Elder Blotter - Aug 22

Dear Family,

Hey y'all glad to hear all is well back home!!! Glad to hear that I have a new niece that’s so tight and it sounds like she is going to be a tall girl one day just mountain over all of us ha-ha but all is good here in Lanco. We had a good/bad week ha-ha explaining why is we had a lot of good lessons this past week with a lot of challenges for baptisms and the majority accepted to be baptized which was sweet but...because of the hour change here in Chile everyone didn´t wake up for church...quank!! ha-ha even a lot of regular members that come to Church did not come because of the hour change it was like everyone forgot and there was like no announcement almost we didn´t change our clocks if it wasn´t for our district leader that called us and told us Saturday night ha-ha but all is good here. From Friday to Sunday these past 3 days have been sooo warm and today...cold and cloudy but wow yesterday sun and heat wow it was awesome I almost left without a jacket but I left with one because of the night time its always pretty cold but it was pretty sweet not going to lie ha-ha but me and my companion are good here in Lanco just working hard and hoping to see a lot of people in church next week because of the whole hour forward thing is now out of the way. But all is good here in Chile. My sty like stopped hurting and I think it went away like its still pink but it doesn´t hurt and I passed it with a warm wash cloth and I still do and then also put ointment on it but I think all keep putting stuff on it for another week and then I think I am OK. But not my health is good. Its kind of stopped raining hope I didn´t just jinx myself ha-ha but my companion and me are getting along well here. WE have an intercambio tomorrow with Los Lagos and I'll be with the new zone leader so it´ll be interesting. He´s a cool kid. He played for the BYU basketball team before the mission and he´s only got like 11 months in the mission so he is a very young missionary to be a zone leader but it shows off on him that he´ll be a good leader in all things. But I am just hoping to see the best out of this coming week to help our investigators start to progress even more and go to church to show there desire to god that they want these things and want to be baptized. I love you guys and miss you all tons!!! Hope all is well!!

Love, Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter pics - August 22

Elder Blotter didn't give us any background on these latest pictures.  They appear to be he and several of the Elders at what looks like a bus stop and then the other we think is when they visited one of the local Volcanoes and played in the snow.

Los Lagos Zone Conference

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This was a photo of Elder Blotter's Zone from their recent Zone Conference.  President and Sister Rappleye are the new Mission leaders.

Elder Blotter - Aug 15

Dear Padres y Hermanas y cuñados y sobrinos,

Hey how is everyone this past week?? Its crazy to hear that mom is going to start school once again...wow your summer is already over that is nutz!!! And I am sorry to hear that the little girl still has not shown her face but she’ll be out soon .  I am well here in Lanco. It has been a difficult week in the work but we are working hard and hope to see even better success this coming week through our obedience and diligence in the Lord’s vineyard here in Lanco. I love it here and am excited for the 18th of September to come and to be able to celebrate the independence of Chile. I think God put me in the wrong country cause I feel more prideful about Chile than the states ha-ha is that a bad thing?? I love Chile. But we had a good attendance in Church with 40. It lowered a little bit but we're working hard. A couple people stayed away because of the cold and then also there have been a lot of members sick this past week. But I am sure they will all be better for next week. My companion and me are good together here just being crazy missionaries like we are and working our buts off. Sadly we will not baptized anyone in this month of August but we hope to see a couple of baptisms in the beginning of September before I leave Lanco because I know almost a 100 percent that at the end of this transfer I am out and I will be going to my last sector to die and finish the mission ha-ha but the new missionaries in our Zone are really cool Elders. We now have 6 Americans and 2 Latinos!!! Whoa talk about a difference ha-ha and also all of the new Elders are very tall kids and I am talking like dads height and up its crazy and VERY SKINNY!! There’s an Elder here like half my size in skinniness it is nutz I’ve never seen a kid so skinny!! But it looks like a very fun zone and it’ll be a very interesting transfer that is for sure. But I am excited to see what happens. But I am very content here and I know the Lord has many people waiting for me and my companion to find them and help them on the path to baptism and receive their salvation. I love this Gospel and I love this Work. I could never be happier in my life. =) I love you all and miss you all tons!!!

Love, Elder Blotter

P.S Mom I got your package like 2 weeks ago I’m sorry ha-ha I forgot to

tell you I got it =) But it has served me a lot the new socks I have

burned all of my old ones with holes ha-ha LOVE Y'ALL!!!

Elder Blotter - Aug 8

Hola Familia!!

How is everyone this past week?? I am well here in Lanco and I am staying here in Lanco!! Woo Whoo!!! and I am staying with Elder Martinez so it´ll be an awesome 2nd cambio with him here in Lanco. What I do know is after this transfer I will be leaving Lanco and going to my last sector to die!!!  (he's not really dying, just missionary slang for when a missionary is close to the end of their mission service) I'll finish 4 and a half months here in Lanco and then have 4 and a half months to finish the mission so my end is sealed ha ha quank!!! But all is well this past week. It has been a tough we in the work I will not lie. We have been trying to find new investigators like crazy and we have found  a couple of really good ones and  they are really great people and we really hope to see a lot of success with them. But I am happy I will stay here in Lanco one transfer more because I will be here for the 18th of September the day of Independence of Chile and it´ll be awesome with the members here.   I am glad that the package I sent dad got there in time and he got it. I was a little worried that it wouldn´t get there. It sounds like the Ward back home is changing a lot and I won´t even recognize it when I get home. But I have bad news for mom and dad this week. Well this p day we went to the snow woo!!! it was tight I am not going to lie I felt like I was back home. WE went to Volcan Villarica but the bad part is I woke up this morning with a sty in my eye gahh!!! I have gone the whole mission out here without one and now it comes But I am going to pass it with a warm wash cloth and my eye ointment when I get back but I really hope it heals. I am not having the best luck at all with my health in this past month ha ha.  I don´t know if will have a conference soon cause the Mission President hasn´t said anything. We have seen a new rule in the mission which is now we have to wake up at 6 30 and not 7. I don´t know how I am going to do it but I will try my best because I haven´t woken up at 6 30 in a long time, almost a year and a half when I was in the MTC. I am glad to hear that all is well with everyone is happy and well back home and that Amy and Zack are excited to see there new baby girl come into the

world. So crazy that I'll have a nephew and niece that I don´t even know when I come home ha ha. I love you all and miss you all tons!!!

Love, Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter - Aug 1

Dear Family,

Hey hey we had a baptism!!! Congrats dad I had a baptism in the

mission on your birthday woo whoo!!! It was so sweet the spirit was so strong. Our branch president baptized the 15 year old girl. She was so nervous but so happy. I took pictures but with someone else's camera and memory card so I will send them next week because I need to transfer them to a memory stick I have so I can send them. Still no word on my own camera but will see what's up. I have been well here in Lanco with my companion Elder Martinez. It has rained some days this week but not too many but has stayed pretty cold during the week. We are now entering into the last week of the transfer its so crazy how fast time has flown and how the month of July is gone and today is the first of August, wow. I am better than the last week. I am not sick sick but I still have stuff coming out of my nose. I still can´t hear the greatest out of my ear but its healing. The hardest part is not getting water in it when I shower because that's what the Senior Sister Missionary said was to not get water in it. 

To go back to the baptism it went very well. When she gave her testimony after her baptism she started to cry and we felt the spirit so strong in the Chapel, it was so amazing.  She is a great add to the young women's program and she will do so much good in this branch. I love this sector. It will be a sector I will neverforget. I love the members and the people I have known are amazing. We went to Valdivía today and played bowling again with our Zone and it was fun but the day has just felt that it has gone out the window wow.  But all is well here and I hope to see a lot of success. I know that the lord will bless me in all things and I know that he loves me very much and wants the best for me in my life and in this sector with my companion. I love the mission and I will miss it very much when it all comes to an end  because I feel like the time has just boom. But thank you for all the support that you have given me throughout the mission.

I love you tons and miss you more!!!

Love, Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter - July 26

Dear Family,
I am well this past week here in Lanco. It has been a rainy one. We haven’t been affected by any of the snow that has been falling. Lanco is still a little too far away to be able to get snow. They say that
years ago the snow got here but with the weather changes here in Chile over the past couple of years the climate is different but we hear about all of the snow problems up there in Temuco. I think dad is
right. If they had the trucks with the shovels and the salt they’d be fine but they don’t have them their not very prepared. Kind of dumb but that’s Chile for ya. I am well here in Lanco still sick sadly and I guess from blowing very hard.  Sister Biddulph who is the wife of the senior couple here in the mission checked my ear and told me that I tore my inner ear drum a little so I’ve gone about almost a week
with ear pain and a little bit of blood leaving in the morning but she told me its normal and to just take ibuprofen when it hurts really bad because there is not medication that she can give me. but yeah I am
still sick. But I am well with excitement.  I bought boots this past Monday for like 12 dollars around there 6.900 pesos chilenos. And they're very good boots. A little heavy cause there like a little wide
on my feet but long ways my feet are fine but I’ve gotten used to them already. I just have to put my shoe powder in them every time I use them so that I don’t get fungus growing on my feet or inside my boots because the boots don’t breathe but I am only going to use them for the next like 3 or 4 months and then done =) ha-ha but I am good here with my companion Elder Martinez cause we had a baptismal interview this past Friday for one of our investigators named Daniela and she passed and she’ll be baptized this Saturday on dads birthday!!!! WOOO
HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! I get to baptize on your birthday bro.!!!!
But she so ready. Luis we still haven’t seen and we’ve called him but
his phone is off so we can’t contact him right now. But all is well
the rest of our investigators are well some of them came to church and
so we will need to put them with date. woo whoo!! My obedience is good this week trying to get up on time even thought I have felt really
sick because of my illness but its all good. I just hope to get better
soon =) But miss y'all and know you are well there back home and that
I'll see you all soon. =) I love you tons and miss you more!!!!
Love,  Elder Blotter
P.S. Still no photos because I didn’t get the chance to go to Valdivia
this week cause my visa is not ready still until the 5th of August so
I have to wait a little bit longer to go see about it cause here in
Lanco electronics are very expensive. But I hope to see progress soon
come out of it  LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Elder Blotter - July 18

Dear Family,

I am well this past week and hope is all well with you guys back home. Sadly my camera situation is still bad. My papito here in Lanco has his own cyber where people and us do Internet so he knows a lot about electronics so I gave it to him last Monday to look at and he’s still working on saving the pictures so I am praying hard that I will not lose anything keep praying for me please on this but I will follow the counsel of dad and see if I can find a cheap but durable camera. But otherwise this past week has been rain rain rain rain ......rain ha-ha so much rain and I am sick  Quank!! I am still from last Tuesday until now but right now it’s leaving...slowly ha-ha but it’ll leave sooner or later. Everything is green that is leaving my nose so I'll be OK. Before my throat really hurt and I had a fever in the middle of the night but that all passed and I already went through my Sudafed for Mom and dad to know wow ha-ha I never thought I’d ever go through medicine so fast ha-ha here in the mission I think I’ve gotten sick worse and longer than I did back home. But hey it’s only for two years.  If I live after this I'll be fine ha-ha. Elder Martinez and ME are good here in Lanco and can’t wait for one of our investigators to have her interview this coming end of the week. She is awesome and understands everything and can’t wait for her interview. But our investigator Luis has back sickness he hurt it working so it is back home in Frerie near the city of Temuco about 2 or 3 hours North of here with his parents but we have talked to him and he is OK and we are happy he is OK and he said he’ll be back like the 28 of July so will just have to move his interview to that end of the week and we are excited to see him when he gets back. This end of the week has also been hard for the mission work here in Chile because well I don’t know if any of you are familiar with the American Cup or in Spanish its called la Copa America. It’s the south American soccer cup down here and Chile has been doing very well in it but they played last night around like 6 30 to 8 30 against Venezuela and if I had my camera I would send a video of the streets where there were literally NO CARS OR PEOPLE IN THE STREETS.  It was like a Ghost town it was so weird but that’s Chile for you crazy for soccer its like Football for us back home ha-ha But they lost to Venezuela 1 to 2 so we don’t have to worry about soccer games anymore for a while ha-ha but all is good here and church was good yesterday we had our normal number of 45 people in church but the Spirit was strong and I gave a quick talk yesterday that I prepared in less than 10 minutes on our heavenly Father and our celestial families ha-ha it was good I felt the spirit really strong and some of the members gave compliments to me after so I think I did good?? ha-ha But I am just ready to get rid of this sickness I am tired of it. ha-ha but I am well here and happy here in Lanco and I know I'll see many miracles here in following weeks to come =) I love you all and miss you all tons!!!

Love, Elder Blotter

P.S. Sorry no pictures because I don’t have anything but will see

about next week.