I took this photo to compete with Tommy´s photo. :D

There are wood burning stoves, like the one behind me, in all the houses. Ours usually doesn´t have fire in it because it´s difficult to start because our wood is pretty wet. It´s easier to maintain once we start, but we don´t really spend enough time in the house to where it´s worth lighting.

That´s my companion and I eating at the home of a family on the 18th holiday.

I have no idea where the other elder got that apron! We´re eating empanadas.

These are alfajores. There are a lot of these this time of the year in Chile, but apparently you can´t find them at other times of the year. The cream in the middle is very sweet and yummy.

 

 Here´s our chapel :) It also doubles as a cultural hall. The members set up the chairs every Sunday. It´s one of the nicer chapels in the mission. My companion and I helped set up the balloons :D

This was at the member´s house, but we played the same game on a grander scale at the church party as well. The scoring system is a little complicated, and I don´t really understand it, but basically you throw objects as close to the string as possible. At the members house we threw 100peso coins and at the church (where the bin was about 3 times as far) we threw short thick rods of metal.

Here are church members who helped cook at the ward party on the 19th. The attendance was really good and we played lots of games. The two sisters in the front are the sister missionaries for our ward. One is from Argentina and the one in the hat is from Panama.

 

Hi everyone!

Ok.... I don´t have much time to talk because I was uploading photos.

As for the work, I´m growing and improving every day. Fiestas Patrias was really really good for me (national holiday, where everyone takes 3 days off). It helped me relax and now I feel a lot more positive. I feel like I´m on a spiritual high, and I´m learning how important it is to listen and act. When we act on what we learn, the Lord blesses us with more. I learned that writing down new spiritual insights is super important because it shows to the Lord that what you learned is important and precious to you. He gives you as much as you can take, and I feel so content and happy to be a missionary.

We met lots of people this week who rejected us in some way or another. I don´t have time to tell the stories, but I do want to tell you what I learned. I learned that it´s never impossible to come unto Christ. It´s something He wants us to do; it´s something we should do; it´s something we can do. He gives us commandments because we are happier when we follow those commandments. So many people try to do their own thing, thinking that they know how to be happy without Christ, or by proclaiming they believe in Christ but won’t act on the teachings of Christ. They have told me that they´ll wait for another time to repent, saying that they knew they needed to. There is no point in procrastinating repentance, because wickedness never was happiness. People think "I´ll cram in a little more pleasure before I have to change." You will NEVER change with an attitude like that. God gives us as we desire, and if we don´t want to turn towards Christ until the last minute, that shows Him that we don´t actually want Him in our lives. 

I love you all :D

Ciao

Elder Connor Christopherson