October 27th

A short email this week, there isn't too much to say. We are getting really close to putting a baptisimal date with P________ G______ and with D____ C_______. We also found a guy named P____ from Bolivia.. I think he´s got to be the most receptive investigator that we have had in a while. The only challenge has been finding them when they are home. One of the bigger challenges of the mission is finding them when they are home and having lessons with the members which are incredibly affective. I hope that when you two are not traveling that you go out with the missionaries,, maybe one of the biggest challenges has been to find members and have lessons with investigators. Not just to have a lesson with a member, but remembering the Christ-like example of love and friendship. The member has the biggest influence with the investigator. 

What a cool experience to have been able to work at the temple for a bit. I bet it is booming there on Pinnacle Peak. what a blessing to get to watch, members and non-members go through. Well after more than 5 years of planning and constructing it has got to be wonderful to see the progress and the finished result! Like Alex said, I am also really excited to be able to go through when I get home. 
I am doing well with my companion. I have got a lot of crazy stories.. maybe too much to put into an email, but my companion makes me laugh so much! I am learning that maybe I didn´t have the patience that I had before the mission. I am grateful because I am learning more than she is I think. Makes it a little bitter sweet that I have experiencing this during the last few months that I have left. 

I have a few pics of me and my companion. We also have been "hunting down" some old investigators. We have been trying to get more creative with leaving small gifts for them like the little cactus we bought with scriptures written on the rocks. 

 

I hope that everyone is doing well. I love you and am grateful for the emails that I get from yall every week. Have a good one.

September 29th

hey yall

i am so sorry for what happened this week :( that totally stinks. I hope that the bitter feelings have passed. Like Alex said-better that nobody was hurt. So keep your head up and I hope you are able to appreciate the blessings even through the tough event

This week was absolutely incredible. We visited almost all of our contacts again this week. Let me tell you that we definitely had contacts of gold. We set 3 baptismal dates for our new investigators and we hope to set a couple more dates this week. We found 8 new investigators this week, some including families..

One of the days we were on divisions this week and a member was with us. Unfortunately our plans fell through and we weren`t able to visit the person we had planned. We walked by a little food vendor market and this one guy from behind asked me where my companion was and I explained that we have exchanges once in a while. I new he was a foreigner and so I asked him where he was from and he told us he was from the Dominican Republic and his name was J_____. I also asked J____ if he had heard missionaries before and he said no. I asked him if he would like to hear the missionaries and so right then and there he invited us to his house right across the street. Turns out there are seven of them from the DR and we started teaching J_____ and D_____. 

From a few weeks ago, there was a lady that contacted us and said she would like to hear the lessons and that she would like to be baptized, she gave us her address to visit her and unfortunately it was the incorrect address. but we found her again this week and she explained to us how she realized that it was wrong. we set up an appointment with her correct address and she has so many questions about what we are teaching. We have a baptismal date for her and hopefully for her 12 year old son as well. 

R____was one of our contacts during 18.. immediately she told us about her situation that she had a child about 5 years ago that only lived to be 6 months old. Since the time we met her, she has been reading the Book of Mormon and came to church with us for the first time yesterday. She also has a baptismal date for October. 

S____ is a friend of one of the members of our ward. He lives alone and he actually came to church the week before sitting in the front of the chapel and left before we could see an unfamiliar face. He is 70 years old and lives alone. He has severe depression, but has agreed to be Baptized after we explained to him that he wasn`t too "old" to make covenants and we are working patiently to explain to him the blessings of the plan of Salvation and why some sad things have happened in his life. 

 

We also met V____ during 18 when we were looking for a less active. She also has depression, but is a mother of 3 and is a stay at home mom. She and her son want to learn more from us and we were able to teach them this week. 

I got the package from you guys... thank you for the skirt- gave it to my comp who loves clothes. I am winding down.. the package was perfect. it was like you knew i had a headache (motrin) and i needed more laundry detergent,, 

So that is a little about my life at this moment. It was such a good week, but i think what is more important is what i am learning. It is about perseverance and just want to be an instrument in the Lord´s hands (Alma 17:11) I hope you have a good week and if you can pray for these people. I am so grateful for the message of the Restoration. It changes lives. -- 

service project from the other week and us singing"si vas para chile" for 18 at the ward activity 

 

Sister Jasmine Berthelson

Chile Santiago East Mission

September 1st

Well, it was quite the semana. Even though I am still in J. P. Alessandri, I have a new companiera from Colombia. Her name is Hermana Villalba. It was a pretty crazy week with training, but we were able to have some AWESOME lessons....... more tender blessings than I could imagine. We found a few good investigators this week. We were also able to go to the temple with our Converso hno Jo___ Z_____. He is our convert of 78 years who lives alone. His parents, wife, and only son have passed on to the other side of the veil and we were able to do baptisms and confirmations for all of them- A super humbling experience. Even before going to the temple, we were waiting, the three of us for some members to come by and take us. A lady named C______ came with her 5 year old son and asked us who we were. We explained to her that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ and she told us that she had once attended a baptismal service for a friend and also said that she wanted a change in her life. We were able to teach her a little bit, even with Hermano Z_____ to help us, and she agreed to take lessons from us. How cool is that or what??? I am also learing a lot from my new companion. She comes from very humble circumstances, but she has got a vigor and desire to share the Gospel! I´m so glad to have her as my comp!! 

 

Well I'm sorry this is such a short email. I also forgot my camera.. oops!! I will pray for the Christensen's.. I know it must be hard right now. It was nice to see that everyone is doing well and that Cambria had a good time. I forgot up until i got Dad's email that it was labor day- cool beans!! a day off.

Keep strong, doing what you´re doing, and doing a little bit more because as I reflect back on this week, we really had spiritual moments just going the extra mile. Love you all so much!