Week 53

Hola familia!!!

Dang, that's the second ward halloween party I missed! You know what that means? I won't be missing no more!!! Hehehehe wow that was a really trunky sentence! But anyways, dang! That looks so awesome! It's interesting that the tradition changed from Windsor to the church, but I think that's a good change! It makes it more of a ward activity... but that might just be my standpoint because I'm on a mission. You guys celebrated by doing all my favorite things?! Not fair! And don't talk to me about "Stranger Things"!!!

Anyways, this week was pretty normal. The biggest things that happened are the conference, the interviews, and Sunday,  so I guess I'll write about those!

Tuesday, all day we had our monthly conference with President! It was a very awesome conference. It was a bit different than normal. Usually, pres teaches us about something from Preach My Gospel, going into depth and changing our views of it a little, and helping us see how to use it to help us baptize. This conference was a little different. He starts by bearing his testimony of what it means to be a missionary who ''Fears no Man!'' Apparently, President Ferreira read the Ricciardi Letter. But it was a very profound testimony of what we can accomplish as missionaries, here in the north of Chile, if we adapted that attitude, and lost our fear! He then told us that he has received revelation, that his vision for this mission, and for every companionship, has changed. Before his goal for a companionship is that they baptized every month. Now, he wants us to baptize weekly! He says that with the tools that he is giving us, and with our testimonies, and with a better vision, we can accomplish this goal. He is expecting an example of all of his leaders. It was, to say the least, a very animated conference!! But it was great to learn from him, and to meet up with all the other missionaries too! I saw Elder Blanco again! He misses me haha, he misses the time when he didn't have to lead! I do too!

Thursday after, we had interviews with President. It was a very nerve-wracking day! I was thinking all day of what we were going to talk about. I had several things I wanted to talk with him about, several things with which I was stressing a lot, and I wanted his help with a lot of things. So I was occupied in my mind all day Thursday haha! Our interviews were set up for the same time as alwyas, 4:00 pm, which is right after his lunch. So he was late as usual hahaha. Elder Aparicio went first, and his interview was a bit longer than the allotted 10 minutes that we usually get. I was expecting it. He seems a little stressed out. I'm trying to help him out, but there were just a lot of things that he needed to talk with president about. Not so much worthiness, more stress. But then it was my turn, and we begin talking, and he just goes off, and gives some long speech of his vision for this mission and for everything, which ended up taking a good 20 minutes!! And then I finally got to talk about what I wanted to talk about! And we ended up having a very long interview haha! I got out, and the rest of my zone had arrived and were waiting to go in, and they all looked at me as if I just told president I wanted to go home or something! Jaja it was a good interview, but I still felt like there were things left unsaid and was dissatisfied, but I don't know what things! Jaja it's weird, but oh well!

So, Sunday comes around and we have a ton of people invited to come to church, and I'm feeling good! Then we go around to get all of them, and all of them cancel on us! So that was depressing. but I refused to be in a bad attitude! It's very awesome when you can get over that obstacle of everyone rejecting you, and you get over that desanimo (discouragement) and the world just gets better! That happened Sunday on the way to church, when I knew that I tried my best, and so I didn't care if the results weren't too good! But then, as we were walking down the street and I was belting 'Praise to the Man' at the top of my lungs, some man walks over to us, and stops us, and asks me, ''Do you know where I can find a Christian church? I want to go hear the word of God!'' Haha I just went right on ahead and said, ''Follow us!'' And we sang hymns with a random man that we did not know on the way to church! His name was Ziko, and was technically not from my sector, but oh well! And he didn't just stay for the first hour! He was there the whole church! Not even our investigators do that their first time! But also, when I get there, I look over at Rodrigo and Maria Jose, my recent converts who are good friends, and they have some random other guy with them, another ym! So I went over and talked and apparently they just went over and decided to invite their friend to church and he came! It was so cool! And then three more investigators came, but they're children of a mom who wants nothing to do with us, so we can't really do anything there. But it was just awesome because I had a good attitude, and I feel like God was blessing my efforst!

But anyways, that's basically all that's going on! To answer your question, mom, I didn't really celebrate at all for my year... I burned a shirt, but that's pretty much it. Elder Aparicio and I don't get along. We had to talk because he is trying to punish me and correct me for almost breaking rules... or, breaking rules that he has made up to keep him from breaking actual rules. It's like, spirit of the law versus letter of the law. He thinks I'm chueco, I think he's a pharisee. It's just basically two different styles of missionary. I'm not saying he needs to change! I feel like having different types of missionaries like that improves our effectiveness. But... we don't fall well together. And yes. I am a boss baker! I make my own bread now! 

Anways, hope you all have an awesome week! Don't do too many things without me! Stop stressing, mom!

Les amo a todos!

Elder Schmid