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