Happy Birthday yesterday, Nathan! 17? That can´t be right. You are almost done with your junior year of high school? One year to go? That is crazy hermano.
Thank you for the pictures! It´s so good to see everybody (well, everyone but Mom and Stephanie. I´m guessing mom was taking the picture and Stephanie... don´t know. Get in the picture next time! ;) ) A couple days ago I was trying to picture everyone´s faces, and I couldn´t do it! I had to go look at the pictures in the calendar you sent me. And last night I had a dream that I was home with everyone except Jordan who was still on his mission. So thank you for the pictures! It looks like Nathan´s birthday was fun! (Especially for him ;) )
And in the dream I prayed in English. It was weird haha. I have actually been praying in English with Elder Hertler because he needs to learn English. He hardly knows any, but he is learning really fast. He wants to maybe go to BYU and play futbol americano after his mission. That would be so neat to take him to the States.
Yes, we have heard about some of these earthquakes. In our pension one missionary is from Mexico and one from Santiago-ish Chile. And then me, and a member told us there was an earthquake in the States too, but I don´t know where. Now we´re just missing Argentina and all of our homes will have had earthquakes. Scary! We have only felt one for sure a few weeks ago. And one maybe last week. Just small ones of course. During the first one, we were sitting in a member´s home and everything just started shaking! It was crazy! It only lasted about 5 seconds.
Oh boy Jessica. That´s good to hear! :D And one of your companion´s is going to stay with you!? That would be so much fun! Seeing any of my mission buddy´s after the mission is going to be a blast. Enjoy conference!
Oh man, I am so pumped for conference! The first session is at 1, so the next is at 5 and priesthood is from 9 to 11. Luckily not too different. And I think we even get to watch it in English. It is so nice to hear them from their own voices and not just a translator. We are all blessed to always have that privilege.
Wow. Thank you for sharing that experience in the temple. That makes so much sense. And I don´t think many people here are to the point in doing their family history work yet. So that will help! Our ancestors need their work done now so they don´t have to wait during the millennium and so they can participate in the second coming.
That makes me so happy to hear about Harold! Thank you!
Yesterday was tranfers and most of us in Alto Hospicio are staying here! I´m so glad about that. Elder Hertler and I have much to do. And I love rooming with Elder Lopez and Elder Garrido. They are both great.
Well it was good to see most of you again! Only a month and a half and I get to call, and on Jessicá´s birthday too!
Love, Elder Derek Keele
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Elder Derek Keele, Mar. 19, 2012
Yes! I have had a great week! The highlight was spending a day on splits with the assistants. I worked with Elder Ricks, and we had some awesome experiences that I will write about later. Yes, my companion has been much better too.
Becoming a ward is the goal :D That would be so neat to see. There are enough members, but not enough that are dedicated in attending. One of the Elder´s quorum counselors that just got released yesterday hasn´t attended church in months, maybe years. And we are one of the stronger branches in Chile. There are some where not even the Bishop shows up to church. President Bruce told us that getting people to church is a battle here. So getting them to church is fun.
Our sector is probably like... our stake and the Lakeview stake put together. That is our branch area. However big that is haha. So to get to church is about 20 minutes walking for the farthest people. That takes an effect on the attendance as well. We have a chapel and it is beautiful! It is only maybe 10 years old and I love being in it.
Haha poor Japonese Girls. Rats, no. And spiders not really either. We usually wake up with a bunch of bug bites though, and there are tiny cockroaches and other little bugs. But we used a spray as well so they don´t bug us too much.
Do choir Nathan! It was so much fun and I still sings the songs in my head with the Tabernacle Choir CDs we have haha.
President Matt Holland is really good! I went to a fireside of his at UVU a few months before I left. He is a lot like his dad. Those stories are so neat! Very small world.
Go Brenton! That is so cool! I´m way happy for him! Tell Josh to get on it too. haha
So Saturday I got to work with Elder Ricks all day. We have had an investigator, Carla, for about a month. Elder Hertler and I both know that she knows the church is true. And she enjoys the peace and comfort that it brings. But for some reason last Tuesday she decided not to make the step of baptism. Elder Hertler and I did not know how to help her. But then we met with her Saturday with Elder Ricks and he helped her remember what she knows and realized the peace that she is looking for in her life is right here. And it is so easy to get. Just accept Christ and His atonement. When we do that we can wake up every day and just be happy, knowing that everything will be okay as long as we follow Christ. We don´t have to worry about all of the bad things in our life because the Lord will take care of us. It is when we go away from Him that we start being afraid. So she will now hopefully be ready for this Saturday.He also helped us with a family that needs to get married. The mom is a member but the dad is not. They both want to do what is right, but getting married has just been a hard step to take for the almost 20 years they´ve been together. We know that every missionary companionship that has taught them has challenged them to get married. But Elder Ricks helped them both a lot and hopefully they will change.
This is week 6 now and I hope that I stay here with my companion another 6 weeks at least. But we´ll find out next week.
The mission is amazing! And I´m working to be better every day!
Love,
Elder Derek Keele
Becoming a ward is the goal :D That would be so neat to see. There are enough members, but not enough that are dedicated in attending. One of the Elder´s quorum counselors that just got released yesterday hasn´t attended church in months, maybe years. And we are one of the stronger branches in Chile. There are some where not even the Bishop shows up to church. President Bruce told us that getting people to church is a battle here. So getting them to church is fun.
Our sector is probably like... our stake and the Lakeview stake put together. That is our branch area. However big that is haha. So to get to church is about 20 minutes walking for the farthest people. That takes an effect on the attendance as well. We have a chapel and it is beautiful! It is only maybe 10 years old and I love being in it.
Haha poor Japonese Girls. Rats, no. And spiders not really either. We usually wake up with a bunch of bug bites though, and there are tiny cockroaches and other little bugs. But we used a spray as well so they don´t bug us too much.
Do choir Nathan! It was so much fun and I still sings the songs in my head with the Tabernacle Choir CDs we have haha.
President Matt Holland is really good! I went to a fireside of his at UVU a few months before I left. He is a lot like his dad. Those stories are so neat! Very small world.
Go Brenton! That is so cool! I´m way happy for him! Tell Josh to get on it too. haha
So Saturday I got to work with Elder Ricks all day. We have had an investigator, Carla, for about a month. Elder Hertler and I both know that she knows the church is true. And she enjoys the peace and comfort that it brings. But for some reason last Tuesday she decided not to make the step of baptism. Elder Hertler and I did not know how to help her. But then we met with her Saturday with Elder Ricks and he helped her remember what she knows and realized the peace that she is looking for in her life is right here. And it is so easy to get. Just accept Christ and His atonement. When we do that we can wake up every day and just be happy, knowing that everything will be okay as long as we follow Christ. We don´t have to worry about all of the bad things in our life because the Lord will take care of us. It is when we go away from Him that we start being afraid. So she will now hopefully be ready for this Saturday.He also helped us with a family that needs to get married. The mom is a member but the dad is not. They both want to do what is right, but getting married has just been a hard step to take for the almost 20 years they´ve been together. We know that every missionary companionship that has taught them has challenged them to get married. But Elder Ricks helped them both a lot and hopefully they will change.
This is week 6 now and I hope that I stay here with my companion another 6 weeks at least. But we´ll find out next week.
The mission is amazing! And I´m working to be better every day!
Love,
Elder Derek Keele
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Elder Derek Keele, Mar. 12, 2012
Antofagasta was really good! We had a meeting with president and sister Bruce and they taught us a lot of the basic things and answered questions that we have had in our first few weeks. They are both amazing! And on the way back we got to see the sun setting on the ocean!!! It was so great! We didn´t go anywhere to take pictures though. I´m sure when I am serving in Antofagasta we´ll go to the rock arch that is near the coast. It´s been pretty hot, but not unbearable. The only bad part is that nobody has air conditioning. Just fans, and cold drinks. Haha so all those months of only using fans at our house has prepared me for this.
I´m so sad to hear about Uncle Wendell. I loved when they visited. They were always so happy and united. I´m glad that Aunt Arlene is doing okay.
Haha oh boy Jessica. :D I'm so glad that you are having a good experience with the TRC. All of the missionaries love it, and that is great that you are able to help them.
I´m sorry I don´t have much to write this week. My companion was sick last week so we weren´t able to do a lot. But still I think we´ve been able to help a lot of members and investigators. We have a lot to do to strengthen the branch though. And maybe by the time we leave it will be a ward. There are about 100 people that come every week. But there are still many less actives. We teach a lot of lessons, to less actives and members to try and strengthen them. Because when they stop doing the basics like reading and praying it is hard for them to see the point in attending church. We´re both feeling great now so this next week I´ll have a lot to write about!
Love,
Elder Derek Keele
I´m so sad to hear about Uncle Wendell. I loved when they visited. They were always so happy and united. I´m glad that Aunt Arlene is doing okay.
Haha oh boy Jessica. :D I'm so glad that you are having a good experience with the TRC. All of the missionaries love it, and that is great that you are able to help them.
I´m sorry I don´t have much to write this week. My companion was sick last week so we weren´t able to do a lot. But still I think we´ve been able to help a lot of members and investigators. We have a lot to do to strengthen the branch though. And maybe by the time we leave it will be a ward. There are about 100 people that come every week. But there are still many less actives. We teach a lot of lessons, to less actives and members to try and strengthen them. Because when they stop doing the basics like reading and praying it is hard for them to see the point in attending church. We´re both feeling great now so this next week I´ll have a lot to write about!
Love,
Elder Derek Keele
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Elder Derek Keele, Mar. 5, 2012
Dear family,
That is such a cool experience! Always remember it! When we stand up we show others, ourselves, and our Heavenly Father that we really want to follow the prophets. I am one of the last people that could say I always stand up. It is no secret that I have always been very shy and not very willing to put myself out there to do what is right. But I know that we will be blessed for it and that it will strengthen us. And I´m sure I will have many opportunities to learn that during my mission.
My companion is from Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Florida. He said that he does live in the North Mission (Jessica's mission).
Yes, we get to go to Antofagasta tomorrow, I think, and finally have our interviews with President Bruce. He is such a great leader and mission president!
This month we are having our own March Madness for our mission. The top 64 companionships were put into a bracket and compete each week to see who has the highest numbers, (like investigators to church, lessons taught, people contacted, etc.) We are all so pumped and are excited to find out each Tuesday if we move on. My companion is set on winning so we are really going to work these next few weeks. And from this we can all see our real potential if we continue to try that hard for the rest of our missions! The winners get to go to the mission home and watch games and eat food for a day with President Bruce and his wife. And there are some other prizes along the way as well.
Yesterday we had a conference with all of Northern Chile. President Jay E. Jensen spoke, in Spanish, as well as Julie B. Beck and Elder Anderson. Everyone was so excited that they could hear their actual voices and not just them being translated. And Elder L. Tom Perry spoke last, with a translator. But the whole thing was really good.
hasta luego,
Elder Keele
That is such a cool experience! Always remember it! When we stand up we show others, ourselves, and our Heavenly Father that we really want to follow the prophets. I am one of the last people that could say I always stand up. It is no secret that I have always been very shy and not very willing to put myself out there to do what is right. But I know that we will be blessed for it and that it will strengthen us. And I´m sure I will have many opportunities to learn that during my mission.
My companion is from Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Florida. He said that he does live in the North Mission (Jessica's mission).
Yes, we get to go to Antofagasta tomorrow, I think, and finally have our interviews with President Bruce. He is such a great leader and mission president!
This month we are having our own March Madness for our mission. The top 64 companionships were put into a bracket and compete each week to see who has the highest numbers, (like investigators to church, lessons taught, people contacted, etc.) We are all so pumped and are excited to find out each Tuesday if we move on. My companion is set on winning so we are really going to work these next few weeks. And from this we can all see our real potential if we continue to try that hard for the rest of our missions! The winners get to go to the mission home and watch games and eat food for a day with President Bruce and his wife. And there are some other prizes along the way as well.
Yesterday we had a conference with all of Northern Chile. President Jay E. Jensen spoke, in Spanish, as well as Julie B. Beck and Elder Anderson. Everyone was so excited that they could hear their actual voices and not just them being translated. And Elder L. Tom Perry spoke last, with a translator. But the whole thing was really good.
hasta luego,
Elder Keele
Monday, February 27, 2012
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