The Countdown - 3 months

April 2, 2012
"...Querida y amada familiasita,

This week was a spiritual renovation, general conference was wayyy good.  I loved hollands talk and uchtdorfs amongst lots of others.  This week was the first week of the change.  Elder Rojas is in our zone now (my entrainee) this conference I asked a few questions and prayed that they would be answered, it was crazy they were all answered at the end, and some almost too directly haha."

April 9, 2012

"...This week was full. We had zone council, good interchanges with some

missionaries, and like all weeks full of ups and downs.  

We just played soccer as a zone and I now understand why I quit and went for

more solo sports. As much as I try, my prideful side is too

competitive.  Lots of frustration that doesn´t make it fun in the end.

At least we got some exercise out of it.  

I also want to apologize for when I complained every time we went
on vacations or organized activities for us.  With a zone of 16 missionaries,
some of the 20 year olds act like 5 year olds and its a lot of complaining
because its impossible to please everyone. haha It is fun to try though. It

definitely tests patience."

April 16, 2012

"...Dad asked a question about the investigators... mostly women and children receive the message more openly then the men.  We set goals actually to talk to more men and families because we teach single moms with kids or the husbands don´t want to come and listen (although we do invite them every time)

this next week we have a conference where we are singing a hymn  57 el amor del salvador(our saviors love)  I am in charge of the tenor part... and for not being a singer it doesn´t sound too bad, we are working with what we have in the zone to have a 3 part choir.

I am looking to the future excited for what the next week has to bring!"

April 23, 2012

"...on Monday there was an earthquake at 1 in the morning a grade 7 on the seismic scale with Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar being the epicenter.  We live in  the 4th floor of an apt building so it was moving all over.  We all went to bed just like normal at 11pm and all of a sudden at 1 am the whole apartment was moving all over the place.  My companion jumped from the bunk bed with the other Elder sleeping on top bunk and ran to the door and opened it and run a ways down the hallway.  There was a creaking of metal and cement I jumped up and woke up the other Elder to who slept on the bottom bunk.  We ran to put on shoes and I grabbed my backpack as we waited in the door of the apartment for the others, after about 30 seconds of heavy movement it calmed down.  

The scariest part was watching neighbors in the apartment buildings running down with children in the arms down to their cars and leaving(we automatically assumed that meant a stronger one was coming)  we frantically packed emergency bags with food, water, clothes, and money.  We kept doors open and began to ask neighbors, but knew nothing of what was going to happen.  

After a few more small tremors things calmed down a little and the neighbors said it was safe to go back to sleep. But we stayed a little longer and left our shoes out with backpacks and cellphones ready if something happened haha.  

So that was the beginning of the week... they don´t call it an earthquake here because in Chile it has to be an 8 or more.  But in other countries what happened here would be an earthquake.  Luckily all buildings and houses are built to withstand much more because it is a seismic country but in total the movement lasted 2 min with only the most noticeable being the 30 seconds of heavy movement... so that was the adventure of the week haha"