Hello All!
Okay....it's been a fantastic weekkk - Chilean Independence Day is 18 September. :D BUT it has been soooo full of empanadas, completos, MUCHO carne, mote con huesillo, carne, empanadas, a little bit of salad, a little bit more carne, and MORE mote con huesillo. Oh and sopaipillas. Or let's just say, LOTS of food. Thanksgiving times a million, and that's what we've eaten this week. :) So here I am writing you all, with about 10 pounds more than what I was last Monday. :P But it was a great fiestas patrias, all in all. :)
This week we had zone conferences and that was great. We started out by singing "The Army of Helaman" and that just about killed me. There were probably 80 missionaries(ish) and all of us singing that... It was incredible. I love being a missionary. :) We also got to share our testimonies about our Savior, Jesus Christ, as we finished up reading the Book of Mormon as a mission in the past month or so from the invitation of Elder Spannaus. I know that my Savior lives and loves me, and we are on His errand, His time, and we are instruments in His wonderful and powerful hands.
We also talked a lot about helping the members know how to share the gospel with their friends. President said that every family in the church should have a family mission plan, and I loved that idea! I had never thought of that... So our job as missionaries is to help the families of the ward find their own plan, something that will work for them, and not something that we throw on their shoulders that never results. :) For example, all we want is that they can get their friends and us in the same place at the same time, and we can do the rest. :) We become their friends/acquaintances and with that, we can share our testimonies and they will know what we are saying is the truth. Unto every man is given the light of Christ, and they will know. Something SUPER awesome happened this morning. We went to send a couple letters, and as we were leaving, a member of the ward and her daughter walked out of one of the rooms, and they we were with a friend. So we went and said hi, started talking, and the hermana said, "I've been trying to get her to listen to the missionaries for yearsss and she never says yes!" Well...she said that in front of her face...whoops. But it worked out okay. :) We started talking about how the lady is always going to the mission office to drop off packages, and then she asked if we had the recipe to cookies that Sister Garrison (the Garrison's are the missionary couple in the mission, from Idaho) and we said that we did not but that we could get it and have a family night and share them with her. :D Bwahhahaha. :) So she said yes and we have a family night set up with her, and the member family for next week. :D It's just that easy. :)
Thursday was Chile's Independence Day, and it was pretty awesome. :) We had weekly planning in the morning and went to the stake center at 1 pm for the stake party. It was a huge barbeque (asado) and there was a great turn out. The rest of the afternoon we enjoyed watching all the dancing and fun games that were going on, and were very happy that a few of our investigators could attend. :D Ermelinda was going to go, and it turned out that her son ended up coming and she couldn't go... :( But needless to say, it was a great day.
This week we had something happen that has never happened in either one of our missions! We have been teaching Ermelinda all of the commandments (she's getting baptized on the 11 of October, by the way...) and we taught her the law of chastity on Tuesday. I don't know if this is a normal thing for all missionaries, but anyone who has seen the missionaries in The District teach it, it gets a little awkward sometimes. Not that awkward how they do it on The District, but something like that. :P So we went to teach the Law of Chastity, and it was one of the most spiritual lessons I have ever had in the mission... She fully understood that her temple is a temple of God, and that we need to respect and care for it, and we started talking about families and how the world has lost that respect and importance for marriage, etc. She expressed the desire that she has to share the Gospel with her kids, cause they're not doing the things that they should be, and she councils them, but they don't really listen much... It was an incredible lesson. The Lord truly prepares His children, and Ermelinda has been prepared her whole life to receive this Gospel, and she is doing great.
I know that the church is true! I know that Christ is at the head of this church and that he leads and guides us through His living prophets and apostles. I hope we can all be preparing for General Conference, so that we can listen to the prophet, President Monson, and learn what the Lord needs us to hear and apply in our lives!
With lots of love,
Hermana Tuft
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Hey Mom and Dad!
Thank you so much for all your spiritual thoughts that you both shared this week, they were just what I needed. :) I'm excited to be able to go back and study them a little bit more this week. It's incredible that the things I learn from what you both say always helps out throughout the week in what we are doing. :) So thank you! I love you both so much. :)
I'm glad to hear that the Ogden Temple Dedication went well yesterday. I love being part of those. I remember that my first one was the Nauvoo Temple, and that was also the first temple that I went to to do baptisms. I love the temple so very much. :) That's also fun that Kyle and fam and the Allison's were able to join you all. Do the Allison's these days include Miranda....? Or is she still struggling? Did she ever get my birthday note I sent her....? She never responded if she did. :( She's in my prayers.
As well as little Lindsay! Poor girl! If it's not one thing it has to be the other. :( I showed Hna Arenas that picture of her on the couch with the crutch straight up on her head, sleeping...and she died laughing. She too, Mom, wants to meet the family one day. She says we must be very funny people. :P Bahaha little does she know.... :P I think she must look at me sometimes and just think, "Where do you come from....?" :P Send Lindsay my best, and tell her I love her, and that I would LOVE to hear from her, ESPECIALLY right now with all the great things she's saying. :D Bahaha. I'm pretty sure that is not Dad's profession, and I don't know WHERE in the world she would get that one......... :P What does she think I'm doing....? :)
Also Dad, I thought that was interesting the comments from Elder Bednar. I was listening to a talk from him the other day, and he invited the congregation, I'm assuming, to read 1 Nephi 11 through 13 and to really focus on the invitations that the angel makes to him. He asks, "What desirest thou?" Knowing that he wanted to see what his father saw, but the angel gave him the chance to learn spiritually that way, and I thought of that when he talks of the first important steps in acting in faith. So I did that, and loved what I learned. I would love to know your thoughts! I will also tell Hno Thomas that the pictures will be coming next week if all goes well. :) He's been on vacation with his family and they get back on Wednesday, so I doubt he's thought much about it in the last couple weeks anyway. :) I'll also be sure to keep you both updated with Sol and Carolina, but they were out of town this past week with las fiestas... Keep them in your prayers. :)
I cannot believe that Kim Stratford and the Shaw boys are getting married!! I mean....I guess that's what happens when your friends get old and back from their missions and are at college, but I had no idea. :) Who's NOT going to be married by the time I get home? :P Just kidding (kinda). :P BUT please send Kim my best. I love that girl, and she has been such an example to me throughout my whole life. :)
And I had a small world moment last night with a returned missionary that got back from Puebla, Mexico. Ha Ha he knows Elder Alex Knowlton! I asked him if he knew him and he said yes, and pulled out pictures! That was strange. But tell him HEY from Elder Gerhardt Schmeltzer here in Chile. :P
Thank you for being my goodly parents. Part of the reason I cried so much during the Army of Helaman is because the first part says that we have been born of goodly parents, and I truly have, and I love you both so very much. THANK YOU. :D
Love,
Kristen
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Hey Spencer!!
I love you lots and I know that you are doing what the Lord needs you to be doing. :) And I know you know that. :) Hey, I wanted to ask you if you have the talk "The Fourth Missionary" by Elder Corbridge? If not I'm going to send it to you in the little package I'm putting together. :) Cause you need that one. :) It's helped me SOOO much throughout my mission. I can send it in Spanish and English if you'd like.... LOVES from your favoritest older sister in Chile,
Kristen :)
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