Week 66 Capilla Abierta and Interviews

Another week has passed by faster than I could look at it. I feel like I´m driving on the highway, and everything is passing by too fast to concentrate on them. So I'm just starting at the mountains in the background so I don't get sick. Only in this case, the mountains are appointments and things on my To Do List.

I hope that this week has treated you all well. I know that a few of you wrote that you had a hard week. Just remember that for every hard week there are always two good ones waiting.

We had a good week here in Cerro Moreno. We´ve been working hard and we are seeing the fruits of our work. The problem is that this week was a week of vacations and a ton of people were out of town. Including the majority of our teaching pool. But the good news is that they should all be getting back sometime today or tomorrow. So our numbers should be on the way back up again. 

The Women's conference was something very special. We brought an investigator, and she was taking notes the whole time. It was such a fun experience to see the progress that she is making in the gospel. She told us that she knows that these things are true. And after experiencing a bunch of different churches, she said that she has found something that she WANTS to participate in. She WANTS to be a part of this. I love the gospel. 

This weekend we weren't able to do a bunch of proselyting. Basically we were in the Visitors Center. I cant remember if I have explained the ¨Capilla Abierta¨ before. But basically what it is, is we bring the temple visitors center to different chapels. We have banners, and we have sister missionaries leading the tours of the chapel and explaining things. And then two Elders dressed in white in front of the baptismal font explaining baptism and the Holy Ghost. And all of the other Elders leave to bring and invite people to the church to come and see. :) It is a great program. And we did two different ones this weekend. One Saturday morning, and the other Sunday Night. And the one on Sunday was wonderfully attended. It was fun, spiritual, and enlightening. 

But that was basically the week. And now we are heading into the middle of the transfer. I cannot believe that I am almost done training my companion. She is more and more able to do things without me now. Every so often she still looks at me with questions, but more often than not she participates and does everything just like a super missionary. I am so proud of her. :) 

I hope that this next week is wonderful for each of you and that you are all able to accomplish various tasks and goals. Keep the Lord in mind and you will be able to do everything that you need to do. Just keep in mind something that President Uchtdorf said on Saturday, ¨Faith cannot change two things. The agency of other people, and the will of God.¨ So pray with everything you have for the things that are necessary. And then remember that if they don't happen, then they really weren't that necessary for your progress. He will always give us the things that we need to progress spiritually, sometimes the spiritual things need to come before the physical comforts of life. 

I love you all! Have a wonderful week, enjoy another day of life, and I hope to hear from you all next week!

Love, 

Hermana Randall

Week 65 ¡¡¡Feliz Cumpleaños Chile!!!

Hello from Chile!

Yesterday and today are the independence days of Chile! So we are just filled to busting with barbecue, empanadas, and chilean folk music. It was such a cool week! The new sisters that are living with us are sure nice, one I met before because I was her Hermana Leader last transfer, but Hna MacDonald is super fun. It is an enthusiasm boost to live with two other sisters. And they are clean as well, so that always helps. 

But the week went by rather normally here, but Wednesday was a little different. We had a visit from Elder Brag of the 70 and a member of the Area Presidency. Maybe the President. Not sure. And he had a special meeting with all of the leaders in the mission right before as well. We talked about obedience and how we, as leaders, help to set the ``Culture`` of the mission. It was very spirit filled. And the meeting that followed was also really cool. He speaks Spanish and his wife speaks a bit as well, so they were able to communicate with everyone that was really fun. 

And then on Saturday we had the ward party for Independence Day. It was filled with typical Chilean food and dancing. And we also played a good number of typical Chilean games. I will proudly tell you all that I won the sack race! I did however face plant it after touching the finish line. It wouldn't have been so bad if I were on grass. But cement is a different story.... My hands and knees were all bleeding and such. Ouch.... I managed to make it to the bathroom before I cried though. Haha. 

And a member made us typical dresses to wear! I got to pick the colors and she made it. It was so nice of her. :) And blue is my favorite. 

Yesterday to prevent all of the missionaries from just wasting time eating things with members or investigators, President called the whole mission and said that the Zone that had the most lessons with a member yesterday in the afternoon would win something. So we called our ward mission leader and he set everything up with his mother running us from place to place in the car, and members going for a couple hours with each of us. We taught 4 lessons in the afternoon all with members. And the other sisters as well! We had 8 altogether, and we destroyed the competition! We also found a really great investigator, new people to teach, and had a ton of fun! I love being a missionary!

Basically it was a great week filled with empanadas, fun, and miracles. A member can really make a difference in the enthusiasm and progress of the work!

Love you all! Do a missionary a favor and go spend an hour with them. They will love you for forever! Just like I do!

¡LES AMO! ¡FELIZ 18!

Hna Randall

Week 64 Nothing Like a Suprise!

Well world, we have reached a milestone this week along with a few other miracles!

Today I write you as I begin my last 12 Weeks in the field. I say this not to be trunky, but because the office is officially doing all of the paperwork to send me home, and BYU is starting to bug me with registering again and etc.... I have a lot of mixed emotions about it to be honest, happy to see everyone at home again. But more of the truth is that I have really grown to be Chilena. This is my country now. I also am not sure if I can remember to speak English. I know that my grammar skills have lowered considerably. So I´ll have to relearn how to do some things. Haha. 

But this week was AMAZING. We have a couple investigators who are younger and they were going to be baptized on the 17th of September, but they changed the date and they were baptized on Saturday!!!!!!!!! M. and her little brother A., it was one of the most spiritual experiences that I have participated in in my mission. It was amazing. Their parents bore their testimonies and the spirit hit us like bricks. I was crying and the ward mission leader was crying, and we were all super emotional and filled with love. It was beyond words, I truly felt my Savior in the room with us that afternoon. 

The Elder that baptized A. (9 years old) is 6´4, and A. couldn't stop looking at him. He´s like a super hero, when he came to their house to to the interview A. left and brought a friend to show him how tall Elder Court is. It was hilarious to see him looking up at him. And during the baptismal service he bore his little 9 year old testimony to tell us all that he felt just like a Super Sayian (from Dragon Ball Z, don't know how to spell it in English) with a new level of power. And that he was grateful for the tall Elder and the small one too. It was hilarious. 

All the rest bore wonderful, short, powerful testimonies of the gospel as well. And how they know that the church is true. I know that their mother ( a non member) is not too far behind them now. She told us so. :)

We also were able to spend the weekend with the President´s daughter Gina. She is 18 years old, and she is super cool. We had some great lessons together and really bonded. It was nice to have here there. I really feel like all of these young women remind me of my little sisters, and it is nice to have someone like that with me after so long. (Hear that Cassidy and Emma? I LOVE YOU!) 

It was just an amazing week. I am without words. I love the mission. I love my companion. I love my calling as an Hermana Leader, I love my eternal friends, I love everything. Everything is amazing. I hope you all know that.

I love you all! Have a fabulous week!!!!!!!!!!

Hna Randall

PS. We are having 2 new sisters move into our apartment and I am their Hna Leader, they are going to be opening a new sector in the other side of our sector, which before was my sector. So if they need help I am going to be living with them. That is going to help them not get lost I think! Haha.