April 30, 2011

Hey Everyone!
Sorry I am on late today. We actually ended up going to Chillan and seeing some of my converts and having lunch with a family in the ward. It was good to go back and see some of the people that I probably won't see again until the very end of my mission. I love the people from my first sector and really miss them, so it was really good to go back and see them. We also have had an amazing week and have had a lot of success in the sector. The lady that we found before the baptism the other week is named Maria. She is doing well and should be there in church this Sunday. We have taught her 3 times now and she is progressing rapidly and I have a good feeling she will get baptized here soon. We are going to try and set up a visit with President Humphrey (mission president) so that he an get to know her and help her get going and progressing a little bit more. We also have another 2 people who are Ecuadorians that have shown some interest in our message and could potentially get baptized in May or June. This week has been full of experiences and good times and I thought I would share just one of them with you because I am short on time...So this week we have made it a priority to get out and work. We have been contacting a lot of houses and people in the streets and having a lot of success. So, on Monday we were going around by the University talking to people and trying to share our message with them and we ran into these 2 kids that spoke English. We talked to them for a few minutes and then took off. Then a man came out and invited us back and asked us if we could share a message with them. Of course we accepted the invitation and walked in. Next thing I knew, I was in a house of 10 people who were part of some Reformed Catholic Christian group talking to them about our beliefs and inviting them to follow Jesus Christ. We had to be very respectful because of the circumstances, so I wasn't busting out a bunch of scriptures trying to show them why we are the right and they are the wrong, but rather we taught simply and testified strongly about what we know to be true. We got a return date with a few of the people there and we will see if it turns into something more then just an interesting experience. Last night I also had a cool experience (not super spiritual but nonetheless it was cool to me). We share P-day with the assistants and everyone else in the mission has their P-days on Mondays so last night my comp pulled his mattress into the assistants room and I slept on the extra bed that they have and we slept in their room. We stayed up really late talking and I go to know a lot more about each one of them, pick their minds a little bit and figure out what it is that got them to this point in their missions and in their lives. I really respect both of them and they are really solid missionaries. One of them is named Elder Pitcher and he ends his mission in 2 weeks. He has became one of my best friends here in the mission and has helped me mature spiritually and as a person since I have moved into house (4 weeks ago). He was talking about marriage last night and how he has received revelation on the type of person that he needs to marry and the qualities that they would need to have. I have put a lot of thought into it lately and am so glad that I am here on the mission. I have already learned so much about myself and I know that the mission has already helped me decide a few tings about my future and you guys will be surprised when I come back how much I have really grown up out here (at least I like to think so) I am also really excited for the rest of the time that I will have here in the office and for the opportunity that I will have this next year to work my butt off and leave absolutely nothing on the field. I love you guys so much and you are always in my prayers.

The One and Only,
Elder Cody Dastrup