Watching General Conference

I heard the announcement about the new temple in Bangkok, Thailand. I knew you would be pretty happy. They need one here in Viña now.  I got a few questions. What was the note that Elder Uchtdorf passed during the talk and how come President Monson didn't close the conference?  I asked my Bishop that was a seventy and he said he thought he was sick. He didn't know if it was cancer or something else, but looking at him, he did looked different. He still did a good job. It's just different from a couple years ago. 

We got one investigator that is good. The rest are o.k. I guess. We have two investigators, but the one lady needs to get married. She said it is in her plans, but a few years down the road. She is really good.  She has been talking to sisters on the internet that are in Salt Lake, and she went to all the Saturday sessions of conference. I got to watch all the sessions, but they didn't have it in English. I can understand it in Spanish, but it's just different because you can hear the English translation behind the Spanish, so it's hard to separate them. My comp is from Texas. He is really cool. I like him. I knew him before. He was in my zone in Los Vilos, and he is really funny. I might be here when he ends the mission, but I don't think I will  be. I think I will leave a transfer before he goes home, but I really don't know. I will either be here like seven months, or leave in two more changes.  My companion is just really good and we have fun. My leaders of the zone are kinda weird,  but I got a good comp so that is all I can ask for. I have interviews with President Kahnlein tomorrow. This may be my last ones with him or maybe I will have one more before he leaves the end of June.  I think after that it will be President Diaz which I think he will be good. I think he can give a little different way to see things in the mission.

I don't really have much to say. Not much really happened this week.  My favorite story from conference was the one given by Elder Holland. My favorite talk was the one with Shiblon and the Sons of Alma. I hope you have a good week. 

Love,

Elder Gillies

Jessenia's Baptism & New Companion - Elder Amezquita

So we had the baptism, but I wasn't with Elder Garcia. He got transferred, so that stunk for him. I am with Elder Amezquita. He is from Texas. He was in my first zone, so I knew him a little bit so he should be good. The baptism went good. I baptized Jessenia since my comp left. 

Tell Austin Housekeeper congratulations on his mission call to Chile. Conception has a lot of rain, so be ready for that. I heard the people are super nice there and he is going to eat a lot. So tell him good luck not getting fat! It should be good for him.

Today had to go to the cemetery to look for a name so we could send papers of the baptisms in the mission. I have to email other stuff, so if you don't get the picture I will send it to you next week, but i will do my best. That is to bad about Utah. I was hoping for an upset. The floods in Chile that are heard about are the closest to La Serna, but that is five hours away. Antofagosta is 18 hours away so they aren't even close to where I am at. That is a change because usually the South gets all that rain and the North never gets any, so that is why it was so hard for them to get all that rain. 

Yesterday during Jessenia's confirmation we felt the spirit. It was so strong. It was cool. After the confirmations, Jessenia was like glowing. We brought Geilero to have her talk to him and she is like testifying to him.  She said, "Do whatever you can to get to this point because it's so worth it." She just went off and that is what he needed because he has the 3 asisiences and all the lessons.  He just needs an answer and he could be baptized. This week we are looking for more people to teach. We went to the rich part of the sector just to see what it is like, and oh my goodness, it's like walking in California.  They were huge houses, and they had the range rovers, Audis and all that.  It was a good week. It was so good to have a baptism. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Jessenia's Baptism - 3/25/15

Jessenia's Baptismal Date Set for March 25

O.k., first thing tell Grandma to have a Happy Birthday. I know it's late and I hope you have a Happy Birthday this week too, Mom. This week was good. We made a lot of progress on Jessenia ,and we actually found Angelica in the park. You could tell she was trying to dodge us and the is the thing. It's one thing to lose a baptism, but they don't know how much that hurts when you put in all the time teaching them and then they do that to you. We have Jessenia's baptism on Wednesday, but it's also the day of transfers, so it will be an interesting day. I think my comp and I will be together one more time, but you never know. I am way excited for Jessenia. She is a way cool person and she really wants this baptism. She has learned the hard way that the the church is true.  We gave her a blessing yesterday because she was having a rough time. It's so interesting how she was before the lesson and how she was after. It just shows you how the spirit works so that she can feel calm and all that good stuff. We found some new investigators too.  We were teaching in the park and a Catholic guy came to argue with us, but our investigator didn't listen to him and made the guy look stupid and made our church look that much more true.

This change has flown by. I like Con Con a lot. The time has just flown by like it never has in my mission. There was an exchange with the other elders. I was talking to another elder and he was big into hunting, so that was fun to talk to him during lunch became no one hunts down here. 

I had to give a talk at the other elders' baptism and now I have to give another talk at the baptism of Jessenia, but it's all good. Hopefully Utah can have the upset this week. Have a good week. Hope your birthday wish comes true! 

Love,

Elder Gillies

Smoke from the Fires

This week the lady who was supposed to be baptized went off the deep end. She won't answer her phone or answer the door so that fell down the hole quick. So we went from having two baptisms to nothing in two quick weeks.  The thing with Jessenia is she didn't come to church yesterday, but I was sitting there waiting after church and I get a call and it's Jessenia and she is crying.  She asked if we could come over because Carlos broke up with her because she didn't want to drink with him. We have seen the power of the atonement with her and it's incredible. Like she has changed so much so we got that and now she knows that this is it, but I don't know, I don't want to say she will get baptized this week because every time I think she will, something bad happens. Jessenia has learned that what the church says about the law of chastity is right and that God knows what he is talking about. She is way good now and hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to send a picture of her baptism.

This week we had a conference with President Kahnlein.  It was good.  We got to watch the movie "Meet the Mormons". it was really good. I liked it and President K showed a scripture where it says "Jesus smiles." I think iI needed to hear that because I need to smile more.

There was a bad fire here so the air was filled with smoke and it was hard to work.  You couldn't really see and it was hard to breath, but its all good now. The fire was aways away, but the smoke just filled the sky, but Valpo was clear and I got a sweet pic of it because the fire had a good sunset. Then that is good that Utah made the tournament. I want to know when was the last time Utah made the tournament. Other then that, not much has happened. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Con Con's beautiful sunset from the fires

Tyson & Elder Garcia - 3/13/15

No Baptisms

So it sounds like Grandpa is not doing very well. That is not good. That sounds like him saying he will go home instead of go into the nursing home, but hopefully it will all work out. I got my debit card this week, but what do I do with my old one now? Is it like trash or what? And yes, the Vina mission is tough, but I am pretty sure that is why I got sent here because I don't know if I would have learned the things I have in another mission, so it's all good. This week was a whirlwind. First, we didn't have water in the apartment for two days because the owners hadn't been paying for it, so they turned it off so the owners would pay. We had jugs of water, but we couldn't shower and that was terrible. It's back on now, and it's all good this week.

With our investigators with their baptism was rough on Saturday. We were going to fill the font after lunch for Angelica, but then we get a call during lunch that she had to leave for Santiago because her nephew was in the hospital, who took a turn for the worse, so hopefully her family won't influence her to do anything bad so she can be baptized this week. With Carlos and Jessenia, they have fell off a little bit. Jessenia has the date and everything, but she is short of a interview but now that she is with Carlos again, she doesn't want to be baptized right now. She has gotten a little cold because of the law of chastity, so that really was a bummer because now because of one commandment, she is doubting a lot of things. If we can get to Carlos and get him converted, she will come back, but it was just like a complete turn around. It is dumb. Satan plays super dirty. I don't know. We fast every week and pray, doing everything we can for them, but now it's like they aren't answering our calls as much and there is like a wall between us now that wasn't there before. If we bring up anything, she just gets mad. Then we were teaching her and her kid fell and cracked his lip and wouldn't stop crying, so that didn't help. They are like should we take him to the hospital. I am thinking why the heck would you do that when he has a cracked lip? They always say the americans are a little cold I can see it a little, but I don't know. I would not call the hospital for that. Your kid would never toughen up if you always do that.

That is nuts the girls won state champion in basketball. That is great. I have one question about 3 Nephi 16:1-4 when Jesus says he has other sheep. It just means different continents not  different worlds in this part, right?  When my companion explains it, it's like this is for the people not of this world, but when I read it, I don't get that.  So what do you think Dad? Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Working hard with Elder Garcia

My ward is the biggest that I have had in my mission.  It's a good ward. My bishop used to be in the Seventy, so he is cool. I don't really know him very much, but the ward is fine. I have a member wash my clothes. She is cool. She does it all for free, so I save about twenty to thirty bucks a change, but that is like a week of food, so that helps a lot. My companion is Elder Garcia.

With writing things in a notebook, I don't really have time to write one every day, because every free moment I have, I am reading because I need to study the scriptures because I can never remember where they are at, so I am working on that.

No one got baptized this week. The lady drank some coffee, so she couldn't baptize her, but she will be in Saturday. The other people are going through some struggles because Carlos wants to get married first and then baptized and Jess wants to be baptized first and she wants to wait on the marriage. So it's super complicated there, but we are trying to get it all worked out. Can you get me Chris Sorenson's email. I tried to email him, but I think I spelled his name wrong so it didn't go through. It's kinda funny he is in Wyoming, but that is good. And what is it? Spring is in the air so everyone is getting married? I don't feel like I am old enough for those people to be getting married that are my age. It's still weird and what temple is Lizzy Wray getting married in. That is cool about Ashlee Quinney.  Hope she can make it through it all. That is really cool about Utah the year. They are doing really good in sports. I can't watch, but hopefully they are building up.

Yesterday we had a harder day, and I don't know if my comp knew how to deal with it. I am like, man this is my whole mission. So I probably didn't have much compassion, but it's one day, and we have baptisms coming up, so I am super happy. I can't complain about nothing now this week.  It is a tougher week. because it's always the last week of the month that goes wrong, but everything should be good. Um that's about it on my end.  Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Elder Gillies & Elder Garcia from Peru

Getting to Know my New Area in Con Con

My new area will probably be colder that a lot of areas because it's by the ocean, but this winter will be a lot different because my body will be adjusted. I won't go from Summer to Winter in a day, so it really shouldn't be that cold.  So I won't regret sending my boots home.

My new companion just got done with his training, but he is not a greenie. To tell you the truth, Elder Fotheringham is more of a greenie, then this new companion. Sometimes I think he is training me, but no, its all good. I have been the senior companion for a while, but i don't know. To me it doesn't make a difference.

This new area is definitely a tourism place.  You have the beach everywhere and it's not that far form Viña. It should start cooling down in the next little bit, so that will help us a ton. Now the Festival of Vina is here and the the Cup of South of America will be here in July, so there will be a lot of things going on that will make it a little harder to teach people. If everything goes the way it should, I should have two baptisms this Sunday. Hopefully everything goes good, but I am not sure.  Both the investigators have some things they need to change, but they can do it. The things in my zone will be a little different. One of the zone leaders is going home Friday in the middle of the change. He got a call and said he was going home. He didn't know for the study. Now I don't know what President is going to do so about him.  That will be interesting. We are in the same ward as the zone leaders, so I will  know for sure on Sunday and probably after if we have lunch with them. 

That is fun you could do all that stuff with Boston and Trey. I bet they were fun to tend. Do you think the Lyman boys can take state? Have you talked to Lueck much lately? Other then that, not much has happened.  I always forget everything that happened when I sit down to write.  Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies