Hey there everyone,
How are things going? Things have been pretty good so far this week.
Today was change day, but nothing has changed in my companionship, so
it is pretty much just like a normal P-day for me. Things are going
pretty well here. I really enjoy the ward. For a Chilean ward, it is
actually pretty good. We have a really supportive bishopric who is
really willing to help us and really wants the best for this ward
here. I am enjoying everything here, and we are finally starting to
get some more investigators. We are starting to work a lot with
part-member families, which is something that I really enjoy doing.
One thing that is pretty exciting is that we should have a baptism
really soon, possibly even this coming Saturday. A bit of time has
already passed since the last time that we had a baptism, so I am
really looking forward to it.
The "HOW TO SURVIVE IN CHILE" for today is going to be pretty short,
but it's something that I don't know if I've really talked a lot
about. But it has to do with the language. Here in Chile, people use
the word "po" a lot. If you have any familiarity with Mexican Spanish
it is somewhat similar to the word "pues." I realized this past week
that it is actually used just like Canadians use the word "eh." It
will just get randomly tossed on the ends of sentences, but it is not
a very formal way of talking at all. However, in common speaking, it
is used very frequently, especially among poorer populations.
Alright one final HTSIC: Avoid drugs. And when you can't, pretend you
don't see it. That is probably about the best response to drugs that
I can give from my experience. It really depends on the area to let
you know what the prevalence of drugs will be, but if you are in a
poor area, there is probably a good chance that you could run into
some. For example, about three times a week or so I am a witness to a
drug deal. About 5 times a day, I see people smoking pot in the
streets. And only sporatically do I see people smoking crack. But
the fact is, when people are drugged or involved in drug dealing, they
don't exactly think super logically. Therefore, it is just better to
avoid them or pretend that they do not exist. Then they will leave
you alone.
There is something that is pretty special about being a missionary.
You really develop a true desire to be able to help the people and the
ward wherever you are. For example, right now, there is little more
that I want than to be able to help the people in the Las Acacias Ward
in the Santiago Chile Las Araucarias Stake. It's like having a new
home. A new family. A new group of people for whom you want the very
best. When you really get the hang of it, you are really never
satisfied with just doing your own thing or even just trying to go out
and help some people that you find. Because those people can only
really be helped when they are helped within the ward. And the ward
can really only do that if its members are constantly being
strengthened. Sometimes as a missionary, I wish that I could do more
in that respect, but I always have to remind myself that it is
ultimately the leaders of the wards and stakes that need to constantly
be striving to create opportunities for their members to strengthen
their testimonies and their dedication to serve the Lord. I have
really started to realize what a daunting task that is. There are
often hundreds of people who look to their leaders for help to draw
nearer to God. And the fact of the matter is, NO ONE CAN DO THAT FOR
THEM. Leaders can definitely, and MUST, offer guidance, direction,
and support. But in the end, it is really a decision of every member
of the church, and ultimately every person on earth, to draw nearer to
God. And the leaders of the church have the daunting task of helping
them to realize that. Really every member who holds a calling or
assignment in the church, even if it only be that of home or visiting
teacher, has the responsibility to help others grow in their desire to
serve the Lord, to sacrifice some part of themselves, to learn more of
Him, both by study and by faith, or really putting into practice the
lessons that they have learned, relying fully on the Lord that he will
bless and strengthen them in their efforts. The sad fact that I have
realized here on the mission is that there are too many members who
haven't learned that lesson, who don't know what it means to really
seek after the Lord, to really understand and utilize the atonement
in their lives. And every day I learn that I need to be stronger in
that respect, that I will never be able to reach my potential as a
child of God until I have learned to learn by faith and seek the power
of the atonement in its redeeming and enabling glory in my own life.
I hope that you all will have a great week, and I will talk to you later.
Elder Stollenwerk
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