" I'm Dreaming of a White Sunday "

¿que tal?

Hey Hey Hey! Hey yal whats up in the usa? As you can tell from the subject of the email I had a baptism yesterday and got to baptize. Valentina Lidia Jara Salinas age 13 was baptized yesterday and too make it more special it was her birthday too. She is awesome I was so happy for her and I am thankful for the ward members and the youth that helped her and encouraged her along. Her mom is a less active that is reactivating and her sister Constanza couldn’t get baptized because her Dad didn’t give her pemiso but I still have hope that she can do it because she really wants too. But anyway I attached the photos of the baptism. I had to use one of the other elders white pants because mine are huge! As you can tell from the photos they were a little tight in back but still worked. The Hermana that does our laundry said she would take mine in for me, I was huge! hope you all enjoy the photos.

This week I will get all the calling info and then I will tell you next week sorry for the delay, I think we will be at a members house so they will tell us when we can come. I hope it will work for you guys. Maybe next week you can watch your emails and when you get the info can shoot me a response to make sure it is all good and you understand the number and stuff.

Cambios are next Monday and I am pretty sure Elder Gallo will leave at least I am hoping for it but I might end up junior companion still or maybe get moved to senior comp idk.....the thing that is hard is I have a day longer in the mission and he is senior comp. I doubt I will be a trainer but I am sure Elder Gallo will leave because he has 4 cambios here and we have 3 together. We will see, I will be holding my breath Monday in the morning.

Today we had a great zone activity and we went to las termas de chillan, it is in the Andes Montains here in Chillan. I will send pictures in another email today. It was so beautiful. No snow but, the views were awesome. We drove up in the back of a meat track that a guy in my ward has so we were in the back without light but with ac. Too bad it wasn’t summer and hot outside, it was fun. We saw them working on the snow lifts and stuff. We want to come back next cambio when there is snow and take the lift up to the volcano. A member in my ward snowboards there so after the mission maybe I can come down and check out the snow in the south. But, nothing beats snow in the states though. It was a fun trip but there were some party poopers but oh will saw a huge traffic accident the Chileans don’t know how to drive, fun day but I am tired I don’t sleep well. We still have had some movements of the earth at night and I can’t sleep because it wont stay still. Oh well.

Well be safe in your travels and stuff and I am sure I will hear more next week about the final days before the wedding. I love you all so much and hope the best. I can’t wait to talk to you all in 2 weeks. I know the gospel is true and I know the reason why I am here is to save the children of God I love you so much. Take care and love you all lots

Love, Eric

Elder Paul Bunyan

Querida Familia,

¿Como estay chiquillos?, that means como estas, in chileno they have their own slang language and I have picked it up but never talk it because we have to talk in Usted form ha-ha church rules ha-ha. But anyways, how are you all doing? Great I hope. I really enjoyed the letters this week and I got a letter from my trainer and Elder Bates. Elder Bates had a wall fall on him in the house. He is okay now he had to go to the hospital for some scraps and bruises but was back to work after a week of rest. Other than that he said he is good and is back in his first zone again. Our missions are so different. And Shane Farrelly, my trainer, I haven’t read his letter yet but I bet he is good.

Well Alexandra and Daniela se confirmaron ayer!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes! The remission of sins is complete and they have the gift of the Holy Ghost!!! They both are doing super good. We visited Alexandra this week and she had given her mom a Book of Mormon to read and her mom was going to come to her confirmacio but had to watch the kids because they both were sick. I was a little sad because I had brought colors and paper for them ha-ha. My name is too hard for them and Alexandra, so my new name that I told them is {Señor Conejo} ha-ha at least they will remember me by my name ha-ha. We were at her house on Saturday and Francisco cumplio 7 años, so they invited us for cake and to enjoy it with him. They were trying to figure out our ages and they said I look 27 yrs.....donde ha-ha when I told them I was 20. They almost fell to the floor, ha-ha I can’t help it. It’s a gift from God ha-ha just kidding. But we were talking to Aleja, she is awesome. We are going to do a service project at her house this week, tearing out some wood that has water damage. I have fixed electrical and set up many mechanical things for her ha-ha. Thanks, pops for the chance to learn this stuff.

We had to chop wood for a Hermana too this week, about 10 meters of it. Tiring work but thanks to my scouting knowledge I did it and safely. My companion had never chopped wood before ha-ha it was fun and will be doing a lot more of that in these cold months to come. Call me Elder Paul Bunyan.

We also had entrevistas with Pres. Chavez this week and they went great. I love that man so much and my interview was so good. He told me he could see a big change in me and that he could tell how hard I was working. He is such an awesome mission President and I will miss him a lot. Hermana Chavez checked the house and she was very pleased with us. We got a 100%. We’ll have one baptism for sure this coming Sunday 25 April and maybe one more......they are sisters, Valentina 12 and Constanza 16. Constanza is waiting for her respeusta but I am confident she will get baptized. She said she knows this is the Church of Christ and Jose Smith is a profeta but didn’t know if she should get baptized. But I know she will. Our zone has 11 baptisms this month and there is a possibility of 6 more this coming weekend. Milagros. Puro milagros!!!!!! I love you all so much and I cannot wait to here more from you.

I don’t think I will get my package before the wedding but I will be with you all in my thoughts. Wish I could be there for this special day but the Lord needs me here and so do other people. I love you all so much.

The stake had a temple trip this weekend and all the missionaries including me wanted to go so bad!!! I miss the temple. I never thought I would say that but I really do. I know it is the House of God and it is the closest we can be to Him here on earth. I love and respect it. I know the work in temples is work to save us and others to help us live with our families and Heavenly Father for eternity. I cherish the covenants I have made in the temple and I try my hardest to keep them and to do my best to be worthy at all times. I am so happy to know that I will be with you all forever if I do my best to keep my covenants and be worthy because our family is eternal and I will do anything to make it to our Heavenly Father’s presence with everyone of you and hope you all will do the same. I love you so much and hope and pray for you all always. Take care I love you all so much.

My testimony has grow so much in these past couple months and I hope I have been able to lift you up in hard moments and thank you all for your encouraging words in my hard times. I love you so much and I know without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that all the prophets testified of His coming and He came and I know He will come again to reign over His kingdom. I know with all my heart that this is His Church and he called Joseph Smith to restore it and he did. I know Thomas S. Monson is the profeta today. God and Jesucristo live and love us, always remember that, you are never alone. Jesuscristo is always next to us to help us up when we fall and walk when we need help we need to be humble and repent. I love you all so much. Cuidate mucho. Les amo mucho.

Love Eric


GO SHARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Root for me pops! You too mommy! Kasey my pretty puppy too. Ally Lisa Em Tyler and Clay also ha-ha love you all


Send my love to everyone

Ally and Tyler HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love yal

Two Baptisms! It was a great week!

Hola familia mia,

Well I want to start off with the most exciting news of all for this week and it is after some nervous waiting and heart pounding moments......yesterday Alejandra Zapata(21 plus haha) y Daniela Olivares(9) se bautizaron!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! miracles do happen and they are around us in all times and places. I attached the photos and my comp had the opportunity to baptize them both. Alejandra wanted me to baptize her but she figured since her kids, Francisco 6 and Ignacia 5(nacha), like me more and I can control them that it would be better for me to take care of them. They are so cute espcially Nachita. She is so dang cute she was so happy that I remembered to bring collores and paper so we could draw together haha. But I think I really had the good seat to see two daughters of God make the convenios de bautismo with their Padre Celestial. I am so proud of them and thankful for the opportunity teach them and to see them make changes in their lives.

Alejandra was having some dudas about diezmo because somebody told her the church just steals the money and builds temples to trick people to think that we are good people. With a lot of testimony and help of members she remembered the answer she got to her prayers and the testimony she had received and made the right decision. She had been sick and didn’t show for church so we went by her house and called her a million times and no answer, we went by her house a half hour before her baptism and she was there getting ready to go and then her parents showed up and went with us. They said they were not going to support her but we told her to invite them and share her testimony with them and it worked. She was so happy. Daniela’s Mom and Grandma are reactivating and were there and it was good to see them supporting her.
Milagros!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this week was strange but so great. Weather has been very cold but I love it. It makes me feel like Christmas but I have to keep telling myself it is only April. It got down to freezing a couple days but has warmed up the last couple days and looks like fall all around with the red and yellow leaves. Well I am doing great tired but I am good. This week was awesome.
Thank you all for you testimonies and your help. I have interviews with Pres. Chavez so that means Hermana Chavez will be checking the houses so we spent a couple hours this morning deep cleaning the house is clean but she expects spotless.......the Latins don’t know how to clean efficiently so it took so long. I always want to say a lot but always forget when I start to write.
Our English classes are going good and have a lot of youth coming because school is in session. I spelled a bunch of words wrong....I m losing my english....the grammar in my journal is terrible I can barely understand...ugh....my Spanish should be better if my english is so bad but not haha. Oh well I hope you all have great weeks and are all good. I love you all so much and take care a bunch.
I know this is the Lord’s work and only through a baptism like that of Jesus Christ can the children of God return to His presencia. I love you all so much and am so happy and grateful to have such a great family. Take care a bunch love you all.
Love Eric

"Ello Mate, I thank I saw aw Dingo ate yur Birthday Cake!"

I want to start off thanking you all for your thoughts and extra prayers this week. I had been feeling like my whole world was falling down on me in moments when I should have been really happy. These past couple weeks I had been felling bad because I have had things that have bothering me and I was just feeling terrible. That is why I asked you all to remember me in your prayers. At zone conference on Wednesday, I talked to President Chavez after and it helped a bunch. I just told him how I was feeling and as usual as servants of God do so well in one sentance helped me with the bad feelings. He said ´´La Expicaión de Jesucristo salva y limpia a todos que están despuestos a arrepentirse y cambiar.´´ the atonement of Jesus Christ saves and cleans all who are willing to repent and change. With that and some other words and scriptures of comfort I felt 100% better. As we walked out of the room he said ´´bien hecho Elder Kuykendall está aplicando La Expiación en su vida´´ good job you are applying the atonement in your life. He left me with a big hug. I know Jesucritso can help us all receive forgiveness for all we have done. I also know Pres Chávez is called of God to preside over Missión Chile Concepción. I love him so much, before I was always a little nervous around him but to hear the love and concern in his voice and it was like listening to my Dad, but it was in Spanish. I could see the same love in his face that I can see in your faces and the faces of all the leaders I have had.

I want to thank you all for all you have done for me and for the love you have always shown. I am so blessed to have such a great family and at times I feel taken you all for granted but I love you all so much and I am sorry if I ever have done something to offend or hurt you. I love you, I am trying my best and I want to try even harder now. Jesucristo saves me everyday without him I am nothing.
Listening to General Conference this weekend was so awesome and prompted me to set some goals and standards to live by. Every talk touched my hard and some hit me like a brick wall. Thank you for everything. I am the luckiest guy in the world to have you as my family. Press forward with faith and hope in Christ. He is the only person that can save, us no other power on earth can overcome sin except the love and the power of Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God, His only Begotten Son in the flesh. He came to save us all and save us He did, but it requires our faith and willingness to keep his commandments. We have His perfect example of doing God’s will. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to help God’s children here arrepentirse y bautizarse para recibir una remision de sus pecados y ayudarles a enternder la importancia del sacraficio de Jesucristo.

The Atonement of Christ not only saves us from sin but can relieve the weight of sin and sorrow. It helps us in all things and we should ask for the help of the atonement to help lift the burdens, not to take them away but to lift them so we can continue on the path during hard times. When we do this we will have the help of God with us always and we will grow, and one day live with God and our family forever.I have learned so much about the atonement and how it helps us everyday. We need to apply the atonement everyday in our lives not just with sin but in all things. Jesus Christ saves us and helps us in all things. Do it I promise you will feel and see the Lords hand in your lives and in your homes.

I did get my birthday package and I loved it. It is so awesome thank you so much you all. In the next couple weeks I will send a dvd home with all videos and pictures of my mission. I don’t have time today but I will do it and I will keep you all informed. I love you so much and thank you for everything so much. I had a great week after Wednesday and thank you all so much for you love and support.

I put the pictures of the baptism from the 28th so enjoy them. I have added two notches in my belt haha. if it wasn’t for my big butt and thighs I could wear 32 waist pants but I got Kuykendall legs haha. Any ideas to slim them down?

I feel so great I love you all so much don’t worry about me am doing great I love the mission, I love the people here and my companion He gets to me but He is called of God like I am I love you all so much and cant wait to here from you next week.

"I love you all so much and have a CRIKEY of a week. Watch out for those dingo" Croc Hunter Accent! Thank you. Take care and I love you all. I had so much to say but time has flown by again off to eat and then do shopping for the week I love you all.....3 hours difference now haha.

Love, Eric