earthquake update

Greetings from the Chile Concepción Mission!

We´re sending this email to let everyone know that all the missionaries in the Chile Concepción mission are safe. The earthquake was in Arica, which is really far north from Concepción, so we didn´t feel a thing. There was no need for evacuations and there was no tsunami either. All is well and continues as normal. Have a wonderful day.

Bring it on

Good golly gosh, technically it is still summer here, but boy is it starting to get cold. Its not really affecting me too much, but my companion who is from the tropics of Columbia is literally dying!! Not to mention we live in the windiest sector and it has started raining!!! Personally I love the rain, and the cold is not too bad either, but I do feel bad for my companion, who coming from such a tropical climate must have assumed that the whole world was the same. (As he brought not a single sweater or jacket or rain coat...nothing) So being his father I looked out for him and let him borrow some of my vast supply of equipment. (Once an Eagle Scout always an Eagle Scout). But yea it was super fun to do missionary work in the pouring rain, the contacts were interesting to say the least.

BAPTISIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oscar got baptized this Saturday! As we moved from the Sacrament room to the baptismal font he told me that it took an eternity and that he felt his heart pounding in his chest, but as he entered into the water he felt an overwhelming peace and a calm settled over him. He is going to be a great leader in the church. Also we have lunch with him (and the active family who he lives with) every Wednesday this month!! YEA!

We are teaching a lady named Roxanna, she is a mother of 4 and is recently starting to study again. So we are helping her with her multiplication and division skills and teaching her the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, powerful stuff. I love how the gospel relates to everyone and to everything. 

The last week in Elders quorum class the subject was on visiting members of the quorum. The President called on Luis Riquelme (recently reactivated) and asked him why it is important. He told the following story; "I went inactive 16 years ago for various reasons (got his girl friend pregnant) and for those 16 years I waited for someone to come and visit me, maybe the missionaries, but more than that, I waited for the members to come and they NEVER CAME, I felt abandoned. I wanted to come back, but I felt like there was no way to do it, I was alone! Finally about five months ago the missionaries came and knocked on my door. My wife told me not to let them in but the two Elders looked exactly like the Elders who baptized me, there was no way I could not let them in." 

Moral of the story I will tell with another story; "One Sunday Brother 'Tom Brown' was assigned to speak in church, he arrived early and sat on the stand waiting for the meeting to start. Out of the blue a man came up and asked "Do you remember me Tom?", Brother Brown had no idea who it was. It turns out the man was currently investigating the church and had gone to high school with Brother Brown. The Brother investigating the church asked Brother Brown if he was a member when they had gone to high school together, Brother Brown responded, "Well yes, yes I was" The Brother investigating the church looked him in the eyes and said, "Well then why didn't you share the gospel with me, I have now WASTED twenty two years of my life!" and he turned and sat in the audience.

To keep it simple NO ONE in the last day will ask us why we tried to share the gospel with them so many times, no one will ask us why we always visited them. But they surly will ask, why didn't you try one more time, or why didn't you visit. 

I love the gospel, its true.

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
Elder Hutchins