Hey guys,
Once again...awesome week. I love the mission. Things have gotten a little spicy around here with all of the changes but nothing that we can't handle! I am now working as a Zone Leader here in Chiguayante with the responsibility of training a newbie! He is really cool and I really enjoy him. We are not a ton a like, but it is ok because he has a really good heart and is really willing to help the people come unto Christ (our purpose) haha. I have been a little stressed because he doesn't speak any Spanish and it has been really hard to watch him struggle and it has been hard to have to do everything here in the sector. I went from a very experienced missionary who spoke perfect Spanish, who I depended on a ton, to now having a newbie and really having to run the show! It has been interesting this week and I am really praying that he can pick up the language a little bit so that he can help out a little more in the teaching. The week was good though and I don't really have any big complaints. We are working with 2 people that should be getting baptized on the 9th and the 16th of this month and we hope to find more people this week that we can take to conference this weekend. I am soooo ready for conference! I love having conference in the mission. When there is conference we go to the stake center and all of the members and latins watch it together and all of the gringos missionaries watch it in english in their own room. I love it, and I get a lot more out of conference in the mission than I did before.
It sound like everything back home is good. I am sooo glad that Tiff and Jeff live in our ward now and I can't wait until I get back and can go hang out with them. So what exactly are they doing in our area with the church? They are going to have more advertisements and commercials on tv? (he's talking about the new mormon.org campaign) That will be cool and will be a lot easier to talk about the church with people. You guys are going to be so shocked with how much I have changed here in the mission. I feel like I haven't changed too much but I am definitely more direct, goal oriented and willing to do whatever it takes or make whatever sacrifice to reach what I want to become. I thank you guys so much for sending me out here and can't wait to be able to come back and help the church in my own ward. I promise I won't be one of those lazy RM's who "doesn't have time"for missionary work. (so frustrating when rm's say that here) Love you guys a ton and hope that all is well!
Your boy,
Elder Cody Dastrup
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
September 19, 2011
Hey,
A lot of big news this week! 1st off, we didn't have any baptisms this week and it is looking like we won't be having any for a couple more weeks. General Conference in coming up and the stake has asked that we don't baptize on that weekend soooo we will have to wait an extra week with everybody. We have worked really hard though this transfer and have put ourselves in a good position to have a ton of success in the month of October. Also, as you guys know, we have transfers tomorrow. My companion Elder Zarco has finished his mission and is actually at Presidents house right now about to eat "The Last Supper" with President and all of those who are leaving. He was a really good companion and we worked well together and had tons of fun. I also received word from President that I would be training as a Zone Leader this cambio!!! I will have a ton of responsibility and depending on whether or not he is Latin or gringo I might be teaching him Spanish as well. I am excited for the opportunity to serve in a new capacity, but I would be lying if I said I felt qualified. I have heard before that the Lord only calls those who are qualified and those who are not.... either way he will qualify you in one way or another. (don't know if that made sense) haha. I know that the Lord will help me, so I am not too concerned.
I am doing well and have really enjoyed this weekend. It was the 18th of September celebration here, which is the biggest celebration that they have, and it is like our 4th of July (independence day) but they do it on a larger scale. We ate a ton of food and went to our ward party where we ate more food and celebrated the holiday together with all of the Chilean people. I have really come to love this people and I am really going to be sad when I get the call that I have to pack my bags and head back. There is just nothing like the mission...I love walking into every house or in the street or wherever you are with your plaque on and feeling like a celebrity. When we walk in the streets people look at us so different and when we enter in houses people receive us with so much love and I just wish that it could be the same when I got back and for the rest of my life. I am so thankful for this opportunity I have to be here and I thank God every day for being blessed by so many great people. Love you guys and miss you a ton and just so you know...I'm still not yours! 7 more months, and I will enjoy every moment!
Yours Truly,
Elder Cody Dastrup
A lot of big news this week! 1st off, we didn't have any baptisms this week and it is looking like we won't be having any for a couple more weeks. General Conference in coming up and the stake has asked that we don't baptize on that weekend soooo we will have to wait an extra week with everybody. We have worked really hard though this transfer and have put ourselves in a good position to have a ton of success in the month of October. Also, as you guys know, we have transfers tomorrow. My companion Elder Zarco has finished his mission and is actually at Presidents house right now about to eat "The Last Supper" with President and all of those who are leaving. He was a really good companion and we worked well together and had tons of fun. I also received word from President that I would be training as a Zone Leader this cambio!!! I will have a ton of responsibility and depending on whether or not he is Latin or gringo I might be teaching him Spanish as well. I am excited for the opportunity to serve in a new capacity, but I would be lying if I said I felt qualified. I have heard before that the Lord only calls those who are qualified and those who are not.... either way he will qualify you in one way or another. (don't know if that made sense) haha. I know that the Lord will help me, so I am not too concerned.
I am doing well and have really enjoyed this weekend. It was the 18th of September celebration here, which is the biggest celebration that they have, and it is like our 4th of July (independence day) but they do it on a larger scale. We ate a ton of food and went to our ward party where we ate more food and celebrated the holiday together with all of the Chilean people. I have really come to love this people and I am really going to be sad when I get the call that I have to pack my bags and head back. There is just nothing like the mission...I love walking into every house or in the street or wherever you are with your plaque on and feeling like a celebrity. When we walk in the streets people look at us so different and when we enter in houses people receive us with so much love and I just wish that it could be the same when I got back and for the rest of my life. I am so thankful for this opportunity I have to be here and I thank God every day for being blessed by so many great people. Love you guys and miss you a ton and just so you know...I'm still not yours! 7 more months, and I will enjoy every moment!
Yours Truly,
Elder Cody Dastrup
Monday, September 12, 2011
September 12, 2011
Hey,
Another good week in the mission! We really got down to work this week and it seems like things are going to be picking up a ton in the next few weeks. We had a confirmation this week of the girl that got baptized last week and it looks like there is a good possibility that we have another baptism this week and the week after as well...but we will have to wait and see. The week started off king of slow but looking back on it I don't know if I have had a more successful week in the mission. We entered in 10 new houses this week and have found 3 new families to teach. I really feel strongly that 2 of these families are going to progress, but we want them to progress together as a family and be able to be baptized together as a family as well. It is amazing how things can change so much in 1 week.
Last night we had a lesson with one of the families that we found this week. They had shared with the missionaries about 8 months ago and went to church a few times but they ended up not getting baptized because they felt like the missionaries were being pushy and just wanted them to get baptized. We talked to them about following Christs example in everything and promised them a ton of blessings. The father is a member of the church but is inactive. the mother and their 3 kids are not members and aer the ones who actually have more desire to listen to us (I think the dad was drunk last night). But anyways, in the lesson last night we asked the wife if she really wanted to progress and if she would do the preparation so that she could get baptized with the kids. The dad jumped in and said "She doesn't want to listen to you guys, she won't follow through with this and you guys are just going to waste your time on her...Isn't that true?" and then the wife looked at him in the eyes and said "I want to do this, I want to do the preparation, but I want to do this as a family and I want all of the kids to get baptized with me!" Her husband almost had a heart attack when he heard that and my companion said to him, "I bet you haven't heard that from her before" and the husband said "no, that the first time that she has said she wanted to get baptized, and I know she isn't lying". We feel really blessed to have found this family and we are going to do our part to make sure that they start progressing.
How is the AZ summer? It is finally coming to an end! How was Sept. 11th, the 10 year anniversary? I remembered it and thought a lot about how lucky we are to live in a free country and have all of the luxuries that we have. Chile is a nice country, but we are so blessed to live where we do. I've got to go, we are in Chillan and my companion is going to say bye to some of his converts today. Thanks for everything. Love you guys a ton!
Yours truly,
Elder Cody Dastrup
Another good week in the mission! We really got down to work this week and it seems like things are going to be picking up a ton in the next few weeks. We had a confirmation this week of the girl that got baptized last week and it looks like there is a good possibility that we have another baptism this week and the week after as well...but we will have to wait and see. The week started off king of slow but looking back on it I don't know if I have had a more successful week in the mission. We entered in 10 new houses this week and have found 3 new families to teach. I really feel strongly that 2 of these families are going to progress, but we want them to progress together as a family and be able to be baptized together as a family as well. It is amazing how things can change so much in 1 week.
Last night we had a lesson with one of the families that we found this week. They had shared with the missionaries about 8 months ago and went to church a few times but they ended up not getting baptized because they felt like the missionaries were being pushy and just wanted them to get baptized. We talked to them about following Christs example in everything and promised them a ton of blessings. The father is a member of the church but is inactive. the mother and their 3 kids are not members and aer the ones who actually have more desire to listen to us (I think the dad was drunk last night). But anyways, in the lesson last night we asked the wife if she really wanted to progress and if she would do the preparation so that she could get baptized with the kids. The dad jumped in and said "She doesn't want to listen to you guys, she won't follow through with this and you guys are just going to waste your time on her...Isn't that true?" and then the wife looked at him in the eyes and said "I want to do this, I want to do the preparation, but I want to do this as a family and I want all of the kids to get baptized with me!" Her husband almost had a heart attack when he heard that and my companion said to him, "I bet you haven't heard that from her before" and the husband said "no, that the first time that she has said she wanted to get baptized, and I know she isn't lying". We feel really blessed to have found this family and we are going to do our part to make sure that they start progressing.
How is the AZ summer? It is finally coming to an end! How was Sept. 11th, the 10 year anniversary? I remembered it and thought a lot about how lucky we are to live in a free country and have all of the luxuries that we have. Chile is a nice country, but we are so blessed to live where we do. I've got to go, we are in Chillan and my companion is going to say bye to some of his converts today. Thanks for everything. Love you guys a ton!
Yours truly,
Elder Cody Dastrup
Monday, September 5, 2011
September 5, 2011
Hey,
Time is flying! I feel like I was just here writing you guys a letter the other day. Not too much has happened this week out of the ordinary. We are working well in our sector and as always there are no problems between my companion and I . He is leaving in 2 weeks to go home to Fresno CA and he seems to have mixed feeling about it. I know that he is excited to go home and be with his family and friends but he is kind of nervous about the transition, so....we have been talking about what he should do when he gets back (studies, dating, working...etc) He has had a lot of family trouble as well so it has been hard for him and I feel like he is probably going home to a pretty difficult situation. I love my companion though and we are staying really focused as a companionship and continuing to work hard, which leads me to my next point. We had another baptismal service this weekend! I am really grateful for the success that we have been able to have and I really feel like we will keep going strong and keep having success here. We have 2 other people that we are working with that are really close and could possibly get baptized this weekend but it would be a real long shot. One of them is super close to being able to get baptized and has made the decision that she wants to do it but wants the support of her family. She is 20 years old and technically doesn't need the permission, but I understand where she is coming from a little bit and we are trying to get her mom to support her decision.
Our zone of missionaries is doing awesome and we are off to another really good start this month. The missionaries in my zone are Zarco,Jenson, Stowe(the jansons know him), brown, Orihuela,Weston, Arana, Sisters DaLuz, Brady, Child and Bustinza. We had set some goals as a zone last month and met them, so today we took the zone and did a really fun activity with them. (we got permission from the president and took the entire zone bowling and afterwards to PIZZA HUT! (the pizza hut is in the other mission but we got permission) I bought a whole family size pizza and a double 1/4 pounder from the Mcdonalds next door to eat tonight after we get home from work. The zone is working really well as a group right now and although there are 2 sectors who aren't' seeing much results, there are other sectors that have been consistently strong, which makes up for them. I love where I am at and I feel like we are looking strong again this month.
I am doing great though and am really happy with everything. I am starting to put goals with myself so that I don't get trunkie in these last months of my mission and so that I can push myself harder and have an awesome end to the mission. Miss you guys and love you a ton!
Love,
Elder Dastrup
Time is flying! I feel like I was just here writing you guys a letter the other day. Not too much has happened this week out of the ordinary. We are working well in our sector and as always there are no problems between my companion and I . He is leaving in 2 weeks to go home to Fresno CA and he seems to have mixed feeling about it. I know that he is excited to go home and be with his family and friends but he is kind of nervous about the transition, so....we have been talking about what he should do when he gets back (studies, dating, working...etc) He has had a lot of family trouble as well so it has been hard for him and I feel like he is probably going home to a pretty difficult situation. I love my companion though and we are staying really focused as a companionship and continuing to work hard, which leads me to my next point. We had another baptismal service this weekend! I am really grateful for the success that we have been able to have and I really feel like we will keep going strong and keep having success here. We have 2 other people that we are working with that are really close and could possibly get baptized this weekend but it would be a real long shot. One of them is super close to being able to get baptized and has made the decision that she wants to do it but wants the support of her family. She is 20 years old and technically doesn't need the permission, but I understand where she is coming from a little bit and we are trying to get her mom to support her decision.
Our zone of missionaries is doing awesome and we are off to another really good start this month. The missionaries in my zone are Zarco,Jenson, Stowe(the jansons know him), brown, Orihuela,Weston, Arana, Sisters DaLuz, Brady, Child and Bustinza. We had set some goals as a zone last month and met them, so today we took the zone and did a really fun activity with them. (we got permission from the president and took the entire zone bowling and afterwards to PIZZA HUT! (the pizza hut is in the other mission but we got permission) I bought a whole family size pizza and a double 1/4 pounder from the Mcdonalds next door to eat tonight after we get home from work. The zone is working really well as a group right now and although there are 2 sectors who aren't' seeing much results, there are other sectors that have been consistently strong, which makes up for them. I love where I am at and I feel like we are looking strong again this month.
I am doing great though and am really happy with everything. I am starting to put goals with myself so that I don't get trunkie in these last months of my mission and so that I can push myself harder and have an awesome end to the mission. Miss you guys and love you a ton!
Love,
Elder Dastrup
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