In Between Houses...

3 February 2014
Hello all!!

It's been an absolutely crazy but fantastic week. We met some great people, moved, had Isabel's baptismal interview (YAYAYAYAY!!!!) and can I just say I love Chañarcillo. :) Hermana Millaquipai is fantastic and I love her lots. She is learning SO much faster than I did when I started and is helping me so very much. :)

This week we had a great district meeting and practiced the whole time making baptismal invitations/commitments, whatever that English word is.... It helped us a lot! We talked a lot about agency, and how if the people say no, it's their free agency, gift from God, to say no. We are here to invite people to come unto Christ, and they have the agency to accept the invitation or not. So that kinda helped me lots to not get nervous or anxious to extend that invitation. Obviously, it is the MOST important for them to see the importance and to accept, but they can say no, and then one day they will look back and say yes. One day they will. :) So we decided it was time to try it again with Roxana. We called the ward Relief Society president to go with us, and we REshared the first lesson with Roxana. The Spirit was so strong, and I was so very grateful for the testimony of Hna Clara. We invited Roxana to prepare to be baptized in March, and SHE SAID SHE WOULD PRAY ABOUT IT. Last time we asked her she said straight out NO and no she would not go to church, etc. But she said she would pray about it and I just was the happiest little girl. :) She actually is out of town for vacation now for the next 2 weeks....so we will see how that praying went. Please keep her in your prayers. :)

So I'm flipping through my planner looking at what to share and I just want to share all of it.... That is a problem. :) We did have a great experience with two less active ladies. Their names are Nevenka and Lidia. Their mom joined the church when she was 30, and raised all the kids in the church. They were all baptized and sealed as a family. Their dad passed away a few years ago, and their mom passed away at 50ish, two years back, just from a sudden heart attack. The kids all kinda stopped going to church when they were in their early 20s, but they do not deny that the church is true... We have been visiting them for months and they never have been to church since I've been here, but we got down to the bottom factor of why and we had an amazing lesson with them. Lidia shared a dream that she had about the tree of life, and that her mom was there beckoning to her to the tree. She shared that she knew that her mom was just waiting for them to all return to the tree and she said she thought it was time. We were just full of gratitude hearing of their experiences and truly how the Lord works miracles in each and every one of our lives.

Aaand Saturday to top things off, the elders moved into our old pension and we moved in WITH Isabel, because her little house that we are going to rent is being a little bit remodeled... So hopefully by next Saturday we will be in our house house. :) We're a little squashed in the meantime, but we're getting along fine AND can I just say it is fantastic living with an investigator? :D We knocked on her door yesterday morning to wake her up for church. :) Hahaha it was fantastic. :) She had her interview with the district leader as we were moving everything in and it went great. She passed. :) She also got up to give her testimony yesterday!! :) Unfortunately....Bishop got up at the same time to end the meeting and didn't see her start to get up...so she sat back down, but she said for sure next month. :) I love her, she is fantastic.

ALSO last thing. I have officially been the ward pianist since Hna Severtson left.... Just so that you know Mom and Miss Erlene (Hodgkinson), those lessons didn't go in vain. :) It's not perfect, but as the bishop's wife told me yesterday, the more I play and practice, the better I get so I should leave the ward playing like a pro. :) And we are singing as a missionary choir for Stake Conference in 2 weeks and as we got there to practice yesterday....the zone leaders asked me to be in charge and direct. So those singing & voice lessons and choir classes didn't go in vain either. :P I love playing and singing, so I was excited to help with that. :)

I have been so overwhelmed this week of the love of our Heavenly Father. He truly does know our needs, and I see His love in the lives of every one of our investigators. They have mostly left town for the time being, but I know that He loves them, and He is cheering them on. It is our choice to allow His love into our lives, or not. I choose to let His love in. That is through the Atonement of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He loves me, and it is our job to help others feel that love that He has for them as well. Even if they may be our enemies, they are His children and He loves them. If He loves them, why wouldn't we? I know this church is true. I am SO grateful to be here serving the Lord and the people of Chile. It makes me so happy to hear about those leaving or getting their papers ready, etc, because I know what a wonderful blessing it will be in their lives and of those they will serve. (Congrats especialllyyy to Nicole Decker for her call to Italy!! YOU'LL BE GREAT!! :D AND for my little brother Spencer for starting his papers. DAH!! I hope you come here to Antofa. Can you imagine? :D)

All my love,
Hermana Tuft
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Hello Mom and Dad!

I forgot my camera cord today.....so I can't send pictures. If you saw the pictures, you would understand why. :) We're living in a tiny little room with our suitcases in the living room and all the rest outside in the back patio for the time being. :) It's chaos, but we're happy and doing great! :) I was so happy to hear about your cousin, Sheri Dad! That is such a happy moment, and I can't imagine the sister that first started teaching her and got to go back to see her baptism! I bet she is just SO happy. :) That is incredible. We also do the confermations in Sacrament Meeting, so no that's definitely a church-wide thing. ¿Saben qué? Yesterday we were in Sunday School and JUSTO we were talking about the creation and I was thinking about how much I miss the temple. I miss the temple sooo much. AND I realized that it was EXACTLY a year ago yesterday that I received my endowments. :) That was a great memory for me. Thank you for both being there and helping me enjoy that special experience. I will never forget that day. :) We did do some fun stuff this week with family history work, and we're planning a ward activity for March to get the ward excited to do their family history work and we're going to get the stake specialist involved to have their help. We're very excited about that. I just want everyone to be happy and excited and worthy to enter the House of the Lord. I want them all to see and feel and experience that joy that I have, and will enjoy with my family for the eternities.

The zone leaders are headed to Antofa this week so I will look for the packages. :) If they're here, which I have hope that they are... :) they will give them to me next Tuesday at our zone meeting. :) I'll check with Elders DeGraw and James about the garments. That is such a wierd question to ask elders.... Just so you know, Mom. :) Make sure to let their moms know what wonderful missionaries they are. They truly are working miracles.

Okay! I hope I'm not forgetting anything, but I love you both SO much. Thank you for your love and support and happiness that I can feel over the thousands of miles away. :) I LOVE YOU to the moon and the sun and the stars and back. :)

Con amor,
Kristen

P.S. I got my Chilean ID this week. :D Just thought I'd share that YES, I am officially Chilean (until it expires the 22nd of November...but still.... :P)