Elder Kuykendall's First Baptism

Well as you can see I have my own newspaper here in Chile now. I guess my good looks cool ties and awesome Spanish has made me quite a celebrity....not just kidding no my head is still normal size, well I can still fit through the door I mean...haha anyway the front page of my paper this week has some bad news on the cover good news also but we will start with the bad...here it is....
BAD NEWS: Elder Kuykendall gets soaking wet on sat. 31 Oct 2009
GOOD NEWS: It’s okay that he got soaking wet because he was performing a BAUTISMO, baptism.
Yes, you heard it right from the mouth of the media, I had my first baptism on Saturday. Originally she asked my comp to do it but when we visited her during the week she changed her mind and wanted me to do it. I said yes of course but she had to try and say my name first and to my surprise she got it right on the first try. Seriously it was so awesome! I was so nervous though and I was going over the words in my head all day and her name and everything I didn’t want to mess up. Only 10 people showed up but it was a great baptismal service. The spirit was so strong and she was so excited too. I got a bunch of pictures I will try and upload I hope it will work.
I was so super nervous though the font took like 3 hours to fill and it took us like 20 minutes to figure out how to do it but now I know. The girl I baptized was, Alejandra del Pilar Muñoz Espinoza, long name right, she is 11 yrs old. It was such an awesome experience took up about 2 pages in my journal. When I started to say the prayer the spirit hit me so hard and I totally forgot her name so I had to start over but it was okay. I said it slow but I got it right and only had to do it once. It was just such cool experience...the prayer in Spanish is a little tricky for a gringo but it was just so cool. I am so thankful I got to do it. She has a super strong testimony and I know she will stay active. So awesome, So that is my big huge cool news for this week.
I have another baptism on Sunday 8 Nov 2009, the girl is the daughter of less active we are reactivating. She has her interview this week. She is super ready and excited. It is good to baptize youth but this branch needs priesthood holders. We only have about 10 active Melchezedik priesthood holders, but the branch is getting better little by little. There are a lot of things that they do that are some of those so called tradition things but it is not apostacy so no need that I but in and tell them what to do. I am just here to make sure they don’t do it wrong. Sometimes they ask me how things are done and with my horrible understanding and okay Spanish I try to explain. There are some awesome members here and others just need to be strengthened and exercise a little more faith, but don’t we all?
My goal is to just drown myself in the work and follow every rule with exactness something we call "Obediencia con Exactitud". I know that is the only way to have the protection of the Lord. I studied Alma 17 this past week and that capítalo, chapter, is missionary work at its best. I love the story of Ammon and that chapter is so important to missionary work. I just hope I can be as good of a missionary as he and the other sons of Mosiah. If we keep the commandments and follow the Lord in faith He will protect us. My goal is to study at least 1 chapter a week in the el libro de mormon...all my studies are in Spanish so it takes me a while but I can see it helping my teaching I only open my English Book of Mormon for clarifying but it is a last resort. I try and study without having to do it and my quad now has a layer of dust. I dust it each week though.
I can’t believe how much I took the Book of Mormon for granted...I would read but I never truly studied it....and there is just so much to learn...I wish I had been better prepared for my mission and already knew this. But I can’t change the past I just need to press forward and continue into the future. It is my favorite book to read and I know it will stay on the top of the list as long as I keep reading. I love my study time and it flies by so fast in the morning. During lunch and free time I am studing. I could take a nap and sometimes I do but there is just so much too learn and I need to work on my Spanish so when I have free time I am usually studying Spanish. My companion thinks I am crazy but it will pay off. I can sleep after my mission.
So I am committing you all to study the scriptures at least once a week and read everyday. Trust me it sure does help the day be that much better. ¿leerán cada día? Will you read everyday? haha.
Well this week was a little better with my companion. I feel that I will be with him for another transfer. I don’t see President Chavez having him train next transfer. I guess for now the Lord wants me to be with Elder Palacio. It is a struggle everyday. When I am on a mini cambio on Tuesday I am going to talk to the zone leaders about what I should do. I am trying my best to be patient with him, but it is so hard. Last night I just had so much anger, we didn’t even plan. He said he was cold and didn’t feel good so I planned by myself. I am trying, I pray for the Lords help and I read the section about patience in pmg a coule times a week.
We have bikes but yesterday it started to rain and we were far from home and had to ride in the rain which got me 3 times more wet. Then my back tire popped so I had to walk my bike back....last night was lousy I hate when it rains because it will be sunny and then we will teach a lesson come out and it will be pouring. Good thing I brought my jacket. Now I know how it feels to live in Washington.
Well Chileans do celebrate Halloween to but it is not as cool as at home.
I have got to wrap this up quick I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week. You are all in my prayers everyday. I love you so much and thank you for everything so much. I know this is the work of the Lord and although I am having trouble with my companion, I know the Lord will bless me if I obey and serve Him with all my heart and strength. I love you all so much. tengan buenas samanas y cuidenseLove, Eric

A Bumpy Week

Hey familia, ¿Cómo están? ¿cómo le fue está semana? Enough of the Spanish back to English!!!!!!!
I will start this email with what happened last Monday night because well not to sugar coat it but I had to do some serious chastising and behavior correction . . .After planning Monday night I told my comp we had to talk about the day we had Basically I told him we both signed a paper saying we would follow every mission rule because those rules are our protection. I told him I am trying to obey with exactness because I know the Lord will bless me. When Pres. Chavez asks am I obeying with exactness I can say truthfully YES. It was hard for me to say this but I knew it had to be done.
It is a bummer that he is senior comp and I only have 4 months in the mission and have to be the grown up. I have heard the he has had trouble before. The week started off bad but it got better. I just get so mad but, my companion has been better. I still have to remind him at times.....maybe this is why I am his companion to help him be obedient.
Well anyway here is some big news to brighten the mood. I have a baptism this Saturday the 31st. I am excited her name is Alejandra, she is 12 years old and passed her interview on Sunday. Elder Palacio is baptizing her which is okay with me. She is super excited and ready. I am happy about that. The work is picking up a little bit here thanks to the assistants. We did a intercambio with them after interviews on Friday and they help boost our excitement and get the work moving along. We found 10 investigators this week and have 12 baptismal dates. I just have to be bolder and speak even if I don’t understand. My speaking is getting really good but understanding is moving slower than molasses on a cold day. Hopefully it will get better soon. I study and read everything Spanish I can get my hands on these days. Pamphlets, scriptures a lot and Preach my Gospel of course. I am surprised to say it but I love to read when it is the only thing you can do in your free time you start to like it a lot. All the missionaries are surprised when I say I only have 4 months in the mission since I speak so well, but then I tell them I can’t understand they just laugh. President Chavez in my interview said he could see the change in confidence and my language skills during my interview....he just said to be patient work hard and have faith. He is a great Mission President, I really admire him and his love for the work...and the fact that he can speak English very well...Hermana Chavez on the other hand thinks she can speak English but cannot.
I really enjoyed my package. I am afraid to eat the candy because I know I will eat them all because they will taste so good. I don’t want to put weight back on, but I will start on them this week. I have a bunch of pictures but can’t upload them from my camera; you all will have to wait a bit longer.
There are only 15 primary kids in my branch. We had the Primary program this Sunday. They all gave talks but only sang one song and none of them knew the words. I can’t remember what song it was though. It is hard enough for me to understand adults when they speak and kids are even harder. There are only 4 active young men and about 5 young women....small branch but our attendance is up to about 65 every Sunday which is good. One of our new converts that was baptized the before I got here, Nick Miguel is 12 years old and is getting the priesthood next Sunday and that is super cool. He is a great kid. Nick and his sister were baptized but their mom and dad cannot because they are not married. They cant get married because they don’t have residency in Chile yet (they are from Peru) so they have to wait 5 years....3 years more, they are basically Mormon already.
Well I am good. It is a battle everyday with my companion but he is my companion for a reason. This is the way the Lord wants it to be. Sometimes there isn’t an answer to all things. We just have to wait it out and look back at the end of the road. Hopefully when we get there we are a better and stronger person.
Time crawls by for me but I am trying to enjoy every long second of it. The more I focus on the work the more I will be blessed. We just have to push pull fight and struggle through stuff in life. It is all for our good.....it wouldn’t be called life if it was easy, but it sure makes it easier when we are doing what is right.
I hope you all are doing absolutely awesome and are nice and busy with your lives and callings. Have fun all work and no play well!.....it just is no fun. Got to work hard, study hard and best of all play hard. I love you all so much and miss you all a bunch too. Not a day goes by I don’t think about you all....even through this bipolar weather we are having hot one day cold the next then 3 days of rain, it cannot make up it’s mind of what season it is. I love you so much you are always in my thoughts and prayers. I pray that you all will have the gift and interpretation of tongues because one day in the far future I will speak and write in Spanish too.
cuidense, les vayan bien, The work of the Lord must go on and so must I.
Love Eric

"Super Chunky Peanut Butter. . . I have never seen anything so fine in my life"

Hey Family, How is everyone doing in the world of winter and snow and rain and all of that good stuff? les gustan mucho ¿no? Well I hope you are all well.
Signs of summer are here in Chile the days are hot and nights are cold but not so far away it will be hot alllll day.

I am becoming red skinned again and it is not the Chile diet it is that I walk about 6-7 miles a day. My clothes are huge and those sweatpants and sweatshirt you sent are even bigger! está bien.

It will keep me warm

I have put three notches in my belts, my suit is huge on me all the members laugh but whatever I am happy with loosing some weigh, I gained a bunch in the MTC.

For starters thank you so much for the package and all the goodies. I am sure to gain all the weight back now. The SUPER CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER it is a dream come true. I have never seen something so fine in my life. I had some for lunch on Sunday seeing as our lunch appointment fell through. It was revelation Mom thanks so much. I was so happy to get those packages it made my day.

I wish I could put up some more pictures but this computer doesn’t have a slot for my card so next week. We had a district activity today and we went to the beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have missed the surf and sand so much it was like being at home but not! All the beaches here are black sand so it is cool. We played football...two hand touch...and chilled took photos and stuff it was fun. I got burned even with sunscreen I need to buy some lotion because the spray doesn’t work that well on my face It was a fun day. The bus ride back was stuffed. We were in like a small push like those little ones Emily used to take to West Valley and there were 8 missionaries and about 30 Chileans, like peas in a pod we were.
Hey Mom about the music for my Christmas gift, I would like some holiday music too. Some good appropriate holiday Christmas music. It is going to be weird to have a hot Christmas but hopefully with some songs to remind me of snow and cold will keep me from sweating too much. I am going to have a Gringo Christmas in Chile.
I spoke in sacrament meeting on Sunday about the Atonement...la expiacion....and it was a great talk. All the members were complimenting me on it and how well I speak and don’t have a Gringo accent but I slipped and said an English word and all the members have been laughing about it now, that is twice I have spoken Spanglish in a large group of people in my branch......verg Üensa...shame. I was bearing a very powerful testimony and it popped out but I quickly said the word in Spanish and went on.......so I can speak ok but I understand about 30% at most. I can understand the gist of conversations but if someone talks to me directly I am lost and they don’t understand when I tell them I don’t understand, they assume that because I speak well I can understand. But I am backwards usually missionaries can understand and not speak but I am completely the opposite. I can never do things the easy way huh....I am my fathers son!...love you Pops!
I am still having difficulties with my companion. He stretches the rules and I didn’t come on my mission to break rules. I signed saying I would follow every rule and he is causing that I can’t keep that promise. I put my foot down about money though he asked to borrow some and I said we get the same amount each month if he needs more he can call and ask the financer for more money. He was upset. At the end of the month I usually have a lot of money left over but that is because I spend it wisely and only buy what I need. We have had some head to head collisions, but I guess this is a learning experience.....how I long for the day when I get to choose my companion but it is yet two years away haha.I am doing well just that stupid stuff with my comp. I am living and not starving. I got a letter from Nick Gall and it was so good to see what he is up too. I miss him and Don a lot...and you all too. I sent Don a letter for his birthday I hope he got it. I wanted to send another today but idk if I will have time.
We had zone conference Wednesday in Talca and it was good. I understood a little more than my first one so that is good. President talked a lot about obedience and I was glad to not be uncomfortable because I know I try to follow every rule with complete exactness. A mission is not a time to be disobedient. I use every minute of my study time wisely and study in all my other free time. I figure the more time I put in the more I will get out. I love reading now....its the only thing do. Reading in Spanish is hard but I have a stack of pamphlets and church material in Spanish I am working my way through. I only use my English scriptures and "Preach My Gospel" if I really don’t understand something. I am trying to put all my focus in being more familiar with words I can use in my teaching.......one of my teachers in the MTC taught me this "Learning Spanish doesn’t fulfill my purpose as a missionary, I am learning Spanish so I can fulfill my purpose of bringing people unto Christ"That is always in my mind when I am studying. It is hard to have patience with the language but I know I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t do it...I need to do all I can do and then the lord will help me. Without our action and willingness the Lord can’t help us. I love you all so much and I hope all is well with you. Until next week, I hope I can put some photos up then.

Love you all so much.
Love, Eric

The Best Day of the Week!

Well today is p-day one of the best days of the week...best day of the week mejor dicho....
It is Columbus Day and all of Chile celebrates it so there was only one internet place open. Chileans find all kinds of excuses to take a day off the whole country is shut down.
The most embarrassing thing happened yesterday....we forgot to change our clocks an hour ahead and so we were 45 minutes late to church. I was so embarrassed and one of our investigators wanted us to help with the baby blessing but we weren’t there. I am so messed up because it is spring here and fall at home, I think we are 5 hours apart now cause you guys fell back and we sprung forward an hour. I am writing this at about noon here so in CA it should be about 7am?
My new companion is Elder Palacio...I think I miss-spelled it last week this is correct though. He is from Argentinean. We have a hard time communicating because his English is bad and my understanding of Spanish is bad. He comes into my sector as senior companion and wants to start changing this whole place around. He hates walking and we do a lot of walking here, he always wants to take taxis and but they are expensive. In lessons he talks a lot and then will look at me at the end and expect me to know what is going on and say something. My teaching skills have gotten worst this week because I haven’t taught much. I will plan a lesson and we will go and then Elder Palacio will teach something different. The members say I don’t talk, I can talk well but when they talk to me I hear words but I have no idea what they are talking about. I don’t get many chances to talk because my companion talks a lot. I am just having a very hard time right now and feeling very alone. I am the only American in my sector. I am just really struggling and my District Leader loves Elder Palacio so it is hard to talk to him about it. I am hoping to get transferred at the end of this transfer. Sorry about complaining I just have been holding it in for this whole week. It is just going to be a tough transfer for me, very tough!
I have not gotten the second package but maybe this week because we have zone conference in Talca on Wednesday. Usually all the mail is there so I am hoping for it then. A bottle of contact solution lasts me I think a month or two . . . I will need more flea collars around Christmas but for now I am good.
Dad, about my apartment....there is a park out back with a basketball and soccer court (two in one) the park and apartment are on the same block. Our apartment is on the corner of Victoria and Arturo Prat. We are on the third floor.
We aren’t teaching very much, we have Kory and Edgar they live in the campo near Porongo. We are teaching a guy, Jorge Vega and a 9 yr old girl who is the daughter of a less active. We have other investigators are not progressing as much as we would like.
About the music...just an inexpensive CD player, some small speakers, and CDs of church music (MoTab, Eclipse, I have two of their CD’s) and some other. Send burnt CDs it would suck if the originals got lost or stolen. With the CD player I need rechargeable batteries and or the adapter power cord, batteries run out quick and are expensive here, It would be so much easier to do this on the phone, other churchy music, Eña, however it is spelled, EFY music. Just good uplifting appropriate music, I don’t need much I just miss music a lot!
I know this is long with my complaining but, really it is super hard and hard to deal with, I feel so alone at times. I love you all so much and hope all is well with you all. I know the Church is true. This work is hard and really frustrating but I am helping people. I love you all hope I answered your questions for this week.
It rained a bunch this weekend again but, I had my rain coat so it wasn’t too wet just my pants. I have lost about 15 KG, I barely recognize myself sometimes, I don’t know how much that is in lbs, had to put 2 notches in my belts. I love you all so much and can t wait to here from you all. Put some more pictures up on my photo bucket too. Talk to you next week, Love you all,
Love, Eric

Pictures from Chile

After much technical wrangling, Eric was able to send us some
photos of his apartment,
the Elders and Hermanas in
his district, and of their
P-day trip to the Andes.

A Temple in Concepcion, Chile!

Hola Familia,

Well first off if you were here outside the room we were watching conference in you would have thought we were watching a football game because when President Monson announced the temple in Concepcion we all flew out of our seats and were cheering so loud we missed the one that was announced after. There was high fiving and everything. The sad thing is we were more excited and happy than most members. There were only about 10 at the session that heard it. Conference here means nothing to most of the members. They missed out. But, some of the members we told about had heart attacks they were so happy. It was a good sight to see. Some people just don´t realized how much of a blessing the temple really is....but they will learn, and hopefully not miss out on the blessings there. I think it is awesome! Too bad it won´t be built till after I am gone. But its all good my mission is getting a temple!!!!!! That is pretty much the biggest news of the week for me.

Conference was great wasn´t it. It is sad to say this so late in my life, when you really listen with your heart to the words that are spoken it really hits you. You can receive revelation and answers. I enjoyed every session, they were all amazing. I really liked the priesthood session...they hit the nail on the head for what men need to hear. As I was sitting there I was thinking about the few investigators we have and how the talks we heard could help them and build their faith. We only had 2 attend at least 1 session but they really enjoyed it. I know they spirit bore witness to them, as it did me.I really liked President Eyring’s talk in the Saturday am session where he talked about families and how the choices of every member of the family helps determine the future. I couldn´t help but think about family members who have fallen away, and how possibly we will not be able to live with them for eternity. That is why it is so important that we do not give up on any of our loved ones because we want to see them and live with them in happiness for eternity. We just can´t lose hope that those we love that are lost, will find there way back. We just need to bear testimony of the truthfulness of these things and tell them we love them.

Love seemed to be a big topic along with service. I really enjoyed President Monson’s talk about service. It was just a great conference, it flew by though. Seems like just 10 min ago I was sitting in the chapelo watching the first session. I hope you all enjoyed it to.

Well this week was good...slow but good. I worked a lot this week getting appointments for next we so my new companion and I wouldn´t just be contacting as usual.

The weather was good this week until yesterday. All the sudden the heavens opened and it rained like no mañana.....yeah we both got soaked to the bone within the first 5 min. I had to use my jacket from Mr Mac and well it doesn´t work that well so I got pretty wet and quick. But all is well. I went first thing this morning and bought a rain jacket that is impermeable, so i am good now. My shoes got wet but they dried out pretty good last night. We went to pick up our laundry last night and it was raining even harder so we ran home, good thing it was only about a four block run.

Picture This. . . ."Imagine 2 Mormon Missionaries Greengos, with 2 very large laundry bags and scripture bags....now add lots of rain wind a steep hill, a road that is now the Rio Grande....ready...have that picture in your minds. Imagine one of the missionaries with suit pants big enough that the don´t stay up and had to put 2 notches in his belt and one very seasoned missionary who leaves in 2 days …got it...okay now imagine these 2 running though the rain down a very steep hill with their clean laundry, crossing the Rio Grande....whoooo! but alas they made it home safe and sound,wet but that is okay. The scriptures cameras and clean clothes were dry."It was fun, not!
I love you all and hope all is well. I want to hear what is up with you all. Thanks Em for setting the photo bucket up I hope to upload some pics today but we will see if I have time and if my memory card works. I and going to buy a pen drive to try and speed it up hopefully. We will see I hope I can get some up for you all. My new comp is a ARGENTINAN !!!!!!!!!! his name is Elder Palación, It means palace. I will meet him tomorrow and get to work. This mean English is pretty much out the window. He will probably understand a little bit but not much. Hopefully this will help my Spanish and even more my understanding. I love you all and I know that this is the Lords work. Its not the easiest work I will tell you that but it is the best. At times I get very discouraged, but that is just the lack of my faith...its something I am working on. We must have faith without it even God can´t help us. I love you all so much. Tell everyone hi for me and that I say hola. Love you all so much......you are in my prayers and thoughts, till next week
choa, les vayan bien!!!!!!!

Love Eric

P.S. Congrats Tyler your city is getting a temple exciting no? I am waiting for the announcement of San Jose, California

The Mail Has Arrived!!!

Hey Everyone,

Well I got the package and the letters from you Mom on the Sept 22nd at District Meeting. I might not get the other package and letters till Zone Conference in two more weeks give or take. It all depends on if they get enough to drive up here from Concepcion. I was really happy to get the package and letters it was like going back in time with the letters. Thanks for the package but the bad news is it is the wrong cord. That is the cord to my phone not my camera. But don´t send it I can wait till Christmas.

I think I can just put my memory card into a computer and upload that way for now. It is slower but I want to send some pictures so worries. Check in my camera box I thought it was in there and if not the instructions will tell you the correct cord. Its all good thanks Mom.

I want you to keep the hard copies so when my inbox gets full I can delete stuff and not lose it because you will have them. I can put them in my scrap book you could also save them in a file on the computer too if you want.

You can look up the church building on lds.org on google maps and then just look around at Cauquenses, and my area. My area is huge it would take about 5 hours on foot to walk from one side to the other or more. You can look up Victoria and Arturo Prat that is where our apartment is. There is a Catholic Church on San Alfonso, you can´t miss it it’s huge.

Thats awesome about the baptisms in San Jose South Stake this year. The key is teaching! Congrats on being “trained” pops, haha you scouter. Oh Spanish lesson, it is not correct to say me hijo....say hijo mio. lol or mi hijo love you pops.

Our church building has a satellite so we don´t have to travel which is nice and it will be my first church meeting in English in six weeks. I will understand. We just watch on a TV in a different room in English with the other two elders from Estacion which is like 15 minuets from here.

Well we found out that the Seven-Day Adventist Church, have missionaries in our area. They have name plaques like us so people keep confusing us. Except we have the fullness of the gospel.

Stuff is slow here as usual and we have 2 fechas for October in English and 2 baptismal dates hat is cool, we just need to get them to church. People here know it is true and will follow all commandments except one....going to church they are just lazy. And if they don´t go to church can´t be baptized...oh well I have lot of work to do. The weather has been both hot and cold so it is nice to have that lighter jacket. We didn´t baptize in September but now we look ahead to October. Its a new month with new goals. I am doing well.

I still cannot understand anyone but people say I speak really well. The elders say it is usually the other way around but you know me I have got to do things my own special way. I have been thinking about Christmas stuff and its nothing big but I will tell you next week. Its more stuff I need not want.

Well next week I get a new companion and Elder Farrelly will go home. He has his flight plans

but I am not letting him get trunky.

I want to send some pictures, I am

going to try and just plug in my card

to a computer. I was wondering if you

guys could set up a photo bucket online and then I could just upload them all to there. That would be faster and easier, because emailing them takes a long time and memory. If you could look into that, then you all could download them to your computer. Look into it and tell me it would be great. Don´t worry about the cord its all good just send it at Christmas.

Last week we got some bikes from members and did mountain biking. It was fun I have good picures and videos. I have got to wrap this up. I love you all and if I didn´t answer any questions you have just hold them for next weeks email and I will answer them. It is easier to write and answer questions then to just write whatever off the top of my head. Love you all I am going to try and send some pictures today hopefully.
Love you all, Eric