Merry Christmas from the Elders

Our attempt at a manger scene
Merry Christmas everyone

pictures from the 1st 2 weeks in Chile

The Completo-  a giant hot dog in Chile

At the bus station saying goodbye to my companion who is going home to Guatemala

At church in Temuco

2nd Week in Chile

Elder Rabanales leaving to go home to Guatemala and Elder Voyles

1st week in Chile

This is a picture of a man named Ivan.  He contacted us on facebook and said that Elder Noel lived in his area.  He told us that he would take care of him while he was there.

Hey Family,

  It’s me. This week has been hard for me. I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel alone and helpless at times. 

 I have two comps. They are good guys.    One goes home next monday. He is from Guatemala.  We live with the zone leaders. They are good guys. We live in sort of a two-story apartment. Its okay I guess. One of the Z Leaders leaves in feb and the other has 17 months like my comp.

 Spanish is hard. Everyone here speaks so fast its insane! I can only pick up certain words and phrases. When we teach my comps will say something and then just look at me. All I do basically is say what I know. I testify and try to relate everything back to the Atonement and Book of Mormon. 

 When we contact people I just say we have a message about your brother Jesus Christ. This message can help you with your life and your family. We would like to share it with you. Then they say they are catholic or evangelist or something like that. Then my comps just try to convince them to let us in. About 95 percent of the time they don’t. It’s hard.

 I think about you guys and home and things like that. Dad your journal helps. I read some of your past journal entries and you explain how I feel some of the time. The other night I was laughing cause what you had said I felt exactly. It was funny.

 Anyway Chile is a different country than America. Its funny cause everybody’s house is usually just small! But then when you go inside some of the houses, they have nice furniture and like a plasma screen tv. The Elders here were telling me that they buy a plasma screen tv before they would by life insurance.

 I was reading an article about adjusting to missionary life. It’s probably that you will feel stressed out at first, but they said it will pass.  Anyways I love you! And I miss you like crazy!

           -Con Mucho Amor -Elder Noel

I will pray hard! and by the way I’m in a place called Temuco. My area is Catrihuala.

Traveling to Chile

Hayden left the MTC on Monday, December 2 around 1 pm to head to the airport to fly to Chile.  He flew with a group of 15, 7 of them were going to a mission in the south and 7 were headed to the Concepcion South mission.  His plane left Mexico at 7:30 pm and he had a 8 hr flight to Santiago, Chile.  Once there they had a 6 hr layover.  We were able to talk to Hayden at about 6 am our time.  It was great to hear his voice.  He was nervous and excited.  He bore his testimony about Jesus Christ and what he was about to do.  He then boarded a plane to Concepcion and had a 1hr 20 minute flight there.  This is the email we received later that day.

Hey Family!
 I made it to Chile! Im in the mission president's home and we just had lunch! The flights were good and I am glad that I was able to call and talk to you!! The mission president and all the elders and hermanas are very nice! Well I have to go! I love you!! -Elder Noel 

Week 5 and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at the Mexico City CCM

Sending pictures to the family on Thanksgiving Day

Hey mom!

 This week has gone pretty good! 5 days until I head out for Chile! Its crazy to think I have been here almost 6 weeks! I bet time is flying by for everyone except for you and the fam haha... I wish I had more time to learn more! I don’t feel 100 percent ready but you can never be 100 percent ready anyways! Today we had turkey and mashed potatoes for lunch! It was really nice of the cooks to do that for us! No packages yet!  I’m glad USU won! Sounds like we are doing okay! I miss you guys alot too! I miss having Thanksgiving with all you guys! But you are right! I KNOW that I am supposed to be here. Not in the US. Not at Thanksgiving. Not at the football games....well maybe there. Haha kidding. I am where I need to be. And it’s really hard at times to see that, it’s hard to finally face that fact. But the Lord needs me now then ever. And even though it’s hard, I know I am here for a reason! I pray for you guys every time I pray... which is literally at least ten times a day! Keep up the prayers!

Just want everyone to know how much I love them! I miss them alot! Tell them I always think about them and they are always in my prayers! If you ever need help in your life the Lord is waiting with open arms! Hey mom and dad and Cole and Gabe and Abby, I love you guys! Stay strong and have a good Thanksgiving okay!? I love you! I’ll talk to you soon!

Love, Elder Noel