Weekly Letter

HEy Everybody :-D HowZIT Going?!?!
Hey guys, How`re things?. It looks pretty warm up in Utah :-D I`m jealous, we`re in the dead of winter :-P Ah well, the weather will pass . . . eventually. Honestly, It helps to make people let us in their houses :-D
So this week was weird hard and fun :-D My new companion`s name is Elder Aizpurùa from Panama :-D Don`t worry about pronunciation, a lot of the people here can`t say it either :-D He`s really really cool, I don`tt even feel like I`m training him :-D He`s so ready to learn and to teach and testify. The only thing he needs to practice is talking with everyone and that only gets learned out here in the field :-D We have a goal of challenging at least 21 people to baptism every week and with trainers, we`re supposed to let the new missionaries take th lead in that. That was fun. I explained to Elder Aizpurùa that its always good to teach a little about baptism or the restoration and then challenge the people to get baptized. So one of our first contacts together, he`s explaining how baptism works and how it needs to be done with the proper authority and he`s doing really well and then he stops and looks at me. I wait a sec and say ``Well Challenge him Elder`` and then he goes ``Oh ok`` and challenges the guy. He said that he was already baptized but it was still a good contact :-) Good times :-D
Elder Aizpurùa comes from a Family of 6 and is the second oldest of four sons. His older brother recently got back from HIS mission in antofagasta Chile in October. Something cool, his family has always gone to church but his Dad never wanted to get baptized. But in January his Dad finally decided to get baptized and now the entire family are members :-D He says its really cool to have his entire family in the church :-) I`m glad too :-D
Graciela, Carla, and Claudio are doing fine :-) In fact, Carla`s Baptism is this Saturday! :-D She is super excited. As well the 6th is the baptism of Claudio and he`s looking forward to it as well :-D Graciela still hasn`t been able to go to church but as soon as she does, its straight to the font :-D They are all really awesome :-) I`m really grateful to have them so that Elder Aizpurùa can have a good beginning to his mission :-D
Laura is alright :-P She was able to go to the baptism of another investigator on Saturday and she really liked it :-) She was telling everybody that its her turn next week :-D She already knew everybody actually :-D She`s an old investigator. Unfortunately we got to her house yesterday to bring her to church and we we found out that Saturday night she and her husband had left for something and didn`t get back until five in the morning and (in Spanish) Ella tiene un problema con la palabra de Sabiduria y dudamos que estaba tomando bebida a las cinco en la mañana :-P We`re going over after this to see how`s she`s doing :-P :-) Everything will be fine :-D
I`m doing good :-) Just tired and worried, you want everything to be perfect for a new missionary so that he can have a good start and any little thing that goes wrong you`re like ``Shoot He`s going to hate the mission!`` :-D Naw, its just kind of stressful. Elder Aizpurùa is already a great Elder so I don`t have to worry too much about the work which is a blessing :-D Pres Martinez said that the BEST of the missionaries were pickedto be trainers and I looked around and said ``Who? Me?`` . . . I am not the best missionary but Pres Martinez doesn`t lie so I suppose that there`s something good that I do :-D We`ll be great :-) Keep praying still :-D
My feet are fine Mom :-) After so long in the mission you get used to being a little damp and as well the people here are always willing to let us dry off in their houses for a bit :-D I haven`t gotten the package yet but I`m sure at the next weeks conference it`ll be there. Thats it for me this week guys :-) Something that I learned in sacrament this week, lets say I got a personal revelation ``Faith, Testimonies, Anger, Love, and Pets will die if not fed``. WHoa, deep. Think about THAT for a day :-D Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you all and Be HAppY!!

Weekly Letter

HEy EVeryBody!! :-D HOwzit going!?!?
HEy Guys how`re things? California looked like a lot of fun :-D Sophie seems ro be getting bigger every time I see her :-D Grace seems to be always getting taller :-D
Something cool, so we`re doing contacts the other day you know, declaring the gospel, and we get a call from the asistants. Nobody likes calls from the asistants :-D So Elder Lundgren takes the phone, talks for a sec says they want to talk ro me, Im like great, take the phone and Elder Rubilar says ``Hey Elder McConnell, you`ve been chosen as one of the new trainers, congratulations``. I`m like `` . . .Are you serious?``. My new comp flies in tomorrow and Im going to be a father in the mission :-D I`m freaking out :-P :-D Dad, Mom I can`t remember asking but did you guys train? I`m worried because any flaw that I have this kid is going to be like `` So that`s how its done`` and he might go on for his entire mission like that :-P I`m not that worried actually :-D We are going to work really hard :-D I was reading my journal today when I got into CHile and its so funny to think that this Elder is going to be the same story :-D Crazy stuff :-D Thanks for your prayers, We`ll be needed them :-D
Elder Lundgren is doing good, sorry for not saying anything earlier DAd, we were looking at our numbers for the entire cambio and we were off by 6 lessons to have completed with the goal :-D This cambio has to be the hardest(in terms of work) cambio that I have ever worked :-D Elder Lundgren and I never fought or anything, we just had different ideas how to do stuff. But honestly he has to be one of my favorite comps so far :-) It`s been really fun.
Things here in Cañet are going good :-) We had 5 at church yesterday AND it was raining :-D Members don`t go to church when it rains :-D ME and Lundgren are the coolest :-D It was a good week :-) Carla and Claudio didn`t go to church yesterday so we have to move their date a little but they are doing fine. In fact Graciela the mother has been reading and shes soaking up everything :-D She explained to US Lehi`s dream the other day :-D Thats a golden investgator :-D the only problem she has is that she can`t go to church for work. If you guys couald pray for a job that gives Graciela a more flexible schedule that`d be awesome.
We also put a baptismal date for Laura diego and jenny for the 30th. We just have to go over the baptismal questions and they`ll be fine. The missionaies have been passing by their house since last september. The only big problem is that Laura has a little bit of a drinking problem :-P Nothing serious, she doesn`t do anything bad when she drinks, but she does have a little bit of an addiction. She knows she needs to quit and she knows that we want to help( the other day we bought Coca Cola so that she wouldn`t drink watching a major futbol game :-D) She just needs a little help. If you could pray for them so that they can be ready for the 30th, that`d be great :-) Especially for Laura.
Thats it for me :-) Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace Sophie, thanks for being my family and NOT crazy. There are so many people here who are so unhappy because of famiily members and its kind of depressing to see all that. Thanks. I love you all and Be HAppY !! :-D
SIncerely
ELder Jamie McConnell

HEYO :-D Howzit going?! :-D
Hey Everybody, how`re things? I`m kind of confused, where is Sam and what is his job? I know he`s somewhere but where and doing what, I`m not entirely sure As well it`s cool to know that the adoption is moving along quickly
Things are going good here in Cañete :-) By the way Carla and Claudio were able to go to church yesterday so everything is going great for their baptismal date :-D Graciela wasn`t able to go for work but she`s the one who`s most excited about getting baptized :-D Honestly Carla`s just a present :-) She basically knows everything that she needs to know now and already wants to get baptized :-D It`s crazy what happens in the mission, the people you meet, the things they are willing to do :-D Hopefully we won`t have any complications
I am doing good Things are going good ) Things are going wonderful Things were hard this week but for some reason I feel great You guys remember that discovery channel comercial? ``The world is just awesome`` I think that`s how it went I can`t remember. :-D I don`t know anything about the life outside But I am Good Its awesome that Jami is heading out :-D That was fast. I`m going to have two new hermanos when I get home. I still have the four I had before I can speak Spanish. There are some people who are actually progressing in our investgator pool :-D I wrote letters today. Small things :-D
I forgot to mention our new Mission president I think :-P His name is Osvaldo Martinez and he`s a really cool guy :-D He`s 36 and he has 3 kids at home still :-D He said that he was really honored to be our mission president and that he can`t wait to get to work :-) Something cool he said. He was able to meet HIS mission president at the MTC while he was in Provo, Elder Ziwic of the Seventy and he was also able to meet the Mission president of HIS mission president, Elder Richard G Scott of the Quorum of the You already know. Pres Martinez said that he was talking with Elder Scott and Elder Scott said that him and Elder Ziwic were going to be stopping by our mission some time :-D I hope soon :-D
Something cool. I recently finished reading about Zeezrom in the Book of Mormon. I love how his story ends. Zeezrom thought he had sent Alma and Amulek to their deaths and because of his conscience got very ill. Then the very person who comes to see him at Zeezroms plea is Alma, son of Alma :-D The same person who had suffered the same thing that Zeezrom was suffering. I love how after everything that Alma had suffered becuase of Zeezrom, he still went and HEALED him. :-D How often do we do that? Wonderful story :-D
Thats it for me :-) I wrote letters today so those will be on their way :-D Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you all and Be Happy!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

HEY EveryBody!! :-D Howzit Going?!?!
Hey Guys :-) How`re things? :-) Hopefully the best :-D Those ``stencils`` are really cool Sam :-D I liked the picture of Sophie
So things here in Cañete are going good :-) We`re working hard, being tired, its fun :-D We finding new people as well :-) its generally all good :-D We are having problems with people and their commitments but besides that there`s not a lot to complain about :-)
Cool story so me and another Elder, Elder Castillo, are on intercambios ``exchanges`` and we go and visit a lady who`ve we`ve taught before. She begins the conversation with ``I know that I need to get baptized but the big question is which church`` and we`re like `` . . . Um Teacher pick me I know the answer`` :-D So we go and teach the restoration to this little family and when we get to the first vision we had them close their eyes and think about how they felt when they listened to the first vision. When we finished it got very quiet and then we asked if Graciela, the lady, she believed that Joseph Smith had a vision. Through tears she said yes. :-) Very cool. Yesterday we met her daughter who has also been talking to missionaries for forever and she hadn`t wanted to be baptized because she didn`t want to be the only member in her family but now that her mom and nephew are with her too she took that as a sign that she should get baptized Very cool :-) We have baptismal dates for them the 30th and they need to go to church the next three weeks to reach that goal so PRAY FOR US THEM. Graciela needs to find a job to replace the one she has on sunday to be able to go to church so please pray for that. Their names are Graciela, Karla and Claudio Jara. :-D
Thats it for me :-P We got to get out of here :-P Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you all and Be HAppY!!
SIncerely
Elder McConnell