Semana de Caleta de Cositas :)

Kristen in Chuquicamata (museum in Calama area)

I'm thinking Hermana Morales here is worried about split ends, by their faces? :)

Headed to a museum on P-Day!

Baptism April 2014 - Hermanas Tuft and Morales

Kristen and her some of her best friends on graduation day 2012 - 2 years later, Kajsia is going to school, Kristen's in Antofagasta, Chile, Kaisa is married, Megan W is in Tacoma, WA Cambodian speaking, Brooklyn is in Resistencia, Argentina, Ashley is going to WA D.C. soon, Megan M is in Washington Vancouver, and Aimee is home from her mission with some medical problems. These girls are going places!

Hello from Calama!!

It's been a crazy and fantastic week. I truly have LOVED every second, although it truly has been a whirlwind. Seems like that's the norm these days.... :) Hermana Morales and I had a great last week together. It was rough to say goodbye this morning, but she's on her way home and her mom has lots of fun plans ready. So it's exciting! :) Just an fyi... Last night she was up packing....so we didn't get to sleep too much and her bus left for Antofa at 5:30, so we're running on little sleep here. :) I'm with the other hermanas, Hermana Smith and Hermana Zollinger, for the day and we've been taking it pretty chill. :) My new companion is Hermana Albornoz! She is from Argentina and I got to meet her when I was in Copiapò so I'm excited to get to work with her. :) She'll get here in a couple of hours and we'll be all set here shortly. :)

I wish I could sit and explain everything that has happened this week in detail, because truly it's been a great week. We had a great experience with contacting less actives again. A couple of weeks back we contacted a lady named Darling as we were searching for an address. We went back a couple of days later and kinda got chewed out by her husband, but he said he was fine if we came back when he wasn't there....? So we went back. But he was there... And he let us in! It was the strangest thing. We were nervous to go back, but come to find out they were both saying they hoped we would stop by soon, and there we showed up! It's incredible truly to see the Lord's timing. Darling and William have been living here in Calama for 3 years and got married last year. They have 2 little girls and they're so adorable. :) We had a great lesson with them, and are headed back tomorrow due to things that came up in their schedules... But we're really excited for them! :)

Jazmin and her family are doing great, as well as Khymena and her family. Khymena is headed to Antofa for a few months, so we won't be able to visit her for a while... :( We also have a baptism coming up it looks like in June for the daughter of a recent convert! Her name is Camila, and her mom, Linda, got baptized last year in a different ward here in Calama. They just moved into the ward and we've started working with little Camilita. :)

On Thursday, we had the incredible and unforgettable experience of hearing from Elder Spannaus and his wife. I wish I could have transported you all there, because it was an amazing day. Hermana Morales and I had a leadership meeting early in the morning with the other sister training leaders from Antofa and all the zone leaders from the zones in Calama and Antofa. So we headed out on Wednesday night and stayed the night there. (Can I just say as a little side note, even driving 2 1/2 hours away, the change in temperature was CRAZY HUGE and we were soakin' up the coastal weather. :)) The first meeting we had was pretty short, but we talked about 3 Nephi 27: 20-21 and 27. In these verses, Christ is inviting us to be as He is. We talked about "doing" and "being". Elder Spannaus asked us if we can be something without doing, and the answer is no, we can't. But then he asked if we can do and act something without actually being. (¿Se puede ser, sin hacer? ¿Se puede hacer, sin ser?) The answer is yes. We can pretend to be, with just going through the motions, but actually being someone and something requires effort and we have to work at it. Christ asks, "What manner of men ought ye to be? Even as I am."

I was thinking a lot on that lesson as we started the main meeting. We talked a lot about the Spirit and the influence that it can have on our lives, and going back to the idea of hearts, the Spirit can only have effect on us if we open our hearts to what He tells us. I loved what my Dad shared with me on this subject also this week from Elder Bednar; "In chapter 33 of 1 Nephi he says that the Holy Ghost carries the message unto the heart, not into the heart. So the Holy Ghost will bring it here (to the heart), but we have to act to bring it into the heart. That is the key." As Hna Morales and I talked about that afterwards, we talked about the difference of a testimony. People can bash and deny whatever you say, but they cannot take away your testimony. A powerful way that we have found to open the hearts of the people is just bearing a short and simple witness and allowing the Holy Ghost to bring that message to their hearts, allowing them to choose to accept or no.

Dah. I wish I could share it all, but I wanted to end with a challenge that Elder Spannaus extended to us. As a companionship, we have talked a lot about our testimonies of Jesus Christ and how we know that He lives. Elder Spannaus held up a new and unused copy of the Book of Mormon, and invited us to take the time between now and September 1st to read the Book of Mormon and mark every time it talks about Christ, the Atonement, or the Doctrine of Christ. It was such a powerful moment as he promised us that as we read the Book of Mormon asì, we would gain a testimony of Christ that we have never before had.

I know that my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Him, and that it was translated especially for our day by a prophet, seer and revelator named Joseph Smith. This church is true, and I know that as we listen to the Holy Ghost and open our hearts to Him, we can and will see many mighty miracles. I testify of the importance and power of prayer. We have a Heavenly Father who lives and loves us and answers our individual prayers. I love you all and I thank you for your prayers and love; you are continually in mine. :)

¡Hasta lunes!
Love,
Hermana Tuft
=============
Hello Mom and Dad!

Can I just say I loved all the fotos EXCEPT for the ones of your bone spur Mom. Thank you, that truly added a bit of queeziness to my little day... :P BUT I AM VERY GLAD THAT IS OFF YOUR HEEL. That is very happy. :D And I'm glad that it went well. I'm also glad to hear that Grandpa's radiation went well. It's incredible what they can do with technology these days, truly it is... Keep me updated on that please. :)

I'm glad seminary graduation went well (CRAZY HE'S ALL GROWN UP AND LINDSAY TOO. So big-both of them.) And little girl Audrey is not so little baby Audrey these days. Què precisosa. :D Please congratulate Lindsay on her art project! That's pretty creative and great of her. Love it. :) Aaand last but not least. Britney in front of the Eiffel Tower might have just about killed me. Love it love it love it. :) She looks so cute and happpy. :)

I GOT THE PACKAGE!!!! That has been an act of faith, truly it has. But it got here all in one piece and I am loving its content. :) The white blazer is a lot too big, but I'm trying to see if I can take it in....? We shall see. :) Please thank Aunt Chelle too! I'm in the skirt she sent today. :) I hope you can see from the pictures the other fun scarfs and dresses too. THANK YOU. AND thank you for the thick tights. Life savers. We're freezing down here. :)

Yes Mom, Paulette Carrasco is the daughter of our newly called 1st councilor for the ward. YAY!! That happened yesterday. :D And Bishop Aguilar is pretty relieved. :) Thank you for putting all our names on the prayer roll. That was something Hna Morales was pretty excited to do, is go to the temple in Santiago tomorrow. :) Thank you.

Thank you also Dad, for sharing those thoughts from Elder and Sister Bednar with me. I really enjoyed reading those. It has been a long process for me discovering that, yes, it does have to do with me and how I teach to have investigators accept what we are saying, but it has a lot more to do with how they receive it. With Maria Rojas, the baptism we had a couple weeks back, she was VERY Catholic her whole life. Her daughter is a member and whenever the missionaries would stop by, Maria would go hide in her room. Until about 4 months ago, she had been listening to the missionaries for about a year, but never accepted to be baptized. Then she had a cardiovascular problem and lost feeling to a half of her body. She received a priesthood blessing and has been recovering remarkably fast. It is incredible that after so much time, effort, and lots of prayers that the Lord helped soften her heart and now she is a strong and active member of His church. It is incredible. Thank you for sharing. :)

I had better get going, but I do love you both so very much. :) Thank you for your love and prayers and packages and thoughts that you both share with me. I would love to hear what both of your thoughts are next week on the first lesson in Preach My Gospel. It's the Restoration, and truly every time I read it I find something new, and I would love to hear both of your comments. :)

All my love,
Kristen

P.S. I did get that 120 off to Elder James. I don't know if he's in Copiapò but the office has it. :)

The Strength of a Testimony

Kristen got her first of two boxes, in just 2 weeks (vs. 3 months going through the office.) Warm clothes have arrived!

Hna Kristen Tuft with Hna Morales contacting in the streets of Calama.

Hello All!

I truly am having a difficult time starting this email..... :) I feel like I just talked to you all yesterday....oh wait... :) And this week has been pretty tranquila, BUT nevertheless it was a great week and we have had a great time working here in Central Norte. :)

Just a few small things that happened this week. We are working on a musical number as a zone for a conference with Elder Spannaus of the Seventy this week, so we prepared that a little bit last week as the zone. We also headed to Tocopilla again (3 1/2 hrs away) so that was great as well. Truly Tocopilla is the cutest little port town and the missionaries there are truly working many mighty miracles. I love going there to visit and see how excited they all are. :)

We also have been working a lot with a lady named Jazmin and her family. She has 5 little kids and 3 of them normally join us, but we haven't found out a way to get the other 2 oldest to come down yet... Tarea por esta semana... :) Jazmin was an old investigator of Hna Morales and Hna Richins and kinda disappeared one day and then reappeared when we were walking by a park and she invited us to her house the next day. She is progressing great and she made it out to church yesterday! She got pretty sick during Sacrament Meeting... But the ward was great and helped out a lot and we got her home safely. :)

We also had a pretty incredible experience with a lady whose whole family are members of the church, aka siblings, and she never joined... Her brother was the stake president here in Calama a few years back and has since moved, but we did get to meet with Edith this week. I met her when I first got here, but she never has been able to receive us. I truly have a strong testimony that when we are prepared and rely on the Spirit to teach, instead of what we think we can do ourselves, it makes all the difference. Edith felt the Spirit as we testified and we hope that things will continue working out for her as far as her desire to learn and grow closer to our Savior.

I wanted to close by sharing my testimony that I truly know that this Gospel is true. I don't know if I say that in every email, but I truly do know it. I know that as we bear testimony of the truth, we have the gift of the Light of Christ inside every one of us and as we bear witness of Him, the people will be able to see and feel the difference. The things we know as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are not new. We knew them before we were born, and had to relearn them and walk by faith in order to come to know again for ourselves. Heavenly Father loves us and He answers our prayers. I am so grateful and humbled to know that He knows each one of our needs individually and specifically. I am so grateful that He gave me the opportunity to learn and grow these past few weeks with my companion, Hermana Morales. She's headed home next week, but she is such a strong and wonderful example to me. I love my family and I am SO grateful that I could talk to them for a bit yesterday. I know that we will be together forever, whatever happens in this life as long as we are faithful. The work of temples is true. We are an eternal family, and all families can and will be together forever, according to their faith to act accordingly. Our Savior, Jesus Christ lives! I know that He lives and because He lives, we have the hope of beautiful future in the world to come.

Con MUCHO amor de Calama,
Hermana Tuft
==================
Hello Mom and Dad!

First of all can I just say you all looked great and happy and it was good to chat. :) I love you lots and lots. :) It was great also to talk for a couple minutes with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Karen, too, for a couple seconds. :) It was really hard for me to hang up, but I know that whatever happens will be the Lord's will. Grandpa didn't sound too great.... He sounded really tired and sick... I hope that he isn't in pain and that they both will be alright. I was talking with Hna Morales last night, and it was interesting because I had a wonderful memory that came to mind as I got to go to the Brigham City temple with the both of them before I left and I got to be in the prayer circle with Grandpa. It brought a couple tears of joy to my eyes, and with that I do know that things will be okay. He'll be a wonderful missionary on the other side and I know that he'll be mindful of what we are doing here.

I did get the one package this morning and hope to get the other soon... :) Keep that as a little prayer in your hearts! :) Thank you very, very much. I'll get that 120 to Elder James somehow. And truly Hnas Quevedo (Yanina and Rosita) are wonderful people and I love them lots!! That's awesome they're going next summer!! They were going to go this fall for General Conference, but I guess not... Fun stuff. :) I also haven't had any problems with bed bugs or fleas, although there are a great handful of sisters here that have had their fair share of lice that I hope to stear clear from... Yich... :(

I saw that senior pic of Spencer and about DIED!!! He is not the little kid I know... But he looks like a missionary and that is exciting and wonderful. Glad he finished the season well. I'm also glad that I could help a bit with voice/acting up stuff. :) So sad to hear that she doesn't want to finish with piano.... She will regret that... I use it as much as possible here, because nobody plays.... I hope your surgery also goes well this weekend!! And that no headaches follow....

I would be so very grateful if you could put Jazmin Varas and family on the prayer roll, as well as Khymena, Edith Gonzalez, Mario Aguilar and family, Jaqueline Rojas and family, and Isabel Neyra, as well as Pia Diaz. Thankkk youuuu. :D

AND quickly, before I forget... I took a picture of our Spanish line that I'll send... :) Prooooff. Very interesting... It comes from the Tuft side!

We didn't get the chance to make apple pie, but HOPEFULLY this week. We have made brownies and banana bread though and they're big hits. :) Glenda and Agustina have been on hold.... But I'll keep you posted... Thank you so very much also for your thoughts, Dad. I loved that thought from Dr Griffin. :) Hna Morales does well with English, but definitely understands it better when she reads it so I let her read that part and we both liked it lots.... :) Thank you. :) It truly does make an incredible difference when we give our whole heart to Him. He can make it whole, but sometimes we do hold it back. It's incredible how that ties in with Charity and Hope, and also faith. I've loved studying that chapter of PMG, along with the Atonement. And with that, I have been meaning to ask you both if you had your own Preach My Gospels that you've been studying... I heard that challenge from Elder Ballard again this week, and I would love to be able to share bits and pieces with each other of our weekly studies... Just a thought. :)

I would also like to thank you for your experience of your journal entry from last week and memory from this week. I took a moment to write all the things I'm grateful for in my journal and didn't even touch the tip of the iceberg, but it's nice and good to remember all that the Lord has blessed us with. I also have been reflecting a lot on Grandma's experience, along with that of all the ancestor stories you both have sent (and I have loved those by the way, thank you!) and I have been reflecting on my own conversion... I have been so very blessed to know that these things are true, but there isn't a moment that I could explain that would be considered "my conversion story". It's been a journey of 20 years. :) I have put Moroni's challenge to the challenge every time I read it, and I always get a very warm and reassuring feeling that yes, it is true. I can almost hear our Heavenly Father say, "Kristen, you've known it all along. It is true." And that every time has come as such a warm and reassuring comfort, that even though I know, He will always give reassuring moments of "Yes! It's true!" And I feel that every time we share the first lesson. It's a daily recurrence that I am so very eternally grateful for.

I love you both lots! Happy Mothers Day again! I hope it was a fantastic day. :)

All my love,
Kristen

CORAZONES

Hello All!!

Yes, it has been yet another crazy week. But I feel like I've been getting more used to the craziness... It means that there's lots of work and I love that. :D

Today Hermana Morales, Hermana Smith, Hermana Zollinger and I are in San Pedro de Atacama and we've been paseando MUCHO así que...no tenemos tanto tiempo para escribir.... But I will write SUPER fast and hope to get it all in. Because we still have to drive back to Calama. :) But it's been a great and beautiful P Day. :D

This week, we had our conference in Antofa and it was an incredible conference. We talked a lot about el corazón, and what is interesting is that the whole week we have been hearing about hearts and their importance and symbolism. It has truly gotten me thinking. I looked it up in the index of the Spanish scriptures and it talked about our disposition and the will of man. It is the fountain of every emotion and feeling. We talked about what it means to have a willing, humble, and contrite heart. Hermana Dalton asked some pretty deep questions that I wanted to share, that truly have made me think and reflect a lot. Do I have a pure heart? Can I share my heart with others? If that answer is no, does that mean that my heart is focused on the pure doctrine of Christ, or on things of the world?

I also have thought a lot about Nephi and his brothers, as I have started the Book of Mormon again. Their hearts were so hardened that even when they saw an angel, they turned from the Spirit that surely was present. That got me thinking about how sad it truly is to see people that have set their hearts on things of the world and have hardened their hearts on the things of God, the things of a loving Father in Heaven. I loved that question: Do I have a pure heart? I would love to hear your thoughts. :)

Afterward, to end our meeting, we had a special testimony meeting where all of the missionaries in consejo that are leaving in 2 weeks bore their testimonies. I truly love being a missionary and love being able to share this happiness with others. The Spirit that was present in that meeting was indescribable. It is something that I truly hope and pray to never forget. The opportunity we have to be missionaries is so short. This week I will be hitting my year mark... I can't tell you where this past year has flown, and I have 6 more months to continue making the most of the time that the Lord has given me to be here in the north of Chile. My little brother got his mission call this week to the Honduras Tegucigalpa Mission, leaving at the end of June. I could not be more happy and humbled at the chance we get to have to be out serving the Lord at the same time. I was SOOO excited to get the news and I know that truly, Spencer, you will be such a fantastic missionary. I love you lots Bud. :)

In regards to investigators, we had a very special experience with finding new investigators this week. We were challenged to find a new investigator for every name on our ward list, so we were looking for a less active, and as we were talking to her neighbor, she let us in and we shared with her, her daughter, and granddaughter. The lesson we had was a normal first lesson, where we shared about the Restoration y todo, but there was such an incredible and overwhelming spirit there that was unforgettable. In thinking about it after, it truly came from them. We can invite the Spirit as missionaries and help others to feel it, but we can't make them accept that feeling... What was special is that they accepted it and asked wonderful questions, and honestly I can't explain it very well, but it was incredible. :)

And in regards to Jaqueline, Khymena, and Agustina, we haven't been able to see them this week... They all have been busy and working and out of town because it was a long break from school weekend... So unfortunately in regards to them, there isn't much new this week... But next week for sure. We should be seeing all three tonight and tomorrow.

I have got to run, but I love you all so very much. I know that this is the Lord's work and I am so blessed and grateful to have this message in my life. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church here on the earth that is led by prophets and apostles.

With all my love,
Hermana Tuft
===============
Mom and Dad!!

I am so sorry I won't be able to respond to anything truly today.... I have to run but I will talk to you all on SUNDAY at 5 your time. :D Lots of love!

Hermanita Kristen

A CHOSEN GENERATION

28 April 2014
Hello!!

It's been a fantastic week here in Calama. :) It has been quite an adjustment the past few weeks running frantically por todos lados, BUT it's been a fantastic 3 weeks and this week was great. :) We worked hard and found and taught lots of people. It truly is incredible how the Lord puts so many people in our path. I love when I know that for sure that people have been put in our path, because truly that shows us as a companionship that the Lord trusts us and confides in what we are doing. I love that feeling, that I know the Lord is pleased with our work. It doesn't mean that we should ever stop working, or stop trying to work harder, but truly it is incredible to feel that way. :)

This week, we have been planning our ward conference that will be this coming week, and we've been following up with lots of contacts. There was one in specific named Glenda that caught our attention. We started talking to her in the street and she told us to stop by the next day in the morning. So we headed by, and had an incredible lesson with her. She has been raised Christian her whole life and believes in the Bible and Christ, but wants to learn more. She was one of those that we got out of the lesson and thought, "Meesh!" Just one of the examples of miracles that we truly see every day. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. :)

We've also been working with a lady named Agustina. Her 3 sons were baptized last year, but she never really joined in on the lessons. Her husband is inactive and doesn't want anything really to do with the church, but has no problem if his family does... So we're working with them, and been focusing on teaching the lessons again to her kids, and teaching her at the same time. She has a few things to fix before she can be baptized, but she has a baptismal date for July 5th. It seems far out there, but it's better to have a goal than to not have anything at all... :D So we're working with Agustina and her family. :)

There was another lady that I met this week, that had been listening to Hna Morales and Hna Richins before I got here, but she's pregnant and has been having a few complications... So we stopped by this week to see if we could find her and she was home and invited us in! She has 2 little kids, one that's 11 and the other is 2. She and her son have been reading bits and pieces of the Book of Mormon, and we shared with them the importance of prayer. The Spirit was so strong in that lesson. There are many times still that my words get jumbled, but I know without a doubt that when I can speak perfectly is when I'm truly not speaking at all, and the Spirit completely takes over, and that was what happened with Kimena on Friday.

The last little experience that I wanted to share from this week is about a lady named Jaqueline. Jaqueline is a mom of 2 - her daughter is 22 and her son is 11. Her two kids, Florencia and Heribeto, got baptized in Santiago about a year and a half ago. When I first met Jaqueline, I thought she was a member. She knows everything there is to know about how the church is organized, the lessons, etc. But the incredible thing is that she is still humble enough to learn and be taught. She has a few things she needs to do before she can be baptized as well, along with her husband, but by the end of the year they have the goal to be married and baptized. :) Yesterday in church, the teacher in Relief Society said something to the effect of the people of our day have been held in reserve to come forth in the latter days. We stopped by in the afternoon to visit them and Jaqueline made the comment about that comment, and how she was truly impacted by that comment. She then shared with us a very special dream that she had had, that had a lot to do about being the last and chosen generation. We left her D&C 138 to read, and promised that we would talk more about it in the next visit.

It truly is incredible that even though Jaqueline isn't baptized, that she knows she has to prepare herself, and that the Lord truly has prepared her in her life.

In Doctrine and Covenants, here is what is says that we wanted Jaqueline to read.

53 The Prophet Joseph Smith, and my father, Hyrum Smith,Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and other choice spirits who were  reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work,
54 Including the building of the temples and the performance of ordinances therein for the redemption of the dead, were also in the spirit world.
55 I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.
56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.

Her daughter, Florencia, has been to the temple, and is getting ready to go again to do baptisms for her ancestors, and her mom is helping her get them ready. I don't know if we truly understand the complete and great importance of doing the work of our ancestors, and that truly they are waiting on us. Temple ordinances are something that has been held in reserve for our days, and look at all the help and technology that we have to make it possible! The new family search website is incredible with that.

I know that this church is true. I know that the work of temples is so vital and important for our days and I know that there are so many who are on the other side of the veil that need our help. This work is true. Christ is leading and guiding us through a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I love this work. I love being a representative of Christ, and I love Him.

All my love,
Hermana Tuft
====================
Hello Mom and Dad!

I just remembered that I was supposed to write about Hna Morales a bit, but I forgot until now and I truly don't know what else to tell... :) She is fantastic!! :) If you ask questions, I will respond... :)

This week we have interviews with President and we have consejo in Antofa, so it will be another busy week. :) I'll be sure to keep him updated with Grandpa's condition. Thank you both for keeping me updated.

Mom, I don't know those 2 people you said... So please don't add them... :) And we can't see into Bolivia, unless we drive a couple more hours west... :P And Dad thank you for reminding me about the apple pie idea! We honestly have apples that we were thinking about making a pie out of this week, but didn't have a recipe, so I asked Mom for one. :) Thank you for the mission call news!! Crazy stuff. I'll wait until next week to hear about Spencer's... :P

I also loved reading Grandma's story! I had never heard that experience before, and it was very special for me to read. I love that you guys have been sharing those experiences with me, thank you. :) ALSO I'm very glad to hear that things have worked out with Elder Shirts. :) I will be anxiously awaiting the book, because truly he is an interesting man, that Peter. :)

I feel like you both asked more and commented on more that I would like to respond to, but time is short! I love you both and thank you for being my parents. :) I will check on skype stuff this coming week.... CRAZY it's already been 5 months.... What!

Lots of love!!
Kristen

Send my love to the little chiquillos there at home. :D

"Después la prueba de vuestra fe" ("After the testing of your faith")

Hello All!!

What a week it has been. Honestly, if I could truly explain all that has happened this week.... It has been WONDERFUL and full of miracles, but also full of road bumps that have helped us grow together as a companionship and work more with the ward. If it wasn't for a fantastic companion and a bajillion prayers, we might not have made it.

But we did! :D And we finished it with a great Easter Sunday (which by the way is almost not celebrated here...that was a big strange...) and Maria's baptism! So all in all, it was a good week. :)

I wrote her really fast back, and asked her what was up after reading that first paragraph. And this paragraph is what I got, and I laughed SO HARD: It was just all the stress with going to Tocapilla, having a mini earthquake there, :P and the whole baptism stuff!! But we're great truly!! Just lots of stressors. :) BUT I AM FINE. DO NOT WORRY. :D Love you Mom! Truly that is the truth. I haven't ever lied to you. Except for when I ruined the iron. And a couple other times, but I have been forgiven for those other times that you now know about and I promise I'm not lying. :) It just been busy and stressful. :D LOVES!! :D

So to start the week off. We had a Zone training meeting (we have them after every consejo that we had in Antofa that we went to a couple weeks ago) and the Zone Leaders told us we were headed that night to Tocapilla. Tocapilla is a little port town that is about 3 hours from Calama, but it's still part of our zone. :) So we headed to Tocapilla to have intercambios (exchanges....?) with the hermanas there. :) Hermana Cluff and Hermana Fontenot are the hermanas there, and we had a great intercambio with them. I learned so much from Hna Fontenot. (In intercambios, we spend a day working with another hermana.) I got the chance to work with Hna Fontenot and she is fantastic. They both are. :) Anywho. We had a great day in Tocapilla, and Thursday morning we were on the bus back to Calama. It's been a cambio full of traveling. :)

Thursday night was the night we had a Tree of Life activity planned, but last minute we changed it to a Bingo Cine Night. It turned out GREAT!! We had about 30ish people that attended, in the which they had to listen for phrases in the video "Finding Faith in Christ" and mark their bingo card. We had great participation from everyone and we received a lot of references, which was fantastic.

And jumping to Saturday to the baptism! So this story is long and complicated and will have to be a little bit shorter than it really was, but wow. What a day. :D On Tuesday, we were meeting with Maria and we talked about Ether 12, which we had left for her to read. We talked about faith and how we have to act in order to exercise our faith. Faith without works is dead. We also talked about vs 6:

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

We talked a lot about how we receive no witness until after the trail of our faith. We talked about how truly making the decision to be baptized is a trial of our faith, but that we are so very blessed in making that decision in this life, and in the life to come. Her daughter shared that she had her dad's temple work done, and that Maria would be able to go in a year from now to be sealed to him. We talked a lot about how truly, that death is not the end, but that truly we have the faith and knowledge of the things to come and that we must look forward with faith, enduring to the end until we reach our final destination in the presence of God with our loved ones. (I loved your thoughts from your talk Mom, they went exactly along those lines. Thank you for sharing!!)

So with that, Hna Morales and I also had many trials of our faith on Saturday and we just kept smiling all day and thinking and repeating that scripture. :)

First off, we studied and got ready for the day, and left the pension at 9:30 to go the chruch and make sure that the font was good and ready to be filled. Well, at noon things were finally worked out and we were done emptying the font, that somehow was left half full at the last baptism a monthish ago... :) Then we had to have good, hot water because Maria doesn't have great health, and can't be in cold water. So the calefont wasn't working and we went to get batteries at the mall. An hour later, we got back and put the batteries in the calefont and got the water filling up in the font. PS the baptism was at 4 and it takes a few hours to get the font filled.....and it was 1:30. So we left it running, went to eat lunch, long story short, we got back at 3:30 and it STILL wasn't even half way so we starting acting in our faith and putting trash cans full of water from the sinks into the font. And then we had pots and pans of water heating up the kitchen and in boilers, etc. And another long story short and a cellphone falling in the water later, the baptism started at 5 and Maria ended up having to sit down on the ground in the font and be baptized.... :) I truly admire that lady. After all the trials she has been through with her health, and then to have 2 elders helping her in the font, and then having to sit down to be baptized, she never once complained. She was confirmed yesterday and had to leave quickly after sacrament meeting because she wasn't feeling well, but her daughter came back from dropping her off at their house, and said that she was just glowing and had her hand on her chest and kept saying, "I feel something inside me right here."

It is for that reason that I am a missionary. To have the chance to help people like Maria to have the opportunity to feel this feeling, that glowing, warm feeling inside all the time. A pesar que todos las cosas esta semana fue en contra de nosotros, yo sé que realmente estamos en la verdad y que realmente el Señor prepara los corazones para recibir esta felicidad. Yo no cambiaría nada de esta semana. Conozco mi compañera mejor, conozco mi barrio mejor, y lo más importante es que conozco mi Salvador, Jesucristo mejor. Sentí de Su amor tan fuerte esta semana. Es por medio de la humidad y la caridad que podamos conocer nuestro Salvador mejor y en una manera mejor. Lo amo y soy una representante de él. Realmente vive y resucitó para que podamos regresar a nuestro Padre Celestial.

Translation:  Despite all this week things went against us, I know we're really in truth and really the Lord prepares hearts to receive this happiness. I would not change anything this week. I know my companion better, I know my ward better, and most importantly, I know my Savior, Jesus Christ better. I felt His love so strong this week. It is through humility and charity that we know our Savior better and better. I love it and I am a representative from him. He really lives and was resurrected so that we can return to our Heavenly Father.

Con muchoooo amor,

Hermana Tuft
==================
Hello Mom and Dad!

I loved hearing about your week and how things went with Easter, all the pictures, etc. :) I am SO happy to see that the little Bella bunny lives. :) I haven't heard much of her in the past little while... :) Thank you for all the pictures and such! And also THANK YOU BOTH SO VERY MUCH FOR THESE FAMILY HISTORY STORIES I LOVE IT. Truly I do. I take a few minutes in the night or in the morning to read them and they are great. I love hearing about how my family joined the church and because of them I get the chance to be here today. I also love knowing that they are here with me, and know that because of the legacy that they left, their posterity and that of MANY others can and will be blessed. Thank you thank you thank you.

I hope that this letter was better.... Since coming to Calama we've been running like crazy and I've been trying to catch up with writing friends and family back. I want to end this quickly so that I can write a quick note to Grandma and Grandpa....

It was crazy to hear about all that are leaving and getting ready for missions!! I am SOOO sorry for not responding to the where I bought my things question. I seriously bought most of my stuff on Amazon, and Zapos. If I remember correctly.... I just searched messenger bags and I'm not sure about what I searched for the shoes, but Amazon and Zapos is the way to go in that sense. But do NOT buy a backpack. SO many people here still have backpacks, even though President has strongglyyy suggested not to, etc. And it's very informal.... Anywho. There's my little soap box. :)

Looking through the letter, I THINK that should be it. OH! And we live in an apartment seperate from the Mamita Angelica, and she's the mamita of our clothes/washing. We have a different Mamita for the food (Mamita Ely). And Hna Brewster's name is BreAnn(?) and she's friends with Chaidee Woods. Small world. :) Just kidding there are a lot more questions. :) The ward is pretty HUGE land wise, and the attendence is rising... :) The families are GREAT though. We have the stake president and one of his counselors is in the ward. And being a sister training leader, we have to do intercambios with the other sisters once a transfer. We only have one other set here in Calama, and then in Tocapilla. Okay. I think that should be all. :D

I love you both so very much. Thank you for your prayers. I feel so very blessed because (to answer Mom's question) no, in the mission I have never been so sick that I couldn't work. I was blessed in my setting apart blessing and my father's blessing that I would have health and strength, and I truly have. Thank you for all your prayers!!! I know that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each of us and that His will is always better than ours. :)

Love,
Kristen

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPENCER!! And I wrote Jess a little note. :) Glad to hear that Lindsay's up and doing well AND that she's doing great with her science project :P Lots of love. :D

P.P.S. If he gets his call this week, don't forget to tell me. Please. :D

I LOVE CALAMA!

Hna Tuft with her new companion Hna Morales from Mexico City April 2014 in Calama

Hna Kristen Tuft saying goodbye to Hna Millaquipai in Copiapo' April 2014

Hna Kristen Tuft on the streets of Calama, Chile April 2014

Hello All!!

Okay, so I said that this week would be mucho mas tranquilito....and that would not be the truth.... :) It has been absolutely CRAZY but I LOVE it because there is so much work to do and although it doesn't seem like there is time enough to do it, I love it. I love Calama already. :D My comp is great, the ward is great, we have some great investigators and life is just happy. :D It was interesting because last week my mom sent me a list of questions to answer.... One of them was "What is the hardest thing about your mission?" It got me to thinking about how, yes, the mission is hard. But it's not hard. It's just all in your attitude. I loved how President Uchtdorf talked in General Conference about having an attitude of gratitude, and I do have to say that truly makes all the difference. We're the ones that choose to be happy, or let life get us down. And it might be easy in the mission to let life get you down, but truly when life gets too hard to stand, kneel. And thank our Heavenly Father for all the things that you have, and life seems to look a little bit brighter. :)

With that being said, yes, I did come up with answers to the questions, Mom. :) My favorite talk in Conference was...that is a really hard one to answer and I might answer it in the course of a couple emails... :) But one that really really caught my attention was by Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge. He bore a strong testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did it in such a powerful way that I was so intently listening that I didn't even write anything down... I loved his talk, his testimony. I am going to include the link, because truly it is worth your time to watch these 10 minutes of his testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-prophet-joseph-smith?lang=eng

I too, know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know that through him we have the keys of the priesthood restored upon the earth, and that they will never be taken away. I know that this church is true and how blessed we are to know that by means of a 14 year old boy who had a question, studied the bible, decided to ask of God, knowing that he would receive an answer, which he did, we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ restored again upon the earth. And Christ is at the head. I know that we are lead by Him through revelation by President Thomas S. Monson.

And to answer the other questions quickly... :) I keep myself motivated when it gets hard because I know that there are so many others that have gone before me and done harder things to further this cause. The greatest example and strength I have is in my Savior, Jesus Christ. He knew that not all would accept this gospel, and He knew that preaching this gospel would not be easy, but that it would be worth it. And it definitely is! And lastly, I can keep my chin up on rougher days by reading Doctrine and Covenants 18:14-16. :)

This week was great. We worked on Tuesday and Wednesday, and headed out at 5 in the morning on Thursday morning to Antofa for our leadership meeting. It was great to be there and to hear from President. We were there all day, and headed back to Calama at 10 that night. So Friday was the day that I finally got to meet our investigator that is going to be baptized this weekend named Maria. Maria was very, very Catholic, and suffered an accident a few months ago. She has been recovering remarkably well, and as part of that recovery, she has listened to the missionaries and decided to follow Christ by being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost. She is an example to me, and I'm very excited to be part of this decision of her's! I also met the bishop and his family, along with other members and investigators that we are working with. This week, we are planning an activity that has to do with the tree of life. I will be sure to send pictures next week. :)

As for my companion, she is FANTASTIC. Can I just say....I honestly feel like I'm working with Justina every day... It is great. :D She is from la Ciudad de Mexico and is finishing her mission....in 5 weeks....DAH!! She is a great missionary and we are working really hard. She tells me every day, most missionaries by this point in their missions are tired and trunky, but she says do not let me get trunky or tired!! So we work very hard. :D She is also learning English. Bahaha the other day, we found an infestation of ants in our apartment, so we poured clorox on them and I went to wash my hands. As I walked back into the room, I saw her crouched down, looking at the dead ants, and pointing and said, "What now ormigas. What now." Bahaha I died laughing. I'm excited for this transfer. :)

I had better go, but I love this chruch and I know it is true! :D

Love,
Hermana Tuft
=================
Hello Mom and Dad!

Okay, just wanted to say THANKS for the stories!! The ones about the ancestors and also about the fam. :) I had to laugh at Spencer's picture..... :P And I am VERY glad to hear that Lindsay is feeling lots better. :) I will be reading all the ancestor stories this week, because I haven't gotten a moment yet today... But thank you! :) Crazy too that they changed bishoprics!! That will be a good change. I was looking back to when Bishop Walker got put in, and how much we have seen the ward grow and change since we split. Such a long time ago and where did all of the time fly?! Thank you Mom and Dad, for your examples and love. I am so lucky to be your daughter. :) I love you both lots! :) How are grandma and grandpa doing these days?? And how did Aunt Di's surgery go? Send my best! Also, send my best if you stop by to visit Miss Erlene, Mom! I did get that little note, and haven't gotten a chance to respond, but they are in my thoughts and prayers.

XOXOXOXO
Kristen

Hello from Calama!!! :D

Kristen leaving Copiapo 7 April 2014 for Calama

Hna Kristen Tuft eating dinner. Looks AMAZING! (Notice her blonde hair! WOW!)

Hna Kristen Tuft y Hna Millaquipai - companions in Copiapo April 2014

Hna Kristen Tuft with a dear friend she's leaving behind in Copiapo. April 2014

Hna Kristen Tuft with another dear friend she had to say goodbye to in Copiapo. ;( SHE LOVES THESE PEOPLE!

8 April 2014

(Written earlier today, Tuesday after her arrival.)

Hello Mom and Dad!! 

I got here in Calama great!  Today and this week will continue being crazy, but a little bit later I'll send a more detailed letter. :)  This is from President that we are supposed to send home and let you guys know what's up. :)  I love you both!  Thank you for your letters! I printed them off yesterday before I left and read them on the way, but I might not be able to respond to much this week.... But I do love you both and will write a little bit later! :)

XOXO, Kristen

================

Hello All!

It has been an absolutely CRAZY week and doesn't end here.... :) I got here in Calama after a 12 hour bus ride north from Copiapó, and we are here in our apartment with 5 hermanas. :) The other 3 are "visiting" from the lovely earthquake zone of Iquique :) and la Hna Johnson goes back tomorrow to meet her companion there. The other two (mi querida Hna Matias :) and Hna Richins) are headed with us to Antofagasta for a leadership training on Thursday and will follow through to Iquique from there. :) My companion's name is Hna Morales from Mexico and we are the Sister Training Leaders here in Calama! She's finishing up her mission at the end of this transfer, so we should have a great time and I'm really excited to work with her. Right now, we're taking advantage of our time and I'm writing for a few minutes....and then come back in a couple hours and write a little bit more again.... Life is crazy and great and good. I LOVE THE MISSION. I have seen so many blessings and miracles here in my life, and in the lives of others.

We were not effected by the earthquake in Copiapó, and no one was hurt, luckily. They're just not staying in the cities for precaution purposes, but the missionaries have started returning to their sectors and the temblores have stopped from what we hear.

I'm back! :P My brain is going a million miles a minute right now. Forgive me if this letter is super duper crazy! I love my comp, I haven't met anyone from the ward or investigators yet, but we have a full week of great work ahead of us and I am SOOOO excited to be here in Calama. Can I just explain for 2 seconds the reaction that I got when I told people in Copiapó that I was headed here?? "Oh, mi pobrecita linda preciosa. Hace MUCHOOO frio y es lo más feo de todo Chile." AKA en inglés... "Oh my poor little darling. It's FREEZING cold and it is the ugliest city in Chile." Bahaha but I love it so far! It is cold at night yes, but right now the sun is blazing and Hna Richins told me that she has to put on sunscreen literally 5 times every day and still gets burned. Yaaaaay. :) Just what I need more of - SUN! NOT!

I loved General Conference!! I have a million notes that I could share, but for this week I just wanted to encourage all of us to truly make the most of our 4 Minutes, like Bishop Stevenson spoke about. We are in the race of life, and what we do now determines our future. What we choose today determines if we will get the opportunity to return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father and to be with our families forever. I know that in the eternal scheme of things, this life is muy cortito. I know that I have a lot to work on and improve on, but I resolve to be a little better today than I was yesterday, to rely more on my Savior, and to be grateful for the time that I have, that truly the Lord has given me. Our 4 minutes is ticking; how will we use our 4 minutes this week? :)

I love you all! Thanks for your love and support. Please keep those more up north in your prayers as they get back to normal life! We were not affected much, but they were a lot, and I know it will be a long road of recovery. Thank you for everything! I apologize again for the scatteredness of my little head.... :P

All my love,
Hermana Tuft
----------------------------
Hey Mom and Dad!

THANK YOU for the emails, updates and the pictures. I left Copiapó with very mixed feelings, and I am very sad to have had to go, but I know that there are people here waiting for us. I'm not one for change, but I love change for the chance to grow and change personal little things in my life.... :) It will be great. :) Next week I promise will be MUCHO MAS TRANQUILO. :) Les quiero MUCHOOO!

Con amor,
Kristen

P.S. I did want to see if you could send pictures and let me know about the Provo City Center Temple! :) And also...if you could send or share stories about our ancestors joining the church and coming to America and also your study of Preach My Gospel.... :) I want to start that with you two.... :D Please. :) ALSO last random thing, I was thinking about that family, Dad, that we saw on the side of the road while heading to Moab during one of the talks in conference... Do you remember that?? And this is really the last thing, YES, Ashley Eaton wrote me - Washington DC South/English speaking is so exciting!!!! :D YAYYAY!!!! :D :D :D Lots of love, Me. :)