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.

Elder Blotter pics - June27

 The Photos are of Huilo Huilo that I got off my companions camera

and then the pictures that I took after Monday and the picture of me

and my companion after I got my camera fixed from the virus that will

mark my mission forever as one of the worst days of my life and then

pictures of me and my companion Elder Martinez playing ping pong our

first p day together it was pretty sweet not gonna 

Elder Blotter - July 11

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am well here in Lanco with everything. The baptisms were a success.  I’d love to send you photos but I think my camera just got another virus and I am freaking out that I am going to lose my pictures because I did a virus check and it found something small and deleted it and now I can’t enter my pictures it says the code to something is written wrong but I can see my pictures in my camera but in the

computer I can’t see anything. I really hope I don’t lose my pictures because you can’t redo baptisms. But everything is good here in Lanco with me and Elder Martinez. We are working really hard here in Lanco.  Now that we have had two baptisms we hope to have two more at the end of this month with our golden investigator Luis and then also a part family girl that is like 15 years old we finally got her to accept a baptismal date for the 30th and she is already ready so we just need to pass through the questions of the interview one more time and then

yeah she is ready. I love Lanco this sector has so much potential still and we know we will see more success here and we will see more blessings here in Lanco. It’s been a good week this past week with weather wise and everything. I had an intercambio with Elder Elmer my new Zone leader here in Los Lagos an American from Arizona Joseph City and he’s a really cool guy and a great Elder. He finishes in November so 2 transfers before me. Its crazy to think that I just thought about how much time I have left here in the Mission is 7 months. I didn’t

think about it until now. and then when this month finishes 6 months..... shoot me ha-ha I don’t want the mission to end I love it here too much. ME and my companion talked about it yesterday and if the option came up to us if we could extend our missions for another year if we would do it and I think I would do it    It´d be so much fun I love the mission. I just hate it when I have camera problems

because I do not want to lose my photos or I will be very sad.  Like I am praying right now very hard that I haven’t lost them. But to answer the question to mom I would like snickers and I think that would be it to finish off the package and just send it off. But I really hope to see another successful week this coming week here in Lanco and I know through my obedience the lord will bless me in all things. I love you and miss you tons and pray for me that I will not lose my pictures.

Love, Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter - July 4

Dear Mom and Dad and Family,

I am well this past week here in Lanco. We have had a spectacular week this past week with a ton of lessons with member and found a couple of news but the best part of this coming week is were having 2 baptisms and I am baptizing them both. My first two baptisms in my mission that I am baptizing. I am baptizing 2 9 year olds named Isán and Nicolas. Isán is the grandson of Hermana Dina and he is just a ball of fun but so smart. Then also Nicolas is a 9 year old boy of a part member family well he is the last to be baptized in his family but never got baptized when he was 8 and his family moved from Santiago to here and the missionaries have been teaching for him for a while but now me and Elder Martinez are finishing it off and by surprise I have been chosen. Its weird but I am honored to baptize these two little guys. Then the other sweet thing we had happen this past week is that we found a new that is of GOLD like pure gold!! We’ve only taught him twice and once before Sunday and we put him with date for the 30th of July and came to church for testimonies and what not and we told him about what was going to happen in church before we got there cause we went and got him and he sat with my companion and then asked him if he could go up and he said yea go for it and the investigators FIRST SUNDAY GAVE HIS TESTIMONY AND SAID HE KNOW THESE THINGS ARE TRUE AND THAT THE CHURCH IS TRUE WOOOOAAAAHHH!!!! IT was insane I have never had an investigator do that in my life!!! The branch was left stunned and so were we. They are excited and they want to work hard with him now so that he gets baptized the 30th. Wow it was just awesome and we had 2 with 4 in church and an attendance of 46 this past Sunday so it wasn’t too bad like a normal Sunday here. But otherwise it has been an awesome week and my companion and me have the goal to have 20 with member this coming week and 8 with date we are just working this sector hard core. My companion Elder Martinez is a machine and we are machine here. By far he is going to be one of my favorite companions and already is in one sense. We get along so well and we are always laughing and messing around and just killing here in Lanco. I know Lanco will be a Sector I will never forget. It has so much potential and I hope to be here another transfer after this one here in Lanco.

Tomorrow we will get to know our new president and I am excited to meet him and talk to him. I have seen a couple of missionaries from my last zone that have moved up here to the North so it has been awesome to see a couple of them and also a couple of guys from my group have come up here to the North so now I know a couple people more. But no I am stoked for this transfer we are just going to kill it even more.  But I am glad to hear all is well with you guys back home. But its just weeks like these where I wish the mission would never end ha-ha but this p day we came to Valdivía and played bowling and it was a fun activity. By the time I get home al be an expert cause I’ve played it so much in the mission ha-ha.  The weather here has been very cold. Not too rainy but just cold. Every Sunday there’s always ice on the ground it’s so weird but that’s Chile for ya. But I am well here healthy, um a box?? Bueno. Oh yeah!! Before I get what is the address of President Peterson?? I got a letter from him but I can’t read his address.  I want to send a letter but I don’t want to mess up on the address and then the letter never gets to him ha-ha so if you could get that to me I’d appreciate it. But in the box I would like Socks ha-ha to replace all the socks I have that have holes so I only need like 3 pairs more because Amy sent me some. Um Gloves? I just lost my pair of gloves but I am going to look for them. Cheesetz Por favor. If you could find me two small little gifts or 3 that are like Chicago things for my converts here in Lanco like I don’t know key chains or something?? I don’t know l will leave that for you to decide.  I don’t really have anything else for now. But thank you for all the support and prayers you do for me. I Love you tons and miss you more!!!

Love,

Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter - June 27

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am well here in Lanco I am still here but....My companion has left to Puerto Montt to my old sector there!! What are the odds ha-ha but I am here with an Elder named Elder Martinez from Honduras my first Honduran. We have worked our butts off here in Lanco this past week like animals being obedient and working just knocking so many doors its been crazy but its been fun. We found like 9 news this past week and the majority of them are good news it is sweet. We hope to pass by them this coming week and continue teaching them and help them progress to the point of dunking them in the water. Its sad that Elder Winsor had to go but I know he’s just killing it there in Puerto Montt in my old Sector. We had transfers in every sector here in our Zone so now like the Zone is like a new zone but a lot of oldies now in this zone well one more than before ha-ha so now I am not the third oldest in the Zone I am the fourth oldest in the Zone so now I am not too old here  in Los Lagos ha-ha but all is good here I hope to see a lot of success here in this transfer with Elder Martinez. From the pictures I hope that you can see that yes I did receive the package this past Friday so I took the shirt out for a spin. Thank you Amy for the shirt it is way sweet =) and for the socks cause I needed them because the majority of my socks have a lot of holes in them but its all good ha-ha al live I don’t complain. These past 3 three days have been sunny but Sunday morning whoa let me tell ya for the first time in my mission I saw ICE on the street. It was that cold here in the morning with frost all over the place it was way cold and what made it worse was that

they shut the power off all over town so the Chapel didn’t have light so we couldn’t turn on the heater so we all froze for the 3 hours of church cause the light didn’t come back on till 3 in the afternoon it stunk but it was all good I wore sooo much clothes to church like jackets ha-ha and I led music in the sacrament meeting so that was interesting and fun not going to lie ha-ha But I am really stoked for the new president to come in and have my first interview with him and just get to know him and see what he’s like because we he’ll be my president for my last 7 months of the mission so I need to enjoy it cause its the only 2 years of my life where I get to serve the lord so I might as well take advantage of it and continue being the best missionary I can be for him and just dunking people and helping people receive there own salvation in there lives. Thank you guys for worrying about me and taking care of me all these years. I love you guys tons and miss you guys more!!! LOVE YA TONS AND SAY HI TO ALL THE KIDDIES OUT THERE BACK HOME SAYING THAT I MISS THEM AND WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR THE BLESSING AND SEALING IN THE TEMPLE!!

Love, Elder Blotter

Elder Blotter - June 20

Dear Family,

Hey I am better don’t worry I was just down in excitement but now I am a little better because from yesterday to today, wow it has just been a little bit of a down hill. This whole week was good from the start.  Me and my companion were being obedient in all things and doing everything possible and we just set so many appointments for this end of the week especially Sunday where we had 9 set appointments and we left with a member all day and then just boom. They all fell except one. It was tough not going to lie because it was also raining a little bit. It was crazy because it started with us getting rejected a little bit and then people weren’t home, then rejected again. Not going to lie one of the hardest days of my mission where right at the end we taught the grandma of the member that left with us. She was awesome and we know she’ll progress but we were just in the street all day just

knocking so many doors and talking with so many people and getting rejected a ton and then had a drunk swear at us in Spanish like 10 times and then throw rocks at us with the member it was very interesting and very crazy. Like I just went through my mind when the

night ended what happened?? Were we not obedient enough did we do all we could? Like I was so tired at the end of the night. But it was one of the hardest days of my mission. And I know it isn’t my last. And then today my companion got called by the zone leaders saying that we have transfers and Elder Winsor headed to Puerto Montt to the sector of Libertad. We don’t know which sector but he could be going to my sector so I will be getting a new companion. I don’t know whom but will see what happens. I will be sad because we were just getting our groove down on how we teach and everything, it was good and so I’ll have to move the work we’ve done over to the new companion I will get because I know we are going to have a lot of success this next transfer. But today was just nuts. First we got up studied and then left to go to Valdivia to take our photos and then when I got there I found out from the guy in the photo shop that my cameras memory has a virus and so he said

the only way to get it off is to reformat my camera so I had to do it so sorry but I won’t be sending any pictures this week from the past two weeks because I lost everything I am really not happy about it but I can’t do anything about it and he tried to save some of my photos but he couldn’t save a lot because the virus had pretty much destroyed all of my pictures so it stinks but I guess I’ll have to start from new so yeah not fun. But otherwise the week was interesting. I hope to see a lot of success this coming week and I am going to pray hard everyday and try as hard as possible to follow the spirit in all things. I love you and thank you for your concern about me but I am fine about the change in mission president now. I understand it and its good for change and I will be obedient and trustworthy to the new mission president to be able to show him and the Lord that I can be trusted in his work and I am worthy to receive his blessings and his children here in the south of Chile. Love you and miss you tons

Love, Elder Blotter