Week #18 Ere the Sun go down

Hey everyone! Wow what a week. The saying that the days in the field crawl but the weeks fly is so true but I love it so much. Transfers were yesterday and Elder Nava is going to stay here for another transfer . YEAH!  It feels really good to be done with my training and now I am just a regular missionary. Now I feel more like an equal with Elder Nava. I am still learning Spanish but it has improved immensely. With Elder Nava staying for the next transfer, there are a few changes in the future of my mission. Here in Santiago Este the norm is that you stay in a area for 4 transfers or 6 months but since I will receive a new companion at the end of this transfer, I will have to stay here for 2 additional transfers  in order to help him become familair with the area making a total of 5 transfers here in Javiera Carrera. That means I will probably be here until March. But I am so good with that because I love this area. There are so many good people here! For instance....

1. Manuel- Manuel is a great guy. A few weeks back, I told his story how he was baptized once but was never confirmed. We are still wating for the answer about his situtation but I have a feeling we are probably going to have to baptize him again since it has been 2 years since he was baptized...Anyway if we receive the affirmative, we will get him to the font right away.

2. Nicolas- Nicolas is a son in a part member famiy. His parents are members and we have received autorization from them to start the discussions. He is coming along really wellbut the only problem is it is hard to get him to church. And he cannot really progress as an investigator until he comes to church. More to come on that later... 

There are a lot of other people that are really good but they still have some work to do. But that is ok because with Elder Nava staying for another transfer, we are committing to work even harder and increase our numbers. It is so exciting the success we are having here. 

Q&A

1. Have you witnessed any miracles or tender mercies this week?  A constant tender mercy that I will probably never stop being grateful for is Spanish. I can actually understand a lot more people now. I am able to do a lot more in the lessons and I can actually do a door contact all by myself. I have still so much more to learn but I am coming along and it is getting so much better. 

2. Have you learned anything interesting from your studies?  thing I learned in my studies this week is the importance of charity. In 1 Corinthians 13 there is a beautiful chapter about charity. What really stood out to me is in the beginning there is a list of things that without charity, they will fall away and perish. These things include knowledge, prophecies, tongues, etc. What I took from it is that I could understand the missionary lessons perfectly but if I do not have charity, it will all be for naught. I could speak perfect Spanish like a native but if I do not have charity it will not get me or my investigators anywhere in this work. Charity is one of qualities that brings priesthood power as we read in D&C 121. There are so many ways that the pure love of Christ can bless our lives and the lives of people we love. That is going to be my focus for awhile: Charity. Because without charity we really are nothing

3. Have you been well (as far as sicknesses and such)? What was the best thing you ate this week?Food and health all good down here in Chile. I feel great! And exhausted. They kind of go hand in hand here in the mission. Yesterday we ate empanadas and sapodillas with Daniela's family. It was so good. 

Love you all

Elder Landon Evans

This week we had a conference with Bishop Davies and Elder Packer of the Seventy and we had it with Santiago Norte and look who I found. Elder Jeremy Lewis and Elder Ben Porter. It was nice seeing two elders from home and knowing that there are elders that I know personally working not too far from where I am. (Sorry the pic is kind of bad) 

Last pic of my zone before changes., A lot of changes happened yesterday and my zone will not be the same again but it is nice to see the Lord's hand in all things big and small

Halloween

Me on the piano!