I LOVE THE SAVIOR AND IT WAS A GREAT EASTER, A GREAT DAY TO REMEMBER HIS RESURRECTION. HE TRULY LIVES AND LOVE US.

Muchas holas a todos!!!!

Happy Easter!!! it indeed was a good one. By the way, you're killing me with all that food description Mom. Here we had a pretty good Easter but I will tell you about my week first, because it was a good but also very weird and frustrating week. So last week, or the week before last week, we found this guy who we thought was the prefect golden investigator. He stopped us on the street, said that he had been talking to a mormon friend at work, and then asked us if we could give him a Book of Mormon. When we gave him one he thanked us and said that he had been waiting to be able to read one and he was really excited. Then last Sunday he showed up at church and invited us over to his house to teach him and eat lunch. His house was way out in the campo, the country, and in the end we found it but it took us like all day. In the end, the lunch didn't end up happening and he ended up telling us that he is actually a member who was baptized like ten years ago in Antofagasta. Yeah, then we finally got back to our house at like seven to grab some lunch and then go out and work.

So that was a big bummer and kind of a waste of a day but whatever it's all good. That was Wednesday. Also on Tuesday a rain storm caught me off guard and unprepared so I am once again sick! jaja. Oh joy, gotta love winter here. But not a big deal just a minor detail. Thursday it rained really hard and we spent most of the day going around to investigators and members houses passing out invitations to the baptism on Saturday. Since it was raining and people felt bad for us, everyone insisted on giving us something to eat and something hot to drink. We would try to say no but it's next to impossible to deny food from Chileans; they get offended.

So by the end of the day, I had probably drunk like 10 cups of hot chocolate or hot milk with ecco and a ton of food. I felt so gross and sick at the end of the day. jaja. But that's part of the experience serving here in Latin
America sometimes. Eating until
you think your stomach can't take
anymore, and then going to another house and doing it all over

again. Then it happened again last night when we went around saying goodbye to everybody (Elder Bustos is leaving..that was kind of anti climactic but oh well) and it's going to happen again tonight. But now Im prepared because I ate a very light lunch. Anyways that was Thursday. Friday our lunch was with this rich family who basically kidnapped us and took us to this huge house in the

campo. There we had a barbecue with them and their extended family (like 30 people). That was all fun and tasty food and what not but we had to rely on someone with a car to bring us back so it wasted a lot of time. Also on Friday Morning we had to go to Monte Águila to do a baptismal interview with my convert´s (Raquel) sister and then after the barbecue I went to Galvarino to do an interview and then to another sector to do another interview. But I enjoyed that. I just love doing baptismal interviews and seeing their excitement and hearing their conversion stories.

Then Saturday was the baptism!!!

We were nervous the whole week about their interview and about whether they were going to go through with it or not but everything worked out just fine in the end. On Saturday at like five oclock they were baptized and then on Sunday confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. Elder Rubilar (the first missionary who taught them, and then stopped teaching them because they didn't progress) came down to baptize them and it was all a good spiritual experience. We had good ward support there despite the holiday weekend, and the spirit was felt. Afterwards on Sunday morning Ale told us that when he was baptized this warm burning feeling filled his chest and he was still feeling it Sunday morning. Yesterday Elder Bustos went to say good bye to them and they bought a chicken to share with us with the little money they have. They are so poor and humble but willing to share what they have, they are awesome.

Also on Sunday, this gringo Big Wig of a wood company showed up to the chapel and he didn't speak a lick of spanish so I got to go around with him for all three blocks of church and be his translator. It was fun but it was my first time translating and man it was tough, especially since the speaker can't just stop and let me catch up. I had to listen, and translate, and keep up all at the same time. But he was a really nice guy and a long time member of the church. He was excited to have someone there to be able to translate for him.

Well that's all I got for this week, now that Ale and Dina are baptized we have only one progressing investigator who is the brother of a long time member. He is progressing along well but went to his home town of Cañete for the break of the semana santa so we didn't see him at all last week. But he´s coming back today. His name is Elton but I will tell you his story next week because I am out of time. Well I love you all very much. I am grateful for all the support and love I receive from all of you. I love the Savior and it was a great Easter, a great day to remember his resurrection. Fue tan exquisito tomar el pan y el agua de la Santa Cena esa Domingo de la Pascua, y para verles al Ale y la Dina tomarla por la primera vez como miembros ese Domingo fue expectacular!!! He truly lives, and loves us. Until next week CHAO!!!!!!!

con amor, Élder Harper

WHEN THE SPIRIT IS THERE, YOU GOTTA GO ALL OUT. NO REGRETS, NO FEAR!

HEY EVERYBODY!!!

FELIZCUMPLEAÑOS BAYLOR!!!!! Chuta loco te estai poniendo viejo! 16, I can´t believe it. Well it sounds like you had a lot of fun and a good time, and congratulations on your running bro! 4:29 compadre! You are quite the track stud aren't you, keep it up.

Well things here are going just fine and dandy. The week just went by way too fast, and now we will be starting the last week of the cambio and that will go by even faster because it always does. We will know our cambios on Saturday. I'm probably staying but you never know with cambios. President always throws a few curve balls in the cambios, but I really really hope I stay. I love this ward and we have some really good investigators so I will be praying that I stay while my comp will be praying that I go so he can stay jaja. I guess we will be seeing who has more faith by whose prayer gets answered =) jajaja but no really I do hope that I stay.

So this week started off a little slow with not really too much going but things started to pick up on Thursday. Thursday we did intercambios. Elder Bustos went to Yumbel to work with Elder Shore and Elder Ahart came here to work with me, just like old times. He´s doing pretty good, just a little discouraged because spanish is still pretty hard for him and he has only had gringo comps so far. But he' s not afraid to approach people or participate in lessons despite his lack of Spanish so he is coming along alright. The spanish will come.

Also the intercambio was very productive. We went to teach this investigator for the second time and it had been three weeks since we last contacted her so I was a little nervous that she cooled off but it turned out to be a good lesson. She is a very simple and humble lady and has a hard time remembering things but she has a desire to learn and the spirit was felt during the lesson so I decided to invite her to be baptized on the 7th of May (when the spirit is there, you gotta go all out. No regrets no fear!). She does want to be baptized and accepted the invitation but not for the seventh. She said it was too soon, plus she wasn't able to go to church this week due to a funeral service. But that's ok. We are going to help her and her husband out so that they can come unto Christ and be baptized in May still. Then we went and saw Ale and Dina and then visited the Cruces. I love the Cruces so much. They are great converts and sincerely want to dowhat's right and want to follow Christ. And their little two year old son Vicente just cracks me up; he's the coolest little kid I love him. 

On Friday night we had a big ward activity, a ward dinner with drinks, salad, potatoes and steak, well carne a la olla, but its basically steak. Christopher and Paulina came, the Cruces came, and Ale and Dina came. All of our recent converts and our best investigators were also there, so we were very content little missionaries that night. We ate and then we watched as everyone sang karaoke and danced. There were like about a hundred members of the ward there and everyone had a blast. Ale and Dina love it and we had a good time as well joking around with everyone and watching the karaoke and dancing. We left early but later we heard that the bishop even got Ale (who is very shy) to sing some karaoke. So that was good. 

Then on Saturday we had a ward missionary activity which was good but could have turned out better. But that's o.k. We have an awesome ward mission leader who is a recent convert of less 

than a year and full of fire to work with us so we are going to get this ward used to these activities and with working with us slowly, a little bit at a time until we have almost everybody participating. On Sunday we had a pretty good turn out in church, Ale came (Dina had to work=( ) and three other new investigators that are really good that we found this week came so we are really stoked about that. We didn't find very many future investigators but the new ones that we did find are very good so we are content with this week's work. Ale and Dina will be getting baptized this Saturday the 23rd. The first missionary who found them about a year ago will be coming here to baptize them, Ale and Dina worship him. Actually he even went to their house to visit them with Elder Bustos after enrevistas with the President on Tuesday (he is an assistant so he was there) and he gave her a blessing and the spirit was felt really strong. He also had her write the experience down in her Book of Mormon so that when she begins to doubt or get scared she can read that experience and receive the strength she needs. That was inspired because last night at their house she was starting to doubt again and tell us how she doesn't think she is ready yet but I reminded her that she has already received her answer from God and bore testimony to her and helped give her the strength to step forward with faith, follow her answer, and be baptized. So through questions we basically helped her resolve her doubts and when I challenged her once again to be baptized on the 23rd the spirit was there and she accepted. Your right Dad, that article El Misionero que testifica y desafia (a testifying and challenging missionary) is an inspired article. I have it in spanish and it has helped me a lot throughout my mission Dad. Don't worry, I´ll be pushing all the way through the finish line.

I could tell you a few experiences that we had with the new investigators that we found but I'll tell you more about them next week, they are awesome though, different but awesome. Well I got to go now, I'm actually in Monte Águila right now and I'm going to go visit some people but I love you all very much and am so very grateful for your support, your prayers, and your letters and emails. I don't know where I would be without you guys.

con amor, Elder Harper =)

p.s. Thank you very much to the Activity days girls, the Tanners, Grandma and Papa, and you guys for the letters, goodies and treats that I've recieved from you. They were all greatly appreciated. Haha loved the Easter card mom, nice face bay.

IT'S CRAZY HOW FAST TIME FLIES BY; I ALMOST HAVE 21 MONTHS IN THE MISSION!!!!

Hello everybody!

It snowed in orange county in April?! Well, hail or snow, but still, that's pretty dang crazy. The first time that has happened in who knows how many years probably. So that's pretty cool. It sounds like you guys all had a fun filled spring break, awesome! Disneyland, beach, what more could you ask for? The weather here

can´t make up its mind whether it wants to turn to winter or hold on to summer. This week warmed up a lot and we had some pretty hot days like the middle of summer all over again. And now it's cloudy. Yeah, so it kind of just does its own thing but whatever. Whether it's rainy or sunny we are out there working so it's all good.

Well this week here in LA was pretty good. It had some ups and downs and some scares with some investigators but in the end it was all fine and the week ended well. It was actually pretty dang uneventful, especially for the first few days. On Thursday afternoon until the end of Friday morning I went to do an intercambio (divisions) with the missionaries in Galvarino so that was really cool to work the streets once again of Galvarino since over a year ago. I got to see a few members there. Unfortunately none of my converts were home, but thats ok. Since I'm so close I will have a chance to swing by and visit them another day. But it felt really good being back there. I liked that sector a lot and definitely did not appreciate it enough while I was there, but I was still a youngin in the mission and took some things for granted. Anyways it was a good intercambio.

Then Friday and Saturday went fairly well. We didn't really find too many new investigators this week and we couldn't get in touch with any of the ones that we have found within the passed few weeks but we got back in touch with some old investigators from last cambio and had some pretty good lessons with them so we were excited about that. We explained things to them clearly so now it's their decision if they are going to start progressing again and reading, praying and coming to church again. The spirit was definitely felt in the lessons with them so I think that they will take the right decision and start progressing again.

Ale and Dina are progressing along just great. They have a baptismal date for the 23rd of April and it seems like they are commited to it and are ready to come unto Christ. Their relationship with the ward members has improved a lot and they both came to church this Sunday! Dina finally fixed things so that she doesn't have to work on Sunday. In the chapel they were very well received. Everyone said hi to them and lots of people made sure to take some time to chat a little with them and befriend them. They weren't able to stay for the classes but they liked church a lot and said that they would be going to the classes next week. We also had a few other investigators in church but they aren't really progressing at all so I won't talk about them right now. But we plan on taking really good care of Ale and Dina this week and having family nights with them at the members houses to keep them going strong with their decision. So we are very excited about them and their progression.

The Cruces had to go to Santiago to take their little son to the doctor this weekend so they didn't make it to church but they are doing well and we are going to keep visiting them to help them stay strong. But they´re doing good; they´re a great family. Well that's about all for this week, nothing else really to say. Just two weeks left in this cambio and then only two cambios left. It's crazy how fast time flies by; I almost have 21 months in the mission!!!! AHHH!!!!! haha Well I love you all very much, have fun back at school kids and we will be hearing from eachother again next week. Until next Monday CIAO!!!!!!!!!!!

con amor, Elder Harper =)

I WANT TO DIE (end/finish my mission) WITH MY FACE TOWARD ZION

Hola a todos!!!!

Sorry that I'm writing so late Mom. Today we had consejo (zone leader council) in the President's house, or as Danny called it, the council of the Knights of the Round Table. So we had to travel last night to that, stay at a house in Talcahuano, and then go to President's house in the morning. Because conference ended at 7 here in Chile, we got a late start to consejo and didn't get a seat on the bus so we had to take the two hour trip standing up. That kind of..stunk, jaja but what can you do? When I was in Santa Juana I started to get pretty good at kind of half sleeping while standing up and holding on to the hand rail in the bus. Anyways I didn't get all that much sleep last night but it was worth it and worth losing P-day because consejo is awesome. It just feels so cool sitting in President's living room in a circle with all of the leaders of the mission, many of which are good friends in the mission. But there were a lot of young guns there and now I am definitely starting to feel old in the mission jaja. It still hasn't completely hit me yet how little time I have left, but I think that that's a good thing. I'm still going strong and will be doing so toward the end. As the ancestor of one of the apostles (can't remember which one) said, who served in the Martin hand-car company, "I want to die (end the mission, death, it's like the same) with my face toward Zion." Anyways, consejos went well and the mission is going to be going through some changes pretty soon here that I´m excited about.

Yeah, as far as the Cruces goes... They got baptized!!!!!!!! yay!!!!!!!!!!! jajaja. I couldn't be more happier for them. Last Monday night we had a very spiritual Noche de Hogar (Family night) and afterwards, while we ate, Jose Cruces said that he wanted to get baptized on Sunday but when he remembered it was conference he said ok, then next Sunday. Madeline (his wife) looked at him and said, no.. this week.. wednesday. Jaja She is such a strong pillar I love it! anyways he looked at her and then agreed. So we spent all Tuesday running around inviting the ward to the baptism and planning the baptism with the ward mission leader. On Wednesday the baptism started a little late (they ALWAYS do here) but other than that it was spectacular and very spiritual. We had a great ward turn out, the bishop came, the stake president came, and even President and the hermana Swenson came. Months back President came to Los Ángeles to do a devotional for recent converts and investigators and they got to know the Cruces very well. Every time President saw us, he always asked us about them and he was very happy when he found out that they were finally getting baptized and well, he came. Jose´s best friend (who is a ward member) baptized him and I got to baptize Madeline. It was a great experience and the spirit was felt strong there, and they definitely recognized it. Yesterday they came to the morning session of conference and afterwards were

confirmed members and saints of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. They are on their way to becoming great members of the Church and in a year more, an eternal family. How awesome!!!!!!

So because of the double baptism, I´m going to say that it was a great week but other than that... jaja well, we´ve had better. We found some good potential new investigators who are member's friends but of the 11 investigators who were supposed to come to one or more sessions of conference, none came. Out of the five opportunities none came. That was a little frustrating especially because Ale y Dina commited to come and then bailed. Our ward here is great but not perferct.. This week we found out that at church last week some member did something to offend him a little bit and not really too many people paid much attention to him so he has been feeling down about that. He says that he still wants to get baptized and stuff but the energy he had before has been all but completely deflated. He said he was going to come still but just completely flaked on us. Now I could let that get me discouraged but that's not going to help anything, jaja, even though it was disappointing. So what we are going to do this week to remedy that problem is have a barbecue at a member's house with a few good fellowshipping families and we are going to invite them to it. We are also going to invite him to play football (soccer) with the men of the ward on Friday night, and if that works out, it should animate him enough to keep on trudging forward. He doesn't have any doctrinal problems really, he just needs some friends in the ward, to feel love and like he's a part of the ward. That will help him out a lot. Dina is actually coming along well. She is becoming more receptive and is now talking about baptism and church membership not as a hypothetical thing but as a future event in her life that has just not happened yet. They are good humble people and are going to be our new number one focus for this week so they can be baptized on the 23rd of April, pray for them.

Conference... conference was awesome!!!! What more can I say? jaja. I loved all the talks and found a lot of common themes such as... charity and helping the poor, Marriage!, revelation, marriage, and marriage jaja. He hit hard on that subject big time especially for all of those RM´s out there who are just twiddling their thumbs. And then hearing Elder Holland's message about conference and how talk subjects are picked, just added testimony to how important those talks are, especially the ones with repeated themes. That is the revelation that we need to make it safely through the next six months my friends.(until the next conference in October) Fortunately I was able to watch all five sessions in English, unfortunately this was due to the fact that there were no investigators I needed to sit next to in the spanish sessions =(. Oh well, conference was still awesome and the spiritual feast that I needed. It brought me a little closer from the gray beginnings of Dawn to the noon day sun =). And I definitely will not be dawdling along for these next three months on my road to Damascus (the rest of my mission). I'm going to be doing everything I can to baptize everyone that I can!!! Because that is the only door which leads to eternal life. If they don't get baptized, then they´re not going anywhere. The gospel is true, and I know that the Prophet, apostles and church leaders are inspired by the hand of God. They have been called to sound the Lord's warning trump here in our days. We must do everything to heed them. I love you all very much and until next week CHAO!!!!!!!!!!!

con amor, Elder Harper =)