Torres Del Paine Take 2

17 Feb 2015

Well.... Thats Torres del Paine.  Eighth  natural wonder of the world, and its in our zone.  So thats awesome.  

This was a good week though.  Not too much happened, we had lots of fun this though.  

I went back to Río de la Mano on an intercambio. That was really fun.  We got to stop by carlas house, as i am sure she has already posted on facebook a ton of pictures.  But i had to say goodbye to her.  I dont know if ill be transfered this transfer and she went on a month long vacation to Viña del Mar.  I really hope i get to see her again. She is way funnier than i remember, she was just making jokes the whole time.  She is super active and is loving being a primary teacher.  

Also this week i have had some extreme hunger.  I dont know why.  Maybe im growing?  who knows.  But i have just been pounding food.  Before i wouldnt normaly need anything to eat at night.  Now if i dont have a dinner at night my stomach will hurt to bad for me to sleep.  And im not getting fat either.  I hope i have parasites!  That would be gnarly.  Just joking, i dont have them, and i know its something i dont want.

We taught a cool lesson to Alexis.  We just passed him off to Río de la Mano.  We put him with date for the 21 of march.  Sad that we had to give him away like that.  but he is getting along well with Elder Montiel.  And i know that he will progress more over there.  

The Investigator pool is barren now.  We are now looking ahead to a week full of searching.  Hopefully it will be the most fruitful week ever.  Thanks for all of the prayers.  I have been studying a ton about prayer lately.  Its amazing that he acctually communicates to those who diligently search for him.    

Lovin you guys oodles.

Elder Syrup

I found the Jacket in the house.  We have been calling it the Tortoise neck.  I love it.  It did make me look like a big time german tourist though.

This is the Cueva de Milodón.

That is a Milodón

Super Quick

9 Feb 2015

This week has passed by super quick.  It just keeps going faster.  

We have some investigators.  Well, kind of.  We are teaching a lady named Julia.  Her husband in an ex communicated member who is a little crazy and whom i have only seen once. He works taking care of a boat 5 hours outside of Puntaarenas and is gone for 21 days and then rests for 5 and then he is back out for 21.  Julia is progressing lots but the problem that we have found is that she cant be baptized until she gets married to this dude.  And this dude needs to get divorced first, but he doesn't want to.  And Julia has no desire to leave him.  So we are basically just teaching her and trying to strengthen her faith so that someday she will be able to be baptized. She is really cool though.  She came to church this week and really liked it.  

This week i have been eating a ton.  I don't know what it is but i have found a lot more pleasure in eating this week.  I ended up eating 10 mango's in 3 days for breakfast.  And then the rest of the week i single handedly ate a 20 lbs water melon.  Then at night i eat Mac and Cheese, or a frozen peach pie that they sell in Zona Franca.  And then when i am in the streets i am eating a ton of empanadas.  Its all good though because i work out for 30 minutes in the morning, so i wont get fat. 

I am not sure what i write about today.  Story of my life. 

I guess ill send you guys some pics.  

Love you guys lots, Have a great week.

Elder Bourp

1.  Me stuffing my face

2.  Me and Tierra del Fuego

Punta Arenas is....

2 Feb 2015

This has been a good week.  Lots of good things happening.  

I have little time.  The ciber in our sector was closed, so we had to go back into centro to find a different one.  So sorry, its going to be a short one.

This week we had a meeting with the stake president and he asked us to come to a meeting with all of the bishops and tell them how we need to be doing ward council.  That seems to be the hardest thing for people to do here.  We had the meeting yesterday and it went well.  It was cool to see three of my old bishops in the same room.  

The trip to porvenir went well.  We had an awesome time with the elders down there and we found what seemed like really good people.  I didn't end up throwing up, so that's a bonus.  the ferry that we took over there was brand new.  Only one month old. And it was incredible.  They had it set up like a lounge at a really fancy hotel.

The Search for new investigators is going well.  We still haven't found a real one, but we have a couple of good leads as to where we might find some.  Its hard work, but i am loving it.  I like the challenges.  They help you focus more.  Lets hope this week that comes will be more fruitful.  

Love you guys a ton, thanks foreverything.  

Love lots

Elder Borup

So Pooped

26 Jan 2015

Its been a good  week.

Idont know where to start.  I guess i´ll start by saying that my thumbs hurt so bad!  The other day we were doing a service project constructing a fence.  We had to dig the holes and then place the poles and then nail it all up.... When we were placing the poles we had to put in a little dirt and then pound it down with a long 4x4.  I couldn't get a good grip on the 4x4 so i put my thumbs on the top and pounded the earth like that.  The next day i couldn't even hold a spoon to my mouth without my whole hand cramping up.  so that will be my excuse today for not writing too much.

This week was actually pretty bad.  We don't really have investigators right now.  We are just in an ongoing cycle of looking for new ones.  But its all good, my companion is good we are trying to find the chosen but its proving to be kind of hard.  Its alright though, if there is one thing i have learned on the mission its that diligence is is key to success.  I cant just expect for there to be immediate results.  That is not the way things work.  Steady and sure.  Thats the way i like it.  

This wee we are going to go to Porvenir, or in other words we are going to go to Tierra del Fuego.  Me and Elder Palmer are going there to do divisions with the elders out there.  Going to be crazy.  Hopefully i dont barf all day on the ferry.

Love you guys lots,

Elder Boru

Crazy week

19 Jan 2015

Man this has been a crazy week.  I like the new sector, they have had a ton of baptisms in the past year and now we are working really hard so that these people stay active.  This week none of them came to church....  We have lots to do and we need lots more time.  

This week we ate a ton.  So much.  We are eating with the members still and the members of this ward are super nice, and they think that all missioneries can eat an entire family size Pichanga.  I can not eat a family size pichanga.  I feel so fat.  We have been doing good on exercising.  We wake up early to go and play soccer on a court right next to our house.  We have kicked to ball over the fence of the same lady three times now.  The other day the ball landed in between their green house and their wall and we couldn't reach it.  So the owner of the house said that we should come back with a long stick and see if we could get it out.  We ended up getting it out and we also found another ball that had been kicked over the fence some 3-5 years back.  

We are teaching a lot of less actives.  This ward is huge.  there are actually 120 people that attend church.  We are working hard with some that are on the verge of coming back, and its really frustrating some times to see that they know its what they should do, but then they go ahead and not do it.  I don't know.  I don't think ill ever understand that.  There has to be other reasons.  Just got to figure it out.  

Man there is a ton of things we have to do.  We had a meeting with president obeso, via skype, that was nuts.  They are changing a ton of things in the area.  Now the only numbers that we report are baptisms and total number of church attendance.  We use to have a whole ton of things to report, but now those are the only things that we are working for. I like it a lot.   Now we are focusing on less actives, recent converts, and investigators the same amount.  all of them have the same importance  because all of them are children of God.  

Thats it from me.  Love you guys.  Have a great week. Thanks for writting, it means a lot.

Elder Borap

Head Aches in Hand River

12 Jan 2015

So this week was not what i was expecting it to be.  

So Monday night we decide to take a quick pass by Isabel's house to drop off the dress that she would be wearing for her baptism.  We get there and she is not looking to stoked.  Normally when we talk about baptism she gets super pumped, but this week was different.  She said that she didn't want to be baptized any more.  Apparently what happened is, that in the relief society there were some harsh words spoken and tears shed, and peoples feelings were hurt and Isabel felt really bad about it all.  And she cancelled her baptism.  There are just two Lady's in that class, the president and her daughter, who are terrible.  Actually the daughter is the mom of the kid who is bullying Jimmy.  Terrible.  They like to tell every one how much time as a member they have and how they are all inferior to them.  Its ridiculous.  I cant believe it.  First time that i have had this much drama in the mission.  We talked to the Bishop and the stake president and they both had interviews with them.  I hope Isabel can recover form this.  I think she can, she said that she is still going to come to church and all, but this week she didnt.  I dont know.  

The good thing that happened this week is what happened just barely.  I found Dr. Pepper, Caprisuns, Ghirardelli Triple chocolate cookie mix, Snapple, Grape Soda, Bush´s baked beans, and Hawaiian punch.  Best day ever.  Got it all now.  Livin la Vida.   

We were in a trio all week this week.  Fun times.  It actually kind of stinks.  Contacting is especially weird.  Especially presenting ourselves.  Hi I´m Elder Borup, and I´m Elder Palmer, and I´m Elder Montiel, and together we are the Three Amigos!!!!  Thats not too far from what happens.  

I Hope that you guys have a great week.  Love you all

Elder Borupito

Changes in Hand River

5 Jan 2015

HI.   thanks for all of the emails, i love reading them.  

We had a great week.  Isabel passed her interview!!!!!  She is set.  We also went with her to a baptism and she loved it.  She is all ready, we just have to teach her all of lesson 5 now. 

Yesenia came to Church again all on her own.  We haven't been able to teach her all week. But that has not stopped her from walking over a mile to be at church every week.  She is awesome.  

New Years is the worst.  The lamest Holliday ever.  I am the grinch of new years.  Down with new years!!!!  Nothing good happened, we just lost a bunch of time.  We did eat a ton of ice cream in our house though.  That was fun.  Also, i do like looking back on the year, that part i do like.  I had killer year.  started it out in Punta Arenas and ended in punta arenas.  Haha fun fun.

Well there are some changes that are going to happen this week here in Hand River.  I got a call from President this morning.  First off we put a special ring tone for the phone when president calls.  some creepy Beethoven song.  But he called and i am getting transferred to Patagonia, which is just on the other side of the city.  There is an Elder over there who is going home today and i have to go over there and replace him.  Im going to be a zone leader and my companion is Elder Palmer.  He is a good guy from southern California.  He was on the swim team at byu.  I'm excited about that.  Whatim not excited about is leaving hand river.  I wish elder Palmer could just come to Rio de la mano. But i am excited either way to see why i am supposed to be in Patagonia now.  I know that there is a reason.  

Thanks for everything guys.  I love you guys a bunch.  Have a great year.

Love

ELDER BURUP

Navidad

29 Dec 2014

Well its been a good week.  A really good week.  This week we had Isabel and Yesenia both in church.  It was awesome.  They are both progressing lots.  

I don't really know what to say today.  The weather is horrible.  It seems like a monsoon hit punta arenas.  the room that i told you guys about woke me up at about 3 in the morning last night.   It was raining so hard that all of the buckets that we put out were full. So i emptied them all and went back to sleep.  When i woke up again all of the buckets had flooded over.  I hope that it starts calming down soon, we have to go and pick up a washing machine that someone gave us for Christmas.  

I loved talking to you guys.  that was awesome.  Its crazy to think that i haven't been there with you guys for the past 1 and a half.  that's a long time.  It doesn't feel like its been that long.  I have been thinking a lot about how i want spend this next year.  I have made some good goals and i am excited to start putting them into action.  Its cool how the beginning of a new year can help us in our eternal progress.  I feel like that might be the word i use the most.  Progress.  This life is full of ups and downs, but the important thing is that we keep progressing towards our eternal goals.  

That's my sermon for today.

I love you guys lots.  Have a happy new year.  

Elder Burop

Christmas

22 Dec 2014

This was a good week.  Lots of things going on.  Lots and lots of activities.  Too many activities... But we need to have them to help spread the Christmas cheer.  Chileans are a bunch of Grinches.  When we ask people what they like about Christmas they normally just say that its a little kids holiday and that the real holiday is new years.  How lame is that?!  People just celebrate Christmas if they have little kids, but when they get older they stop.  They don't really get the meaning of Christmas.  But that's why its our job to go out and spread the joy of Christmas.  

Yesterday we had a couple of rough things happen.  Jimmy, a recent convert of 14 years told us that he is not going to go back to church because the kids are bullying him.  That was crazy when he told us that.  Jimmy is one of the most active people in the ward.  We had a lesson with him and the young men's president, and we got by the end jimmy decided to not stop going to church.  So now we are going to be a lot more involved in the youth classes, so that we can help put down some turd bullies.  But all is well there.  

Also yesterday we had something really awesome happen.  We got a big group of members together and we went carolling at Isabel´s house.  It turned out great.  Isabel was super happy and everything is well with her.  She is still set for a baptism on the 10th.

earlier in the week we had a lesson with that lady who came to church last week.  Yesenia is her name, and she is amazing.  She said that she had had a dream that she and in her dream to guys told her that she needed to go to the big white church.  You know what else is crazy? she is from Dalcahue!!  Not too many people from dalcahue.  what are the chances?  Cambios are the best thing ever.  No matter where i go this next one, I'm going to know that i am being sent there for a reason.  

love you guys lots!!!  I´ll see you Thursday.

Elder Burox

(the bishop gave us gifts and this is how he spelled my name.)

Navidad po

15 Dec 2014

This was a killer week.  We had 6 investigators in Church.  New personal record!!!  Carla´s husband Darko, Isabel, New investigator named Mixzy, Oscar, another new investigator named Yaseña and her son David.  Crazy. Lots and lots of awesome things happening here in hand river.  

Carla is a crazy person.  She is way out of control.  Posting pictures left and right, making me put on some silly sun glasses.  I cant take it anymore!  No, just kidding.  She is a nut though

So this week we had a crazy lesson with Isabel.  The plan was that we were going to go and see if she had read, we thought for sure that she hadnt read, so then we were going to read with her.  So when we asked if she had read, we were pleasantly suprised, then when we asked how she felt while she read, we were amazed.  She said that she started to read and all of her stress and tiredness went away and that she felt an awesome peaceful feeling.  She said that she got her awnser, and that she is ready to be baptized.  She has a baptisimal date for January10th.

I love being a missionary.  It is the most humbling/gratifying thing that has ever happend to me.  I know that these things are true, because i have really felt it.  I felt it when Isabel described it too.  

I know that the church is true, and that the gospel can help us if we accept and apply it in our lives. 

I love you guys lots and im looking forward to see you next week on skype.

Love,

Elder Guru-guru