01 October 2012 - La Cantera, Coquimbo

¡Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Kelby! Qué cada día que te hace envejecer no te haga sentir más vieja. Don't ask Dad to translate that, just trust me.

Mom, I've seen some pretty funny street names in Chile. In fact, I could go on about street names in Chile. First off, the ones in English are always interesting, like one street in Villa Alemana called "God Bles You" (with one s). Second, they have absolutely no originality, because all the street names in Olmué will be the same street names in Sindempart that are also the same in Viña del Mar. In other words, they can't think of enough street names, so they reuse the same el Sauce, Navarrete, JJ Perez, O Higgins, Irene Frei, and 25 de Mayo all over Chile. Third, their creativity gets only so far, because when you get into little neighborhoods, they end up calling their streets something like "cancha" (soccer field.) "What should we call our street?" "I don't know, how about 'soccer field`?"

Sorry, I think I teased the Chileans in my letters home two weeks in a row, I'll give them a break for a while now. I really do love these people for all of their good qualities.

Everything in my brain for the last week or so is basically "prepare for general conference." I don't know if you can tell over my letters how much I love gencon. It's the best invention ever. Whoever invented it, absolute genius. The trick is just getting everyone to see it for what it is so that you can cart them to it by the truckload. Family, I challenge you to invite one friend to the general conference this weekend.

I'll include pictures of Jorge at his baptism, because it was truly quite a wonderful experience. His son, Cristian, the one who was way atheist to start out, baptized him because Cristian got baptized on the 22nd of September (happy birthday, Laura Payne) and received the Aaronic Priesthood in time to baptize his father yesterday. Make sure to ask me about the actual ordinance after the mission, because it will be funnier to tell in person than try to explain what happened over email. It all ended up fine, no one died, and to hear Jorge's testimony after the baptism was indescribable.

A problem we've had with Fabiola and Michel in teaching them was always that Fabiola would pretty much always answer for Michel, so we never really knew what he was thinking, how much he really understands, or even if any of what we teach him really matters to him. He is a man of few words, and we were starting to reach the "convive point," the point to which a non-married couple sort of reaches in their progress as investigators where they can't really progress much further in their testimonies or their excitement or happiness unless they make the decision to get married and stop living in sin. Therefore, it is very difficult to help him if we have no idea what really goes on in his mind. During weekly planning a couple weeks ago, Elder Oberg and I brainstormed "ways to get into a man's mind." We decided that it was required that we had Michel alone without Fabiola, because she just can't seem to let him answer for himself. While pondering it, the revelation hit us. What makes men feel so comfortable around each other that you can shoot the breeze easily about eternal desires and inner dreams and whatnot? A grill. So we got all planned up and took Michel over with us last Saturday to Hermano Mossó's house where he fired up his grill and we made Chinese food again with him. Hermano Mossó is THE man for the job that we had to do, and the conversation and the situation and everything went exactly as planned and to our best expectations, and Michel left with a new vision of what it is that he could become, what his home could be like, if he were to possess the priesthood and direct his household in righteousness and authority. We all left that beautifully planned man-date edified.

Needless to say, we were stunned the next day at church when Fabiola showed up to church by herself like always. It actually made us a little sick to the stomach that he still wouldn't fulfill his word and come to church like he blatantly told us he would. We thought it would have at least been the courteous thing to do to say "thank you" to Hermano Mossó for having opened up his house to a complete stranger and provided a grand plate of Chinese food, on top of other circumstances that I can't really explain over email. So, we did as D&C 121:34-46 instructs and went to his house afterwards to "correct sharply." The lesson went very well and we were able to teach clearly and seriously about obedience to the commandments, and their attitude changed noticeably by the end of the lesson, for the better. It went to show that we, as missionaries, must do exactly as Alma and Nephi and Paul of old in order to truly be effective, and that is "preach repentance." They cannot progress as a family anywhere in life unless they repent, obey the commandments, and read scriptures, pray, and go to church together as a family. I think now they understand that a little better, at least.

Bottom line, it just makes me that much more grateful for the powerful home based on gospel principles and strengthened from on high by temple covenant endowments that I was blessed to be raised in. My family means everything to me. I love you all so much.

Love,
Elder Kimball