Travelling the World!

Well everyone, one week in a new sector! My new comp is super fun! Which is good, cause our sector is just a tiny bit dead... but oh well. We have a good time! And the ward, oh my gosh THE WARD HERE. I’m just in shock. The numero uno coolest thing about the ward is that almost every member that is a crucial member, that carries a lot of responsibility and really is carrying the ward, is a RECENT CONVERT. I’ve never seen retention so good.  That is one of the bigger problems here in Chile. Retention of new members isn’t very good. I hate to say it, but it’s probably because Chilean culture isn’t SUPER commitment prone in general. Or rather, they’ll make commitments all day, but it doesn’t mean they’ll do it. BUT I still love it here, don’t worry! there is a recent convert (less than 2-year member) who is in his twenties that is a piano teacher, so he plays the piano!! They also have a group of people sing a hymn for prelude. We had a baptism of the elders in my ward on Saturday. Two little boys actually. Esteban (WHO LITERALLY LOOKS AND IS EXACTLY LIKE NICHOLAS ELDRIDGE) has been a member for eight months and he did one baptism. The other one was done by a priest whose family was baptized just over two years ago. Another recent convert in his twenties did the confirmation, and we also had a baby blessing of a baby of a less active family. So then we had testimony meeting, where I had to present myself, and there was a line of people who wanted to bear their testimonies! And we are talking people who wanted to testify that Christ lives, not just tell stories. The spirit was so strong. I think about every recent convert who was there bore a powerful testimony. That 16-year-old who did a baptism, whose family is also passing through a really hard time, though we don’t know the details, got up and said, that he saw a lot of empty seats that day, and that we all needed to go find someone who didn’t come, and bring them next week. I, frankly, was just giddy in my seat by this point with excitement to get to work! 

This week Hna Perez and I are travelling the world, or Chile at least! One day this week we got to go to Providencia, another really rich community of Santiago where the temple/CCM (MTC) is. President also called us and asked me to start doing a singing class in my new sector! He asked me to coordinate with another hna who sings who is Peñaflor. I asked if I had permission to call her, and he out of nowhere gave me permission to GO TO PEÑAFLOR. I was like... "uh, okay, ya permiso...me voy a Peñaflor altiro..." (I’ll go to Peñaflor right away) SO I’m writing you guys from Peñaflor! It is another zone, and it is campo (in the country)! It’s just a little outside of Santiago. I’ll be taking lots of pics don’t worry! And then our sister training leader called and told us we have divisions with her first thing tomorrow morning in REPUBLICA, another zone in the mission. But it’s like the center of Santiago. Everybody says it’s like Manhattan of Chile. So I’ll be headed there tonight, and I’ll take lots of pics!! ha-ha, one way or a nother, I’m gonna get to see something outside of Maipu!!

Love you all! This week I studied obedience and learned that is an act of faith, that we trust that Heavenly Father will bless us even when we don’t understand and I know He will! I challenge you all to be extra obedient this week and see the blessings in your lives!! 

Love, Hna Stanley

New Companion, Hna Perez

Providencia

Chilean "Nick"