So Pooped

July 7, 2014

Well, this has been a really long hard week.  This week we have done so much service.  I Think we have chopped at least 3meters of wood.  That is too much for two gringos who have a terrible plastic ax.  I like it though.  The only thing that stinks about this week is that we have been so busy helping people that we have had very little time to do proselyting.  This is a first for my mission.  Usually there is no one who lets us do service for them.  This week is something special.  We also helped a guy move houses.  The guy who got kicked out of his house because his wife hates the Mormons.  He has had it rough. He was baptized in Santiago 30 years ago. He moved to Chiloe 15 years ago, but there wasn't a church in Dalcahue, so he went inactive.  Then we came and he has started to come back.  But he has had some problems with his wife.  Now he is out though.  And he has a cool new house, where we can visit him all day.  In his bathroom, the toilet stands on a 1 foot tall platform, so it looks like a throne.  I´ll have to try that out.  

This week we did have Hernan in church.  He is coming to church every week now with out us even calling him.  We have been calling him every night to check up on how he is doing with the cigarettes.  He is having a really hard time leaving them behind.  I hate tobacco.  It's stupid.  I just wish that this guy could get baptized this week, but he has to be off the stuff for 2 weeks before the baptism for him to be baptized.  

We had an awesome day today.  We went to go look at some Flamingos, and we got to see a whole ton of them.  I loved it.  We took like 1 and a half hours to walk around this huge lagoon where all of the birds were.  We got really muddy but it was worth it.  Nature is so cool. Then we went into Castro and went to a Catholic cathedral.  It is completely made out of wood.  It was cool.  While inside i was sitting on a bench and this drunk guy came up to me and started telling me all about how he was Italian and that Italians are so much smarter than Americans.  I just nodded in agreement. There are lots of really vocal drunk people in Chile.

Thats about it.

Elder Drup 

So sad, so sad, its a sad sad situation

June 30, 2014

Well this was a really good week.  The only thing that is bringing me down, is the Chile game.  We almost beat Brazil.  So so so so so so close.  I don't even want to talk about it.  Everyone we watched it with were so sad.  Especially this guy named Efrain.  He went into the Bathroom to be alone for a couple minutes and came out after about a half hour, with his face all red.  So dang close.  I think if we would have gotten killed it would not be so sad.  But we lost on the last penalty kick.  

Bueno, así es la vida.  You win some and you lose some. Its has been a great week.  We are teaching a new guy named Hernan and his 8 year old daughter Joana.  We have been teaching them for about 2 weeks now.  He has gone to church 3 times.  He really enjoys it.  He is reading in the book of Mormon and also is loving it.  The only problem is that he smokes.  and he smokes a ton.  He smokes between 40-60 cigaretts every day.  Well he smoked that many. now he is on about 15-20.  Thats a ton of progress for a guy who has been smoking 2 packs every day for the past 20 years.  He has a ton of desire to change, and i think he will be baptized the end of this month.  

Today we went on a nature walk with our friend Efrain.  He is the brother of a member who we are working with.  We went out to the wilderness of Chiloe and were taking pictures of swans and flamingos. It was really fun.  It made me realize how much i miss learning.  I really miss my zoology class.  That was really fun to go out and just learn about nature.  

We still need to find a house for the new meeting house.  I hope we can find it soon, because that is about the only thing that is holding us back from being a branch.  

Lots and lots of service projects planned for the week. 

love you guys lots and lots.  

Elder Baurup

(thats the new favorite of the members)

PS Scott,  i told a guy we are teaching to look you up.  He is into ryming too. cool right?

Viva Chile!!!

June 16, 2014

Been a great week.  The cambio ended.  I get to stay!!! with Elder Watson too!  All is well. The only thing that is making me worried is that i am going to be the district leader.  Im going to have the zone leaders and a trio of Hermanas in my district.  Pray for me...

  Oh this last week we got to watch the Chile game.  We have permission to watch all of the games Chile will be in. As long as we are with Investigators.  We destroyed the Australians even though every one of their players was almost a whole head taller than the tallest starting Chilenito.  They really did look like little midgets playing against NBA players.  It was fun though.  When they won i thought everyone would hit the street and start celebrating.  Nope.  The little old lady we watched it with was the only one.  She walked out here door and blew a whistle like 20 times, and then came back out of breath.  She is an awesome lady. I think only the dogs heard her.  Dalcahue is the definition of "chill".  Nothing ever happens.  Every one watches every game though.  

This week we had a great lesson with some new investigators.  We are finding new investigators everywhere.  This week we found 15 new people to teach.  2 of those new people came to church.  It was this guy named Hernan and his 8 year old daughter.  We had found them the night before and we had invited them to baptism, and he was like, sure, but first i think i should go to the church to try it out.  Yeah you should!  They liked church a lot.  There were 30 people in sacrament meeting this week, which is almost a record.  We needed 1 more person.  I dont really get why we arent a branch yet, and its starting to bother me.  We almost have the same attendance as the branch we are connected to. Things just move so slow. The Branch president says it will take about a year.  President Rappleye says it should have already been done.  

I love being in Dalcahue.  Its so nice.  so new. so beauty.

Well thats about it.  I know there is a ton more, but i forgot.  Thats what a journal is for right.  

I love you guys a whole bunch.  

Paz y Gozo,

Elder Westo Borup

National Park

June 9, 2014

Today was an awesome day we went to a national park on west side of the island and it was really cool.  I got lots of pics.  Computer is being lame and it wont upload pictures.  But all good.  I guess I´ll show you them some other day.

This is crazy how fast this past cambio has gone.  I don't think i am going to get transferred this time but im not sure.  The zone leaders know the cambios and they wont tell us anything until the weekend.  Zone leader are really annoying some time.  They just go around telling everyone, I know where your going.  Then dont go farther then that.  Well patience is a Christ like attribute.  

I have officially drank alcohol on the mission now.  We had some more chicha the other day.  And we asked if it was fresh or strong. They said fresh, that they had made it just last week.  Apparently they got the bottles mixed up, because what i tasted was the most disgusting thing ever.  Alcohol is terrible.  I´ll need to work on my chicha rejections.  sometimes its really good, but its not worth the off chance that they will give us alcohol.  

We chopped so much wood this week.  I feel like when i got to the mission i chopped like an american.  Now i chop like a chilean,  Its not about how hard you swing, Its about where you hit, and how you hit it.  Its an art that i want to master by the end. 

Well i got to go.  Love you guys lots.

Elder Baurup

Dad.  Way to go with the spanish.  Just go to the spanish market and make some friends.  

Whitney.  Happy Birthday!  you turn 30? thats old.

Yeah Yeah

June 2, 2014

Well this has been a good week.  I'm blanking on what we did... Why does this always happen to me when its time to write. We´ll see what comes out i guess. 

This week we were walking around in the rain, on a little country road, way outside of the city. We knock a door and the guy who answers immediately lets us in.  cool.  We start talking to him and he offers us some chicha.  CHicha is like apple juice when its fresh, but lots of people let it ferment.  We asked if it was fresh and he said "I think so, but my friend gave it to me, and I'm not really that sure"  Well he poured some out from this huge 50 gallon drum and tasted it.  He said that it was fresh.  He poured some for us.  well it didn't taste so fresh.  we drank our glass though.  It tasted awful.  But we taught a good first lesson to the guy, whose name is Juan, and we got out.  It made me think though.  On the mission so far i have learned to love Tea (herbal), love Coffee (ecco, i think the American equivalent is postum), i smoke every morning (when we try to build a fire with wet wood), and now i have experienced alcohol.  Chile is attacking me.  

We did have a good week of teaching as well. We have found a ton of people to teach and all of them are pretty solid.  Macarena is doing great. She didn't come to church this week because her daughter is really sick, but she said she has been getting better, and that she will be in church this next week.  We had District Conference.  It was cool.  Three of the talks were given by members of our group.  Hector gave his testimony.  It was so cool. that kid is awesome.  

Well that's about it. My fingers are good and frozen now.  But that's what happens in winter.  Everything is just constantly cold.  Love it.  Love you guys.

LOVE,

Jelder Borut

Panchito

May 26, 2014

This has been an awesome week.  Cant believe how fast it has gone by, and that it is P day again.  

First things first.  We had a Baptism this week!  It was super cool.  The Baptism was held in Castro, because there is no font in the little casita where we meet.  So we had to leave early to go there and fill up the font. Well first we had to clean that bad boy.  It was covered in cobwebs and yellow watter stains. Its been a while since there has been a baptism in Chiloe.  But we got everything ready and all went well.  Hector is so bomb! He had been prepared, i just showed up and he was all ready.  We did have to work a lot for it to happen this week. But it happened and that is all that matters.

This week we have chopped a ton of wood.  I think that we probably chopped 4-5 meters of the stuff.  I thought my hands would get soft on the mission.  Ha.  I have lumber jack hands after only 3 weeks in Chiloe.  In our house we make a fire every morning, and we use a ton of wood to keep us warm.  Our house has holes that go directly outside, all over the place.  So lots of work to stay warm.  I am warm though mom.

Also, this week we started teaching Macarena.  I think i might have told you about here before, but she is Hectors sister.  She at first said that she might get baptized in 6 more years, but is now reconsidering.  She has been to church twice now, and has loved it.  She is definitely going to get baptized in the coming weeks.  She just needs to get married to her boy friend that she lives with.  But thats not too big of a deal, it s easy to get married in Chile now.  

We had Five investigators in the church this week. It was awesome to see all of them there for their first time.  I know they all loved it.   

This was an awesome week

I love you guys a ton.  Keep up the good work.  Thank you for all of you support.  

Love,

Elder Burun

(that is the pronunciation of my name when they announced i was confirming hector in sacrament meeting, Chileans...)

Baptism!

me and Elder watson´s new panchos

Backpack

I just left my backpack in a bus and had to sprint 8 city blocks to catch up with it.  I thought i was going to die!  But we caught up to it right as it was getting on the ferry.  But wow!  Plus i was running with a 25 kilo suitcase behind me, that I had to send from Punta Arenas to here by bus.   Good stuff.

This week has been awesome though.  This week we were supposed to have the baptism of hector.  Hectors dad didn't get back in time.  It is kind of a bummer.  We are getting ready for this week, but now the branch president is saying that the dad is the one who has to perform the baptism.  That's would be all good by me, but the dad has been to church 2 times in the past 22 years and is still getting used to coming to church again, and is still not entirely living the commandments.  We told the Branch President this.  He said THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER, he said "Worthiness doesn't matter, it is just the right of the father to do the baptism."  This guy still doesn't have the priesthood.  And he´s not worthy enough to receive it.  AHHHHHHHHHHH.  Its not that bad.  Hector is a cool about everything.  He said as long as he gets baptized it doesn't matter.  So we have his support.  

We did have an awesome lesson with the sister of hector.  She came over one day while we were chopping wood for her family.  We started talking, and we found out that she has been looking for a church to join.  And that she has been thinking that it should be the same church as her family.  She is really cool. She has absolutely no knowledge of anything religious.  So we are just going to start with the restoration and then go from the basics.  Right now she has a baptismal date for the 28 of june.  She has a lot of things to do because right now she is co living with someone and she goes to the disco every weekend.  But she came to church this week.  It was awesome.  

This week in church, we had a record breaking 30 people in church! 2 of them were our investigators and we got to have the second hour for the first time ever.  so that is a lot of progress.  

Overall one of the most successful weeks of my mission.  we invited a ton of people to be baptized, and we taught a ton of lesson, and we talked to a ton of people in the street.   

That about it.  Thanks for the advice dad, and if the ride goes well, you and i need to do it when i get back.   Mom  have
fun taking care of Grandpa.  Tell him i said stay in bed.  

Love,

Elder Borun

(its always the blind people who have the hardest time with my name.)

1. Me Chopping some wood in my work suit.  

2. They are tearing down the Catholic church in Dalcahue.