Hey Everyone!
This week was pretty all over the place, had a lot of ups, downs, blessings, troubles, a lot. The week was pretty normal event wise, with the exception of having a mission conference on Friday, which was really good. But apart from that, basically we saw stuff happen with investigators. So I think I'll dedicate this email to that, describing the investigators.
So we taught Alejandro on Monday this week, and he said he would go to church. Then we didn't see him the whole rest of the week. :( So he didn't go to church. He's so receptive, he just kind of disappeared off the map for the week. The same thing happened with Monica. We haven't seen her since before the 18th of September. So that has me a little worried.
We did find a couple new people this week through contacts, so we'll see if they progress. Really, we've got a lot of good investigators, they just need to go to church. And when they do I know they'll progress and eventually be baptized.
One of the best things was that Paula Canales came to church! She couldn't stay the whole time, but at least she came, so that was good to see progress in her.
The biggest thing that happened this week was with Jocelyn. I think I told you before that she is living with an inactive member (not married with her). Well this week we had the opportunity to teach both at the same time. He, (Miguel's his name), still has his testimony of the church, and knows he has to go back, but it's just hard for him to go back. But this week, he made up his mind and said for sure he was gonna come back to the church, starting with this Sunday! Jocelyn also said the same! So that was a big miracle we were praying for. I don't think I explained it well enough, but oh well. Anyway, it just so happened that the whole family got sick like the day after. And I don't think it was coincidence, I've come to notice very much on the mission that there is always an opposition, especially after a big decision like that. So they weren't able to come to church this week either.
And Elder Strong is also doing well, he's still wide eyed at every new thing he sees, but the spanish is coming. We're gonna start speaking a lot more in the streets to help him out.
For this following week my hopes are still high, we're working with the same old people, and a couple new people that I'm pretty sure will progress. Well this email was just ahí no más, but es lo que hay. I love being here on the mission, Aaron already did a nice little spanish section of the email, I'll maybe do one in a few weeks. And I of course understood the Chilean, even though I don't think you guys did, haha. I love it. The church is true, I love this work. I'm really excited, because it's time for General Conference again! I'm way excited to hear the talks. It should be really good, and I'm pretty sure we can get some investigators there too.
One more tidbit. This next week I turn one year old in Chile. That, is insane. I can't believe how fast time is going. It's true how they say the time in the mission is like a whirlpool, the closer I get to the end the faster it goes. It scares me a bit to think that my time is just dwindling down, that's why I gotta work as hard as I can now. Love you all!
Elder Ryan Mayberry
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Crazy Week!
So like the title says, this week was in fact crazy. Lots happened, which I'll try to tell you about. But the bad part is that the not much in terms of mission work happened.
So me and Elder Strong are doing well together. His spanish is slowly getting better and better, he's able to understand a lot more than when he got here. So as you guys know (or maybe not) Chile turned 200 years old this last week, on the 18th of September. Instead of just having 2 days of vacations, they had 4. 4 days where basically the country stops functioning, to party. But anyways, we didn't see many problems in the beginning of the week. We found out Monica was gonna go out of town for the weekend, but we still had a lot of other investigators here. It was all fine through Tuesday, Wednesday (we did a minicambio, I had to go do an interview in another sector), and Thursday. but then Friday the vacations started, and that's when we saw it affect the work. All of a sudden all our good investigators just left for the weekend. So Friday was kinda rough. Then we got the call from the Zone leaders that on Saturday, we weren't really even supposed to work. We had permission from the President to just go to the Church's activites and whatnot. So that's what we did.
The day of the dieciocho (18) in the morning all the guys from the church went and played some soccer and a barbeque, which we joined. It was a lot of fun, I love playing now. Then we went and had some lunch. For the past few days we've been eating nothing but traditional Chilean food. Empanadas, (cheese and meat ones), barbeques, choripan (sausage and bread), pajaritos and alfajores (both deserts). All of those are good, and I like them. But they have here whats called mote con huesillo. It's some watery juice, some wheat like stuff, and a dehydrated and the rehydrated peach. It's gross, but chileans love it. So thats basically what we had for the lunch the past week.
After that we went to the ward party, which was pretty good. It was rather fome (lame) at the beginning because no one was there, but then people came and it was good. We ate more food, watched some people dance the Cueca (the Chilean traditional dance) and talked.
Then Sunday was a normal Sunday. I had to give a talk (ugh, still don't like speaking in front of people, but I do it a lot better now), and we only had one investigator in church. Miguel, who's been an investigator for a long time. he's a really cool guy (hes 17), and he told us that night that he sí o sí (for sure) will get baptized when he turns 18 (he doesnt have his parents permission) (and he turns 18 on march 31st :))So we'll see what happens there.
Today for Pday we had a zone activity. we went to a private type beach, had a barbeque, and played some futbol in the sand. And there was a huge old tunnel, where in the middle it was pitch black! It was a lot of fun, and luckily I didnt get too trunky, haha. So here I am now, writing you guys!
This week is gonna be a lot better for us I think. We got a lot of people who I feel are gonna come to church this week. And it'll be better cuz the festivites are all over now (techincally not til tomorrow). And this week we have a zone conference (where half the mission gets together), which should be good, we haven't had one in like 3 months. So I'm excited for that.
Well thats about all I can think of. I love the work, I'm not trunky, and I'm so happy to be here. Hope you all have a great week! And here's some pictures you can enjoy!
Elder Ryan Mayberry
1) The tunnel
So me and Elder Strong are doing well together. His spanish is slowly getting better and better, he's able to understand a lot more than when he got here. So as you guys know (or maybe not) Chile turned 200 years old this last week, on the 18th of September. Instead of just having 2 days of vacations, they had 4. 4 days where basically the country stops functioning, to party. But anyways, we didn't see many problems in the beginning of the week. We found out Monica was gonna go out of town for the weekend, but we still had a lot of other investigators here. It was all fine through Tuesday, Wednesday (we did a minicambio, I had to go do an interview in another sector), and Thursday. but then Friday the vacations started, and that's when we saw it affect the work. All of a sudden all our good investigators just left for the weekend. So Friday was kinda rough. Then we got the call from the Zone leaders that on Saturday, we weren't really even supposed to work. We had permission from the President to just go to the Church's activites and whatnot. So that's what we did.
The day of the dieciocho (18) in the morning all the guys from the church went and played some soccer and a barbeque, which we joined. It was a lot of fun, I love playing now. Then we went and had some lunch. For the past few days we've been eating nothing but traditional Chilean food. Empanadas, (cheese and meat ones), barbeques, choripan (sausage and bread), pajaritos and alfajores (both deserts). All of those are good, and I like them. But they have here whats called mote con huesillo. It's some watery juice, some wheat like stuff, and a dehydrated and the rehydrated peach. It's gross, but chileans love it. So thats basically what we had for the lunch the past week.
After that we went to the ward party, which was pretty good. It was rather fome (lame) at the beginning because no one was there, but then people came and it was good. We ate more food, watched some people dance the Cueca (the Chilean traditional dance) and talked.
Then Sunday was a normal Sunday. I had to give a talk (ugh, still don't like speaking in front of people, but I do it a lot better now), and we only had one investigator in church. Miguel, who's been an investigator for a long time. he's a really cool guy (hes 17), and he told us that night that he sí o sí (for sure) will get baptized when he turns 18 (he doesnt have his parents permission) (and he turns 18 on march 31st :))So we'll see what happens there.
Today for Pday we had a zone activity. we went to a private type beach, had a barbeque, and played some futbol in the sand. And there was a huge old tunnel, where in the middle it was pitch black! It was a lot of fun, and luckily I didnt get too trunky, haha. So here I am now, writing you guys!
This week is gonna be a lot better for us I think. We got a lot of people who I feel are gonna come to church this week. And it'll be better cuz the festivites are all over now (techincally not til tomorrow). And this week we have a zone conference (where half the mission gets together), which should be good, we haven't had one in like 3 months. So I'm excited for that.
Well thats about all I can think of. I love the work, I'm not trunky, and I'm so happy to be here. Hope you all have a great week! And here's some pictures you can enjoy!
Elder Ryan Mayberry
1) The tunnel
2) The cueca.
3) The beach we went to for p-day.
4) Me!
Monday, September 13, 2010
An interesting week!
Well hello there!
So this last week I became a dad! That's what they say to people who train new missionaries who come in. Well this week was definitely very different from the other weeks of the mission. I'll tell you about everything that happened.
So on Monday we basically were just saying bye to the people in the sector. Then bright and early Tuesday morning we went to the bus terminal in Concepcion to send him off. So there I had to wait for a couple hours to go to the mission home. That's where all the trainers have to go to pick up the new missionaries. So we got there, and the first thing we did was eat a delicious lunch. Then they taught us a bit as a group, trainers and "news". Then right before we were about to leave was the big time to get the new comps. The way it works is the President just says for example, 'Elder ___, you're with Elder ___'. So I was just waiting there anxiously for my new comp. I was the last for President to call, so I already knew who was gonna be my comp before he said it. But now my new comp is Elder Strong, from Centerville Utah! So then we just got a few final words from the President, then we were taken to our sectors. The assisstants drove us to Lirquen. So then we got there, and the work began just like before. But with one big change, my comp doesn't know too much spanish.
So it's really quite different being with a a brand new missionary. One, he's getting a massive culture shock, but I'm on the end of having to help with everything. It's quite different, and I wonder if I was like that when I was new. But things are going good, I've already seen an improvement in Elder Strongs spanish since he got here. But things are going good. Well, let me continue with the week.
On Tuesday I had to give my first district class, which went alright. Then the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday were just normal missionary days. On Thursday I was supposed to go give my first baptism interview. It was to a guy I had taught before, who was really cool. Well we went to go do it at 9:00 on Thursday, and we got there and it turns out we had to postpone it a day. Then the missionaries treated us to completos for making us come out. And Elder Strong didn't like his first completo. So then Friday was pretty cool.
So on Friday we went to go do the baptismal interview. I was a bit nervous to do it, but it went really well. Like Aaron said, I really felt guided by the spirit. And it was soo cool, the guy I interviewed (his name is Jorge) has such a strong testimony, and such great faith. He passed the interview with flying colors and gave the closing prayer, I a really haven't heard someone pray with such great faith before. It was a really edifying experience for me.
So I'm gonna talk a bit about investigators and their progress now. So this week was pretty good in terms of teaching them. We taught our better investigators a lot this week trying to get them to church. 5 of them committed to going to church this Sunday. And none came. A very sad moment. A couple had legitimate excuses, but the others we're gonna figure out why. And this week we found a couple new people who seem to be prepared by the Lord to receive the gospel, but more will come on them next week. This upcoming week is gonna be mainly helping our investigators get to church.
And this upcoming week is the Chilean independance day (a lot bigger than in the States), September 18th. We're gonna be eating a lot of traditional Chilean food this week. And mas encima (moreover) it's the 200th anniversary, so they went ahead and turned it into 4 days of vacation and no working. Should be pretty interesting to see how it affects the work.
So that's basically how this week went! Today we played some soccer with other missionaries and went to Concepcion. I'll attatch some pictures to the email, and more news will come during the next week. This church is very true, I see it more and more as time goes by. I love this work and am very happy to be here. I love you all, and have great weeks!
Elder Ryan Mayberry
1) The Funny School:
2) Me and Elder Pulver before he left:
3) Me and my son (Elder Strong):
So this last week I became a dad! That's what they say to people who train new missionaries who come in. Well this week was definitely very different from the other weeks of the mission. I'll tell you about everything that happened.
So on Monday we basically were just saying bye to the people in the sector. Then bright and early Tuesday morning we went to the bus terminal in Concepcion to send him off. So there I had to wait for a couple hours to go to the mission home. That's where all the trainers have to go to pick up the new missionaries. So we got there, and the first thing we did was eat a delicious lunch. Then they taught us a bit as a group, trainers and "news". Then right before we were about to leave was the big time to get the new comps. The way it works is the President just says for example, 'Elder ___, you're with Elder ___'. So I was just waiting there anxiously for my new comp. I was the last for President to call, so I already knew who was gonna be my comp before he said it. But now my new comp is Elder Strong, from Centerville Utah! So then we just got a few final words from the President, then we were taken to our sectors. The assisstants drove us to Lirquen. So then we got there, and the work began just like before. But with one big change, my comp doesn't know too much spanish.
So it's really quite different being with a a brand new missionary. One, he's getting a massive culture shock, but I'm on the end of having to help with everything. It's quite different, and I wonder if I was like that when I was new. But things are going good, I've already seen an improvement in Elder Strongs spanish since he got here. But things are going good. Well, let me continue with the week.
On Tuesday I had to give my first district class, which went alright. Then the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday were just normal missionary days. On Thursday I was supposed to go give my first baptism interview. It was to a guy I had taught before, who was really cool. Well we went to go do it at 9:00 on Thursday, and we got there and it turns out we had to postpone it a day. Then the missionaries treated us to completos for making us come out. And Elder Strong didn't like his first completo. So then Friday was pretty cool.
So on Friday we went to go do the baptismal interview. I was a bit nervous to do it, but it went really well. Like Aaron said, I really felt guided by the spirit. And it was soo cool, the guy I interviewed (his name is Jorge) has such a strong testimony, and such great faith. He passed the interview with flying colors and gave the closing prayer, I a really haven't heard someone pray with such great faith before. It was a really edifying experience for me.
So I'm gonna talk a bit about investigators and their progress now. So this week was pretty good in terms of teaching them. We taught our better investigators a lot this week trying to get them to church. 5 of them committed to going to church this Sunday. And none came. A very sad moment. A couple had legitimate excuses, but the others we're gonna figure out why. And this week we found a couple new people who seem to be prepared by the Lord to receive the gospel, but more will come on them next week. This upcoming week is gonna be mainly helping our investigators get to church.
And this upcoming week is the Chilean independance day (a lot bigger than in the States), September 18th. We're gonna be eating a lot of traditional Chilean food this week. And mas encima (moreover) it's the 200th anniversary, so they went ahead and turned it into 4 days of vacation and no working. Should be pretty interesting to see how it affects the work.
So that's basically how this week went! Today we played some soccer with other missionaries and went to Concepcion. I'll attatch some pictures to the email, and more news will come during the next week. This church is very true, I see it more and more as time goes by. I love this work and am very happy to be here. I love you all, and have great weeks!
Elder Ryan Mayberry
1) The Funny School:
2) Me and Elder Pulver before he left:
3) Me and my son (Elder Strong):
Monday, September 6, 2010
Cambios Grandes!
Hey everyone!
So this week was alright for us here in Lirquén. So I'll just start off with a summary of the week then about the big changes that are happening. This week we worked hard on trying to get Monica and Jocelyn to try to come to church this Sunday. We met with them a couple times each during the week and it went pretty good. We also had a family home evening that went pretty good on Wednesday. But then later in the week, from like Thursday and on we couldn't find Monica or Jocelyn. So that was kind of tough, but we still kept trying to go by to help them go to church on Sunday.
On Saturday and Sunday was stake conference. It was really cool because the Elder Amado, the Area President of Chile had to come because they were calling a new stake president. When he speaks it's with such power and authority, and it's really evident that he is a man called of God. Unfortunately however, no investigators of ours came to church, which really saddened me, especially seeing how badly they need the blessings that come with the Gospel and going to church. So that was basically how the week was for us. Then this morning we anxiously awaited the phone call about the cambios (the changes). President Humphrey, who was also at the stake conference, also kind of alluded that there would be changes in our sector. So we were kind of expecting it. But when we got the call I wasn't expecting what I heard about me. Well first off Elder Pulver is leaving, he's going to Talca to be a district leader. I was also informed that I would become the district leader here, and that I would be training! I wasn't expecting both things. Aaron explained what the district leader does already, (gives the classes, does the baptism interviews, etc). Now training means that my comp is gonna be fresh from the MTC, fresh from the states, or in other words, not knowing anything of spanish, haha. It should be an interesting time.
Well that's what happened! So tomorrow I've gotta drop Elder Pulver off at the bus terminal and then go to the mission home to find my new comp! This next week should be pretty interesting, and I'll be sure to take a lot of notes as to how it goes. And I'm gonna attach a few pictures for you to enjoy.love you! The church is true!
Elder Ryan Mayberry
So this week was alright for us here in Lirquén. So I'll just start off with a summary of the week then about the big changes that are happening. This week we worked hard on trying to get Monica and Jocelyn to try to come to church this Sunday. We met with them a couple times each during the week and it went pretty good. We also had a family home evening that went pretty good on Wednesday. But then later in the week, from like Thursday and on we couldn't find Monica or Jocelyn. So that was kind of tough, but we still kept trying to go by to help them go to church on Sunday.
On Saturday and Sunday was stake conference. It was really cool because the Elder Amado, the Area President of Chile had to come because they were calling a new stake president. When he speaks it's with such power and authority, and it's really evident that he is a man called of God. Unfortunately however, no investigators of ours came to church, which really saddened me, especially seeing how badly they need the blessings that come with the Gospel and going to church. So that was basically how the week was for us. Then this morning we anxiously awaited the phone call about the cambios (the changes). President Humphrey, who was also at the stake conference, also kind of alluded that there would be changes in our sector. So we were kind of expecting it. But when we got the call I wasn't expecting what I heard about me. Well first off Elder Pulver is leaving, he's going to Talca to be a district leader. I was also informed that I would become the district leader here, and that I would be training! I wasn't expecting both things. Aaron explained what the district leader does already, (gives the classes, does the baptism interviews, etc). Now training means that my comp is gonna be fresh from the MTC, fresh from the states, or in other words, not knowing anything of spanish, haha. It should be an interesting time.
Well that's what happened! So tomorrow I've gotta drop Elder Pulver off at the bus terminal and then go to the mission home to find my new comp! This next week should be pretty interesting, and I'll be sure to take a lot of notes as to how it goes. And I'm gonna attach a few pictures for you to enjoy.love you! The church is true!
Elder Ryan Mayberry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
