E-mail and photos

Hola!  Well, looks like you guys had a pretty sweet hike up to the lake!  That's cool with all the snow and stuff - looks like it was a good day!  I think I can hear the mountains calling my name from the computer!!  And that looks pretty crazy what Kim and Missy are doing there, haha.  I wanna give that one a try for sure :)  Hopefully everything goes well with the kid that is gonna be baptized.  It is always a bummer when they decide to wait, but it is always good to be sure, and hopefully it all goes through well!

   This next weekend  will be the last transfers that I will have and it is only going to be a transfer of 4 weeks, so I hope I don't get changed for the last 4 weeks!  That would kinda be a bummer, but it might have to be done cause me and my comp go home on the same day, so he might have to put someone in to learn the sector.  But just have to see what happens!  Things have been going pretty good here in the ward and the sector!  Saturday the ward had an activity finally - the first time in a very long time so that was great.  We had a porrotada, or a bean party, haha.  The people really like beans here in Chile, so they made a huge pot of beans and everyone came for lunch. Turned out pretty good and had some less actives there, so that was good. The bad part was that everyone ate a TON of beans, and we had church the next day.  You can imagine what happened.  We had to leave the windows open to air out the chapel, and that ain't no joke, haha.  Then there was a ton of leftovers too, so all the sisters took them home and that is what we ate for lunch yesterday, and I have a feeling we are gonna eat that all week long :)  It is gonna be an "airy" week this week!  But anyways, other than beans, it turned out to be a good week for us!  We are progressing a lot with a couple part member families, so that has been really good.  One couple is really close to getting married.  We have been bringing a lot of couples from the ward to their house and they have been accepted really good so that has been nice to see.  The wife will get baptized as soon as they can get married.  It is kinda tough down here in Chile, so they are figuring out what they need to do now.  The husband got baptized when he was 8 and went inactive at 9, and he has about 36 years now so he is like teaching an investigator because he does not remember very much.  But they are both very receptive and their daughter loves going to primary - she has 9 years.  We are also teaching two other boys - nine and ten year olds.  Their grandma lives with them and is an active member, but their mom does not want them to be baptized.  Really do not understand it.  Don't know why a mother would not want her kids to be baptized in a church where they teach great values.  So we have been trying to talk to her and stuff, but it has been pretty tough.  The kids read the scriptures and pray every day with their grandma and want to be baptized really bad, so guess we just have to pray that the mom will soften her heart a little bit!  We are also teaching some kids of a less active that is coming back and they are really great - Oscar, 16 and Camilia, 14.  They have been progressing pretty good, so they should be getting baptized here this next month!!

   Good to know about the talk!  Still have some time but I guess I will have to start putting some stuff together her soon.  Kinda tuff without a topic cause I have learned so much stuff, I could never put it into twenty minutes!!  Anything special you guys want to hear about? any certain topic??  Well I hope that you all are all doing good!  I hope you guys get some more sweet hikes in!!  Have a great week this week!  Oh not sure if I told you already, but I will get home on Tuesday the 26th of August.  I think it is at about 10:30 in the morning - the ticket is bought so it is a sure thing now.  It leaves Monday night at 8.  Well, I will talk to ya all next week!  Love and miss you all! :)

Elder Moser

 Limbing a tree for a recent convert.

 Bean Party !!!

E-mail and photos

Hola!!  Those are some pretty good pictures you guys got of the Tetons again!  Looks like you guys had a pretty good day on the lake even though you did not catch too much, but it looks like a pretty day!  Haha, and  holy cow, those are some pretty sweet cow costumes Carrie!  Hope you guys got some free food!  And thanks for all the birthday wishes!  The senior couple that is in the office right now are pretty much like my grandparents here in the mission cause I was in the office with them for a long time and stuff, and so they always spoil me and my companion a lot.  But anyways, he called me as soon as the package got in and told me that I had to come and get it since it was my birthday!  So I did get it today!!  Thanks a bunch!!  I think that they sent a picture of me with it to you guys too!  But wow - corn nuts, kinda forgotten about those things, but sure tasted good!  And I definitely have enough jelly bellys to finish the mission off with, haha.  But Muchas Gracias!!  I actually had a pretty good birthday here yesterday too. The inactive lady that I told you about a few weeks ago had a little surprise party for me, so that was really nice.  She made a big homemade cake that was super good!  So that was really nice of her!  They even smashed my face into it, haha.  I will try to send some pictures of them with the cake and stuff so I hope that my computer lets me send them!  Some other members said that they have a cake waiting for me tonight and then a couple more later this week, haha.  So the people here are really very nice, and they sure treat the misioneros good that is for sure!  Might gain a little weight back this week though with all those corn nuts and jelly beans and cake, haha.

   Saturday we were able to have a pretty cool experience.  We got to go to the temple with Winston and Patricio!!  We have been working hard with them to be able to do some family names and stuff, and Mom, it turns out that on the list you sent me all the ordinances had been done except for one male and one female!  Looks like you are working a little too fast on those names Mom, haha.  But it is ok.  The temple had a big list  of names and it turns out that pretty much all the Mormons in Chile went to the temple on Saturday, and all the temple workers were going crazy!!  There were huge groups of young men and women that came in without scheduling, so they were actually rejecting people cause they did not have enough time and priesthood holders to do all the baptisms, and turns out we were not able to do the baptisms.  They were able to do confirmations though and that was good.  They both felt the spirit really strong and liked the temple a lot, so it was a good experience, but it looks like they need to get going on the temple that they are building in Concepcion!  Don't know if it is like that every Saturday, but it sure was busy!!  But it is always nice to be able to be inside the temple for a little bit and get away from the world.  I am always amazed every time I go into the temple and how peaceful and quiet it is.  That is definitely one of the goals I have is to be able to go to the temple as much as I can!! :) 

   We were able to have some good lessons this week with some of the part member families, and working hard trying to get some of these people married!  There is a couple that is very close so we are hoping to see some weddings before we have to leave the ward!  Sure am liking it a lot here.  There are a ton of great people and the work is going good!  Gonna be sad when I have to leave!  Today is my six week mark, so that means one transfer.  Crazy how fast the time has gone by!!

   I hope that everyone is doing good up there!!  I love and miss you all!  Have a great week this week!!

Elder Moser

Thanks for the package, Dad.

Elder Bertagna

 Winston and Patricio at the Temple

 4th of July steaks

Zone Barbeque

 Birthday cake !!!

E-mail

Hola!!  Well, it looks like everyone had a good Fourth of July!  And those are some nice photos Dad!  They are looking good!  That is too bad about your battery, but that is good that you were able to get some anyways :)  And Happy Birthday Rosie and Halle!! Sorry I forgot to say that last week!! :)  I decided I could not let the Fourth of July pass without doing something so we decided to buy some steaks and cook them up on the grill, but man, Chilean meat just sure ain't the same as gringo meat.  It is as tuff as nails.  Sure am excited for that steak at Texas Roadhouse :)  I sent a picture of me with the meat and the grill, and it is a good thing I cooked that in the dark.  I realized just now when I sent the picture how rusty the grill was haha, whoops...  Wow, sounds like you had quite the adventure with that car of Grandmas.  Kinda funny, while we were in the bus on our way here to the cyber today I was thinking about what I was gonna write and stuff and I was thinking about the car, and I thought, huh, wonder if Dad checked the fuses, haha.  Looks like that was it!!!  Think I received that revelation one week late though, haha.  But I am glad that you got it up and running though! 

   This week we should be going to the temple, but the names you sent should be enough.  The converts that are going with us have a few family names too, so it should be fine.  It has been fun working with them on their family history.  They definitely have to start from ground zero, that is for sure, but they have a lot of names right off to do baptisms for though!  They have been pretty excited about the whole thing.  I think it will help them out a lot being able to go to the temple and do all this family history work!  I was surprised by how much the family search website has changed - that is pretty awesome.  All the stuff they have on there now sure makes it a lot easier to do all the work!  Looks like they are still doing a lot of indexing and stuff here in Chile so they have not been able to find a lot of names through the records, but still a few, so that has been good!  

   Our convert, Silvia, works at a place where they make suits and stuff for businesses and stuff so last week she surprised us with a brand new suit that she had made herself.  It is pretty nice.  It was super nice of her cause she does not have much.  So that was pretty special! 

   We had another good week this week here in our sector.  We have been working super hard trying to do as much as we can and we have been finding lots of new investigators and menos activos.  We are finding most of the investigators through the menos activos, so that has been pretty cool working with a ton of part member families. It is good and bad sometimes cause a lot of the menos activos talk bad about the church and stuff in front of their family who aren't members, but we have had some success though, so it has been good!!

   Sorry for not being more clear about the go home date, but ya it is the last Tuesday of August.  It is the 26th - pretty sure I will be arriving in the morning on the 26th.. 

   Hey Dad, pretty sure I forgot my pin number on my personal debit card... whoops. Think you could look that up for me??  Thank you!!

   I hope that everyone is doing good and enjoying summer up there in the states!!  Looks like it is gonna be a pretty nice week down here in Chile for winter, haha.  It's alright for me! :)  I love and miss you all! 

Elder Moser

Dad one more thing.  So, my comps parents don't support him at all on his mission and he asked them if they could send him money to get some things before he goes home, and they told him no.  So I wanted to help him out a little cause he has no money of his own either.  One of the things he really wanted was some leather scripture cases for his Bible and Book of Mormon, and it is gonna be about 85 bucks in total.  Don't know if you would want to help me out a little on that or I can just pay for it if you want.  But do you just want to make sure I have a couple hundred dollars on my card?  I am gonna try and get some stuff here soon too.  And if you could check on that pin number!  Thanks dad!  Have a great week this week! 

E-mail

Hola!!  Wow Dad, thanks for all the  photos and it looks like you did take a "few" pictures of those flowers!  You didn't  burn out my computer but it looks like you might have burnt out the flowers, haha.  They were good pictures.  Looks like the area you were in was very pretty as well!  We need to go skiing there for sure!!  And it looks like I should be arriving into Salt Lake Tuesday morning (August 26th ?).  It is not for sure yet, but that is what they said normally happens for the gringos, so you should be able to plan on that! Sounds like you guys have been keeping busy with Grandma's house and stuff!  And good luck sleeping in the truck Saturday!  Looks like you are becoming quite the photographer!  Taking some sacrifices to get the good pictures!  I am excited to see how they turn out! And have fun in Colorado this week Mom!  And thanks for sending the names to do baptisms!  Looks like we are gonna go here in a couple of weeks because Winston is finishing all his finals and stuff right now in college.  But I will let you know how it all goes when we go!  Wow, looks like the work is going pretty good there in the Bedford Ward!  That is awesome that you guys have some investigators coming and stuff, looks like the ward mission leader is doing a pretty good job!!  And thanks for writing about the hermana here.  We will just try to help her feel the spirit and realize the importance of it all.  I think that has been one of the hardest parts of the mission for me. It is just frustrating when the people don't understand the importance of it all - especially the ones that are endowed and sealed.  Just got to have a lot of patience and love them I guess, and let the Spirit do the work!  We are getting very close with some menos activos familias - just need a little push!  So me and my comp have been planning a "noche de visitas" with the ward, or a "night of visits" I guess, and we had been getting all the members excited about it and last night we were able to do it.  We had really good support from the Bishop and it turned out that a lot of the members came. Had about 50 - super good for an activity like that.  We split up and visited a bunch of inactive and less active families and it turned out really good.  We were able to reach a lot of people and it helped a lot for sure, so that was our miracle for the week.  Never thought it would work out as good as it did so we were very happy about that!  The work here in our sector is going pretty good.  We were able to set a baptismal date with a family Saturday and they came to church Sunday so that was great!  So things are going pretty good!  Glad that I am gonna be able to finish out here in this ward!!  I hope that you are all doing good!!  Have a great week this week!  I love and miss you all! 

Elder Moser

E-mail and Photos

June 23, 2014

Hola!!  Wow, sounds like you guys had quite the adventure this last week!!  They have a saying here in Chile, "caminé mas que un Mormón" or in English, "I walked more than a Mormon."  The people use this a lot actually when they have walked a really long ways or something and they always say we walk a ton.  But even though we do walk a ton down here, I think you guys are gonna be in way better shape than me for hiking!  You guys are crazy! :)  Those were some pretty crazy hikes that you guys were explaining about, and I think only you guys would hike to the top of a ski resort and then ride the ski lift back up after you were done, haha.  And I am down for a ski trip up there this winter :)

     I enjoyed reading the part of your letter about the parables and stuff.  I think about 90 percent of menos activos are form the lost coin part.  That is at least what they say anyway.  This week we have heard quite a few stories though, some of them make me think about the story of the one lady who went inactive over the cream off the milk, back in Joseph Smith's story.  Pretty sad when the people lose all those blessings from something that little, but it has opened my eyes a lot and helped me learn.  One story we heard this week was pretty sad.  We were visiting a lady last night and her four kids and she was telling us she stopped going to church because they told her that she would not be able to get sealed to her kids because her husband cheated on her and they got a divorce when they were young and she has not had the chance to get married again.  So she said if she cannot get sealed to her kids, there is no point of going to church cause that is the one goal that she had.  What exactly is the rule about getting sealed in situations like that??

     We did have some pretty cool miracles going this week though that we were pretty happy about!  We are visiting two part member families where in both cases the dad is the only member and the rest of the family is not.  They are both not married but they want to get married and they and their whole family are all very interested.  One is a family of 6 and the other is a family of 4.  They were both scared to go to church this week, but we prayed really hard for them and both of the families came!!  And we had a couple of other people come for the first time, so we had 12 people in the church for the first time!!  That is the most that have come for the first time in any of my sectors, so we were very happy about that.  Miracle for sure that both of the families came!  They both liked the church a lot and are excited to come back so we are just gonna work real hard with them these next couple of weeks so that they can get a marriage date with the government.  That is a big challenge for missionaries down here - hardly anyone is married, so it makes it tough and it takes a while for the people to be able to get married but we will keep praying and fasting and see what happens so they can get married and baptized!

     Well the world cup of soccer is going on right now so that has been pretty interesting. Futbol is huge down here - never have seen anything like it.  For the games when Chile is playing, it is a law that everyone goes home from work to watch the game.  So during the games it is crazy - everyone drinks and parties and so we cannot go out and work during the games, and if they win we cannot go out after cause it is so crazy.  Everyone watches the games - even the people that don't like futbol watch it, haha.  Chile has won two games so far so they have been going crazy down here.  That has been quite the experience for sure.  Has been a challenge cause everybody watches all the other games too so it is hard to get them to turn it off!  But it has been fun seeing how crazy everyone goes for futbol! :)

     Well I hope everyone is doing good up there and enjoying the summer!  It has been getting pretty cold down here!  An electric blanket has saved my life for sure this winter!! I love and miss you all!

Elder Moser

 Homemade pizza

 and Nuttie Buddies.

E-mail and Photos

Hola!!  Happy Father's Day Dad!!  Thanks for all the pictures you sent of Grandpa and stuff - it is always great to see him.  I hope you had a good day!!  They had a lunch after church here on Sunday for Father's Day, but since the Priesthood is pretty weak here there are not very many fathers that attend.  So they had us missionaries celebrate an early Father's Day, haha.  The ward does not lack Relief Society though, so the luncheon was pretty good :)  We had transfers this week and to my surprise l am still here in the ward, and with my same companion.  We almost have 9 months together now and we will be finishing together for sure now, so we will end with 11 months together.  Pretty crazy to be with a companion that long - President talked to us after and said, "Well this never happens but for some reason it had to happen this time."  So looks like there is still some stuff that we need to do here in this ward!  We are excited though - we get along very good and we have the whole teaching thing down.  Lessons have been going pretty smoothly, haha.  That makes life nice though - it is always nice to have a companion you can teach well with, and that you can get along with well. So this change we decided that we are really going to push hard and see what we can do.  We have made some pretty good relationships with ward members too, so I think it should be a good couple of months to finish out the mission!  We have been finding lots of new investigators through working with the menos activos lately so that  has been great and we are excited about that - lots of part member families that are really receptive so we are working hard with them and things have been looking pretty good! 

     Thanks for your idea about the temple Dad.  I think we as missionaries do lose sight about what is the real goal for the people and focus too much on just getting them back to church or getting the people baptized, so I think if we do focus a lot more on the temple it will help a lot.  Help the people realize the importance of the temple and help get the people that have already gone back.  We will be sure to start focusing on that some more!!  We are getting some of the recent converts ready with a lot of family names so that they can go to the temple and be baptized for them - it is fun with these recent converts cause they are the only members - no one else in their family - so they sure do have lot of names to take to the temple!!  We are planning a day here in a couple of weeks so that should be fun!  I am excited for  that!!  I will let you know if we need some more names to do work for Mom :)

     Pretty crazy that Blake is home and working already.  I have been talking to him still and he says he is saving those mountains for me, so I am excited for that, haha.  It has snowed a ton here on the mountains so it has been really pretty, but shoot, sure does make me trunky for snow and mountains!!  I think I am gonna have to get a season pass for Targhee this year!

     I will try to send some pictures for you guys too - the computer is kinda slow but I will see what I can do.  I hope that you are all doing well!!  I miss and love you all!!  Have a great week this week!!

Elder Moser

Cutting the grass at our house. 

 Birthday party for Felpie.

Snow on the mountains.

E-mail and Photo

Wow Dad, those are some pretty sweet pictures of the Tetons!  They get better and better every week!  You should get a nice Nikon or Cannon and break it in for me, haha :)  I bet those pictures would look real nice then! haha.  And  good job in the triathlon McDonald family!!  Looks pretty sweet!!  And South Carolina, wo that should be interesting :)  Good luck with everything!

     Well this week here in Santiago was a great week.  Had some nice rain and cool temperatures!  So that was nice.  The problem is in the stake the attendance went down by half because it was raining - sure hope the Lord does not come on a day it is raining!  I don't think anybody will come out of their houses down here!  It was pretty interesting never have seen this capilla that empty before. We got lots of work to do I guess!  Yesterday night we had a sweet meeting up in the area office building that is right by the temple.  Elder Viñas and Elder Jimenez of the Seventy came and we had a meeting with all the stake presidents and zone leaders that are in the Santiago South and West Missions - it was quite the experience!  It was just a big consejo that we talked about the pilot plan we are doing here in these two missions about working with the menos activos and stuff.  Kinda disappointing that our stake president did not come though.  So we are gonna have to work extra hard in this stake!  But we learned lots of good stuff and it was a great experience for us!  We have transfers this week so we will see what happens to me.  I have one and a half transfers left so I am guessing he will leave me here until the end, but we will see.  Might end up in a new ward - hoping to finish it out here though - we have seen lots of cool stuff.

     Saw lots of miracles this week again.  It is crazy how many miracles I am seeing here in this ward.  The other day we walked into a little almacen, like a little store thing and a lady grabbed my arm and started to cry.  I was kinda confused, haha, but then she started to talk and she says that she talked to us about 4 months ago when I first got to this sector and said that she had asked us to pray for her granddaughter that was in a coma from cancer surgeries.  Anyway she told us that her granddaughter was alright - she died for a little bit actually, but then came back to life.  And she told us, thank you for praying for my granddaughter, and then she said her son was a member inactive of our church but that he wants to go back and the family wants to listen to our message because now they all believe in God.  So the next day we stopped by their house.  We had an awesome lesson with them - the spirit was super strong and it looks like things are going pretty good with them.  It is the dad, Jose, who is a member inactive.  His wife Marcela, and his daughters Nicole and Marta and he also live with his mom, Marta. They are all pretty excited about the church and want to learn all they can. Pretty cool experience for us.  It is crazy how the Lord prepares people to listen to the gospel.

     Well I gotta get going here soon, but it was great to hear from you.  Thanks for registering for my classes Dad - everything looks good!!  And Mom, I got your letters that had some stories of our ancestors, and that was really interesting!!  I would love to hear more if you have any!!  Have a great week this week!  I love and miss you all!

Elder Moser

Home evening with recent converts.