Week 42: Exciting things in Quilpue City!

Hola Familia!!

This week was a great week! Sunday was crazy because we went to 2 baptisms! Nicolas got baptized! It was really sweet and his whole family (most of them are inactive) came to his baptism! His dad who is inactive attended the baptism and afterward told us "See you next Sunday at church Hermanas!" That made us sooo happy! Nicolas's grandpa baptized him and started crying when he gave the welcome to the ward to his grandson. It was really sweet and I really hope his baptism helps his family come back to church. 

After Nicolas baptism, we rushed to the sector of Hermana Ash and her companion to go to Judith's baptism! Judith is from Venezuela and Hermana Mackay contacted her in intercambios with Hermana Ash. A few days after they contacted her, I was also able to teach her in intercambios. SHE IS AMAZING!! She was baptized 2 weeks after Hermana Mackay contacted her in the street! She was going through some really hard times economically, and she also felt really lonely in Chile with just her little daughter. She accepted everything we taught her and personally invited Hermana Mackay and me to her baptism! She bore her testimony after her baptism and said that she knows God is looking out for her because he put the missionaries in her path. She started crying and then basically everyone started crying. The spirit was so strong and it strengthened my faith that there are people waiting for the gospel and I am here to find them! She has so much faith and was so ready to receive the gospel! Even though she isn't from my sector I still have so much love for her and I know she has found a new family in the church! I love this gospel! It truly does bring so much peace and happiness to the lives of others! It is so true and I don't have a doubt in my mind that I am a representative of Jesus Christ and I am here to help the people of Chile find this happiness! 

We had transfers this week and hermana Mackay and I are staying...So happy about that. We also started a challenge. We are going to "purify" ourselves in order to be the most effective missionaries we can possibly be. We fasted this Sunday and then made a list of things we can improve to be more receptive to the spirit. Little things like not complaining, only singing or humming church songs, getting up EXACTLY at 7:00 and not 7:01.We are going to work really hard to do these things for 40 days and then end with a fast.  We both want to be more receptive to the Spirit and help the people we teach feel the spirit too! I really think doing this challenge will help us be more pure and more effective instruments in Gods hands!

Les quiero mucho! Que tengan una buena semana!

Hermana Snyder

 

Week 41: Its all about the LOVE!

Las Hermanas

Hola Familia!!

This last week was sooooooo crazy and a way stressful! One of the hermanas has been really sick so Hermana Mackay and I have had to do divisions almost every day to help them teach all the people in their sector. Also one of the other companionships was having some problems so we did divisions with them too and helped them work it out. We hardly had any time to work in our sector but had an activity on Saturday! It was an activity on missionary work and Hermana Mackay and I tried to excite the members to share the gospel with their friends! We played games and ate food and it was really fun! We were worried that not a lot of people would show up because our ward mission leader said that not many people go to the activities but so many people came!! and a lot of nonmembers too! It was so awesome!

We were able to find a few more people to teach but we are still searching with all our effort! I have been reading a talk that is called "El cuarto misionero" I think its like fourth missionary in english but it is so so so so so good! It talks about how there are levels of missionaries and how the fourth missionary is the one who gives EVERYTHING to the Lord. The one that not only serves with their strength but the one that serves with their heart. It talks about giving 100% to the work. Sometimes on the mission we do the things we do because we have to not because we want to. That is the third missionary. The one who works really hard but in their heart doesn't want to be there. The fourth missionary is the one who works hard and loves the work in their heart! The one who knows why they are there and enjoys serving the Lord. The talk explains it way better but I was able to kind of re-find my enthusiasm for the mission! It's still hard but with a positive attitude, it makes everything better! Loving the work makes the mission easier, more enjoyable, and much more meaningful and I am thankful every day for the opportunity I have to be here! 

Some things that happened this week:

a drunk guy tried to kiss me on the bus :(

we had a barbeque with the zone for our zone activity

we overheard two guys getting in a car and one of them said " Do you have the cocaine?"

Haha! A crazy week here in Viña! Love you guys so much and hope everything is good back home! 

Love Hermana Snyder

Barbeque with the zone 

me dying on the floor cuz I was so tired I literally couldn't get up and Hermana Mackay took a picture. haha!

Week 40: 9-Months!

Hola!

I hit my 9-month mark in intercambios and the hermana I was with (Hermana Scaroni) made me take a picture with a balloon in my shirt like a 9-month pregnancy. Its something all the hermanas do down here in Viña when we hit 9 months. Also hermana Scaroni taught me how to salsa and I taught her some gringo dance moves. I had a lot of fun in intercambios this week and learned a lot from the other hermanas in my zone. They are so positive and motivated and have really taught me a lot! 

Also in intercambios with Hermana Brooks, she told me all day she was going to make me tacos but when we got back to the pension we realized we didn't have tortillas. We were so disappointed for about 5 seconds but then we just decided to make homemade tortillas and they were so good!!

Oh also we saw a cow in the middle of the road so I had to take a picture of that. 

Today one of the Elders in my district wanted to have a barbeque and he cooked for everyone so that was awesome! 

This week was pretty hard. We don't have anyone to teach so we are searching high and low and talking to everyone that we see. We know there are people waiting, we just have to find them! I know I'm in a growing point in my mission and that I need to keep working even when it's hard. I know this gospel is true with all my heart and even though it's hard to have faith in the people sometimes its never hard to have faith in Heavenly Father and Christ. They love us so much and understand exactly what  I am going through. He knows the rejection and disappointment that I am feeling right now and I am trusting in him all the way!! It's not all sunshine and rainbows on the mission! It would just be a year and a half vacation if it was like that. But I know that I'm growing and that I have to trust in the Lord more now than ever before! 

I love you all!

Con mucho amor

Elly 

Week 39: Back to Villa Dulce for a Baptism!

Carolina and Franco's Baptism!

Hola!
This week we were able to set the date for Yarel's baptism! If everything goes well she should be baptized this Sunday! She had to ask her parents' permission to be baptized because she is under 18 and her dad said that it was fine with him as long as she kept her grades up. haha! She is a little nervous but really excited! She is so cute and cracks me up every time I talk to her. It's hilarious having lessons in her house because her whole family is exactly the same. Their minds are always all over the place and the grandma is always interrupting to say random things. It's pretty funny. 

This week I did 2 intercambios and next week we have 2 also! It's crazy but its really fun to get to know the other hermanas better. Today for p day we had a little birthday party for hermana Brooks and played games! We played this game called Gincana which is a typical game here in Chile. Its a relay with stations and in the first station you have to bob for apples, in the next station you have to find an m&m in a pile of flour just using your mouth, then you have to thread a needle, and the last station is blow up a balloon and pop it. It's super random but it was fun. Then all the hermanas...we played a game of soccer in the cancha. It was fun.

OH MY GOSH this week our sink flooded and I had to fix it! I attached a video of the whole thing so hopefully it works. you'll see all the details in the video. 

And last but not least, I was able to go to Carolina and Franco´s baptism in Villa Dulce!! It was last Saturday and it was so cute! They were so excited and it was a real blessing that I was able to go back and see it! 

President upped the number of contacts we have to do from 10 to 20 each day (contacts are # of people we actually talk to) At first we thought it was impossible because there aren't that many people who want to talk to us but this whole week we were able to talk to at least 20 people every day! Now our problem is finding again the ones that give us their address or number. We meet people every day who seem so great at first, but we can never find them again because they are either never home, never answer their phones, or decide they don't want to talk to us again (normally its the third option) haha!... but its all good! I know I am on the winning team and that I can punch Satan in the face by talking to EVERYONE and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as I can!! 

I love you guys and hope you have a great week!! 

Love Hermana Snyder

With my old companion, Hermana Del Valle and my new one, Hermana Mackay

Intercambio (Exchanges) with Hermana Suarez

Our apartment