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| I love that these three are together! Hnas Rindlisbacher, Severtson and Tuft. |
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| Miss Domesticate! |
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| Hermanas Tuft, Zollinger, and Albornoz |
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| Hna Kristen Tuft happy to be near the Tocopilla coast again. |
It has been a fantasticcc week. We're here in Tocopilla for the second time this week because Hermana Albornoz has to do some visa stuff, so here we are againnn. :) We came on Thursday night, we're here for Friday and Saturday until noon. Then we worked for the night and yesterday in Calama, and came back this morning at 7 am. So we're just little wandering missionary travelers here. :P
This week truly has been great. We've seen lots of miracles and I have felt so very loved by the Lord. It is incredible to be a missionary. I love it. :) We got to meet Jazmin's two sisters this week and her niece! They are on vacation this week, so in 2 weeks they will have to go back. We still haven't been able to find Antonio, or the kids, so please keep them in your prayers, and we'll keep working on them. :) Camila is getting baptized THIS Saturday and we are STOKED. So exciting. :D We also have two baptismal dates for August with an investigator named Amalia and the other Yalile. Amalia is the friend of a convert and she is so great. She and her husband have to get married (so I guess that wouldn't make him her husband quite yet.... :P) but we're trying to work with him and she truly has desires to get baptized. And Yalile is the grandma of a little girl that a ward family brings to church almost every week named Joan. She is working on quitting smoking, so we're working lots with them these days. :)
Yesterday we did our visits with Bishop's wife, Hermana Carolina. We stopped by to visit Jaqueline and family, and they still are on board for the end of the year with getting married and baptized, AND Jaqueline has to go to Santiago soon, and she told us, "The first thing I'm doing as I get off the plane is taking a taxi to the temple. I haven't been in two years! I feel like a little bee of the Lord, because I sit and take care of His gardens and think, while my kids go and work in His house. One day I'll be in there helping Him, too! But at least for now I get to be a bee." :) We were laughing and love that she has that goal already. :)
We also had a moment this week with an inactive lady named Yobannely. She lives with her pareja, her daughter, Paz, and and her parents. She, her mom, and sister were baptized when she was 11, and now is 24 and doesn't remember ANYTHING, except the day of her baptism. :) Her mom and sister don't want ANYTHING to do with the church, but Yobannely does. She wants to know why it was so important for her mom that she almost forced she and her sister to be baptized as well. When we have gone in the past, her family walks in and out while we're teaching, but never really stop... Her pareja this week, walked outside, was out there for a couple minutes, and we were talking about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and he hurriedly walked back in, sat on the couch next to Yobannely, took the bible that Yobannely had in her hands, and then looked at us... I thought he was going to start yelling or something crazy, but he just sat there like, "Okay, teach me." It really suprised me. He started asking questions, and wouldn't commit to anything, but it did spark his interest. Her dad then walked in the room, and yes, I did think for sure he would start gritando cosas feas, but he didn't. He did ask a MILLION questions, and they all were things that were meant to make us mad and confuse us, but we kept the Spirit in the meeting, and I finally just took the Book of Mormon in my hand, held it out, and said, "Ivan, if you want to know all the answers to all your questions, will you read this book, and then we can talk again?" He said no, but then after that....he didn't ask anymore questions... :)
I know that this church is true. I am so incredibly grateful to be a missionary. Tan bakan es la misión. :D
Lots of love,
Hermana Tuft
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Hey Madre y Padre!
I love you both lots. :) Thank you for sending those stories! I loved reading them. Keep them coming as much as you both feel, because I feel like learning about my ancestors truly helps strengthen me, and it helps as we share and talk about it as a companionship. I love it. We are really excited for this weekend! We're starting it out with our ward mission activity on Friday, a big youth mutual thing on Saturday, Camila's baptism, and a Relief Society activity that night, and thennn (this part makes me super nervous, but it will be fun, and I wish I could just transport you here super fast Mom because...) on Sunday, the Primary President asked Hna Albornoz and I to do sharing time. AHHHH! I'm only 20. But things will work out. :) We truly have seen so many miracles as we have started to work even more closely with the ward council and the members. It has changed the whole ambiente of the ward. Love. It. :D Thanks for the help and encouragement and all the ideas. :)
Okay, questions and answers. :) I did write down the full name and dates of Jazmin already. That's what President suggested that we do and in a year we can split up the temple work. So. Next year on the 4th (or 5th) of July, I will be in the temple. :) We will still talk with Antonio about it, but it isn't necessary to have their permission. It is great, but not necessary. But who knows. That might be what makes him really think and accept the gospel. :)
As for the pictures, that rock was a copper rock before they take the copper out, and that was from Hna Albornoz's pictures. :P So it was on a dead cactus and then I guess on the ground...? Not 100% sure. :P The other people are Hna Bethany Cluff (that just got back from her mission, from Arizona), Hna Taylor Fontenot, and Hna Johanna Castillo. The Hnas here in Tocopilla. :) We were in a Bishop's house, from the other hnas in Calama's for the Chile world cup game. :? I have been blessed with greeeaaatt companions. Hna Rindlisbacher and I laughed and said, "Well, I guess we already have a lunch date set up for when we get home!" :P Hna Howell goes home this transfer with Hna Severtson. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT CHRIS IS GETTING MARRIED. AND...I am SOOO glad you shared that on Facebook about the temples. That's awesome and makes me super happy. :? I don't know Cristina Bugueño, but I'll keep my eyes open... Also, I had a straanngee dream on Friday waking up that the little Tuft baby was born, so I was super excited today to open my email to see a cute little picture of the little baby, but it wasn't there. I will just wait patiently then. :?
Dad, hahaha I told Hna Albornoz it would've just been easier for you to come here and do it really fast, but that one didn't work out... :P It was a native doctor that did it, and can I just say that I am SOOO glad that he wasn't working in my mouth. Cause he didn't even have an assistant. Nor lots of the things that I was used to working with or seeing... :P But he is the mission doctor, so that was good at least. :? I had to laugh at the "grown up Lindsay going to girl's camp comment" :P Seems that I was just about the same nervous wise every year and was packed a week in advance. And that yes, everyone came to me when they needed something. In fact....it seems just about the same here on the mission. :P I found lots of comfort in the story you shared about President Harker. I do recall hearing that. Antonio is in our prayers. I have been working on my goals, and thinking even more about them. Satan really tries to get me down sometimes with thinking that they're not possible, but this is the Lord's work, not his, so there's that. :? I know who's side I'm on. :? I haven't thought too much about your comment about the native languages, to be honest, this past week, but it will be interesting to see where my last two transfers take me. There are LOTS of little pueblitos al interior more towards the Andes, so that would be interesting if we opened up the work out there. I would be SHOCKKEEEDD. But who knows? :P And in those little towns there are lots of Native Americans and such. Hermana Millaquipai, de hecho, is from one of those tribes. Although she never lived there. Her dad left the tribe when he was 19. Kinda interesting.
I love you both lots! I had better get running. :? We are headed to the beach with the hermanas to drink mate before we head back to Calama. :? ¿P.S. Thanks for sending a little bit of that warm weather our way. Last night, I got HOT while we were sleeping. That was strange. It's been pretty warm this week. :P?
I hope you both have FANTASTIC weeeks!!! :D Lotsss and lots of love,
Kristen
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