Monday, September 21,2009
LDS mail isn´t working so I am just sending this really quick. I am doing good and everything is good too, tell everyone I love them especially Mom. Tell them I am sorry but the email wouldn´t work.
Love you all a bunch. Talk to you next week.
Love,
Eric
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Laundry, Fleas and a day in the Andies
Hola
Hey how is everyone doing? Sounds like things are busy for all of you. They are for me too. We contact and tract for about 8 hours a day. That is what happens when you don´t have investigators, but we are working on it. We got into a home and taught a great lesson. The dad is just afraid of getting committed to the church, we will see. We don´t have another appointment with them for another week though and that gives them a lot of time to read and pray.
It has warmed up a little this week. We still don´t know what we are going to do about laundry. We will most likely have to wash them and get nails and rope and make the main room in our apartment a drying room. I had to wash some stuff the other day and it took three day to dry. Oh well so next Monday we will be up at 7 washing our clothes, we will see how it goes.
Thanks for sending that stuff. I want a lighter jacket for like preparation days and for days that are not super cold but you still need to wear a jacket. The one I have is plenty warm but it is not cold enough to be wearing it all the time. Clothes are just really expensive so thanks I hope it gets here. I haven´t gotten any letters or anything because nobody has brought it up from the mission home in Concepcion. So, I might not get it till cambios (transfers) or next zone conference. I thought Pres. Chavez might bring it up this past Wednesday when we had interviews but he didn´t, oh well. I pray it all works out and gets here. Money is just tight for missionaries down here and we have to travel a lot to go to district meetings and zone meeting every week. Thanks Mom I really appreciate it a lot you have no idea.
I haven´t fixed castidad (gnome) yet, haven´t been able to find super glue. So he is still broken. It just stinks he only made it 2 weeks and then got broken. Oh well I will live. I have so good picks of him and me that will start sending them when I get the cable.
I had a mini cambio with the zone leaders this week and so I stayed in Parral and my companion went back to Cauquenes with the other zone leader. Their apartment has fleas and they went to town on my hands and ankles. I can tell warm weather is coming. I put my flea collars around my bed and they seem to be working. Annoying little things! Well I don´t eat dinner I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast about 8 am and then we have lunch which is a pretty good size meal. It is the biggest meal of the day. We get 2 hours for almuerzo. We go eat at the member’s house then come home and take a nap. I don´t eat dinner because eating at when we get home at 10pm is too late. So I only eat twice a day but it fills me up. Don´t worry I am not starving myself or anything. I have lost weight though, I put my suit on Sunday and the pants are pretty big on me. I have to add 2 notches on my belt. I want to know how much I have lost. It is noticeable though to me least.
I am doing good, Elder Farrelly and I get along really well. We have good times. It is fun. We are not speaking any English this week so it is going to be hard, I pray for the gift and interpretation of tongues every time I pray. It will come but, you know me I am the very impatient with myself.
Today we had a zone activity and went to a lake about an hour from Parral. It was fun imagine a van the size of yours with 12 Elders 2 Hermanas and 2 large Chileans (the drivers of this shuttle van thing) all crammed into this van for an hour drive on the old Camp Ritchie road it was funny and fun. I have awesome pictures but you will have to wait for them sorry. I was actually in the Andies Mountains, it was beautiful. We just chilled, played capture the flag, Elders were doing card tricks, it was good times. I was just happy to not have to wear proselyting clothes. We had to get up at 5 though to get to Parral on time and we got back late so yes we are breaking rules but we have to email home. It was a fun trip and next week I think some of us Elders might borrow member’s bikes and go for a ride in the mountains.
Dad, here are the answers to your questions: We live in a 3rd floor apartment. We have a main room, a study room, a bedroom and a bathroom. The whole place is as big as the area of the kitchen, dining room, sewing room and desk area at home. Not that big! It is cinderblock and brick. Roads are some type of crappy asphalt and dirt. No Laundry mats they don´t exist here. The members help me, some of them. Sorry I really have to go but I love you all, time to get to work.
Talk to you later the 18th is Independence Day here, it will be crazy!
Love you all, Eric
Hey how is everyone doing? Sounds like things are busy for all of you. They are for me too. We contact and tract for about 8 hours a day. That is what happens when you don´t have investigators, but we are working on it. We got into a home and taught a great lesson. The dad is just afraid of getting committed to the church, we will see. We don´t have another appointment with them for another week though and that gives them a lot of time to read and pray.
It has warmed up a little this week. We still don´t know what we are going to do about laundry. We will most likely have to wash them and get nails and rope and make the main room in our apartment a drying room. I had to wash some stuff the other day and it took three day to dry. Oh well so next Monday we will be up at 7 washing our clothes, we will see how it goes.
Thanks for sending that stuff. I want a lighter jacket for like preparation days and for days that are not super cold but you still need to wear a jacket. The one I have is plenty warm but it is not cold enough to be wearing it all the time. Clothes are just really expensive so thanks I hope it gets here. I haven´t gotten any letters or anything because nobody has brought it up from the mission home in Concepcion. So, I might not get it till cambios (transfers) or next zone conference. I thought Pres. Chavez might bring it up this past Wednesday when we had interviews but he didn´t, oh well. I pray it all works out and gets here. Money is just tight for missionaries down here and we have to travel a lot to go to district meetings and zone meeting every week. Thanks Mom I really appreciate it a lot you have no idea.
I haven´t fixed castidad (gnome) yet, haven´t been able to find super glue. So he is still broken. It just stinks he only made it 2 weeks and then got broken. Oh well I will live. I have so good picks of him and me that will start sending them when I get the cable.
I had a mini cambio with the zone leaders this week and so I stayed in Parral and my companion went back to Cauquenes with the other zone leader. Their apartment has fleas and they went to town on my hands and ankles. I can tell warm weather is coming. I put my flea collars around my bed and they seem to be working. Annoying little things! Well I don´t eat dinner I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast about 8 am and then we have lunch which is a pretty good size meal. It is the biggest meal of the day. We get 2 hours for almuerzo. We go eat at the member’s house then come home and take a nap. I don´t eat dinner because eating at when we get home at 10pm is too late. So I only eat twice a day but it fills me up. Don´t worry I am not starving myself or anything. I have lost weight though, I put my suit on Sunday and the pants are pretty big on me. I have to add 2 notches on my belt. I want to know how much I have lost. It is noticeable though to me least.
I am doing good, Elder Farrelly and I get along really well. We have good times. It is fun. We are not speaking any English this week so it is going to be hard, I pray for the gift and interpretation of tongues every time I pray. It will come but, you know me I am the very impatient with myself.
Today we had a zone activity and went to a lake about an hour from Parral. It was fun imagine a van the size of yours with 12 Elders 2 Hermanas and 2 large Chileans (the drivers of this shuttle van thing) all crammed into this van for an hour drive on the old Camp Ritchie road it was funny and fun. I have awesome pictures but you will have to wait for them sorry. I was actually in the Andies Mountains, it was beautiful. We just chilled, played capture the flag, Elders were doing card tricks, it was good times. I was just happy to not have to wear proselyting clothes. We had to get up at 5 though to get to Parral on time and we got back late so yes we are breaking rules but we have to email home. It was a fun trip and next week I think some of us Elders might borrow member’s bikes and go for a ride in the mountains.
Dad, here are the answers to your questions: We live in a 3rd floor apartment. We have a main room, a study room, a bedroom and a bathroom. The whole place is as big as the area of the kitchen, dining room, sewing room and desk area at home. Not that big! It is cinderblock and brick. Roads are some type of crappy asphalt and dirt. No Laundry mats they don´t exist here. The members help me, some of them. Sorry I really have to go but I love you all, time to get to work.
Talk to you later the 18th is Independence Day here, it will be crazy!
Love you all, Eric
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
hola mi familia, ¿cómo están?
How you all doing it was so nice to see all the letters in my inbox. I was so excited this morning to come and do email it is the highlight of my week so far. well it sucks that my memory card wasn’t in the boxes. I was really hoping it would be but oh well I just wanted to be able to look at those pictures. I don´t need another one I have enough space with the 2, I have here so no worries. That Powerpoint was super cool. I liked seeing all the pretty parts of Chile Cauquenes is pretty trashy but so are most of these smaller towns. It gets a little peligroso (dangerous) around here at night and so we try and get all our appointments at night. We don´t have much luck with that with only 2 investigators. So we are walking the streets and knocking doors until 10 pm most of the time. But we know which parts to avoid and usually walk pretty fast.
If you have looked at the weather lately in Chile, it has rained for the past three days straight. Missionary work stinks when it rains, nobody to contact in the streets and nobody wants to let us in cause we are wet. That jacket we got at Mr Mac is only water resistant! So....it works good if it sprinkles or rains for a little bit but, needless to say I have been wet for the past three days and it was not fun. I was soaked to the bone at least my upper half. Surprisingly my legs didn´t get that wet. Don´t worry I am going to get a real rain coat today one that is 100% impermeable haha. No big deal it is all good. I have learned my lesson haha.
The lady that did our laundry just doesn´t want to do it anymore. We convinced her to do it this week one last time since we are both like out of clean clothes. From now on we will spend most of p-day washing clothes. The problem is drying them, we can´t hang it up outside so our apartment will be colder and wetter, but we will live.
Well to answer your questions Mom here I go. We live in an apartment it is an okay size, bigger than most places in the mission.I hope I lose weight. Everyday we walk to one of our investigator’s house in the campo (country). It is a 45 min walk and we go out there three times a week. Our apartment is on the edge of our area so nobody lives close to us. Yes, missionaries in Chile are not allowed to wear sunglasses and we can´t have backpacks because if we get robbed we could get hurt taking off a backpack. está bien.
On Wednesday we had zone conference in Talca, its 2 hours north of Cauquenes. It was good except I couldn´t understand of anything because I can´t understand Spanish. I got to bear my testimony and my companion did too because he leaves at the end of this cambio (transfer). I have to get better at learning this sector because in 4 weeks I have to know it like the back of my hand. It is a big area. We have interviews with President Chavez this week in Parral tomorrow.
Because of the rain there we only 34 people at church yesterday, 20 less than last week. That is basically my week. Anytime Chile plays in the World Cup, I think nobody wants to talk to us even the members.
I am still struggling with the language. People talk to me and I give them a funny look because I have no idea what they are saying. I feel so stupid sometimes but all I can do is keep trying and expand my vocab. It is hard but hopefully it will come soon.
I haven´t gotten your letter yet cause we only get mail at Zone Conference, at interviews, or District Meeting. It all depends if someone can get the mail up here. They don´t make special trips but if someone is traveling up here they will bring it. Hopefully I will get it tomorrow, we will see.
There is stuff I need/want but since packages get stolen and stuff I am worried about you sending it to me. But i need it. Just put like a picture of Mary on it or something. People won´t take things if they look catholic, I don’t know! You can ask other people how to make it safer like the Blacks or Halls.
Here is the list (contact solution is 17 bucks here so expensive).
-contact solution 1 or 2 bottles
-my camera usb cable(so I can download to a comp and send to you)
-airmail paper/envelops
-a smaller jacket like fleece or something that is not so big and bulky.
-bath towel I only have one right now and need to wash it. Not a huge one just one from the house will be fine it doesn´t have to be new.
-another pair of sweatpants and sweat shirt
You don´t have to send it all at once cause if it got jacked we would lose it all. I just need the solution and camera chord right now. If you could do that that would be great. I love you. I hope it doesn´t get jacked, I will pray for safe mailing.
Food here is nothing special I crave fast food though but whatever I will live. I am doing good things are good but slow. I just want to understand Spanish so bad.
The saddest thing happened this week....I was taking a picture with Castida (my Gnome) and he fell on the ground and his foot broke off I am going to try andf fix it with glue. poor guy didn’t even last more than three months. I have got to wrap this up I hope you all are doing great sounds like you all are busy and stuff. I am busy too. I love you all so much and thank you so much for everything. I know the work I am doing is true, it is hard and frustrating but it is true. I know God lives and loves us all. I love you all
love, Eric
How you all doing it was so nice to see all the letters in my inbox. I was so excited this morning to come and do email it is the highlight of my week so far. well it sucks that my memory card wasn’t in the boxes. I was really hoping it would be but oh well I just wanted to be able to look at those pictures. I don´t need another one I have enough space with the 2, I have here so no worries. That Powerpoint was super cool. I liked seeing all the pretty parts of Chile Cauquenes is pretty trashy but so are most of these smaller towns. It gets a little peligroso (dangerous) around here at night and so we try and get all our appointments at night. We don´t have much luck with that with only 2 investigators. So we are walking the streets and knocking doors until 10 pm most of the time. But we know which parts to avoid and usually walk pretty fast.
If you have looked at the weather lately in Chile, it has rained for the past three days straight. Missionary work stinks when it rains, nobody to contact in the streets and nobody wants to let us in cause we are wet. That jacket we got at Mr Mac is only water resistant! So....it works good if it sprinkles or rains for a little bit but, needless to say I have been wet for the past three days and it was not fun. I was soaked to the bone at least my upper half. Surprisingly my legs didn´t get that wet. Don´t worry I am going to get a real rain coat today one that is 100% impermeable haha. No big deal it is all good. I have learned my lesson haha.
The lady that did our laundry just doesn´t want to do it anymore. We convinced her to do it this week one last time since we are both like out of clean clothes. From now on we will spend most of p-day washing clothes. The problem is drying them, we can´t hang it up outside so our apartment will be colder and wetter, but we will live.
Well to answer your questions Mom here I go. We live in an apartment it is an okay size, bigger than most places in the mission.I hope I lose weight. Everyday we walk to one of our investigator’s house in the campo (country). It is a 45 min walk and we go out there three times a week. Our apartment is on the edge of our area so nobody lives close to us. Yes, missionaries in Chile are not allowed to wear sunglasses and we can´t have backpacks because if we get robbed we could get hurt taking off a backpack. está bien.
On Wednesday we had zone conference in Talca, its 2 hours north of Cauquenes. It was good except I couldn´t understand of anything because I can´t understand Spanish. I got to bear my testimony and my companion did too because he leaves at the end of this cambio (transfer). I have to get better at learning this sector because in 4 weeks I have to know it like the back of my hand. It is a big area. We have interviews with President Chavez this week in Parral tomorrow.
Because of the rain there we only 34 people at church yesterday, 20 less than last week. That is basically my week. Anytime Chile plays in the World Cup, I think nobody wants to talk to us even the members.
I am still struggling with the language. People talk to me and I give them a funny look because I have no idea what they are saying. I feel so stupid sometimes but all I can do is keep trying and expand my vocab. It is hard but hopefully it will come soon.
I haven´t gotten your letter yet cause we only get mail at Zone Conference, at interviews, or District Meeting. It all depends if someone can get the mail up here. They don´t make special trips but if someone is traveling up here they will bring it. Hopefully I will get it tomorrow, we will see.
There is stuff I need/want but since packages get stolen and stuff I am worried about you sending it to me. But i need it. Just put like a picture of Mary on it or something. People won´t take things if they look catholic, I don’t know! You can ask other people how to make it safer like the Blacks or Halls.
Here is the list (contact solution is 17 bucks here so expensive).
-contact solution 1 or 2 bottles
-my camera usb cable(so I can download to a comp and send to you)
-airmail paper/envelops
-a smaller jacket like fleece or something that is not so big and bulky.
-bath towel I only have one right now and need to wash it. Not a huge one just one from the house will be fine it doesn´t have to be new.
-another pair of sweatpants and sweat shirt
You don´t have to send it all at once cause if it got jacked we would lose it all. I just need the solution and camera chord right now. If you could do that that would be great. I love you. I hope it doesn´t get jacked, I will pray for safe mailing.
Food here is nothing special I crave fast food though but whatever I will live. I am doing good things are good but slow. I just want to understand Spanish so bad.
The saddest thing happened this week....I was taking a picture with Castida (my Gnome) and he fell on the ground and his foot broke off I am going to try andf fix it with glue. poor guy didn’t even last more than three months. I have got to wrap this up I hope you all are doing great sounds like you all are busy and stuff. I am busy too. I love you all so much and thank you so much for everything. I know the work I am doing is true, it is hard and frustrating but it is true. I know God lives and loves us all. I love you all
love, Eric
Monday, August 31, 2009
Hola de Chile
Hola de Chile
Come to think about it, Chile is an amazing place. It’s like nothing I have seen. It’s like the USA but about 15 or 20 years behind mas o menos.. Sorry for my Spanglish. I try to talk all Spanish but it is hard. Even here.,
Chile is cool. The campo (I mean country side) is beautiful with some great stuff to see. The sunsets here, when you can actually see them, are awesome. But it has been cold and hot off an on depending on the day. It is always foggy in the morning. My day is 7 to 11; long days and lots of walking. I am in a town north and a little east of Concepcion. It is called Cauquenes. I think I spelled it right. I will be here for about 3 or 4 cambios or transfers. That’s how Pres. Chavez does it. The city is pretty trashy but I expected it. It is a 3 hour bus ride from Concepcion,. So, Tuesday was a long day with not only flights but buses too. I was just glad my bags didn’t get lost.
Well, my trainer is Edler Farrelly and he is from Mesa, AZ. He goes home at the end of this transfer so I will have a new companion. He is a cool guy and I like him. In 5 weeks or so I have to learn this area and learn to understand the people. I can talk above average, people say, but I can’t understand anything, so it makes things really hard. people talk to me and I give them a weird look cause I don’t know what they are saying to me. I don’t know how to understand or learn to but I pray for the help constantly. But I guess I will just have to keep trying my hardest and work harder too.
This week has been busy and full of walking. We have nobody really to teach so it is mostly contacting and knocking on doors. Here we don’t knock on doors cause they all have gates. So we stand at the gate and yell ALO. Its funny but i am used to it now. My contacts are getting really good I usually start them and then Elder Farrelly gives the rest cause I can’t understand what they are saying, usually. We have two families we are teaching, but nothing too exciting. They are progressing slowly, but I teach about 20 or 30 percent just cause I can’t understand. I want to do more but its hard to ask questions and not understand the answer. It defeats the purpose. I am trying really hard and at the end of the day I am dead. That’s how it should be. It’s hard work but it’s great work. I hope I catch on soon cause if not I am in real trouble, ha ha. I am trying my hardest to do my part and I hope the Lord will make up the rest...I know he will but I need to wait ...it’s his time table...this is His work.
The ward here has about 55 active, so Sunday was interesting. I got to participate in two confirmations of theses two kids that were baptized last week, Nick and Joanna. I can’t remember their last name. It was cool and I introduced myself to the Ward. I hope they could understand me (I think so). Nobody can say my name and most people don’t even try, but it is all good. They have a couple of months to figure it out. Also, after lunch yesterday, the family wanted Elder Farrelly and I to give there daughter a blessing - IN SPANISH!!!!!!!!! I was so nerves. I read the anointing out of the missionary manual. But I did it. I feel so stupid because I don’t know anything but I am trying.
I went and did all my visa stuff this morning and I should have it in 2 months and then I have to go register it and get my Chilean ID, which I need, but that will be in two months or so. I am on a tourist visa as of right now for 90 days. Just keep an eye on my account. I had to pay the tax to get into Chile with my card because the guy wouldn’t take any ripped or torn bills, stupid guy. So, I had to pay with my card. I hope I don’t over draw.
The food here is good. I have gotten used to eating onions; lots of those here. Still don’t like them but I have to eat. We only eat two meals a day. I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast and then the members feed us lunch. Our lunch is two hours, 1:30 to3:30, then we work to 10 pm. It gets a little sketchy at night, but we usually have appointments. Las night we didn’t, so, we were contacting basically all day. There are a million dogs here and they are all over. Some are nice but most want to eat us. I miss my fuzzy pups. Tell her hi for me. The members wash our clothes but as of right now we have nobody who will do them so we are almost out of them. We will probably be doing them by hand. But, oh well. It is a whole different world here. I’m not in Kansas anymore but everyone here knows about CA. When I tell them where I am from, they go oh California, ha ha. Some people here hate Americans and others don’t care. It’s weird. The music here is mostly American stuff which cracks me up.
We have to pay to use the internet but I think it is only about 500 pesos an hour or something. I get 80 million pesos or $150 a month for food but I have been using my personal money because my card didn’t work last week but it did this week. So, I got money. That’s all I can think of now. This week was like running into a brick wall. President and Hermana Chavez are cool. Apparently Pres. Chavez is a seventy but not in the first or second quorum. Someone tried explaining it to me but I really didn’t understand. I was wondering why he spoke such good English. He has been in for two years so next July I will get a new Mission President. He is a really cool guy and loves this work. We are not allowed to play any sports though which sucks but rules are rules. Hermana Chavez is fun. She tries to talk in English but doesn’t have much success, ha ha. Ha ha, at least she can understand it. I can’t even understand Spanish, ha ha. Everyone asks if my name is German and in Spanish Dutch and German are “alemán.” So it is an easy question to answer. I just say, sí. Well, tell everyone hi for me and that I am doing well. I’ve got to write the Mission President a letter so I got to go.
I love you all so much and hope all is well. Don’t send me those shirts I don’t need them and you all can email me. It is probably the fasts way. Oh, and I think I lost a memory card and I am hoping it was in one of those packages I sent home if it is, just keep it. I don’t need it. Don’t bother sending anything but letters cause it will probably get jacked. I really hope I didn’t lose that card but I think you had gotten all the photos off it. It was the one I sent home. If you have it just keep it.
Well I think that is it. I love you all. I know this is the true Church. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t. I love you all and you are in my prayers everyday. Love you.
Love, Eric
Come to think about it, Chile is an amazing place. It’s like nothing I have seen. It’s like the USA but about 15 or 20 years behind mas o menos.. Sorry for my Spanglish. I try to talk all Spanish but it is hard. Even here.,
Chile is cool. The campo (I mean country side) is beautiful with some great stuff to see. The sunsets here, when you can actually see them, are awesome. But it has been cold and hot off an on depending on the day. It is always foggy in the morning. My day is 7 to 11; long days and lots of walking. I am in a town north and a little east of Concepcion. It is called Cauquenes. I think I spelled it right. I will be here for about 3 or 4 cambios or transfers. That’s how Pres. Chavez does it. The city is pretty trashy but I expected it. It is a 3 hour bus ride from Concepcion,. So, Tuesday was a long day with not only flights but buses too. I was just glad my bags didn’t get lost.
Well, my trainer is Edler Farrelly and he is from Mesa, AZ. He goes home at the end of this transfer so I will have a new companion. He is a cool guy and I like him. In 5 weeks or so I have to learn this area and learn to understand the people. I can talk above average, people say, but I can’t understand anything, so it makes things really hard. people talk to me and I give them a weird look cause I don’t know what they are saying to me. I don’t know how to understand or learn to but I pray for the help constantly. But I guess I will just have to keep trying my hardest and work harder too.
This week has been busy and full of walking. We have nobody really to teach so it is mostly contacting and knocking on doors. Here we don’t knock on doors cause they all have gates. So we stand at the gate and yell ALO. Its funny but i am used to it now. My contacts are getting really good I usually start them and then Elder Farrelly gives the rest cause I can’t understand what they are saying, usually. We have two families we are teaching, but nothing too exciting. They are progressing slowly, but I teach about 20 or 30 percent just cause I can’t understand. I want to do more but its hard to ask questions and not understand the answer. It defeats the purpose. I am trying really hard and at the end of the day I am dead. That’s how it should be. It’s hard work but it’s great work. I hope I catch on soon cause if not I am in real trouble, ha ha. I am trying my hardest to do my part and I hope the Lord will make up the rest...I know he will but I need to wait ...it’s his time table...this is His work.
The ward here has about 55 active, so Sunday was interesting. I got to participate in two confirmations of theses two kids that were baptized last week, Nick and Joanna. I can’t remember their last name. It was cool and I introduced myself to the Ward. I hope they could understand me (I think so). Nobody can say my name and most people don’t even try, but it is all good. They have a couple of months to figure it out. Also, after lunch yesterday, the family wanted Elder Farrelly and I to give there daughter a blessing - IN SPANISH!!!!!!!!! I was so nerves. I read the anointing out of the missionary manual. But I did it. I feel so stupid because I don’t know anything but I am trying.
I went and did all my visa stuff this morning and I should have it in 2 months and then I have to go register it and get my Chilean ID, which I need, but that will be in two months or so. I am on a tourist visa as of right now for 90 days. Just keep an eye on my account. I had to pay the tax to get into Chile with my card because the guy wouldn’t take any ripped or torn bills, stupid guy. So, I had to pay with my card. I hope I don’t over draw.
The food here is good. I have gotten used to eating onions; lots of those here. Still don’t like them but I have to eat. We only eat two meals a day. I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast and then the members feed us lunch. Our lunch is two hours, 1:30 to3:30, then we work to 10 pm. It gets a little sketchy at night, but we usually have appointments. Las night we didn’t, so, we were contacting basically all day. There are a million dogs here and they are all over. Some are nice but most want to eat us. I miss my fuzzy pups. Tell her hi for me. The members wash our clothes but as of right now we have nobody who will do them so we are almost out of them. We will probably be doing them by hand. But, oh well. It is a whole different world here. I’m not in Kansas anymore but everyone here knows about CA. When I tell them where I am from, they go oh California, ha ha. Some people here hate Americans and others don’t care. It’s weird. The music here is mostly American stuff which cracks me up.
We have to pay to use the internet but I think it is only about 500 pesos an hour or something. I get 80 million pesos or $150 a month for food but I have been using my personal money because my card didn’t work last week but it did this week. So, I got money. That’s all I can think of now. This week was like running into a brick wall. President and Hermana Chavez are cool. Apparently Pres. Chavez is a seventy but not in the first or second quorum. Someone tried explaining it to me but I really didn’t understand. I was wondering why he spoke such good English. He has been in for two years so next July I will get a new Mission President. He is a really cool guy and loves this work. We are not allowed to play any sports though which sucks but rules are rules. Hermana Chavez is fun. She tries to talk in English but doesn’t have much success, ha ha. Ha ha, at least she can understand it. I can’t even understand Spanish, ha ha. Everyone asks if my name is German and in Spanish Dutch and German are “alemán.” So it is an easy question to answer. I just say, sí. Well, tell everyone hi for me and that I am doing well. I’ve got to write the Mission President a letter so I got to go.
I love you all so much and hope all is well. Don’t send me those shirts I don’t need them and you all can email me. It is probably the fasts way. Oh, and I think I lost a memory card and I am hoping it was in one of those packages I sent home if it is, just keep it. I don’t need it. Don’t bother sending anything but letters cause it will probably get jacked. I really hope I didn’t lose that card but I think you had gotten all the photos off it. It was the one I sent home. If you have it just keep it.
Well I think that is it. I love you all. I know this is the true Church. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t. I love you all and you are in my prayers everyday. Love you.
Love, Eric
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Your Missionary Has Arrived!
On August 24, 2009 Elder Kuykendall left Utah for Chile.
We had a brief phone conversation before he boarded the flight to Chile. He flew from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Los Angeles, California to Santiago Chile, to Concepcion Chile.
On Thursday August 26, an email arrived from the Chile Concepcion Mission office with the following letter and photo attached
Dear Family,
Well everything went perfectly and I got all my bags on all of my flights. It was long, but I am here safe and sound. Chile is awesome and I love it here, and I have only been here a couple of hours. My Spanish needs a lot of work, but it will come to me.
I am so excited to finally be here and start teaching and preaching. I love you all so much and want to thank you for all of your love and support.
It is a whole different world down here, but I already love it and cannot wait to meet the members, the people in Concepcion and in my Mission. It is crazy that this day is already here, but I hope I am prepared.
President and Sister Chavez are awesome. They have so much energy and I know I will learn a lot from them. I am so excited and even though my Espanol is not great I am going to work really hard, I have a lot of stories to tell y’all.
I love you all so much and I know this Church is true and this is the Lord’s work. I know through this work we bring families together for eternity. I want people to have the blessing we have.
Te Amo Mucho,
Love, Elder “Eric” Kuykendall
*Eric has been assigned to serve in the city of Cauquenes, Chile. From the map we estimate it is about 60 miles north of Concepcion.
We had a brief phone conversation before he boarded the flight to Chile. He flew from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Los Angeles, California to Santiago Chile, to Concepcion Chile.
On Thursday August 26, an email arrived from the Chile Concepcion Mission office with the following letter and photo attached
Dear Family,
Well everything went perfectly and I got all my bags on all of my flights. It was long, but I am here safe and sound. Chile is awesome and I love it here, and I have only been here a couple of hours. My Spanish needs a lot of work, but it will come to me.
I am so excited to finally be here and start teaching and preaching. I love you all so much and want to thank you for all of your love and support.
It is a whole different world down here, but I already love it and cannot wait to meet the members, the people in Concepcion and in my Mission. It is crazy that this day is already here, but I hope I am prepared.
President and Sister Chavez are awesome. They have so much energy and I know I will learn a lot from them. I am so excited and even though my Espanol is not great I am going to work really hard, I have a lot of stories to tell y’all.
I love you all so much and I know this Church is true and this is the Lord’s work. I know through this work we bring families together for eternity. I want people to have the blessing we have.
Te Amo Mucho,
Love, Elder “Eric” Kuykendall
*Eric has been assigned to serve in the city of Cauquenes, Chile. From the map we estimate it is about 60 miles north of Concepcion.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Ready To Go
Sorry this message is going to be short the computer keeps deleting my message for some lame reason. How are you all doing? What is new?
Thank you all for the ties and all the letters and stuff everyone is jealous of me because of my ties. I will be sending a package home with some stuff on Saturday so look for that. I am good I am nervous to go but so super excited and happy to be getting out of here.
I love you all so much. My Spanish is getting pretty good and we have just been teaching all week. It is hard to stay focused and get stuff done. Crazy, Crazy I think I am going to try and call the girls from Salt Lake City and you and dad from Los Angeles that is my plan at least. I am not excited for all the travel but super excited for Chile it is going to be so awesome. I will be freezing but it will be great.
Elder Thomas and I are getting along great. I am going to miss him but we will see each other once and a while. He is going to be a great missionary. I am glad to have been able to help him with Spanish and help him grow. Speaking of growing I am super fat, oh well I am hoping to be skinny in Chile.
I don't have much to chat about sorry. My mind is on packing and my laundry right now. I hope to here from you all before I leave but if not talk to you on Monday. I love you all so much, I know this work is the work of the Lord He will help me. I love you so much. Well I don't have anything else sorry! I am just so un-focused. I love you all so much!
Love, Eric
Thank you all for the ties and all the letters and stuff everyone is jealous of me because of my ties. I will be sending a package home with some stuff on Saturday so look for that. I am good I am nervous to go but so super excited and happy to be getting out of here.
I love you all so much. My Spanish is getting pretty good and we have just been teaching all week. It is hard to stay focused and get stuff done. Crazy, Crazy I think I am going to try and call the girls from Salt Lake City and you and dad from Los Angeles that is my plan at least. I am not excited for all the travel but super excited for Chile it is going to be so awesome. I will be freezing but it will be great.
Elder Thomas and I are getting along great. I am going to miss him but we will see each other once and a while. He is going to be a great missionary. I am glad to have been able to help him with Spanish and help him grow. Speaking of growing I am super fat, oh well I am hoping to be skinny in Chile.
I don't have much to chat about sorry. My mind is on packing and my laundry right now. I hope to here from you all before I leave but if not talk to you on Monday. I love you all so much, I know this work is the work of the Lord He will help me. I love you so much. Well I don't have anything else sorry! I am just so un-focused. I love you all so much!
Love, Eric
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Travel Plans
So I have my travel plans and I am so excited. I leave on the 24th from Salt Lake City, what a surprise! I sent you a copy and my memory card and a book for Pops. So here it is really quick
LV: SLC 9:45 AM 24 TH
AV: LAX 10:48 AM 24TH DELTA
LV: LAX 1:20 PM 24TH
AV:SCL SANTIAGO CHILE 5:25 AM 25TH LAN CHILE
LV SCL SANTIAGO 8:00 AM 25TH
AV:CC CONCEPCION 9:10 AM 25TH LAN CHILE
It stinks though because Delta charges $50 for my second bag! It is ridiculous and I only get 1 17lb carry on which is going to be hard. Oh well I hope you get that stuff I sent you soon and please send the card back asap. I love you all so much. I have three hour layover in LA so I will call you all then! I love you talk to you later,
Love, Eric
LV: SLC 9:45 AM 24 TH
AV: LAX 10:48 AM 24TH DELTA
LV: LAX 1:20 PM 24TH
AV:SCL SANTIAGO CHILE 5:25 AM 25TH LAN CHILE
LV SCL SANTIAGO 8:00 AM 25TH
AV:CC CONCEPCION 9:10 AM 25TH LAN CHILE
It stinks though because Delta charges $50 for my second bag! It is ridiculous and I only get 1 17lb carry on which is going to be hard. Oh well I hope you get that stuff I sent you soon and please send the card back asap. I love you all so much. I have three hour layover in LA so I will call you all then! I love you talk to you later,
Love, Eric
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