Rain down in Antofagasta...

Heeey there everybody!

It's been a fantastic week. It has flown by and here we are approaching the end of the cambio! Hermana Arenas is worried that she'll be transferred, but I don't think so. But we shall see where next Monday finds us! I hope we'll get to stay together; she is a great companion and we have had great times together. :)

Anywho! We've had good success with Ermelinda and Katiuska! They are doing very well. We also have been working with an hermano named Hector, that is here visiting family from the southern part of Chile. His wife is the mom of an hermana here in the ward, and so we are helping in reactivating Hna Maria Teresa and her son, Gabriel at the same time. But they are doing great, and went to church yesterday as a family!! Whoot whoot! :D Hna Maria Teresa went to the temple years ago and was sealed to her parents, so I hope we can help her remember some of those feelings, and forget about all the bad experiences that have happened that are impeding her. They're doing better though and it looks like they'll be staying with us for a while. :D

We had intercambios this week, so I haven't seen Ermelinda too much, but Hna Arenas said that the lesson went very well, and that she is excited to be baptized. She didn't make it to church yesterday, I don't know if they were excuses or real reasons, but we're thinking positive and we have faith that she'll make it next week. :) Katiuska as well, but she truly was sick and couldn't make it. Aaand she's headed to Peru this week for vacations, so we shall see when her baptism will be.... October a lo mejorrr. And Ermelinda should be getting baptized next weekend, the 27th, if all goes well. Keep them in your prayers please!

This week we met a lady named Carolina. She has been inactive for yearrsss and married and had 2 kids, none of which are members. She was telling us how she believes in a lot of stuff that isn't in line with the beliefs of the church, and that she also does not believe that this church is the only true one. Long story short, I was feeling kinda sad as I sat there listening to her....but then I looked down in my hands, and there was the Book of Mormon! And I got excited again, knowing that if she gains a testimony of that book, she will know it is all true, and that yes, this church contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So as we sat there, the Holy Ghost was whispering to Hermana Arenas and I to focus more on her 9-year-old daughter, Sol. We started talking to Sol and asking her questions about Christ and who God is and such. And Sol had no idea.... That kinda called her mom's attention. We sang, "I am a child of God," and asked Sol if she knew that she was a child of God, and she said, "No, I didn't know that!" and that Jesus is our brother and that he loves us, and she responded the same. Her mom got quite and just kinda looked a little lost, and we said a prayer, and started sharing our testimonies about the restored church of Jesus Christ, and that Sol could know by reading the Book of Mormon. She said that she loves to read, and she and her mom both promised to read it together. :D We're excited to go back this week to see how it went. :)

As we left their house, I was thinking about all that had happened, and President Uchtdorf's talk, "Come, Join with Us," came to my head. I want to share a couple bits of what he said:

"Some struggle with unanswered questions about things that have been done or said in the past. We openly acknowledge that in nearly 200 years of Church history—along with an uninterrupted line of inspired, honorable, and divine events—there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question.

"Sometimes questions arise because we simply don’t have all the information and we just need a bit more patience. When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn’t make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction.

"Sometimes there is a difference of opinion as to what the “facts” really mean. A question that creates doubt in some can, after careful investigation, build faith in others...

"Some might ask, “But what about my doubts?”

"It’s natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith—even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

So as we talked to Carolina, that phrase came to my mind: "First doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." We must "nurture and cultivate the seed of faith-- even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty." I know that this church is completely true. There is no doubt in my mind about that. Yes, sometimes I have "doubts" but I know they are temporary things that will make sense in some perfect, future day when we are with the Lord and will learn from Him face to face. What a miracle and a blessing that is!!

On Saturday, we had a great little surprise! We woke up and it was RAINING. I don't think you all understand to the full extent the miracle that that is. And the happiness that it gave us. There wasn't any sun, but that brightened up our day lots. :D We were headed to a multi-stake service project and so I was in my TOMS and jeans, and was pretty much skipping down the stairs when I totally biffed it and fell prettyyy hard headed down the stairs.... Whoops. :) Needless to say, there is a pretty great bruise on my backside. :) But yes, we were indeed very happy that there was moisture falling from the sky. :)

I would send pictures of that....but the computer's not working too great, so next week there will be pictures. :) It was a fun service project and it was great to have some time like that with the ward members. :) They said that it was a worldwide church service project day, so I don't know if they did that back there at home or what....? I know that Saturday was full of different things for the family, but did the wards do a service project thing?

Okie dokie. I had better get running, but I love you all lots and am glad to know that you are doing well. I know that this church is TRUE!

Love,
Hermana Tuft
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Hello Mom and Dad!

Can I first just say again, that I love you both so very much? And I thank you for thinking of Spencer and I and sending pictures and details of everything that goes on. :) I am so very glad to hear that things went well for the funeral. I have been super great this week. I had just a second on Saturday where I thought it was about the time of the funeral that was a little moment of silence, and said a little prayer, but other than that things have been great, and I'm glad to know that Grandpa has joined us in this great missionary cause on the other side of the veil. I got the chance to read better about the "fine old high priests," and that brought a smile to my face and a little tear to my eye. But Grandpa truly was a fine old high priest. I couldn't help but thinking that my dad also fits in that category (although he might alsooo cut out the "old" part. :P I know that birthday of yours is coming uppp. :P) JUSTO, I was reading the next morning in Alma 13, and verses 3 and 9 caught my attention in that regard:

3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.

9 Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen.

I thought that was very fitting. :) I'm going to have to read your talk, Dad, and Aunt Di's tonight cause I didn't get a good chance to sit down and read it all. But thank you for sending that, and also to Mom for the pictures. Brother and Sister Clement are so sweet; they wrote us both last week and also this week, saying that we are in their prayers, and Sister Clement included pictures of the program as well. That's so sweet of them to have gone. They are very neat people and I am so grateful that they are our home teachers. :)

As for things in the ward, they are going good! Our ward mission leader is the bomb, for lack of a better phrase. But truly he is amazing. He gave a talk yesterday that called the Spirit very strongly, and pretty much called the ward to repentance, and said that we all need to look and follow through with all the missionary experiences that we are loosing every single day. He is fantastic. :D They are calling ward mission leader assistants this week, so our ward mission program is coming along well. Now just to put in practice the ward mission plan. Wahhooo. :D

I will let Hno Thomas know about the office pictures for next week. :) Actually, they are out of town for Chile's Independence Day (WAHOO. :D) so they'll be getting back next week anyway. Would you both be able to share with me more thoughts from Stake Conference? I can't wait for General Conference sooo soooonnn. :D Thank you for sharing that thought about "angel children," Dad. I think there have to be many times where you both just roll your eyes and shake your head, with the word "angel" far from might at some of the things we do as kids, but I love being one of your children, and I love having my other four angel children siblings. And my angel parents of course. :)

And Mom, Hna Arenas gets letters every week from friends, and occasionally from her two brothers, but her parents "don't know how" to use the computer.....? I talked to President about that, and he's going to get on that with the bishop from her mom's ward in Iquique... Hopefully she can finish out the second half of her mission with a little bit more support. We have had some great talks this week, the two of us... She has been pretty well bullied all her life, from friends and even mission companions, so sometimes she gets into a little bit of a depression state and doesn't talk, but I think we have been making progress with that, and I hope she just feels of my love for her, and what's more of our Heavenly Father's love for her, never ever wanting her to be down on herself... It's been good. :)

Send pictures of your new "braceless face" Mom! :D That's fun. :) And make sure Lindsay sends pictures of the bridals. I was super happy to hear about Duke and family. I'm glad that he's doing so well. And WAHOOO about the three baptisms in the ward!! That is fantastic. :D I also had to laugh because you are one of three people that told me today about Hna Howell and Elder Hughes.....bahahahaha. :D So yep, it's going around the mission like wildfire.... Weirrrdddd. :)

Okie dokie I have got to run. I love you both so very much! Please send my very best to Grandma, and tell her that I love her so very much. I don't know if her eyes are bad so she can't write or read, but I haven't heard from her in a while, and don't know if they had gotten my last letter that I sent or what....? But I hope that she knows that I love her and that you are all in my prayers.

Con muchísmo amor y cariño,
Kristen