A new suit! and time to say good-bye to President and Hermana Chavez

¿Cómo estai?
Espero que se encuentren bien y sanos.estoy muy bien pero las manos tienen frio.....haha no I don’t want to write you all because I don’t want to let you figure out how bad my Spanish is haha. How is everything going? What is new? What can you tell me that is funny haha? I am doing good and excited, why I don’t know but I am just happy and jazzed to be here, who needs to rationalize their happiness. I had a good but very busy week running here and there and just crashing at the end of the day. I love being here in Talca even though I miss Chillan and all the people there but I love it here. It is definitely not as cold but doesn’t bother me either way. I love the cold, my comp is dying with the cold though he wears about 20 layers while I have a short sleeve shirt and my fleece jacket, the members think I am crazy and I just tell them that my big heart pumps my blood faster and they get a laugh at it. The members are starting to like me actually yesterday I was quoted twice at church I don’t know but I know I am not that good of speaker to be quoted. The members said my talk was good last week and said I looked very comfortable like if I had be in the ward for a long time I just followed the spirit. I had a different talk planned and changed it up a bit at the last minute..... the spirit tells you everything you just have got to listen and follow. We are really trying to work with the leaders so that they can start doing their meetings again and so we can be there and help them out. Attendance is dropping and especially priesthood attendance....there were 5 not counting us 4 elders yesterday...not good. I am trying to work with the leaders to do visits and trying to re-activate members.....on top of my missionary work but I like to be busy the days fly by faster but too fast for my liking....time is just flying by so fast.
Well last Monday I did buy a suit and I meant to take pictures and send them but forgot sorry next week but I feel so much better in it. I need to get the waist taken in a little but for now it is okay. I bought it for 30,000 pesos about 70 bucks good price right? I hit the stores at the right time because last weekend it was Father’s Day Sales sweet huh? Then I gave the black suit to a member of the ward who didn’t have one he was happy and wanted to pay but I told him it was a gift.....plus I felt bad taking money for it. I love the suit it is a grey with pin stripes me veo bien haha. When President and Hermana Chavez saw me in it at the conference this past wed they about jumped out of their shoes they said I looked great. It made me feel good. everybody in the mission somehow knows me it is weird but i guess when you have the hardest name in the mission it gets around haha and nobody says it right haha. The conference was great but sad too to see Pres and Hermana Chavez for the last time it was hard to say goodbye but they left their emails so I can keep in touch with them. He talked about the atonement a lot and focused on it and how we need to live it everyday and comprehend it better everyday by applying it in our lives....I feel like I have done that and that is why I have seen such a huge change in me and my life. The atonement is everything there is nothing it cannot do for us, ´´La Expiación de Jesucristo me Salvó, y continuará salvándome hasta el fin´´ that is why I love and want to understand the atonement better because without I am nothing I am lost and worthless. I am just so thankful for President Chavez and all he did for me...he showed me the same love the Savior has for me and the love of a father too. Seeing Pres and Hermana Chavez made me miss Mom and Dad more, they are my mission mom and dad, scold us when we are stupid but always show unconditional love and respect. Got to give them both huge hugs and for a moment thought I was hugging mom and dad. I think that was the hardest thing to let go and say goodbye. But I am ready to meet Hermana and Pres Humphrey.
Thanks for my package and the memory stick. I will send you all the photos from the conference and see if you can find me. I love you all so much and happy late anniversary mom and dad. I miss you so much and time is flying, take care I know these things are true and I love to share the message of the restoration with everyone. Love you all so much take care and love you and miss you a bunch. Send my love and greetings to all. les amo.chau
Love Eric
WE ARE ROOTING TOO I HOPE CHILE CAN PULL IT OUT THE USA IS OUT BUT I AM ALL CHILEAN PRIDE TODAY WITH MY JERSEY ON, VAMOS CHILE

World Cup Fever and New Friends

Hola Familia Mia,

Well it is 1:25 pm and as I sit here in a ciber in downtown Talca I can hear the chants, yelling, horns, and celebrating of all the Chilenos because Chile beat Switzerland this morning 1-0, they just love their futbol and they have got me hooked on it to. They just need to win or tie the next game and are moving on to the next round. Los Chilenos son locos.

I have completed my first week here in Piduco and what luck I had the second counselor of the Obispado came by our house friday night to meet me and to ask me to give a talk in Sacramento mtg yesterday, “bienvenidos Elder” he said to me, not only was it my first Sunday here but I had to give a talk. The members said it was the first time in the history of the ward that a new missionary on his first Sunday had to speak, I was praying to receive revelation and give a great talk. I spoke of the plan that God has for us and the scripture. from Moses ´´esta es mi obra y mi gloria llevar a cabo la inmortalidad y vida enterna del hombre´´ I related that to plan de salvacion and the importance of la expiacion in our lives and then I finished off with describing how we apply His atonement in our lives through baptism and the importance it has on full filling the work and glory of God. I finished with a testimonio of the restoration and la expiacion. I like to give talks but still is a little hard in Spanish sometimes. The members really liked it so I am thankful for the help God gave me, good first impression. I don’t know if it went that great but I know I felt the spirit and from the looks on people’s faces they did too. I know some people in this ward because have family in my last ward in Chillan so we knew each other already. All the member are scared of my name and cannot say it but oh well blessing, will have to re-teach everybody.
My comp Elder Pierce is cool he is from American Fork, Utah and I saw him get to Chile because he started in my firstt zone when I was still there. He is cool and we get along really well we are both sarcastic so we have fun. The other day the other elders in the house Elder Stephenson, AZ, and Elder Sarmiento, Ecuador, thought we were fighting but we were just being sarcastic,we have fun in the house but have to talk Spanish because of the latin but oh well, we are in Chile. I have luck with 4 elder houses, we are all in the same ward and I found out that my trainer was in the ward too so I cannot wait to write him and tell him. I sent a pictures of Elder Pierce and me. The members really miss the Elder I replaced but are warming up slowly to me. There a super awesome guy Rafael Bello who goes out with us like 4 times a week he is preparing to go on a mission. He was baptized a year ago. He is cool and we have fun. He really want to go to the states and so we are helping him learn English. He speaks pretty good already. Well our chapel is under construction till Sept so we are in a different building on near 33 Oriente and 8 sur. It is a far walk . My sector is huge and all the streets are numbers Oriente and Norte y Sur, I like names better. I live near 24 Oriente y 4 Norte I think but I will verify that. There are some nuevos converso that live two doors down and they are a cool family and the Hermana cooks super good.
I really miss Chillan and the people and my converts but I know I need to be here. It was so hard to say goodbye to my family there and it killed me to see them cry and naturally I cried to saying goodbye to them, to Obispo and his family and to familia Riquelme and especially Hermana Miriam who did so much for me and did our laundry. I tell you I hope all members can be like them showing much love and support for the missionaries. I hope you can all do the same for the missionaries there. It is hard sometimes to be here but when there are people that extend a helping hand and help you feel at home it helps. I passed tough times there but I know the Lord blessed me with the help of the members and my investigators there. I had such a hard time saying goodbye to Ignacia and Alejandra......Ingnacia reminded me I had to come back when she gets baptized....she is only 5 but I know she has felt the spirit I helped bring to that home. I am ready to work hard and form relationships with people here but it is always hard to start over. I love being here and the oportunidad to serve as a servant of God to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of the people here.
It has rained a bunch the week and was soaked to the bone but, I was happy to be outside working in the cold and rain. I am happy to wake up at 7 even though it is hard because I know I am doing the right thing. I love you all and cannot wait to tell you more sent some picturess of my companion and me last night in Chillan enjoy love you all and take care, I am always with you. I know the gospel is true and that God loves us.
love you, Eric

Saying good-bye to Chillan, going north to Talca

Hola Familia,
Well the big news and I am sure you know what it is already. Today is cambios and well that means that people have to leave come and change.......I have been here for 6 months which is the usual but I was praying to stay but this morning at 9:00am I got the call....I am going up to Talca!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh it is going to be hard to say goodbye to all the members and my converts here. Yesterday I spoke in church and had the thought I might be leave, so in my talk I thanked all the members and said goodbye in a subtle way but just about all caught onto it. So it turned into a big joke and all the members were praying for me to stay but too late Pres. Chavez finished the cambios on Saturday. I feel like crap I don’t want to leave now I want one more cambio here. I love the members and my converts so much. I think this is the hardest part of the mission.
It is winter and the rain has been going on for four day now so I haven’t slept much with the sound of the roof and the drips into the pots catching the leaks. I am doing good just tired and sad. I know I need to go and work in Talca. There are people waiting for me and though people will be sad here it will help them grow and progress. Today I am planning to leave at about 3pm to go and start saying goodbye to people. I need to pass by just about everyone. Thats what happens when you are somewhere for 6 momths a quarter of my mission I was here and now I am going to my third sector....wow how time flies and from what I hear time just speeds up from this point on....gosh. We had a baptism of a girl in my ward here and she wanted me to baptize her. I have sent some of the photos. Her name is Fernanda, she is cool but super shy. I was surprised when Obispo told me she wanted me to baptize her because she barely talks. It was a great service small attendance but good. I think it will help her family a lot they are reactivating in the church. Wow, I just don’t know what to tell you all I have a million things in my head that I have to do and stuff that i cannot think to write. I will remember it all after I send this off.
I think next p-day up in Talca I will go shopping for a suit. I know I need a new one and I think I might leave one of mine here because I don’t want to haul it up north. Just to give it away. I don’t know but I will be buying one soon I think. As you can tell you can see the cool sweatshirts and poncho I bought haha so cool. Well I love you all a bunch and cannot wait to tell you about my trip and new sector next week. Take care I love you all so much. Pray that it doesn’t rain tomorrow so my stuff doesn’t get soaked and ruined Love you all have a great week sorry for the short lame
letter but I am just in other places Love you all so much
Love, Eric

I love this work and the people of Chillan

Hello Hello fam!!!!!!!!!

Well to start off mom I didn’t get the Valentines from the Primary but, I check for it give me a week. I will be looking for some packages, cool. I am good got over my cold and now it is just keeping healthy. Elder Scott is pretty sick but I have been a stick in the mud and made him work but once he gets out of the house and moving he feels better. I love the guy ...he is a good guy to be here and be working for the Lord. I hope I can help him to see things differently. I cannot believe cambios are next week.....I am not ready to leave here, I would like one more cambio at the least. I love the members and my converts so much we are struggling finding people to teach but I love this sector so much I am the happiest I have ever been here.
Just like Dad, I played plumber too this week too. We got a call and Alejandra her pipes backed up so we went over and fished paper out of the pipes for a while....haha I feel so smart and handy thanks to the wisdom of my Dad haha.......or should I say the stuff I learned not to do when he did it wrong, so I do it right the first time! haha Love you Pops! haha Its a Joke haha just cause I am here in Chile I can still make fun of you all haha. It was an up and down week here lots of rejections and a call from the zone leaders checking up on us.....I am working hard but things just aren’t working good right now. But we are working hard and the Lord does also.
Wow I am not going to lie I about jumped out of my seat when you told me the Bishopric news...Wow but Newel will do a good job he is a good guy. I cannot wait to see him and Jared up the on the stand when I get home, to bad yal cannot snap a picture for me. I cannot wait to here about Nick, Matt and Ryan’s mission calls I will freak when they get them. I cannot wait till they are out here with me working and stuff. I think they are all coming to Concepcion with me, that would be so sick.....so cool. but with their luck Matt is going to Canada....French Canada, Nick to France and Ryan to Africa haha I hope I am not right but the best would be going to Chile and being here with me. I was writing Heidi a letter this morning and my emotions just hit me to know that in some way I might have helped them all go on missions, not to sound pumped up about it but I hope I have had some influence on their decisions. It is just amazing to think of how many lives they will save along with me. I have been reading the conference talks from last year and have been learning so much and I find new stuff every time...so awesome. I just cannot believe all the stuff I took for granted before my mission and all the stupid stuff I did and still do...I was just hurting myself and others. Everything has new meaning I am not perfect but think more before I act and speak.
English class is going good and the people are so happy when they bring in their tests to show the good grades they are getting thanks to our help...I just love serving and helping. We got two referencias from the class for my sector, both college students which seem cool. I am going to pass by them this week. I taught a girl after the class and then the Elders went to her house the day after. She is super excited to get baptized on the 27th. Her family is anti- Mormon but God is a God of miracles. From day to day it is hard to see the success but when you sit back and think of it wow the things the Lord does for us. We have a sweet family right now and they are reading and praying everyday. It is so awesome to go to their house to teach and hear their experiences. Just awesome I love it here.
Went and played soccer today and it was fun. I love sports. I also bought some stuff from an international like flea market. I got a cool poncho and jacket from Ecuador for like 22,000 peso like 44 bucks not bad hand made of wool from alpaca. I think I will get another one. They had a super cool one with like a million colors. They will only be here till Thursday so I might come back after district meeting tomorrow to buy it. I hope you all are well. I love you all so much. I hope everything is good with you all. My companion has his birthday this week so we are going to get a cake for him and have a party in the house that night.
I love you all so much take care and have a good week, love you.
Love, Eric