Monday, January 30, 2012

Week 1 - in Chile 01/30/12

VIVA CHILE!!!!

Place: Hualqui
Companion: Hermana Sanchez
Date: 01-30-12


Hola Mi Familia!!!!!


Buenas Tardes! How is everything going? I really hope all is going well. It was so good to talk to you last Monday, it made my day so much to be able to hear your voices! and to hear the things are going well! Things are going amazing here in Chile! I absolutely love it here! Ok I have a question, I just saw your email and it said that you only have 16 pictures on the it? That is really weird? I just figured out why it is because I was printing picutres out at the same time that I made the CD so it probably only put that pictures that I decided to print out, well we are in luck because I didn´t erase the memory card, so I´ll try to make another one here soon and I´ll send it to you. Ok well that answers that question, and as for packages I haven´t asked yet give me another week and I´ll figure some more things out there was a lot to take in this week and I´m staring to settle in. haha guess what according to President Humphrey, who is so amazing by the way, there was a 7.0 earthquake the day before I came in, crazy, but no worries the Lord watches out for us! and nothing has happened since I have been here! It is all safe!


Very funny story! So while at the MTC my companions and I were talking about how we were hoping we would get a native companion, and I actually said a prayer asking that I would get a native companions, and guess what as we all know prayers are answered!! Because I have a native companion from El Salvador, as you have read her name is Hermana Sanchez! I love her so much she is such an amazing missionary, but I have to admit it is really hard having a native companion, porque it is hard to understand eachother at times because of the language barrier, pero she is able to understand enough English where I can communitcate to her for understanding if I don´t understand which is really nice. And what really helps is in our house we are living in there is four of us Hermana Sanchez and me, then there is Hna´s Kramer and Carmona. Something cool if because Hermana Sanchez is my trainer she is my "Mom" and I´m her daughter, that is what they call us here, and we is really cool is because Hna. Sanchez is sisters with Hna Carmona´s mom, me and Hna. Carmona are cousins! :) I know it is somewhat confusing but not too bad. I was born here in Hualqui (Which remember the H is silent so it is pronounced like wal-kee, or somthing like that) and each week you are in the mission you gain a year, so I´m now offically a year old! and I´m going to get older! :)


Hermana Kramer is from Utah so I have someone to translate for me when I really don´t understand, and Hermana Carmona is from Spain! They are both amazing it is good to have Hermana Kramer to talk to, and we are so much alike what is even cooler, and I love, love, love Hermana Carmona, she is the funniest, most outgoing missionary there is! haha the other night we had just gotten done with daily planning and I was getting ready for bed when all of a sudden I see out of the corner of my eye Hermana Carmona with a water bottle and she totaly sprayed me with the water and said "YOU ARE BAPTIZED!!" No worries I totally got her back! :) haha pero I shouldn´t of told her that everytime I say sorry, which those who know me know I say that a lot, I told her everytime I said it she could baptized me! But I have been much better at not saying it, I have only said it four times, and she is definitly keeping track cause she loves "baptizing" me, pero I´m really scared cause I don´t know when she is going to do it, because it has been a few days and she still hasn´t gotten me! I guess you´ll hear next week if I have been baptized multiple times or not.


haha but I love all of my hermanas! They are so helpful with me and helping me learn the Spanish! haha for one example the other day I was learning how to do contacting better, because I have the goal to contact 15 personas cada dia, and so they were helping me pronouce the words right and to figures out what to say and to have more confidence in myself which I´m getting better at, pero the funny part was Hermana Carmona went into the bathroom and we pretended like it was a house to knock on the door, (oh as a side note we don´t knock on doors here in chile, you have to yell "halo" porque everyone has fences so we can´t get to the door.) ok but back to the story I would knock on the door and she would answer it and would pretend to be someone else that I was contacting. haha I tell you the experience that we had was like the "outtakes" in a movie because we just kept laughing or I kept messing up, we did it about 20 times and she would do something different each time, but it was funny, at one point I actually did the contact completely perfect and Hermana Carmona screamed and jumped at me because I got it completely right, scared me half to death at first porque she charged at me trying to jump in my arms, but it was so funny!


Hermana Sanchez is absolutely amazing! She really pushes me to so my best, at speaking the language, she has me do different goals each day, the first day I got here she had me contact, which I´ll be honest scared me, because Chileans speak super, super, super fast, it is so hard to understand them, pero I´m understanding little by little here and there. It just comes with time. She has had me be the one who invites that person to be baptized and I have done it about 3 times so far. oh and the other day we were on the bus and she looked at me and said, "ok time to contact" and just left me and sat somewhere else. So I had to contact the person that sat next to me! I did it because she asked me the first person that sat next to me I didn´t understand anything, except for yo soy catolico, meaning I´m catholic, he spoke fast. but that is how it is, I´ll hear "catholic, daughter, baptism" only for example not nessicarily and I have to put it together to guess at what they are saying, and then later that night she did it again and I said next to a lady that I contacted and told her in my best spanish about the gospel and she told me she was catholic and then began to take out her bible to tell me things which luckily we got to our stop, cause I would not be able to be a situation like that alone porque I´m really slow right now but again "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" and I´ll understand what is going on. During our lessons I really don´t say much, I´ll bear my testimony, which is really good because it is the most important thing I have, but It is going well! I really love it here and the people are amazing we are teach 9 people at the moment and just to name a few are Fernanda, who is a 14 year old girl and she is so sweet and really listens to everything we have to say, I hope she continues to progress! and Then there is Jeremy and Elizabeth, both of them came to church with us the other day, and then we went to there house later and gave Elizabeth a book of mormon and then we had I scones with them, I´m sure it is called something else but I can´t remember, but that is what they looked like, and we had avacadoes and tomatoes on them. All of our investigators are amazing, please keep them in your prayers! The people in Chile are so humble and so nice here, just last night when we were at Elizabeth´s she went up stair really fast and came back and gave Hna. Sanchez and I a pair of earrings! they are beautiful! but people here will just give missionaries things, and I guess we get quite a few earrings, according to Hna. Kramer, so amy you are going to have fun when I get home! :)


I need to wrap this letter up becaue it looks like Hna. Sanchez wants to go, but I will write more next monday on P-day! Oh by the say Dad you DearElder got to me so it looks like that is a good way to send letters, I´ll find out about packages, but I really don´t need anything I don´t want you to spend that much, it is expensive. Ok well I have to go I love you all so much and again I hope all is going well! Know that things are amazing here! Oh by the way people here love the family picture I have of you guys cause I keep it in my Spanish scriptures and I show people to explain about my family, so there are people in Chile who know what you look like! No worries is a really good picture! :) Take Care I love all of you so much! and I will share more wonderful experiences of Hualqui in about a week!


Love Always and Forever!
Hermana Aubrey Jo England

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Hermana England is in Chile - 01/25/2012

25 January 2012

Dear Brother and Sister England:

Sister Humphrey and I had the great pleasure of welcoming your daughter, Hermana England, to the Chile Concepción Mission. After we met her at the airport when she arrived on Tuesday, we enjoyed lunch together with the other missionaries. We held an orientation and testimony meeting and Hermana England met her first companion, Hermana Sánchez, who will train her to be a missionary. They will be laboring in the sector of Hualqui and located in the zone of Chiguayante.  

A mission is a wonderful experience filled with challenge and success that strengthens the testimony and spirituality of each missionary. The greatest support you as a family can give your daughter during her time as a missionary is that of uplifting letters. Missionaries look forward with great anticipation to each letter from home. In addition to using email, you can send packages and letters to our address. The U.S. Postal Service and the Correos de Chile do a good job of delivering packages.
Hermana Aubrey England
Misión Chile Concepción
O’Higgins 940 Oficina 502
Concepción, Chile.
 You may also send letters (and only letters taped shut; no envelopes) via the "pouch.
                                  
                                                Hermana  Aubrey England
                                               Misión Chile Concepción
                                               POB 30150
                                               Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

 
We invite you to look at our blog.  http://www.chileconcepcionmission.blogspot.com/

It will be our privilege to work closely with Hermana  England as she serves here in Chile.  We are blessed to have her join us in this mission and know that she will have many life changing experiences as she proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your support and for sharing your daughter with us.

Attached are photos and a map .

Sincerely,


Neall Weston Humphrey                                                                                         
Mission President


Thursday, January 19, 2012

E-mail from Mission Home - 01/19/2012

Dear Hermana England and Elder Judd,

Along with President and Sister Humphrey, we look forward to meeting you in 14 days at the Concepcion airport! We are very pleased to have you assigned to our mission. This is a great time to be a missionary and you will enjoy working in the best mission in the world.

Please bring the Filtration Water Bottle and extra Filter that was given you at the MTC. Though the water supply in Chile is safe, we want you to be prepared for emergencies when fresh water may not be available like we experienced during the aftermath of the Terremoto/Tsunami of 2010.And don´t forget to bring the exercise band, which is a good exercise tool.

Once you land in Santiago, you have a tight connection to make in to fly to Concepcion—2 hours and twenty-five minutes, if your flight is on time at 5:35am.  We know you may not think it is a tight connection, but it takes time. It is enough time under normal circumstances.

Please move quickly through immigration and customs. The last group had two hours and ten minutes. Everyone made it fine. A couple months ago one elder left his back pack in the luggage area and was unable to make the plane.  He arrived several hours later.

Please be wary in Santiago of “helpful” people who may want to assist you with your luggage. They won´t necessarily ask and may begin to take it without your request. Be careful.

This is how it may happen—though they don´t always try... AND probably for the two of you who will be there early, you will have no problem.

They are waiting for unsuspecting travelers as they exit the International terminal and go to the Domestic terminal. Yes, it is a little inconvenient with a couple of suitcases, but it is very do-able. These people are aggressive.  We suggest that you do not let them help you. With your best Spanish, tell them you do not want any help and you want them to leave your luggage alone.  Stay together, if you can. Be firm with them. They are doing it to make money and not just $5-10. It´s more like $150.

Please save the “Republica de Chile Tarjete de Turismo“ that will be given you by the airlines. It´s usually white, pink or blue and will be stamped by the Policia de Investigaciones.   Have your passport handy and your immunization record also. If you have an ipod with video capacity, President asks that you leave it in the office until you have completed your mission. We will keep it locked up for you.

We hope you have a pleasant journey to Chile and we´ll see you soon!

Un Abrazo, Elder y Hermana Clawson


OFF TO CHILE - 01/19/2012

OFF TO CHILE!!!!
Date: 1/19/12
Companions: Hermana Thacker y Hermana Latham
Place: Provo MTC
Hola Mi Familia!!
How is everyone doing? I hope you are all doing great! I'm so so sorry that I wasn't able to write you last week but we were waiting for our travel plans so we could tell you things and then the computer wouldn't let me in, so I'm glad to hear that you were able to recieve my letter! I'm going to write my travel plans once more so that you have them here too.
Airline                             Flight                               Airport                                Time                               Date
American Airline             3794                           LV: Salt Lake City, UT  SLC       06:55am                         23 Jan 2012
                                                                          AR: Los Angeles, CA    LAX       08:05am                         23 Jan 2012
Lan Chile S.A.                 601                            LV: Los Angeles, CA    LAX        11:50am                         23 Jan 2012
                                                                          AR: Santiago, Chile      SCL        05:50am                         24 Jan 2012
Lan Chile S.A.                 205                            LV: Santiago, Chile       SCL        08:10am                         24 Jan 2012
                                                                          AR: Concepcion, Chile  CC         09:15am                         24 Jan 2012
Ok those are the travel plans again for you all, I got your dear elder letter and I will call amy and danny between 5 and 6 in the morning that way they can make it to school and then I'll call you again when I get to Los Angeles and talk to more then as well! I am so so so excited to be able to talk to you guys! It will be great to hear your voices again! Guess what time I have to wake up though? I have to wake up at 2 AM because my shuttle leaves at 3 AM and it is going to be really weird being without my Hermanas :( I have come to love both Hermana Latham and Hermana Thacker so so much!! There are so amazing and we really grown so close together! but I know we are going to go out and so an amazing work in Chile! Orsorno, Rancagua, and Concepcion are the most luckiest places in the world right now! It is just starting to hit me that I will be actually out on the streets of Chile in less than a week and I will be teaching people. It really scares me because my Spanish is definitly not the best, but I do know so much more than when I came in, I can hold a decent conversation when it comes to the gospel, the grammer is really bad but I have never been the best with grammer and I'm sure it will come with time, I just need to put my trust in the Lord, because through him I can do all things! and if all I can do is Smile and share my testimony that is what I'm going to do because I know it brings that spirit as well! haha basically the first day will probably be me sharing the first vision and sharing my testimony but if I could I would just say the first vision in Spanish for ever lesson because of how strong it brings the spirit when you say it!
Things are going really well in the CCM our district has grown closer and closer and it will be sad to leave them too, but as least I get Elder Judd, he will be a great missionary, all of them will, we have definitly grown into a wonderful family! haha Elders Ralph, Quinenola, and Staple actually came up with a rap for the first vision in Spanish and when they get home they are going to post it on youtube for those who go spanish speaking so they can learn it, it is pretty cool! Our Elders are so funny they have been changing every song they know into missionary songs, i'll have to write some of them down to remember them. Oh and speaking about recording and things I'm going to be recording our Hasta Ver which is when the whole zone gets together to say bye and we sing God be with you till we meet again, in Spanish and then share our testimonies I'll try to record it and send you a copy on a cd after I get to chile or I'll just keep the extra memory card you gave me and put it on there, pero, um I'm sending you a disk with the pictures I have taken here at the MTC there aren't really a ton about 90 or so and don't freak out when you don't see the map picture we are taking that one on Saturday before we leave and it will be on the next disk I send or on the costco account if I can do that! which Dad you'll have to send me that info for that account again because I forgot it, and if you can, could you send a dear elder with all my address information in Chile including the pouch system info because that will save me a lot of money when I'm in Chile it is a really cheap way to write back. Well I hate to say goodbye but I need to go start packing my stuff so I can see how much room I have, because they are strict about weight. Through a tender mercy of the lord my backpack if 17 pounds exactaly with all my books, I'll have to carry both sets of scriptures but I'm going to make what I can fit and things I don't need I'll be sending a package home on Saturday, don't mail it to me it will be too expensive but I probably won't be sending too much home we'll see. Alright I love you all! I send my wishes to all of you and know I'm trying my best to write you back it just takes awhile! Please know I love you I'll be writing on the plane! Take Care! Write again when I'm in Chile!!!
Love Always and Forever!!!
Hermana Aubrey Jo England

I'm going to Chile


Thursday, January 5, 2012

Week 8 in the MTC - 01/05/2012

WEEK 8 in CCM

Place: Provo MTC

Companions: Hermana Thacker y Hermana Latham

Date: 1/5/12

Hola Mi Familia!!!

How have things been going for all of you this week? I really hope they have been going well and that things aren't as stressful has they have been. This week at the CCM has gone by so fast can I just tell you. I can't believe it is already p-day again, but I'm excited to be able to write you guys! :) Nothing really exciting has really occured this week; it has just been one of those weeks where it has just flown by so fast I really can't remember everything that has occured it just all blends right in together. Oh so liked I told you last week our district had the opportunity to clean the temple! It was so much fun my companions and I cleaned the security office and then the whole main floor where you check out clothings and sit and wait for people and all of that area, it was so much fun to clean and be in the temple. After we were done cleaning the lady who was directing us where and what to do, took us on a small tour of the temple and she showed us the brides room, Can you say the most beautiful, amazing, fantasitc room! It is so pretty inside, it was awesome, the whole day was awesome to spend time in the temple.

This morning we got to go to an early session at the temple because Hermana Latham has a doctors appt. so we weren't able to go at out scheduled time, it was so amazing to go and there was a lady there who was asking the sister missionaries to do her family names and they were Chinese names and the lady I got was born in 1679, man that is a long time ago, and I'm glad I'm the one who was able to perform her temple work! I love seeing names that are very old because you can just feel how excited they are to have their work done! I would invite everyone to go to the temple at least once this next week and do an endowment session or do baptisms if that is all you can do at this time, either one is such a good experience and it is nice to just go and ponder about things that are going on in your life. After the session we went and had breakfast in the temple cafeteria and the food was so amazing! Way better than the CCM food. After awhile the food here just become a routine and you know what you are getting when and it just becomes plain but the food we had this morning was awesome! I'm not saying that I hate the CCM food, but it was good to have a change.

So what else has been going on let me think. Oh so guess what because of Hermana Latham's doctor appt. she is doing alright, it isn't anything major but we need to go to another doctor outside of the MTC so we get to go out into the real world!! It will be fun I'm so excited to see something other than brown buildings all over the place. Just letting you know I love the MTC but it is going to be good to go and see some things I haven't seen for about 2 months. It is really crazy that I have been here that long.

Ok so with the time I have left I just want to share with you something that I have been studying this week in my scriptures. This week I have been studying a lot about miracles and faith. I just want to tell you the Bible Dictionary is amazing! I really had no idea until I started reading it here but there are a lot of inciteful things and it's really good to read. I suggest anyone to read it, especially about miracles and faith. So I'll just share some of the thoughts that I wrote down. I read 2 Ne 26:13 and that is what got this whole study started and it says "according to thy faith" as I read this I began thinking to myself mor about faith; faith is a hope for things that are not seen so when Christ or someone who speaks through the name of Christ and says, "according to thy faith..." For a miracle to occur there must be faith to power the miracle! Faith leads to action, not only action on your part but the action that brings about any miracle. (Matt. 9:22,29) "Miracles do not produces faith, miracles are produced by faith! where there is true faith, there are miracles!" I really suggest all of you read Hebrews 11 It is an amazing chapter that I haven't ready before. "Miracles were and are a response to faith, they were never or are ever wrought without prayer, felt need, and faith. If miracles cease it is because faith has ceased." I just really liked my study and I hope that you all are able to learn something from it, and I really suggest that you all read those scriptures and try to find more scriptures that you can find about faith and miracles that apply in your life and I promise you with the authority I hold as a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that Heavenly Father will speak to you as you study with faith and pray to him for any answers that you may have and I promise you will find things that will help you. I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

 
Love always and forever!!

Hermana Aubrey Jo England