No Transfer

I have a couple of questions.  With the fast offering, I didn't realize you donated every time you fasted.  So that's good to know. I have never done that.  In the states, has the church released stuff about the church, like what we do in the temple? And stuff with Joseph Smith and all that, because they have down here, but we don't get the pictures. Save those if you can, because I would like to see the pictures. Also what did the boys do for exercise on their missions? And like what did they talk about with the members and all that, like small talk stuff. That cord you asked about in the package is for the speakers. I have my cord for the camera, so don't worry. In this sector, some of the computers don't have the little things for pen drives and all that, so I can't do anything or send pictures. Thanksgiving, well it's nothing down here. They have had stuff up for Christmas for two months, and I heard their Christmas isn't that good. You asked me where I email.  I go to an Internet place. I haven't seen a library since I got here, and we can't use the members computers. For Mother's Day and Christmas, I think I can skype you guys, but I don't know if it will be on Christmas. It might be the 24th. I don't know. I will probably know in a few more weeks when its closer. Honestly I hit the point where I had to wait a long time to call so I have a lot of time for my first call. 

Boston is scared of dogs, but loves snakes?  I can't believe him. I will try to send a pictures this week, but it just depends on the computer I have this week. It would be better to have those old colored macs then these ones,  but other weeks they are better. 

The bishop gave us a referral this week.  She showed up for church, so we will teach her on Tuesday and see whats up. She knows people in the ward, so that will help. The thing is, we have people to teach, but we can never find them home, and if we do, it's like one time a week and honestly if you teach them one time a week, they will never get baptized. We did a ton of contacts this week and were basically in the street the entire week. We needed to find new people. I didnt' get transferred and I still have the same companion for one more change.  After this transfer, my companion will go, I am sure. This was the first time I have had a companion for more then six weeks. I emailed to Trave and he has had the same companion the whole time. I thought last week I was going to have my fifth companion, but I am glad we stayed together at least for one more transfer. It's super hard to get changed that much with different companions because everyone teaches so different. However, I have learned a lot from each companion. 

I have made a list of weird stuff of like references in the scriptures like Jesus' name and Old Testament stuff. Like that there are several books referenced in the Old Testament, but they are not contained in the current version of the Old Testament. I have my scriptures filled with stuff like that, and that really helps me. 

Yesterday I talked to a lady who said she didn't want her daughter to get baptized until she was older because she wanted it to be her choice.  But it was never the daughter's choice. Its been the moms the whole time. Today we went to the store on the bus. The bus I was in and another bus were like side by side and got super close and then they hit each other. It was interesting. Other then that, not much has happened. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

My companion, Elder Montano.

My computer doesn't have a thing for a pen drive so next week I will try to get a better one so I can send some pictures.   I also can't find the thing to plug in the camera and it also depend on the time I have on the computer. You asked me about the other elder and had heart problems and that I stayed up all night with.  He will leave tomorrow. The last two days of your mission, the Monday you can see your investigators and then Tuesday you go to Santiago and go to the temple and then and go on the plane.  So that is tomorrow,  So he did make it with out dying.  I had him that night because it was changes with the District Leader that day.

O.K. I have more questions for you.  One on fasting. Do you pay fast offering every time you fast or only at the first of the month? I have had two companions tell me you pay every time, but I thought it was only the first of the month. One more question, with the bible, do you know of like things in it to help me kinda weed out doubts? Like how many times Jesus is said in the Old Testament and stuff like that.

This week is transfers again. So that will be fun. Not really looking forward to that. That is way cool about Lance getting to have Russell M. Nelson come to his mission and talk. That is quite the thing. We are an hour and a half away and he didn't come to our mission, so Lance got pretty lucky. But the Lord knew Lance needed that, so that's good. This week was another hard one. When I came to the computer today, it was even harder. I saw a picture on the mission page of a family I was teaching in Los Vilos. They got baptized. That was cool.  The investigators I have honestly, I think we are going to have to start over and start form scratch. We found out a lot about our people this week and found out one investigator who we thought was progressing, has been lying to us for six weeks. I am so sick of getting lied to over and over by everyone, We taught the guy without a job and watched the Joseph Smith movie. The spirit was so strong and the next day he didn't show up to church. The stuff he says doesn't really make sense, so I don't know. Honestly, we just need to tell them its like this. You don't want to come to church, then we can't take more time with you. If you really want it, you know where to find it. We were talking to some members last night. The young couple are both return missionaries, and they helped us a lot. The thing is our mission doesn't really help us with some of the things we need help with. Like how to really drop an investigator, but do it in a way so the church will have a good name and stuff like that. I don't know really and a lot of the time you get told be obedient and the miracles will come. It's just tough when you are obedient and the other missionaries aren't and they are getting the baptisms and you are walking in the street all day. I just have to keep going. I guess I will see my the fruits of my labor when God wants me too I guess. Oh and I got the package. Thanks a ton. I put the stuff for Christmas aside, so I did save it. Thanks for everything. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

My stomach is better. I eat fruit every day for breakfast and a little granola and after that I feel better. But if i eat like cereal or something like that with a lot of sugar, I don't really fell that great which is really weird. I got some questions. The other missionaries had a baptism yesterday, and I don't think the people went all the way under the water, but the witness said they did.  What does that mean for the baptized people? Does the baptism count or what's up with that? Also, do they give priesthood for the dead?

I don't know what to do with my investigators. They won't attend church. They say they will all week, then Sunday comes around and nothing. Yesterday was a little rough for my companion. He has had a rough mission. Like he is a good missionary, but hasn't been able to see many fruits of it. Then we see the other missionaries who are not obedient, who are having a ton of baptisms, but us nothing. The mission is so focused on baptisms. Like in a way, that's how you are looked at as a missionary which kinda stinks. It adds lots of pressure. This week I went on two exchanges. One was with the leader of the zone and the other with the leader of the district. They were both good. The one with the leader of the district was interesting. We had just got to bed like an hour before and then lights go on. He is like, "Elder I don't feel good. He has problems with his heart. The thing is, he has a week left in the mission. All he has to do is last seven days, without anything happening. So I stayed up with him, read him scriptures, and we prayed.  Then after a while, he said, "I will just read. You can go to sleep. I didn't get much sleep that night and the next few days I was so tired, but its better now. It is not a fun way to spend the last few weeks of your mission, feeling terrible. I feel bad for him and everything he has to go through. 

This week we taught an investigator. Then after we go to the house of a less active who lives close by. She said all this stuff about him like he was using us and all that,so that wasn't good. I never felt like about the investigator. So I guess we will have to look for that now. I really don't know what else to do. I wonder if it's just one of those things to say because she can't get out of the house much, so it's like the gossip stuff. 

That's not good that Lori Anderson died. She was one of my favorite ladies. We worked for her for a long time. I can remember when I was little before I could mow, that was one of my favorite houses because I would pick up the sticks and then I could play in the ditch the rest of the time. Other then that, not much has happened. Have a good week!

Love,

Elder Gillies

More Rejection

Oh, wow!  I am glad the package got to you guys.  That's terrible that it was half torn open. I didn't do the packaging. The people in Chile did. So next time if I send another package, I will have my own box and do it myself. I sent home the boots because they are huge and it's a lot of weight to pack around. I won't see snow for the next two years so, I don't need them, and I didn't want to have to haul them around for two years. I am glad you liked the cards. I will send more letters eventually, just depends on the area. This area I am in doesn't have a card place, and I can't go in to Vina. My companion will go home in a few months. Everyone in my little area has a ton of time in on their mission, then there is me. But thats o.k. I have a lot of opportunities to learn and grow from them. 

What are some quick and easy recipes I can make? I can make like french toast and stuff, but I am getting sick of oatmeal and cereal. I have eaten that everyday since I got here. This week was another hard week.  It was tough with contacts. The contacts were bad ones.  It's tough getting yelled at. This one guy told us that we have to watch out because our religion is wrong. On judgement day we will be sorry. I wanted to say I am perfectly calm. I am nervous for you and all this stuff.  We had an investigator all ready to come and her daughter got sick Sunday. I won't have a baptism this change either, but maybe the next one. I do think my companion will be transferred this next time. My district will be weird because out of all of us, two are going home. It's their last transfer and I think my companion will be transferred and I don't know who else. If my companion does get transferred, I will just have to make the best of it. He knows a lot about the bible which I really need. I am reading it, but it's harder to understand in Spanish. I did exchanges with Elder Wilcox again. I think he is still a little homesick, but I tried to do the best I could helping him out. I don't know how much he listens to me. I haven't been out much longer than he has. I know you shouldn't look at it like that, but I think he does. I was like testifying to him why we were here and all that, and I felt the spirit. I don't know if he did but it was kinda cool. I learned the importance of charity this week because I was having a hard time with it because all they do is yell at you and won't let you talk or anything, but I read a talk and it talked about charity and said if you don't have charity, you will have a harder time teaching and inviting the spirit. I saw that this week. We had a guy talk thirty minutes non-stop about his job. We get out and my companion said, "I didn't understand what the heck he was talking about." Then i didn't feel so bad because I had no idea either. That was funny. Everyday I learn of something about Chile in the church that was bad or shouldn't have been done, so it makes it harder for us to teach. In the 80's they were baptizing thousands of people and have a ton of churches. Now there are a ton of churches, but they had to shut some of them down because they had Elder Holland come in and cut things and straighten things out for three years. Well, that was my week. Hope you have a good week. Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder Gillies