Service with a big sweaty smile! Pierce was in heaven.

Elder McMullan sounded great in his email today.  If anything, he is missing physical labor more than anything.  Nothing new.

Here are some excerpts from today's email:

"Some missionaries want to play Playstation, some would like to watch movies, others would enjoy having a girlfriend in the mission, MANY would love to sleep in the pension all day…, but then there’s me.  I just want to do farm work man!  CURSES. I guess everyone has that one weakness.  I just want to go to the campo. (no idea how to say that in English… the field?)  Doesn’t make sense,. not the same thing, forget it."

"This past week we got asked to do some service in Freirina.  It’s a little pueblo in between Vallenar and Huasco.  The Hermanas actually go over there,  but the hermano wanted our service and help. We got to Freirina then drove like 20 min out of town towards.... GREEN! SO GREEN.   I’m so happy I came back to Vallenar.  Anyhow, we went there and the hermano has a farm. If you know me, you know I would love to live on a farm.   Being self sufficient like that is my dream. They have chickens, beehives, vegetables, olives, (which I actually ENJOY eating now… I know it’s weird)  potatoes, carrots, zapallo, (squash/pumpkin thing) corn, basically everything!   Grapes too.  They buy rice and sugar, but the rest of the stuff is all theirs!  I was converted. We ended up tilling an acre and a half.  It took like 2 days in the mornings. They gave us amazing lunches too. Really, we are supposed to find someone to teach every time we do service, so we talked to the family and they were like “oh yea we'll invite our neighbors over!"  It was THAT EASY. Never happens like that.

"We also helped an investigator (actually it was the sisters’ investigators) who is building their house in the Thomas.  ( like the house I built in Vallenar) They really don’t have any money at all, but they got enough money to rent a jackhammer on the man’s day off.  Then they called him into work, so he couldn't do it…., so  basically wasted his money.  So last Pday we came to do cyber (email) early, so we could go do it for him while he worked.  We were there for 5 hours hammering through pure rock.   Jackhammers are cool though!   Eventually he came home and was SO grateful that we came to help.  So much service this week!  Made me.. T..Tt.....TRUNKIE. "

"I don’t know how other missionaries get pumped, but doing service really makes me pumped. I told the Hermano Osorio (the guy with the farm) that I'd work for food. Then I had to remember I was a missionary and I need to do other stuff. Dang it.... Curse my love of the outdoors and green! (And being dirty and sweaty and having calluses on my hands!)" 

"Yes we have a mamita.  Cool story actually…., so her husband  abused her and her daughter.   Chile divorce laws are really hard, and the husband ran away.  The only thing she needs to get divorced is his address, but he puts fake addresses on everything.   On Friday, (we use this program to find members and less actives on the computer) we found her name on there and she was sealed to so and so.   So we  clicked on him and found an address.   We gave it to her and she didn't have that one, and said "last night I prayed about my situation with him that I might find help!" Mish.....prayers work!!

"Teaching English is usually really ineffective with people,  but Elder P and I were determined to give it a last try.  All of a sudden, people are interested.  Now we say "we'll teach you in your home if you can’t do it on Saturday.” They ALWAYS let us in. Like last night, a really nice Bolivian lady told us to come in and teach her English.  We explained that we'll wait for her husband as respect.   Later, we went back in and I think he was mad at first…, but we broke the ice really easy and he was interested.  As always, God gets brought up in the end. We didn’t "teach a lesson" really, but they want to know more about us.   So  2 new people to teach which is cool!! 

Elder McMullan, the investigator and the 5 hour hole he dug. 

Dirty, sweaty, calloused hands Pierce!  He's in heaven!

"VEGETABLES AND GREEN"

"We tilled this"

"Welcome to the jungle, (the closest I'm going to get)"

BLUE EGGS,  some type of bird here.

"BEEHIVES and the honey they had was the best I've ever tasted, like a cream almost."

Piece of what Freirina looks like

 

 

"WOOP..., there it is!"

This has been such a CRAZY and AMAZING weekend!  We had the Phoenix Temple Cultural Celebration on Saturday and then the Temple dedication on Sunday!  Also on Sunday a good friend of ours was baptized!!  A- MA- ZING Weekend!!   But..., since we had so much going on, I hadn't had the chance to email Pierce yet.  When  I got up today with the younger boys to get them ready at 6 am , Pierce had already emailed!!  It's 4 hours ahead there now.  Luckily, I was able to write and he received it!  I loved the end of his letter today.  It's what all of us parents want /'need to hear from time to time from our kiddos!  :)

Here are a few excerpts from Elder McMullan's email today:

"This place is small.  I finally realized that, but hey it’s prettier than anywhere else in the entire mission!"

"This week we had zone meeting.  One of my zone leaders is like the most intense person I've ever met in the mission.  Basically we have a hymn, prayer, and then he starts talking.  Within 30 seconds, he says (pointing at the group) "You WILL go inactive after your mission if you don’t obey the rules!!" I was astounded. Didn't know what to think, in my head I was like "Woop there it is!  It wasn't directed at anyone in particular, he’s just intense by nature. His companion is just this loose, happy go lucky guy, so its funny."

"We've been really trying to focus on the lessons with members.  We talked to the members and planned meetings with them like 5 days of this past week, and EVERY time, either the member or investigator couldn't do it..... sigh.   But this week should be better."

"Some good news: A less active lady and her Investigator husband came to church and she wants to start paying tithing again, so that’s good.  Also, yesterday a less active told us that he wants to bring himself and his family back too. That’s good!"

" We went to an investigators house the other day and they had a Catholic  Jesus statue on the cross surrounded by different Virgin Mary statues, Catholic prayers, rosary beads, all that jazz……,but the centerpiece was........, a Book of Mormon!  I was really taken back a bit!"

"We walked into a house the other day ….., and all the women here are usually watching novellas.   (Soap Operas?) They’re awful.  Sometimes they’re in Spanglish, don’t know why, but they are..,  and the guy dropped the F bomb and other horrible words in English and the rest in Spanish. WHY?  It’s like public TV too. Made me think what the heck is going on, on American TV?  It can only be getting worse too. Really makes me sad to see the kids these days with these types of norms. Heck, I’m 19 and I don’t think I heard the words "drugs, sex, gay marriage, curse words, rape," all these horrible things at their age!  Now you can’t avoid them. I think more and more how before the mission I thought a lot like "It would've been easier to be a convert and to not be born in the church, because then, you have to find and develop your own testimony."  Now I realize how grateful I am that I was born of "goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father(s)" and not left to "travel for the space of many hours in darkness." Who knows if I would've ever made it. Thank you Mom and Dad, for being good parents and teaching me the right things to do and what real happiness means. "

Captain Cool, Captain Moroni, Sargent Stress and lot's of pics!

Elder McMullan seems to be enjoying his new area.  Oh,.... and have I mentioned we are on MONTH 16!!!!!!!

Here are some excerpts from today's email:

"My Comp is from Lima Peru. I’m not trying to insult or anything, honestly, but this guy has the WORST ADD I've ever seen. He'll start a sentence with something, and then finish it with something else.  He has 22 months so maybe I'll be his last comp. Who knows? This past week, we had an activity planned, and then come to find out on THURSDAY, my comp drops the bomb that nothing was ready.... (ADD......forgets everything)......PATIENCE!!!!! ¡¡¡¡VENGA A MI!!!!
But whatever, my comp is cool, he makes me laugh because he’s like Sargent stress and I'm like Captain cool.  Nothing really worries me. He's a great guy though."

"2 weeks ago we went to Caldera, so here’s some pics of that.  It’s a little city off of Copiapo.  That was cool!  Really pretty beach too…, clear water."

" We live like 5 seconds walking distance from the beach. (well rock beach)  I would do personal study there everyday if I could.  It’s So refreshing.  Great view of the factory too."

"We live alone, Huasco is cool, but small. Really green too.  The people are pretty nice.  All have been here forever.  There are a lot of Bosnians and Turks here that work in the factories, doesn't make sense to me, but whatever."

"We have some investigators, one was really depressed yesterday because he got robbed.  All his money for the month and it’s only the 10th.., so we brought him food and stuff. Then he felt better."

"The branch President and I (Captain Moroni) " 

"First week in my new area and I already lost my dignity"

Lizard on the beach

Caldera. Bahia Iglesia, famous beach.

"Clear water!"

Selfie by the beach

"The Thinker"

"All of Caldera pretty much"

TRANSFER!!!!

We didn't hear from Pierce last week, so it was so great to hear from him today.  He was TRANSFERRED!  He wasn't expecting it, so he was shocked.  He thought his Comp would be transferred, but he thought he'd be sticking around.

Here's some excerpts form his email today:

"Sorry, last week we went to Caldera and didn't have time to get out to a ciber.  (Internet café) "

 "Guess what?!  I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!  I got transferred!  Back to Vallenar.., well to "H" really,  but basically the same thing. (Same zone as he was in Vallenar)  Couldn't believe it!   I'm really excited to be here.  My comp is Elder "P" from Peru.   He actually seems like he WANTS to be obedient! WHO'D OF THOUGHT?  It’s like the first time in a LONG time I've had a comp like that." 

" We didn't end up seeing a fist fight in Paipote before we left, so that’s good.  Funny stories.  Nothing happened but someone was going to hit someone at any moment.  It was split in 2 sides, one with the president of branch, and the other against the president. It was sad."

"  "H" is cool!   The members here are SUPER FIEL (google translate = “faithful”) from what I remember while I was in Vallenar. They even sing well, not TONE DEAF.  I think I’m going to “kill” my comp, since he only has 3 months left.  (That's the term they use when the Elder finishes his mission)  

"I'm kind of in a rush because this city is so small, there is one place for internet and just now there was room for 1 computer.  We really have to go out and do stuff now.   Even though it's really small, the beach is basically my sector. You can’t escape it.  Heck, here’s the view from our front door!  Nice ocean breeze!   But, yea, I'm doing good!" 

"View from our front door"

Graffiti