February 15, 2010

We keep telling Jeff about all the snow we have been having. Out east has really been hit hard with several storms in a row:

So you've gotten a lot of snow huh? That's good, means all those people saying the earth is heating up are wrong, ha. They have even more out in the east? What about Canada? I can't wait for fall, but I heard that fall is still hot so..I hope not.
Yes, I am more patient than I was, I've even learned more Patience with the companion I have now, so that's good to be patient. We work well together, we just had our zone conference this last Friday and Elder Amado, from the Presidency of the Seventy here in Chile, spoke to us. He was pretty frank about some things. But we learned a lot about how to be better missionaries. He gave all of us the challenge to get a baptism by the end of the change, and my companion and I both left very excited to try and reach that goal. It seems impossible, but I know that with faith and help from the Lord that nothing is impossible.

In July of this year Jeff will get a new mission president. He seems to have had a strong connection with his current Pres. Jones since he arrived in Chile. He always speaks highly of him.

We already know who our new mission president will be. Brother and Sister Macarthur. They be coming here in July. It's sad..I don't want President Jones to leave, he has a very personal relationship with all the missionaries. He's going to be an apostle one day, he's a great guy.

Jeff has mentioned a man that they had found to teach, Jorge. He asked us to pray that Jorge would accept the gospel:

Jorge is good, he went to the beach this last few days with his family. His wife already is a member, but she was baptized when she was really little and practices the Catholic religion now.

I was trying to get a better idea of how much of the city his area covered, since it looks like alot of businesses:

Well, our sector isn't huge, my last sector was bigger, but we have a good chunk of not the center, center where there are only big buildings, but we have just the center where there are some big buildings but also houses mixed in. And the big park and horse arena. We are in the zone where all they have is big buildings and apartment complexes.
I bought new shoes the other week to play soccer in, they are Nike's. I like them, but the ones I really wanted where these Addidas, but none of the stores had them in my size. It was funny, the stores have almost none of the shoes in my size, my feet are huge here.

Clarification on where the new refrigerator came from and why he does his own laundry now that he is in the city:

The mission bought the new fridge. They don't do our laundry because we have machines in our complex.
My studying is good, I study in spanish and in english. I can carry on a conversation about everything, there are still a lot of words that I don't know, but I'm learning.
Well, everything is good. Played soccer today for a long time. I'm gonna be pretty good when I get back from playing with all these Latinos, maybe I'll try to play soccer instead of football, haha.
Well, have a great week! Remember that we can always progress more in the gospel, never be satisfied with where you are. The Lord gave us families so that we can have true happiness and we are very blessed to have such an amazing family. Thanks for all the support.
Love,
Elder Jeffrey DeLong.

February 8, 2010

I asked Jeff about the picture he sent where he is holding a chocolate bunny with the Mom and her two children. This was in his last area right before changes happened:

Did you like that picture? They were a good family, I hope the 2 kids get
baptized. They were funny. She made that bunny for me, it was very
good. It had peaches and manjar(sweetened condensed milk product here
that they eat all the time, kinda like carmel) it was really good. It
didn't melt because it was night and the sun wasn't out.

He has been telling us the differences between the city of Santiago, where he is now, and his previous, more rural area. Big difference is accessibility of food, another is having to do his own laundry again. Before the women in his ward did the laundry for the elders.

American food is so good! I just ate 3 dunkin doughnuts! That is one good part of being in the city. We do have a fridge now, a really nice one. Without one we just didn't really have food, ever. But now we have one and it's very nice.
No..la hermanas don't do our laundry here :( It's about 2 dollars a load too, it's lame. My clothes will be more yellow now haha

Right now he lives in a high rise apartment building. Close by is a horse racing track and a large park. One night they were able to hear & see some of a concert that was going on in the nearby horse track by going to the top of their apartment building:

We live on the 16th floor of 17. And the concert was in that horse track. So we could hear it in all parts of the apartment, and we went up to the tower for a little bit to watch, then went to bed.
The city is very big! My companion and I get along well. Sometimes I think he tries to get on my nerves, but I'm a lot more patient than I used to be haha. We teach well together. We found this man through a member and he is very receptive to the gospel, we have high hopes for him and his family. I want to baptize a whole family!! Pray that Jorge and his family will feel the truthfullness of this gospel.

Being a missionary isn't the easiest way of life, but I definitely think it's one of the if not the most rewarding ways of life. To see the progress of those you teach, and also to see yourself progress. Heavenly Father created a plan for us because He loves us, and that plan is perfect. And I know that each of you have such a high potencial to reach, and that as you continue to strive to live the gospel you continue to reach and realize that potencial.I think a lot of times us members of the church are hipocrites. When we hear and learn such great things in church, how often do we go home and apply those things? I think if all of us really strive to live the things we learn we will help the church and our families and our selves progress so much. So apply the principles we learn :)Well, that's about it I think. Andrés and Isaac are still progressing well, I hope they get baptized. Pray for them too :)
You all are always in my prayers, thanks for everything!
Love ,Elder DeLong

February 1, 2010

It seems like Jeff is enjoying being in the city of Santiago. It sounds like it is a nice change from his previous area.

Santiago is good, it's different thats for sure. But I like it, it's fun. The people are a little harder here, and harder to find, but what can you do. I have a great view of the city, especially at night on top of the tower, it's very beautiful.

In his last email he said that their fridge was broken. I was hoping that it had been repaired by the time we heard form him this week. Close.

We are actually getting a new fridge tomorrow, so that will be really really nice. And no, there is not any air conditioning here..the majority of houses don't have it. People are poor, and can't afford stuff like that, same with central heating (so as you can imagine it gets quite cold in the winter due to that), but we have 2 fans so they keep us cooled enough.

He was also looking forward to a change in companions. His last companion & he didn't seem to mesh with their personalities, but they were able to get a lot of work done while they were together.

Elder Canterero is good, is a very different person, very unique personality. I've never met anyone like him, lol. But he is a good guy, we get along. Yes, he is Latino, lol.

We have 2 people that are progressing well, and we are hoping to put baptismal dates with them this coming week, so we'll see how it goes. They are called, Andrés and Isaac.

The heat is terrible, that is my least favorite part. I don't like summer, it's really not any hotter than it gets in MN but it's wearing a shirt tie and pants all day that stinks, ha.

Well, all else is well here in Parque O' Higgins. You could google map or google earth Parque O' Higgins, Santiago and see my sector. It's a big park, and next to it is a horse track where Metallica played(and I did get to hear them!) and our apartment is right next to the track. It's nice.

Oh, for the record I was wrong about the Metallica concert, it was Tuesday not Saturday. So I did actually get to see it. When we were done for the day we went up to the tower and got a free concert, I could hear just like I was down there. I took pics and videos. It was fun.

The city continues to be super hot, we played fútbol today with a bunch of missionaries, it was fun. We like to order Dominoes pizza, it's one of the only American foods that actually tastes like it does in America, and there are hard to find here in Chile. So since we have one close, we take advantage of that.

There are always different challenges, especially as a missionary, but when we put our trust in the Lord and ask Him to give us strength I know that we will always be able to do what He needs us to. And sometimes we will make mistakes, but the power of the Atonement is real and we can be forgiven and work to be better :)Ok well I love you all and am praying for you. Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Jeffrey DeLong