1st Day Picture

We finally received a picture of Hayden the day he arrived in Chile, clear back in December.  He is with President and Sister Martinez.  He loves them!

Hey Mom,                                                                         April 21, 2014

 How is it going? I hope well. Again, today I don’t have alot of time to write. But I just wanted to say thanks for the email. I read it and really appreciate it. My week was okay! I love you very much and I am so grateful for all that you do. I will do my best to send you alot of pictures next week okay? and don’t worry about me, I’m doing fine. I can’t believe I hit six months. Goes fast. Same comp. Cambios are every six weeks, so we wont have one until the middle of May. People ask me if I’m Chilean all the time. But then when I talk, they realize I’m a gringo haha. Spanish is there but it’s still hard sometimes! We are working with a mom and daughter right now. They are close to baptism but need some more progression. The mom has been to church twice and the daughter attends an activity that the adventist church puts on every sunday at ten. Of course when sacrament starts.

But hey I gotta go right now. I’m might get on a again I might not. We are in a different city because my comp had to get his carnet (visa), so we don’t have much time!  Hopefully I will get to write! Tell everyone hi,

Love you! Elder Noel 

Basketball for P-day

                                                 

                         

 Hey Mom,                                                                    April 15th 2014

 How are ya? Thanks for all the updates on everyone and I’m glad that everyone is doing so well!   That’s cool about Blake! maybe I will be his trainer haha! This week was okay!

I’m glad your lesson on Joseph Smith went well. I’m sure the last thing that he expected to see was Jesus Christ and God. Let alone have the courage to tell anyone about it. I liked the talk in conference about the restoration, I can’t remember who gave it but it was really good! 

Me and my comp get along good, he only has ten weeks left in the mission and its really possible that he ends with me. We have been teaching this mom and daughter. They came to church last week and I think that they really liked it. It was a really good testimony meeting and I think they saw that church is more than just singing and dancing and shouting hallilulah haha. 

But other than that nothing much is going on. I hope and pray that things continue to go well for you guys! Keep up the good work mom! You’re the best!  Take care mom! Love you!

 Elder Noel

Quick Note

Hey Mom!                                                                           April 7, 2014

Sorry I don’t have a lot of time to write this week, we were stuck in service so we didn’t get a chance to write this morning. Looks like me and my comp will be together for the next 6 weeks. So things are good there! I hope you are doing well!   As far as this week goes conference was awesome. We got to watch it.

As for Spanish,  I feel like I’m plateauing. I just gotta study better and harder.  Time is going fast.  But hey I gotta go, tell the kids hi and sorry I

didn’t write them! but I’ll talk to ya next week! I love you!

Elder Noel

A Drunk Guy and Fleas

Hey Mom,                                                                       March 31, 2014 
                                                                                                                                                      Its me! How are you doing!? I hope well like always!  I can start to feel an increase in the urgency of the work. Yes life is a balance. We all need a balance in life and it can start with putting the Lord first in everything that we do. 

So this week we were headed home and this drunk guy was walking down a hill. We tried to help him down but he didn't want any help. So we let him go and he totally tripped and smacked his knee really hard. We tried to help him but he wouldnt have any of it. Yes, I have had some fleas here they are called poulgas. If you could send me another flea collar that would be nice. 

Transfers are next week and I'm pretty sure my comp is headed out. That means I will be leading the sector. This will be the first time I will be doing it. I'm a little worried about it but I figure if I just do my very best to find teach and baptize and be obedient, than whatever the result is, is what it is, ya know? or maybe I'm a little off there haha! 

This apartment is smaller but I like it better. Its starting to get cold here and really rainy so that is never fun but oh well. Three of our investigators told us that they didn't have time to meet with us or go to church or anything like that. So they dropped us, but that's the mission life I guess!  Sorry no pictures this week. I forgot the cord to hook into the computer! But hey I love you! I hope you have a good week! By the way I got the package!!! Thank you so much!! Everything I needed and wanted.  Take care!

Chau! 
Elder Noel

Praying for a Miracle

                                                                                                                                            

Mom,                                                                             March 24, 2014
Praying for miracle! There is 14 year old girl who has an amazing testimony of the church and wants to get baptized so bad. But her parents are against it. They say that she is too young to be able to make a decisión like this. She has been investigating the church for 3 months now. This is the miracle that we are praying for!   Sorry so short this week!
Chou!

Elder Noel

March 17, 2014

Mom,

I have been a little sick, had a cold, still have a little one, but don’t worry about me, I’ll be good! As far as your missionary work goes, I think a lot of people ask the question why 18, 19 young men and women would want to leave their friends family and everything to go somewhere they have never been and walk around talking about the Savior and the Book of Mormon. I think that there are many answers to that question. Maybe someone feels forced to go. Peer pressure. My friends are going so maybe I should. But I think why most missionaries go is because they have a desire to serve. Then you learn in the MTC that what the Lord and God have given us is everything. The least we can do is give 2 years of ourselves to the Lord. Helping others. Sharing. That’s my 2 sense anyway. I saw how happy the gospel made our family and other families.  If the same happiness could be felt by others, then I or others would want to show them the way. 

One of the elders here gave a talk and asked a question. Are we living to work? or working to live? Made me kinda take a step back and realize what really is important in life, if we cant be happy without our phones, tv, cool clothes and toys etc, we need to do adjusting I think haha. None of that stuff is bad, at all. But sometimes like you have said many times before, it consumes. Controls us. I have learned by watching other people just here in the mission, that by obeying rules, we become free. By having no rules or commandments, we become constricted, captive.

Sometimes I think we need to look at the definition of happiness. What is happiness? We need to answer that question for ourselves I think. Have a good week mom! I love you so much! 

Chau! 

Elder Noel