this week was so awesome and i loved literally every second of it! we arrived at the mission home and got our companions and then met the president and and his wife, who are awesome, and went off to our own areas. they call them sectors here for some reason. but i am in the san fernando sector with elder garcia who is from venezuela and has been out for 8 months. hes awesome and is a great trainer!
we went out after we got to the house and started contacting and then taught my first lesson to a less active family, familia nagil! we taught about la primera vision and it was awesome! i met all the other families and ninos and ward members, and i have already come to love them so much. we went to church on sunday and i met the branch presidency and all 30 people in the branch. its a great branch and there is a very strong spirit there, but we need to get more members there. there are about 200 member in our sector but only 70 are actually member... lots of work to do.
sunday was probably the best day so far. we had a great time in church and after, we went to lunch at la familia agilar, who are from argentina. we had this potato soup with carne and enselada and it was muy rico. me gusta comida ge argentina mucho! the food here has actually been really good. lots of soup because its freezing cold in the mornings and nights, like 45, and lots of bread, chicken, salchichas, and arroz. me gusta.after almuerzo on domingo we went to teach our investigators named andrea and hector, they sell salchichas, but they are called completos here, on the street and we always go talk to them and follow up with them. from what i have heard, they have made some serious progress. they used to smoke 30 cigaros a day, and now they only smoke 3 or 4 and have made a goal to stop completly and live the word of wisdom on the 20th of septiembre. during this lesson on sunday in their casa, we all felt the spirit so strong for the whole hour and a half. it was the best thing ever. we started with la primera vision and then had a hermana paula, a member in our rama, talk about her problem with smoking before and she shared her conversion story and brought the spirit in so strong! then i was able to commit both of them to baptism on the 11th of octubre!! my first baptism!!!! cant wait, its going to be so great. i love it here and it is crazy how much i already love the people here.
ok now to answer questions:
What is your mission presiden't name and was your first impression of him?
president warne and i love him. he is amazing and is so in tune with the spirit, its insane.
president warne and i love him. he is amazing and is so in tune with the spirit, its insane.
elder johns and a latino picked us up and drove us all in a few vans to the mission home and hour and a half away
What was your first meal in Chile?
my first meal was frosted flakes for dinner and the next night we had no real food so we made our own mixture. spaghetti, mayo, scrambled eggs, ketchup, oregano. sounds terrible, but we were so hungry so we just threw everything we had into one big bowl and chowed down. then i had a great lunch of chicken and rice and all that at a members house
How did you spend your first day in Chile?
our first day was contacting and teaching lessons and it was great
Who is your new companion?
my comp is elder garcia. hes 19 from venezuela and is a great leader, trainer, and friend
Is Chile anything like you thought it would be?
i thought chile would be like mexico, and it is a little bit but its also nicer and more clean in the city and the people are great. i love everything about this place
What is the weather like right now?
mornings are freezing 45ish, from 12pm to 6pm its about 55 to 65 and at night its about 40. then when it rains its like 38ish. freezing, but i love it
What's the thing you miss most about home?
i miss you guys. i miss the heat of arizona in the morning and i miss being warm. other than that, i freaking love everything else
What does it feel like to be in the mission field, ready to start teaching the gospel?
i love this. i can already feel the change of being in the field and its crazy. i am having a little trouble with the language, but its getting easier. they speak so fast here, but since i live with 3 other latinos i have to speak spanish all day everyday so that helps a ton.
How is your shoulder bag working out?
shoulder bag is great, thanks again
Did they give you a filter for water and are you drinking a lot?
didnt get a filtered bottle, but the sinks here are fine to drink and i haven't gotten sick yet so its all good. we drink coke and water for lunch everyday, all the members serve coke or orange soda, but at home we drink lots of water, dont worry
i love you guys so much, and i miss you mom!!
i love it here though. viva chile
i love it here though. viva chile
be safe, have a great week, and i will talk to you next monday!!! love you guys
love,
elder pacheco
