I YELLED AND BEFORE I HAD THE CHANCE TO TURN AROUND AND DEFEND MYSELF...

Querido familia y amigos,

¡Hola Nuevamente! Well, this last week was definitely an interesting one but it was really good. Last Monday after emailing, we went with some jovenes to the city of Pucón to spend p-day. When I asked my comp where it 

was he said he didn’t know but that it was a big tourist spot and the jovenes wanted to go there. About an hour into the bus ride we passed the city of Villarica and realized "Chuta!(dang) we are not even in the mission boundaries anymore! This is the Osorno Mission!" But there was nothing we could do about it at that point. So don´t tell President Swenson hahaha. Anyways, Pucón is just right on the other side of Lake Villarica. It’s this little town, that reminds me of Lake Arrowhead or something. It is right on the lake with a beautiful view of the snow-covered, smoky Volcan Villarica in the background, and pine tree forests everywhere. Don’t worry, I took pictures :). It was a fun trip but for now on I´m going to make sure I know exactly where we are going for p-day so we don’t end up in Argentina or something hahaha. Today, after emailing, us and the zone leaders are heading up to Temuco because apparently they have a Pizza Hut there!!! Que bacán!!!! (sweet!!!) So I´m excited and it is in our mission boundaries :).

Anyways, continuing with the week, at the weekly meeting on Tuesday we found out that as far as numbers go, our zone is lagging in the mission so we set some pretty high goals and worked our behinds off all week. Tuesday was awesome. We were making contacts left and right and like ten people told us that they were coming for sure to general conference and a few even told us they wanted to get baptized. I even started a few of the contacts even though I still can’t get very far without my companion jumping in.I´m working on it though. I just really felt like a missionary that day talking to everyone in the street and helping old people and such with groceries while inviting them to come to church. It was awesome.

But Tuesday night I got really sick and was up all night with the flu :( It was rough for many reasons, most of which are too graphic to say in this email hahaha. Then we were out for half of Wednesday too because I couldn’t get out of bed! Even though I wasn’t feeling much better after "lunch" (i obviously didn’t eat) I still just dragged myself out the door and we worked the rest of the day. Man it was hard trekking around all of Pitruf that day but I survived and was glad that I went out even though it wasn’t a very successful day. But I started feeling better and better each day after that and I´m fine now. Still have that stupid cough but even that’s starting to get better now.

General Conference was awesome!!! I was so excited all week for it; I know what you mean Dad. It’s the same for me too. I didn’t truly appreciate the chance to listen to our prophet and church leaders until being out here. Even better was that all us gringos got to watch it downstairs from the chapel with a little t.v. in English!!! It was great. Especially when they announced the Concepción Temple. Everybody got up and started screaming and hugging each other and we could hear all the members and latino missionaries upstairs doing the same. It was so awesome! The spirit was so strong and powerful in the room, some people were even crying. These missionaries, like my companion, have been working their whole missions for this temple and it was a big pay day, so-to-speak, for them. And now I get to continue the work to baptize strong members that will be worthy to go to the temple and pay their tithing so that this thing can be built. I won't physically be at the construction site with hard hat and hammer but I will be building it so to speak with the work and I´m overjoyed and honored to be a part of that, to help build this temple. Hopefully the work will be able to take off now and the members will be even more animated about helping us out and sharing the gospel with their friends.

The announcement set a great tone for the rest of conference, I felt like some of the apostles were almost talking directly to me during their discursos (talks). It was great how much of what they were saying I could apply to me to become a better missionary; I took so many notes hahaha. All the sessions were great and every one felt like it ended too soon. One of my favorite discourses wasm President Uchtdorf´s in priesthood meeting, about getting through trials in life through work and learning. Everything he said and all of his stories really hit me and got me more excited to get out and work. All the talks were just awesome. One of the Seventies who spoke, Elder Zeballos, was the mission president here before Swenson so everyone was really stoked to hear him. It was just a great conference and a needed spiritual surge for me to build my testimony of the gospel and my animo (excitement) for this work. A few of our investigators even came to some sessions; I think we had a total of three. It was kind of disappointing since like 20 said they would come but hey, we improved on last week, so that’s good. And we have a set date for Jonathan to be baptized. He wants to be baptized in the river that runs on the edge of Pitrufquén because he wants to be baptized like Christ was, in a river. He´s a great kid we just have to keep him excited for it and coming to church more often and I think it will go through.

Well, that’s about it for me this week. To answer some questions, no, the mamita thing fell through cuz the 
hermana was going to charge us way too much and the mission financer wouldn’t authorize it. She basically just wanted to rip us off and make money off of us, lame. But we do have consistent lunch appointments 3 times a week and we are talking to another hermana about her possibly being our mamita, so we will see. If not, we have plenty of bread and spaghetti at the house, hahaha, so no matter what, we will survive. 

 And we have some fresh cow milk cuz hermano Volti, who kind of lives on the edge of Pitruf in the campo, lets us go milk his cow and keep the milk. It was fun. I had to compete with the calf for milk while I was milking it hahaha. My only request as of right now for the package is the book I left at home, How To Survive in the Chilean Jungle. A missionary in our zone paid through the nose and went hungry to buy that book in Temuco and went into conniptions when he found out that I had it and left it at home. Next week I will have a few more things hahaha, I just need to make a list.

Oh, and a funny story I forgot to tell last week was about my first dog attack a week and a half ago. Everyone and their mother has a dog here in Pitruf and there are just as many homeless street dogs. The street dogs don’t bother you but some of the owner’s ones are nasty. So while walking down the street we passed an open gate and as we passed I heard a low growl. A few steps later, the growl turned into barking and this big black dog/monster was running after me and nipped at my leg, but fortunately he only got my pant leg. I yelled and before I had the chance to turn around and defend myself, my companion kicked it and it went running. He was laughing afterwards but now I was like traumatized for the rest of the day! He makes fun of me cuz now I´m pretty jumpy when we are passing gates. Every house has some form of a gate with barking dogs. Don’t worry though I´m more careful now and I haven’t had a close encounter since.

Well, it sounds like things are still going well at home. That’s a bummer about Bay being sick. Hopefully he will recover soon despite lacrosse and running. I laughed at Izzie´s turtle’s name. By the way, what does Tish think about the new animal in the home? Well that’s all I got for this week but as always, I love you all very much and appreciate all your emails and all the love, support, and prayers I get from you. I´m so lucky to have such great family and friends. Les amo mucho!!!!

con mucho abrazos y amor como siempre, Élder Harper :)