Mini Miracle and Halloween

Mini Miracle Bike Repair

3 November 2014

¡Buenos dias!

Mini miracle of the day: For our P-day we decided to go on a bike ride. We explored part of our sector that I have never seen before. I'm sure I've already mentioned this but I would like to reiterate that our sector is GIGANTE. It is beautiful. We biked through fields of fruit trees and vineyards where there are very few or no people living. On the way home, in one of these areas where there are no people, my companion swerved off the road and the chain fell off her bike. I worried a little bit because we were pretty far from our house and there were no houses, no cars, no one anywhere near to help us. As you probably know, I've never been able to fix the chain on the bike. I've tried before at home but in the end I always end up asking Dad to do it. The last time Emily and I went for a bike ride her chain fell off and neither of us could figure it out. We called Andy who came on his motorcycle to fix the bike of the helpless teenage girls... I was beating myself up inside this morning for never learning how to repair something like that and I was imagining our long walk home. I don't know much about bikes and my companion had never even ridden a bike before she arrived in the mission six weeks ago. Because we were in the middle of nowhere I said a prayer aloud and asked for help to figure it out. AND I FIXED IT!!! It was a huge relief. There was a man who stopped and offered to help just after I finished so I know we would have been fine anyway and the worst case scenario was walking home, but I was grateful for the opportunity to do it myself and I know that my prayer was answered and someone is looking out for the amateur sister missionaries in Chile.

We survived transfers! I'm so excited to have six more weeks with Hermana Nuñez and finish her training with her. The sisters in our ward, Hermana Alvarado and Hermana Gomez, have been transferred to Santiago and Primer Crucero 2 will be receiving Elders today. I think it will be a good thing for our ward. There is a lot of work to do here.

We are seeing progress, slowly but surely. A less active member came to church yesterday! Jaylen (Hermana Dodds) will not believe this but it's true! He is the one with cancer who we have been visiting for a long time. I take no credit for this because last time we taught their family I lost patience with both him and his wife because of the way they treat each other. But something changed in him. He showed up at church of his own free will. We called them but hadn't even had the chance to visit this week because he was in Santiago visiting his sister. He went to church with her and I think that's what inspired him to come yesterday. But wait... there's more. He bore his testimony in Sacrament meeting. But wait... there's more! He bore his testimony of the Book of Mormon! A few weeks ago he had a lot of doubts about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith but yesterday he stood in front of our congregation and said he knows it's true. But wait... there's more! He thanked the sister missionaries for always visiting him when no one else remembered him. That's for you, Jaylen. He stayed for all three hours! He's reading the Liahona! He offered his home to have a family home evening with investigators. I don't know what happened but I'm pretty happy about it. Now we just have to pray that the same happens for his wife.

Halloween is not as big in Chile as it is in the United States. A lot of people don't like it very much. Our neighbor across the street, the one who really wishes we would take better care of our yard, says he hates the culture of the United States and that it is invading and ruining the culture of Chile. I felt like he was blaming me for it but it was ironic because he was the one passing out candy and sending his kids trick or treating while I was in normal missionary clothes. 

We did celebrate in the ways we could. We took some toilet paper mummy pictures that I will send and we made Jack-o-lantern faces in some apples. In the evening we bought a bag of Frugeles, gummy candies, and handed them out to trick-or-treaters with pass along cards for their parents and made a lot of contacts. I contacted the cousin of a less active member, made some teaching appointments for this week, and coincidentally contacted a reference we received a while ago but couldn't find before.

Hermana Clark and I slept over at Hermana Stanger's house on Monday so we could do our tramites on Tuesday. The lines were so long that we didn't finish everything and we get to do the exact same thing this week! Chapter 5 with Hermana Clark!

Next Monday Elder Nelson is coming to speak to my mission and Lauren's mission! I'm not sure who I'm happier to see. Just so you know we will have p-day Tuesday next week so I will write then.

Lots of love,

Hermana Eva VanCott

Proselyting on Halloween

 

Random Snapshots