¡Hola mi familia y mis amigos!
Happy Easter to all, and to all a good night! Easter in Chile is a fun event for all: the Evangelicals grab their loud speakers and screech-preach on the corners, the Catholics stoke up their barbeques and feast on fish and beer, the Jehovah's Witnesses have some sort of mass gathering in the plaza, the Mormon missionaries experience miracles that will never be forgotten, and those without religion enjoy their three days off from work and school in their own way. The semana santa (holy week) is very existent here in the Latin American countries, and we tried our best to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to talk of Christ.
My district, which includes the elders of San Francisco and 2 of the sisters from Limache (including Sister Hart), set up a stand in each of our areas together in the plazas so that we could take advantage of the holiday. We had a bunch of material and DVDs to give out, and had a few banners that say "Why should I get baptized?" or refer to family history or whatnot, and we got the help from members of each of our wards to sit at the stand and talk with people who walked by. On Friday, we set up the stand in Limache, Saturday in Olmué, and Sunday in San Francisco. We ended up talking with a ton of people, getting a lot of references and sending a lot of other references to other zones where the people were from who were visiting. The stand in San Francisco was fun because on the other side of the plaza there was a giant party with trampolines and a stage with people singing and dancing and there were kids and families everywhere, so we talked with a ton of people.
In the park in Limache, Elder Abatti and I talked with one man who had investigated the church a few times before, but didn't want to believe it was true because he wanted to keep drinking alcohol. I always think it's interesting that people apply the word of wisdom as a rule we made up as Mormons, when really it has nothing to do with if you're Mormon or not, rather it is a commandment to all. What are commandments, anyways? They're a pathway given by our loving Father in Heaven that lead us to greater happiness and security in this life and inexpressible joy in the life to come. As we talked about that, he decided that after 21 years of drinking, he really did need to stop, because it was putting holes in his family and in his career, and it never brought him happiness for longer than one night. Our real purpose as missionaries is to INVITE others to come unto Christ, but they themselves must commit to experiencing the change that comes into their lives as they put into practice faith in Christ, repentance, being baptized to receive the remission of their sins, receiving the Holy Ghost as a constant companion, and then enduring to the end. He committed himself in that moment to change his life, trust in Heavenly Father's loving guidance, and prepare himself to be baptized in one month.
Later that night, as we were in the church with the ward mission leader, a man walked in and asked for a priesthood blessing. He had investigated the church many times but never got baptized because he didn't want to stop drinking, and he came to us because he couldn't stand the chains around his neck anymore that his alcoholism created. We had almost the exact same conversation as we had earlier that day and now he is committed to preparing himself for baptism and a life under the security of the pathway that Heavenly Father shows us.
In the first day or two with a new companion from a different Latin American country, I have to get used to their dialect, but it hasn't been too difficult understanding each of them. The hard part is understanding them over the phone. Elder Rojas, the Guatemalan, taught me a ton of Guatemalan sayings and slang to use, but they mean other things to Chileans, so I don't know if I'll be able to remember them in later years unless I hear them again. That's pretty funny what the Costa Ricans say, Dad, because it seems pretty random. Right now in my zone, there are missionaries from Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Chile, and it's fun to hear them make fun of each others' accents.
They still have the little businesses on the corner of every street where people sell small groceries out of their house like they had when you were here, Dad. Sometimes things are cheaper there than they are in the big store, but most times its better to buy in the Walmarty store. For example, we buy laundry soap and eggs in the negocios, but other groceries are cheaper in Unimarc.
For Chris Bowler, it's hard to say how many people will REALLY be interested in our message out of the contacts we do. I'd say about 1 in 5 will let us write their name and address down, but 1 in 15 will actually let us in their house when we show up. As you well know, the trick is in your attitude, because a great attitude ALWAYS produces great results. I love you all!
Love, Elder Kimball
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