Can´t believe it´s the last week in May. I was thinking about Janis and Gordon this week and how they only have a little time left. Like a month...and what they must be feeling after 3 years. I just imagine Janis laughing, breaking down in tears and excited to see her grandkids :) but anywho, this week was good! We had changes and I stayed here but am training again with Hna Perez from El Salvador. She’s new and just turned 19 in March, but she´s a good missionary. A little homesick, but she´ll get through it! 

 

Well, Luis finally got back this week and his baptism is planned for this week. It´s all fast so we´ll see if it happens, but he is just super sincere. Really one of the most sincere people I´ve ever met in my life I think. We taught him Chastity and Tithing the other day together in the same lesson.  He was just so chill about them both. Told us that he is gonna get money back soon from taxes and that when he gets it, it´ll be a big tithing! ha! Totally just understood it. ha! Also, he thanked us for doing what we are doing. For helping others understand how to live en acuerdo (in harmony) with God. He is excited and wants to do it... for his brother to be able to support him and help him change his life too!  The big brother of 6 and wants to be the example for all of his little bros.

 

Veronica. remember her? ya, she was awesome. We met with her a couple times this week and she was telling us that she was just so confused because everyone talks about different churches and stuff and then she just goes... ¨but what I know is that I believe in Christ¨ It was just so powerful and we taught her more about Christ and His church, the BOM, and everything. I was so happy to go visit her again and when we went her husband answered the door and basically told us never to return again. I was just SO sad, I want to talk to her because I know that she loved what we taught her, but her husband... who knows. Just left feeling... What happened? Hopefully we´ll find her when he husband isn´t there...

 

Natalia and Juaquin. We just decided to knock this small area of houses and she opened the door and explained to us that she was baptized when she was little with her family but hasn´t been to church in about 15 years and now doesn´t really believe in God because of what she´s studied. But she wanted to sing a hymn that she remembered with her little boy, Juaquin who is 9 and she was SO happy to sing it. It was cute and to see her feel so happy about a hymn and then we taught her little boy about the BOM with pictures and he just goes... wow, que bakan! (like.. how cool :) and is gonna read about Nefi and Laban with his mom.

 

We had an activity en our barrio (ward) this week and there was karaokee. it was hilarious! Good ward bonding with investigators and lots of menos activas (less actives) came. Now only if they´d come to CHURCH!

 

I was reading in 2 Nefi 15 this week and I love in versiculos (verses) 7-11 when it talks about have we asked God. I was thinking that if we don´t understand something it’s because we haven´t asked God. Even if we don´t undertand something he´ll make us feel good about it or that it really isn´t important to know. Also I was reading in Marcos when Christ ascends to live with His father and was thinking about that reunion between Christ and God and how happy God must have been to see His hijo (son) return having been 100% obedient and that because of Him all of His children can return to live with Him :)  I just love the scriptures and the things that I learn when I study them.

 

Well, this week was good. Changes are here.. and we are gonna hit the pavement and work hard. There are so many people that are close to accepting, but just haven´t yet! Just a little extra push and they can do it. I love this work. It’s SO wonderful to be here and help people come unto Christ.  

 

I love you all so much! think and pray for you daily!

 

Keep Smiling,

Hna Sargent

 

 

Familia Larrain.. they treat that dumb dog like its a child....

Angelica and Silvia... we had to leave them behind and move on!

Hna Perez and I :) 

I just think the months pass faster and faster, not really sure how its possible, but it always seems to happen like that. 

 

This week was lots better than the last week. Not really sure why it was so hard, but I learned lots and learned that patience is sometimes super hard and the fact that people have agency and deny this message just breaks my little heart, but one day I pray that they´ll accept it.

 

Ok, this week in intercambio(exchanges) I was with a new hermana, she turned 19 in Feb I think she said. It´s crazy these youngens, but awesome too. But I just have to say it was hilarious to be with her because ALL she talked about was high school, and I was like, Hermana, high school was like years ago for me. I just forget that these newbies are really just finished with High school. But she´s a great missionary. These new missionaries are the prepared generation. Really, they are just pure power and have every desire to work and do things correctly!

 

Ok, so you asked about the other people that we have been teaching. Luis is still good, but still with his family in the south. Come back already!  He should be getting back today or tomorrow. He went to church with his brother in the south and had lots of questions answered. He really could be baptized this weekend if he feels that he´s recieved his answer and I think he has. I´m just excited to  see him. It´s been forever. Hard when it’s someone that is super good just leaves for a while. But he´ll return!

 

This week we found some stellar people. Just a couple stories...

 

Ed- So we were knocking the door at an investigators house and this guy walked by that we had just seen like 5 minutes before, I thought.. talk to him, but then didn´t. The investigator wasn´t home and we left to walk down the street, we turn the corner and its Ed, again (3rd time) walking towards us. I start saying to my comp.. it´s the 3rd time, we have to talk to him and when I am saying that he goes... ¨oigan, tienen un Libro de Mormon¨  (do you have a BOM) we start talking to him and turns out that years ago he met with missionaries. Read the LDM (Bof M) and prayed about it and received his answer that it’s true because he felt it in his heart, and wants to know more again. We were able to teach him in his house right then and he accepted a fecha (baptism date)! He has an addiction to cigarro, (cigars) like everyone else, but he knows he has to give it up to progress. So now we´re working with him.

 

Veronica- we knocked this street and this lady opened her door and was speaking half English and half Spanish to us. She tells us that she moved here from India with her husband about 2 years ago and that she has recently started looking for a church, but just online, but better to join one that she knows someone, and know she knows us! She wants to hear the lessons in English .. she understands better (which is torture for me.. really, can´t speak English) but she is great. Told us that we can´t share in her house cause she lives with her in-laws, but that she´ll come back to her house and share with them the ¨good word of God¨ (her words)

 

This week I finished the LDM  (B of M)again, love reading it in Spanish. To read it in a different language really find different things and have to concentrate more on what it´s saying. But really, Moroni is a stud. Just by himself, basically waiting to die, but the last part of the LDM is SOOO crucial. I can´t wait to talk to him to know what happened after he hid the plates. But I started it again and was reading in Joseph Smith testimony and it says that when Moroni appeared to him in the night that their ¨convesations¨ lasted all night.  Then every year when he had to return to the plates he had a interview. Can you imagine what they talked about?? MY mind went crazy. Interview with Moroni. Conversations, it´s incredible. So thankful for these two men that made it possible that we have a Book of Mormon in our lives! Love this book.

 

Grandpa- Happy Birthday this Saturday! Love you and will be thinking of you! Party it up for me :)

 

We taught this joven,Cristian, he is 22 and really really likes to party and drink. We taught him the word of wisdom and he said the prayer at the end and asked God to bless his liver that it could withstand what he puts in it! He knows it’s bad, just think it´s crazy not to drink when your in the universidad and young.

 

Menos activas (less actives) here are still many and many are coming back to church in this area. Makes me so happy to know how to work with menos activas now so I can really help those who are in my wards in my whole life!

 

This Wednesday we have changes.. not really sure what will happen. 23 hermanas come again and president wasn´t sure if he was gonna have the Sister Leaders train or be in a companionship together. Also he is opening lots of areas, so we´ll see Wednesday what happens! I don´t want to leave Agua Santa. Love this area and ward. Next week I´ll let you know!

 

Well family, love you lots and am so grateful for you! I pray for you daily. The Chrurch is true and we are so blessed. God loves us and Christ Lives.

 

hasta lunes, keep smiling,

 

Hna Sargent

 

 

Sophie and me :)

her slippers... raaaaaaaarrrrrrrw.

love my view. 

It was so great to see you all and talk to you yesterday! It´s crazy but it always feels like i just talked to you even though it was like 5 months ago. I remember at Christmas i was sad to hang up and was like... i still have so much time left before i see them, but this call just was happy! Still have lots of time left here in Chile, but soon i´ll be seeing you all :) Glad that you´re all doing good and i was able to touch base for a few minutes. 

 Forgot to make a shout out to Savvy and Grandma for their b-days this week! know that i´ll be thinking of you and that i wish you a happy birthday!! 

Like i said last night this week was probably one of the hardest of my mission. It was just like nothing was working out how we wanted it to, nobody was keeping there committments, nobody was in there house, ect. There was one day i´m pretty sure we walked ALL day except for lunch. literally noone. but the Lord knows why and we kept working, never gave up, and still saw miracles. even if they were tiny. I think I´m just at the point of my mission were i should be excelling and i am in my teaching, language, i feel comfortable, but the baptisms, the people who really want to change there life just aren´t there right now. but i know that the Lord is gonna bless us this week. Last week of the change and we just need these people to accept or chau and onto the new ones! but enough of my pitty story! 

This week we were teaching this family. Dany (16) wants to be baptized but he really isn´t into the whole commitment thing, remembering to pray and read, and has a problem with palabra de sabiduría, His dad, Jorge, is the one who is doing all of that, but lives with his pareja so can´t be baptized and he wants nothing more than Dany to be baptized because he knows he´ll be in the good path and the path he is going down right now... not too great. but anywho, we watched the first vision with them and we were sitting there watching it and the first vision had just happened and Jorge goes... ¨tengo calor!¨ (i´m hot) and everyone else was like... what, no its cold. Hna Valencia and I knew why he felt that way. The Spirit was testifying to him that this really happened. The Jose smith saw God and Christ that day. I LOVE being able to hear and see these people be touched by the Spirit. 

Ronald. Honestly i just love him, but he always says he wil come to church and then he doesn´t. we pass for him and everything. I think that he is embarrassed because his dad is menos activo and doesn´t really want anything to do with the church, so i think he just feels like peope are going to judge him. But he KNOWS he needs to do it, knows that it´s true. just is scared i think that he´ll be like his dad and know that it´s bad. but he is doing everything we´re telling him to do just not coming to church. 

Luis. He is good. He traveled to the south this week to visit his family, so we really haven´t seen him. but he said on Saturday taht he was going to go to church with his brother sunday. Still haven´t spoken to him, but I´m sure he went. He is awesome. just gotta get him solid with ley de castidad and palabra de sabiduría. but other than that he is good to go. 

We had the consejo of lideres this week on Friday. I really like being in the leadership position. It´s fun to see the mision and really how it works, what the leaders do, ect.. but they changed alot with how we are going to teach now. before it was all scripture and testimony, but we have pamphlets here in the mission and they want us to start teaching with those so that the people have them and are reading them with us. Honestly think it´ll make a huge difference. they are just more people friendly than the scriptures for people who don´t have a basic understanding. 

Also in the consejo talked lots about repetance and the importance it is for us to repent everyday. even if we don´t feel like we´ve done anything huge, it´s so necessary. I think thats one of the biggest things i´ve learned here on the mission. Repentance and really what the Atonement means and how to apply it to my life. its really just so important and such a gift that we have! 

well, the week was hard, but still good. Love this work. I am SOOOO grateful that i decided to come on the mission. Its crazy now looking back to when i was at USU and seeing how my life has changed since then. I loved it back then but know I know that the Lord is guiding my life to do the things that He wants me to do and how i´m going to be happiest.

Christ Lives. He is our Savior. The Church is run by Him and is true.

Love you all. until next week,

Keep Smiling, 

Hna Sargent

just some graffiti i find beautiful

sometimes my legs feel like that in the buses of chile... 

can you see the skelton???

the herd

found my pedro dad :) 

my district and there nasty HUGE hamburgers... only 2 really finished. hahahah! 

Hola Familia! 

 

How are you all? Can´t believe it’s May and that Mothers day is this week! SO FUN. I am excited to talk to you all and the call will be about 4 your time :) This week was great as usual. I really just love the mission.

 

I was thinking this morning during my studies on how the gospel honestly gives us SO much purpose in life. We are teaching this kid who is 22, parties a ton, ect ect, and I just look at him with no goal o propósito (or purpose) en his life. But really, you don´t know very many LDS people without goals, without a understanding of why they are on this earth, and without the knowledge that God loves them and that this gospel is what they need to be happy!

 

I learned lots this week. I feel like the investigators are helping me more than I am helping them sometimes, but that is the way the Lord works, right?

 

Ronald: this little 14 year old boy is just a delight. Really, just full of questions and wants to know but is a little scared to know the truth. But this week we were teaching him about the Atonement of Jesucristo and we told him that He did that for him. Ronald like was like... He did that for me?? and we told him that he did it for every single one of us but it hit me. Really the Expiación de Cristo (Atonement of Christ) is individual. Yes, everyone has the great blessing of using it, but it’s for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. When Ronald realized what He had done, you could see the light in his eyes go off and his desire to do better and do what God is asking of him. Accepted fecha (baptism) for the end of May. Finally.

 

Victor: we haven´t been able to find him forever, he is studying and working, and every weekend goes to Santiago because his rents live there. But we both felt like we needed to go to this one street that we like rarely go on, and while we were walking, lo and behold, VICTOR. He was so happy to see us and we just happened to be right by the church and told him that we wanted to give him a tour of the church so that he could see how it is. We took him on a tour and then he just started talking on how he never walks on the street and it was for something that he had to walk there and it was us! He just kept saying, for something I found you guys.

 

Luis: we clarified that I am like his little sister. Because he just turned 35 and I told him my brother is about that age... (sorry if its younger Kenny, don´t really remember) but he was like, so I´ll be your brother while you´re here in Chile and watch out for you. So cute! But he is progressing super well. Doesn´t want to accept a fecha (baptism date)  because he wants to be 100% sure to tell us because he doesn´t like saying yes and not completing it, but he loves what he hears and told us that he wants to see his brother that was baptized a few months ago and everyone says that he has changed drastically and he wants to see this change himself. Went to stake conference in a 15 passenger van with him and a couple other investigators and a family from the ward. So funny to pile in to that car... just imagine, Chilean van with no leg room.

 

Daniel: this guy stopped us in the street the other day and wanted to talk to us. We put a cita(appointment) with him and set it up to be in the church because he only rents a room in a house. We both just felt kinda weird about him but we had to go and let him hear the gospel. Basically told us that he has been in the dark, has done lots of things and has basically been to hell. Now he doesn´t want that and never wants to return. He wants to walk in the light. What better way to do that than the gospel, right? I think everyone in the world wants to be in the light, they just don´t know how to do it.

 

Luz and Lysette- this adorable Peruvian familiy! Super nice, way accepting, and Luz, the mom has heard of the mormons before, but never met with them so we are clearing up lots of things for her luckily! She´s great though. She wants to make us arroz con leche (rice pudding) because Hna Valencia es de (is from) Peru and I´ve been there. Just love this people. They make me so happy. Just want them to understand what we know.

 

This week had another intercambio, (exchanges) I will have them everyweek now, and in more time will have 2 everyweek. It’s crazy, but I like it because can help these new hnas that have arrived here and maybe now are training. But it was raining here on this intercambio and we were outside talking to this man and he got a phone call and answers it and instead of saying, ¨halo¨ he busts out with the song...”singing in the rain.”  But mostly just the tone because he doesn´t know the words. It was super funny!

 

Well, those are the highlights from the week.  Just gonna keep pushing, keep working with those we have and keep finding those that need the gospel.

 

The gospel is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior. The Priesthood is on the earth. What a great blessing and knowledge we have. I know if we read the scriptures everyday we will never lose our way. God hears our prayers. He loves us. This is the one and only true gospel, it’s the only way we will come to know our Savior completely, and the only way to return and live with Him.

 

Well, I´ll be see ¨seeing¨ you all Sunday :) hasta domingo (until Sunday)

 

Keep Smiling,

Hna Sargent