Here is a video from Gunnar's first area - it is from after his time but features missionaries that are there now.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Cambios (Transfers)
FYI – These are the remaining transfer dates for Gunnar:
12/2/2013
1/13/2014
2/24/2014
4/7/2014
5/19/2014
6/30/2014
8/11/2014
9/22/2014
12/2/2013
1/13/2014
2/24/2014
4/7/2014
5/19/2014
6/30/2014
8/11/2014
9/22/2014
Monday, October 21, 2013
Rumbo a Brasil 2014
October 21, 2013
Angamos, Chile (Said/Ramierez)
Angamos, Chile (Said/Ramierez)
Rumbo a Brasil 2014
So we got transfers this weekend and I am staying here in Angamos for at least one more transfer. Elder Said however is heading all the way to the bottom of the mission in Vallenar. My new companion is going to be a Chilean who is fairly new in the mission. His name is Elder Ramierez and he is from Punta Arenas which is the far, far, far south of the country.
(The distance from Angamos to Punto Arenas is roughly the same as New York City to Los Angeles. If you imagine the very bottom of South America where the little point is; that is where Punto Arenas is located.)
I will be the DL for both of the Angamos sectors and both of the Origenes sectors so that will be interesting. I know that both sets of sisters will work hard and put up good numbers but Elder S is going to be senior companion with a Peruvian . . . I am not hopeful for that companionship but we will see.
My new Zone Leader is going to be Elder Packard. He was with me in Iquique for my first three transfers. His parents are the mission presidents of the Boston, Mission.
(That is where a young man from Austin is currently serving his mission right now.)
I am also fairly certain that I will be heading back to Calama next transfer because I have noticed a strange pattern in my transfers. Hermana Nuñez started in Iquique and the next transfer I did too. She then went to Calama zone and the next transfer I did too. Then she went to Antofagasta, the next transfer I did as well. Now she is heading back to Calama so I predict I will be back there for Christmas. I kind of hope so. I love Calama now that I have not been there in a while and I am getting restless in Antofagasta having been here almost 5 months, but whatever will be will be.
(Six months (next transfer date12/2/2013) is a long time in a missionary life. Calama is inland away from the ocean and about 7-9000 feet in elevation. It is where the zone leaders are for Tocopilla, his second area.)
So the really bad news about this week is that we got our water cut for about 5 days. Apparently we are supposed to pay for it but nobody told me and after 3 months of water I did not even think about it. So 5 days without shaving and I had a large beard. Also Elder Hamblin finished his mission and left on Thursday and so that was lame. I am going to miss that guy but he is in Arizona right now so I am sure that he is really happy.
Saturday night Eduardo got baptized. It was the first time since April that the Angamos Elders’ sector had a baptism. He is such a great guy and he gave his testimony after the baptism and it was so good.
I got three packages also. The other shirts package, the package filled with half bags of candy and a package from the Andersons so thank you everyone for that.
(When the month long mail strike hit Gunnar ended up with 5 packages in route. He got one the day the strike ended. One about three weeks ago, and finally the remaining three this week. He is all caught up. Now we need to start preparing his Christmas package for him so we have a chance of making it there for the holidays.)
Well I should be here for a little while if you need anything.
(I took advantage of this today because Gunnar has consistently emailed us at approximately 4pm his whole mission. Then these last two weeks he has gotten on prior to 9am and that has messed me up. Last week I was at least halfway done with my letter but today I hadn’t even started it yet. I am going to need to get on it by Sunday now to be safe.)
Love You,
Elder Peters
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
More on the concert
More on the concert
As you guys know I like to keep up on all the other missionary blogs I see and I found this account of last Saturday night from Gunnar’s good friend Elder Congleton.
Well then we went to a Baptismal service on Saturday in my old ward Angamos. It was a great service, I mean the best thing about being a missionary is seeing someone take the step to get baptized. So that is always great, then after they had a big ward talent show party thing. And it was our Preparation day so we stayed for the fun as well. It was great to see the members again and hang out with the missionaries there. Plus we got to laugh like crazy at some of the "talents". Elder Peters got up and sang with one of the bands there, it was the performance of the night. He rocked it and we were all yelling and screaming. It was a great time.
Let’s hope we get that video one day.
As you guys know I like to keep up on all the other missionary blogs I see and I found this account of last Saturday night from Gunnar’s good friend Elder Congleton.
Well then we went to a Baptismal service on Saturday in my old ward Angamos. It was a great service, I mean the best thing about being a missionary is seeing someone take the step to get baptized. So that is always great, then after they had a big ward talent show party thing. And it was our Preparation day so we stayed for the fun as well. It was great to see the members again and hang out with the missionaries there. Plus we got to laugh like crazy at some of the "talents". Elder Peters got up and sang with one of the bands there, it was the performance of the night. He rocked it and we were all yelling and screaming. It was a great time.
Let’s hope we get that video one day.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Another Day Without Another Dollar
Gunnar
October 14, 2013
Angamos, Chile (Elder Said)
This week the Ward was planning this big activity for Saturday night called Angapalooza. It was going to have bands and comedians and other acts and things. We were asked to perform a few acts from a show called 31 Minutes, basically the Chilean Muppets. So we picked out a couple of songs from the show and spent a large amount of time this week practicing for it. It was really fun. We involved Hamblin and Sunderland and we had four really good acts ready to go for the show on Saturday night. So Saturday night we were all ready to go and everyone was outside for the show. They had a stage and food and some bands playing. A few bands played and then another one got up but shortly before they did they asked if I could sing for them. What song? I ask. They give me the lyrics to Come Together by the Beatles a song I had not heard in a very, very, very long time. But I get up there and then the office elders show up and the assistants and everyone is there ready for me to go. And so I did. I sang that song in front of the whole ward, a large part of the stake, and many missionaries with a live band behind me. It was so much fun. I loved it and everyone was freaking out. So the love of the ward, something I have been working on for a while, check. I have got it, 100%. Then I go and sing again for the show that we did and it was really, really fun. Ended the night with some McDonalds and it was a good time.
(He is going to see if he can get a video of it from some of the people who were there)
Then on Sunday we got our investigator Eduardo to come to our ward and everyone loved him. The Bishop announced his baptism by saying "One of the best investigators I know, a great man, a great husband, and a great father will be getting baptized next weekend. He is incredible so please everyone come out to support him." He then announced it at the beginning of the other two hours as well. That was not even the best part though. During Elders Quorum the President asked what sacrifices Said and I had to make in order to come on the mission. We each talked for a bit and then the president asked if anyone else would like to talk. Nothing. Then Eduardo, our investigator raised his hand and asked to speak. He began to talk about his life and family and then the incredible blessings that we, as missionaries, had brought to his life and to his family. That we had answered every question he had ever had and had given him the greatest gift of all time, the opportunity to be with his family forever and that any sacrifice that we had to make in order to get here was worth it just because of the change that we wrought in his life and his family. And you know what I believe him. I got so close to crying. After he talked everyone in the class wanted to talk and everyone wants to get to know him, visit him, have family home evenings with him, invite him to do things, the work. Everyone loves him. Everyone. He is unreal awesome.
Chile had the chance to classify for the World Cup against Colombia the other day. They scored three goals in 10 minutes to go up 3-0. Then Chile stopped playing and Colombia comes back and ties 3-3. So now Colombia classifies for the first time in forever and Chile still has not. Chile plays Ecuador tomorrow. All they have to do is tie and they are in. Chile has a much better team than Ecuador, but they also have a much better team than Colombia so who knows. Even if Chile loses they can still classify if Uruguay loses as well.
(The fact Gunnar is up on AND has opinions about soccer is hilarious)
I got one of the packages the other day. The one with the book and the puzzles. I did not time myself but I do not think that it took me too long to do the 1D one. I finished the book already. Really liked it.
(For his birthday he asked for puzzles so I sent him a one direction puzzle I got from Savers. Plus he said he was interested in the Jack Reacher novels since seeing the movie on a bus so I sent him an old paperback. Basically a simple birthday package only 6 weeks late – yeah Chilean mail)
Well I love you guys, write back!
(unlike the rest of the time, Gunnar had his letter here by noon; so I had to scramble to write him.)
Love,
Elder Peters
October 14, 2013
Angamos, Chile (Elder Said)
Another Day Without Another Dollar
This week the Ward was planning this big activity for Saturday night called Angapalooza. It was going to have bands and comedians and other acts and things. We were asked to perform a few acts from a show called 31 Minutes, basically the Chilean Muppets. So we picked out a couple of songs from the show and spent a large amount of time this week practicing for it. It was really fun. We involved Hamblin and Sunderland and we had four really good acts ready to go for the show on Saturday night. So Saturday night we were all ready to go and everyone was outside for the show. They had a stage and food and some bands playing. A few bands played and then another one got up but shortly before they did they asked if I could sing for them. What song? I ask. They give me the lyrics to Come Together by the Beatles a song I had not heard in a very, very, very long time. But I get up there and then the office elders show up and the assistants and everyone is there ready for me to go. And so I did. I sang that song in front of the whole ward, a large part of the stake, and many missionaries with a live band behind me. It was so much fun. I loved it and everyone was freaking out. So the love of the ward, something I have been working on for a while, check. I have got it, 100%. Then I go and sing again for the show that we did and it was really, really fun. Ended the night with some McDonalds and it was a good time.
(He is going to see if he can get a video of it from some of the people who were there)
Then on Sunday we got our investigator Eduardo to come to our ward and everyone loved him. The Bishop announced his baptism by saying "One of the best investigators I know, a great man, a great husband, and a great father will be getting baptized next weekend. He is incredible so please everyone come out to support him." He then announced it at the beginning of the other two hours as well. That was not even the best part though. During Elders Quorum the President asked what sacrifices Said and I had to make in order to come on the mission. We each talked for a bit and then the president asked if anyone else would like to talk. Nothing. Then Eduardo, our investigator raised his hand and asked to speak. He began to talk about his life and family and then the incredible blessings that we, as missionaries, had brought to his life and to his family. That we had answered every question he had ever had and had given him the greatest gift of all time, the opportunity to be with his family forever and that any sacrifice that we had to make in order to get here was worth it just because of the change that we wrought in his life and his family. And you know what I believe him. I got so close to crying. After he talked everyone in the class wanted to talk and everyone wants to get to know him, visit him, have family home evenings with him, invite him to do things, the work. Everyone loves him. Everyone. He is unreal awesome.
So the Bishop here in Angamos has had a pretty bad relationship with all the missionaries for quite some time but now, mostly because of Eduardo I´m sure, he loves us. The Bishop wants to help us with everything. We earned his respect and now that he is behind us the whole ward is getting behind us. Things are starting to get really good here.
Chile had the chance to classify for the World Cup against Colombia the other day. They scored three goals in 10 minutes to go up 3-0. Then Chile stopped playing and Colombia comes back and ties 3-3. So now Colombia classifies for the first time in forever and Chile still has not. Chile plays Ecuador tomorrow. All they have to do is tie and they are in. Chile has a much better team than Ecuador, but they also have a much better team than Colombia so who knows. Even if Chile loses they can still classify if Uruguay loses as well.
(The fact Gunnar is up on AND has opinions about soccer is hilarious)
I got one of the packages the other day. The one with the book and the puzzles. I did not time myself but I do not think that it took me too long to do the 1D one. I finished the book already. Really liked it.
(For his birthday he asked for puzzles so I sent him a one direction puzzle I got from Savers. Plus he said he was interested in the Jack Reacher novels since seeing the movie on a bus so I sent him an old paperback. Basically a simple birthday package only 6 weeks late – yeah Chilean mail)
Well I love you guys, write back!
(unlike the rest of the time, Gunnar had his letter here by noon; so I had to scramble to write him.)
Love,
Elder Peters
Monday, October 7, 2013
The World is a Mess
Gunnar
October 7, 2013
Angamos, Chile (Elder Said)
The World is a Mess
Well that is the impression that I got from General Conference this weekend. The World is a mess. People do not appreciate women; the time when religious freedom will no longer be available is shortly arriving and all other sorts of apocalyptic predictions. Very interesting the conference to say the least. One of my favorite talks was Elder Scott when he spoke about making weak things strong and the covenant of the anti-nephi-lehis. I also very much enjoyed Elder Bednar's talk about tithing. Some very good points that he brought up.
Haha, probably the best part about conference for me was on Saturday morning before the first session. The Stake President and his wife invited us over for breakfast at10:30 in the morning and it was incredible. She made brownies, muffins, and cheesecake (all things that most Chileans do not know exist) and they were so good. She had pancakes, syrup, peanut butter, strawberries, sausages. It was unreal. Like we always say here in Angamos, the sector definitely has its benefits.
Thursday for my one year mark the four of us here all went to a Chinese buffet and it was really good. The Chinese buffets in the states are way better but this one was still really good. The only bad part was that I kind of felt like dying the rest of the day from all of the greasy food that I ate. While we were there we saw a news story about a submarine that emerged in a street in Milan, Italy. So that is crazy.
(Gunnar is getting old – the rages of fried food)
We had interviews with President this week and we talked about what had been going on in my district and how I handled it. He was very happy with me and he then told me that he really liked the fact that an elder and a sister did not get along. In fact he prefers it to elders and sisters getting along. So I think that I made some good headway with President this week.
(I can appreciate the Presidents wisdom on this. That has to be a huge problem to manage for him [elders and sisters getting along too well])
I still have not received any of the other packages but we will see this Tuesday at our zone meeting. And it was an old shirt that got covered in hot sauce.
(Small miracles with the shirt. He had just received a package of brand new shirts from us when he destroyed a shirt with hot sauce)
Well I do not have anything else to say. Pretty boring week. Love You guys.
Elder Peters
The computer cannot read my camera, it says that the files are corrupted. I hope not
(So now Gunnar has been out over a year now as he began his mission the first week of October last year. Time is moving really fast now.)
October 7, 2013
Angamos, Chile (Elder Said)
The World is a Mess
Haha, probably the best part about conference for me was on Saturday morning before the first session. The Stake President and his wife invited us over for breakfast at10:30 in the morning and it was incredible. She made brownies, muffins, and cheesecake (all things that most Chileans do not know exist) and they were so good. She had pancakes, syrup, peanut butter, strawberries, sausages. It was unreal. Like we always say here in Angamos, the sector definitely has its benefits.
Thursday for my one year mark the four of us here all went to a Chinese buffet and it was really good. The Chinese buffets in the states are way better but this one was still really good. The only bad part was that I kind of felt like dying the rest of the day from all of the greasy food that I ate. While we were there we saw a news story about a submarine that emerged in a street in Milan, Italy. So that is crazy.
(Gunnar is getting old – the rages of fried food)
We had interviews with President this week and we talked about what had been going on in my district and how I handled it. He was very happy with me and he then told me that he really liked the fact that an elder and a sister did not get along. In fact he prefers it to elders and sisters getting along. So I think that I made some good headway with President this week.
(I can appreciate the Presidents wisdom on this. That has to be a huge problem to manage for him [elders and sisters getting along too well])
I still have not received any of the other packages but we will see this Tuesday at our zone meeting. And it was an old shirt that got covered in hot sauce.
(Small miracles with the shirt. He had just received a package of brand new shirts from us when he destroyed a shirt with hot sauce)
Well I do not have anything else to say. Pretty boring week. Love You guys.
Elder Peters
The computer cannot read my camera, it says that the files are corrupted. I hope not
(So now Gunnar has been out over a year now as he began his mission the first week of October last year. Time is moving really fast now.)
Monday, September 30, 2013
I am living in Chile! Like, What!?!?
Gunnar
September 30, 2013
Angamos, Chile (Elder Said)
I am living in Chile! Like, What!?!?
It is really weird but sometimes I will be walking around and I will have a very profound realization, like "I am living in Chile!" I feel like I should be past that feeling by now but it gets me a lot haha. Tuesday after District meeting we spent the whole time making posters for the zone car wash we were going to have on Saturday. Then we walked back to the pension and ate with the mamita. I have been really concerned about how we are going to find new investigators here in this sector seeing as it has been very difficult here lately. So on Tuesday Said and I had plans to go out and contact a bunch of old names we had in our area book all over our sector. We split up to go out with some of the youth in the ward and after walking all over the place all day, doing a ton of contacts, we met back up at the end of the day with nothing. Very frustrated I began searching through my agenda for any other references that we maybe had not contacted. That is when I came across a name that Elder DeGraw had given me a few weeks earlier. DeGraw is notorious for giving out the worst references so at the time that he gave it to me I paid it no attention. But now, a few weeks later and very desperate, I gave Eduardo Mendez a call. He told me that he had been very concerned that we had not called him and that he had been waiting for us. So on Thursday we went over to his house and the very first thing he tells us is that his wife is less-active and he wants to get baptized and then sealed in the temple. Wow. So we have a date with him for the 19th of October and he is very, very excited. So despite the fact that I am still very concerned with finding new investigators I am very happy about the discovery of Eduardo.
(Elder Degraw and Gunnar started out together in the same apartment and are great friends; he kids
Our convert here, Victor Vega, told us that he was moving back to Santiago and I was pretty sad about it. He was baptized the week before I got here but I very much consider him my convert. He is dating a girl in the ward and he told me that he has plans to get married in the temple next October in Santiago. So depending on where the dates fall that could be something I would very much like to do next year. See him get married. Apparently he is staying here until at least the end of October so that is good. He is a really cool guy.
Friday I went to the Civil Register to take out my Chilean identity card where they told me that my visa was rejected in Santiago. To tell the truth I was very concerned about this but after speaking to the mission secretary, Elder Chacon, he explained that all I have to do is all of my paperwork over again and that we will do it on Wednesday and he will help me out with all of it. So I am not getting deported, that is good.
(I am always asking Gunnar for apartment shots including the bathroom. I didn't really mean a close-up of the toilet)
Saturday morning we had a free car wash in the zone and invited everyone that was passing by. It was really fun but we were outside all day and I got pretty badly burned. But I am fine.
So I have still not received any of the packages that I am waiting on but whatever, I will just keep waiting. What else can I do.
Yesterday we had lunch with my favorite member family here, the Salas Family, and this family always has a jar of green olives for me because they know how much I love them. So yesterday I ate the majority of a jar of olives with the help of their 7-year old daughter and one of the sister missionaries complained to the mom that I had eaten all of the olives and now they could not put them into the spaghetti. To this the mom said "Oh they were not for the noodles, they were for him because Elder Peters is our favorite child." Haha, alright I am okay with that.
Well I love you guys. I should be here for a little while so write back!
Love,
Elder Peters
P.S. The family in the picture is the Colque Family. We ate lunch with them and President Dalton on the 18th
(Not a lot to add to this letter except the number of typos I have to fix has dramatically increased)
September 30, 2013
Angamos, Chile (Elder Said)
I am living in Chile! Like, What!?!?
It is really weird but sometimes I will be walking around and I will have a very profound realization, like "I am living in Chile!" I feel like I should be past that feeling by now but it gets me a lot haha. Tuesday after District meeting we spent the whole time making posters for the zone car wash we were going to have on Saturday. Then we walked back to the pension and ate with the mamita. I have been really concerned about how we are going to find new investigators here in this sector seeing as it has been very difficult here lately. So on Tuesday Said and I had plans to go out and contact a bunch of old names we had in our area book all over our sector. We split up to go out with some of the youth in the ward and after walking all over the place all day, doing a ton of contacts, we met back up at the end of the day with nothing. Very frustrated I began searching through my agenda for any other references that we maybe had not contacted. That is when I came across a name that Elder DeGraw had given me a few weeks earlier. DeGraw is notorious for giving out the worst references so at the time that he gave it to me I paid it no attention. But now, a few weeks later and very desperate, I gave Eduardo Mendez a call. He told me that he had been very concerned that we had not called him and that he had been waiting for us. So on Thursday we went over to his house and the very first thing he tells us is that his wife is less-active and he wants to get baptized and then sealed in the temple. Wow. So we have a date with him for the 19th of October and he is very, very excited. So despite the fact that I am still very concerned with finding new investigators I am very happy about the discovery of Eduardo.
(Elder Degraw and Gunnar started out together in the same apartment and are great friends; he kids
)
Our convert here, Victor Vega, told us that he was moving back to Santiago and I was pretty sad about it. He was baptized the week before I got here but I very much consider him my convert. He is dating a girl in the ward and he told me that he has plans to get married in the temple next October in Santiago. So depending on where the dates fall that could be something I would very much like to do next year. See him get married. Apparently he is staying here until at least the end of October so that is good. He is a really cool guy.
Friday I went to the Civil Register to take out my Chilean identity card where they told me that my visa was rejected in Santiago. To tell the truth I was very concerned about this but after speaking to the mission secretary, Elder Chacon, he explained that all I have to do is all of my paperwork over again and that we will do it on Wednesday and he will help me out with all of it. So I am not getting deported, that is good.
(I am always asking Gunnar for apartment shots including the bathroom. I didn't really mean a close-up of the toilet)
Saturday morning we had a free car wash in the zone and invited everyone that was passing by. It was really fun but we were outside all day and I got pretty badly burned. But I am fine.
So I have still not received any of the packages that I am waiting on but whatever, I will just keep waiting. What else can I do.
Yesterday we had lunch with my favorite member family here, the Salas Family, and this family always has a jar of green olives for me because they know how much I love them. So yesterday I ate the majority of a jar of olives with the help of their 7-year old daughter and one of the sister missionaries complained to the mom that I had eaten all of the olives and now they could not put them into the spaghetti. To this the mom said "Oh they were not for the noodles, they were for him because Elder Peters is our favorite child." Haha, alright I am okay with that.
Well I love you guys. I should be here for a little while so write back!
Love,
Elder Peters
P.S. The family in the picture is the Colque Family. We ate lunch with them and President Dalton on the 18th
(Not a lot to add to this letter except the number of typos I have to fix has dramatically increased)
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