Hey all!
Ok so my brain is totally fried because I came down with a cold randomly yesterday which is a total bummer BOOO I get sick a lot it seems, but I'll try to rest a little and drink fluids. I'm mostly really tired I think. Ok so first up in the week we traveled all to Concepcion to meet president May! It was a pretty short meeting but he and hna May seemed super nice and really excited to be here. They were just really really humble and spiritual and fun. It was a 3 1/2 hour journey there but we took some good naps on the way. There were a lot of old friends there like Elder M. who is still in the office and Elder C.and a ton of others and we ate pizza after the meeting which was awesome. After that we headed home. So as a zone leader we have to pretty much do an intercambio with our district leaders every week which means that I feel like I barely even work with Elder R. sometimes or even in Lebu. Luckily there are only two dls here. First up I worked with Elder W. who is working in Cañete. He is pretty much the chosen one of the mission. He is a total machine and a really really hard and smart worker and has very little time in the mission. He pushes himself really hard, almost too hard, and reminds me a lot of how I was a few months ago but way smarter and better. We talked alot about his goals in his mission and how he is feeling spiritualy andIi think I was able to help him by mostly just talking to him. We had a lesson with C. and she committed herself to baptism after having a dream about it which was so awesome. I loved being able to show her, her sisters, and her family off to Elder W. because it's always just tons of fun over there and a lot like teaching primary which makes it fun. We had a noche de hogar there Sunday which was also a riot. I love that family a lot! S., C's little sister looks just like her aunt Lorena a ton! They came to church in all the rain too and it was super cool. We watched the restoration on Sunday too and they are really smart and got it all. We also found a family of 5 that day with Elder W. too! They were super skeptical and doubting but when me and Elder R. went back they opened up a lot and hopefully will progress! They are so cool and we could tell they really felt the spirit and were really humble and excited to learn! I hope so bad we can find them again! It's so special to teach a family! It's way fun. Another problem is that the dad works as a fisherman so is always at sea but we will try to catch him when he's home. Hey I just made a pun wow that was unexpected. Our zone is doing really well! It's super good. We will be doing some stuff this week to keep the animo up too. It started to rain which is kind of a bummer. The rain itself really isn't that bad but it's the Lebu wind which is killer and gets you really wet if youre not prepared. My gear is all totally sufficient so don't worry about that. It's not even really getting wet that is the bummer it's just that people sometimes seem less receptive when it's raining a ton. The wind here is crazy. Our house has a leaky roof too so we are trying to look for a new one hopefully. Other than that Lebu is totally awesome and really beautiful We ate lunch Sunday with an hermana that lives way up on the highest hill and the view was super pretty. We cross the bridge over the river a ton every day and see all the fishing boats coming and going. The chapel here is huge and there are two ping pong tables which are great for pdays. Elder R. is awesome and you cant tell at all he is about to finish. He is a total example of a faithful missionary. Hes so faithful if you didn't know better you would just say he is really lucky hahahaha. I really want to learn how to develop my faith to be like his before he goes. Miracles just seem to pass around him all day every day. It's really weird but cool. I feel like I try to get stuff done a lot just through force of will and banging my head into my study desk all the time and trusting that the Lord will consecrate my really hard work, but his strategy of relying on the Lord seems a lot easier and with more results sometimes hahahahaha. Give me tips if you have some that arent just "read Alma 32" hahaha. I'm learning a lot about teaching with power and authority as a missionary. A huge part of it has to do with gaining the people's trust, which a lot of missionaries ignore. It is so important that we be friends with who we teach. Obviously there is taking it to the extreme and just getting people converted to you, but there is a butter zone there in the middle that I'm trying really hard to find and I feel like I'm succeeding. If the people feel like we are their friends, the lessons change from lessons to being a conversation, and if the people we are teaching feel comfortable and trust us as we show interest in them, the spirituality of the lessons increases. It's really special.I think it might have to do with charity. I'm starting to find it as one of my strengths as a missionary. A big struggle most missionaries have is that its way easier to just teach like a robot and hope the people accept it, so they do it like that. I'm realizing that the Lord wants me to be Me, not some abstract boring version of me. I'm trying to teach that to the missionaries I work with. I love this work and am doing great other than being a little sickcito. I love you all and your letters! I hope this letter was good! Love Trevor
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Elder Trevor SmithElder Trevor Smith is a Mormon missionary in the Chile Concepcion Sur mission, the same mission where his dad served. Although this is Trevor's own mission, he grew up hearing about the beautiful land of Chile and the loving people that inhabit it. These are the letters from his experience there. Archives
July 2017
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