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| Kristen Tuft with her BLIZZARD from all the Tuft family, done back in October but she just received! |
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| Hermanas Kristen Tuft and Millaquipai in their new apartment Feb 2014 at Isabel's place. |
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| Hermanas who went to Antofagasta for training this week. Feb 2014 |
It seriously feels like 5 minutes ago that I was writing last Monday... This week's been a quicky. There's been tons of stuff crammed into 7 days. :)
To start things off, we were headed out of the ciber last Monday, and we got a call from one of the assistants. He said that on Wednesday I was going to go with one of the other hermanas from the other zone to Antofa for a capacitación and that Hna Millaquipai and the companion of Hna Albornoz would be staying together for the day. I was super confused, we had no idea what the capacitación was for really, but that was the plan. So after that, we had a great noche de hogar (FHE) with Isabel and the Ubilla's (the ward mission leader and his family). It was fantastic. Isabel's doing absolutely great. :)
Tuesday we spent the day scrubbing and cleaning up the house after the remodling projects, etc, and started to move stuff in. Our bus left at 4 AM, so we worked things out for Hna Albornoz to sleep with us, and one of our sister training leaders, Hna Rodriguez went with us too. So we slept until 3ish, got ready, and headed out to Antofa. Let's just make it known that buses are not a wonderful way of transportation. I complained on choir tour if we had to go long distances in our choir dresses...but 8 hours trying to sleep on a bus in a skirt.... Naw. :) But I did enjoy driving in to Antofa on the coast again watching the lovely sea. :)
We headed over to the mission office where we learned about working with records from Chile and finding less actives from our cimi lists, etc. It was a great meeting and we learned a lot! We're going to start implementing into our proselyting over the next little while. So the meeting was just about how to use the google doc, find the exact addresses of the members (because lots of the time the addresses don't exist anymore, or the house changed spots, etc) so this program makes it lots easier and I'm really excited!! :) And it was fun because the missionary couple that taught us (Elder and Hna Pulsifer from Cordelaine, ID) are serving in Concepción and live down the street from Hna Heslop!! (MTC Companion :D) So that was fun to hear about her. :)
Hna Albornoz and I headed back at about 9 on Wednesday night (Hna Rodriguez stayed for a leadership meeting on Thursday) and I got caught up reading all the letters from my missionary friends!! I had no idea that that was coming, so that was a great suprise. I read for a couple hours and finished all of them, and it was so incredible to me to hear all their stories and how much we've all changed. :) And there's more that have since left! It's so exciting how fast the work is hastening and how many people that are preparing for missions. I promise that whoever is even thinking about it, if you do decide to go, it will change your life, and the lives of those who you will teach. If I could go again, I would go in a heartbeat. And I haven't even finished the first one yet.... :P It truly is a miracle.
We got back good and safe and Thursday we worked with Hna Brewster (our other sister training leader) because she was infermita and couldn't go with Hna Rodriguez. So we had a great day, went out with the members and Thursday night Hna Millaquipai and I were SO happy to go back and live in our little cabañita and be together and start livin' normal again. :) I am SO grateful for the past couple weeks; I have learned LOADS, but we are both happy for a little bit of normalcy. :)
Friday and Saturday were great! We found a couple new great investigators, so we'll start working more with them this week. Saturday night we had a session of Stake Conference, and it was fantastic. We had our missionary choir, which turned out fantastic and I was definitely crying in Llamados a Servir (Called to Serve), and the congregation joined us in the last verse (there's 4 verses in Spanish). It was very powerful, after great talks from the Stake Presidency and conversion stories from members. We watched a video about the camping trip the youth did a couple weeks ago (it's like EFY, but called CEM) and they were all excited about missions and getting prepared, and then we watched a Mormon Message about Tyler Haws (BYU Basketball) and leaving for his mission. Needless to say it was a great meeting. We were all in tears; the Spirit was really strong.
Sunday we had a broadcast of Stake Conference, it was the Area Conference thing. The Spirit definitely carried over from Saturday night as we got to hear from Elder Cook, Elder Coorbridge, and Elder Arnold. They were actually broadcast from Salt Lake, so that was different, but it turned out great I thought. A question that Elder Cook asked was, "Si Cristo viniera este noche, ¿quien visitaría?" (If Christ came tonight, who would He visit?) He talked about how we need to ask ourselves that question with our friends and family who aren't members in mind. Who would Christ visit that doesn't have this Gospel in their lives? I loved that thought, and how truly this work is for the members, just as much as the missionaries.
I wanted to end today with my testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I know that God has a plan for each one of us. He knows. We need to put our trust in Him above all else. He will make our burdens light, lift up the heavy laden, but also it is our responsibility to be His hands. It makes me think of one of my 2nd moms, Mamita Patti Quezada, and her talk when I left. His hands went through it all. He suffered for our sins, died for every one of us, but He also conquered death, and through that miracle, we all will live again. I know that this is true. There are so many that are suffering so much because they don't have this knowledge in their lives. We are witnesses of Him in cada momento, y cada lugar. We are headed to a funeral tonight of a girl in the ward who passed away last night. Her boyfriend isn't a member, but the elders have been teaching him, and I know that because of this experience, no matter how hard it will be, he will see miracles in his life, because of Him who is Mighty to save. I love you all with all my heart. Know that I truly am praying for you all. This church is true!
Love,
Hermana Tuft
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Hey Mom and Dad!
Mom, you can add Natalie and Jenny, and Isabel too cause I think she should be on there...? We helped her add us... :P Thank you for keeping up on that! Yes, Jenny is the convert hace una semana. :)
It sounds like Valentine's day went great!! It is celebrated down here, but not as much I think....not quite sure because everyone's been on vacation anyway so... :P But we had a very peaceful, definitely boyfriend/finance/spouse-free day. :D I could almost smell the roses. :) BUT they do have roses here in Copiapó. :P I can't think of anything else that I need for the time being, unless you could maybeee get an Ivory 204 cream foundation from Karin Patrick and squish it in there... Just for the future. I'm on my last one, but I've only used one anyway, so I think if I had one more it would last. :) Thannkkksss. :)
I also loved hearing about Steven!! I am so happy to hear that he did great on his mission and he is back and well. :) I was wondering why you went down to St George.... :P AND I ALMOST JUMPED FOR JOY HEARING ABOUT DARREN AND JAMIE, and kids!!!
(I'm just scanning through your letters to be sure to respond to everything..... :)) I hope that they get things figured out about your knee, Dad!! I don't know if I'd ever go back to that doctor.....kinda sketchy sounding.... :) If I could play the organ, I would never be able to use that talent because they don't really exist here. :) But I do play our piano in Sacrament as the organ setting. :)
Isabel has been great!! We were so sad because she couldn't make it to Stake Conference. She's been planning on this vacation por el sur since the beginning of the summer, so she's actually gone for the week. She left on Saturday and will get back this coming Sunday or Monday. So I am hopinggg I won't get transfered because if so I might not get to see her, aaand I love my little Chañarcillo.... But I will go where the Lord needs me to go if that is the case....with a smile on my face. :)
We did have our district meeting with the family history specialists and it was great!! We're planning an activity for the ward in March to work on their family trees. Did you know we have Spanish roots?! I was super happy to find that line aaand I can work on that line with those records in Spanish when I get home. YAY!!! :D The new family search is incredible. :) Keep me posted please on what happens with Elder Shurts. :) I hope it all works out!
Thank you as well, for the thoughts on "work". It's been quite the week, but at the end of the day, all we can do is pick ourselves back up, go to bed, and wake up when that alarm goes off with smile on our face and ready to find new people in a new day. :) Mom, we don't have too many bad experiences with contacting, but lots of people shyly close the door saying, "Oh no, gracias, soy Catolica, gracias, gracias." Haha so at least they're mostly pleasant. :)
I love you both so very much!! Give everyone hugs, share your testimony with someone this week, give the missionaries a hug if you see them, and tell everyone in the fam THANK YOU FOR MY BEAUTIFUL BLIZZARD. :D I loved it. :D Thank you thank you thank you.
ALL my love,
Kristen
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