This last week was a very interesting week. We weren´t able to get too much done actually but I am excited to get working. There are some old investigators that want to start coming back again and everything. It could very well be true that this month will be a high baptising month [referring to sentiments of his mission president].
As for the aftermath we are feeling tremors all the time and we are returning to our apartment today. In our sector our building had the most damage with the ceilings and everything. There are no problems with the water, food or anything.
As for some good experiences I must say it was fun living in my first house for a week with my second comp Elder Maruri as well. I went by a couple of converts one day and got to teach a lesson with another which was great. Probably the best day of the week was yesterday. There was a sattelite transmission for an area conference of Chile. Elder Bednar and President Monson spoke. Elder Bednar talked about receiving the stregnth of the Lord through the Atonement and how it will give us strength beyond our own. President Monson also had a great talk. They gave a message of calm and hope to the people and I hope they receive it. He also talked about bringing back all the less-actives that are not coming to Church. The thing is Chile has an inactivity of more than 80%, nearly 90%. There is only so much us missionaries can do, and our main job is to baptise new people into the Church.
As for myself I am learning a great deal about interacting with other people and stuff. I did have an interesting experience the other day though, yesterday in fact. We went with a large group of missionaries on last notice to a family that was moving out of their apartment. As we were just finishing up moving everything into the truck the Landlady came and started saying that the family was robbing her and hadn´t payed two months of rent. She was going into the house and the two kids told her to go away but she pushed them. She kept going and the mom came and pulled her hair, and a man impersonating a cop for the Landlady grabbed her hand. Meanwhile there are two real cops out on the street trying to figure out what was going on. The Landlady got desperate and pulled one of the Elders in the house with her and locked the door. I didn´t leave at that point to stay near him. The kids and the mom left to talk to the cops and the lady finally let the other Elder out but kept asking us to be witnesses to the whole thing. Turns out she didn´t even have a contract for the apartment, had brought a fake cop and lawyer with her and was just trying to get the best of the family. We left and helped them finish. Needless to say, it was interesting. Nothing bad happened and nothing is going to happen with us but still, people are willing to get anyone and everyone involved in things that don´t have to deal with them. I was calm during the whole thing though.
This last week I have seen an incredible strength and patience that I don´t remember having. Anyway, I love you all and hope that everything goes well with the play this week. I am happy to know that you are all doing well and pray that you are happy. Love you!
--
Elder David Skiles
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Earthquake Update (eMail of March 1, 2010)
I´m doing well just so you all know. Attached are a couple pictures of the damage. There is more but this is what I have. The earthquake hit about 3:15 in the morning here. I had just woken up for nothing and was laying there when it started. My first thoughts were "here it is". About two weeks before the mission received info on earthquakes and what we should do just in case. We joked around saying that the Church was predicting a quake. But it really happened. The building started moving like crazy to the point that I wasn´t able to stand up. I just stayed where I was being a little bit away from everything. It lasted for a minute and a half and everything was moving like crazy. The building was moving several feet, probably up to 6 or 8 feet. As it was slowing down we heard a few crashes and the plaster ceiling outside our door fell down, with some other stuff. The building was still moving for several minutes afterward and several feet. During the whole thing we saw a bunch of transformers blow up as well.
In the end there wasn´t any serious damage but we were still told to leave at least until the aftershocks are all over. The plate moved a lot. We still feel some tremors every now and then.
As for investigators and converts everyone is okay. There wasn´t too much damage in other parts. In fact yesterday went great. Sebastian and Hortenzia came with the three children which hasn´t happened before. Another two investigatores came and half the people at the baptism weren´t members. Camila Díaz of nine years was baptized. From the baptism several people were left with more desires to listen and we have some good futures now. I am really hoping that everything continues to go well. Right now we have all we need.
There are possibilities that the wate[r may be contaminated.] I am grateful to be here and even more so to have the protection of the Lord with me. I know He loves us. Today we have a mission Family Home Evening so I think we´re going to learn some more today about everything. I just want you all to know that I am safe, that we are doing well and having success. Thank you for your prayers and support and don´t worry. The Lord is God.
--
Elder David Skiles
In the end there wasn´t any serious damage but we were still told to leave at least until the aftershocks are all over. The plate moved a lot. We still feel some tremors every now and then.
As for investigators and converts everyone is okay. There wasn´t too much damage in other parts. In fact yesterday went great. Sebastian and Hortenzia came with the three children which hasn´t happened before. Another two investigatores came and half the people at the baptism weren´t members. Camila Díaz of nine years was baptized. From the baptism several people were left with more desires to listen and we have some good futures now. I am really hoping that everything continues to go well. Right now we have all we need.
There are possibilities that the wate[r may be contaminated.] I am grateful to be here and even more so to have the protection of the Lord with me. I know He loves us. Today we have a mission Family Home Evening so I think we´re going to learn some more today about everything. I just want you all to know that I am safe, that we are doing well and having success. Thank you for your prayers and support and don´t worry. The Lord is God.
--
Elder David Skiles
Earthquake Update - March 1, 2010 AM
The following is an email sent to family from David's mother.
I just got an email from David with permission to call him, after several tries I was able to reach him. He is fine. They have moved out of their apartment for now--it is on the 14th floor and the ceiling in the hall is partly down. It was hard to hear everything--his voice cut out every few seconds so some of this is a guess--he will email with more details later. The inside of their apartment is fine but they are living with other elders for at least the next week until damage in the building is assesed, cleaned up ect. One set of Elders on the first floor have cracks in their floor and have moved out completely, I don't know if it is the same building or not. Those two were a little scratched up in getting out of the building. David said he was afraid at first but quickly felt calm. If I heard him correctly he said he realized if the building was coming down being on the 14th floor he wouldn't be able to get out. They could see the buildings around them swaying 3 to 4 feet side to side after it was over. He said he would not have been able to walk around during the quake it was moving too much. After the quake they left the building to look around and see if help was needed anywhere around them but people seemed to be fine--not a lot of damage where he is. They had a baptism yesterday in cold water since there was no electricity. For now they are just on a normal schedule. Some metro routes are not running but most are. It sounds like Concepcion is really the area that has been hit hard. David did say the stores are packed with people buying up supplies. It was such a relief to hear his voice and know what is going on. Three weeks ago the mission sent out instructions to all the Missonaries on the protocols for what to do in case of an earthquake specifically or an emergency in general so they all knew what to do. He had not heard that the Angel Moroni on the Temple lost his trumpet--that was in a Salt Lake City newspaper. Now I can rest easy but I will still be praying for those who have sons in Concepcion where there is a lot of damage and looting going on. Thanks for your prayers.
I just got an email from David with permission to call him, after several tries I was able to reach him. He is fine. They have moved out of their apartment for now--it is on the 14th floor and the ceiling in the hall is partly down. It was hard to hear everything--his voice cut out every few seconds so some of this is a guess--he will email with more details later. The inside of their apartment is fine but they are living with other elders for at least the next week until damage in the building is assesed, cleaned up ect. One set of Elders on the first floor have cracks in their floor and have moved out completely, I don't know if it is the same building or not. Those two were a little scratched up in getting out of the building. David said he was afraid at first but quickly felt calm. If I heard him correctly he said he realized if the building was coming down being on the 14th floor he wouldn't be able to get out. They could see the buildings around them swaying 3 to 4 feet side to side after it was over. He said he would not have been able to walk around during the quake it was moving too much. After the quake they left the building to look around and see if help was needed anywhere around them but people seemed to be fine--not a lot of damage where he is. They had a baptism yesterday in cold water since there was no electricity. For now they are just on a normal schedule. Some metro routes are not running but most are. It sounds like Concepcion is really the area that has been hit hard. David did say the stores are packed with people buying up supplies. It was such a relief to hear his voice and know what is going on. Three weeks ago the mission sent out instructions to all the Missonaries on the protocols for what to do in case of an earthquake specifically or an emergency in general so they all knew what to do. He had not heard that the Angel Moroni on the Temple lost his trumpet--that was in a Salt Lake City newspaper. Now I can rest easy but I will still be praying for those who have sons in Concepcion where there is a lot of damage and looting going on. Thanks for your prayers.
Monday, February 22, 2010
eMail of February 22, 2010
That´s great to hear that Eric is going on a mission. Chiuaua Mexico. I´m not sure how to spell it either but I´m sure he is going to have fun. That is great to hear that Marc got in to BYU. Sometimes the trial of faith takes longer than we would like it too.
As for me the President gave me the okay with the scholarship. He said he would send a letter of recomendation and everything. I am also happy to hear that Caleb had a good start already. It´s almost hard to believe that Caleb is already in Junior High.
As for my side of things, it was a good week. We got a lot done and had success. We have around four people that have already decided on getting baptised and several more in the process. Fabian wasn´t able to come to Church so he´ll have to wait till next month, but this coming Sunday we may have a baptism still. The couple that need to get married still need to get married. Nothing really has changed recently but we are trying to work with them. Just the same I hope they will come around.
As for some experiences, well the best one was probably with a less active lady. She was from farther north and had recently gone through a period of great stress and anxiety. The problem was that she had gone to therapy and the therapists had told her some crazy stuff. When she talked to us she said that she believed wholly in reincarnation and that she was in her seventh life already and that there are these "Big Brothers" that live in UFO´s above us in the sky, and that when Jesus Christ ascended into the sky he was brought up in a UFO. It was crazy. But we explained to her the gospel and its principles and in the end she accepted the message and changed completely. It felt good to be able to help someone change and have a stronger testimony in Christ.
Every day I stregnthen my testimony and learn more. I am grateful to be here and I am also grateful for all you have done for me. I hope that you are all happy and enjoying life. I love you all and pray that you are all right.
As for me the President gave me the okay with the scholarship. He said he would send a letter of recomendation and everything. I am also happy to hear that Caleb had a good start already. It´s almost hard to believe that Caleb is already in Junior High.
As for my side of things, it was a good week. We got a lot done and had success. We have around four people that have already decided on getting baptised and several more in the process. Fabian wasn´t able to come to Church so he´ll have to wait till next month, but this coming Sunday we may have a baptism still. The couple that need to get married still need to get married. Nothing really has changed recently but we are trying to work with them. Just the same I hope they will come around.
As for some experiences, well the best one was probably with a less active lady. She was from farther north and had recently gone through a period of great stress and anxiety. The problem was that she had gone to therapy and the therapists had told her some crazy stuff. When she talked to us she said that she believed wholly in reincarnation and that she was in her seventh life already and that there are these "Big Brothers" that live in UFO´s above us in the sky, and that when Jesus Christ ascended into the sky he was brought up in a UFO. It was crazy. But we explained to her the gospel and its principles and in the end she accepted the message and changed completely. It felt good to be able to help someone change and have a stronger testimony in Christ.
Every day I stregnthen my testimony and learn more. I am grateful to be here and I am also grateful for all you have done for me. I hope that you are all happy and enjoying life. I love you all and pray that you are all right.
Monday, February 15, 2010
eMail of February 15, 2010
Happy Valentines Day! I love you all too!
This last week has been a great week. We are moving along well and having success. Fabian a youth of 21 years came to Church yesterday and is getting ready to be baptised. We have a bunch of other people getting ready as well. Personally I am learning how to be more focused on baptising and helping people accept the restored gospel. It really is a difficult process to forget yourself and go to work.
As for some other experiences to share from this week, yesterday I got to see a convert, Raul, from Puente Alto 1 my second ward. It was great to see him and talk with him. It is a joy to see someone learn the gospel, change their lives and continue faithful.
I really hold on to and testify of the promise in D&C 18. This last week I have also learned a great deal from my companion Elder Wyatt. He is a great teacher and knows his scriptures well. I am happy and grateful to be here, and also grateful for your support. I love you all and pray that you continue to grow and find happiness.
Que el Señor les bendiga y que siempre tengan gozo.
This last week has been a great week. We are moving along well and having success. Fabian a youth of 21 years came to Church yesterday and is getting ready to be baptised. We have a bunch of other people getting ready as well. Personally I am learning how to be more focused on baptising and helping people accept the restored gospel. It really is a difficult process to forget yourself and go to work.
As for some other experiences to share from this week, yesterday I got to see a convert, Raul, from Puente Alto 1 my second ward. It was great to see him and talk with him. It is a joy to see someone learn the gospel, change their lives and continue faithful.
I really hold on to and testify of the promise in D&C 18. This last week I have also learned a great deal from my companion Elder Wyatt. He is a great teacher and knows his scriptures well. I am happy and grateful to be here, and also grateful for your support. I love you all and pray that you continue to grow and find happiness.
Que el Señor les bendiga y que siempre tengan gozo.
Monday, February 8, 2010
eMail of February 8, 2010
It didn´t even realize that Nathaniel had an opportunity to be a part in the play. That is awesome! I´m sure it will be an excellent play and everyone will enjoy it. I´m glad to hear that my service is blessing the family as well. Truly the Lord loves His children. When I get home I think I will watch the DVD as well. I also have a goal now to listen to all the conference talks possible. I´m going to listen to two a day at least till I catch up again to the current conference, then perhaps go through them again. There are 24 conferences on the internet starting from 1997 and I´m going to start from there. I´m going to figure out a way to listen to them now.
As for everything else, things are going great. I have a new companion, Elder Wyatt from California. He has a month and a half more time than me in the mission. I am greatly looking forward to working with him. It seems to me like the Lord wants us to work hard and raise up the ward even more. Time is going by so fast though.
As for our investigators we have several that are great and about five that can be baptized this month if we put all our heart and soul into it. I really do feel like getting them baptized. We had lots of success with many people this week. Every time we have needed to find and talk with someone we have run into them. The Lord is guiding the work.
A faith-building experience that I had this last week was that during the week I began to get more and more worried about one investigator. We hadn´t been able to teach him for several weeks. I began to pray hard that we would be able to find him and teach him so we could help him progress. On Saturday we went to his house after not having been able to get a hold of him for the whole week. We rung the bell but no one answered for several minutes. Just as we were about to leave, he answered. He had been sleeping all day, he had work off. While there we felt the Spirit and so did he. We learned what we needed to know to help him progress more, and he also learned more about what he needed to do to know if everything is true. It was a great experience and a testimony that God truly does answer prayers, the prayer of faith.
Well, I am grateful to be here and know that we are bringing about a great work. The Lord loves us and wants us to be happy. I love you too and hope that everyone is able to find joy in all that they do.
As for everything else, things are going great. I have a new companion, Elder Wyatt from California. He has a month and a half more time than me in the mission. I am greatly looking forward to working with him. It seems to me like the Lord wants us to work hard and raise up the ward even more. Time is going by so fast though.
As for our investigators we have several that are great and about five that can be baptized this month if we put all our heart and soul into it. I really do feel like getting them baptized. We had lots of success with many people this week. Every time we have needed to find and talk with someone we have run into them. The Lord is guiding the work.
A faith-building experience that I had this last week was that during the week I began to get more and more worried about one investigator. We hadn´t been able to teach him for several weeks. I began to pray hard that we would be able to find him and teach him so we could help him progress. On Saturday we went to his house after not having been able to get a hold of him for the whole week. We rung the bell but no one answered for several minutes. Just as we were about to leave, he answered. He had been sleeping all day, he had work off. While there we felt the Spirit and so did he. We learned what we needed to know to help him progress more, and he also learned more about what he needed to do to know if everything is true. It was a great experience and a testimony that God truly does answer prayers, the prayer of faith.
Well, I am grateful to be here and know that we are bringing about a great work. The Lord loves us and wants us to be happy. I love you too and hope that everyone is able to find joy in all that they do.
Monday, February 1, 2010
eMail of February 1, 2010
I had a great week. Constanza was confirmed, Sebastian and Ortenzia are one step away from getting baptised. They can get baptised at any time. We found some excellent news that should progress. Lots of things are going great.
As for some good experiences, we had several. This last week I learned a ton about faith and patience. The best experience I would like to share is when we taught a less-active lady. She couldn´t walk much for her hip and she wanted a blessing. We gave her one then helped her clean up a bit. On Sunday she came to Church walking well. She said she has been able to walk since and has felt much better. We both felt good and she was happy. We also improved in some areas that had been difficult for a long time. Well, I love you all and am grateful to be here. Things are moving along in the Lord´s way and I am learning a great deal. Have fun, be happy, be faithful and obedient.
As for some good experiences, we had several. This last week I learned a ton about faith and patience. The best experience I would like to share is when we taught a less-active lady. She couldn´t walk much for her hip and she wanted a blessing. We gave her one then helped her clean up a bit. On Sunday she came to Church walking well. She said she has been able to walk since and has felt much better. We both felt good and she was happy. We also improved in some areas that had been difficult for a long time. Well, I love you all and am grateful to be here. Things are moving along in the Lord´s way and I am learning a great deal. Have fun, be happy, be faithful and obedient.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)