Hola familia!
Well i wont be writing a ton this week because not really a ton happened. BUT the stuff that did happen was pretty darn cool!
OH something kind of big...MARY IS GOING TO FREAKING HONG KONG???? WHAT???? hahaha what the heck?! Mar i am so so so proud of you! I cant even imagine the craziness that you are going to go through speaking cantonese. I mean i dont know how its different than mandarin but either way it all just sounds so crazy to me. I mean my language at least has the same letters and really difficult translations like "jesus christ - jesucristo". I cant even imagine. Does this mean you will learn to make orange chicken? SCORE. Haha i am so proud of you and you will be an awesome missionary. The lord is going to use you do work some incredible miracles in China, and you will be so great. They are going to be even more obsessed with your blonde hair than people here are! I want to make lots of other jokes about panda express or my interpretation of what chinese will sound like....but in fears of coming off weird, ill refrain. Hahaha youre going to kill it!
First things first, i went to the doctors today finally. Turns out i have an infection in my intestines...how awesome does that sound? Thats why i havent gotten better this past week and my stomach still hurts like no other. Haha so i have been given some disinfectants that apparently i take and kill ALL of the bacteria in my stomach. Now i MAY not be a scientist but if i am putting this together correctly, killing all of that stuff has to come out somehow. Not excited for that. But then i take another one that replenishes good bacteria in my body again. So yayyyy im taking chilean medicine that i dont trust from a doctor that checked me out for approximately 30 seconds and rightly concluded that i have an infection. No but she was actually a good doctor and works with all the missionaries and is a member of the church. she mentioned there was a SLIGHT chance that it could have been from all the food that i ate last saturday (elder ramirez shouldnt be surprised if i sneak a little laxitives in his food....its only fair) but more than likely its because i ate something bad. BUT the good news is that i had that package from mom this past week of halloween candy so i am sure pop tarts and goldfish have been real good for my stomach. Haha anyway. All is getting better and I should be getting back into the swing of things this week! I have been working the past couple of days but its just been really tough to walk around because i had so little energy (what, eating 4 bites of soup for the entire day doesnt keep me satisfied?) and my stomach hurt so bad. But once again, getting better and this should be a great week!
I actually have learned a ton through this trial though. I had a few rough days where my mind was just not in the work that much, and it made me sad to realize that. I mean maybe i had an excuse to feel a little self-pity but it made me sad to listen to myself say some of the things i did. I realized that the lord needs a lot more of me, and that i will never be happy if i keep focusing on home or myself or other things. I realized i can give a little bit more of my heart, might, mind and strength, and it has been a really neat learning experience. I knew that every trial has a reason, and i definitely know that this is the reason. i have grown a ton and oddly enough, im grateful for the trial and chance to grow.
Other than that little setback, the work has been great here in arauco. Valentine and Juliana got baptized Saturday!!!!!! AND FREDDY CAME! Oh my goodness it was just the sweetest baptism in the whole wide world. Valentine asked me to baptize him, so we took pictures before making funny faces and just were acting stupid, then we got to go in the font. Turns out we filled it up a LITTLE too high and he basicaly was SWIMMING to the center to get baptized. Haha no joke he was using his arms to paddle. #oops #wewerealittleexcited But anyway, he loved it. He is honestly such a smart kid, so in love with the church, and has been a miracle since day 1 with that whole family. Paolina has come every week with her two little kids, and is constantly amazed at the answers he gives and the growth he has. Who couldnt be?! Without ever explaining how he would feel instantly after receiving the gift of the holy ghost, he said "I felt good after being baptized, but after the confirmation i just felt warm all over." Umm....yeah i guess thats the most perfect response a 10 year old could ever give? He and juliana both want to be missionaries, and I am just so happy. And the best thing ever is that Freddy came to church the next day too! He came to watch them get confirmed and stayed for the entire thing. We had 102 members at church that day, which broke our record by so much and was just an answer to prayers. It was ward conference as well and the lessons were incredible. Priesthood session talked about how men have a responsibility to be righteous for their families. Righteousness is happiness, and if the men arent acting the right way, then their FAMILIES are missing out on blessings for their inability to act up to the calling god has given them. Holy cow, can you pick a more perfect first lesson for a man who is struggling with addictions and struggling with being a dad? Seriously, after church when we visited them, valentine was so excited to tell us that his dad is going to continue going to church and loved being there. In the confirmation, elder ramirez blessed vale that he would be the light that would bring his whole family to the gospel, and i know its true. It reminds me so much of Rodrigo and the light that he brought to Carmen and David and the Morales family. I have so much love for Vale and Freddy will come around. This was SUCH a big step today and it made me so happy to be a part of this work. From day 1 when we entered that house, it has been pure miracles. I feel so blessed that I have been a part of that and that Heavenly Father has used us as instruments to bless this family. The gospel is so dang cool.
Thats all i have time for. Hopefully you all like the pictures! This may be a surprise but im still 19 and cant treat anything too serious. So what if i love making funny faces? I think i am a 5 year old stuck in a 19 year old body.
I love you all! Keep up the good work and dont ever forget that YOU are the lords hands in your own cities, in your own classes, and your own families. You are the lights, the angels, and the relief for millions that look to you every single day. Dont ever let something hold you back from being the light that heavenly father needs you to be. There is no joy like realizing that heavenly father has used you to bless another life.
Les amo.
Elder Tengberg
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