Weekly Letter

HEY EVERYBODY!! REPORTING LIVE FROM SOMEWHERE :-D HOWZIT GOING?!!!
Hey guys, how`re things? :-) How is the life? How are things going in Good ol`California (my second favorite state) :-D You know, I always loved the oakland temple :-) I loved the pictures with Sophie and the flowers :-D
So things are going good in the Concepcion South mission, the only celestial mission on the planet (that`s what our logo says). Yesterday we were able to bring 6 people to church which apparently doesn`t happen much in Gorbea as told to me by my companion Elder Gonzalez :-) We brought the family of three again (Will Maria and Isis), two husbands of long time members (Nivaldo and Ruben), and a sister of a recent convert (Valeska). It was a very cool sunday :-) This week with the family we taught them the Restoration which went really well. The Spirit was very strong. I love the feeling when you know that EVERYONE is feeling the same as you :-) Good feeling. They still need to get married but I think that that will come very easily :-) Pray for spirit pushes in the right direction. As well the wife of Ruben (Marixa) was called as the Primary President yesterday. This is perfect for her because her insane little two year old keeps her from staying for more than the sacrament meeting with her husband and 15yr old. Now she can take care of him herself AND start to build her self confidence. More than that her husband can stick around and learn from the classes and eventually get baptized and her son can learn more to prepare for a mission :-) We`re hoping for teh best with them :-D
I apologize mom that there are so many people talking to you on facebook. Constanza Rivas and Makarena Fernandez are of my baptisms, the others are members or possibly investigators. I`m looking for the email of my third baptism Barbara San Martin.
I did get the package :-) The ugly doll makes a wonderfully soft pillow and I feel invincible to the elements with my gigantic umbrella :-D As well I almost cried when I opened the bag of Goldfish :-D Thank you everyone so much :-D the pictures were hilarious :-D
I need to go but short truth, When you are trying your best to do good and taking steps to help that goal, even if it doens`t look like anything is happening or that you dont feel guided by the spirit, Know that good is being done and that it will be all right in the end :-) I promise
Thats it for me :-) Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace Sophie and Dani, I love you all and Be HAppY!!
Sincerely
Elder McConnell

Hey EveryBody!!! :-D Howzit Going?!! :-D How are things in the United States of A? :-D
I hope that everything is going good :-) Later today I`m hoping to FINALLY send off some long expected letters for you guys :-D As well, I don`t know when but I`ll be sending a package soon with some cool thingys so wait up for that :-D
Now more about me :-D Things here in Gorbea are going good :-) The work is kind of slow but its visibly growing :-D Yesterday we were able to bring a family of three to church :-D It was really really cool to see them there :-D Their names are William, Marìa Josè and Isis :-) They are really really cool people and very humble. They don`t have many things in their house but you wouldn`t say that they were poor or in trouble because of how happy and cheerful they are :-D They recently moved into the sector so we`re hoping to get them together with the members that live close by so that they can make some friends and coughgetbaptizedcough. . . :-D They really like what we`ve told them about the Restoration and Marriage (not married). Elder Gonzalez is very very blunt, but thats fine when you have good intentions and the Spirit of God :-D I already knew that he was going to lay down the law so I figured that I`d join him, so we went and told Will and Maria how they really need to get married and Isis joined us as well. They told us that they were going to pray about what we`ve taught them so far and about marriage and then takes the steps necessary to get married. Pray for them please :-)
A Happy anouncement. Carmen Gloria and Pedro (The Parents of the family back in O`higgins) got baptized on Saturday :-D I get a call from Carmen in the morning and she says hey McConnell (they never called me elder :-D) I have an announcement. They usually say good announcement so I was expecting the worst when she tells me that she and her husband are getting married at 6 :-D I was very very happy :-D I had honestly not thought a lot of ohiggins since I left. A little of course, I called sometimes and got called but I had forgotten that even when I left the sector, the work continues on. it was a very appreciated rude awakening :-D The work will go on with or without you Elder and hopefully YOU decide to stay on the ride because the work isn`t gonna wait up. :-D EGO SMASH :-D There`s something to learn everyday :-) It was really cool to hear that Carmen and Pedro were getting baptized :-) Their children have yet to make that decision but now that their parents are their hometeachers, it`s only a matter of time :-D
As well, an Hermana Rosa was baptized as well. We were doing contacts one day, weeks ago, and we found her. She was a very quiet lady and she has a lot of problems with reading and its possible that she never read a page of the Book of mormon when I was there BUT . . . she told us that she felt that it was true, and that she wanted to know more. And now she`s baptized. She told me that she was sorry that I wasn`t going to be there for her baptism :-) Little blessings.
Well thats basically it for me today :-) I haven`t gotten the package yet but I might Friday :-) Until the next one then, Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace Sophie and Dani(if she`s home still) I love you all and BE HappY!! :-D
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

HEy EVERYBODY :-D HOWZit GOinG!? :-D
Hey guys, how´re things? :-) How is life in utah or as the members here call it ´´The Missionary Factory´´. :-D I hope that all is going well :-)
How was conference? :-D I thought it was great :-D I loved Elder Scott´s talk :-D Elder Nelson´s talk was really cool too :-D I loved what Pres Eyring said, ´´There was jimmy, he went to prison, and there was petey across the street, he went to prison too. . . It was a tough neighborhood´´ :-D as well as Pres Monson ´´If you haven´t read the Book or Mormon, Read it. I´ll not have a show of hands´´ :-D It seemed that half the talks were about marriage. I´m glad that I´m a missionary cuz I don´t have to deal with prophetic pressure to get married :-D Missionary Safeguard :-D I thought that it was a really good conference. Bishop Burton´s talk was great as well. When you guys get the ensign, make sure to send me one :-D (HEY short note, Conference is already online, go check it out :-D )
So things are going good here in Gorbea. This last week we spent a lot of time looking and FINDING people to teach so that was good :-D This week we should have a lot of lessons. Missionary work is a lot more fun with people :-D Two people that we found had had a family member and a friend die. They were both very nice and polite with us and they both needed a little bit of comfort for their recent loss. We´re hoping to give them the answers that they need this upcoming week :-) A question for you Mom and Dad, what did you two liked to teach the people you found who had had friends or family die recently? The plan of salvation of course but scriptures you liked to use and things you liked to say is what I´m asking about. Whatever you´ve got will be very much appreciated. :-D
Something that I´ve learned on the mission, unfortunately I feel because of the circumstances that brought me to the realization, is a person is who he is and does what he really wants to do when nobody cares or nobody is watching. It is very easy to sleep in when your comp does. It is very easy to stay on the internet for too long when your comp does. It is very to go home early when your comp is ´´done´´ for the day. These are only examples, there are others, but they show who you really are and what you really want to do through your choices. Elder Gonzalez told me yesterday that he hadn´t felt the same as he had when he begun his mission and he didn´t like that. I was going to say ´´ . . .Maybe you should pray more or something´´ but he continued to say that maybe if he got up on time in the morning, did exercises and his studies as well, maybe he´d get back his ´´newbie spirit´´. I said that was an excellant idea (I had been hoping to bring this up somehow) BUT . . . then he said that he didn´t want to do any of that and that he doesn´t like to do things that he don´t pleasure him (along the lines anyway). I waited for a sec ad then said, rather straightforwardly I thought, that a person will do what is necessary to get what he wants and if he doesn´t do the things that are necessary to get what he wants then he didn´t really want it to begin with. I ´´wanted´´ to learn spanish before the mission and did little to nothing to achieve that goal. Only when I needed spanish to survive did I learn. So the question is(are) who are you when no one expects anything of you? What do you do when no one is watching? What do you really want? When you can answer these questions and be content(I would hope happy as well) then you´re doing fine. If not, get better :-D
Well thats it for me. Thanks for everything everyone (The package hasn´t come yet but I´ll let you know when it does). Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace Sophie and Dani, I love you all and Be HappY :-D
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Props to Elder Cook :-P I hope he finds comfort in knowing that he did what he felt in his heart to be right :-D