut slices and it worked, probably not exactly the same but they are pretty darn close!! It made me very happy to be able to make them, and as well as Hna. Bowns, Hna. Morales, and Hna. González, they loved the cookies they were very good! haha they know when I´m cooking because they always tell me the smells just travel upstairs and they love the way it smells! ;)

 

    Well I´m going to end, but before I do, a spiritual thought! So this week I finished reading Genesis, and now I will be working on the Pearl of Great Price, but as I was reading I thought a lot about the lost tribes and about family and how we have the opportunity to search for the family that have passed on through genealogy. It is a great source to be able to search for those of our family to help "the hearts of the fathers turn to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers" On Saturday there was a really cool activity that Cordillera and Agronomia were doing, they had a day of indexing names for the family history center in the stake. they had a goal to index 1000 names in the day while they were there, they surpassed their recorded and found a bit over 1300 names to be able to work with! I loved on the board they had "souls we have found" and then the number! That really is what genealogy is about, I know I am focusing on finding the "souls" that are living, but you all have the opportunity to find the souls that are living and have passed on and I invite you all to do that! If you can try to talk to you ward and do an activity like they did here, it was the first time they did it but they are going to make it a yearly thing! Work with the family history and find names to take to the temple!

 

    Well that is pretty much it for this week, I promise that I will have more next week, and will try to do my best and remember more to write about haha! but until then remember always that I love you all and I pray for you all always! Thank you all so much for you support and love! Until next week with more adventures!

 

  Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

  Hermana Aubrey Jo England    

Week 39 in Chile - 10/22/2012

11 MESES EN LA MISIÓN Y CUMPLÍ 22 AÑOS

Donde: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Compañera: Hermana González

Fecha: 22/10/2012

Hola Mi Familia!!

        ¿Como Están Todos? I really hope all is going well for all of you! Wow this week has just been packed with many things this week and went really fast is all that I can say! But it has been really good, and Hermana González and I have seen a lot of miracles and great things happen this week. So I´m just going to start off with a few things that have happened of the things that I can remember! So here we go!! :)

       Well as you all know it was my birthday this week! And all I can say is it was a really great day!! What can be better then being in the service of the Lord! So I woke up in the morning and I looked at our study table and Hna. Bowns and Hna. Morales had decorated it with balloons and other things, and they also made my breakfast! We had crapes (I think that is how you spell it)but they were very good and very filling. We had lunch at the bishop´s house and we ate there and talked with Hna. Gladyis, and she found out it was my birthday, and as we were leaving, Obispo Saez and his wife gave me a cake that they had just made! and It was so good!!! and so that you know Obispo Saez is a pastery chef, he cooks really well and MUY RICO!! I have grown really close to that family!!!

      After that we went to go and work, and it was a good day, we went and passed for a less active member, who´s name is Luz I think I have told you about her before, but we passed by and the daughter who is 8 now remembered it was my birthday and gave me many notes and a balloon, and it was very sweet. She remembered because her birthday was the 20th, and so for her birthday I made her a brownie and I took it over the next day! Valeska has grown very attached to me! Her mom and grandma told me that she talks about me all the time and can´t wait until the next time that I pass! She is very cute! We also passed by and taught Jasna and her familiy which was very fun, but I will tell you about them more in a minute.

     Later that night right after we had taught Jasna we were walking around and I recieved a call from Cordillera, Hna. Moralez called me and told me that Hna. Bowns had gotten really sick and she need my help right way, and that I need to run to the church as fast as I could! Haha and given the circustances of what day it was, and the fact that the cough of Hna. Bowns in the background sounded so fake, I knew what was up! :) But we walked as fast as we could to the church, and we were a good 2 miles or more away, and I almost had two dogs attach me! and on our way we ran into our mission leader, Hno. Rudy, by a store close the the church, that was when I knew something was up, but out of breath we made it to the church, and they had a surprize part for me in the church with people from Agronomia and Cordillera! It was great! and then after that we went to a members house in Cordillera and had an "once" and birthday cake because I share the same birthday with Fransisca (Pancha) and we celebrated there together! It was a lot of fun! The whole day! But the is pretty much a summery of what happened!

     So now to talk a bit about Jasna and her familiy! We have found a familiy to teach!!! We are so excited for all of them and they are very open to what we are teaching! But so like I told you last week we found them and taught them, then two days later we had the feeling to pass for them again before we went to a meeting with the bishop, and she told us the she was very glad we came, in fact was praying that we would stop by (This was tuesday) She told us that after we left on Sunday, she was not able to sleep at all and had many nightmares, and her kids got sick, and many other things. We told her that those were not things from God and that there was a lot of opposition, so we all knelt down with their family and I said a prayer to help them sleep better and have protection that night. Then the next day we brought the Bishop and Hno. Rudy, over and they blessed the house, and got to know the family. But they familiy has really opened up to us, and they came to an activity that was in the Church on Saturday, for Dia de las Races, and there was the typical dance (original dance) from different countries, that diff. wards danced, it was very fun! haha and they did a good job for the United States, they danced "line dancing" and they also did a line dance to "Cotten Eye Joe" haha it was really great! :) But this family also went to church with us on Sunday, we went in the morning and made them french toast, then went to church and they enjoyed it, so much that they kids didn´t want to leave the primary. But many things are great with this familiy and we are going to have a noche de hogar with them tonight. Please continue to pray for this familiy is all I ask! :) They are very special to us!

     But that is the majority of the things that happened this week! But it was very good, and very fast! I really can´t believe it has been 11 months I feel like I just wrote you all reacently about 10 months, so like always it passes really fast! but that is pretty much it but before I leave a spiritual thought! :) So this week I had the privilage to give a talk in church, and my talk was based on the talk by Pres. Uchtdorf, "You are my Hands" I loved this whole talk and especially one part which says:

True love requires action. We can speak of love all day long—we can write notes or poems that proclaim it, sing songs that praise it, and preach sermons that encourage it—but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” Christ did not just speak about love; He showed it each day of His life. He did not remove Himself from the crowd. Being amidst the people, Jesus reached out to the one. He rescued the lost. He didn’t just teach a class about reaching out in love and then delegate the actual work to others. He not only taught but also showed us how to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”  Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out His hands, those He touches are uplifted and become greater, stronger, and better people as a result. If we are His hands, should we not do the same? As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

I really loved this part and just wanted to share it with you all, because really we can become the hands of Christ if we but our heart into learning about Him and doing what He showed us to do! So go out there and put your love into action! Remember that I love you all and I´m always praying for you all always! Uncle Ken you and your familiy are in my prayers as well everyday in every moment! Hope you recover and get better soon! Love you all! and I will write about more adventures next week! So until then!

Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad!

Hermana Aubrey Jo England

    

week 38 in Chile - 10/15/2012

CAMBIO 7 SEMANA 2

Place: Agronomia, Chillan Ñuble

Companion: Hermana González

Date: 15/10/2012

Hola Mi Familia!!!

       ¿Como Están Todos? I really hope that things are going well. Things here continue to go well, there have been many things that have happened this week, and it has been a good week for Hna. Gonzalez and me! So lets get started in a few things that I can remember that have happened this week. So I told you guys about a family that we found last week, well we went by yesterday to see them and the mom was there, she was very nice and listen to every word that we said, had questions and we were able to answer them, and now she has a baptism date/goal for the 24 of November. This family is great, and we are going to keep visiting them! So keep praying for this family!

     Other than that we are still in the process of finding, which is good, because we just received a new map too, so we are trying to work with that and get it organized! So that is a lot fun! :) As always we are continuing to have a great time in the house! Oh mom just so you know we made the donuts and they were GREAT!!! and MUY RICO!!! haha I have members asking me how to make them now! It is great! We also made pizza this week because the four of us didn´t have lunch on Saturday! And that turned our very well too! 

    Haha so something very funny happened the other day, so we had just gotten home for the night and we all walk upstairs to our rooms and I was talking to Hermana Bowns when all of a sudden a shiny, green, somewhat big beetle started flying around the room it freaked us all out, but it landed on the floor so we trapped it and Hna. Bowns started down the stairs to put it outside, but on the way down the stairs it fell and she lost it! So we were looking to see where it was, but we couldn´t find it, I asked if it was on her put she told me no, I don´t think so. Well we gave up looking for it and went to plan. After the prayer, Hna. Gonzalez and I were planning and all of a sudden we hear a bloody scream from their room; I ran in there and I see Hna. Bowns jumping up and down telling us to get it off get it off. It had some how fallen down the back of her shirt and she found it as she went to scratch her back, scared her half to death, but we were all laughing our heads off for quite awhile about it! It was a weird looking bug! 

    We had mission conference this week, which was a lot of fun! We learned so many great things that are going to help us, and it was good to see some of the hermanas that I haven´t seen for a while! I actually got to meet my sister in the mission, the 2nd sister missionary that Hna. Sanchez trained, so my sister. It was cool! and Hna. Sanchez is training again, so I have two sisters and we have a picture together Hna. Sanchez, Me, and my hija together, haha three generations! Abuela, hija, nieta! :) But mission conference was really great and we learned many things! And then we have interviews this week with President which will be a lot of fun! We are looking forward to it! :) 

    Well I have to get going here in just a minute because we are going to have lunch with the Hermanas again! haha like I said Hermanas stick together! :) But before I leave I would like to share a spiritual thought with you all as always! So during conference President Humphrey shared two scriptures with us that he heard from President Arnold, who is the area seventy for chile, but the two scriptures he shared are in Genesis 3:9 and Moses 4:15 and they say this: "And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" (Genesis3:9) "And I, the Lord God, called unto Adam, and said unto him: Where goest thou?" (Moses 4:15) I love the message that are in both of these scriptures, and what President told us, he said, that we all have to ask ourselves, where are we now in our lives and our personal development? and as well ask ourselves where are we going and what is our vision for the future? We should all ask ourselves these questions daily, Where am I? and Where am I going? and we will be able to take and account for our lives and help us grow more and more in the person that God sees in us each and every day!

   Well that is pretty much it for this week, I promise as always to write more and more! And remember always that I´m praying and thinking about you all always! Please take care until next week, and I will have more adventures! Until then! 

   Con Amor Siempre, y Para Toda La Eternidad!

    Hermana Aubrey Jo England