Week 22

Hola everyone. This week was awesome. Christmas was different without snow but it was still great. They call Santa Claus here Viejito Pascuero. And they open presents at midnight and not in the morning. It was super fun talking to the family though. It was kinda weird seeing everybody at the same time but it was great seeing them. It's getting hotter and busier here in Quintero now that it's almost the middle of the summer. It's pretty popular for tourists cause the beaches and stuff are cheaper than other cities. 

Yesterday, we pretty cool. Constanza got confirmed and I was able to do it. It was so cool. Also, we were talking to here and she told us that she's been thinking about serving a mission. We were so pumped when she told us. 

Also, there's couple that we've been teaching for a long long time. Literally my entire mission and they finally came to church yesterday. And they've been reading the BOM together so that's awesome. 

We have a baptism scheduled in 2 weeks and we're helping him a lot to get ready.

That's mostly it for this week. Thanks for all the prayers and support. I hope everyone has a good week.

There's BYU fans in Chile too

Christmas dinner

On the bus

I bought a pastry on the bus lol

Week 21

Hola everyone. This week was really great. We had an amazing baptism yesterday. It was so cool. It was well worth the wait. She's truly allowed the gospel to change her life. She used to smoke 5 to 10 cigarettes a day. And she totally gave it up for the gospel. It's been awesome to see the changes she's made in her life. She's made a lot of friends in the ward too so she has a lot of support to help her stay active. And her mom was in on most the lessons too. She just hasn't wanted to come to church but she came to the baptism and she loved it. So we'll see what happens with her too. 

Anyway, we're getting excited for Christmas. It's totally different here but it's good. I love it. It's weird without the snow and everything but it's gonna be great. 

That's mostly it for this week. Thanks for all the support and prayers.

Feliz Navidad

Hola familia. This week was great. I got to be santa for the primary christmas party. It was so much fun. All the niños loved it. I'll send you some recordings too. The baptism was so cool too

Elder Miller and Elder Eyre (they were all in the same district in the MTC)

Week 20

This was a really good week. It went by so fast though. We're teaching quite a few people. And we're trying to focus on the investigators that we have. Sometimes we felt like we were spreading ourselves too thin and we weren´t spending enough time on the people we had.

The baptism got postponed but it's gonna happen this week no matter what. She past her interview and everything and she's really excited. This week she's gonna get baptized for sure.

There's a couple other people who have dates to get baptized but they might not be ready in time. We're working hard to get them ready though.

Spanish is getting a lot better every day. I can understand so much more. And I can talk with just about everyone. It's awesome.

It's gonna be weird not to have snow for Christmas though. I definitely am gonna miss that. 

That's mostly it for this week. I love this gospel with all my heart and there's no doubt in my mind that it's true. I hope everyone has a great week.

A little Christmas tree they found in their apartment 

A really old liahona someone on the area has

Zone conference 

Week 19

Hola everyone. We're doing great here in Quintero. I got a new compañero. Elder Hansen from Tooele. He's awesome. He only has 3 months more than I do so we're both still learning Spanish. We're really getting along well though. In the 5 days we've had together, we've committed 3 people to be baptized. I really feel like we're able to teach with the Spirit. It doesn't matter that our Spanish is so so. That's the best part about the Spirit. It's fluent in all languages. 

We had to postpone the baptism yesterday to next week. But it's gonna happen this Sunday no matter what. She's really excited to get baptized. We're really excited for her too. She's totally changed her life. She quit smoking, she dresses differently and she just seems happier. It's so amazing to see what this gospel can do.

I'm really starting to feel good with Spanish. I'm more confident when I talk and I can make people laugh now. And they laugh in Spanish cause of something I said in Spanish lol. That's my favorite thing. 

Everyday I learn something new. Everyday my testimony gets stronger. Everyday I'm reassured that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the only way to achieve true happiness and the only way to live with our families forever. I don't have a doubt in my mind that this is the true church. 

Thanks everyone for all the emails, prayers, and support. I love you all and I hope everyone has an awesome week.

Week 18

This week was really awesome! It started right after we emailed last week. Last week was Quintero's 150th birthday. So the news people were downtown recording people saying Feliz Cumpleaños Quintero on camera. They had me and my companion say it. My companion said it in Spanish and I said it in English lol. I didn't think anything of it. The Bishop called us that night and said we were on the news lol. So me made it on the local news in Quintero lol. Feliz Cumpleaños Quintero.

Also for it's Birthday, the Russian Circus came to town to perform Frozen on ice. I can honestly say I'm genuinely sad that I couldn't go to it. They had this huge circus tent and everything. It was like 2 blocks from our house too. It was so random but it looked way fun lol.

Also there's a little tiny Chilean Air Force base in Quintero so there's a lot of action going on in the sky. It's actually way sweet. They had 5 like trick airplanes doing all kinds of tricks and stuff. And they made hearts and stars in the sky with the smoke. It was way cool. Quintero had a pretty eventful week this week.

Also if everything goes as planned we'll have a baptism this week. But we have transfers this week. If I stay then I'll be there. If not, then I'll miss it. We'll see what happens. 

That's mostly it for this week. I love being a missionary and sharing this message. Thanks everyone for all the emails and prayers. I hope everyone has an awesome week.

To the family: Hola familia. Thanksgiving sounds like it was awesome. My thanksgiving was great. I had 2 hot dog buns with cheese and salami instead of 1 for dinner lol. They don't celebrate thanksgiving here so I had my own with my hot dog buns and salami lol. Dinner isn't really a thing here. It's called once (pronounced ownsay) or 11. They just eat bread and tea before bed. Lunch is where it's at here. Lunch is the majority of what you eat in the day. I'm mostly used to it by now. The food is great here but there's like 5 main dishes and that's about it. They're really good dishes and everything but it gets on a rotation. Sometimes they'll venture out. One time we had lasagna so that was awesome.

Also this week, we found a less active who got baptized more than 30 years ago. He's 88 years old but doesn't act like it. He's an awesome guy, he just doesn't go to church. I think something happened at church a while back and he decided not to go anymore. But he has like all the church library. The antiques though. From the 80's. He has a Liahona from 82. Back when it was like a book. We're trying to get him to come to church.

That's mostly it for this week. I love all you guys and I hope everyone has an awesome week

Their district 

i tried something called Chorillana. It was actually really good

Russian Circus performs Frozen on ice lol

me and elder eyre eating helado

Elder Eyre

camera shy lol

Week 17

Hola everyone. This week was really good. We had some days we were teaching all day and some days we were walking all day. We have an investigator who's gonna get baptized next week. But we have transfers right before. If I stay in this area then I'll be there for it. We'll see how it goes. Also, there was so much wind this week. The wind comes in cycles. It's super windy for like 3 days and calm for 3 days. But it's good. It's getting hotter too. It's gonna be weird having Christmas when it's like 100 degrees outside. 

Spanish is getting better too. When I think about my first day and where I'm at now, it's crazy. Gift of Tongues is real. Also this is my last week of training. After this week, I'm the real deal. So that's pretty sweet. Almost 3 months in Chile and it feels like I just got here last week. I've had so many amazing experiences and I can't wait for some more.

This gospel is true and it's the only way to achieve true happiness. There's no other way that I've found to be truly happy. Thanks for all the prayers and support. I hope everyone has a great week.

To the family: Hey Familia. This week was great. We had a kinda crazy experience this week. Just kinda though. We were out tracting and stuff when this drunk guy came out of his house and starting talking to us. He invited us in cause he wanted to hear the word of God. So we start teaching him and for being completely drunk, I think he felt the Spirit lol. He told us that he wants to change his life and we told him the gospel could do that. So we made another appointment with him. But he told us if he wasn't at his house for the appointment, it's cause he was in jail lol. He wasn't at his house when we went back. So that's kinda of a bummer. But we do have a baptism for next Saturday (if I'm still in Quintero) She's really awesome. She's been searching for a church to join for a while and she found the right one. I'm excited for her.

That's mostly it for this week. I love being a missionary and sharing this gospel. I love all you guys

Exchanges with Elder Dunn

Week 16

hola everyone. This week was really great. It's starting to get really hot during the day. Spanish is getting better every day. The gift of tongues is legit and it's real. We had a zone conference this week and it was awesome. First of all, our mission president bought Papa John's. I didn't they had Papa John's here. It was awesome. It was the most american I've felt in a long time lol. Also our mission president gave an awesome presentation about the Book of Mormon cause we just finished it as a mission. One of the statistics he shared is the Book of Mormon references Jesus Christ in one way or another every 1.7 verses. And they say Mormons aren't Christians. Anyway, last week there was a lady that just showed up at church cause she wanted to learn about it. We met with her last week and she told us she's been searching for a long time for a church to join. She told us she felt good when she went. And she committed to get baptized. Transfers are coming up soon so we'll see what happens before then. I love this gospel so much. I learn something new every day about how much our Heavenly Father loves us. This gospel is amazing. Thanks everyone for all the love and support. I love all of you.

We also got an email from one of the zone leaders: I´m Elder Horton your son´s Zone Leader. I want to thank you for sending a great man to the mission he´s doing really well and has a wonderful spirit about him and a power testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

To the family: Hola Familia. This week was good. Spanish is really coming along. We had a couple disappointments this week but we had some good stuff too. We had to drop 2 investigators that were awesome. One because her husband didn't want to us meet with her and one because her mom wouldn't let us meet with her anymore. We were super sad but the same day. We found two people who we're gonna start teaching so it worked out. And we committed one lady to be baptized. We're hoping it can happen before transfers. 

Week 15

Hola Everyone! This was a really good week. I'm starting to feel a whole lot more comfortable with Spanish. I can understand the majority of the conversations of the majority of the people. Some Chileans talk so fast though. But most of the time now I can get the jist of what they're trying to say. The coolest feeling is when I start talking in Spanish and I don't realize till after that I was speaking Spanish. 

Anyway, we're teaching several investigators right now that are really close. But they all have something holding them back. We're working hard to help them overcome their doubts or problems. Also time is starting to fly by. I can't believe it's been more than 3 months as a missionary. 

Also, we finished the Book of Mormon this week and I just want to testify that it's true. It's the word of God. Every time we read it, there's something new that we can apply in our lives. Reading the Book of Mormon helps us in every aspect of our lives. I want to challenge everyone to read a chapter a day and apply its teachings. I can promise that as we read, we become closer with God and our Savior. And when we involve them in our lives, everything else works out. 

I love being a missionary and I love sharing this message. Because it's the happiest message ever. I hope everyone has an awesome week.

To the family: This week we had a zone activity. The whole zone went to the ward in nuevo aurora and we did splits with the members to find less active and old investigators. It was really fun. I went with their ward mission leader. He's only been home about the same amount of time that I've been out. I learned a lot from him. It was pretty fun. 

No baptisms yet but we're getting close. But we have reactivated a couple people so that's kinda like a baptism but with the sacrament lol. Love you guys so much. Have an awesome week.

To the family: This week we had a zone activity. The whole zone went to the ward in nuevo aurora and we did splits with the members to find less active and old investigators. It was really fun. I went with their ward mission leader. He's only been home about the same amount of time that I've been out. I learned a lot from him. It was pretty fun. 

No baptisms yet but we're getting close. But we have reactivated a couple people so that's kinda like a baptism but with the sacrament lol. Love you guys so much. Have an awesome week

At the zone activity 

Week 14

Hey everyone. This week was pretty good. I can't believe it's already November. October flew by. Also Halloween isn't the same here. They celebrate it and everything but it's not the same. A lot of people don't like it cause they feel like they're copying America. Chileans like to be original.

Anyway, Spanish is coming along. I'm starting to feel pretty good. I still have my moments but I'm having less of them lol. We have an investigator with a baptismal date. The only thing is she might have to work on sundays now that it's summer. We're praying that she won't have to. She's already read like half the book of mormon and she told us she believes it's true and Joseph Smith was a prophet of god. The only thing holding her back would be work. We're praying hard for her. Anyway, we are teaching a few other people too. But Satan is the worst. They're really close but they're having some doubts. We're trying hard to help them out. It's coming along. Slowly but surely. Well that's mostly it for this week.

I love all you guys. Thanks for all the prayers and support.

To the family: Hola familia. Just wanted to say I love you guys. A challenge I have for you guys this week is do what the sacrament prayer says. Always remember Him. Throughout the week try to think of our Savior during the day. If we do this then we have the promise in the sacrament prayer. We'll always have His Spirit with us. Love you guys so much

Week 13

Hola everyone. This week was great. Me and my companion are staying in Quintero. This week, we had another awesome encounter with the Holy Ghost. Last week, I think it was Tuesday, we had our first two appointments fall through so we were feeling down. Then we felt like we should go to this one house. This lady comes out and starts talking to us. She's really harsh and starts telling us a bunch of stuff she's heard about the church. All of it wasn't true. We then started to try to clarify some of things that she had heard. Little by little the Spirit softened her heart and she invited us in cause she was curious. Anyway, we teach her the first lesson. She was really surprised at a lot of the stuff. When we finish the lesson, she told us that she had been praying to know if the church she was going to was the right one. When she found out about Joseph Smith she felt like it was an answer. She committed to get baptized in a few weeks from now. The Holy Ghost is amazing.

Anyway, that's mostly it for this week. We're teaching several other investigators that are so so close but there's something little that's holding them back from getting baptized. We're trying hard to clear up there doubts.

Thanks everyone for the prayers and stuff. I can feel everyone's love and support. I hope everyone has a great week.

Part of what he wrote to the family: This week was great. Elder Leto and I are staying in Quintero. I'm so glad cause I love it here. I'm starting to understand a lot more when Chileans talk to me. There's still some that I can't understand cause they talk so fast and slur words together but it's getting better every day. Elder Leto is awesome. I found out that he's been a missionary longer than he's been a member of the church. He was only a member for a little over a year when he left and he's been a missionary for like a year and half now. He's awesome.

I ate Gary this week (sorry Spongebob)

the four missionaries in Quintero. the other 2 are from Peru. 

Week 12 (3 months)

Hola everyone. This week was actually really great. I'm learning so much about Spanish, the gospel, my testimony, and so many other things. I think the theme this week though was the Holy Ghost. One thing I learned was the Holy Ghost knows how to speak Spanish lol. I never thought that I would recieve a prompting in Spanish. It was awesome. Also, Heavenly Father prepares investigators through the Spirit. One day we were out tracting and we start talking to a guy. He starts asking us questions about our religion and everything. One thing leads to another, we give him a book of mormon and make an appointment. The first lesson was really awesome. He read what we asked him to read and more. He knows a ton of the bible but he says some parts are confusing. When he read the chapters in the Book of Mormon he found the answers that he was wondering about. We have another appointment today. But moral of the story, he was prepared because of the Spirit. Another lesson is the Spirit really does guide us. Last we were tracting and we felt like we should go to this one house. This lady came out and she was so happy to see us she started crying. It turns out, 8 years ago she was meeting with the missionaries and after their transfer she never saw them again. Then she moved and stuff and hasn't met with missionaries since. Anyway, moral of this story, the Holy Ghost is an awesome guide. Well that's all for this week. The Holy Ghost is so awesome in so many ways. Thanks for all the emails and all the prayers. I hope everyone has a great week.

To the family: Hola familia. This week was great. We have changes this wedneday but I don't want to leave Quintero. I love it here. There's a chance we could stay but we'll find out on wednesday. Elder Leto thinks we're gonna stay. I really hope we do. Also, Chile beat Peru this week so everyone was in a good mood again. We went to Viña this morning to get Elder Leto's new name tag. The letters were fading on his other one. This week we didn't have any investigators come to church but it's alright cause we got 5 inactive members to come. There are so many inactive members here. I didn't realize how many till we had ward council. There are over 1,000 baptized members in the ward. We've never had more than 100 come to church. It's loco. Anyway we had 5 come this week so 5 closer to a thousand lol. Well that's all this week. My next email could be in a different area. I hope not but I'll go where he wants me to go. Love you guys so much. 

Week 11

Hola everyone. This week was great. Time is starting to go by a lot faster now that I'm understanding more and help more with the lessons and stuff. I've got a long way to go with Spanish but I can see the improvement every day. This truly is the Lord's work and we cannot do it without him. A quote I heard in the MTC was."There's no growth in your comfort zone and no comfort in your growth zone" I can honestly say that I haven't been in my comfort zone at all since I got here. But it's not a bad thing cause there's been a lot of growth. Not just with the language. Spiritually, physically (we walk up and down hills all day), mentally. Being a missionary is so different than I imagined. But I love it. I can see my faith growing everyday and I love it. It's hard to describe how thankful I am for this gospel in my life. After seeing so many people without it, I can't imagine my life without this gospel. 

Anyway, we have several investigators right now that are so so close but they have a little doubt or not quite ready. We're praying for them and working hard to help them with their doubts. Well that's mostly it for this week. Being a missionary is so hard but it's so worth it. 

To the family: Hey family. This week was great. I miss you guys a ton but it's getting easier to not be homesick cause I'm starting to enjoy it here a lot. And I got all your letters. I read them on the bus home from Viña. And I didn't even cry so that's good. A few weeks ago I would've bawled but I'm now

Well, Chile had a game this week. They beat Brazil 2-0 (sorry Kyle lol) It was so weird. During the game, the streets were empty. We saw like 3 cars and 2 people. Even the dogs were watching the game lol. We couldn't watch the game but we knew when Chile scored that's for sure. We figured they won. The next day everyone was in a good mood. I think they have another game this week. I hope they win cause I don't wanna know what it's like when they lose lol. 

Also we had to postpone the baptism. She's having a couple doubts but it's alright. I think she'll get baptized. Also we had a family home evening and I taught them how to play ring ring who's got the ring? They loved it

Anyway, that's all for now. Love you guys so much. Have an awesome week. 

Then we got an email from his companion Elder Leto: hello!! I am elder leto is compennion to your children.I not speak much english.,

I am thenk you for raising in the gospel your baby haha..

he is very good is exelent,going to  grow much in your mission,

he show me photos yours family very beutifull,you are great family

I protecting you baby ., you is  dont need to worry!!

thenk for all!!!

Elder Leto He argentino humble haha :)

Week 10

Hola everyone. This week was actually really great. Last week after I emailed we had a lesson with one of our investigators who was waiting for her answer. We had a sweet lesson planned but the Spirit took us another way. She told us that after the first time we taught her about Joseph Smith, she had nightmares for a couple days. Then she decided to pray before she went to bed and she stopped having the nightmares. Then she asked us if the nightmares were normal to have. We decided to show her the part in The Restoration video when Joseph prays and Satan tries to stop him from praying. After she watched it she started crying and told us that was her answer. She´s getting baptized this Sunday. I'm so excited for her. It's cool cause we went to her house a few more times this past week to finish the lessons and check in and make sure she's doing alright. I can already see a change in her. She's happier and she's not even baptized yet. It's crazy what the Spirit can do. 

Conference was awesome. I got to watch like half of them in English. It's funny cause conference is like Christmas for missionaries. It was so good though. I think sometimes I took for granted how incredible it is to have a living prophet and living apostles that receive revelation from Heavenly Father for us. It's really like Heavenly Father is speaking to us. 

Anyway, Spanish is coming along. I can literally see the improvement every day. It's awesome. The food is amazing, the people are amazing, and being a missionary is amazing. I love it. Thanks for all the prayers. I can truly feel them. I hope everyone has a great week

To the family: Hola Familia. Everything is going great this week. Time is starting to go by a lot faster now that I can understand a little bit of what everyone is saying. Sometimes there's people that I have no idea what they're saying but in general I can get the basic jist of what they're trying to say. Speaking is getting a little better too. It's still harder than listening but it's coming along. It's funny cause they want the Latino missionaries to learn English too so I help my companion learn English. Except I'm teaching him Utahn instead of English. He says Utahn is easier lol. But everything is great. I made a guy laugh the other day too so that's pretty sweet. And it wasn't in English. He laughed in Spanish. That's probably the primary acomplishment for the week. Anyway, I love you all so so so much. Thanks for all the prayers. And thanks for all the updates. Love you all and have a great week.

Him and his companion 

Elder dickerson specialty 

His companion has cars sheets

Ocean view from a member's house