This week was a good one. I am in Talcahuano right in the coast about ten fifteen minutes from Concepcion. And compared to the house that was in Linares I am living in a straight paradise. There is a constant breeze here which makes the temperature not just bearable, but at times it even gets a little 'chile' (if you know what I'm saying ;)
1. So we are teaching a mother and daughter who love the church. The mother is Jaqualine (shes about 50 years old) and the Daughter is Vivianna (shes about 28) They love the church. This week we had a Family Home evening with them (with the Elders Quorum president and family) and Vivianna told us that she made the decision to get baptized the first time she came to church. She told us that she felt such a feeling of peace and relief that she knew that this was the path that she had to follow. They committed this week to live and follow each of the commandments. (Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, and Tithing)
2. We taught a less active this week who told us a little story about how getting drunk had saved his life. Many years ago he was in the navy, at one point he was serving on a boat that traveled to the southern tip of Chile, the point most far south in the entire world, without getting to Antarctica. While he was down there on duty he began to drink. Some say it was to fight off the cold, but others say that it was a habit that he had. But the thing is he began to drink and drink and drink until he was completely drunk. Then his boat was called to set sail, to leave dock. Recognizing that he had broken the rules (his contract not to drink) he went to his fathers house, who happened to live close by. As it turns out while that boat was at sea it came under some difficult circumstances which ended up in the sinking of the ship and the deaths of the entire crew, each of the 81 sailors assigned to the ship.....or so they had thought until the now sober (in more that one way) Jose came forward and let all know that he had not died.
3. A woman this week told me a story that astounded me. He very own conversion story. She met the missionaries about thirteen years ago. She recounted that the very first time that the missionaries spoke to her their words resounded with such power and truth that she could not deny that the message which they shared was the absolute truth. (the same which will happen to all who listen with a sincere heart and true intention) Anyways it turns out that she was not married, but was living with her boy friend (they had already been together for about 25 years) and he did not want to get married, actually he refused. And so it was that for five long years she attended church, each Sunday, each activity. When one day her husband read in her journal (while she wasn't paying attention) "My goal is baptism. My goal is marriage. My goal is a temple sealing." These simple words struck him to the center and a little while later they were married and she was baptized. Not too long afterwords he joined her and they were sealed together in the temple.
4. This week we taught a family of 6 each of them less active members of the church. To be completely honest it was one of my favorite lessons on which I have participated. As my companion and I taught the Restoration I do not think a single eye blinked. The entire family was engaged and involved. End result: Six more people in church in Sunday. Each made the commitment and completed it.
5. We just had a Council in the mission and there were some major changes from the area presidency in how we do missionary work. I can currently only reveal some of what occurred. Return Missionaries who remember something called Key Indicators, whelp now we only have four... Baptisms, Sacrament Attendance, Investigators in church with a baptismal date, and contacts. Nothing else. We have been ordered to unite with the members and to create a focus group with them and hasten the work. There's nothing else to it.
I love the work! I love Chileans! and I love you guys!!!
Elder Hutchins
