"he is super funny and humble and a total nerd but a great missionary"

this week was a blast. it was super sad to see elder silvera go. he has by far been my favorite comp so far and we killed centinela together the last 3 months. its awesome to see him leave as asistent though. elder salilnas already get along great. hes super funny and humble and a total nerd but a great missionary. he is diligent and hard working and always serves everyone. one of my favorite things about him is that he never ever complains. my goal is to take that trait from him and stop complaining. 

as far as the work goes, we have 2 solid fechas right now and we are starting to look for some new people to teach. hector pinto is progressing alot now and actually we have his baptism scheduled for this saturday and 10:00 AM!!! he has to pass one interview on thursday, but i feel like he has the faith and desires and he is ready. he might not know all the doctrine, but he has come to church 11 times now, and he says he wants to change and get baptized finally. ill keep you guys updated for sure. the other investigator that we have is danilo who has a baptismal date for december 5 and is doing great. he is super funny and relaxed but also so interested and amazed by the gospel. its great to see people with so much concern for the gospel in a sector where not many people even care about believing in god.

we recently found a colombian family that got here about a week ago and they are all super super black and hillarious. it kind of threw me off to hear a whole black family talking in all español but with the style and haircuts and accents of black people back home. that sounds a little racist, but i promise im not racist. they are super funny and the dad is pretty interested in the church, we will see how they do this week.

questions:

Describe what it's like to say goodbye to a mission companion and leave an area.  Have you ever been really sad to say goodbye?
it was a total surprise to hear silvera leave, i thought i was leaving for sure, but i actually was pretty sad to see him go. we became super good friends over the last 3 months and it was tough to see him go. there were no tears, but i would like to have stayed with him for the rest of my mission.

Which companion to date has been your favorite and why?
elder silvera by far, we like all the same stuff and have the same sense of humor we are both sarcastic and we both work with investigators the same way. we just became good friends and im gonna go visit him in uruguay i think.

What are Elder Salinas' best qualities?
humility, diligence, love towards everyone, hes always happy and smiling and he never complains or judges. he has a super strong testimony and is always willing to serve and help.

What would you say is your biggest strength and weakness 16 months into your mission? strength:
i have learned to serve and love more, i feel like i can understand people more now. weakness: i want to stop complaining so much and speak better spanish and learn how to be more humble and teachable.

What condition are your scriptures in? Did you get a leather scripture case made? Nick showed us his when he was here for dinner. It is awesome.
a comp gave me a black leather case about 8 months ago, the scriptures a re pretty used and worn, but the case is working good.

What was your favorite thing you got in your birthday box?
i would have sent a picture of my b-day box, but my card has a virus, im going to fix it this week and send a bunch of pictures next week. my favorite thing from the package was the ring of pictures  and the reeses puffs, capitan crunch, and the swiss rolls. it was all so good, thanks again for that.

Where did you put the alpaca?  right on my study desk

How have you felt the Saviors love for you today?
today during studies i read about lehis dream and those that made it to the tree of life, and those that became embarrassed and ashamed. after pondering and studying about those who made it and weren't ashamed, i found some cross references to alma 32:42 and read about how we need to be diligent and patient and have the faith to endure and keep working. it was a good study time and even though ive read that chapter so many times, i felt the spirit in a different way this time.

How many days would you like to spend in Chile when we come pick you up? is it already set in stone that you guys are coming?
if it is i think like 4 or 5 days is all

Questions from Nino:

What area have you not been to that you want to go to?
i want to go to buin, its the northern most part of the mission and its big country and farms and fields

Is your new companion from chile?
he is from colombia

What's you're favorite Chilean snack?
i love these spicy peanuts they sell with chilean salsa picante and i also like these chip type things called ramitas. they are like little pretzel things

How did you celebrate halloween?
we didnt celebrate this year, we had to work like normal, i forgot it was halloween.... lame huh. ha

this week has been god and im excited to be with elder salinas. i hope to learn a lot from him. ill try to send my pictures next week and im going to look for a funny story  and a miracle to share for next week. thanks for the emails and the support everyone. to finish up, just want to say congratulations to sarah and dason for the new baby boy!! cant wait to meet him when i get back. love you all thanks for everything!!!

love,

elder pacheco