September 2

So we write our emails from an internet cafe thing and right now there´s a bunch of people screaming things as they play their little games... ugh thank heavens I can easily tune out Spanish. 

Yesterday at church there was a mom during our quite relief society lesson playing Gangnam Style for her baby to watch to keep him from crying... LOl. I´m not sure which one is better. And there was drum practice outside so that was just grand. 

We had a contact approach us and ask us a question and then continue by saying, well president Hinkley said in "this" conference that... and in his hand... preach my gospel. weird? Yes. very. He had read the whole thing and had more notes in it than I do in mine. He said his grandma collects religious books but really out of all the religious books we have that is just not one that someone would find... but he had never read the Book of Mormon so we gave him one of those and we will meet with him on Wednesday!

As far as our families go... one of them is just not interested. The other we can´t visit until this week so we´ll see how it goes. He works like 20/30 or something like that. Lots of the men work like that here. So many days here and then so many away. The other we need to find but they don´t feel the desire to learn fast so it´s just kind of like whatever-sure you can come talk to us. To say the least not much has happened with the families. We were promised we would find families but not prepared ones. lol. We´re going to have to work a lot to get them on the right path. 

How fun that you´re going to write the missionaries. I never really knew what to write when we did that but I liked it. I say all of the above. Testimonies, funny things that happened, we love to laugh, words of encouragement. Cheap ideas for ym and ym or ideas for how they would be inspired to do missionary work. 

Emily and I write back and forth a few sentences ever week. And I have heard from Rickie. 

There is a big celebration the 18th and everyone is talking about it like more than Christmas and saying how fun it is and all the food we´ll eat and how I´m going to gain 4lbs. that will be great fun also that is like right before I come home next year so then I just be extra fat. I´ve made a goal to try to eat healthier and not eat all the extra stuff they give if possible like the mayo or the bread... but the bread is really good and I really do like mayo on everything... EVERYTHING. yum! <OH also p day is on the 18th so I think I´ll be writing Wednesday. They celebrate the whole week though and everyone says it´s horrible for missionary work so... that will be so fun.

Love you all!

August 26

It´s off to work we go.

Hello my beautiful family! Once again I don´t have time to read your emails before but I will after. Another Pday is here. This week went by super fast. This transfer has been really. We only have 2 more weeks of this transfer. Crazy. 

So yesterday was the primary program. It was a lot different than ours. They only sang one song and then the teachers and presidency all gave a little spill... weird. The primary is so out of hand. I didn´t know until last week. wow. We need like 10 more teachers in there. 

This week we´re going to start a choir. We´ll see how long that lasts. And then next week we´ll start English class. I don´t really want to start English classes but they´ve been asking for it for 3 months now so I guess we´ll give it to them. 

So we were with the zone leaders (in our sector working with us yet again) but it was good this time because they got a phone call asking for someone in our sector and they just happened to be with us and what to our wondering ears would hear? A brother saying that his brother had a dream that he needs to be baptized! So we called his brother and then met him in the park right then! He told us that he is looking for the truth and wanted to come to our church on Sunday. He´s not married but he´s willing to do whatever he needs to in order to feel that it´s right. ... um okay! So guess who was at church on Sunday! He was! Wahoo! I´m excited to see where it goes! What else is cool is that there was like no break in the communication. He had a dream, told his brother, called the missionaries, called him, lesson. All within a short amount of time so he couldn´t forget this!  

I´m learning more every day. I´m hopefully becoming a better teacher. There is still so much to learn with that and I feel like it will take a lot of practice before I´m perfect... lol the pursuit of life. And when I have it down it will be time to go. A very good thing too because I know I couldn´t do anything without the help of the Lord.

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Okay, now it´s time to go but I love you!

To where the grass grows yellow,

Hermana VandeMerwe

August 19

HOLA!

 I can´t print anything today so I might spend more time at the end so I can read something from you guys! I hope your week was a GREEAAAT one and that you ate some frosted flakes. There are some Golden Crips here that I buy. They´re really good they´re like frosted flakes but coated in gold instead of silver. 

This week we saw a man worshiping his eggs and I had to talk to church yesterday. Yes I had to. I still don´t see that as a privilege. Sometimes I feel like elder gro... in the other side of heaven when everyone is holding back their laughter with pinched lips. lol. 

We had a promise from the president that if we prayed with real intention and really wanted to find a family that Thursday we could find a family. Thursday was a holiday here. For nothing. No one really knows why they have it but no one has school or work so we prayed and I must admit I was pretty excited to leave the door that day because I knew we would find a family.  So first stop, lunch! We had lunch with someone we usually don´t. She is a recent convert but also inactive. Her family are nonmembers and what do you know? They were all there and we had lunch together and they said that we could come back and we could talk more! Wooh! I was stoked. We had already found a family. I thought, “That felt great. Let´s go do it again. So what did we do? We searched and went to houses that I knew had families and what happened? We found another. That´s right! But that´s not all, before the night was over we tried with another and what do you know? 3 FAMILIES IN ONE DAY! Go big or GO HOME!!!

Our ward is great and always comes with us. One of the counselors of the bishopric was with us we picked him up at like 9:15 at night and walked to our appointment obviously late and simply but intensely taught our lesson in 10-15 min and then he ran home with us! lol! What support. It was really funny actually. I was expecting him to just keep walking while we ran but no he just ran right along side us and we closed the door at 945. whatup.

We also had one of the AP´s come with us. They are allowed to come solo without a companion. Usually about 2 times we have our district leaders or zone leaders come with us. Really I hate it when the elders come with us but whatever.... 

So the Chile mail system is on strike which is a bummer cause I have letters to mail to you but I can´t. Also as of right now we aren´t receiving mail but we are receiving packages. Also everybody gets packages. I can´t imagine it lasting very long

My new address

castellon 1063
casilla 3560
concepcion,biobio
chile

Okay I have 3 minutes to read your letters! LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Does school start this week? Good luck!!!!! You´re always in my prayers that you will get good grades so make my prayers come true boys!

Hermana VandeMerwe

August 12

Just another manic Monday...wish it was Sunday, that´s my fun day.

Actually Sundays are quite crazy too. Yesterday I made some great music on a door and we sang leventase y brilla y da dios su gloria gloria outside of a house to wake up our investigators but we ended up just waking up everybody but them. I would say there´s always next week but what if there´s not??? Your salvation is at stake here people!! Wake UP! 

We had quite the week. My companion is awesome! She´s optimistic and loves to make up songs throughout the day with me about how the water´s freezing and I don´t have conditioner. Okay actually that was my song in the shower one day but she just continues it til our song is complete. She also brought to my attention how crazy our sector is and I guess I´ve never told you all the details. So maybe I´ll give you more today. 

I´m in the most ¨flighty¨ place as they say it here for sisters but it´s better for sisters because we´re more respected-- HA! Hate to see what it would be like for the Elders. Pretty much just rough/gang is what it means. We´re also prohibited from going to about half of our sector after dark so that´s after six and we usually don´t have a lesson before 5 so there´s a window of opportunity! I don´t have any pictures cause I’m also prohibited from pulling out my camera. But really I love it. I get the whole missionary experience. Soaking wet when buses drive by and splash us with water again. Running from dogs. And okay this is the part that isn´t true... they always show the missionaries smiling helping people carry in their groceries- we´re usually walking our drunk investigators back to their houses.  But really we are so protected it´s amazing. This week we were so privileged to be in the right spot at the right time many times in order to find the people who are ready for the gospel! I love that feeling! 

We had a breakfast with the ward missionaries who are pretty much the active youth. I love working with the youth and it´s so fun to have them come with us and knowing that some of them are preparing for their missions! It’s great. They all have preach my gospel so they can help us teach the lessons (which we need desperately). I always think of Tate and Brock getting ready for their missions! I hope you´re preparing now! Remember the Home is the new MTC! 

Talk about needing help with the language In the lessons. We told people that Noah built a bow and that prophets are people who force you to do things. Thank goodness we had a member with us in that lesson. I would tell you the other things we teach when we don´t have a member but... i don´t know. 

The language is actually quite tough for me. I still don´t understand much and I feel like I should understand a lot more. Plus usually when I don´t understand a word it´s the same word in English just pronounced different and I just can´t figure it out. LOL!! Or the other day when I could not figure out what aguita was.. Haha. Everything is little here so you put "ita" at the end of everything Hence "little water" 

We got a lot of cleaning done the other Monday. Our place was pretty nasty. I don´t think people realize how long some things have been there because no one has been there for long. People are always in and out and don´t realize that there are water bottles that have been under the sink not just for the few months that you´re there but for years and years. lol. So we´re a little bit cleaner. That´s nice. It´s also helpful having a gringa to help with that. Try telling 3 Latinas that you can´t just paint over mold...

So we heard of some missionaries being robbed on the same day that our lock suspiciously broke. lol So we moved al lof the couches and a matrress in front of the door and then made a nice obstacle course of dirty dishes and shoes so we would hear them making a ruckus if anything happened. LOL. Don´t worry nothing happened. 

We had a zone conference on Tuesday to tell us that we aren´t doing anything right and we need to change. Truth of the matter is the numbers are really down in all of the mission but we´re trying to change what we´re doing wrong. Sometimes it´s hard to pinpoint that thing but once you do, you´re set. 

I´m loving the mission and super super happy!

LOVE YOU ALLL!!!!!!!!

August 5

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Brock are you 14 now? Crazy strange. What did you do? I´m surprised I don´t have a long letter from you telling me all about it. I hope you have a great time being 14! I won´t know you as a 14 year old so pretty much you can do whatever you want and I’ll never know. But mom will so.... speed bump is all. Just remember everything I’ve told you. 

HOLA!!!

Quite a good week with my new companion. LOL. There are little squiggly lines under all of my words because it´s in English. HAHA. It usually doesn´t do that. Unless I’ve forgotten how to spell..

Anyway. Hermana Bowman is great!!! She´s from Alpine, UT and is very talented. She is very confident and smart and knows what she´s doing. I like it. I like it quite a lot. We had a family home evening-- activity for the ward and each organization did a talent. So as missionaries my comp read a story she wrote about a seed growing into a tree and I acted like a seed... growing into a tree... Lol. hahahaha. I hope it was better than it sounds when I type it. I had lots of practice from when I was playing with Savannah and Maddie. (Did I ever tell you sterling Richards was in my zone at the mtc?- side note)

We also had "Mega Domingo" where everyone was supposed to bring a friend to church, it was mission wide and our ward decided to do a lunch after too for everyone but it was raining so our attendance was worse than ever. lol. Lots of food though.  Really the people don´t go anywhere if it´s raining... and yet they´re never home. hmmm.

They also go to the hospital all the time. All the time. Like for the smallest things like a cold. It´s kind of funny. Actually it´s hilarious but I have to control my laughter. 

I´m glad to hear the reunion went so well! I haven´t read all about it yet but I’m excited to!

Thanks!

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!

July 29

Guess who´s done with training? Ya that´s right! I´m staying in this sector but receiving a new companion. I´m so excited to be staying here because we have so many great investigators right now! AND yesterday we had a FAMILY in the church!!! That is just great for us! They are going to be great. I think they´re pretty much ready but we have to give them a date. The dad is a little rougher around the edges so we´re going to have to work to make sure that they all know that this is the only true church. Oh and they´re not married but I told them that I love planning weddings and so that part is obviously already planned. The baptism was planned before the foundation of this earth so really we just need to put these things into action. I´m excited.

We also have another family that we are just starting to teach. We haven’t had the opportunity to teach them all together. One time was the dad then second time the mom and the third time the kids but they are all interested and have mentioned the death of their grandma so I’m excited to teach them about the plan of salvation! Nothing like a death in the family to bring everlasting happiness found through the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Miguel and Irene are a great couple of about 60´s. I think they´re ready too but he wants to make sure because he´s already been baptized 2 times. Ha-ha! That reminds me of our other investigators who are great too but we´ve been teaching them for the 3 months I’ve been here. They´re hard to find and we usually only teach them once a week but they want the gospel in their life anyway.... the dad is like, Ya I think I’m already a member. I was baptized into all the churches. LOL!

So pretty much life is fantastic here in the marina (the name of my sector) I´ve found a new faith in the last two weeks and look at the fruit.... aaahhh! But now´s the scary part--- you just never want to teach your investigators the commandments ha-ha. Just praying that they have a strong enough faith in the other things that you´ve taught them to understand the importance. 

My new companion`s name is Hermana Boman. That’s right. Another gringa! We´ll see how that goes! Oh and today. The two Peruvians in my house made food from Peru. Spicy! Yummy!

I love you all so much! 

True to the Faith that My Parents Have Cherished,

Hermana VandeMerwe

July 22

HELLO!!!!!

Great week. Miracles in every minute. We found lots of new people with great potential and taught many men.  Priesthood! This is my last week of training! Transfers in one week. I´ll probably stay here because that´s just how it works but you never know!

You don´t need to send a package just tell me what´s in it and I’ll go buy it. :) 

We have a new mission office so use the new address.  And my debit card works too. I imagine you could know that because there´s less money in my account? If not then hey another miracle. Ha-ha I´m just kidding. Let’s see. I´ve bought an electric pad thing for the night and a pillow and a mirror because ours broke and my companion said it was my fault and needed to buy a new one so I did. LOL. What else? Ooh a few weeks ago I bought rain boots. Still looking for regular boots though. And I´ve used a lot for food too. So I´m definitely using it. LOL. Sorry. I really do try to conserve. Colored pencils please. Ask sav about the oil things. But really. I don´t think it´s necessary to send anything right now. But when you do for Christmas or something. I have another one of those headbands with the flowers for the cold but it´s not a hat you know?  I think it´s in my clothes closet. ya. Only spend 5 minutes looking because if you don´t find it in 5 than you won´t. But those are good cause they´re like hats but I don´t need to take them off and ruin my hair every prayer. 

I can´t believe how much fun the family is having this summer! I would love to hear all about everything! 

So my schedule... can be found on the internet, downstairs in preach my gospel, in Tate’s head... but I’ll tell it you anyway. I awake at 7 and work out for 30 min eat and get ready for 1hr. then personal study for 1 hour. Comp study for 1 hr. 30 plan for the day 1 hour extra study because I’m training 1 hour lang study. Then we’re off for the day! Lunch with members and a few menos activos. We just found a new member to do our laundry and all we have to do is buy the detergent. Then we work going from house to house until 9:30. Then we come home and fill out papers and sleep at 11. Then we do it all over again. Okay ya. I’ll put more details in a letter. The problem is I don’t have time for letters either. Oh but in the summer we work until 1030 that will be fun. 

Okay so let´s see. We have a family that´s doing pretty good. The dad is always hard but we´re working on them. Also they have lots of Mormon friends but they´re all inactive so they don’t see the importance of church.  It´s really hard having so many inactives because they don´t set a good example for others and it scares me to baptize anyone until they understand. Ha-ha. And no that´s not the reason there has been no baptisms. 

I don’t know if there are holidays with fireworks..  I guess I’ll find out but!! The stars. So I haven´t seen the Southern Cross but I don´t think I really know what I’m looking for and also the scorpion thing is really easy to see. I wasn´t even looking for anything and I found it. yaya!