Sunday, December 7, 2014

The missionary experience is really awesome!

Nov 19, 2014
Elders Leon and Stam in Santiago, Chile

Mom,

Fabian is doing awesome. He's progressing a lot. We have gotten him to pray and he is also building in his faith. It's crazy to think that he started as an atheist. He is living with his girlfriend though, so that's gonna be a huge trial for him to overcome and if he's willing to get married. The Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity are probably the biggest challenges here. Everyone smokes and everyone lives with their girlfriend. I would say that only about 1 in every 4 couples with kids are actually married.

The missionary experience is really awesome. That's good that you are doing your own missionary work. We have actually had a problem with our ward not doing anything to help. So we got together as a district and we sat down with the ward and told them what needs to happen. It was good that we took charge. We are meeting with 1 member a week now and teaching them how to do their own missionary work. There are about 6 members that are moving at the end of this month, and that's a huge loss to the ward, considering there are only 55 that go to church. One of them that is moving is the bishop too.

I miss air conditioning so much. It is so hot and they don't have air conditioning anywhere! It's been almost 100 degrees every day. I'm really looking forward to the Winter, only because it's so hot here. And to think that the actual summer doesn't start for another two months. I think that they do celebrate thanksgiving, but it's not super big here. Depending on the thing you are buying most things are cheaper here. There are a few things that are a ton more expensive. But overall, I would say that things are just a little bit cheaper. It's weird going grocery shopping and having it cost $10,000.

We don't have any rats, but we have spiders and we found maggots in our garbage the other day. We do have hot water but it's super weird how we heat it. I'll have to explain it another time, with a picture.

I feel like I can speak Spanish really well now. I can say what I want to say now, but I still can't understand a freaking thing. They speak so bad here. Lol you need to send me a copy of my setting apart talk thing or whatever it's called. I think that Elder Raine is going to be one of my lifelong friends. A big box for Christmas huh? Transfers are on the 16th of December, and it's pretty much guaranteed that I am going to leave, so I'm gonna have to pack all the stuff that you send me haha. That's okay though. I am almost positive that I am going to need to socks.

I am enjoying studying the scriptures a lot. The mission has been reading the Book of Mormon together, and I wasn't reading it. So I stopped reading the Bible to read the Book of Mormon real quick and I'm already on Alma 26. The Book of Mormon is so much easier to read than the Bible. We have a washing machine at the house, so we can do laundry whenever we need it. Remind me to write that email to those choir kids next week because I am almost out of time this week.

So it turns out that I am actually going to the temple this Saturday, with a less active member that we reactivated. So that's pretty cool. I am going to get to do my first session in Spanish, and I'm a little worried, but it will be alright. It's an absolutely tiny temple. The weeks have been going way fast though. I've already been in Chile 9 weeks now.

So Elder León hurt his finger, and we had to go to a clinic in downtown Santiago. It was sooo crazy. All the people in downtown Santiago look white. And it's so much nicer and richer than all of our mission. It was crazy. It was like I was in a totally different country. But it was really cool too. I also had divisions with Elder Richards yesterday, and that went really good too. I feel like all my spiritual experiences are when I'm doing divisions and when I'm with a different Elder. But I am getting a new companion in 3 weeks, and it's about time. I have humbled myself so much these last 9 weeks, but I'm about ready to go insane if I don't get a new companion soon. He just treats me like I'm a nothing because I'm new. But it's okay I'm almost done with him.

Love,
Elder Stam

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