Christmas and Government Bureaucracy 12/20

Hey, Hey, Hey,

How is everyone doing this week? My week did fly by and I cannot believe it is already Christmas..... It doesn’t feel like it because I have other things in my head like investigator problems and tiredness but it is a good thing, I guess. I love it! This week I tried out the new pans you send me.....well the non-stick coating was great but they aren’t good to use in Chilean gas ovens.....the brownie was burned to a crisp but it was okay with lots of ice cream it was good....oh well but thanks Mom, its all good.

Yesterday found out 5 minutes before sacrament meeting that I had to talk, and so I spoke about the atonement and well I did think it was that good. I got a lot of compliments. I don’t think I teach and talk well but whatever. I hope at least I have improved. We went to a Christmas devotional done by the mission last night and was great. I had an investigator Clara and her kids, some members and converts came also, it was great and was a good time.

Today got up early to go do my ID card in Concepcion and had to wait in line for 3 1/2 hours. It took it all out of me but I had to do it because if not I would have gotten fined Well I have a lot more to tell but I don’t have a lot time because it is late but I will tell you all about when we talk on Saturday. Sorry this is so short but the waiting in line all day thing set us back, but we will talk soon

I love you all so much and hope you have a great week and enjoy the holiday and remember our savior and all he does for us. I love being here because helps me focus on Him all the time and I am grateful for that. I love you so much and think about you all the time love you ttyl
Love Eric

Tome "City of Hills" 12/6

Hey what’s up in San Jose?

What do you all tell of you week, good bad, funny stories? I hope you all are doing good and I am happy to hear that Mom is doing good. It has been on my mind all week but good to know all is good now.
As you know I had to make a very long trip from Talca to Tome it was very long. I left at 11am and got here around 3:30, it was a long time to be sitting on a bus especially because I went to bed around 4am on Monday night because had to pack and got up at 6am to finish and get ready to go. In the morning I had to go to centro and pick up my visa before Ileft Talca but the good thing is that I am legal now yay!!!!! haha no its all good now I have to go to Concepcion next Monday to register it and to do the papers for my carnet but it is easy, I just have to wait in a bunch of lines and stuff but cool. I plan to hit up the best food places in Concepcion haha. I am doing well tired because this whole place is hills, hills, hills. There is no flat ground....well there is but it is basically the beach and the centro but isn’t much and we are never there we are always climbing some hill. There is one that is called El Cerro Santo it is the biggest here in Tome, it is about 550 meters tall......it is straight up almost. It is funny to see the cars trying to climb the hill will send some pics. I will have huge muscular legs after this sector. I like it here but the smell of the ocean and the beach gets me thinking about home but not a lot. When we were going to church yesterday saw a bunch of guys going to the beach to surf and all pass in front of the church because it is like one block from the beach. It is sure different here than my other sectors just because I don’t know but it is different not being in flat dry hot areas...but I like it here it is fun. Our ward mission leader got back from his mission like 6 weeks ago so he is cool and helps us out a lot and actually we went to his house yesterday and we are teaching his sister. She is so cool she has a fecha for the 26 December but I am sure we will move it up a week. I was so happy this week because were we searching so hard for people and had a very hard time. I got here and there were no investigatoes so it was starting from scratch and contacts. But we got some great references from members this week so that was good. I hope to be able to help this ward out and get this place going there are over 1000 inactive members on the list......crazy huh and there were 126 at church yesterday....oh yay something weird I have sac meeting last so weird for me but oh well it helps people get to church.
We had 4 inv yesterday in church and 2 we found this week I was so happy to see that, the last cambio was hard but we have 4 people that can get baptized this month and I am sure they will. I like it here just have to get used to the way of life and to the members and stuff and the people. It is weird I can tell a difference in the accent here than in other parts and even my accent has changed now and i speak like they do here....you got to conform to it so I don’t look like such an outsider. I don’t know what else to say.....I live in a house of 4 again and we are in the 4th floor of an apartment building. I tell you it was fun to haul my stuff up those stairs but with help we did it.....I have a lot of clothes to get rid of so I will have space to bring cool stuff home
I have sent a bunch of mixed photos from my last night in Talca and also some pics from here in Tomé, I hope you enjoy them, the beach looks awesome, and sunsets are great plan to wake up and go see and sunrise on the beach too someday but it is early and hard with all the fog and stuff. I love you all so much and I miss you a bunch too I am trying to do a Christmas card but it is hard to find photoshop here but I am trying to do it. I thought it would be cool to do. I love it here and I am excited to be working and working hard too. I love this work it is amazing to see miracles everyday amazing how many there are but we just don’t realize it. I love you all so much hope you have a great week. Love you Chau, Love Eric

Transfer to Tome 11/29

Hello What’s up?
Well Mom I will answer your question right off the bat.....I am about 100% sure I will be transferred before Christmas.....because well today is Cambios and I am leaving Talca and I am taking a long trip down south I am going to the inside of the mission....I am going to Tome......it is about 45 min north of Concepcion on the coast.....yes I will be on the beach and well I hope it doesn´t make me trunky....lol I am not trunky nor will I be. so that should answer your question i will have a hot Christmas at the beach....haha. The chapel is a block from the beach I hear....it just stinks I cannot go because it is summer and we don’t have permission during this time of the year. That my big news. So tomorrow I will have a 5 hour bus ride to Concepcion and then 45 min to Tome....fun right! I will miss Talca and the people a lot, but I feel like I have left this sector a little stronger than it was. The attendan went up to 114 at church so that is good it is a 60% increase.....cambios are always hard and today will be a long day of saying good-byes and stuff and then will be up late packing. Oh well.
Well yesterday was just like the last Sunday I had in Chillan.....I spoke in Sacrament Meeting and I baptized a girl in the ward and then the next day I left.....I can see a pattern haha. Well I found out yesterday morning that I was going to baptized Dyana Jesus Arias Muñoz, she is a cute little girl, her mom got baptized last year and so we go by to share and stuff still. Her mom is Amalia and she is so cool she speaks english and most times doesn’t speak it with us but it is cool because she understands and speaks really well. It was a nice experience and well it was a good last Sunday....I feel there will be a lot of tears today but it will pass and well that is the sucky part of the mission but that is how it is...people always say they wish it were different but like I always say it is to help us all progress so that we can become stronger and better. I am sad but I am here for the Lord and will do as he says.
This week went well and it was so hot though I was dying. We found some new people and had a good time with my kid haha. I think he is bummed that I am leaving but I know it is for the best and he is a great missionary and will have a lot of success here in Talca. I will be in another house of 4 Elders down in Tome and so I am looking forward to that. Elders Cockrell, Page and Teske are upset because they wont get there Christmas goodies you sent them but I am thinking I might send it to them idk.....I am in a hard situation....haha but its all good I figure there will be enough to go around ....oh yeah I might be asking for some addresses from you I want to make a Christmas card and send it out to people. I thought it might be nice. We will see. well this letter is a bit short but I got a lot to do today got to go get my visa stuff today also because I don’t want to have to travel back here to do it. I hope you have a great week and cannot wait to here about more winter adventures, talk to you all later love you all so much. Chau Love Eric

Working Hard, Sharing the Gospel and Packages from Home

hola familia, ¿cómo está? ¿qué cuentan? les quiero contar un chiste que es lo más chistoso en todos los chistes de ´´laffy taffy´´ ¿Porque cruzó la calle el captus?.......................... ¡Porque estába pegado en la espalda de la gallina! Jajajajajajajajajajajajaja

Bablefish Translation
hello family, how she is? what count? I want to tell a joke to them that is most humorous in all the jokes of ´´laffy taffy´´ Because captus crossed the street? .......................... Because estába beaten in the back of the hen! jajajajajajajajajajajajaja
I tell you if the whole engineering thing doesn’t work out for me I am going to be a bilingual comedian because everybody thinks I am hilarious.......or do they laugh because I am ridiculous.......hmmmmm I will stick with because I am funny it helps my head stay at normal size hahaha. Well how are you all doing this fine start of the week. What is new and exciting? and if you don’t got anything new and exciting.......well I don’t know what to tell you.......just tell a really bad joke like I did and I will laugh and thinks it is awesome anyway. Sometimes I feel like I am in a big Hollywood movie because when we are out working and stuff everybody just says mean things and swears at us....hahaha okay well if you didn’t think it was funny its because it wasn’t and that means you need to send me some good jokes to tell...I am running out of material....I have stolen all I could from other missionaries haha oh well that is life.

Thanks for the package and well to tell you the truth I shared with the other Elders.......I had to they held me up at knife point...I am just kidding.....I figured we could all use some bad jokes and sugar in our systems.....well that is enough of insignificant talk, lets get down to business......oh one last thought I think I have become hyperactive on the mission...I wasn’t like this before....one more thought What is black, white and red?.......a skunk in a blender....okay that was bad here is a better one Why did the sock cross the road? .................because it was on the chickens foot....lolAnyway

Elder Teske and I are getting along like 2 peas in a pod and he is a fun guy. We have a fun house it is good and we laugh a lot. Last night stayed up playing UNO and I tell you I stink, I lost every time....oh well every time I would change color it would come back to bite me....so I just said “well looks like I got the gift to read peoples thoughts....but it is not helping me.....” haha it was fun. E Teske is fun guy...we have good time together, I see a lot of the things I use to do when I was new....like the confused look of not understanding and the pain full lost look, but I am keeping him upbeat and he is a hard worker....got long legs too. I have to move my short stubby legs 3 times as fast...people laugh because I am the shortest.....oh well its like 3 skyscrapers and the lonely two story house across the street but its all good....they are jealous of my last name haha. Got up early and got ready to go do the visa stuff for Elder Teske and Page.......got to centro at 900........I forgot that Chile opens at 1000.....so walked around for a half hour oh well....haha. Got all the visa stuff done and now have to wait. My carnet, Chilean id, expired 22 weeks back.....I am illegal .... nooooooooooooooo, just kidding my papers were started a while back so I am all good haha.

Well this week was yet another tough grinder but I feel good I put a lot of effort and force into the week and I know the blessing will come and the Lord will bless us, Elder Teske is still a little timid to talk but I told him he is the “closer” (pitching terms) I may have more words and ability to talk “starter” but the closer makes the deal and makes the bigger impression. the spirit is felt strong when he teaches and the people have to pay more attention.....I tell you I feel so blessed to be with him and have the opportunity to serve with him. Well this week it was....HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just about died but then yesterday woke up to a cold raining winter looking day..... strange. So got soaked yesterday and man do I mean soaked...well thanks to the rain the attendance was 74......stupid rain...haha. Oh well. called investigators in the morning to get them up and were not answering but much to my surprise...after the sacrament was passed, Daniela walked in. she had worked from 11 am Saturday until 6am Sunday morning for a wedding....and got up and went to church I was so happy....we had talked about making sacrifices to the Lord and it hit her.... I sat down and I said “I did not think you would come because of work” she said “ I need to make sacrifices to receive the help from the Lord” I was so happy to hear those words....turned out to be a good day and then at night had a NDH with Daniela in the house of Familia Cristi, live across the street. It went great Hermana Cristi straight up asked “So when are you getting baptized?” and the convo opened up....we didn´t say a word the family did all the teaching....it was amazing, my testimony grew about work with members last night...the members felt the prompting and acted...they didn’t feel the need to wait for us to talk or give them the time....and I didn’t feel the prompting to talk and at the end I did and I expressed our love for her and bore testimony...it was awesome. The Spirit directed the lesson, and it was just amazing. This is the Lords Work....He directs it through the Spirit and if the Spirit tells us to talk we HAVE to do it and if He doesn’t, we WON´T do it. awesome right? I think so.Well going into week 2 of reading the Book of Mormon as a mission. We are in chapter 4 of 2 Nefi and read until 8 today, I think, I have to check, but it is awesome....I tell you I am getting so much out of it....the pages are full of the marks when it mentions Jesucristo, that is why it is a witness of Him. Well I don’t know what else to tell yal.....think I have bored you enough for one week haha. I am the old missionary here in the ward now and well I think I might be leaving this transfer on the 29 Nov, it is possible because I will have completed 6 months here...I don’t want to because I want one more cambio with Elder Teske,,,,,but we will see. it is a few weeks off. haha but oh well.

The youth are going to the temple Friday so I am going to send some money with a leader to pick me up some books and stuff for my converts....got to get Christmas ready too. haha.

Well I think that is all for this week. I love you all so much and hope you are doing well, I know God lives and loves us and sent His son Jesucristo to die for us. Through His redeeming sacrifice we can present ourselves before the Father and He will plead for us....but according to our works we will be judged, if we follow Him and come unto Him like little children, submissive and humble we will be saved and will live with our Father again. I know the Book of Mormon testifies of Him and His atoning sacrifice, He is our Lord, Savior and King. I love the gospel and have come to love studying it too. It fills me with joy and peace and with things that are not found in this world, things that money and houses and cars cannot give....it is the unconditional and eternal love of God and Christ. When I am out working no matter how bad the day might be, I feel whole, I feel happy....I am happy I love the work and I feel honored to be a part of the Army of the Lord...like the soldiers who fought under Captain Moroni.....they must have been honored to fight under such and strong and brave leader....not just strong physically but he was a man of spiritual power. The kind of power that as man cannot buy or fake.....I feel like one of his soldiers fighting for truth and liberty against the temptations and demons of the world to bring eternal life to Gods children, I wear the name of Christ on my chest and I know that this is His church and His work. I love you so much and hope you have a great week. Take care. I am studying in Alma too Love you take care.Love Eric
VAMOS CHILE! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE FOTOS. By the way we had a huge ward talent show went great....lots of menos activos and inv were there went awesome we didn’t have time to do our cool scout skits we prepared but it went good....had to leave early...us 4 prince charmings had to be home at 10 haha love yal chau!

Hectic Monday

Hey everyone how is it going? Well this day has been a little hectic and shouldn’t have been, had troubles getting into myldsmail.net so now finally got in and so this will be a quick email of my week.

We had a great opportunity to have a conference with Pres Humphrey and with Elder Zeballos of the Seventy, and their wives. Eder Zeballos wanted to come and do conferences to excite us and give us a boost. It was an awesome conference and I learned a lot. He talked about how all the gringos need to keep up and not lose their Spanish and how the Latins need to take advantage and learn English, because English is the language of the Restoration he said.

It was such a great day and well the conference was great but the weather wasn’t, during the conference the skies opened and poured so hard and we were caught without rain stuff. We have gone from hot to cold to rain and today is hot again....what is going on here?

So that was Friday and well the week was tough but Elder Teske and I worked really hard and I know the blessings will come... Yesterday we were going to present our mission ward plan with the Bishop and ward mission leader but both got called into work and look who had to do it all the missionaries......it went good and the members enjoyed. A lot of the members complimented me on the way I handled it and I told them I don’tt have many talents but I can speak in public and I think I do well at it....haha.

Then we went to go play ball this morning and found all the new balls at the church to be broken so now we have to tell the Bishop before he finds out and blames it on us...the youth did it on Friday and told nobody....drama. Well, Halloween was dead and today is another holiday here so not much to do and well that is it....yesterday day was dead but had a noche de hogar and cooked the Halloween cake which was so good. I hope this week can be a good week because I feel bad for my kid because he was born into a struggling sector and I don’t think it is the sectors fault. I think I just carry bad luck with me or something idk. Oh well but my chin is up and I still love the work and I am happy to be here and that is the important thing.

I am happy but the heat is killing me. Today is the first day in the mission to start reading the Book of Mormon and we are going to read it in 60 days. All the mission is doing it and have a schedule to read everyday and I cannot wait. We have to mark every time it mentions Jesus Christ. It will be a great experience we have to read 4 chapters today and tomorrow too and just about 4 everyday.

I have got to go but I love you all so much and hope you enjoy the pictures of me and the puppies, a members dog had puppies and they are so cute...haha but I miss my puppy more...I love you all so much and hope you have great week, take care and read the Book of Mormon! Love you all so much and the gospel too, talk to you later, Love Eric

Putting Lesson Learned at Home to Good Use!

Hey what is up with you all?

Well for starters it is so hot and I am dying here, I guess it doesn’t help that I am a little sunburned too! We went over to our new building and hooked up with the zone and played vollyball and futbol for 3 hours. It was a lot of fun, and with the new cancha with new nets and balls and stuff we can play every week.
Well to start my son’s name is Elder Tyler Teske, he is from Ashton, Idaho....he is a cool kid and we get along great, reminds me of myself about 16 months back. It is crazy to have seen another month go and cannot believe how fast time flies. Elder Teske is so cool he struggles talking and doesn’t understand much but I am doing my best to help him and to help him be outgoing. I was really nervous to be training but I know the Lord called me to do it and do it I will. He is a cool guy. His parents are divorced and both remarried so he has 3 immediate siblings and a bunch of step siblings too. He used to work for his dad’s cement business so he is a big strong guy. As you can tell from the photo I am shorter....and am the shortest in the house E Cockrell{s new comp is Elder Page from UT. I am the only one under 6 feet, oh well. We have had a good week and I tell you I feel blessed to have a new comp and that he is strong with spanish because it makes others pay more attention, I have used it to our advantage and I try to let him talk more and it works when he testifies. It is not 100% clear his words but I feel the spirit so strong and I know others do to. He has given me a boost and helps me be a little bit happier and joyful. He is a great guy and am blessed to be with him.
This week we had a missionary work activity and we planned it so Friday afternoon was taken up by that but it turned out well. We had about 34 people there and had a lot of participation. It was a night of desserts and so people brought desserts we ate and voted. We would have won with the brownie we made but we took out our votes and put them with other people, our investigator, Daniela won first prize without our help. Her dessert was so good. She told us she studied cooking I didn’t even know...haha. It was fun and all enjoyed it. I love the mission. I feel so blessed to be here.

Sunday we got to church and nobody was there 20 min before the meetings and so we had to open up the building and do it all. Then at about 5 till the Bishop showed up...I was worried I would have to conduct......I am pretty sure I can do it but we had an investigator with us so.....idk . It has been very hot here and I am dying, hope the summer helps me drop a little weight. I didn’t get my package in Concepcion because didn’t have time but this Friday I should maybe get it. I have thoughts for Christmas but the list is in the house so next week.
Oh, Pops, the shower; 1 wall is cement and the other 2 are like a type of sheetrock material. idk weird right?, oh this week Elder Page plugged the toilet so had to borrow a snake from so missionaries and it took us an hour and a half to snake it....we got videos of it.....I was covered in nasty stuff....and yes mom I have no gag reflex now, Chile has blessed me...but the toilet works now thanks for teaching me Pops.
Yesterday I got a little sad to see another month is my mission has gone by....I love being here and I wish it would never end. My last 8 months will be great and I will enjoy every minute of them....crazy as time goes by the work of the Lord is the best and I love it. I love you all so much and wish the best for you. Take care and enjoy the pictures.
Love Eric

Cleaning Day Photos, Not for the Faint of Heart !!!

Who knew Eric knows how to clean a bathroom!!!! Maybe he was listening!