WOW. haha i love chile SO much. i am not kidding, this has been two of the best weeks of my life. i am having so much fun out here in chile, and we are working so hard, and getting so much done. seriously lovin it. so we will just start with the little things!
18 de
septiembre was SO fun. haha we got permission to perform CUECA! its the typical
dance from here in chile so we got to perform it for the branch. we wore the
outfits, the ridiculous hats and the cloaks and we just looke hilarious. my
companion elder dominguez danced folklore in college and he is mexican so he
can just automatically dance better than me (granted i did take break dance at
step by step dance for 3 weeks so i mean....#getonmylevel). but we had such a
good time. it was me, my companion, my kid and my nieto all just dancing this
ridiclous dance and ahving so much fun. we ate empanadas, anticuchos (shishkabobs),
pajaritos (like a little donut thing), mote con huesillo (basically a dried
peach that is then re-put in peach juice with this crazy grain thing on bottom.
sounds good right? well it actually is so quit judging), asado, everything you
could imagine. The rbanch was decorated so fun and we actually helped decorate
the two days before so it was amazing. All of our converts went too! every
single one. That was a miracle too because we have been struglling to keep our
attention on allof then. and since im the old one inthe sector and the other 3
are all brand new a lot of the pressure has fallen on me. so we are just
working on that still but it was fantastic. bernardo sanchez is a stud and came
in overalls hahaha. I love him so much. He has become like my best friend here,
he and i just get along so well. marcelo medina brought his TRAIN that he
constructed for his party company, that is a chevy pick up truck converted into
a train with open seating and anotehr trailer that lokos just like a litle train.
he is still ivnestigating the church (but is active, he just cant be baptized
still because of some problems with their old divorce papers) and brought
EVERYTHIGN! haha it was incredible. So i love 18. If i ever come back to chile
again im coming during 18 because it was so so so fun. This year when i
actually understood what was going on and could understand what everyone was
saying, i enjoyed it 100% more. but really....i love it here. it was really sad
when my dumb kid elder overson tells me "hey dad its your last 18 here in
chile"....haha i about killed him. Crazy how time flies though! i got here
over a year ago and its just going faster. but the good thing is we still have
a ton left to do and i still ahve a ton more time. btu next year ill be making
the empanadas with my chilean brothers lythgoe and heyman!
THe sanchez
baptism. One of the most spiritual experiences of my entire mission. I had the privilege of baptizing bernardo and emilia, the littlest girl, and it was so so
so incredible. Seriously so special. Bernardo gave me a big hug after he came
out of the water and was so happy. I still cant get over the fact that a family
got baptized. Like thats what I've been waiting my whole mision for, a family
like this, and they are so incredible. The strength they are all giving each
other is insane, they love the gospel so much and are so excited to keep this
path. Anyway bernardo gave his testimony after the baptism and that was really
cool to hear too. he talked about how the first time i met him he invited us to
play basketball with his team, and how through that game started one of the
most special friendships that he has ever had, and that that game had been the
point of the change of his life. Like it brought tears to my eyes because it
was just this dad who loves his daughters so much and would do anything for
them. He gave up everything in his life, his family is so catholic and hiz mom
teaches religion classes at a catholic school and he just took the step without
a doubt. He gave me one of hsi favorite shirts too and he is just such a
goofball. I love that guy so much. Anyway, the whole thing was beautiful.
Lourdes was awfully excited too, and Elder Rico got permission to come back to
baptize her. And then elder mundell dd the baptism for josefina, the 12 year
old girl. They are such a special family.
Other people!
Marcelo Medina. As i said before i think, he is the military man who is the
general of victoria, who is just taking the gospel so to heart. One of the most
touching moments of my entire mission was with him. I sat down with him in his
living room and we talked all about his life. Turns out he was training in fort
bennings georgia when the persian gulf war happened, and actually served in the
war for the U.S. he drove an Abrams tank in the war and is like a serious war
veteran. haha he is HUGE and looks like a tank himself. The day i went and
talked to him, he was in his full military get-up, completely dressed head to
toe in camo, all his stars and special patches on, boots laced, and is looking
at me crying because he says he loves his son so much. he was reading from one
of the pamphlets we gave him about the family and was crying, saying that
"I finally know that my responsibility as a father is this. To protect,
raise my son, to give him blessings. This is what i want. I need this." I
never have felt the spirit so strong. What else in the world has the power to
toucha mans heart like that? the ward LOVES him. everyone that meets him
makes the comment that he has the humility of a poor beggar, but has the power
in speaking of a general (almost like he is). He is so humble and kind, has
this huge company and train and toys for parties for kids, donates stuff all
over the place over victoria. The guy is going to be president of stake so
soon, i swear. Anyway, his son Marcelito is getting baptized this saturday. we
wanted to wait for the whole family but they have some papers that are going
to take until March so the joven said that he wants to do it now. So we set up
his date and he is getting baptized this week! I sure do know the gospel
is true. If theres one thing ive learned here, its just that its true. It makes
bad men good, and good men better. it makes us truly happy, fills those silent
quiet corners of our heart that we let no one know about, and makes us truly
peaceful. I love it so much and feel so blessed to have been let see miracles
like bernardo and marcelo. Their families in turn have been so blessed by the
gospel and i love watching it.
We have some
more families we are teaching but i will save those for next week as they keep
progressing more! Victoria is a celestial sector. Seriously the people here are
so christlike. So loving, so kind, so receptive. I feel more at home and more
happy than i have my entire mission. The branch has over 20 baptisms in the
past 3 months.....like the missionaries are just running around to try and
catch up to the members who are doing all the work. Haha I've been so blessed to
be here. Thank you all for your prayers and your support! I sure love you!
Elder Tengberg
microphone is
marcelo, the kid with us in our cowboy outfits is marcelito, the overalls is
bernardo, the wife and baby is bruno and kathy and monse and maite! and the
gringo means the white kid. thats me!
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