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! 

I can´t believe it’s the last p-day en Enero! Seriously, where does time go? It just FLIES sometimes. It´s sad to think that we can´t be missionaries forever. Well, we can, but not in this way. I really do just love it. I love working with the wards, with the Chileans, learning about the Gospel, it’s just a great time! Can´t believe Q is almost done. Wow. Dad always says, ¨time does pass¨ and it sure does. Just send her to Chile to finish with me. Oh, that´d be AWESOME. Can you imagine... Q and Nat in the mission together! Ya, just a sweet day dream. 

 

Well, ya, this week was great. I really enjoy working with Hna Contreras. She´s an amazing missionary. It´s nice to have someone as my companion who has time in the mission. I feel like sometimes I´m training her just because every mission is different, but as teaching and things go it´s awesome we can just know that it´ll be ok with whatever the other says! It´s really fun with her too because we just speak Spanglish all the time. And it´s fun to be able to say words in English and she understands exactly what it is! We just laugh alot and are enjoying it together.

 

Silvana is SO ready for her baptism. It´s amazing to see this change. She just wants it NOW. Doesn´t want to wait. We were reviewing the baptism questions with her this week and she said as an answer to one of them...¨no creo, yo sé¨ It´s just great to see that she is really ready for this and wants it in her life. Tonight we have a NDH with Maricel (mamita) and another Hna. I´m excited.

 

Remember Alma... the little nieta of the Apablaza family. Well, she lost a little excitement just with lots of things, but we´ve started teaching her again and now she really wants it. She knows that she will be blessed to do it and accepted a fecha (baptism date) for Feb. The other good thing is that her abuelos (grandparents) are activos(active). I haven´t mentioned them for a while, but they´re GREAT! I love them. The hna has cancer and is waiting for surgery, but yesterday in church Hermano gave a talk and it was just great. Love seeing the gospel change people!

 

Joysee- she´s new. We found her in a little shop of veggies. We shared with her, she has tons of Faith and really wanted to know. So we´re gonna be working with her.

 

We´re trying to find new people.  The people that we´re teaching, we´re dropping like flies, they just aren´t progressing, aren´t showing ínterest, ect ect, but our goal is to find a family. We´ve both always had that goal our mission and seriously just want it. My goal is just to find a family who can one day just be like ours! :) pray for that.

 

We also have another goal, to baptize a black family, which I´ve NEVER seen in Chile. so... we committed outselves to if we see a black person we will just GO and talk to them. Well, the other day we were walking and we saw them! We started walking SO fast to talk to them, turns our they´re from Santiago, but are awesome. Reminds me of Freddie from the workout place and the accepted a BOM (Book of Mormon) and I hope the missionaries in Santiago go for them! But it gave me hope that there are black people in Chile.

 

Juaquin is great, has a goal for a mission. Said he´d like to serve.  Him and Silvana are friends so it’s great for them! Monsi is alright, she just thought her baptism was gonna change everything, but it didn´t. But now she is with the other hermanas in the other part of Limache, but I´d really like to visit her. She just needs animo(courage) and the strength to keep going and praying for her husband!

 

Oh my gosh... we sang this week in a lesson to this man, Love at Home, and in Spanish it goes... ¨hay amor, hay amor¨  (there is love) and al final of the song, he goes... ¨hay amor, labios labios¨ (lips lips) and I was like... what? Thinking that’s not what I heard! But then he said it again, and Hna Contreras and I were like.. nada que ver hermana. (It doesn’t matter) its talking about the Love in the house thanks to God. ya, needless to say... dirty old men still exist in Chile.

 

En the LDM (In the Book of Mormon) in Spanish there is a guide to scriptures, its like the bible dictionary, but better, I think. Hna Contreras and I have started calling it the Scripture App. ha.

 

The mission is great. I love it everyday. It´s just a blessing to be able to serve these amado (beloved) Chileans and bring hope to their lives! And more than that but to be able to learn from them, their faith and dedication is a testimony builder for me. I really just love it. I´m happy and healthy. The church is true. I love you all muchísimo! Think and pray for you always.

 

Keep Smiling,

Hna Sargent

 

hermanas en the micro en camino today! 

 

i know what the sign means, but it said my name next to it, just had to take the pick. please forgive the marajuana plant! 

hna contreras and I

 

 

What is happening to enero.(January) It´s seriously passing SO quickly. Who knows. Sometimes I feel like God makes time go by faster because there is so much bad in the world and he just wants it to stop. Who knows. But this week me fue bien. More changes... ready??

 

NUEVA COMPANERA. (new companion) Ya, yesterday after lunch President called us and I saw his name on the cell and was like Hna Paz.. ¨contestelo¨ (answer) but she didn´t want to... but ya, to see presdiente name on caller id is nerve racking, but I ended up talking to him and he told me that I have a new comp and that she arrived today! She got here last night to Limache and is from Mesa AZ, not a Toro. Thankgoodness, but she was serving in Guatemala and there was a change in her mission and now she is here with me! She has 15 months in the mission and is awesome, just a good missionary. Wants to be obedient, wants to learn, wants to see milagros (miracles) so now we´re here in Limache and the other 2 hnas are in the other part of Limache! Lots of changes always in the mission!

It is my 7th change and 7th comp. It’s a lot of changes, just when we start working good together we´re seperated, but it´s all good. I trust president and know that he receives revelation. It´s good to be able to learn from all of them!

 

bueno, por mi amado chilenas: (well, for my  beloved Chileans)

Blessed with a baptism for Monsi and Ignasio, it was great. Ignasio was scared of the water but did great and when Monsi came out of the water she gave peace signs... so funny! But they were happy. Monsi told me it was hard for her to have Hna Riggs leave after 7 months, but that she was glad I was there to teach her this past week because she felt confidence in me and reminded her of Hna Riggs, so there is always a purpose! But it was great! Love baptisms :)

 

Silvana is awesome. We taught her a lesson on obedience and following the profeta(prophet) and during the video clip we watched she took out her tounge ring and said ¨lleveselo¨ (take it away) and that was that. I was praying that she´d have her own desire to do it and we wouldn´t have to tell her anything, and just to listen to the prophet was enough. The ring is now in my journal :) She is progressing well. Came to church and just loves it! She´s awesome.

 

Patricio, well we changed the boundries for our areas so lots of the people we were teaching, like Patricio, are now in the other Hnas area. Sad because we had lots of people but now we can work more in other areas. Patricio came to church with a megaphone attached to his car for work and when he was leaving I just heard my name ¨SARGENT¨ SO LOUD. It was embarrassing and funny at the same time. Just hope that quickly he understands what the gospel means in his life! and can change.

 

We need new people, we have great people, but that are really progressing well, not many, just why don´t people understand better the gospel and the blessing that come from it! But I know that this week, especially cause its only one area, we´ll see miracles!

 

There is the CUTEST little kid in the ward and after 4 months here of trying to win him over, I finally did. He told his mom the other day that I was his girlfriend. So precious. I think maybe for Jayda in 20 years....

 

The Book of Mormon is puro PODER! (pure power) if a person reads it daily, even if its a little part, they won´t lose their testimony. The people who don´t read it, don´t understand the gospel and what it consists of. Seriously, I love it. Everytime I read it I just feel so blessed to have it as part of my life!

 

Hna Contreras shared with me a quote this morning... it´s better to be respected than liked! I love it. So true, here in the mission missionaries can be disobediente just so people like them, but it´s so much better to be a good obediente missionary so people remember that about you rather than... oh ya, he was a lazy missionary, but a good friend.

 

Well, the mission is great. I honestly love it. It´s just great to be here sharing the gospel with the people. If anyone is thinking of a mission, just GO! The best decision that you can make. God will bless you when you get back. Just do it.

The church is true. God loves us. Cristo vive y gracias a él podemos regresar y vivir con nuestra padre celestial.

les quiero familia. les extraño igual. (Christ lives and thanks to Him, we can return and live with our Heavenly Father. I love you, family. Miss you guys too!)

 

 

Keep smiling,

hna Sargent

 



 

 

the herd was with me.

hna Contreras and i quickly... not the best photo, but atleast you ca see her face! 

 

monsi ad ignasio :)

hna paz and I. 

hola familia....

 

Can I just start by saying that the computer place we´re in right now has music on and it’s SO hard to concentrate because it´s music that I haven´t heard for 10 months now... ahhhh. All the classic oldies. Right now... Pretty Woman before this ¨its not unusual to be loved by anyone¨... ya, thats my worldy rant. back to the mish....

 

This week was good. Had cambios. (transfers) I´m still here in Limache with hna Paz and now we´re in a trio with hna Carrasco from Peru. It´s different to be in a trio, but we all were here in Limache so we´re used to each other. But its just for 2 weeks because new hnas come and ya, we´re not really sure what will happen but we just have to trust in the Lord. Hna Carrasco just finished her training, and hna Paz is in her training still (12 semanas)(weeks) so they´re young, but good. We are now all in 2 areas, it´s a big area, but it´s good. Have lots of people in the 2 areas so we just gotta work hard to teach all of them! But I´m happy to be here still. We´ll see what happens in 2 weeks.

 

Silvana, she came to CHURCH! It was a miracle. She didn´t sleep at all the night before but when we went for her she came and stayed all 3 hours. She´s doing good. She has piercings and when we taught her Ley de Castidad (law of chastity) and modesty she understood so hopefully she´ll stay strong. She really wants it. I think she has a little fear of her dad still that he won’t accept it but she´s strong and understands that its something she NEEDS to do. Just love her.

 

Alondra. sad news. I was really sad. We went to teach her on Miercoles (Wednesday) and she told us that she had bad news, Her husband doesn´t want her to go to church anymore. He doesn´t want to stay at home with the kids and I guess the other day after church it caused BIG problems. She feels like she can´t go if it’s gonna cause problems with her family and marriage. Even though she knows the church can help! So that’s sad, but we did pass by on Saturday and her esposo (husband) was home and we talked to him, so maybe it helped a little bit. Pray for them!

 

Monsi- she’s from the other side of Limache, the other hnas, but she got married Friday! yay! She was so happy. They got married in the church and Obispo did a prayer and everything. To be at her wedding made me SO grateful for the chuch and the power of Temple weddings that are FOREVER. I was listening to the person from the law (can´t remember in english the name of that person) but just was so blah what she was saying. I don´t know why people wouldn´t want to get married and be sealed for eternity after listening to her... but she will be baptized this weekend or the next! It´s so great. I feel like it´ll be hard for her because Hna riggs left, but not it´s really a test of her faith, I´m glad that I know her and her situation to help her really reach baptism soon!

 

Patricio... came to church again, has problems with Palabra de sabaduria, (word of wisdom) and has been super busy with work, but we´ll see. I think it´s either chau o bautismo. (goodbye or baptism) I think he´ll keep coming to church regardless if we´re teaching him or not, so there is hope. This week we´ll see! Also told me that when he saw a pic of the fam he was happy to see his ¨future family¨ (refering to me being his wife) ya... we gotta be careful with that....

 

This week some old man came up to me and asked if I knew the song.. New York New York (broadway) and if I´d sing it for him cause he´s always wanted to hear a gringo sing it... ha! So funny. So I did. Thought I´d make a wish come true. And no he wasn´t drunk, just old. Maybe he doesn´t even remember now!

I have had my testimony stregthened of God this week. Read Moises 1:35, incontables (incountable??) and that there are SO many worlds and stars and everything, but we are here in this tiny world to progress and He has given US the knowledge of how to return to Him. He has restored His gospel here on this earth for us. We have a prophet to guide us and to help us through these hard times. Sometimes its hard to comprehend all that God does. But one thing that I know is that He LOVES us and when we are following His commandments He blesses us.

 

Sunday Juaquin blessed the Sacrament. I feel like a mother. I just am SO proud of him and this change that he´s made in his life... we called him to put a cita, (make an appointment)  and he said he couldn´t because he had mutual. I was just SO happy. He is converting everyday more and more to the Gospel. His life will be forever different. I just pray that he´ll stay strong. His family life is hard, but he is solid.

 

This week I think I ate the best fruit I´ve EVER eaten in my life.... seriously, SO good. Have no clue what it’s called or where it came from but hna Paz and I are convinved it´s the fruit Adam and Eve ate. I´d have eaten it too.

 

Well, this week is good. We´re gonna be busy these next couple weeks helping people, visiting people, teaching people, helping the ward, ect ect. but it´s the best thing that I could be doing right now. I´m so happy here. I want to help people progress and understand the importance of the Gospel. It´s the best thing that we have in this world. It’s what everyone needs. It’s true.

 

I love you all familia, pray for you always and love hearing updates from you all :)

 

Until Monday...

Keep Smiling,

Hna Sargent

 

 

 

my comps now. trio

Monsi, just got married... not the best fotos. but she´ll be baptized soon! 

 

hna PAz and i

 

LOVE the fruit here.

yuseska. dauhter of alondra. CTR ring :) 

Elder Lino, Riggs and I, peace

Feliz año nuevo! (Happy New Year) Here in Chile, the people are still saying it in the streets. Kinda funny because in the states its like one day and ya, that’s it. But it was good to bring in the new year! We had a dinner with an investigator, and at about 10 I was tired, but I bucked up and tried to celebrate my very best! We went to the fireworks here in Limache with the other Hnas and one of their investigators who gets married this Friday to be baptized! Yay! But it was fun. Lots and LOTS of people, we had cute little party hats, and ooohed and awwwed at the fireworks! It was fun :) I have decided this holdiay is overrated, I love it because it´s a new start to things and goals, but the holiday in itself is not my favorite. Rather wake up the next morning with the desire to start all my goals and not feel tired! ha! Ya, I´m a 90 year old grandma! hahaha... 

 

This week was filled with goodness. I have decided I just LOVE the mission. It´s the best. There are days when I am tired, or when I just don´t know if I can take it more, but in that moment the Lord blesses us! a ver... this week:

Silvana, she´s awesome!! I´m so glad that we are teaching her. She hasn´t smoked in a week and yesterday accepted a fecha. She WANTS it. She has a testimony of the priesthood and of eternal families, and told us that she wants that. She was scared of what her dad would say last week, but yesterday said, ni importa (it doesn´t matter) what he says, I want to change. Now we´re just working with her and praying that for her b-day this weekend Word of Wisdom won´t be a problem! I´m nervous for that, but she´s great. Love her!

Juaquin, ok, I just love seeing the change in converts in the mission. I really think that is the BEST thing to see and the best way to see how people come to Christ! Ya, so yesterday, we were sitting with Alondra in Church and heard the door open, I looked to see who it was and Juaquin in a SUIT! usually comes in jeans and a bob marley shirt, so to see him in a SUIT I about died. Then we were listening to peoples testimonies and guess who walks past to go bear their testimony, Juaquin!! I wanted to cry, but I couldn´t because I was too happy. It was just amazing to see, I feel like this past week since his baptism he´s changed. Now he has the priesthood, and it was so great to hear his testimony. We´re talking to him about a mission, I want to buy him a PME (Preach my Gospel manual)  to study and prepare him to serve, because it´s a year away! I think just to see him at church Sunday was the ¨rose¨ of my week. The Gospel changes people.

Patricio- he lost a little of his excitement to do things and last week was SO hard to teach, just never could. He also didn´t come to church, tonight we have a cita, so we´ll see what happens. He is SO close and just needs to feel the Spirit more and talk less and listen to understand! But soon, he´ll be ready.

Alondra, she came to church again, she likes it, but can´t stay for more than the first hour, but shes super receptive! She’s progressing, gotta work with her to read, says she doesn´t have time with the 5 kids under 13, but she can do it! If she’s coming to church, she obviously feels something. Her daughter too came to church! I want her oldest son to come because I´ve seen the crowd he hangs with and if he was my kid, I´d want him in the church rather than with his friends. Haven´t met her husband yet either because he works everyday until about 10, but I want to meet him :)

Funny thing... so here transport is micro (bus) and my legs hardly fit in the seats so they’re usually in the aisle. I feel bad because when people walk by they always hit my legs, but there is no room. People always stare and laugh, oh when in Chile.

Also, this week, hna rigss and I were talking about the animals, the dogs specifically.. she goes ¨no puedo cantar, pero tengo amor por los animales¨ (I can´t sing, but I have a love for the animals) I lost it. It was so funny! It’s a talent some people have, I just don´t have it. Just want to express my love for Hna Riggs. I really love her. We are such good friends now, and I know we will be, for life, and will always have our time in Chile to remember. We´ve lived together every change except for 2 in my whole mission. We´ll see next week what happens. (p.s. email next week is Tuesday because of cambios) (transfers)

Today I mark double digits in months on the mish. Hard to believe.

Well, I love this work family. It´s amazing to see the change and the desire in people. The Book of Mormon is true. Everything we need to be happy in this life is in that book. It contains the answers to everything! I love it. I never get sick of reading it. Eveeryday I find something new that I can apply to change my life! It’s the work of the Lord. He loves us and wants the best for us! Christ lives. I know this church is true, I know that familias son eternas.  (are eternal) I am so thankful and everyday give thanks for allowing me this chance to serve here in Chile and to help people come to be feliz (happy) like we are!

I love you all, thank you for everything!

Keep Smiling.

Hna Sargent

 

 

 hna paz y yo en Chile.

 love these kiddos

Happy New Year!!!  haha...

 

 

Hola! I feel like it was forever ago that we talked, but just to start I want to say how MUCH I loved it. It made me realize that I miss you all more than I thought, but it´s all good. I got over that quickly, and still miss you, but not enough to come home, yet… you all looked great, sounded great and uplifted me tons!

I don´t think I thanked you enough for my Christmas package in Skype, but I LOVED it. Everything was just perfect. Gave Hna Paz a thing of hot tamales, sacrificio. And she loved them because they´re hot. But I loved everything! Thank you thank you!

We were blessed with a baptism this week! Juaquin! yay! Really, he has changed a ton, that’s one of the things I love of being a missionary is to see the change in these people! He showed up and was solo, and then about 5 minutes after showed up his WHOLE family. It was awesome. The ward support was super low, I just don´t get it. But he was happy, and honestly has changed and is now thinking of a mission slowly but surely. I think in a year it´ll seem more realistic to him! Good way to end the year!

Patricio... well, we got permission for him to be baptized which is a miracle. President approved it. Patricio wants to be baptized, likes church and everything, but doesn´t get it I feel like. He always has a TON of questions that are nothing to do with anything, but he wants it and thats what is important, just has to understand everything before he does it! The elders came and accompanied us on un cita (a discussion) with him. It was funny. With him I just need to have patience, fe (faith), and pray that he understands. He and his family came to a Noche de Talentos (talent night) (pic) and the miracle was that his ex came! She wanted to see what the Mormons were about and she liked it. Now I hope she realizes the blessing the church can be in the life of her kids!! Yay!

Alondra, she’s new. Found her, has 5 kids and is actually married. And accepted a fecha, (baptism date) we passed for her sunday morning to bring her to church and she was still asleep, but she got up, got a little ready and came with us with 3 of her kids! Her kids were tired and wanted to go home, but I honestly think she enjoyed it. Miracle that she didn´t stay sleeping. Hopefully she´ll come to see the blessings of the family the church has to offer and we can teach her esposo (husband) too. Familia!! (family) yay!

The other pueblo, elders in our district had a Noche de Talentos (talent night) in their capilla. We went because we had invetigadores (investigators) and participated in skits with the elders! It was really funny. Everyone loved them. I have them in film, but too big to send, sorry. You´ll have to wait until I get home to see the videos. But it was really good. A menos activo en our barrio (less active in our neighborhood) does magic, like, legit, and he came with his family and participated in the show. Super good that he came!

We also found an investigator there. It’s the daughter of a hermana (sister) that recently was baptized in that ward. Silvanna. She was so great, 20 years old, and wanted us to come to her house. Sunday we went and she is great. She’s met with the elders lots and has seen a change in herself since she’s met with them and wants it. She just needs to quit smoking! But we talked lots about it and she needs to talk to her dad because she lives with him. But she’s awesome, excited to see her progress!

Menos activas. (less actives) Seriously, I feel SO sad when they just don´t accept it. Or when they are too prideful to realize the real purpose of church, seriously. Sad. My goal for mission and aftermish is to HELP THEM! Mostly just need a friend and someone to invite them, don´t know why it’s so hard to do it for some people! But there are a ton here, and I love them all and my heart hurts more for them than for people who haven´t accepted the gospel because they KNOW!

I have a page full of goals for 2013, Luke 2:52 status. Thanks dad. I am gonna work on all of them!

The other day here in Chile was like our April Fools. Us hermanas played a joke on the elders and told them that the Hnas haven´t returned yet and we couldn´t find them. They were really scared and started running to the bus stop to come help us look, and we told them it was a joke. SO FUNNY. Mean, yes, but we had to. Gotta have fun on the mission.

Well, this was really scattered, but that’s how this week has been! Filled with goodness!

Love the mission.

Tonight we have permission to be out with members until 12:30. I’m gonna die of tiredness, but they have fireworks here and we can go, so I’m just gonna gut it up and do it.. only one New Years in Chile! Gotta do it right! Should be fun!

Happy New Years to you all. Where did 2012 go? Crazy fast! Can´t believe it! But it´s good. 2013 is coming and will be a GREAT year. I know. Lots that will happen.

Love you all. Thanks for everything!

Keep Smiling,

Hna Sargent

patricio and hijos and ex wife.

 otra con juaquin

 

 juaquins bautismo! his WHOLE familia came! so happy!

 

familia por Christmas Eve!



FELIZ NAVIDAD a todo mi familia y amigos que no estan aqui en Chile conmigo!(Merry Christmas to my friends and family who aren’t here with me in Chile) Sepan que siempre estoy pensando en ustedes, y aun mas este Navidad! (Know that I’m thinking of you, and even more this Christmas)

This week was just filled with goodness. I´m not sure if it’s because everyone is more focused in the Navidad, (Christmas) if it´s the warn weather, or if i´m just happy to be here. Probably a little of everything!

This week I was focusing on the service that was given to us as missionaries. It was incredible to see the smallest little things that people do for us make the world of difference. Really, I don´t think we as missionaries focus on the service that others give to us because we´re always trying to give it to others, but when we accept it and realize it, it´s amazing.

This week we had to go get something notarized for Hna Paz and her visa. We went to another Pueblo (town) to do it and we walked in and it was SO full. People waiting outside and everything, and it´s never full, usually empty. So we walked in and grabbed a number, it was number 76 and they were on 50! Ugh... we only had about an hour too, but these places take forever! We were waiting there for about 5 minutes, or less, and this young man, our age, walked up to us and introduced himself. Told us that he just returned home from his Mission to Asucion Paraguay the week before, found out that he met Shauna once... he arrived with the group of Hna Jara... I think, when you were training, and then he gave us his number (55) and told us he could come back in the afternoon. It was honestly such a miracle. One he had a number WAY ahead of ours so we didn´t have to wait too long, and two he knows Shauna. Christmas Service, number 1.

We were in a area of our sector late one night, it was like 9:30 and we left from the lesson, walking is about 30 mintues and the latest we can be in our house is at 10. We decided to go in a collectivo. (taxi) We asked him the closest he could take us and he brought us right to our neighboorhood, it was out of his course, but he did it and didn´t charge us anything extra like others usually do! Christmas Service, numero 2.

It was raining, all day one day... kinda weird because the weather has been warmer and then it was just a day of winter... I unfortuntely had to use my coat.. ugh. But we were visiting this menos activa (less active) family, the familia Tapia. We shared a message with them and then had to leave to get back to the house. In the rain. But after walking all day in it, I was used to it, but still, not my favorite. As we were packing up our bags to leave, Hna Tapia tells her brother, Rodrigo, to get the keys for the car and they´ll take us home! It was SO nice. Plus more time to share with them. Christmas service, numero 3.

Our house has a small yard in front of it, and it was OUT OF CONTROL with leaves and weeds and who knows what else. 2 hermanos from the ward, with permission, came and weeded TODO. (it all) Seriously, our house looks so different and it was SO nice because we didn´t have to use our time to do it, plus we don´t even have the things that we´d need to do it. Christmas Service, numero 4.

We as a ward went and sang to a retirement house. It was so special. I was on spot selected to sing a solo, but during the song I was just watching all these people, who have lost their minds, have bad health, and are celebrating Christmas without family, without anything, just each other. I had the most overwhelming feeling that these people are close to Christ. That they, just like us, are Children of God. They may have thought that it was service to them, but I felt like it was a blessing and service to me to be able to go. Christmas Service numero 5.

Those were just a few of the things that happened. But it really made me more focused in the true meaning of Christmas and think more of Christ through the week,

Patricio and his kids can´t get baptized. Found out this week that Patricio is divorced but his ex and him still live in the same house, and the wife has all the rights for her kids and doesn´t want them to be baptized. But they are progressing, reading, coming to church and everything! Just more time and patiencia (patience) with them.

Erika, still good. Went to the north with her family for Christmas so we won´t be seeing her until the next week. Kind of a bummer, but she’s good. Just needs to read more. She believes it, but needs to keep her compromisos. (promises)

Juaquin, had his interview and will be baptized this Saturday! YAY! Finally. He honestly has changed a lot and is talking about a mission. The BEST thing for him would be to just GO!! He has a tough family situation at home, so that makes it hard, basically is the support for everything, but he has a great understanding of the Gospel and can see the blessings in the lives of the people who have it contra (them that don´t have it!)

We had a Christmas conference... it was SO good. Learned a ton. Presidente told us Hnas that in Feb there are like 15 hnas (sisters) that are coming and then when April comes there will be about 50 hnas... I asked him what we´d do for training and all and he said some sisters will have to train 2 sisters at once... wow. Our zone did a FLASH MOB. It was bomb. I had to start it, but we did the song, 12 days of Christmas and changed the words... ha! It was awesome. Also watched the Christmas devotional. LOVED IT. The music was amazing.

Well, I can´t wait to talk to you all tomorrow. Yes, 3 your time! I am excited to see you all and be able to hear your voices.

Remember the meaning of Christmas and why we are celebrating it. Look to share your testimony of Christ with those who are around you and I know that your testimony will be stregthended. He Lives. Without Him, the Prince of Peace, there would be no way to have peace in the world. Through Him, everything is possible, and Christmas isn´t Christmas if Christ isn´t in your hearts like President Monson said.

Love you all. Feliz Navidad!

Keep Smiling,

Hna Sargent

 our zone this morning!!

 

the Hnas at the Christmas conference we had this week!

there are cherry trees here. I love them!! just ipick them off and eat them all up :)