Weird Week

So this week was really weird. Some things happened that hadn't happened in my mission until now. Friday was especially weird..... 

 

So on Wednesday we started teaching English classes. Ya, that was a first. In our ward there are 2 latinos and 2 gringos missionaries (I am one of the gringos - just in case you were in doubt). Well the latinos had the idea of starting English classes as a way to find new people to teach. Haha the thing is that they don't speak English well enough to teach it. So they assigned their comps to teach. Yay for us... Well, the other gringo ended up going on interchanges that day so I was left to teach the class alone. That was fun. We're hoping that every week more and more people come.

 

Sunday we are going to have another baptism (assuming everything goes well). There are a few weird things about this one. 1 She was already baptized when she was 8 but for some reason her records don't appear when we search for them. When that happens the family just has to gather the dates and everything and fill out another record. Well, the family can't find ANYTHING that proves that she was baptized - not even a photo. 2 We were going to baptize her with her boyfriend the same day. Ya, no. Turns out he was baptized 4 years ago but now doesn't remember ANYTHING. 3 The baptism isn't going to be in our building. It's going to be in the Stake Center (which isn't even in the limits of our zone) because this Sunday is Stake Conference. So she is going to be baptized with 4ish other people from the stake. Ya....weird situation.

 

Friday. Weird. To start off the day my comp forgets his watch in the pension. He is literally lost without it because he looks at it about every 2 minutes. Next, all during the day there was literally NO ONE in the street. So, we figured that they were all in the houses. We started knocking doors but no one was home either. Weird. Our sector is a ghost town now? The only person we found was a less active lady. When she came out to talk to us her door slammed shut behind her. Oh, btw, Chilean doors ALWAYS need a key to open. They don't have a doorknob like in the USA. Just a keyhole. Well, it turns out that she didn't have her keys with her when she walked out so we were left to try to help her get back into her house. I'm pretty sure we looked like we were robbers trying to break in (well, we actually WERE trying to break in) but it doesn't matter because there was nobody around to see us (Ghost Town, remember). Finally a neighbor came by (where from, we still don't know) and jumped the neighbor's fence, then jumped her backyard fence, then entered through the backdoor to open the front door. So as the day went on there still was literally no one. I'm pretty sure we made 5 loops around our whole area. Then an old lady randomly called us over to her house. Apparently she had just left her house without her keys and before she realized that, she closed the door. Awesome. We knocked her neighbors door because they have a spare key. Nope, not home - of course. We tried to instruct her how to use a card to open the door (Her gate was locked so we couldn't pass through and help her like with the less active). Ya no. That didn't work either. In the end a random teenager walked by that apparently she knew and she asked him to go grab the spare key that was in his house. I'm guessing that this happens often to her if so many people have spare keys to her house. So right when we left that attempt to break into a house the street was FULL of people. We were so excited until I looked at my watch. We were late for our 1st appointment of the day (or night because it was at 8) so we didn't have time to contact everyone. After that cita we went to our other cita which is when we found out about the girl who has to be baptized again. Well as her dad was driving us to our house he almost hits a dog that is pooping in the middle of the street. It didn't move out of the way because it was so focused that it didn't even realize that a giant car was coming towards it. And, to top off the day as we were entering our pension a cat was leaving. What??? We don't own a cat! So ya, that was our weird/crazy day Friday.

 

So ya. Weird week. Other things happened too but I don't have time right now to write them all because we are in a rush to finish and go to the zoo!

 

Until next week!

Elder Groneman

Baptism!

So first of all before I forget like I have been for the past few weeks. Yes, I finally got the package (like 3 weeks ago). Thank you all for everything! Unfortunately, I can't make the cake right now. In my last pension we didn't have a good oven. Well in this pension our oven is more like a blowtorch. So ya, once the pensionero brings us a new cocina [stove]... I have to wait....

 

BAUTISMO!!! Yes, the baptism happened yesterday! WOOT! We had to run to get everything ready because our mission leader forgot to put the program together, but in the end everything was awesome. A lot of member support which was awesome! Haha she said that whenever she goes underwater she gets this weird sensation which she can't describe. Haha so because of that when my comp lifted her back up she was gasping and then tripped or something and almost fell back under. Don't worry, nothing happened and she didn't get a second baptism.

That's the highlight of the week. Oh and every companionship in the district baptized this month so the next week we get to have a District Activity! My first activity in the mission. We will be going to the zoo next week (unless plans change). YAY!

 

So ya, basically everything that happened this week had something to do with the baptism and getting it ready so there aren't really and stories. We cleaned the font, had the ZLs call a million times trying to get us to change the baptism to Saturday so that she could be confirmed the next day, ran around the chapel looking for people to participate in the program, and then had the baptism! So ya, that was this week.

 

Love ya all!

Elder Groneman

New Area: La Serena

So yes, I did get transferred. I was on the bus because I went up north to the 4th region (Chile is divided into 12 regions north to south with Santiago being its own little region so 13 in total - Misión Viña del Mar is the 4th and 5th regions). After a 7ish hour bus ride of scripture study, practices, sleeping and talking, we arrived in La Serena at 1am. My sector is the 3rd most north in the entire mission. The Hermanas literally share a border with Antofagasta and have found those Elders in their sector a few times because the limit isn't completely clear. I can now see the ocean every day because my sector is on the crest of the hill, so half of the sector is hill and the other half is flat.

 

My new comp is Elder M** from Lima, Peru. He's great. He has a strong testimony. Especially for only being a member for 9ish months before starting the mission. We already have a baptism planned for this Sunday (assuming that she passes the interview) and 2 more investigatores with baptismal dates. On Sunday I performed my first confirmation on a kid that was baptized 3 weeks ago but then left on vacation before he could be confirmed. That was a little bit nerve racking. Don't know why but it was...

 

That's about all that happened this week. Even though changes are only on Wednesday it feels like they are the entire week. I am now trying to learn all of the street names in my sector and learn it by sight as well. Trying to remember all of the members and who is a leader. Meeting all of our investigators and less-actives. Basically a lot of work to do. It's not hard, just takes some time.

 

So ya, that's my life right now - or at least what's different

Love you all

Elder Groneman

Headed for La Serena

Elder Groneman & Elder M**

Transfers this week

Yay for another 6 hour day-trip to Viña! This time it was for my tramites [processing]. I'm finally going to be legal! Yes, right now I'm in a country illegally. Well, not completely illegally. I have a visa  but not my passport so if they ask to see my visa I'm done for. Lets hope that doesn't happen!

So yes, Mecham is correct. This week is tranfers. And I get to find out if I stay or if I go. Yes, it is possible that I stay for another change. I have heard many stories of missionaries that have stayed in their first area for 7-9 months. Anything is possible in this mission. Oh, so we finally know who our new Pres is going to be. Supposedly we're not supposed to know yet but everyone does. His name is Raul Diaz. He's from Santiago but if I remember right he lives in Concepción right now. I've heard that he's really humble and LOVES CocaCola so the rule impeding us from drinking it will probably be lifted and then we will be drinking it in every lunch...yay.

 Happy Story of the Week!

We found a family to teach that is basically gold! They're antiguos [older people] and they were taught the majority of the lessons but don't remember a lot BUT during the first lesson the dad basically helped us explaining tithing to his wife. He already has a testimony, we just need to reaffirm it and then convert his wife. Their family actually almost got baptized before but the missionaries that taught them forgot to tell them about the baptismal date of their son until 2 days before. Ya, they weren't happy with that so they stopped taking the lessons....Until we found them! They are awesome.

So ya. You are all just going to have to wait to find out if I get transferred or not. Oh the agony of waiting ;) Patience is a virtue, develop it ;) 

 

All is well but unfortunately with the trip to Viña I don't have much time so until next week!

Elder Groneman

 

Elder P**, President Kahnlein, Elder Groneman

 

The Grand Search continues...

To clarify something quick - "the Flea in the ear" means that we never stopped bugging her. We were always calling her, reminding her to go to church. And when we were in the lessons, we would remind her again and again and again to go to church and to not smoke. Well, in the end it worked and she is as happy as can be. So "pulga en la oreja" means that we were annoyances.

Now on to more spiritual matters.....

In the very first verse of King Benjamin we find the purpose of general conference. 

Mosiah 2:9

"...for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view."

So according to our old friend (both in age and familiarity) we know that the reason we have GC is so that we can listen and then open our minds, hearts, and eyes so that we can Hear the whisperings of the Spirit, Understand those whisperings, and then See the purposes of God. So....do we have to wait another 2ish months in order to have that blessing in our lives? I hope your answer is no because if not, you are terribly mistaken. We have access to GC talks 24/7 (unless the internet has randomly died and all of the Ensigns/Liahonas have been burned) so the opportunity to have our ears, hearts, and minds opened is always available to us. Take advantage of it NOW so that God can start working miracles in your life TODAY.

As for the work, basically everything is the same. A few of our investigators have returned and are progressing slowly but surely. The Grand Search for the people who are ready to hear the gospel continues.....and it won't stop until God says it does. So I guess we gotta keep on working and searching.....and of course walking ;)

Love ya all. My advice for this week is a quote from Mom. "Don't Be Stupid"

Elder Groneman

My comp and I got to ride in the back of the 2nd counselor´s truck because "there was no room for [us] in the in(side)" ;) Don't worry Mom, we were safe. We didn't get into a car accident that time. It was fun though!

Normal Week

This week was normal as usual. Walking, teaching, contacting while walking, tripping while walking, laughing while walking.....more walking, more teaching. Basically it's great.

Yes, I made cookies. Our kitchen is soo small so I had to use that space that I had. That is why the cookies are in the sink;) I now have members asking for the recipe. Mom´s cookies have now entered Chile! 

Honestly there's not really anything to talk about this week. All of our investigators are out of town right now besides two and we can't find one of them (not unusual). Right now were teaching a bunch of menos activos [less actives], the majority of which are viajitas [?]. One of them that I helped activate calls me her "pulga en la oreja [flea in the ear]" because we were always passing by her house and calling her just so that she would go to church again. Well now she's active and very happy. Now we are working on converting her husband who's not a member but receptive. He's up north right now so until he returns we can't do much....

That is soo awesome that all of those people got their mission calls!!! I'm so happy for them. It's still weird thinking that basically all of my friends are either on missions right now or have their calls. Since when did a million and a half years go by? It's even weirder to think that I'm 1/4 of the way through my mission. It literally feels like I left a month ago. I guess time flies when you're in the service of the Lord.

Scripture of the Week!

2 Nephi 28:20-22   The Tactics of Satan!

1) Anger

2) Idleness

3) Flattery / Justification

All I have to say about those three things is that if you are angry, idle, or are justifying your actions - REPENT! Then use the Atonement´s enabling ability to change and be better. 

That's it for this week. Love y´all!

Elder Groneman

 

Giant Watermelons! Enough said

The Cookie Kitchen

Invitation to a ward activity. The drawing was done by one of our investigators. So yes, the missionaries are my comp and me.

 

Crazy & Calm

So this week was both crazy and calm at the same time and I have no idea why. It was a good week though. No, I still don't have my birthday package :(  But I'll get it in February. So the day of my birthday my companion and I felt like we were going to explode!! After lunch (which was giant as usual) the family brought out cake and ice cream which we ate happily until we literally couldn't eat any more. No, I didn't get my head smashed in the cake. Well, a little bit later in the day we went to one of our lessons with a family that is a little bit less active and they had a cake and food too! This wasn't just for me though. One of the sons turned 12 on the 16th so it was for both of us. This time I did get my face smashed in the cake. I have videos of both events but I cant send them so you will all have to wait for 1 1/2 more years HAHA ;P  Ya we literally were going to EXPLODE after that because we're not used to eating after lunch until 10. It's weird how fast you adjust to not eating dinner....

I'm also sending a photo of a mummified rat that we found while helping a member de-junkify his side yard. Ya that was really fun. Eliza would have died because there were a bunch a giant spiders. They're really dangerous because if you get bitten you'll die if you don't receive the anti-venom in less than 8 hours or something like that. Yep, great fun!! 

So I'm out of time now so I'll fill y'all in on other stuff the next week. Stay tuned for more adventures in Chile.

 

Elder Groneman