Hola Familia!

 

Well, we thought that the changes were gonna be today, but they changed the meeting to Wednesday. But we know our changes and I´m leaving and I´ll be training again. They called Saturday to tell us and I was just glad that I had the chance to say bye to the ward and the conversos (converts) here. They´re awesome! I really just LOVE this ward and am SO grateful for it and the many miracles and things that I´ve learned while here in Limache. Many were sad to see me go, but they know that’s just how the mission is. But on to new things starting Wednesday! New comp, new area, new everything. I feel so comfortable here in Limache... now it´ll be good to be able to start new and figure things out again.

 

This week was GREAT! We found lots of new people and people that are just good. But just in time for me to leave, right? ha! But really, it´s amazing to see that after 6 months here in Limache I´m still meeting and finding new people. They´re always here and ready to listen to the gospel. Just gotta have the faith to do it.

 

In the whole mission this week the numbers were raised and they want us to find 15 nuevos, weekly. Before it was 7.. so doubled basically. It´s alot to just switch in a huge jump like that but we decided that we were just gonna give it our all and go for it and we found lots! And these people are good too.

 

Jose Luis and Valedia- we left a cita (appt.) and we were walking in the other direction to go back to where we came from. I just looked back at this street like something was calling but kept walking, then hna Contreras did the same, so I said, lets go knock some doors here because we both felt it. We found this family who honestly just opened the door and let us right in, we hardly explained what we were there for. We both kinda felt scared because we usually have to talk to the people and then the let us in, so we were like... is it safe? But it was AWESOME.  It’s this couple, aren´t married yet, just moved here a week before, but we shared with them a couple times this week and we talked about the Proclamation to the World and read it with them. After Valedia asked if living with her boyfriend was a sin and we told her yes and explained casitdad (chastity) to her and they are just eating the gospel up like it’s milk and cookies.  Serioulsy, sad to leave them, but I know they´ll progress!

 

Eduardo- this man we´ve been trying to find forever! Serioulsy. like forever. But we FINALLY found him. It was great. Has tons of questions and believes in the priesthood, so it’s just a matter of dropping smoking before he enters the waters. I´m sure of it. But he has a cousin who recently just got home from the mission and served with Landon Winters in Provo UT. Small world. He asked if I knew him and I was like, ya! But this Eduardo has tons of familiy who are members in other parts of Chile so I know he´ll accept it.

 

Daniela- I´ve mentioned her before. She´s progressing well. We met her boyfriend this past week and he is great too. He says he doesn’t want anything, but he wants to listen and learn and he supports Daniela 100% in what she is doing and if she wants to learn more. We invited him to be there at their house whenever we teach her so he can understand what she’s doing and he agreed so just gotta get them married and throw them in the water.

 

There were lots more but who knows how they´ll be next week so I´ll just leave you to them.

 

We went for a menos activa, (less active) oh my.. he is living in a apostasía. He knows the church is true. But he is going to start preaching at another church and asked us not to come back. We told him we wouldn’t come back, but told him that it´s apostasy what he is doing and that in about 6 weeks other missionaries will pass by because they´re ALWAYS changing. Just sad to see this type of people.

 

Silvana and Juaquin and Alma are just ALL GREAT. Monsi and Ignasio are passing through hard times, but they´ll be good. But serioulsy, just love them all and will miss seeing them all the time, but know that they will be happy and stay fiel (faithful). Heard the testimony of Siilvana and Juaquin yesterday for why they were baptized and the changes they´ve seen so it´s just great to see it. Silvana has the goal to serve and get married in the temple so we´re on the hunt to find her a BF. ha!

 

This week we contacted this man on the street and he took to us and his family is members but he isn´t and when we turned to walk about he just said.. ¨hoy me encontré con dos virgines¨ (today i found myself with 2 virgens) it was just REALLY random and hilarious.

 

Today I was studying about Agency and I found these two quotes I want to share... ¨your Savior wants you to become something not just do some things...¨

¨the final judgement is not just an evaluation of good and evil of what we´ve done but its what we have become!¨

It´s all about the choices that we make family! We gotta make the good ones to BECOME something!

 

Still love the mission. who knows where I´ll be next week.. maybe if you get on the mission blog  www.misionvinadelmar.blogspot.com you´ll see pics of my comp and I before next monday!

 

Love you all, Pray for you always.

 

Keep Smiling,

 

Hna Sargent

 

typical guatemalean clothes from Hna Conhtreras! 

these adorable children from a nuevo that we found! 

 

Fam Valezquez from the ward

 

This week was great! I just want to share with all of you the miracles that we saw everyday this week. There are always miracles in the mission, just have to look for them!

 

Lunes (Monday): We finished internet and went to pay, we were talking to the lady working there. She asked us what we were doing here... and we explained that we´re missionaries... ect. ect... and we end up talking to her for a little bit, turns out that she basically invited us to her house to share with her. She has a few problems and wants God more in her life! She´s awesome. Just goes to show that really there are people ready for the Gospel EVERYWHERE! in every place and we ALL need to look for opportunities to share the Gospel with those that need it.

 

Martes(Tuesday): this is great. We were walking to a cita (appointment)  and run into Almas mom. We start to talk to her and she’s had this HUGE change of heart. When we first started teaching Alma she wasn´t really accepting of us, she wanted us to teach Alma, but she didn´t want anything. We have this conversation with her and she basically tells us that she wants to come back to church. She bears her testimony and it´s SO strong and she just loves the gospel. She knows it´ll be hard to come back, but she’s already come to church 3 times these past 3 weeks and whenever we talk to her she tells us to come to her house when we want! She´s awesome. Will be so good for Alma to see this change in her mom and have her there to really support her.

 

Miercoles(Wednesday): Somebody actually let us do servicio! (service) I know that sounds crazy, but sometimes it’s so hard to find a planned service project. Finally, members are letting us do it! It´s a miracle because really servicio  helps us so much and makes us feel great about how we are and the things that we´re doing. Find something you need done and ask the missionaries! They´ll do it. Even if it’s small. Then give them a treat to take on the run :)

 

Jueves(Thursday) got my valentines day kiss.... yes, it was from a 8 month old baby, but hey, I´ll take what I can get here on the mish :) no really wasn´t the miracle. Trinidad, one of our investigators...it’s been SO hard for him to understand prayer. Something so easy for us is so hard for people to get. But she FINALLY understood and wants to pray correctly now and understands why it´s SO important and that she´ll never get an answer if she doesn´t pray!

 

Viernes (Friday): well, had the flu, not too fun, but the miracle was I had strength to leave and work for a little bit.  The nurse told me to rest and try to sleep it off, and I did that for a while, but I mustered up the strength to work for a few hours. Just couldn´t not leave! There is work to be done! Said a prayer and ya, I was ready. Then the next day I was fine. Not 100% but good enough!

 

Sabado(Saturday) ALMAS BAPTISM! It was just so great. I have been working with this family forever now, almost 6 months now and it was just SO rewarding to see Alma be baptized and know that her family is active and will help her lots. I was just sitting there playing the piano and looked at her family and just got an overwhelming feeling they are part of why I´m in Limache.  Maybe I’ll stay maybe I´ll go next change, but this family is saved. They have found their Master again.

 

Domingo(Sunday): well besides church, we just had some incredible lessons in the tarde (late afternoon)! People who can really progress. We are still teaching Daniela and Mingo too :) they are good. Just working with them so they keep there compromisos. (committments)

 

Obviously, lots more happened but when we focus little por (by) little of the milagros (miracles) that are in our paths throughout our days, really it´s incredible how many there are. Even sometimes the smallest things, missing a bus, investigator wasn´t there, studying one verse and it’s perfect for someone that we talk to through the day, there are ALWAYS MILAGROS (miracles).

 

Oh my... quickly this story... we walk into this house of a MA and one its SOO hot. 2. we sit on the couch and the decoration is this doll... SO scary, think of this dirty, raggedy, one-eyed doll that would come to life in a horror movie, that’s the doll, we both just about died when we saw it. But we were talking to them and the hermana was choosing what himno(hymn) she wanted to sing and I am looking at her and this huge thing of drool just drops from her mouth and she just continues like nothing happened...I look right at Hna Contreras to see if she saw and she’s doing the same thing to me... we just about lost it. It was just SO funny, oh these menos activas (less actives). Sometimes they just kill me. I love em, but they kill me.

 

I really just love the mission. I feel so blessed to be able to serve and help these people in Chile. I love them and I love this Gospel.

 

Pday will be next Tuesday! para que sepan!(just so you know) Not sure what will happen, I think I´ll be leaving Limache. It´ll be hard to leave, but it’s always fun to go to a new place too. We´ll see! 

 

Love you all SO much!

 

Keep smiling,

 

Hna Sargent

 

 

Alma bautismo! 

Fma Apablaza that are now activos!

 

LOVE these boys. will miss them dearly!

more of Alma

 

Hna Contreras and I :)

 

This month is flying by, always does when you get along SO well with your comp. honestly, we just have fun together but also work hard. thats how the mission should be too! its the best. 

 

this morning we had a acticity, played dogdeball and had a BBQ. dogdeball was hilarious. so fun, i think the tourneys we had in seminary payed off.. and of couse there was some basketball being played as well. i just love activities its so relaxed and is a good way to get to know everyone better in the district and zone.

 

I got tons of pics of the baptism of Kaleb and the family... everyone looks so cute! (i miss normal clothes) and Kaleb, felicidades! bautismo :) YAY!! the best decision you can make in your life. never forget how you felt, you should write it down. Dax also is precious!

 

This week as for investiigators and such.. it was a good week, lots of people, tons and tons of contacts, we´re trying to find those chosen ones:

Mingo- dont think I´ve mentioned him. But we contacted him en la calle (on the street) about 2 weeks ago, he was in a hurry, like EVERYONE else here.... really its just an excuse, but we gave him a folleto (pamphlet) (don´t remember the english word) and wrote our number on the back. Well, the other week he called us and wanted to meet with us because he really liked the folleto (pamphlet) he said, we had NO clue quien era and set a cita (who it was but we set up an appointment )with him.  When he opened the door we remembered. It was just a miracle contact and a reminder that we have to do them because that’s when you find the people who are ready. Well, basically Mingo has had a ton of experiences in his life, some hard, some good but he is totally accepting everything. The only bad thing is his work and Sundays, but we can fix that! He feels bad for what he isn´t doing and wants to change. This week one of the funny things he said was ¨can angels have girlfriends?¨ that just makes him sound crazy, but he isn´t.. he is awesome! He always calls us to tell us, ohhh.. can you come tomorrow? He is just eating this goodness up.

 

Silvana shocked us all and is thinking of a mission. Not sure if she will but I think so! She wants to.. just needs to feel that it’s right! She’s awesome. Really converted. Also Juaquin is preparing to go to the temple. Yay.

 

Alma- bautismo este Sabado!! (baptism this Saturday) she passed her interview. We talked to her mom for a long time because her mom has to support her. We had a lesson with the elders on obediencia(odedience) and I think it was better for her mom than for Alma! Then we went to pass for Alma for church Sunday and Alma said... espere, mi mama esta cambiando ropa a ir! (wait, my mom es changing her clothes to go ) WHAT?  Her mom hasn´t been to church forever. Years and it was SO great to see them there together. This was the whole purpose for Alma to be baptized to help her family and now it´s happening. So great.

 

Pedro. Dad... not the Pedro you´re thinking, but he is good. We just felt like we needed to knock this one street so we did and found Pedro. He isn´t progressing too much, but we´ve only taught him twice. He told us last time that he was baptized to God but in no church because he just hasn´t found the right church yet. So we´ll see with him. Lives with his wife and 24 year old daughter so it´d be good for all of them. Bien amable (really kind/good). we are hoping that he progresses!

 

Yesterday and church we had a milagro. (miracle)  We were just praying that someone would come that we didn´t have planned and in walks this family that are obviously members but with someone who obviously isn´t! We end up talking to them after and she lives in our area and wants to meet with us. We have a cita Martes con ella. (appointment Tuesday with her)  It’s just crazy how the Lord really answers prayers! 

 

This week the elders came to acompañarnos (accompany) in some citas (appointments) and then after our district leader said, ya, I´m gonna buy you all a treat, so we went to this bakery and chose something and then left and we said bye to them and I just turn to Hna Contreras and said... ¨I feel like we were just on a double date¨ she was like... ME TOO! We just laughed. It wasn´t really, just how he bought our treats for us. ha!

 

Today I read Jacob 5. I remember reading that in sunday school with Bro Wheelwright and hated that chapter, seriouisly, hated it. I remember just talking to KG, paige and Q during the whole class...  I was just so lame and didn’t realize the goodness that it has, but it´s just filled with doctrine. I loved reading it. I didnt want it to end. So applicable to missionary work.

 

My aim of throwing rocks at dogs is accuarte. Get them in the legs everytime! Hna Contreras just finds the rocks and I just throw them. These two that follow us cause so many problems. It´s SO bad!

 

Well, time is almost up. I just want you all to know that I love you and pray for you always. Really, love to be here on the mission and teaching these Chileans that I love so much!

 

Keep Smiling,

Hna Sargemt

 

p.s. Please pray for my pendrive. The pictures aren´t there but some guy in the ward is a computer junky and is trying to fix it! just lots of prayers please! It´s my whole mission :)

 

it was pointed in the direction of the herd...

this is mingo... so funny!

this is mingo... so funny!

this is from today. and yes, i won. :)

 

 

Hola familia! Como estai? (as they say here in Chile) espero que todo estén bien y que todos estén disfrutando tiempo con Dax! Congrats dyan and mark! so fun to have a new baby in the family :) wish i could just give it a squeeze and lots of kisses :) be sure to do that for me :) 

this week was great. we were blessed to have a baptism of Silvana! She was seriously soooooooo happy and excited. she really understands it and wants to do everything she can to stay fiel :) shes truly converted and thats the best to see. Her whole family was just as excited because her mom just got baptized about 2 months ago and Silvana was stubborn and never wanted to, but now she´s made a 360! After her bautism her mom just came up to me and gave me a huge hug with tears in her eyes and just said thank you about 20 times. it was nice to know that she was so appreciative. yay for Silvana. i´m excited to see her progress. 

This past week we also had an interview with presidente. it was good. they always seem short to me but it was good. one thing that made me happy was this.. dad will like it. We were talking about how dad served his mission here in Chile and Pres asked me what part of Valpo that he served, i told him Playa Ancha and he said that we are gonna see Hnas in that part of the mission soon!!! how fun would that be if i served there dad. I´d be STOKED! surely i´d meet someone that you knew.  but the rest of the interview was good. i still don´t feel like i know him all that well, but it´s all good. I respect him a lot and know that he recieves revelation! 

ya, i think all my fotos just got erased from my pendrive. my WHOLE MISSION. seriously, i really hope not.... think this comp has a virus of some sort... ya, just checked it with the person here in the place.. still works on her comp, but mine no. whew, almost cried! 

We found this new part of our area that we´ve never worked in before because its further, but we found lots of people in this area that are good. its a area thats super campo, hosres, sheep, ect ect.

one is Jose, he has a problem with the bebidas, but that´s ok, just gotta work with him on word of wisdom, but he totally felt the spirit the other day, tears and all, and wants to be happier and change, so we´re gonna keep returning to that area! 

Joysee- joysee is good. she´s reading lots, had read about 7 chapters of the LDM and then decided that she needed to read the Bilbe first, so we´re working with her. i think people just get scared of committment sometimes or are scared to accept.

we´re really trying to find new people, please pray that this week we´ll find people who will progress! thats all we need :) 

This week we were walking down the street and these two little girls yelled... hello! and then said.. mire, es ella! they were looking through a magazine and thought i was one of the models in this magazine, Hna Contreras told them yes and that i could sign there magazine and take a picture with them if they wanted so they like FREAKED out and were so happy. i know it was a lie, but they were just so happy and i just had to play along. so when we took the picture we told them to do there model poses and this is what we got. so funny! love these little chilean kids. also they did there model walks, that was the best of them all. ha! 

This week we have taught lots of menos activas, and yesterday we were talking to one and he was just full of excuses, so in a loving way i basically told him that when the judgement day comes does he think that God is gonna listen to his excuses when he knows what he needs to do right now to be happy and a faithful member. but it was good for him to hear, but i think it taught me more. REally they aren´t gonna listen to the excuses that we might have for them. there are no excuses to not go to church if we aren´t sick, there are no excuses to watch that movie because its about history, there are no excuses to listen to that song, wear that dress, say that joke, be offended when we know its right, ect ect. there are no excuses. we have this knowledge and we just need to get through whatever our challenges may be. it´d be the worst for God to say to us... that was your test... did you pass and were are sitting there trying to make excuses... just except it and move on faithful in the Gospel. ya, lesson learned for me. thank you Spirit. 

Kaleb Bell... happy birthday this week and baptism! I´m so happy that you´ll be able to be baptized. Hopefully we´ll have a baptism that day so i´ll help someone else the same day as you get baptized. keep your figures crossed that all goes well this week so alma can be baptized!!  hope you have a good day. 8 is a GREAT year. write me a letter with pics about your baptism! 

well family, time is short, this pen drive scare took some time out, but all is well. I hope you´re all doing well. Got a TON of dearelders this week, seriously, it was embarrasing, but they were just delayed because they were from before Christmas but still fun to read them. 

Love you all so much, the mission is the best. so pleased to be here and serving this wonderful chileans! the church is true! we´re SO lucky! 

Love you all y miss you all! 

keep smiling, 

Hna Sargent 

 

 

completos. ya, they´re so yummy! this is a papa size one. 

all these houses are growing grapes. can´t wait until they´re ripe! 

cowgirl natalie :)

 

this little boy. reminds me of Evan. Future missionary says his tag :)  

these little girls.. .story to come in the papa

Silvana and her family. her mom was SOOOO happy that she was baptized :) 

silvanas bautismo!