Sunday in Calle Larga

18 August 2014

In church yesterday I taught the Sunday School lesson again. It was a lesson on tithing from the Gospel Principles Manual. I got a Dear Elder from Grandma Joan who worked hard to get the manual published. It thought about her as I prepared the lesson on Saturday and studied the material. I especially appreciated that it started with a scripture about Abraham paying tithing. Every part of the restored gospel is easier to teach when our investigators understand that the principles are not new. The gospel of Jesus Christ was the same anciently and for those who understand the organization of the church anciently, it is easier to accept doctrine such as tithing, apostles, baptism, and priesthood. Modern revelation makes sense because we know that there was revelation anciently. Miracles make sense because we know that Jesus Christ and all of his prophets performed miracles.

We ate lunch with members after church and then started home. As we rode our bikes my tire popped, but we happened to be exactly in front of another member's house who owns a bike shop. We asked if we could leave our bikes, take a bus home, and pick them up later but they just fixed it for me right there. They also invited us in and we learned that we were interrupting a birthday party. They started handing us churripan and we had a second lunch and more soda. People really do get offended here if you don't eat and it's hard for me to accept sometimes. We even told them we had just eaten, but everyone has this idea that they have to feed guests. They assume that missionaries going door to door must be starving from working so hard. Really we're just stuffed because at every house we visit people want to hand us food. 

Friday we had a training meeting for all of the missionaries who arrived this transfer and last transfer. I'm still new here, but I'm not the newest! One of the newer sisters asked me how much time I have left in the mission. What? I don't even know, I just got here! The meeting was eight hours (I don't want to hear anyone complain about three hours of church meetings ever again.)

My favorite part of the meeting was watching a video with Elder Holland. He was the area president of Chile when it was its own area and he left an apostolic blessing on the whole country. He said that his prophesies need to be our prophesies and our vision. President Videla said that we are part of fulfilling his prophesy. Elder Holland said that Chile will be a beacon for the church and in the world. He also talked about how the best strength will come from those in Chile who serve missions and return home to marry in the temple and raise families in the gospel. I think that's where we come in as missionaries from outside Chile. We are here to help add members, reactivate members, and strengthen the wards here so the youth can serve missions and return to lead the church here. We have a list of people who are of mission age and I want to focus on helping them. Many of them are inactive. Dad always tells me to focus on the youth and I am trying to remember and apply his counsel as we serve in our ward here.

With love,

Hermana Eva VanCott