One Third

August 5, 2013

saludos desade Chile, Villarrica
su hijo esta en nuestro sector y es muy bueno, aca lo queremos mucho, tenemos fotos de el.
email and picture from member July 28, 2013

Mother!!!

I got your package on Saturday! How great is that?? Wow, it was like Christmas. I got your package and a bunch of letters all at the same time. I really like getting letters here. It is really exciting!! I got two from Tatum. I got another one from Megan, another one from Kinzie, and another one from Marissa. Ahhh... I just love feeling all of the support from my friends. They are all great!! Getting a letter is like getting a little boost of energy here in the mission. It is great. :)

In Megan´s letter she sent two pictures of her with her MISSION CALL!! Mom, she is going to Canada! How exciting is that?  It makes me happy when girls who have the desire to serve make the decision to do so.  It is so awesome!  I bet you are thrilled to hear about that, because she was always your favorite. Haha. She leaves in September I think. I gotta write her a letter of congratulations today so she gets it before she leaves.  Tatum also has been working on her mission papers! How neat! A mission is not for everyone, and not every girl should go, but I am pleased that some of my friends have made the decision to serve. :)

Today marks exactly 8 months as a missionary. 8 months ago you dropped me off at the MTC. 8 Months and 1 day ago I said goodbye to Makayla. It feels like that was only like a month ago. Time passes so freaking fast here in the mission. It is unreal! 1/3 of my mission is in the books. I have been living in Chile for 6 months. Each week passes faster than the last. Yesterday I was thinking about what I have done with my mission thus far. I was thinking about my progress, my Spanish, my teaching and all of that. Let’s just say that I speak Spanish fluently. I could survive here on my own. I understand what people are saying, and I can respond. Obviously there will always be more words and stuff that I can learn, but I speak with ease. My teaching has improved greatly. An investigator yesterday paid me a great compliment and said that he can tell that what I say comes from the heart and that I am telling the truth. It made me feel really good. That is the overall goal that people feel the spirit and believe what I am talking about.

I still have 2/3 of my mission left. I am going to do everything that I can to make the time count. I am going to keep working hard. I am not fully aware of the progress I have made because I live with myself every day. But I read back through my journals and have noticed that I have made some changes. It is kind of exciting to see that in myself.

I enjoyed your story about family history. That is really cool that you are taking more of an interest in it. It is important. Get a head start on that genealogy work because that is what your job will be in the millennium. Family History and Temple work. When I return, you will have to teach me how to do family history work so that I can help out.

Things here are going pretty well. The people I told you about last week are doing great. The man has changed so much from the first time we met him. We visited them yesterday and the lesson went really well. They are progressing. We are going back later in this week to celebrate Elder Aburto’s birthday with them. How neat is that? Also, we had THREE investigators in church yesterday. That was definitely great news. A man and his wife and their two kids (I know that is four, but the youngest isn`t technically an investigator because she is only two).  He is like the Chilean version of Uncle Butch, but younger. Maybe I think that because he is a manly man and he works as a lumberjack. They had a good experience at church.

Tomorrow we are going to Valdivia for a capacitation with the President. That will be good... 6 hours of bus travel tomorrow. And we have to wake up at four in the morning. Great... Haha. It will be good.

In other news:  I caught my shirt on fire the other day. Haha. It was actually really funny. I have no idea how it happened, but I wish I had it on video. I was making eggs and I lit the match to light the stove, and my shirt just ignited! Haha. That was definitely a journal entry I will enjoy reading in about 10 years. Haha.

The North Face? Mom… Expensive, don’t spend a lot of money on me. Haha. And it was a nice touch to put things in zip lock bags in the packages because things tend to get wet here. But the sleeping bag and everything arrived just fine. I liked the religious stickers you put on the box. Haha. In the package... my only other request would be little photos of Christ that they sell at Deseret Book? I don’t know. Haha.

Have an excellent week. I am doing well. The mamita doesn´t feed us well. I have lost 5 kilos... blessing in disguise. I love you and hope all is well. That baby is easily the cutest thing I have ever seen!!!! Ahhh…

Elder Warren

Kashayla Jane July 2013 (Elder Warren's Niece)