Elder Blotter pics - March 28

These were several more photos from Elder Blotter and his comp's p-day excursion with some of the young men from the San Pablo Branch to a local river spot for a cookout.  Looks like they were having fun.

This was a family from the San Pablo Branch that was moving to Osorno.  Elder Blotter and his comp were helping them load their moving truck.  He said they would be sorely missed in the Branch as a family of real strength.

Elder Blotter - Mar 28

Hola Familia,

To answer first about the rain pants situation, I have rain pants.  The mission gave me a raincoat and pants when I got here so I am fine don’t worry please ha-ha.  I am well this past week.  Our Branch president came back from Santiago at like 8:30 in the Morning and directed the church that same day me and my companion were surprised but its all good except that we had a low attendance this past week of 14 members.  The lowest I have ever seen it here in SanPablo. And also this past week it has been hard to get lessons with members’ because the schedules of all of our brothers in the branch are difficult to work with so were trying to work our hardest this last week of the Transfer until we have Cambios this next Wednesday.  So it’ll be interesting what will happen. But no it’ll be awesome to see what miracles happen in our last week cause almost every time in my last week of every transfer we see a miracle even if it’s a small one.  My companion and me are well here and it was awesome to teach the tour guide of Brother Stevens and I really hope she goes and looks for the missionaries in Puerto Montt. But all is well here and just like for you guys back home I think fall is having a hard time getting a hold of the weather too because our day was still really sunny and warm.   We went to La Union to pull out my companions Carnet to be legal here in Chile like I have mine too so we did that and got some groceries and then came back and kicked around a soccer ball for awhile and now we came here. I don’t know what will happen this next week because me and my companion both have two transfers together and when I was with my second trainer he left before I did when I started my mission so I am nervous and anxious to know what president will do. But I will keep focused in the work here in San Pablo and not focused on if I leave or not from here. But I love you all and miss you tons and I will try to send those pictures. I don’t exactly

remember which ones they were but I will look for them in my email folder.

Love,

Elder Blotter

P.S. Tell Ian Hola for me

and also le extraño =)

Elder Blotter - Mar 21

Hola Famila, 

Glad to hear all is well with you and that your work is going well.

This past week in Church was a little small on attendance with only 22

people in church and with only one investigator. We lost a family of 5

this past week that has moved to Osorno to live and they were a really

awesome family and were really helping out the branch alot. I sent

a picture of me and my companion helping them put there stuff in the

truck to move but I hope to see them before I head off to the USA

cause that would be cool to see em.   My companion and me are

excited to continue working here in San Pablo and helping our

investigators progress.  The reason why our best investigator

couldn´t come to church was that she got sick but we went by her home

later that day and taught her with Brother Vargas our Branch ward

leader. We hope she’ll be able to come to church next week because

she’s off to the country near Rio Bueno to visit her brother who lives

out there. We had an awesome p-day today with my companion and me

and 3 other guys from our branch.  Two are preparing to serve

missions and we went to a river and cooked Hot dogs over a fire we

made out there by the river side it was awesome, it made me miss

camping a lot and boy scouts a little not going to lie but it was awesome.  Then we  went to an area where there are caves and we explored them and then also went to a bridge area and checked it out. We really enjoyed it and we hope we can all do it again sometime soon but the schedule of one of the guys is difficult for us cause he has time Saturdays and not always Mondays but we hope he´ll have another Monday before the end of the transfer.   I am well here seeing Brother Stevens was weird but it was awesome cause we ended up teaching his tour guide cause she had never heard of the Mormons or had the missionaries in her home but she liked our message that we taught her the first lesson of the Restoration and we invited her to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it so we hope she does and finds the missionaries at her home in Puerto Montt. But I hope to work really hard this coming week and change a lot of lives too. We have a Noche de Hogar with our Presidente de Rama tonight with his family so

we hope it´ll be a success. I love you and miss you tons!!!

Love, Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter pics - Mar 14

Rob Stevens from our Ward in Geneva who also served a mission in Osorno  over 20 years ago, traveled to Chile on business last week and made a trip south to visit some of the cities where he served and dropped in to visit Elder Blotter and his comp.  They enjoyed lunch together a Church member's little restaurant there in San Pablo.  Rob was also Elder Blotter's Deacons adviser and Scout leader when he was younger so this was a great example of the fruits of his labors as a youth leader

Elder Blotter and his comp enjoyed a P-day outing to a local river spot with some of the young men from the San Pablo Branch.  Several of them are preparing to serve missions as well which is very exciting.  He reported that they had a great time cooking hot dogs on an open fire and felt like a Boy Scout again.

Elder Blotter - Mar 14

Hola Familia,

I am super awesome this past week. We had a great week in Church yesterday with 5 investigators it was awesome I am totally stoked to work this coming week to help my investigators progress to come to church the following week and continue in the Lords progress. One of our investigators that came to church has been listening to the missionaries for a long time but he acts like a member but now he has a baptismal date and came to church yesterday so it is just awesome!!  I have been well this past week besides it starting to rain yesterday and today and a couple other days during this past week so the climate is really starting to change so here comes winter!! Ha-ha but nothing really new here just that we had a great day in Church yesterday with some good talks and everything. I think I could say in my mission I have had one of the better attendances from Investigators than I have ever had in my mission so I am really happy and I know the lord is very happy with my companion and me. My companion and I are well but he does not like this change of climate too much because he is from a tropical area but he’s trying to enjoy it but gets sick sometimes cause the weather changes rapidly for him not like me where I already have a year here in Chile and I am accustomed to the rain and the cold here.  But I am sure I will be like him when I go home where it’ll be a huge climate shock to me.

But all is well. I am just really happy right now to be here in San Pablo and to be a missionary working here in the white fields of the Lord. I heard what has happened in Japan through the members and it sounds really bad but I heard that Chile really is focusing on what is

happening there in Japan because they say there should be another Earthquake here that will be really big they just don’t know where it will happen or how big it will be but they know one day it’ll come.  I am sorry to hear Dad's leg is a little messed up. I just hope I don’t have problems when I am old with my legs but then again I can’t predict the future and it is better that I can’t.  But I love you and miss you tons. Just keep moving forward in the Lords work and he will bless you in everyday that we live. Mosiah 2:41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

Love,

Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter - Mar 7

Dear Family,

Glad to hear all is well with you guys and that you enjoyed Stake Conference. It sounds like there were some good talks and many things learned and now time to apply in the Stake and in the Wards. I am well here in San Pablo working hard here in the sun. Me and my companion this past week have been working hard to get references from the members here and have the work more progress through them because we always see more fruits through them than us walking in the hot sun all day. We didn’t have any investigators come to church and all of our investigators baptismal dates fell through so it kind of stunk a little bit but I won’t give up. . It was a great fast Sunday.  Almost past my mind that it was fast Sunday. Sometimes days here just blend together and before you know it its the end of the week and it is Sunday. I guess it’s true what they say, first it’s days turn into hours then weeks turn into days and months turn into weeks. The time is flying so fast that we’re already in the middle of this transfer and before we know it it’ll be the end of the transfer. But I guess that just goes to show that when you really get into the work life just passes by here like the wind.  We are going to put 5 new investigators with dates (baptismal) this week and help them start fresh this week including coming to church this Sunday. Our assignment from our district leader today and the rest of the week is to teach the Sabbath day and why it is important to go to church and then share with them the blessings that we receive from going to church and then challenge them to come to church this coming Sunday.  That is our push at this moment. My companion is finishing his papers to get his Carnet to show that he is a legal here in the Country of Chile so that’s what we’ve been doing basically all day and then were going to go kick a soccer ball around at the Gym they have here in San Pablo.  It’s really the only thing we can do and it’s free because our Papito is the owner of the Gym so it’s really fun because sometimes he kicks around with us. We celebrated my companion’s birthday a little last Monday and he put cake on his face as you can see. Apparently it’s a tradition he has on his birthday so he wanted to continue with the tradition.

I hope to see much success this week and find our investigators that we had dates with and help them continue to progress in the Lords work. We passed by a member yesterday and spoke with him about sharing the gospel with his friends and family and at the end he spoke of a friend that he wants to share the gospel with and he just cried cause he felt so bad for his friend and the place where his friend is at right now and that he needs this gospel in his life. I am so excited to hear back from our member to see when we will do a family home evening with him and his friend. I love the work here and wouldn’t give it for anything in the world right now. The scripture that always comes to my mind when I

see people with difficulties in the life or when the work is tough I think of my scripture 1Nephi 3:7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.  I love this scripture and I apply it everyday and hope we all can apply it everyday in our lives here on this earth before we go back to the presence of our heavenly father. I love you and thank you for everything. Tell Shayla thank you for FINALLY writing me back ha-ha I love you all and I will keep Sayward and Matt in my prayers. 

Love, 

Elder Blotter

P.S. Yes the weather is changing but the heat is just sticking it

won’t leave but will see in a little while if it’ll still be here at

the end of the month. LOVE Y'ALL!!!

Elder Blotter pics - Mar 7

This is Valentina a daughter of a sister in the branch and we always do little activities with their family

We celebrated my companions birthday  last Monday and he put cake on his face as you can see. Apparently its a tradition he has.