Two Baptisms This Week!

Baptism of Sabastian and Fabian Montecinos

Our two Sebastians were baptized! Happy day.

Sebastian Montecinos
Sebastian Montecinos and his 8 year-old brother, Fabian did not have baptismal clothes because the ward has lost track of the baptismal clothing they have loaned to other wards in the stake.  So the day prior to their baptism, we ran to Conce looking for whatever outfit would be appropriate for their big day.  And, well, my comp and I ended up purchasing white lab coats. They were long and white. What else is needed?  So Sebastian and 8 year-old Fabian were baptized in lab coats.


Sebastian Sandoval

Baptism of Sebastian Sandoval

Sebastian Sandoval almost did not make it to his baptism.  He ended up being three hours late because his futbol tournament went longer than expected and his ride home fell through.  So the guy ended up walking all the way home clear from the other side of town.

These two young men will be great missionaries to their families and really strong members.

Elder Jose Augusto Texeira

Visit from Area Authority, Elder Texeira
One of the pick-me-ups this week was a visit from the Area President, Elder Texeira.  He is from Villa Real, Portugal.  He's a fun guy. Knows five languages.  Loves a good story.

One of his focuses was empowering the missionaries to go out and Find new investigators by talking with anyone and everyone.  I have to be honest - I had stopped doing this - talking to everyone.

Seems I'm not the only one and that's why his remarks were geared to motivating us to open our mouths more.

I swear, if there is no one else who has been changed from this conference, I have.  I am not going to sit by and watch one of the major experiences of my life pass me by.  I felt like the Apostle Paul when the Lord told him:

"Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace."

Acts 18:9

Sun over the hills of Chiguayante

Cambios
Well, transfer calls came, and my companion is being transferred, and I am staying in lovely Chiguayante with a Chilean companion - Elder Conteras.  I'll tell you more about him next time.

Now, we must find, find, find.  Pray that doors are opened for us.

Until next time, everyone!
Elder Connor Nef

Comida Con Familia

Familia Rios Arroyo

All my pictures are with food this week because, well, we had a lot of really great dinner appointments. Let me introduce you to some of my Chilean families.


BBQing with Familia Rios Arroyo
The familia Rios Arollo threw us a Chilean BBQ. This family makes me feel like family.

I love meat!

Mati, the teenager, and Hermano Arrollo (guy with the mustache) come with us on visits all the time. Mati is my crazy bro and Arroyo is my crazy grandpa.


Tacos with Familia Seguel
Familia Seguel (another part of my Chilean Family) made us tacos. Believe it or not, tacos are not common here. Tortillas are a rarity. That's Sebas on the left. He likes rapping, and is pretty good, too.

Familia Seguel

Sebastian Sandoval
Sebastian Sandoval, our investigator who is getting baptized this Saturday, had us over to eat with his parents and sisters. He in the center giving the thumbs-up.

Familia Sandoval

Earlier that day we had helped the Sandovals paint their house.  They entrusted me with the electric spray paint gun and I think I painted my comp more than the house.

Sebastian is basically with us every day. Whether it's a church activity or a visit, he asks to tag along. And since he is such a great kid, we welcome the company. He told us that he is sharing the missionary messages and pamphlets with his friends.

Golden!


Sebastian Montecino
Another Sebastian is scheduled to be baptized on Saturday. Sebastian Montecino.  We visited him a few times this week to prepare him thoroughly for his big day.


Sonia
Sonia, another golden investigator set for baptism in 2 weeks, is doing well. Had a small scare on Sunday, though.

Sonia pulled us aside and said that she could not be baptized the 25th because her friends from another ward have their temple trip and won't make it back in time. So now she is getting baptized the 23rd! A Thursday.  Listo!


I've had a really difficult week in some aspects, but being around some good food with great families, well, there's the silver lining.  Looking forward to Saturday's baptisms.

Can I ask for your prayers this week?  Thank you.

Blessings to All,
Elder Connor Nef

In Between the Biobio and the Beach

Elder Portillo, a member, and me at the Biobio River

On a successful afternoon helping teach lessons in another district, Elder Portillo, a member, and I pass along the Biobio river. Let me tell you a bit about the Biobio.

Biobio River

The Biobio is not only Chile's widest river (the average width is 1/2 mile wide), it is one of country's longest.  This large beauty rises in the Andes and flows northwest 380km (236 miles) across the central fertile valley clear to the Pacific Ocean. 

Biobio was named from Mapudungun, the ancient language of the Chile's native people (the Mapuchen).  They considered it to be a river of life.

Waffles in Concepcion

Had to go to Concepcion to work out some matters and I found a street food cart selling waffles. Mmm. Whipped cream, bananas, and manjar in a waffle. Life is good.

Journaling

Several days this week, we helped a member make journals for a few local schools - collating, punching, and binding.  My job was clipping the metal bindings.

Clearing

Saturday our zone got together for a service project where we cleared out grass, weeded, filled holes, chopped foliage, and removed trees.  It was a blast.

Coastin'

Today for P-day, we took a hike to the beach where I found a purple crab and a starfish. Cool.

Sandwiched in between the Biobio and the beach, it was a pretty productive week.  A lot of teaching. Several service projects.  Moments of helping fellow missionaries. On top of that, we have an investigator, Sebastian, committed to baptism, and four investigators came to church on Sunday. 

What a blessing!

Wishing you all a blessed week,

Elder Connor Nef

Happy Birthday, Lauren!!!!

The Ability Which God Giveth

From Zone conference a couple weeks back  (photo: mision chile concepcion blogpost)

A Good Week
Oh, sure, we had the ups and downs of scheduled and cancelled appointments, progressing and non-progressing investigators, energy ups and downs.  But by the end of the week, we added a numbers of new people to our teaching pool, we had investigators at church on Sunday, and one of our families set a date for baptism.

Tuesday, in particular, was a miraculous day, as far as missionary work goes. We found a handful of new people who are interested in our message, and we had nine lessons with a member present. That's a pretty great day.  We were even able to do a small service project - cleaning up the church grounds.

me, Elders Hershberger, Arismendiz, and Portillo ready for church clean-up (well, Hershberger will be ready in a minute)

The Ability Which God Giveth
Since Zone Conference, I have been thinking about the differences between the previous mission president and our current one, and how each had his own unique abilities he brought to this mission.
I've also thought of how each missionary carries his/her own set of talents and gifts we bring to this work.

When we are given a call to serve, God calls, not just the person to the work, he summons those gifts as well.

"If any man minister,

let him do it as of the ability which God giveth,

that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 4:11

When God gives an assignment, he also gives a skill "to every man according to his several ability" (Matt 25:15).  His intent is to use our experience and creativity and gifts and uniqueness - to share His Light. As He calls, He equips.  As He equips, He calls.

What are your abilities?  We all have something.  Look back over your life. What have you consistently done well?  What have you loved to do?  Stand at the junction of your affections and successes and - boom - find your uniqueness.  Don't worry about skills you don't have.  Don't covet strengths others do have.  Just bring out your own exclusively-you.

"Stir up the gift of God which is in thee."

2 Timothy 1:6

Stir it Up
What I've learned is this: When you magnify Christ with your strengths, when your contribution enriches God's Plan, your days grow suddenly sweet.  So let's stir it up!

I don't know why everyone gives the-thumbs-up when a picture is taken here.
Sorry, I got caught up.

Here's Wishing Us All a Sweet Week,
Elder Connor Nef

A Barricade or A Bump in the Road?

Sporting matching ties:  Elder Portillo, Elder Arismendiz, Elder Hershberger, and me

Fun Facts
-  Elder Portillo knows how to make ties!  He made us matching ties for our missionary conference.

Our resident tailor, Elder Portillo making ties

-  The really ghetto names in Chile might surprise you. Names like:  Brian, Jonathan, Tiffany, Jason, Charles, Stephanie, Jefferson, Kimberly, and Jordan.

-  The Young Single Adults out here love the missionaries, and are enthusiastic to join us in our teaching appointments. We love it!

-  One of our members has a green thumb and her variety of house plants proves it, but I'm not so sure she realizes the extent of her garden.

-  Chiguayante has some gorgeous coastal redwood trees (like northern California, where I am from). The Redwoods thrive here because Chiguayante is prone to morning overcast. 3/4 of the year, am clouds roll in from the Biobio river and blanket these giant beauties with moisture that allows them to soak in water from both sky and ground.

-  Chileans love fruitcake. It's much like what we know in the states. My comp took this funky-filtered picture of me holding some fruitcake that was gifted to us.

A Barricade or a Bump in the Road?
Work is progressing, but we have somewhat of a barricade to maneuver around.  Four of the eight individuals we are teaching regularly are teenagers.  We love young adults and teenagers because they seem to be more enthusiastic, open, and fun.  But their parents are not completely okay with the idea of...well...us.

One set of parents is atheist, another set likes what we teach but squirms with the concept of baptism, and one grandmother is Catholic, but does not believe the bible to be scripture. There you have it!

But, as long as these youth want to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ, our goal is to keep teaching them, while being careful to respect the adults in their lives. Because, we certainly don't want to cause a riff in family relationships. Our job is to unite families - not divide them.

Let's just hope that this barricade turns out to be only a bump in the road.

Elder Arismendiz with his camera on the Biobio river

Jot it Down and Pray
This week has been one of added meditation for me.  During moments of contemplation, I have found that many individuals from home keep popping into my mind. Individuals who do not have the gospel. And, what's weird is that their names don't just flash through my mind - they get stuck in my head.

So, what I've resolved to do is pray for them. In fact, there is now a designated section in my daily agenda to write the names of friends from home that I feel need my prayers.  The way I figure it is that I may be called to serve in Concepcion, Chile, but my influence is not limited to this South American country. I can reach out in other ways.

And, who knows - when I return home, I won't have a name badge, but I can do my best to continue to be a messenger of light and goodness.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK, ASHLEY!

Until next week, Friends,
Elder Connor Nef

From Rock Crushing to Star Gazing

On a service project with the hermanas

Rock Crushers
Service projects are always a welcome activity, but when you get to smash things - it's the best!  We joined the Hermanas on a project to crush rocks and bricks into pebbles and powder, and we did it with hammers. I LOVED IT!!!

That night we joined the Young Men in a game of  fútbol, partly because their leader went to Cancún and put us missionaries in charge of the guys.  And, so after the game, with a captive audience, we shared a message on the Restoration. Three of the guys were non-members, and they seemed to be very interested in what he had to say. What made it even better was that the rest of the young men joined in the teaching and shared their testimonies.

I think it went well, because the next night, those non-member guys, along with half of the fútbol crew showed up to the Ward Family Home Evening. Everyone had a great time.

Grass Cutters
Another service project had us clearing 1/4 acre of solid grassland that I swear was as thick as the African Savanna. I got covered in dirt.

Star Gazers
That night as we were walking back to the house, I looked up at the night sky and realized how clear the stars are out here. Gorgeous.  The view brought my mind back to star gazing with my family and my sister Ashley explaining the constellations.

Ya, my family loves star-gazing.  Whenever a heavenly event was taking place with stars or planets or anything cosmic, my family would head for a dark open spot, where we'd throw quilts on the ground, lay down, and gaze up. We'd be there for a couple of hours, looking at the stars, telling stories, taking in the grandeur of it all, and appreciating how blessed we are.

I am blessed.

Speaking of blessed, Sunday we had four investigators come to church. Two of them were the youth from fútbol.

Have a good week, Friends,
Elder Connor Nef

Service Project in Hualqui

courtesy: chileconcepcionmission.blogspot.com

Hay, It's a Service Project!
Nearly half the mission showed up for the service project in Hualqui to move bails of hay to nearby farms.

Nearly 100 of us on our way to serve

The object was to unload the hay from huge trucks (in the background) and transfer them to smaller trucks for delivery to farm animals that had their food burned from the fires.

Here are pictures from the mission blogsite.

Mission President Catala and a special forces soldier

The fires have gone down, thank goodness.  All missionaries have returned to their sectors and the air is now clear of smoke. Prayers answered.

But the severely affected areas are now in the process of recuperating, and this service project was to help those farmland communities. We had a fun time.

I got covered in hay. Every layer of clothing was full of stuff.

But we cleaned up pretty good for District meeting.

with Elder Sowards, Elder Arismendiz, and Elder Baker

Pulling together for a common goal always feels good - especially when it helps some needy families.

Have a great week everyone! Adios,
Elder Connor Nef