Jamie's Homecoming

The Last One

HEY EVERYBODY!!! :-D HOWZITGOING?!?!?!
  So this is it. :-) This is the last one.  Tomorrow it`ll be 25 months.  That's a long time.  And yet it doesn`t really feel like two years have passed by.  I still feel like I`m 19, just older :-D If that makes any sense.  So long.  So great.  You wish that everyone could have the opportunity :-D Simply awesome.
  Everyone is asking me, ´´When are you going?´´.  There`s a member that calls occasionally to tell me how many hours are left.  Fetcher.  I`ve gotten several calls from missionaries saying goodbye because everyone thought I was leaving today  Everyone wants me gone.  :-D It doesn`t feel real.  It feels just like any other week.  I`m grateful for that.  I´ve met a lot of missionaries that DIED their last week :-) Not me man.  I`m immortal. :-D
   This week we tried something different.  We basically ignored all the petty excuses we usually get until we got to the real reasons why the people don´t want to listen.  They usually say that they aren´t interested and then we respond ´´Well WHY? We´re talking about eternal life here, how men STILL are talking with God, that there are more scriptures to read and how they can bless our lives, that man after almost two millenium has the power of God to heal the sick, raise the dead, and achieve salvation AND exaltation.  I´D make the time to listen if I were you.´´  Sometimes that works, usually no.  Sad.  An Elder who I really respect once told me ´´It´s ok to be annoying if it saves souls´´ I agree.
  I´ve heard people tell me, especially here in this sector, that they know that I know and that they´re impressed by my conviction to all this, but they do nothing to find out why I know what I know and how I know it and how it can help them.  They allow their doubts and fears and base wants to lead their lives and because of that they don´t feel that witness of the truth nor the spirit that it brings.  But I take comfort in a line that an Apostle said once, ´´Someday every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ and that salvation can only come HIS way´´  Maybe not in my day but someday. 
   I AM GOOD :-) I´m excited :-D I KNOW now.  My life is before me and not just this one :-D I KNOW that God lives, that Jesus is his son, that Jesus really did pay for the sins of ALL MEN, that through obedience to the commandments and with the authority of God I WILL make it to the other side and live happily ever after and not alone either but with my family.  Joseph Smith was a Prophet of GOD.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God and contains the Fullnes of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  There are Prophets on the earth today.  These things are true not because I believe in them or because you believe in them but because THEY ARE TRUE and PERIOD.  How great is that? :-D
   Mom Dad Meri Grace and Sophie, i´ll see you around :-D We´re going to have a lot of fun together.  Eating food, watching movies, going to places, being american :-D  Elder Sam, you gotta wait but I´ll still give you a call and now I got all sorts of time to write :-D LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT THE EX ELDER JAMIE MCCONNELL IS COMING TO TOWN AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!! ¡¡¡YA TU SABES!!! :-D
  Thats it guys .-) I love you all a ton.  Stay cool, have fun, seeya soon and BE HAPPY!!!
 Sincerely
   Elder James ´´Jamie´´ Farrell McConnell the IV
aka Elder McAwesomeSauce.
  p.s. Tell Sam to shut up.. . . i´m not fat.

HEY EVERYBODY!! HOWZIT GOING!!!??? So whats happening is that the Church doesn´t want me to leave the country so they´re trying to delay me as much as possible :-D Just kidding. President Martinez couldn´t meet up with me on monday the 4th so he asked if he could change flight plans but the next one is on Friday so thats what happened. What are a couple of days to two years. Sorry mom and dad :-P At least I get to go to the temple now :-D I really can´t believe that Grandpa Thad is gone. That is so weird. I was thinking about the people who I am going to have to visit when I get back as well as the cemeteries I´ll have to visit. Unfortunately there are several now :-( BUT, I don´t feel sad. I don´t feel sad. When I read the email I felt like ``Well shoot. Now I gotta wait longer``, something like that :-) I thought that had I came home 3 weeks ago I probably would have seen Grandpa one more time, but honestly I have no regrets. none at all. I will see Grandpa Thad again. I dare ANYONE to tell me I´m wrong. I love the gospel :-) Its just awesome. SO things are going good here in Chilly Chile. Its been raining like a beast for the last couple of days. Sometimes we cant cross streets for the water. I´ve considered renting a canoe but I´ll just wait .-D Everytime the rains fall or the wind blows I yell ``THE ONLY REASON YOU ARE GETTING ME WET OR KNOCKING ME OVER IS BECAUSE I AM ALLOWING YOU TO DO SO! I AM THE BOSS HERE!!`` I stayed so that the rain could me. I´m in control .-D Things are going good with the work too. A lot of the people we are teaching are not progressing as much as we`d like but we`ll fix that.

Saturday we had a Family Home evening about the atonement. The lesson was like this. We had donuts but in order to get one, somebody had to 20 pushups. That somebody was me. :-D i`ve gotten a lot stronger in the mission but i`m still human and there were 7 people in the house. It started to get really hard halfway. I thought a lot about the atonement and prayer. They offered to do their own pushups but it had to be me. they offered water, and i had to wait. they said to take a break but i couldn´t. Quite the experiance. i`m still sore. I was worried towards the end if i was going to be able to do it. I wondered what Jesus thought through it all. Maybe i`ll do it again for a FHE at the church sometime .-D Thats it for me this week guys. Almost there. Until the next MOm DAd Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, i love you all and BE HAPPY!! Sincerely Elder Jamie McConnell p.s. I liked that story about Grandpa dad.

One More

HEY EVERYBODY!!1 :-D HOWZIT GOING?!??! :-D Hey guys, how´re things? I hope good because we`re doing good and its better when everyone is doing good .-D So the gigantestic earthquake that was going to happen on Sunday didn`t. I honestly still wanted to get water and food together just in case but I suppose that wasnt going to be necessary. I was really thinking that it was going to happen JUST because I decided to stick around a little longer. I was REALLY paranoid .-D no reason though .-D Sorry that we didn`t write yesterday. It was a Chilean holiday so President Martinez had the idea that we go out and find all the families that would be home and have Pday today. Good idea :-D The people however didn`t agree entirely. The families were all home though :-D ``Can we share with you about how Jesus Christ is our Saviour and how he can help you and your family?`` ``No, we`re having lunch`` `` . . . its 6`` ``Yeah, now we`re going to nap and then have dinner`` `` . . . right, and THATS more important`` I didn`t say that last part but I thought it :-D So things are good. We worked really hard this last week. Lots of people taught Unfortunately many of our investigators are not wanting to make changes in their lives. Word of wisdom, prayer, read, church, get married. It´s sad because they say ``I can`t do that because I really like coffee or I don`t have the money to throw a huge party for my wedding or i don`t have time to read and pray.`` They say it sometimes like we`re supposed to say ``OH! I wasn`t aware of that. DOn`t worry about it then`` :-P Blegh. A guy we`re teaching told us last week (very nicely, it was something he honestly believed) that a person has his life and he has his religion and that they don´t need to be connected at all. he said you could believe in God and stll smoke or drink or whatever and thats ok, If I didn`t like him I would have told him a lot differently what I told him how ``We cannot serve two masters. One will fall``. It made think about how many people really believe that. Shoot. Highlight, It RAINED this week :-D People ask us the bes questions when it rains. ``Why don`t you stay home or at least go home early?`` ``Because what we do is a lot more important than the rain. What we offer is of much greater worth than being cold. We care about you and the people enough that rain or shine we are with you faithfully. Would you like to see what we are sharing today?`` Like rain, blessings fall, sometimes at the same time .-D It was because of the rain that Graciela, Carla, Claudio, and other family members of theirs got baptized. :-D thats it guys. until the next Mom Dad Elder Sam Meri Grace and Sophie I love you all and BE HAPPY Sincerely Elder Jamie McAwesomeSauce McConnell p.s. FETCHING BRANDIE TYLER AND ASHLEY!!! INVITE ME TO YOUR WEDDINGS!!!

I Believe this is the 104th EMAIL

HEY EVERYBODY!!! :-D COMÓ LES VA?!?! HEy guys how`re things? :-) I hope good :-D ELder McConnell, sounds like the missions fun but still challenging :-D THats ok, thats how its supposed to be :-D Enjoy all of it, even the hard parts. SO I`ve been a missionary for two years. . . . People ask me ``How much time do you have?`` I`m like ``two years`` and they say ``Wow thats a lot`` I say ``Yeah`` then the question ``Was it hard?`` and I respond ``You bet`` and then they ask ``Was it worth it`` and I declare ``Yes. Every Single Second of it. I will never be the same and that is wonderful``. What a blessing. Live it up Bean Choro. I have little time today but I still want to write a bit. I will be calling probably sunday night but I`ll phone call before. Last one :-D No changes in sector or companion. Elder Attridge is my assassin. Lovely :-D WE had a Wonderful WArd activity Friday:-D White Elephant. Everyone was asking us ``Why is it called a White Elephant?`` :-D This week our investigators kind of jad it hard. WE had two mothers freak out, one is going in for cancer surgery, others simply can`t find their testimonies BUT WE WILL STILL WIN. We have to win we`re on Gods team. :-D Here are some names Coni and Nelson(Father) Tapia: Her Mom Claudia does NOT want her to be baptized and now doesn`t want her to learn anymore. Coni is also praying for a testimony. Nacho Jaque: Same story but his Father is also against him learning anything. THey both like the church and want to learn more. They want the peace they feel when they come. Alejandro and Hilda: She has surgery this week so naturally they are both worried. He believes everything but she is still a little reluctant but they both like it that we visit them. CInthia and Aylin: They read and pray but they still can`t seem to achieve that testimony that they are looking for and actually it would seem that Cinthia has some sort of secret doubt that she is unwilling to share. THats the people :-) THere are always others but those are who we are focusing on. Elder Attridge is awesome :-) We`re doing great :-D Now for an experience. We were talking a bit with an Adventist father and his family. We invited them to read of the account of Jesus´ visit to the Americas and how it would be cool for them to read what he said. THe man paused for a second and said ``I know that you mormons believe that this all happened but NO ES REAL, it isn`t real.`` He then said nothing trying to disprove it. All he said that it wasn`t real. . . . . . . . It is though :-) It really did happen. After 2 years of talking about it I have a little something to say. The church is true. There really is a God, he talks to prophets, he`s given them his power and because of that we can go back to live with him. What a blessing :-) THats it guys. Mom Dad Elder Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you all and BE HAPPY!!! SIncerely Elder Jamie McConnell

QUERIDA FAMILILA Y QUERIDOS AMIGOS O SEA A TODOS USTEDES!!! CÓMO LES VA?!?!?! Hey guys, how`re things. SAM`S IN JAPAN! :-D Thats different :-) Thats awesome that he`s understanding people already :-D Sounds like his trainer is cool too. Elder Villalobos, take care of my bro alright. My trainer was kind of an idiot so I hope the same doesn`t happen to Elder McConnell. But I already like you since you speak spanish :-D We got to hit it up when we get home :-D So things here in the other Los Angeles are doing great. President Maritnez challenged the entire mission to complete with every key indicator and we had a fantastic week. We really pushed ourselves to do it. We walked, talked, contacted, invited, challenged, laughed, got rejected, everything :-D Met a lot of people, lots of stories. Here are some. Throughout the week we pass this street where all the children say hi to us and we teach them occasionally. One of them we`re teaching in her house too, the Coni. We helping her to read and to pray and to feel the spirit. We asked her this week if she had been reading and she said ¡Sí! and we asked if she had been praying and she said ¡Sí! and we asked if she had felt something and she sad Ya we asked her how she had felt and she said Bien(well/fine) and paz(peace) and we were like ¨Thats the Spirit¨ And when we said it I felt it too. That is the spirit telling you that what you are doing is good and true. Love that. Something sad but cool. We had been visiting this mother and her daughter and teaching a little. One day we passed and the mother wasn`t there but her aunt and daughter were. The aunt and daughter saw us through the curtains and then dropped them. We waited a second because unless they tell us no we don`t go. A little while later the porch light turns on and they let us in. We chatted for a second and then headed out. Yesterday we get there and Laura, the mother, tells us that we can`t come over anymore. She said that the aunt and her husband told her that we were only going to confuse the daughter with our religion because she goes to a catholic school AND (and this is MY favorite part) that the other day MArtina the daughter had had a¨bad reaction¨when we came over. When she said that I thought ´´What? Was she possessed? Did she get sick? What happened?´´ She explains to us that when we had come over the other day that the aunt wanted nothing to do with us whatsoever but that Martina started to tell her loudly ´´Let them in Let them in, they`re friends, I want to listen´´ and the aunt couldn`t convince her otherwise so she let us in. THAT WAS THE BAD REACTION. I almost exploded. I felt like when Jesus told the apostles ´´suffer the children to come unto me´´. I felt good though that the spirit had touched Martina at least. Maybe in several years she will remember that. LAst thing. We got attacked by an Adventist family Saturday. They invited us in all nice and smiley without saying who they were or why but we like to go INTO peoples houses so we fell for it completely. They then spent the next hour and a half explaining how the sabbath is saturday and then invited us to REALLY read the scriptures to come to know the true way of Christ. I gave them a 9 for the information but a 3 with the presentation. WE explained to them how we were grateful for modern day prophets and the Book of Mormon since there have been so many changes in doctrines and the Bible. Omar, the father, tried to convince us that we should have the same distrust of the Book of Mormon since it is more ancient than the New testament and so that it would also have lost a lot of its truths through all the years and all the translations. IT felt REALLY good to explain to HIM that the Book of Mormon had ONE translation to english and ONE MORE to Spanish. Scoreboard BofM 2, Bible (number undetermined). How does that taste? Bitter? Hard to get down? :-D I love the Gospel. They invited us over next Saturday to talk about Mosiah 13 and Revelation 17 :-D Wish us luck. Thats it guys :-) Somebody figure out when sam can call home so we can plan that well. 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?!?! Sup guys, how`re things? I hope the best. ELDER SAM!! You`re on your way!! :-D GO BAPTIZE JAPAN!! I liked that story that Sam said of the missionary that said he could have been doing better things if he hadn`t had gone on a mission. Take THAT fetcher. Thats whats up. Missions rule. I wonder if I`ll ever meet someone that will tell me that my mission was a waste of time. It would not end very well for that person, I TELL YOU WHAT. Things have been going very well here in the Ohig. We were able to bring a bunch of people to church yesterday :-D One of them is named Coni and she`s really cool. She`s the 11 year old daughter of an active member actually and ,cutest thing, she asked us if she could see that baptismal font with her dad and I was like ''of course you can and maybe later we can fill it up and throw you and your dad in there, how fun would that be? :-D'' I didn`t say that but still. She`s really sweet. We taught a bunch of people this week and on Wednesday I taught them with the infamous ELDER DALLIN D GOMEZ!!! We tore it up!! Do you want to know about Jesus Christ? How bout your neighbors? Friends? Extended family? We can even teach your dead relatives:-D We`re everywhere!! It was really fun. I loved to listen to Elder Gomez teach. I can wait to talk about the mission when we get home. This week we also talked with a bunch of really uncharacteristically unbelieving chileans. They didn`t believe in God so we offered them the BofM saying this is proof that God exists, you can have it and read it and you will know if there really is god or not. Will you read it? and they were all like `` . . . nah, Don`t feel like it. Honestly I don`t care`` That got me for a second. I honestly wanted to say ``. . .Are you a idiot?`` But that would have been rude. So we bore our testimonies and wished them well. Sadness. BUT maybe God gave them an experience since we passed by so we`ll see :-D The gospel is true. There really is a God and he loves us. He`s perfect in every way and there`s a lot of ways. He really does talk with prophets. Blessings :-) THats it for me guys, Mom Dad Elder Sam Meri Grace and Sophie and Sweetie I love you all and BE HAPPY!! SIncerely ELder JAmie McConnell

Weekly Letter

HEy EVERYBODY!! :-D HOWZIT GOING?!?!
Hey GUys, how`re things? I hope good :-) Things are going good here
too as always :-D
This last week was really boring :-P Not a lot happened :-P
Something cool, a baptism happened Saturday of some investigators of
the other Elders that I knew when I was here last year :-D a LOT of
work happened so that that could come to pass :-D A bunch of Elders
came to the Baptism too, to see Juan and Sissi get baptized. Very
sweet. I was asked to direct. I can do that now because if you
didn`t know, I speak spanish.
Honestly NOT a lot happened this week. Fetch :-P
TYLER!!! :-D CÒMO ESTÀ COMPADRE!!! I think you`re going to school
tomorrow right? Fetcher, you and Kevin had better live it up while I`m
not there cuz we`re going to have a blast when the ex Elder
McAwesomesauce comes to town. Write me man!! :-D
THats basically it :-p I do have two last things. ONE, I realized
that the reason that I understand that even though life gets really
hard some times, God still lives and things will work out for our well
being and I know that because I believe in the scripture D&C 122:7.
Cool story. Second: The reason I believe in a Heavenly Father is
because I know that the Book of Mormon is true and THAT is the
foundation of everything else. I have heard many things here in
Chile, many people who would like to disprove God and they have at
times been very convincing BUT NEVER have they been able to touch the
veracity of this wonderful book. If you are reading this and not the
BofM, please read it. Your life will be better-
Thats it guys :-) Pray so that my weeks a little more exciting next
time :-D ELDER MCCONNELL!!! :-D YOU`RE ON YOUR WAY OUT!!! DON`T BE
SCARED, DON`T WORRY EITHER, YOU`RE NOT SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND ANYONE
THE FIRST DAY :-D I AM SO PROUD TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE AN ELDER OF GOD.
DON`T FORGET WHAT YOU ARE WHERE YOU`RE FROM AND WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
AND WHAT YOU WANT TO BECOME. LOVE YOU A TON!!!
Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and SOphie and sweetie I love
you all and BE HAPPY
SIncerely
ELder Jamie McConn

Weekly Letter

HEy EVERYBODY!! :-D HOWZIT GOING?!?!
Hey GUys, how`re things? I hope good :-) Things are going good here
too as always :-D
This last week was really boring :-P Not a lot happened :-P
Something cool, a baptism happened Saturday of some investigators of
the other Elders that I knew when I was here last year :-D a LOT of
work happened so that that could come to pass :-D A bunch of Elders
came to the Baptism too, to see Juan and Sissi get baptized. Very
sweet. I was asked to direct. I can do that now because if you
didn`t know, I speak spanish.
Honestly NOT a lot happened this week. Fetch :-P
TYLER!!! :-D CÒMO ESTÀ COMPADRE!!! I think you`re going to school
tomorrow right? Fetcher, you and Kevin had better live it up while I`m
not there cuz we`re going to have a blast when the ex Elder
McAwesomesauce comes to town. Write me man!! :-D
THats basically it :-p I do have two last things. ONE, I realized
that the reason that I understand that even though life gets really
hard some times, God still lives and things will work out for our well
being and I know that because I believe in the scripture D&C 122:7.
Cool story. Second: The reason I believe in a Heavenly Father is
because I know that the Book of Mormon is true and THAT is the
foundation of everything else. I have heard many things here in
Chile, many people who would like to disprove God and they have at
times been very convincing BUT NEVER have they been able to touch the
veracity of this wonderful book. If you are reading this and not the
BofM, please read it. Your life will be better-
Thats it guys :-) Pray so that my weeks a little more exciting next
time :-D ELDER MCCONNELL!!! :-D YOU`RE ON YOUR WAY OUT!!! DON`T BE
SCARED, DON`T WORRY EITHER, YOU`RE NOT SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND ANYONE
THE FIRST DAY :-D I AM SO PROUD TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE AN ELDER OF GOD.
DON`T FORGET WHAT YOU ARE WHERE YOU`RE FROM AND WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
AND WHAT YOU WANT TO BECOME. LOVE YOU A TON!!!
Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and SOphie and sweetie I love
you all and BE HAPPY
SIncerely
ELder Jamie McConn

Weekly Letter

DEAR EVERYBODY!!! :-D HOWZIT GOING?!?!?
HEY Jamo :-D Thats awesome Man! :-D I can`t wait to tell you about
the ONLY CELESTIAL MISSION ON THE PLANET!!! :-D Does that make you
jealous? I`d be.
Hey guys, how`re things? I hope good. The puppy`s adorable :-D I
can`t wait to meet her. Choro Sam seems to be having a little too
much fun in the MTC :-D I REMEMBER THOSE ROOMS!! I swear, time doesn`t
exist there. I wasn`t aware that Elder Rasband was my first Bishop.
I`d like to talk to him some time.
So things are doing good here in LOs ANgeles North. We`re leading
the Zone in teaching people. I`m not prideful, we`re just amazing.
We were able to challenge a bunch of people to Baptism, teach a lot of
families, really cool week :-D We just talked about Easter. THere`s a
cool part in the BofM in Alma 16:19-20 that we shared a lot with the
people this week. Its cool to think that everything stems off of the
Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
My companion. ELder Jared Zachary Attridge (THAT is a hard last
name for people to say here). He`s awesome- He`s smart too. I think
that had he been my comp when I started the mission I would have hated
him because he`s already really talented :-D Just kidding, I hate no
man. He comes from a family in Washington state of 7 brothers and
sisters and they`re awesome too. I haven`t seen picture but I have
faith. AND he`s never kissed a girl :-D Some people make fun of him but I think thats cool. He tells people he will only kiss who he thinks will be his wife. How romantic is that? :-D I thought that I finally found someone who was more awkward than me around girls but it turns out he`s quite the lady`s man, going out
and dancing and whatever. He just doesn`t kiss them :-D I`m still the
awkward Champion.
Cool experience, we were contacting, because, you know, we do that
sometimes, its a hobby of ours, and we were waiting outside this house
when this lady comes by. She also needed to get inside so we just
said hi. Then another lady came out and told us that the owner of the
house wasn`t home so we couldn`t share anything. We told her that
we`d like to share with her. She said no. Ouch. We turn to go and
that first lady that I mentioned says quietly and awesomely,"Yo quiero
escuchar. Yo quiero aprender" I want to listen. I want to learn.
That almost broke my heart :-D So we talked with her, about a lot of
stuff. She had some sincere questions and we had had some sincere
answers. The difference between our church and all the others is that
GOD MADE OURS. She seemed interested. She lives far away so we can`t
go and visit but we gave her a BofM and a number. HEr names Genesis
and ojalà que le vaya bien.
Thats it guys. Keep sending testimonies, Mom Dad Choro Sam Meri
Grace Sophie and Puppy, I love you all and BE HAppY!!
Sincerely
ELder Jamie McConnell

Weekly Letter

HEY EVERYBODY!!! :-D HOWZITGOING?!?! :-D
Wasn`t conference AWESOME?! SAM!! Why didn`t you sign up for the Choir fetcher!! Once in a life time opportunity and he blows it. Way to go. :-D Hope you had fun in Conference :-)
SO things are going good here in the O`higg except that we can`t find anyone :-P Everyone except for the faithful members :-D We tried to bring people to conference but nobody had time :-P So we`re just going to print everything off and give the talks to everyone. YOU WILL HAVE CONFERENCE AND YOU WILL LIKE IT. Ran into a bunch of people, basically the same story as last year, some better, some not so better. REGARDLESS, there will be miracles :-)
The Contreras Family is doing alright. They just need some help to remember some things. Bytheway mom, everyone LOVES my journal and so do I. There is a lot of stuff that the people here have forgotten that I wrote down and I will forever be grateful for a loving parent who wanted her son to write down some memories. Somebody said once that the word remeber is the most important word in the english language and I bet that person kept a journal.
The streets are the same, the people are the same, if they were awesome they`re still awesome, if they weren`t, then they`re still not but thats OK. There`s always time to repent :-D We`ll help with that. :-D I don`t need to know where anyone lives because I know them :-D We will get a lot of work done these next couple of weeks.
My new companion`s name is Elder Attridge, and he is actually from the same ward of Elder Lundgren in Washington :-D He`s awesome and very obedient :-D We`re going to have a lot of fun together. O`higgins is his first sector so I just replaced his trainer who apparently left a lot to be desired but THATS OK :-D So did mine :-D Small world. Elder Attridge told me that he got a bunch of calls from other missionaries telling him how awesome I am. I neither denied or accepted any of those claims, I just let the people speak :-D I`ll be sending pictures soon.
Elder Dallin Gomez is my Zone Leader, HOW COOL IS THAT?!?! :-D We can`t stop hugging each other when we see each other :-D He`s just a little fireball of awesome and we`re going to be having a blast here in Los Angeles :-D We`re the oldest missionaries in the Zone :-P I am SO OLD : So is he : TIme flies.
One of my favorite talks (ONE of, there are several more :-D) was Elder Rasband`s talk. I felt something really cool and I wrote it down as the first recorded time that I knew that the Resurrection is true. Occasionally I have felt things like that which have to be the Holy Ghost telling me about eternal truths and that talk was one of them. I hope that anyone who is having doubts about that part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can know that I KNOW that it is true, and that I fight to defend it. I love truth. Don`t forget to keep your truths save :-D
Thats it for me my beloved Family and Friends :-D Don`t forget to send me your testimonies, (Thanks Grandpa and Grandma McConnell)(Bytheway Anyone else who reads these emails, I want your testimony too, WRITTEN). Until the next, Mom Dad Elder McConnell Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you all and BE HAPPY!!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

HEY EVeryBODY!! :-D HOWZIT GOING!?!?!
Guess who`s on his way back to Los Angeles to be in his old sector O`higgins . . . I AM!! TAKE THAT UNIVERSE!! Miracles happen. God exists. How Awesome is that I`m going to tear it up in the O`hig! :-D
NOw, being deadly serious, there are serious problems in the Ward. Very little Priesthood, very little amount of members, the sector is puny, the people are catholic (and old, not like thats bad), and unfortunately that family that I was teaching way back when I believe has gone a little inactive. SO, I NEED YOUR PRAYERS: I want to change everything here. EVERYTHING. But I can`t do it by myself. SO I have a special assignment to all of you who read this email. If you could send me a letter (a LETTER, not an email) with your testimony written on it, I will recieve it here and translate it for the ward and make a Book. Write what you know to be true, what you have felt, what you have gone through to get to where you are today, the trials and problems and how through it all God still lives and the Church is true. As soon as they can be sent, the sooner I can start translating and making copies. This people will know that YOU know that this is TRUE and they will feel that spirtual flame. They will know that people a world away care for them. Please if you can.
I am tired. :-D BUt thats ok, It makes me feel that I need to be more dependant on my Heavenly FAther. THe more I work the more I need help.
ELder Sam. That stinks that one of the District is going home :-P Thats the worse. It makes you feel like losing a friend in a battle because it kind of is :-P I`m grateful that I have made it so far and that I still want to stay. Even when its hard Sam, its still the best time of my life here on the mission.
I did get the package :D THe plain chocolate m&m`s, snickers, and reeces are gone but I`m saving the cake for Wednesday :-D The ties were awesome as well :-D and the chess sets amazing classy AND portable :-D
SOmething that you said mom about temple covenants struck me hard. I think people suffer so much sadness simply because they put their happiness in things that don`t last. If we get our hands on all the things that will last through eternity I think that THEN we will be happy. I heard a cool John Bytheway quote. Life is a supermarket and we fill up our carts with all sorts of stuff, however much we want, then we have to leave but the only things we can take out are our Character, Knowledge, and Relationships. If there is anything else in your cart DEATH WILL UNLOAD IT. Spooky and very true. THanks mom and dad for keeping those promises. I am SO grateful for that. Help Meri to understand.
I love this work. It is the work of God. Prophets are going to talk during the Weekend. How cool is that? Prayers may not be able to fix every single problem that comes our way but they can call angels from heaven and thats pretty handy. Please help me call those angels.
Thats it guys. Until the next, MOm Dad Elder Sam Meri Grace and Sophie I love you all and BE HAPPY!!
Sincerely
Elder James``Jamie`` Farrell McConnell IV

Weekly Letter

HEY EVERYBODY!!1 HOWZIT GOING?!?! :-D
Hey guys, how´re things?. I hope the best. We´re doing good here in the south side of america :-D I still miss the north side though ;-D God bless America.
SOme cool things this week. There was a baptism this Saturday and Yesterday I got to confirm her. Her name is Maria de Los Angeles Rosales Eyppert and shes awesome. She just randomly told the Elders like a week ago that she had a dream and that she wanted to be baptized. I love those dreams :-D She didn´t know everything about the baptism requirements (Word of Wisdom, Tithing, others) so we taught them all to her in one day and she was like ´´That seems true of course I´ll live that commanment´´. Her mother is member so these commandment thingys aren´t a COMPLETE surprise. I was honored when she asked me to confirm her. I love Priestood Power. I hope never to lose it. We went over Yesterday as well and explained the AWEZOMENESS of what she recieved sunday morning.
We had to do several exchanges this week to do baptismal interviews. Out of the 5 baptized I did 4. Very fun. I was talking to an 8 year old Miguel and I asked him why he wanted to be baptized and he told me, sweetest thing, ´´So I can be with Jesus´´. Break your heart adorable :-D An Angelica explained to me that she just felt it so strongly that she knew she needed to be baptized (This same lady has in total burned 5 Books of Mormon before listening to the current Elders. She didn´t FEEL it then.).
As to your question Dad, YES there are stupid Elders. Now they have calmed down :-D At the beginning of the transfur we needed to switch companions with a couple of Elders due to ´´conflicting opinions´´, other Elders we didn´t need to go so far but almost, an Elder went home the other day (Nothing bad happened, problems at home),and trainers aren´t doing there jobs and making their new missionary companions mad and worst anxious. That last one we got a call from President asking us if we could fix it before he had to step in. Spooky :-D But I´m exagerating (spelling?), things aren´t THAT bad but its still a headache. :-D
Next week are cambios so Monday I´ll say where I´ll be.
I sent a envelope with letters to Sam and a photo card with a couple of pictures on it. Please send some of those photo mailers soon :-D
I am honestly jealous of Sam learning Japanese. It bothers me that I don´t know what in the world he is saying. Thats awesome :-D Keep it up Elder Sam!
KEVIN!! YOUR A BOSS!
THats it guys :-) Mom Dad Elder Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, THe church is true and I LOVE YOU!!
Sincerely
ELder JAmie McAwesomeSauce McConnell
ps be happy
pps I can now see noises

Dear EVERBODY!! :-D Howzit GOING?!?! :-D
Hey guys, how`re things? I hope good I`m so sorry for LAura Thompson I didn`t think it would be that fast I also didnt know that she was a convert :-D I will always have HUGE respect for the converts of this church and especially for someone like Laura Thompson
Sup Kev man :-D YOU`RE HOME!!! :-D I still got time left sucka!! :-D You`re awesome man. Cant wait to talk about how crazy the mission is with you and Elder Davies and eventually Elder Gomez :-D See you in June :-D
Hey Dad, did Sam(Elder McConnell) write an email?, Because I ould LOVE to read that
Things seem pretty exciting back home :-) I don`t know if I can handle it I`m sure I`ll be fine. Things here in Chilay are going good. This month we`re really trying to get the mission to start rolling out the baptisms just like back in the day. We want the missionaries to really be obedient, really study, really plan, really serve, and really teach. Several years ago this mission was not exactly the most obedient mission ever and I`ll like to talk with kevin and Elder Davies and you dad when I get back about all those missions and the things that happened. Now that i`m a lot older, and Im not trying to be obedient just to impress President or other missionaries but really BECAUSE I WANT TO, I now have a lot of power with the other missionaries. I hope to make a lot of waves before I leave :-D
One of the Elders in the apartment, Elder Mucha, had to go home on Friday, so now we`re in a Trio :-D Elder Fernandez is really cool, and we hope to have a lot of fun. I wish I could explain why South Americans are so fetching hilarious but you`d have to speak spanish to understand. Little fact, there are only 5 continents and if you tell a Chilean otherwise, they get very upset. Beware.
Yesterday I juggled a soccer ball 60 times with my feet :-D I`m basically Chilean now.
As well, Yesterday like eery sunday we sent in the numbers of the mission but the way we do it now is through email and we need to fill out a form of other questions as well. At the top of the page there`s a place where we put our names because the same form is sent to 20 other elders so for our names yesterday we put Elder Montalbacàn (Bacàn is the Chilean equivolent of awesome) and Elder McAwesome. Never give elders space to mess around because we will :-D
During the week, we taught a man Lesson 1 and we explained the first vision. I KNOW I felt the spirit but he got really offended :-( ``NO, it says in the Bible that man cannot see God``. Weirdest thing. I suppose that`s proof that some people will not listen to the spirit. Make sure not to be one of them.
Thats it for me guys :-D Until the next, Mom, Dad Elder McConnell Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you bunches and Be HAPPY!!
Sincerely
Elder McAwesome (Elder Jamie McConnell)

Weekly Letter

HEY EVERYBODY!!! :-D HOWZIT GOING?!?! :-D
SO thats it. Choro McConnell is off to Japan. Thats crazy :-D
Something funny, Choro in Spanish (or at least in Chile) is someone
who thinks he can fight everybody and WIN. Ive met a lot of
``Choros`` here in Chile and they were all little punks but being a
Choro Elder might be a good thing, thinking you can take on the whole
world with the gospel. Its kind of an unfair fight, 50000
missionaries against the world. MAybe we should send less
missionaries :-D
So things are going good here in the mission Chile Concepciòn
south side. I saw all the plaques in the picture and I feel proud to
be in this mission :-D THEre were two people that I couldnt recognize
:-D GO LAKEPOINT!!. ANyways, things here are good. A baptismal date
fell because Fabian didnt go to church :-P But we will fix that. We
have a new person who we are teaching, Brad Villegas. He is 9 years
old and his older brother was baptized recently. We taught them both
and their little sister about Lehis dream and the iron rod and they
are now all reading the Book of mormon :-D Brad was in Omni the last
time I checked :-D We kind of cheated and said ``To you want to get
lost and fall into forbidden paths?`` and they were like ``. . . Uh No
please.`` So we were like READ YOUR SCRIPTURES AND PRAY!!! and it
worked :-D Thanks Lehi.
A cool spiritual moment I had this week, we were teaching a less
active member who loves the missionaries but just doesnt go to church.
HEr names Caty and shes 16. Shes going through that rebelious age of
doing crazy things( she has the WEIRDEST haircut, its like a buzz cut
but only on the sides). BUt honestly I dont feel that she does
everything that she does because she likes it because she seemed
really lost. We came over to talk, just chatting and the conversation
turned to the church and she said the coolest thing. ¨I know that I
can be forgiven for what ive done and if I serve a mission and bring
souls to god, even better¨. I FELT IT. THere are several moments in
my mission when the spirit testified of a specific truth and this was
one of them. So I told her, What you said is true. I love saying
that. Truth is awesome :-D Please pray for her. Her name is Caty
Soto, and shes a little lost but at the end of the day a fantastic
person who will change the world. She just doesnt see that yet.
THAnks :-D

Elder McCOnnell, You are awesome. Dont forget.
So until the next, Mom Dad Sam(Elder McCOnnell), Meri, Grace, and
Sophie, I love you all and BE HAPPY!!
SIncerely
Elder JAmie McConnell

Weekly EMAIL

HEY EVERYBODY!! :-D HOWZIT GOING?!?!?!
Hey guys, how`re things? I hope good. SOunds like the despidida
is getting coplicated :-P Thats never fun. But thats ok, Things will
work out. Pres Hinckley said that AND HES A PROHPET. Prophets rule.
SO Sam, YOu`re on your way out. I know its hard, but you are
going to see everybody a LOT sooner than you think. Right now thats
really hard to believe, and honestly I don`t think you realize it
until like 20 months into the mission. But that day will come :-)
So things are going good here in Lota Bajo. Honestly things were a
little complicated, we had some companionship issues but we were ok at
least :-D Problem was that we weren`t able to work a LOT this week
:-) But thats ok. Thats why repentance is so handy, you stop doing
what you did before and you never do it again, genius:-D
FAbian is doing good. He can`t get baptized this week, cuz he
didnt go to church yesterday :-P BUT HE WILL BE BAPTIZED!!! Just not
this week :-) Keep Praying. The other investigators we couldn`t see
but I think SOMEBODY coughgodcough kept them safe. At least I hope.
THe attendance here is on average more than one hundred. Last week
it was 150. ITs a good branch and in fact, the city had a ward and
two branches in it at some point but something happened :-P Thats why
we`re here, to fix that :-D The members are really cool , and we`re
really cool so its a perfect fit :-D THAts one thing sam, where ever
you go, try and share something or at least ask your comp to do it.
Even if they are long time members, leave something behind.
I sent letters today so those should arrive sometime in two weeks.
It also has a picture card in it :-D Sorry for not sending one in so
long :-P :-(
Something I learned this week that was really cool. The 2000
stripling Warriors were not afraid to lose their lives, WHY?. I
listened to a talk by John Bytheway and the answer was ``We are not
afraid because we are clean. We have nothing to fear. If we die,
we`ll be with God, if we live, He`ll be with us`` HE said something
else interesting ``You know whats better than happiness, Peace.`` If
you are doing what you should and things aren`t working out ``Be still
and know that I m God``, and things will work out. Maybe not now, or
soon, or in this life, but it`ll work out :-D I like believing in all
this because its easier when you believe :-D
Thats it guys :-) Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you all
SO MUCH And BE HAPPY!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Elder Gomez and Elder McConnell

Dearest everybody. HOWZIT GOING?!?!
Hey guys, how`re things? :-D How is LIFE :-D On this side of the
world its awesome :-D Live it up. Every moment. :-) (Sophie, don`t
fall down :-D)
SOOO. I have decided, after a quite long session of reading,
praying, pondering, thinking, whatever, that, I am going to stick
around a little while longer here in Chile. Sam, I`m really sorry
that I`m not going to see you before you go. It was really hard to
decide. I honestly would never have missed that opportunity if it
wasn`t for the mission. Ever. BUT, President Martinez said that I
can call on monday next week for an hour to talk with you :-) So I`m
not completely going to not be there. I hope you understand.
I spent this last week thinking of several things over a very long
period of time. The mission in itself, what I`ve learned here (and
THAT is a lot), the people I`ve met, all the things that are forever,
lots of stuff. Elder Demke just left for UTah :-D My father in the
mission, Elder Valdivia also is heading home, to Arica Chile. You can
see it in all of there faces. ``I can`t believe its over``. I
thought to myself why. And I realized its because the mission is
awesome. How can someone destroy their feet and burn their skin and
withstand ridicule and rejection on a VERY regular basis for two
years? Because its one of the greatest things he or she will do in his
or her life. So much of what happens in the mission will last through
the eternities and that is a long time. Mom, Dad, I`m sorry I won`t be home so soon to see you and for school. Sam, I`m sorry we won`t see eachother with our eyes for
a little while. Meri, I`m sorry that I won`t be home soon to talk and
hang out. Grace, I`m sorry that I won`t be home soon to play with you.
And Sophie, I`m sorry that I won`t be home for your birthday. BUT
we will regardless have another birthday when I arrive. ANd
June isn`t all that far off :-D And Sam, two years FLY when you do it
right. I promise.
We`re doing good here in LOTA :-D mY new companion is called Elder
Montalbàn and he`s Chilaen who speaks perfect English. He`s fairly
new but VERY awesome and we`re going to have a ton of fun. Our
investigators are called Fabian, Margarita, Victoria, Bido and
CEsar. Fabian and Margarita have been going to church for a little
while now and Victoria the granddaughter of Margarita went yesterday.
She isn`t sure about god but we`ve been testifying a ton about him so
we`ll help her with that :-D Bido also went yesterday and his older
brother is a member already so we`re helping him out. and Cesar
already wants to be baptized but needs to quit smoking so we`re going
to fix that. :-D
Thats basically it guys :-) so until the next, Mom Dad Sam Meri
Grace and Sophie, I love you all So Much and BE HAppY!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell
p.s. I read the miracle of forgiveness in spanish the other day.
Pres Kimball was pretty heavy duty

Weekly Letter

HEY EVERYBOSY!!! :-D HOWZIT GOING!?!?! (I put the S on purpose)
So to get things straight, Sams going to the MTC on the 22nd? Thats
too bad, the waiting game is the worst :-D
Hey guys, How`re things? Hey Sam I like your talk. I wish I had
typed mine. I cant wait to take your homecoming talk and compare the
two :-D But that might take a while :D
So things are going good here in Lota. It`s hot but thats better
than rain so no complaints. We just entered into February (spelling),
Kevin`s got a month left, I have a little more :-P Crazy stuff :-D
Sorry for not writing monday. We had to go to a conference and we
thought we`d have time to write during the day but nope :-) We`re fine
though :-D once a month on a monday we have that conference so it
should happen again maybe two more times.
SO . . . one runs out of things to say after so long :-D Oh i got
it. I learned this week that Sin is not self sufficient. IF someone
sins long enough they will lose everything. Sin needs a constant
import of fuel to live. It gives nothing that lasts. King Noah was a
parasite to his people but because it was fun in the moment they
followed him. There are however people who appear to have a lot and
that do not live a ery Christ like life but I bet that if we looked
closely that they are constantly feeding a creature that cannot be
filled. Gambling, you get money you use it to gamble. Lying, you
sacrifice honesty to keep a lie alive. Greed, you must keep what you
have and have to have more. There are several examples more but thats
enough :D
Something cool this week, A guy yesterday sincerely asked us what
the Book of Mormon was and naturally we sincerely responded. He
wasn`t interested in the church YET but he did want to kno about this
little blue book. We explained that it was the word of god (And if
anyone who is reading this doesn`t know, believe, or is unaware of
this fact, it is true) and he seemed interested, not crazy head over
heels baptize me interested but he wanted to know a little more. He
asked where he could go to get a copy and I almost screamed `` In My
BACKPACK!!`` and I whipped one out and put it in his hands. I then
had the thought, ``How sad is it that there aren`t more people who ask
us `where can I get these books, the scriptures?`` NEVER unappreciate
the scriptures. There was a LOT of suffering so that you can have
them in your hands today.
Thats it for me guys :-D M;om Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love
you all and BE HAppY!1
Sincerely
Elder JAmie McConnell

Weekly EMAIL

EHY EVERYBODY!! HOWZITGOING!?!?!

So how`re things everybody? :-D I feel very close to home :-D Its
almost sickening :-P I thought what its going to be like when I
finally see everyone after SO LONG. THAT will be quite the feeling
:-D.
So Elder Corbridge of the Seventy came over the other day and
dropped some pretty heavy gospel bombs on us :-D VERY awesome. I even
had the opportunity to talk with him privately about the ``Fullness of
the Gospel`` and he explained that very well. If you guys remind me
about it, I`ll tell you later :-D I took several notes so I`ll share
those later but some of the things that he said that I really liked
was ``What profit is it to get everything and lose your soul``.
Elder Reyes and Elder Fernandez boxed the other day (the Elders
that live with us) Elder REyes isn`t a really big guy but he beat the
snot out of Elder Fernandez. :-D I`ll take a picture :-D
We did intercambios with a companionship the other day as well and
it was really weird to have this newer Elder Rico ask me so much
stuff. I forget that I`m awesome some times :-DAnd By awesome I mean
really really old in the Mission.
Some guy told us that the Book of Mormon was false the other day.
Didn`t know what he was talking about. If he had been any other guy
and not a leader in his church I might have been very . . .
rambunctious with my response but I held my temper and just told him
that it was true. Thats all you need to do.
Whenever we tell anyone that we are the true church, the usual
reply is ``Thats pretty egotistical of you guys to say that`` and I
usually say ``Yeah, it is, but it`s still true`` :-D You can be very
``mean`` and very honest at the same time :-D
I should describe the sector. Its called Lota bajo but the city`s
just called lota. There are in total 6 missionaries but only 4 live
together. Elder Reyes is from Washington but his parents are both
from mexico and he speaks fluent spanish. Elder Fernandez is from
Uruguay and both of these Elder`s families are all members. We are
right next to the ocean but they tell us that the tsunami can`t reach
us where we live because of how the cove is shaped. We have one big
hill in our sector and it a pain to climb but I`m fine. If I were
newer it`d be a challenge. :-D Lota in and of itself is kind of a
challenge because the missionaries have been around here so the people
know us :-D :-P There are a bajillion evangelical churches (I think
that Mom might be able to describe what that means) which is always a
blast :-D We love it when we find people that don`t go to any church
because we dont need to explain why they`re wrong or have to fight
over the bible :-P :-D Thats basically it :-D
Guys, the church is true. Elder Fernandez was sick on sunday and
we had to bring him the Sacrament. We did it right there in the
bedroom. We sang a hymn that Elder Demke played on his guitar and the
bread was crackers. I then read the prayer straight from a random
Libro de Mormon that I had at arms length in the room. ANd to top it
all off we did it with the power and authority of God. Church is
true.
Thats it guys :-) Until the next, Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie,
I love you all and BE HAPPY!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Weekly EMAIL-Going back where he started

HEY EVERYBODY!!! :-D HOWZITGOING?!?! :-D
SOPHIE!!!!!! WHAT`RE YOU DOING HAVING A SEIZURE!!!???!! Fetch. I
always get emails that say what happened and then one later that
explains how it ended :-P Thats aight but still. :-P
I hope that everything is alright. IT seems that everything is, so
no worries :-D Things are alright here in Lota as well :-D Bytheway
Mom I didn`t actually say I was a Zone Leader in my last letter so
don`t worry about not reading about it :-D I forgot to put that in :-D
My bad. Yeah so me and Elder Demke are the bosses of the Zone of
Coronel where I began my misiòn more than a year ago :-) Like a Boss.
I actually ran into some members from that Camilo yesterday here in
Lota :-D Now I could talk with them :-D Cool stuff. I counted the
other day, I have around 13 weeks left :-P Blegh. Where`d I put the
years? As for you Sam, you are now on the month countdown :-D How
does THAT feel? Spooky?, I know :-D
We are doing really well here. I feel really old and wise and
we`re helping out a lot of missionaries and a lot of people who need
the gospel :-D THe last time I was here I couldn`t really give a lot
of good advice let alone talk with them :-D GUess who`s back. Back
again. Jamie`s back. Tell your friends :-D Elder Demke is not dead
which is awesome and we`re having a lot of fun. We have a new game in
the morning. Whoever gets to the lightswitch first in the morning
gets to slap the other one, hard. Gets you up real fast :-D As
well, the branch here is awesome. There are a ton of wonderful people
and the vast majority of them are converts who are so strong :-D I`m
going to have a lot of fun :-D
I read a scripture the other day (I do that sometimes) and I came
across one that talks about Sherem and Jacob and how Sherem was
thinking that he could get Jacob to give up his beliefs( I got to give
Sherem props for the guts but Oh my gosh are you serious?). Jacob
explains why in Jacob 7:5 why he couldn`t ``be shaken``. He had had
revelations, he had seen angels, and do you know why he had had
revelations and seen angels? Because he looked for them and did what
they said, thats why. People do not recieve revelations or see angels
without searching for them or unless they are going to do what the
revelation or angel says. I say this because in spanish it says
``descarriado`` which is like derailed or astray. Its a common phrase
that people use here to say that they have a religion but they dont
ever go. They say ``Estoy un poco descarriado`` and then laugh a
little like when they say that, their behavior is fine, like it`s not
there fault. Any person that becomes ``descarriado`` is a victim of
his or her own choice. You do not fall away because it ``just
happens``, you fall away because you didn`t hold on, you didn`t look
for the angels and revelations and were left to fend for yourself.
Search the scriptures, really pray, obey the commandments even when
its hard and the angels will come and you will never fall away or
become ``descarriado``.
Thats it for me Guys :-D Hey Sam, Happy birthday, I hope you had a
lot of fun :-) Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie I
love you all and BE HAPPY!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Weekly EMAIL

HEY EVERYBODY!! :-D HOWZIT GOING!?!?! :-D
Hey guys, how´re things? :-D I hope the best :-D
Cool things :-D I´m leaving Vilcún!! Actually thats not
cool but where I´m going it is :-D CORONEL :-D Where I started the
mission :-D Fetch YES :-D My new companion´s name is Elder Demke :-)
and he´s really cool. As well, he´s finishing the mission this next
cambio so I´M KILLING HIM :-D Weird stuff man :-D Coronel in spanish
is colonel and for the life of me I don´t know why it sounds like an r
in english :-) Somebody find out please :-D The sector is actually
called Lota so if you guys want to look it up there it is :-D
So honestly this last cambio was really fast and really weird :-P I
´m kind of bad at making really good friends in 6 weeks :-P I need at
least two cambios :-P So It was kind of weird saying goodbye to
everyone because I wasn´t able to have as much of a relationship with
them like Elder Beatty who´s been there since July :-P I´m still going
to miss them all :-) I took Pictures :-D
So now I have two and a little more transfers left in the mission
:-P TOO FAST. I can´t believe that it has gone by so fast :-D Sam for
real, even when it sucks, enjoy the mission :-) I am so old :-D I
don´t know anyone really anymore. I´M that old wise missionary that
all the new missionaries want to be :-D Fetching old. 20 months on
Friday, count them. I can´t wait to see the pictures :-D By the way
Grandpa and Grandma McConnell were asking if I had taken any pictures
so if somebody could go and show them some, that´d be awesome :-D
Something REALLY REALLY cool that I learned yesterday. Yesterday
was new years day which isn´t anywhere near as exciting as the night
before and on top of that its sunday where we need to go to church :-P
7 went to church as in people :-P Sadness :-P Regardless, an awesome
testimony was given yesterday. Luis, the guy who had been assigned to
break and bless the bread went up and gave his testimony. He said
that when he was breaking the bread he knew that there weren´t a lot
of people so he made the pieces really big :-) He said that when there
are a lot of people the bread is broken into smaller pieces but still
everyone gets a piece. I had this thought. There was more bread than
there were people today. There will ALWAYS be more bread than the
people. No matter what we do we will always be able to change and
have the bread to feed the soul. JEsus made it so that there will
always be enough bread for the people :-) I wouldn´t have thought that
if 7 hadn´t come to church on sunday :-) Thanks heaven.
Thats it for me guys :-) Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace And
Sophie, I love you all and BE HAPPY!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

So it is Christmas and IT IS HOT and we ´´cant´´ go and work normally.
There are parenthesis because its just harder to work not impossible.
Anyways, So we are passing by people´s houses just to visit, say hi
and share something tiny. One investigator told us straight up he did
not want to attend us and closed the door. Merry Christmas.
Eventually we go to the Muñoz family´s house. There we begin to make
foods. At this point I decided ´´OK, we can´t go and do contacts or
teach people normally But its Christmas Eve and I will act like such
and make it happy´´ so we did :-D We made food, told jokes, laughed
:-D I miss a good get together with real laugher :-) Then we end the
day with a scripture and head out. While we are on our way out the
sun goes down and Las Luciernagas come out or how we would say
Fireflies. Fireflies that I haven´t seen for almost as long as Meri
has been alive. I got to spend Christmas eve with fireflies. It was
magical. Unfortunately my eyes made it hard to focus on the lights
but to see the lights pass through the fields and trees was wonderful
:-) And i thought ´´Thank you Heavenly Father for having me here, now,
in this place, at this point of my life, so far away from home. Thank
you for this moment.
i already knew but i knew again that God the Eternal father lives
and that he loves every single on of us :-) Merry Christmas
Thats all guys :-D Until next week. Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and
Sophie, I love you all and Be Happy :-D
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Weekly EMAIL

HEY EVERYBODY!! :-D HoWZIT GOInG ?!?!
Hey Guys, how`re things? :-D I hope the best. SOPHIE TALKS!! :-D
Surprisingly well :-D
Things are going good here in Vilcun :-D 20 people came to church
yesterday which is awesome (not investigators, in total). This last
week was really fun :-D We got a lot done .-)
Its really sad to hear about Louis Yates :-( I would have like to
have seen him before :-( But we`ll see each other again :-D I just got
to behave myself .-D Louis Yates is a really great man.
I wrote yesterday and I`m sending the letters tomorrow So heads up :-D
The packages haven`t arrived yet but -i`m sure on wednesday that they
ill be there :-D
As for Christmas call, We`re thinking Monday of doing it. It would
be in the afteroon here but I`ll be sure to tell you guys when to be
ready.
Two cool things this week. We went to go and teach a -laura who is
really nice and we`re just barely starting out with her. The last
time we went we taught the first lesson right up to the apostasy and
left it at that. We came back to finish, and she told us that a
neighbor had passed away the day before and that the family was a
little distraught. She then began to tell us how her own father had
died recently and all the things that happened. Laura`s Dad had
cancer but they actually had done surgery on that but instead of
taking care of himself, he kept on working and taking freezing showers
until he eventually got pneumonia and passed away. Laura didn`t even
know he had gotten pneumonia when she got the call. She was really
sad about it, so we talked about the Atonement. I don`t know if she
understood but I felt the power of the words I said as I testified of
the Atonement Of Jesus Christ. I love those moments of truth.
Second, a more humbling experiance. I went to go and do a baptismal
interview on Thursday. Her name is Raquel and she is deaf. She and
her sister have developed a sign language system of their own so she
is able to comunicate BUT I KNOW that there are a lot of ideas that
they can`t explain with their signs. So we do the interview. I do
not believe that Raquel understands exactly why tithing, or the Word
of Wisdom, or Chastity, or the Sabbath -day, or what a prophet is BUT
. . . I could feel her belief in God, Jesus Christ, and what Joseph
Smith did, and how she knows that she needs tp be baptized. It
humbled me to think that perhaps this women of little understanding
could very easily have a bigger testimony than someone like myself who
has read a lot and been born in the church and whatever. I can`t wait
to meet her after and hear her tell me herself what she feels for God.
Thats it guys. :-D Until the next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and
Sophie, O love you all and BE HAPPY
Sincerely
Elder JAmie McConnell

HEY EVERYBODY HOWZIT GOING
Hey guys, how`re things? I hope good. I just got done typing a
letter in Spanish so this is a little weird right now :-D English is
SO much better but don`t tell anyone :-D
Sounds like things are going good :-D Seeing the pictures of Sophie
are cool and weird. She was a lot smaller when I left :-D I didn`t
know Grandpa was using a walker :-P I hope he`s doing alright.
Forrest`s a Zone Leader? :-D Thats awesome :-D
Things are going good here in Cañete city. We were finally able to
put a baptismal date on an investigator that has been listening for
the longest time but hasnt done anything to show interest. His name`s
Yordy and he`s 14. He reminds me a lot of Sam but doesn`t look or act
anything like Sam if that makes sense. . . :-D
I`m kind of upset at El Diablo right now so I`m just going to lay down the law this week `cuz the prophet`s coming to town. Its like Christmas time. ``You`d better watch out, you`d better not cry, you`d better not pout`` ``Why?`` ``I`m telling
you Why!`` ``Yeah?`` ``Cuz the Prophet came to town, and look what he
brought`` ``Revelation!!`` . . . . I think Sam will get that one
better than anyone else. There was a family here that we`ve been
teaching but all last week there were out in ``El Campo``, something I
think that only Tyson Cook would understand. But this week we`re
going to teach them really well and challenge them to get married :-D
Keep praying for us :-D Their names are Claudia, Claudio, (the
parents), and Daniela and Vicente(or Bicho) :-D
I don`t have glasses or the books yet but I will probably get
them next week :-D The glasses are ready in Conce, we just need to go
get them. :-) I`ll send pictures :-D
An invitation to EVERYONE(This means you and everyone you know)
This weekend the Prophet of GOD and his 12 special witnesses are going
to give the WORLD(this means you again) whatever it is you need to
know to improve your life between now and next April. Any question
that needs answering, any doubt that needs to be resolved, any help
that can be useful, any comfort that is needed, will SOMEHOW be
brought up this weekend. I`ve been challenging everyone to go and
everytime I do I feel more sure that all of that is true. I challenge
EVERYBODY(you again) to go to conference this week, all of it, tell a
friend, and go with a question, a doubt, looking for help, guidance,
comfort, ANYTHING, and if you go SEARCHING for the things that you
need, you will find it. I promise. Miracles will happen.
Thats it for me :-) Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you
all and BE HAPPY!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Weekly Letter

HEY EVERYBODY :-D HOWZIT GOING?!?!
Hey guys. How`re things? Sounds like things are going good for you
all :-D I like what you said about Sam mom about how he thinks its
silly for people to try not to be LDS. I was thinking the other day
that it isn`t easy to be a mormon but its the only way that will work
:-D Let people laugh. We will be happy anyway
So things are going good. I`m going to be getting glasses I
was thinking the other day that I think that I`ve for a very long time
had eyesight problems but I always thought that my eyes were just
tired Nope So in like two weeks I`ll be getting glasses and
contacts :-D By the way, they gave me a test contact to see if I could
handle them AND THEY HURT!! :-P NOT FUN. They said i`d get used to it
but dang. I think that I`ll just use glasses
Things are going good here in Cañete :-) This last week was not fun
:-P i say that thinking about the work because we weren`t able to do a
lot this last week :-P We had to do a lot of traveling that took us
out of our sector and as well the 18th of September is the
independance day of Chile which really means that everyone gets
together to have a barbecue and drink beer :-P Very hard for
missionary work :-P We`re fine, we`re just going to work harder this
week thats coming up
Thats awesome about Kevin :-D AP!!! :-D That is so cool
Something else that`s cool, Dallin`s training :-D Its really cool to
see how everyone is doing in there missions
Something cool. We met the mother of one of our converts the other
day and we started off the conversation with how she couldn`t stand
the mormons. She was talking about how she had never liked the
mormons but now how she wants to learn more about us because her idea
about us was completely wrong :-D She was like ``You guys are actually
really cool .-D`` We got to talking and we eventually asked if she`d
like to be baptized and she said not right now but yes she would love
to be baptized :-D She can`t come to church yet she says because she
lives out of the city but that she`s going to make plans so she can
:-D Little Miracles :-Dç
Something I learned this week. It`s easier to be good all the time
than good most of the time. When you have always decided to do
something due to beliefs, wants whatever, and you always a faithful to
that, it`s almost impossible to fail. But when you just once decide
to be lazy or just be rebelious, it is so much easier to do it again.
And thats when people fall into the trap. Its easier to be a good
missionary all the time than some of the time. It`s easier to be a
good person all the time than some of the time :-D I promise.
Thats it for me guys :-) Sorry for the length :-P I`m writing
letters so heads up for those. Until the next, Mom Dad Sam Meri
Grace, and Sophie, I love you all and Be Happy!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Weekly EMAIL

HEy Guys, how`re things? I hope the best as always :-D Things are
going good here in Cañete :-) We had an alright week :-) I`m just
tired these days :-D Thanks for the card mom:-D That helped a lot :-D
RELEASE THE BEAVERS!! :-D
This last week had nothing really interesting happen :-P Shoot :-P
I HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT :-D I have for the last
forever now, been writing in the back of my agendas funny things that
happen to us :-D Today I`m going to write a few :-D
1: The other day somebody told us from the inside of their house that
they weren`t home and I felt like Winnie the Pooh. ``That`s funny
because SOMEbody must have said NOBODY...`` :-D
2:A convert of ours came at us with a knife the other day and Elder
Aizpurùa said ``You got a knife Huh? TAKE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS!!``
and hit him with the D&C study guide. ``Scripture Power``
3: Me and Elder Lundgren were walking the other day, I was a little
behind him and it was windy and he spat and blinded me. Not fun :-D
4: An Investigator yesterday told us how she went to a funeral with
her ex husband and his family and how they didn`t sit next to her.
After she told us she says this ``. . .and THATS what happened to me.
Sucks. Right? I wouldn`t do that``. I laughed :-D
5: There is a member and investigator couple here in Cañete who ADORE
US and are ALWAYS inviting us over. They are so nice its impossible
to NOT go over sometimes which means we lose time. Elder Lundgren had
accidentally said we would go over but we had a ton of other things to
do that day so HE needed to tell them that we couldn`t. We are
outside of their store and we go over the plan ``We just tell them we
can`t`` ``OK``. We open the door and they see us and scream ``HEY!!
:-D HOW ARE YOU GUYS`` and Elder Lundgren turns around and tells me
``I can`t tell them, they`re too happy`` and I replied ``Coward`` :-D
We went over that night.
6: One day we got a phone call to go and teach a family really really
late in the day and whenever I don`t go to bed on time I get cranky
but it was a good reference so we decided to go. Elder Lundgren
convinced me and he was right but I was still cranky. That morning he
had gotten up late so he says ``I got up late today so I guess this is
time back to the Lord`` And I said ``FOOL! I got up on TIME!! You keep
your curses to yourself!!`` We had a good lesson that night :-)
7: We`re at church and some guy`s teaching a lesson and he brings up
the 2000 stripling warriors and says ``And it says that these young
men were taught by their mothers to be faithful and honest and good
because their fathers weren `t home a lot because they were working``
and I`m like ``Dude they were taught by their mothers because their
fathers were DEAD``. FALSE DOCTRINE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
Thats it for me today guys :-) THe Church is still true :-D HEy I
wanted to specify that a triple and a bible for the whole family
(Graciela, CArla, Claudio and the baby Fernanda) would be good cuz a
set everyone would be expensive :-P THAts basically it :-) I got the
boots too so you know. Until the next guys, Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace
and Sophie, I love you all and BE HAPPY!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McCOnnell
p.s. I forgot to mention that next week the entire mission is going on
an internet fast so see you all the 19th :-D Double loves until then

Weekly EMAIL

Hey EVERYBODY!! :-D Howzit Going?!?!
Hey guys, How`re things? :-) I hope the best. I liked that picture
Dad, ``We will rebuild`` :-D My first weeks in the mission were filled
with tremors like that and honestly, I`ve slept through bigger.
American Wussies :-D Thinking about all these earthquakes, there are a
lot of earthquakes in divers places if you know what I mean he he he
end of the world :-D Naw just kidding :-D We learned something the
other day, If you are prepared you shall not fear :-) True.
Things are going good here in Chile :-) I forgot that I didn`t
explain much about my eyes so i`ll do that :-D They`re very bad :-D
The doctor was like ``You have very bad eyesight James, You need
contacts``. So we go in on last tuesday to do that and we`re there in
the doctors office and he`s trying to get some numbers for my eyes so
that he can order contacts and its kind of taking a little while.
Finally he says ``This usually works a LOT faster`` and then says ``I
can`t find the solution`` :-P So he tells me that he`s going to take
all of the information from the tests and talk with some collegues
(spelling) of his and they`re going to figure out what to do with me
:-) So now I can`t hear OR see well and to top it off I forget things
sometimes too :-D. An Elder the other day said that I might be
developing Parkinsons and I punched him. :-D I`m alright though just
so you all know :-D Now that I`ve been ``enlightened`` I can see how I
have bad eyesight. Before monday last week I thought that I was just
tired all the time and for that my eyes would get blurry. Now I know
that its for Parkinsons I mean bad eyesight :-D We still don`t know
what we`re going to do yet but it shouldn`t be too complicated :-D I
hope nobody gets too worried :-D
Besides that things are going great here in Cañete :-D Last
Saturday Graciela was baptized as well as the daughter of Laura, Jenny
:-D Graciela told me to hold her under for a little while so that she
could think and I was like``. . . Yeah we`ll see`` Jenny laughed in
her baptism :-P Some people . . . :-D They are really cool :-) Thanks
for all of your prayers :-D
Now to explain people. Carla is the girl with me and the tall Elder
Brandt. Claudio is the guy in white with Elder Aizpurùa and Graciela
is the lady next to Carla giving the hug to the kid next to her (
whose name is Jose Luis bytheway and Meredith this is the guy you`re
talking to) :-D I think that I said like two weeks ago if you guys
could buy a bible and triple and then put your testimonies (from all 6
of you) and a picture that`d be really cool :-)
Cambios are tomorrow but me and Elder Aizpurùa are staying :-)
Until october 11th at least :-D
Thats it for me guys. The Church is true, the book of mormon is
also true, Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and Thomas S Monson is
the Prophet on the Earth today (and both men are very true :-D ) but
the most important truth of them all is that I KNOW that my Redeemer
Jesus Christ lives. Thats kind of a lot of gospel but the world needs
more truths like these :-D Until the next guys, Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace
and Sophie, I love you all and Be Happy!!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell

Weekly Letter

HEY EVERYBODY :-D HOWZIT GOING?!?! :-D
Hey Guys, how`re things? The pictures all looked really cool bytheway. Sam that picture was tight of you by the wheat field :-D I miss you a ton man, its been awhile :-P ALmost a year :-D Time flies when you`re on a mission from God :-D How`s it feel to be getting out of the house?
Things Are Good :-) They could be better but perfection is overrated and causes stress when you obligate yourself to achieve it :-P :-D The week went by really fast :-D Graciela is fine bytheway :-) We were over there last monday in the afternoon and throughout the entire week :-) She`s so full of faith. Yesterday she told us that she maybe has 300 pesos (a little more than fifty cents) and she`s not even worried. She told us that she has sugar, wheat, potatoes, oil, and enough of all that to last her for a little while AND Carla, Claudio and Fernanda(daughter of Carla,2yrsold). She`s so awesome :-D Thanks for your prayers :-)
THe week was fun :-) We had a conference which are always a good learning experiance :-) That was on tuesday. On Friday we had interviews :-) I am SO glad I can speak spanish because that interview would have been the worst thing ever if I couldn`t have understood my own mission President :-D Pres Martinez is really cool and very fired up. His goal is that we all become 100% missionaries of Preach My Gospel. For real Sam, make a point to read PMG a lot right now because everything you learn will be helpful :-D I also asked him some questions like how could I help Elder Aizpurùa better and how I could improve as a missionary and how could I help the people understand that what we have is important to them and he said ``Predicad Mi Evangelio le ayudarà a ayudar a ELder Aizpurùa y tambien contestarà a sus otras preguntas`` . . . Basically that I should read PMG because it already has all the answers. He said it a lot more eloquently and inspiring if you weren`t convinced :-D But he is completely right bytheway. If you guys ever have a question on how to help somebody know the gospel, PMG. :-D
Things are going good with Elder Aizpurùa :-) Sometimes he likes to take things into his own hands but that`s mostly because he`s really fired up :-D He`s a great worker and a great missionary. We are probably going to be together until october so we should have a lot of fun :-D
The mission is a weird place :-D You have to talk to so many people COMPLETELY RANDOMLY and then invite them to change their lives. Try doing that for an entire day, at least 20 people, you don`t even need to talk to them, you just need to TRY and talk to them and it counts :-D I always think of Grandpa McConnell when we go out and do contacts because I`ve seen him meet people out of nowhere and in 5 minutes or less he becomes friends with that person. THAT is very handy on the mission :-D I`m glad that I wasn`t ever really the kind of person that got shy in front of people. :-D
Something I learned the other day. We were walking with a teenage member and the day had gone kind of bad and for some reason everything was kind of annoying and I was about to say something kind of angrily like ``Guys stop goofing around`` BUT I thought not to. And then I calmed down. I AM SO PATIENT NOW :-D You all wouldn`t BELIEVE how patient I am now :-D I can`t wait for anything still but with people I can wait forever :-D I wanted to say two things 1: Patience is a virtue that helps SO much to face life`s trials with a smile and good attitude :-) 2: If you can wait long enough NOT to say anything out of anger you will Uno: have more friends who respect who you are and Dos: Be happier. I promise that with all that I have that that is true :-)
Thats it for me :-) Something kind of different, it is maybe kind of`possible that I might need to get my eyes checked :-D and then get glasses :-D Just joking but for real my eyes have kind of been pushing to read things lately so I`m going to see if I can work that out. Just letting you know Dad because I think that I`ll have to pay for a checkup because the mission doesn`t cover glasses and things like that. AND I was wondering if you all do me a favor :-) I wanted to know if you could send another triple and bible to Graciela Carla and Claudio :-) Don`t send it yet, I need to get some information first but I wanted to know if you all could right something for them :-) Even if its in english, I could translate it :-D Like a photo of you all and your testimonies. Don`t write anything yet because I`m going to get their names and send a picture of them all first so that you all can get to know them before you write :-D
Thats all :-) Until the Next Mom Dad Sam Meri Grace and Sophie, I love you all and BE HappY!!
Sincerely
Elder Jamie McConnell