Week 53 in Chile - 01/28/2013

CAMBIO 9 SEMANA 6

 

Lugar: Libertador, Chillan

Compañera: Hermana Miskin

Fecha: 28/01/2013

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!!

 

                ¿Como Están Todos? I really hope that all is going well for each and every single one of you! This week has been a good week, and like every week has had its ups and downs, but you always do your best to not let the downs get to you and move on, "No experience is a total loss if you learn from it!" Right? Right!! But this week we had an amazing thing happen! Ready for this? HUGO SE BAUTIZO!!! It was a really great baptism and he had a great time as well, you could see on Sunday when he was confirmed that he felt like he was a million bucks! We were glad he had a good time; haha but like with every baptism there are always a few details that seem to get in the way, haha so we went to the church to set up everything and we brought the iron and everything to iron the clothes that we got from the elders, and we looked at the tie and the shirt and the tie was falling apart and the cuff of the shirt was also falling off, and this was 15 mins before that baptism, haha so we had to do a very quick sewing and ironing job, but needless to say we got it done with good team work! But all went well in the end!

 

              Ok as for this week I will apologize in advance right now I really do not have a ton of time to write and I have to get going here, which I will explain in a sec, but if this letter is short please forgive me, nexts weeks should be better. But today we have to go to Concepción because we need to go and get an MRI for Hna. Miskin, so before the mission, last April, Hna. Miskin had a back surgery on her spine before she came, she had woken up one morning and her leg was paralyzed and that was why she needed the surgery last year, well to make things short during the week as we have been walking around her foot has been feeling funny and the muscles feel very tired and at one point her foot was numb, she got a priesthood blessing and it has been feeling better, but just to make sure that all is ok with her Hermana Humphrey asked her to get an MRI and talk with the doctor down her, so if all of you could please keep my companion in your prayers, she is so amazing and has so much love and excitement for this week, she really needs your prayers and support cause she need to be here! I would appreciate it if you would do that! Thanks!

 

            Really this week has passed by so fast that I really can´t think of much to say, the only thing I can really think to tell you about besides the baptism was that we had a mission conference this last week! It was a really great conference and I learned so much! We learned about sanctifying ourselves to the Lord, how to take care of our health and putting all our faith to finding those we need to find and working with the Ward! But it was amazing! The only thing that was very hard was that this turned out to be my last mission conference, I thought I would have one more but when I got there and looked at the schedule of the conference, my name was among those that had to give there farewell testimony! Lets just say I had a freakout and it was very hard to have to sum up my mission in a testimony when I was not mentally prepared to do it, but it went alright and relied on the Spirit to help me a ton!

 

            But that would be part of my spiritual thought for the day, remember always to rely on the Spirit that you will be given the words you need to say when you need to say them, remember D&C 84:85! But I would like you all to read a scripture that I found this week as I was studying in PMG that I really loved, I don´t have time to type it out but I would like you all to look it up and read it, it is in, Mosiah 4:6-12, this was a scripture that has really helped me out this week! I know that my Savior lives, and that He is at our sides helping us out, we just need to put our faith in Him and His Atonement and remember that we will all be saved in the end if we do all the things that he has taught us! It is amazing this message! "Remember this is the testimony that we give last of all, that He lives!" I really know that my Savior lives I have seen His hand each day in my mission and would urge each and everyone of you to look for His hand in your lives each day because I know that He remembers each of you! 1 Nephi 21:16!

 

         Remember always that I love each and everyone of you and that I hope that all of you are doing amazing! I pray for you always and I want to thank you for each and every one of your prayers I really can feel them. Please take care until next week and I will send more adventures! Love you tons!

 

   Con Amor Para Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

    Hermana Aubrey Jo England

4/09/2013

Aubrey will be home April 9th at 3:10 p.m.

Week 52 in Chile - 01/21/2013

CAMBIO 9 SEMANA 5

 

Lugar: Libertador, Chillan

Compañera: Hermana Miskin

Fecha: 21/01/2013

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!!

 

        ¿Como Están Todos? I hope that all is fine and dandy for each and every one of you!!! Things are going pretty good here! There have been ups and downs as always but we do our best not to let it get us down! Entonces, lets get on to writing what has happened this week! This letter may be a bit short, so sorry, but be patient as I try to remember a few things that have happened this week!

 

         Well this week we were going to have the baptism of Hugo but with a few complications it didn´t happen this week, but we should be having his baptism this coming Saturday, so if we could have everyone´s prayers to help us out with the baptism and everything that would be highly appreciated. We are also teaching Francisca who is a really nice lady, she came to sacrament meeting this Sunday, and we believe that she liked it, we are going over tonight to see what she thought because we didn´t have too much time after church because they had an earthquake drill. They are starting to put an emergency exit plan for the chapel if a big  earthquake occurs like the one in 2010, while we are in the chapel. It was good, and they are working out the errors and tune-fining it but it was a good practice.

 

        I bought new shoes this last week, and the process of breaking them in is not really a thing that is enjoyable. This is probably my 5th pair of shoes, I keep wearing a hole in the right shoe and I´m literally walking on the ground, so it was time for new shoes, haha looks like I´m taking it literally when they tell you to choose the right! But it is getting better, the blisters still hurt, but I´m breaking them in little by little. It has also been very hot here this week, you can tell that we are literally in the middle of summer! it is getting in the high 30´s (Celsius) I´m not sure what that is in Fahrenheit, but all I can say it is HOT!! We are sweating a lot down here, and I have the sister missionary tan line again on my feet! It is great! But sometime a ton of heat or a ton of cold has its limits, but we are making the best of it and working really hard!

 

        This week something funny that happened, so we had just left the house and I started coughing really hard because I choked on something, and as we were walking by our neighbor was like wow sound like you are really sick, and I just told him I swallowed wrong, and I couldn´t think of the work, and just as a joke, Hna. Miskin told him I was choking on a fly, and he believe that a fly flew in to my mouth, and told me yummy! and to make it even better the bishop walked by two seconds later and told him the same thing and he just started laughing. So looks like I´m now the sister missionary who swallowed a fly, "Now why she swallowed a fly I don´t know why, hopefully she won´t die!" LOL! :)

 

        We also had a ward activity this week which was a lot of fun! We did a scripture scavenger hunt! We put it together as missionaries, and we hid scriptures all over the church and had three groups that started out with one scripture that they had to look up and the scripture had the next clue about were the next scripture was hidden in the church! It was a ton of fun and we all made tons of cookies and sweets for the activity! So it was a great success! We are also continuing to teach English Class which is so much fun! We have a good amount of students of all ages that love to learn! It is something I look forward to each and every week! We are going to teach them how to sing happy birthday in English next week because it is someones birthday and we are going to bring a cake! It will be a ton of fun!

 

        Well that is pretty much it for this week, so before I end on with a spiritual thought as always!!!! I have finally done it!!! I have finished the New Testament and I have started reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish! I have been very excited to start reading it, because I have wanted to finish it one last time before the end of my mission! But I´m currently still in 1 Nefi right now, I will be in 2 nephi this next week, but there are so many great things that I could write pages and pages of things that I have learned but one thing I would like to share with you all would be in 1 Nephi 16:10,16,28-29 which says: "10 And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness. And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them. And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things." I really loved this scripture a ton, because for me it reminds me a ton of how our Liahonas are really our scriptures! They can help us through the wilderness of life if we heed our attention to them with our faith and diligence. The Lord with talk to us through them always and will give us the things we need to know in the time we need to know it! I bear testimony of it because I have seen it in my own life. So my invitation to each of you would be to continue with your daily scripture study if you do, and if not start! I promise that you will find the answers you are looking for when you need them if we diligently study the scriptures daily!

 

       Thank you all for everything that you do!!! Remember I´m always praying for each and everyone of you and thinking about you always. So until next week with more adventures from libertador! Love you all always!

 

   Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad!

   Hermana Aubrey Jo England

 

     

 

Week 51 in Chile - 01/14/2013

CAMBIO 9 SEMANA 4

 

Lugar: Libertador, Chillan

Compañera: Hermana Miskin

Fecha: 14/01/2013

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!!

 

          ¿Como Están Todos? I hope that as always things are going really well! Things here are go really well! I have so many things to tell you from this week, haha many many funny stories! Many things have happened so as always I´m going to try my best to tell you a few of the stories so that you can all have an idea of things that are going on here! So as always just have patience with me because there are many things going through this little head of mine, but I promise to do my best! :)

 

          Well as for people that we are teaching, we are still teaching Hugo. He is doing really well and progressing well, he has quick smoking, and says that he is very  excited for his baptism, he is always saying "Soy Mormón" It is awesome he has a lot of excitement, and hopefully things keep progressing well, and that he will have his baptism this next Saturday! We are also continuing to teach and find some good people, which always make us happy, because if we don´t find, we can´t teach, and if we can´t teach we can´t be missionaries! So there are things that go hand in hand! But Hermana Miskin and I are doing really well together, we always have a blast, and have many adventures! Haha many adventures in the blistering heat! It has gotten so hot here! You can tell it is summer time! But it is all good, God is nice to use and sends a good breeze every once and awhile, count your many blessing right! :)

 

          Ok onto funny story number one, so on Tuesday we went over to eat lunch, and all was really good, but something interesting happened and lets just say it has to do with maggots. So we had a salad, and Hermana Miskin loves spicy things and there was a spice that the hermana had on the table called Merken, and Hna. Miskin put it on her salad, and all was good, but when the second plate came out which was chicken, Hna. Miskin put more of the spice on her chicken but something was different this time, she was sitting there looking at her chicken and the hermana told her, it´s just chicken Hermana don´t worry. Which is was but in the spice it turned about there was maggots and Hna. Miskin was looking at her chicken watching the maggot move and thinking, "how in the world am I suppose to eat it?" but she at it trying to push as many as she could away, but still ate some. Then when the hermana went into the kitchen, Hna. Brennan took a spoon to get a little bit of the spice to look at the maggots cause she didn´t believe, so she is looking, and the Hermana walks back in and Hna. Brennan just shoves the spoon in her mouth, and she was freaking out in her mind, and the hermana thought she was freaking out because it was hot! but it was because she just put maggots in her mouth. Wow adventures of the mission right! It is a good thing I still haven´t picked up on the spicy part! That I know of I didn´t eat any but you never now!

 

         Well on Saturday, two funny things happened. So there was a huge slug outside of our apartment, and so we were taking pictures with it, and Hna. Brennan decided to stab it with a fork and look like she was going to eat it! I guess the maggots got to her head, but then because it was dying she put salt on it to get it out of its misery which I don´t know if that helped, but whatever. But it was Sunday morning that something really funny but scary in the same time that something happened. So because there are four of us now in the house we had to buy a bunk bed so that all of us would fit, and all of our beds are downstairs, but the bunk bed Hna. Miskin sleeps on the top and Hna. Frandsen on the bottom, and every once and a while one of the boards falls out and we just have to put it back into place. But at like 5:30 in the morning we heard one of them get loose and we thought it was normal, but then we here, more of them start to fall, and Hna. Miskin´s matress starts falling through, lets just say we all jump out of bed, and yelling at Hna. Frandsen to get out of her bed, and us trying to get Hna. Miskin out of her bed. Yeah we had that scare, but I think we are going to find a power screwdriver to screw it in so that it stays. But lets just say that was an adventure, as well as the adventure of cleaning out the freezer last night, lets just say Hna. Miskin was very determined to have it all cleaned out, so what does she do, she drags it all outside and smacks all the ice out with hot water and a knife, but it was an adventure and I have a video I can show you when we are home! 

 

       Well that is pretty much it for this week, many adventures right? Well I need to get going here, we are going out to lunch, but before I leave as always a thought from your favorite missionary! My thought comes from a Dr. Seuss quote I found in my quote book. Which says: 

 

                              Today you are you!

                              That is true-er than true!

                              There is no one alive

                              That is you-er than you!

                              Shout aloud “I’m glad

                              To be what I am!

                              Thank goodness I’m not

                              A clam or a ham or a

                              Dusty old jar of

                              Gooseberry jam!

                               I am what I am!

                             What a great thing to be

                              If I say to myself

                             Happy Every Day to me!

                                ~Dr. Seuss~

          I just love this quote because it helps us to remember we are who we are. And I would like to add, that we need to remember our divine nature and potential that we all have in us from God, I know that we have so many characteristics and we just need to devolp them! But that is it for this week, I will write more next week, and I hope that all is well with you all remember always you are in my prayers and I love you all a ton. But until next week with many more adventures!

 

     Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad,

     Hermana Aubrey Jo England

 

Week 50 in Chile - 01/07/2012

CAMBIO 9 SEMANA 3

 

Donde: Libertador, Chillan

Compañera: Hermana Miskin

Fecha: 7/01/2013

 

Hola Mi Familia!!!!

 

            ¿Como Están Todos? I hope that all is going well for each and everyone of you. Things are going really good here. This week just like every other week has just flown by, and has had it´s ups and downs. But it has been really good overall. Sorry that I´m writing you all super late, but we had a zone activity today, and we went to Yungay, which is far way, and we went to see a waterfall! It was super awesome, and I got some really cool pictures, which I will send this next week! just because I´m a little short on time. But back to the activity, so it was a blast we left this morning really early, and we rented a bus to take us there because it is 2 1/2 hours a way and we got lost a bit on the way, haha it was funny we took this wrong turn, and as we were driving through this woody place, we crossed this scary bridge that looked like it would fall through and we also saw a sign saying, "watch out for the crocodiles", and all of us hermanas are like what did we get ourselves into! But in the end we found it and it was so much fun! We were on the top and took many pictures and then we hiked down to the bottom which was quite and adventure in its self, and took pictures on the bottom. I loved the hiking! It was so beautiful everything!!! But we had tons of fun!!!

 

            Well this week I think the biggest down that I had was I got sick even worse than I have been for the past 3 weeks, I got a really bad deep cough, and lets just say none of us could sleep, I felt so bad for my comps. But don´t worry I´m doing a whole lot better now, thanks to a priesthood blessing I received on Sunday! I love blessings they help so much!!! But on Friday, I had to stay in because the cough was so bad, and I was not a happy camper about that, but I dealt with it. Missionaries just want to be out and about, haha! But we didn´t have a member to come to the house so I had to go to the Family History Center in the church and stayed with a Sister there while she was looking at microfilm and doing things. I slept for about an hour and Hermana Brennan and Hermana Frandsen came to see me really fast and they bought me a coke and chocolate to help me feel better for having to stay in, they are awesome! But lets just say I shouldn´t of drunk the coke because I was completely awake after that and couldn´t sleep and so I work on a little bit of the family history on my account updating a few things! haha but it was an adventure. I´m just glad I´m feeling better, anyone who knows me knows how stubborn I get when I know I need to work and I´m sick (right Hna. Steinmetz?) Lol, but I´m pretty sure that was my humbling experience for the week.

 

         Well things are going well in our sector, and we are working still on finding people to teach, and we have an investigator that is doing really well! Hugo is progressing really well and will be getting baptized in about 2 weeks! We are really excited for him!! But things are going good in our sector, and will be much better now that I´m feeling better! haha I think the only thing now we need to worry about is the heat!! It has been really hot and it is going to get hotter!!! But we are going to survive!

 

        Ok well I am running out of time, so spiritual thought really fast! So I have been reading in the New Testament like you all know and as I have I found one of my favorite scriptures that I know you guys know but I still love it, which says, "I can do all  things through Christ, which strengtheneth me!" Because it is so true, all we need to do it look to our Savior and put all our trust in Him and do what He has taught us and we will have the power to do all things if we have the faith to do it! and if it be according to God´s will. But I just really love this scripture because it gives me a lot of strength when I need it!!

 

      Sorry this letter is a little fast I promise next week will be a bit better. But remember always that I love all of you so, so, so much and I´m always praying for each and every one of you!!! Please take care and I will write more next week!!!

 

    Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad!

    Hermana Aubrey Jo England

Week 49 in Chile - 12/31/2012

¡¡¡¡FELIZ AÑO NUEVO; ADIÓS 2012, BIENVENIDOS 2013!!!!

Lugar: Libertador, Chillan

Compañera: Hermana Miskin

Fecha: 31/12/2012

Hola Mi Familia!!!!

             ¿Como están todos? I hope as always you all are doing fantastically amazing! This week as all weeks has gone by really fast, but has been full of many adventures and has been really fun! And just to let you have a late Christmas present, I am downloading pictures! Sorry that it has taken me so long to download them, haha my bad! I promise I'll try to get better! But at least you have them now! Better then never! :) Well lets get going here with the week, as always please be patient with me as I try to remember, but here we go! 

             Well Monday was a really good day, we had our p-day and then we went to work for a bit, we went over to Ingrid and Ricardos house and we shared the Christmas story with them and at some cake, then we went over at about 9:00 to a members house and we had Christmas dinner, which is called Noche Bueno here. It was a lot of food, we all have no idea how we ate it all, and for the fact that we aren´t used to eating a ton late at night, but we ate a big thing of pork, and longeniza, and potatoes, and like 4 different salads, with ice cream to top it off. haha lets just say it made us a bit sick, but we all loved it! They do things a bit different here, they eat the dinner late at night then they open presents at midnight, and are up until like 4 in the morning, then sleep until 5 the next day, it is different, but we went home at like 11 and then went straight to bed after planning and woke up and had a traditional Christmas and opened our presents in the morning! 

             Tuesday was a really good day, so like I said we woke up and opened all our presents and I opened your package, thanks for everything that was in it, I was really excited to open it! But I think the best present of all, wait let me think what was it, oh yeah that´s right, I GOT TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU!!!! I was so good to see all you again and talk to you guys. Sorry that skype was a little weird functioning but it was all good in the end right! Technology can be a blessing and a disaster! haha but we love it any way, because we can talk from two opposite ends of the world! It was so good to see you all! and I´m glad to know everything is good!

              But that is pretty much what we did for Christmas but it was really amazing, but this week has been a really good week, but having pretty much two p-days, well one and a half, made the week go by really fast. But we are still teaching some really good people, Ingrid got sick this week, so it has been a bit hard to see her, but hopefully she is getting better. We found a couple this week that was awesome. So Hermana Miskin has had a feeling for a long time that we should contact in a certain part of our sector, but she never did it with Hermana Mena, so we decided to go this week, and see what people we could find, and we contacted this one house, and this man came out and we told him who we were, and he said,"oh you are the people who are bringing my free DVD right?" and we had no idea that he called for one, but we told him that we wanted to share a short message with him and that we would return tomorrow with the DVD. But we taught Jóse and Isilda, and they are amazing! They knew about the church and did many things in the '80s, but never were baptized, but have high respect for the church, and about 1990 they started going to another church and really haven´t talked to the missionaries since then every once an a while but never the lessons! That is as old as I am!! But they told us that they would like to know more, and we are starting to teach them, we are so excited! The spirit works wonders to help us find the people that we need to! 

            Well that is pretty much it, but before I leave as always I want to leave you with a spiritual thought! So I have been reading in the New Testament like you all know and I am loving every minute of it, I should be done in about a week or two, well that is my goal, but I have been reading in Corinthians and I read this verse this morning that I loved a lot! Which says: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor 4:17-18)  I really loved this scriptures, because really our afflictions are only for a moment, (D&C 121:7) and if we just have patience we will see with eternal eyes why something happen. Just keep enduring to the end and all things will be well. We have a new year coming up, and just remember to make resolutions that you know we can keep, and leave behind the things that don´t do us any good. That is that wonder of this live, is to learn from each experience and move on better then we were before. "No experience is a total loss if we learn from it!" and I would add, "No year is a total loss if we learn from it" Lets make 2013 the best year ever!

       Remember That I love you all so much and I´m always praying for each and every one of you! Please take care, and I promise to write again next week with more adventures! Love you all!

     Con Amor Siempre y Para Toda La Eternidad!

      Hermana Aubrey Jo England