Happy New Year, 2010!

The Mision Chile Santiago Norte had a 3 hour 'Exercise Sports Activity" morning. This was held on Dec 31, 2009, as surprise to the mission, and Hermana May's birthday, to arrange the mission into three separate sections (combining 2-3 zones in each area) from 9am-12noon. The zone leaders helped orchestrate the events.

The zones leaders were given a little money to buy drinks, treats and plan for the sports they all wanted to play. Pdte May, Hermana May, and Sarah traveled from the field in Colina, to the community park in Zapadores, to the Stake Center in San Pablo. The missionaries were so happy as they played soccer, football Americano/touch, Basketball, frisbie, volleyball, ping pong, water balloons, etc. It was a delight in so many ways, and besides a bit of sunburned necks and upper arms, all were in good form and spirits. Many said that they hadn't run, jumped, leaped, etc so much in all their mission, as their typical exercise is much more confined to their rooms, usually. We saw that they were happy, enthusiastic and encouraged to have a great new year ahead of them.
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Mission Tour with Elder Carlos Amado

Our Mision Chile Santiago Norte was priviledged to have a member of the 1st Quorum of 70, Elder Carlos Amado, our Area President preside and instruct us during our
3 day mission tour. We held them Dec 15, 16, and 18th. This was a sweet introduction
to welcome in the Christmas season, as we learned more about Faith in Jesus Christ.

Elder Amado spoke to us in three sessions, dividing the mission into 3 groups of about 65 missionaries each over the course of 3 days. We felt his love for the Savior profoundly, as he powerfully shared his testimony of Jesus Christ, describing and teaching about His birth, the Atonement, the Crucifixion, and details of His life. He talked about Him as the Good Shepherd, sharing details about the job of a shepherd, and what is expected of a loving shepherd.
Other topics he discussed:
-Lehi's trip with Nephi.
-Having an eternal perspective, vision in this life.
-Love yourself to then love your neighbor.
-How can we find and grow our faith in Jesus Christ
--Leer, Orar, Meditar, Assistir (reading, praying, meditating and attending church)
-Not lying (mentiras)
-Why people don't obey: (Carnal, sensual, devilish)
-Alma 18--story of Ammon, Church is the Kingdom of God on the earth!
-Teaching doctrine, principles and applications
-When we testify, we teach, and when we teach we should testify.
-One specific day, he spoke about the Law of Chastity.(find ways to get rid of temptations in our lives.
-Power of the Book of Mormon....and much more.

What a gift we truly rec'd these three days, to be taught by a servant of the Lord and have our spirits thrilled and touched to change by the Holy Ghost. We are grateful for the sweet spirit that we had to start the Christmas season in learning
and loving the Savior, Jesus Christ more.
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Remaining Firm, Faithful and Immovable

Dear Sisters and Elders,
I would like to share the following with you that illustrates how much the Lord trusts each and everyone of you in your callings as missionaries:

“In a Priesthood Leadership Meeting with Stake Presidents held right before a General Conference, President Harold B. Lee addressed the brethren in the Tabernacle. He called on one brother in the congregation, who was seated next to a big pillar that held up the balcony, to stand up. Then he asked him to push as hard as he could against the pillar and see if he could knock it over. The brother did as he was asked, and pushed, and pushed. But obviously he could not push it over. Then President Lee taught the following lesson, ‘Most of you think that the pillar is there holding up the balcony, but it is not. It is the other way around. It is the balcony that is holding the pillar firmly in place. The weight of the balcony stops the pillar from falling over. Our young missionaries are like that pillar. When they are out in the mission field they have the weight of the Kingdom on their shoulders, and they remain firm and faithful.”

Thank you for being faithful in maginfying your purpose to help many people to come unto Christ y bring many souls to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. You all are an inspiration for many people including Sister May, Sarah, and myself.

We love you and we are grateful for each of you,
Presidente May
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Tender Mercies of the Lord

Dear Sisters and Elders,
This morning I was studying 1 Nephi 1:20 and have some insights I would like to share:


20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

In a talk give by Elder David A. Bednar entitled, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord” from April 2005 General Conference we learn why the Lord sends “tender mercies” our way. He does it because He loves us and promised he would send the comforter and He himself would come unto us (John 14:16, John 14:18). His tender mercies are one of the important ways He shows us how much He loves us. We know that He atoned for the sins of all mankind and overcame physical death. We know that when we apply the atonement in our lives we can be freed from the burden of sin (PmG Chapter 3-Lesson 1 pg 32). But there is a second part to the Atonement which is “we can develop faith and strength to face our trials. I believe the Lord sends tender mercies in our life just at the right time to help us develop the faith and strength when we need it.

Elder Bednar poses the following questions:

What are tender mercies?

Elder Bednar defines them as the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

To whom does the Lord send His tender mercies?

In verse 20 its says that tender mercies are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith. In other words, He chooses us because we choose Him because of our faith unto action in obeying Him and serving Him.

My question for each of us is the following:

What are the tender mercies that the Lord has sent to me during my time as a missionary here in Santiago?

One of the greatest tender mercies the Lord has sent to me is the opportunity to learn from each of you as well serve alongside you. I gain great strength, assurance, and support from your great examples of faith, obedience, and diligence.

I invite each of us to pray and ponder and reflect to recognize the tender mercies that Lord has blessed us with. I invite you to share some of the “tender mercies” the Lord has bless you with during your time as a missionary here in Chile.

I know He love us all and is mindful of each of us. He knows what we need and when. It is my prayer that we can always ask ourselves the following question, “What more can I do for Him?”

We love each of you and are so grateful for you.
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Out of the mouth of Babes….November 8, 2009

This morning we had our ward Programa de la Primaria en la reunion Sacramental here in downtown Santiago, Chile. What a miracle it is to see the work of the gospel as demonstrated by the Primary in each ward of the church. Our ward had about 30 Primary age children on the stand, not to mention a few babes in arms out in the audience who were dealing with stage fright to have to perform in front, and also a few too young to be included in the nursery age too. It was still delightful.

Our ward in LaDesa is made up by about 45% single women, 20% of North American families who live in the area, work either for the church in various capacities, or mining, copper, or gold companies, or the husbands are mission presidents in the 3 missions here in Santiago, and the other 35% Chilean families, single men, or youth. With the mixture of children on the stand, it is easy to see what a melting pot our ward really is, including different cultures, countries, languages, and skin color. But they blend beautifully in this ward, thanks to the gospel and the Lord’s teachings of loving one another.
Today the theme was F-A-M-I-L-I-A-S, spelled out on individual darling big letters glued onto someone’s prized scrap booking papers, being held by the nervous and fidgety hands of the 8 chosen children to stand in front. Little “A” in the front of the line could never get his paper to stand up from holding it by the bottom, but as a young 5 yr old, he wasn’t too concerned either. After the Santa Cena, the theme was introduced by one of the adult Primary leaders, and then the program got underway, and it was the children stealing the show the rest of the time. They had beautiful primary songs, that we are familiar with; “I’m trying to be Like Jesus, (Estoy tratando de ser como Cristo) Love one another, (Ama a otros) Army of Helaman, “Where love is,” (Donde esta Amor) and “I feel my Savior’s amor” etc. They did sing one verse in English to everyone’s smiles!
Then as we listened to them give their parts, I thought it was the same in every ward. Parents craning their necks to get a better view of their darling son; with his hair slicked over, tie on crooked, but grinning ear to ear, or the precious little daughter with cute pigtails and ribbons, hair braided or down, or stuck up in a special-prepared ‘up do’ just for this BIG occasion! The children looked nervous as they would whisper and talk between themselves until a teacher within reach could tap them quietly to whisper the universal symbol of ‘Shhhhhhh” which they instinctively all know. However, it was also great to see the parents whispering and nervous too, “I hope little Juan doesn’t forget,” or “Maria, you’ll be great”—showing the thumbs up sign, or “Why is Silvana fiddling with her hair ribbon…Silvana, put your hands down, don’t touch your hair anymore!” It was a Primary sacrament meeting anywhere in the world.
However, what touched me most, as the meeting went on, was the simple doctrine that was being taught to all of us, by these innocent and knowledgeable young members of the church. These are some of the truths they taught so powerfully:
• Jesus wants us to love one another
• Jesus was baptized by immersion
• John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
• Jesus rec’d the Holy Ghost
• I can be forgiven of my errors if I really repent
• Our home can be a place to learn to love and forgive others.
• Heavenly father wants us to have eternal families
• Our family can be together forever if we are married and sealed in the temple
• Heavenly Father has a plan for me on this earth, to be happy
• We can help the Holy Ghost be in our home be showing love to others
• If we repent of our mistakes, the Holy Ghost will be with me to help me make right decisions.
• I want to have an eternal family when I get bigger like my Mami’ y Papi’
• We can all be baptized and have the gift of the holy ghost in our lives

When the program ended, I felt that we were truly nourished by the good word, that we had been fed by the spirit, and taught doctrine and truth. This was by simple testimonies from those who trust in their good parents, feel the Holy Ghost, and are not afraid to open their mouths and tell us about what they know. Great examples of wonderful missionaries, and I can picture them in 14, 12, or just 6 yrs, out serving full time missions sharing the same truths, and declaring bolding of the things they had been taught by goodly parents and shared bravely today. What a privilege to be in such a setting with these great young children and future leaders of tomorrow.

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Positive Attitude makes a difference!

Dear Sisters and Elders,
How important it is to keep a positive attitude in our work as missionaries. We can never allow discouragement to enter into our thoughts because it will weaken our faith which leads to lowering our expectations, our effectiveness will decrease, our desire will weaken, and we will have greater difficulty following the Spirit (Preach My Gospel pg 10) We have a great example to follow in Nephi. In the very first verse of chapter one of first Nephi we read:


1 I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

As we read further into the Book of Mormon we find out some of these afflictions that Nephi experienced. How many of us would ever put together afflictions and having been highly favored of the Lord in the same sentence. Nephi gives us a great example of how important it is for us to maintain an eternal perspective as we face adversity and challenges in our everyday proselyting activities. Elder Zeballos taught us in our Zone Conferences in December of 2008 that the Lord loves each of us and He wants to trust us but we must earn it. Do we feel the sacred responsibility the Lord has entrusted in us? Can the Lord trust us enough to place in our hands the responsibility of teaching one of His sons or daughters that He has prepared to hear the Gospel?

We must earn His trust as did Nephi in facing adversity with courage and faithfulness. What are some of the things we can do to keep our enthusiasm and excitement for work as we face adversity? Here are some suggestions:

· Keep our covenants that we have made with the Lord. In Elder D. Todd Cristofferson´s address entitled “Power of Covenants” he shares the following:

The Apostle Paul understood that one who has entered into a covenant with God is both given the faith to face trials and gains even greater faith through those trials. Of his personal "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7), he observed: "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me."And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."Therefore I take pleasure in [my] infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:8–10).

· Praying, fasting, studying the scriptures, living the commandments, obeying mission rules, and immersing ourselves in missionary work.

· Express our understanding, love, and support of others.

· Strengthen our faith in the Lord by bearing our testimony often.

· Recognize spiritual experiences, and remember the times when we have felt the Spirit.

· Stop worrying about ourselves and lose ourselves in serving others, discouragement will be replaced by the joy of service.

In 2 Nephi 2:2 the Lord counsels Jacob that he would consecrate his afflictions for his gain. I testify as we face our trials and adversity in the mission field with courage and faith as did Nephi, we be highly favored of the Lord to bring many of unto Him is may prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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