Las Naciones Week 6

Happy Mother's Day!

Hola

Well not much new from yesterday....except that we are going to have a baptism tomorrow! haha yes a baptism!!! I know that God is a god of miracles and wants to grant the righteous desires of our hearts!

After Skype we went to go drop off a pot that we used for lunch at a members home. She was visibly distraught and we asked what was wrong. She told us that she had a lot of sadness and asked for a blessing of comfort. We went in with her and her "husband"(they aren´t married) who is not a member. She, Viviana, is a returned missionary and has been living with Hugo for many years after they both had separated from their spouses and found eachother.

Hugo has been meeting with the missionaries and attending church since Elder Palacios was in this sector(i dont know if I told you Elder Palacios started his mission in this sector). He wants to be baptized but they cant because they aren`t married and thus not living the law of chastity. We helped them get some lawyers and start the process to get divorced and married, but because of Chilean law we expected about 7 months for it to finish. 

Well we sent in and she just basically started balling because in church today there was a talk about the law of Chastity. She said that she felt so much guilt and pain that it was unbearable and had to leave and sit in a room. We shared Alma 36 about the pain and grief that Alma the younger felt, and that it was a natural part in the process of repentance and served to bring her to Christ and motivated her to change. Then I gave her a blessing and we left.

Long story short she called me that night and said that Hugo wants to be baptized as soon as possible, because Hugo leaves for work for a week on tuesday night and they are going to live separated until their marriage! Hugo loves Elder Palacios and he leaves a week from today, and want Elder Palacios to baptize him!! So Tuesday morning we are going to have a baptism. I am kind of uneasy about it because that means he wont get confirmed for about 12 days...a lot of time, but the Zone Leaders said it was fine, and I also don`t want to hinder the faith that they are showing. I know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. What a joy to be a missionary and humbly watch God work miracles in the lives of others!!!!!

Love,

Elder Harries

Las Naciones Week 5

Hola!!!!

I cant wait to skype you all too!!! Hope that we can get it all to work. This week was a good one and I hope to make this email longer than the last. I know you want details, so here is my best attempt;)

On Tuesday we had the pleasure of going to the temple!!!!!  I ran into President and Hermana Doll there and we talked for a bit! They are really great and reminded me of Grandpa and Grandma Barnes who used to be there:) It was so incredilbe! I cannot even explain the pure peace and joy that I felt there, and I recieved so much "animo" to get back to work. I loved more than anything how neat, clean, and quiet it is...something that at times lacks in Chile. It makes me sad that more people dont attend, and that so many people have no idea what they are missing. It made me want to work extra hard to get people to the temple. One of the biggest challenges for a missionary is to help one expand their vision and see the big picture. Once they can understand the doctrine of the Plan of Salvation, the motives to act, and the action naturally takes place.

I have been waking up thirty minutes early for this whole change, so that I can get a longer personal study. In addition to studying Preach my Gospel everyday I made the goal to read the Book of Mormon 3 times, DyC and New Testament once before next general conference. I love the Scriptures!! Each day I find new truths that expand my mind and make me want to learn more. I love it!!! It is really neat as a missionary to see that each day what you study is directly aplicable to the need of someone we teach that day. I can´t tell how many times that has happened.

We had a couple attend church this week with their daughter named Jose and Mirena. They enjoyed it and were impressed by the testimony meeting. We are excited to help them progress to baptism, please say an extra prayer for them!!

This week I felt the Spirit very strongly in all of my lessons. I have been praying with a lot more conviction, and applying DYC 103:36, advice from President (also advice from Shanel:)). Prayer is such a powerful tool, and at times we take it for granted. I know that when we express our heart´s desires and ask for the Spirit we recieve the righteous desires on Gods time, but we must ask!!! I love you all and I cant wait to see you in less than a week!!! 

"Accepting Gods will also means accepting His timing" Elder Nelson..i think!

Love,

Elder Harries

Las Naciones Week 4

Hola!!!

Thanks for all the emails!!! I want to start off by saying I cannot believe how old Sydney looks!! Wow...I still remember the freshman sydney haha. I love you all and it seems like all are busy and excited as the school year is coming to a close!! I cannot believe how fast time passes!! I dont like it haha. I apologize in advance as this email will be short...sorry mom:(((

This week was a really great week! We had one of the travelling asistants come with us for a few days. He i finishing his mission and this was one of his sectors and I am pretty sure he wanted to come say goodbye to everyone haha. It was really awesome because he knew everyone and I learned so much from him. He had such a calm demeanor, but was goofy and fun at the same time. He knew the Book of Mormon very well and when he shared a passage it was always perfectly fit for the need of the person. It made me want to improve my teaching skills. 

I have been focussing a lot lately on the importance of the Spirit in conversion and teaching. PMG Chapter 4. I love what it says in DYC 50:13-22. To have the spirit and revelation we must be worthy AND ask. I have been trying to focus on those two, but at the same time use my own agency to "do much good" I have also realized the importance of charityt/love and not judging those who we teach. We must view them with the potential they have and not as the now are. I know that this type of love comes through prayer and fasting and it is something I am trying to develop. 

I had an interview with President on thursday! It was really great! He is such a good and powerful man, very goal oriented and focused. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it....hard smart work. He has such a big heart and makes me want to be more like the Savior. 

I have such a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know it is the word of God and that these are the last days. I know that if we study the scriptures diligently we will get the Spirit and will see miracles. I love you all!!

"Diligence doesn`t start until you are tired"-rm from our ward

Love,

Elder Harries 

Las Naciones Week 3

Hola!

¿Cómo estàn? Thanks for the emails! I love hearing from you and all that is going on at home! It truly is crazy how time passes so quickly! It sounds like everyone is sure busy and preparing for the summer vacation that is around the corner! Can´t believe we will talk in three weeks!!

This week was very exciting...sickness hit the pension and my companion got sick and laid in bed the whole morning on Friday. I took time to study and write some letters haha..it was pretty lame. I started to get some headaches like him, but lucklily it didn´t seem to affect me too bad and we didn`t have to lose too much work time. We ate some "guatita" or cow stomach the day before and he didn´t know what it was until after I told him...maybe that was part of it I don´t know haha.

We found some really prepared investigators this week. One is named Manuel. He has 21 years. He has been reading and praying and wants to do what is right. We felt impressed to teach him the Plan of Salvation, because he didn´t really understand the need for Jesus Christ. We left the pamphlet with him and the next day we went back to meet with him. He had read it all and said. "I want to go the to the Celestial Kingdom" It was pretty special. We then taught the Restoration and shared the Book of Mormon. He read all the testimonies and into 1 Nephi and said that after praying he felt something really powerful and good, the Holy Ghost. He compared himself to Joseph Smith at first, because he was scared, but then he understood that it was an answer. He is very excited to be baptized! However he couldn`t attend church last minute because he had to go visit his Grandma who got sick. We were pretty disappointed, but we aren`t giving up on him.

We had some others who wanted to attend church but last minute didn´t show up either. It is really frustrating at times. I really feel like I am doing all that I can. I know that I must respect the agency of others and do all that is in my power. I have been focussing a lot on "an eye single to the glory of God." I am trying not to let my pride and desires for others approval to be my motivation. I truly desire the happiness and peace of others and it breaks my heart when they don`t accept what I know so dearly to be true. I can`t imagine how the savior felt.

I love the mission I love serving and I love being happy and healthy! Life is a great opportunity to grow! I know that the Lord is in control and that when we are patient and have faith, great things happen! 

Love you all,

Elder Harries

Las Naciones Week 2

Votar should be spell botar...pretty funny I think haha

Huge apple. the fruit here is crazy haha

Hola!!!!!

To answer some of your questions I love this new area! It is hard to be in a new area with new people, but it is also very refreshing. 5 changes, or 7 months is a long time in a tiny sector. This sector is about twice the size of the last one. I am still a district leader, we have two other elders and two hermanas. They are good and hard working, and I am looking forward to being able to serve them! 

It is quite funny because this is the same sector that Elder Palacios was in, and now he is my Zone Leader! The area here is a bit more afluent, and the ward has some members who are on top of things. Our bishop is 29 years old and is a returned missionary. There are about 5 returned missionaries here that want to work...its great. Elder McDermott said that they hardly ever used the members, so we started visiting a lot of them and they are really excited to work. I made a calendar for them to accompany us and this week we will have people coming to help every day. It is really nice to have the whole ward, because we can use everyone.

Elder McDermott is a great missionary. He is from St. George, Utah and is very obedient and hard working. I love the way he is always happy and upbeat. He has a hard time with the language, so I pretty much only speak to him in Spanish, and help him with the grammar (which is key to be able to build a vocabulary). He has progressed a lot in the past week. The dynamic is a little different in the house because we are 4 elders. It is fun, but at times i think I like living on my own a bit better. The others are somewhat disobedient;(

We had some incredible miracles this week!!! We were visiting a house and the person was ocupada "busy"(happens a lot haha) and there was a young man just waiting behind us. We were a bit creeped out, but he came up to us and told us he was a member and wanted to come back to church. Hes 20 years old and wasnt on the records. He came to church this Sunday!!!

Another miracle...We were looking for a house and didn`t know where we were, when a lady with her mom crossed paths with us and said hi. She was a new member that just moved to our sector about a month ago. She lives with her mom, husband and two daughters. Her mom is super catolica, and didnt want anything to with the missionaries..wouldnt even talk to us. We were friendly though, and kept talking with the daughter. We asked if we could visit her, but she said no because her mom wouldn`t let her. We kept on talking and testified a little bit to invite the Spirit, and then the mom all of a sudden said that she wasnt going to be in the house on Saturday, and that we could pass by!!! We did and the whole family came to church on Sunday! One of the little girls is 8 years old and wants to be baptized!! 

I love being a servant of Christ! I know that He is with us and that when we do what he wants and follow the Sprit, miracles happen. I love the Lord and want to be better. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith was the Lord`s prophet. The Church of Jesus Christ is His Church. I love you all!!!!!

Con Amor,

Elder Harries

Las Naciones Week 1

Book of Mormon an old lady gave me! From 1952, before the Church arrived in Chile!!!

new companion Elder McDermott

Hola!!!

Well I am in a new sector!!! Las Naciones! What a difference from Ochagavía! I have a new companion elder McDermott from St. George Utah. He just finished training and his spanish is a bit rusty, but we are going to work really hard and I know we will have lots of success! It is quite funny because our companions switched! I hear that the old companion was a good missionary so I feel good leaving the sector and Elder Rivera in his hands! 

Here is the poem from the other week, I´ve done quite a bit of walking so I have lots of time to think about things haahha:

Steps

The steps along the road of life

At times too little to be seen

Converge as two sides of a knife

Chiseling us into being.

It matters not how large the step,

Which way you walk is what counts more.

With faith in Christ and covenants kept,

The Lord´s rich blessings are in store.

The biggest step a man may take,

Taken in the wrong direction

Causes but pain, and grief and ache,

And halts eternal progression.

Each step we take, each choice we make

Becomes a part of who we are:

A stream that flows into a lake--

The light proceeding from a star.

To each and every human Soul

God´s great gift of choice is bestowed.

Our duty is to set the goal,

And in obedience walk the road.

Its a little rusty I think I might change a few things but there ya go.

There are so many things that I want to share but so little time! I hope that I will be able to type fast!!!

General Conference was incredible! I learned so many incredible things. I had a lot of personal revelation and questions answered. One of my questions was how I could come to know better the voice of the Holy Ghost, and during President Monson´s talk I had a distinct impression that I needed to go to the Temple, but we don´t ever go as a mission. I wrote it down however, and today President anounced that we would start going to the temple as a mission! I know that God answered prayers and that when we ask, we will find. I have so many insightst that I would like to share with you, but I think I will just write a letter home!

I really will miss Elder Rivera. He and I have grown really close and I love him like a brother. He was definitely my most difficult companion, but also the one from whom I learned the most. At first I thought that he was going to be "the most special convert" of the sector, but I realized that I was completely wrong...it was me. I learned to love, and be patient, and encourage, and trust and hold back. He is really a great spirit with a lot of potential. I was very impacted about the story of the two missionaries on bikes from conference.

On Tuesday we passed by an investigators house. She was an old lady that said her son was a member. She told us that she had a old book of mormon...and she gave it to me!!! It is in such good condition and from 1952...before the Church arrived here in Chile. I think it is one of the first books to arrive here. I felt really bad for Elder Rivera, and offered it to him, but he wouldn´t accept it. I gave him a really cool wooden plan of salvation puzzle that Elder Kennedy gave to me. I thought it was fiiting since he trained me and I passed it on.

Oh and we had some cats enter our pension through the window. I woke up to Elder Rivera freaking out trying to kick this cat haha I got the thing on film bu the cat got out through the window. It ate some of his food haha.

It was very difficult to say goodbye to Villa Sur II. It had become like home for me. I really love the people there and will miss them a lot! I love the mission and will keep you updated on what is to come!!!

Love you all,

Elder Harries  

Villa Sur II Week 29

Hola!!!!

I want to start off by saying I am so excited to listen to general conference! I cannot wait to view the sessions and recieve personal revelation and guidance! I have been reading all the talks from last conference while I eat breakfast adn they are pumping me up for this weekend! I am also trying to come up with some questions I need answered:) I invite you all to do the same!

Today marks 8 months that I have been here in Chile! One third of my mission! It sure doesn´t feel like it! It seems like just 8 days ago I was sitting in the room of the MTC looking out the window at the cloudy cold sky asking myself "What in the world am I doing?" I remember that moment so clearly, perhaps I´ll never forget it. I can look back and see my progress and I know that I have literally been led by the hand of the Lord. I read a talk today by Elder Nube (I think thats his name) about not looking back, but looking forward to what we have left to do! It was a great reminder to me that I still have much to accomplish! I know that with faith all things are possible! (Moroni 7:33)

Today as I was reflecting, I decided to write a poem about one of the major lessons I have learned...Ill send it to you next week! I love you all so much and and so happy to be a missionary! Sorry that this is short!!! I´ll send more next week!!!!

Love you all,

Elder Harries