December 22, 2014

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will not find it under a tree."

- Roy L. Smith

Well, Merry Christmas everyone! I sure hope that you have all enjoyed your time waiting to open gifts and be with family! But more than that, I know that I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again... let us remember Christ. For him, we have this whole season. I was able to truly learn a lot today about a thing called the condescension of Christ. Simply put, it means how He came down from on high to help us. It means He came from a place above us to become like us, and He decided to help us.

I have a few scriptures that I read today that helped me a lot to understand what it truly meant for him to "condescend."
1 Nephi 11:16
Philippians 2:4-8
Moses 1:32-33
Moses 7:30
Isaiah 53:3-5
Mosiah 3: 7-9
There are so many others and I’m not sure if I got them all correct because I did this all from memory...

However, what does all of this above even mean? It means that we had Jesus Christ descend from on high, to leave all He had up there, from His creations to His reputation and everything. He left it all without a second thought just so He could help us. His sacrifice is what has helped us and will continue to help us to become like our Father in heaven. I’m not sure if I am describing this all perfectly, but all I can say is how glad I am to have had Christ come and help us. He came to save us, and He did it without hesitating. How blessed are we to have Christ helping us?

I wish for all of you to take a moment and think about what ways in your life you change to have a better relationship with your savior. Truly think on that, and you will be surprised at what you will see that you need to do. For some, it is not a lot, but for others, it will be a lot. Either way, it is WORK. CHANGE is WORK. in the words of Elder Derrick, "Vale la Pena" (value the pain). I hope you are all able to enjoy this time of the season and remember who you truly are as sons and daughters of God. Joy to the world; the Lord is born!

Elder Gale

December 8, 2014

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”

- Laura Ingalls Wilder

This one is more of a joke than anything because this week flew by like a dream. So, my “list of 2’s”

1. 2 baptisms
2. 2 broken shoelaces
3. 2 blessings given
4. 2 blister covered feet
5. 2 hours proselyting in the “feria” (a cheap market)
6. 2 drunks that asked money from us
7. 2 mil pesos that another elder got taken from him by a drunk
8. 2 years serving the Lord

As you can see, it sure is really weird to be here in Chile... the baptisms were on the 30th and the 7th; they were so amazing to watch people enter into a covenant with God.

The broken shoelaces happened as I began to tie my shoes, and they just snapped in two pieces... it sure made for a really interesting experience. The second one happened this morning.

The blessings, one for my companion who got super sick the other day, and we had to return back home. The second was given to someone who was really sick and was at the church on Sunday and just asked us for a blessing. Both of which remarkably healed rather quickly.

The blistered feet just come with the territory of walking a lot each day... nothing too bad, but it sure does makes for a hard time. Just a little reminder of how far I have walked to try and help people.

The 2 hours proselyting in the feria was an activity that we had to find people to teach. It went really well, and it was amazing to watch how people had so much time to go somewhere to buy cheap junk, but no time to learn about Christ their Savior and Redeemer.

We have a lot of drunken people in my area. I've seen drunks who can’t talk, I've seen drunks who can’t walk, and I've seen drunks fighting one another... but today, we had one who came up to us (we were in a group of 4 missionaries), and he said to us, “You guys are great. You guys leave your families, your homes, your jobs, your country, and y'all do a great job teaching about Christ. But can you guys give me some money?” We don’t really have a lot of money and we know that he is going to just buy more beer with it, so my comp and I both say no. I really didn't have any, and the guy asks the other 2 missionaries with us. One says no, and the other one takes out his wallet looking for coins. The guy sees a 2 mil paper bill (like less than 4 bucks) and says that he saw it. The elder didn't want to give the guy the money, and the drunk reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a big beer bottle. The elder gave him the money. Then, the guy takes of his jacket and shows us his scarred body to say how he is a fighter. He says, “Grab my hand.” We didn't. He then says, “One of you on each side of me.” We didn't, and we just walked away. The guy was crazy, and we were all ready for if he were to use the bottle on us.

The last one I know is the best. I get asked a lot how long I have been out in the mission. I get asked a lot how long I am away from my family. I say 2 years. But you know what; it is truly a great thing. I get to learn so much about the doctrine of Christ, and I learn about the plan of salvation that God has placed for us. Many people don’t know where they are going after this life, and many are unaware of why we are here in this world. I can’t even begin to describe how overjoyed I am that God has a plan for us. God knows that we make mistakes and fall short sometimes, and that is why He has the plan for us to return to Him. The love of God for His children, that would be us, is so great. It is more than we can imagine. There is no such thing as "conditional love" for God. He loves us no matter what.

That is why I am here. I love you all. If you are not getting responses to your messages, I can’t see the ones that are all attached to the mass email, and I’m sorry. Try to send me a personal email, and I will respond. I love you all and am so very grateful for the support that I get from all of you. I wish you a merry Christmas, and remember why we have this time of year.

Elder Gale

December 1, 2014

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

- Calvin Coolidge

We all know what this time of year brings, feasts with family, shopping all day to get the best prices on gifts, trying to finish a semester of school, rushing around trying to get our family together time all set up and planned. This is great. However, let us THIS Christmas Season rather than trying to buy and receive, let's slow down for a few minutes and remember WHY we have this time of the year. What is the true purpose? What does Christmas really mean anyway? As a seminary teacher once said, "It means 'más Cristo.' It means that it is a time to let Christ even more into our lives." A less than 3 minute movie that the church is releasing this time of year is called, "He is the Gift." It can be found at christmas.mormon.org. I encourage all to watch it and then think about it for a little time. What are the 3 things that you can do THIS Christmas season?

Well, this week was amazing. We had a baptism this week of a wonderful little 11 year-old girl. She has been such a pleasure to teach. We found her due to the baptism we had like a month ago or so. She came to us and asked if she could be baptized too because she said that she had felt something very special about the baptism we had. I have loved every appointment that we have had with this little girl. She has been such a pleasure to teach. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to be able to teach her.

This week, I had the wonderful pleasure of becoming legal again in Chile. I went to get my visa renewed, and it was really interesting to have that happen. I went to bed at 11:30 like normal here in Chile, woke up at 4:30 to get ready really quick, donned my white shirt and tie, placed my name tag which bears the name of Christ on my shirt, and headed out the door. We arrived to the area to start the process at about 7 in the morning and began waiting. This is after about an hour of walking, taking the subway, and just getting around. We got there and waited for about an hour, and then we went to get the visa renewed. We got that done and then walked about 15 minutes to go and get registered with the police. Then, we went to the main building to get my fingerprints taken and get my ID card for Chile. Well, I’m finally in the system. I've never had my prints taken before.

I have had such a wonderful time here in Chile. I love going to help other people. I have never felt such a thrill to help serve other people. I know that this work is true, and I know that I’m here for a reason... that is to help share the news that Jesus Christ IS our savior and is both WILLING and ABLE to help us. I love you all and look forward to hearing about how YOU shared the gift this Christmas Season.

Elder Gale

November 24, 2014

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."

- Robert Louis Stevenson

It takes a long time as you are planting. You spend a lot of time working to start something. You only see the work you put in, and you don’t see the effects of it. All you see is the work. This week was really hard as we went out and worked all day long with very little success. I guess that another missionary will be able to come along and harvest the crops. I have been out here for almost 5 months, and I sure love everything that I have done. I have met so many people that all have a lot of problems or had a question in their lives that could not be answered by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my opportunity to be here in Chile. I have never felt so great. I love being here. I have said it before, but I have been weighed, I have been measured, and I have been deemed worthy to come here to Chile to share the gospel. I have been tried, I have been tested, I have been stretched, and in the end, I have come out a better person. I have seen changes in myself, and I know that they are only possible through the help of our Heavenly Father.

I have had a few hard weeks since I have left my home and family. I have been working since I made it to Chile. I have gone to bed with literally no strength left in me, and it feels good to leave it all in the field. I have a no regrets since I have come out here.

I love you all so much for what you have done for me. Thank you so much. I have such a strong testimony of the power of God to change lives. I have seen it and I cannot deny it, for I know that God knows it.

Elder Gale

November 17, 2014

"Some young people inform me that in our current culture it is not 'cool' to try too hard in many areas, including living strictly in accordance with righteous principles. Please do not fall into this trap."

- Quinton L. Cook

The whole mission life is amazing. I love waking up early in the morning and start the day off by studying the scriptures. I love being able to find new things about the gospel and about the plan of happiness. I’m so glad to read about the mercy of God and how we can return to him. We are here on earth to learn. We are so blessed to be here and have this opportunity here on earth. I can’t even begin to describe all of that is in my heart.

Today, we have had our preparation day, and we went to a restaurant that is called "El Negro." It makes some of the best food that I’ve had in the mission so far. It was a really great time that we had. The food was amazing! The owners have something that they do after you eat. They ask the biggest, strongest guy in the group if they want to arm wrestle. It was really fun to watch one of the other missionaries arm wrestle and lose... twice. And then my group wanted me to go, so I went and arm wrestled him. This guy was HUGE!!! His arm was twice the size of mine, and I almost won except the guy was using his whole body to win. It was pretty fun.

I don’t know what else to really say about this week. It has been so amazing, and I have nothing else to say other than I KNOW this work to be true. I know the church is the true church. I could say why in so many different ways, but I know in the simplest way that it just makes sense. Look at it from any way you want to, test any point of doctrine. it all just makes sense. There is nothing more in it than when your spirit begins to remember the things from the pre-mortal life. Everything here is amazing. I love you all and am so glad to always hear from you all. No big spiritual thought this week other than God lives and listens. Christ lives. I can’t begin to describe my thankfulness for this knowledge. I love you all.

November 10, 2014

"It is my testimony that many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today. If we have sinned or made mistakes--if we have made choices that we now regret--there is the precious gift of Christ's Atonement through which we can be forgiven. We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent."

- Deiter F. Uchtdorf

Here in Chile, there are many things which people would see as difficult . For example, I see people who make promises and don’t keep them and just choose to live a life far below what they could be. I have seen people who have made mistakes in life and don’t know where to turn. I have seen so much since I have come here to Chile. It isn’t just here though; it is all over the world.

So, I wrote a couple weeks ago about Grace. Well, I guess I’ll talk about the Atonement this time.

Recently, I met someone who is having a hard time with a sin; they know that the atonement covers this sin and that Christ paid the price for our sins. That is so, so very true in all aspects. We know from the scriptures that Christ came to the world to pay the price for our sins. He suffered for us that we might return to the presence of the Father. We know this to be true. However, do we know about the other power of the atonement? The power that we receive from his help? We know we can change. We know that we can do this because of his sacrifice for us. But do we comprehend how? We always have a little voice that goes off in our heads saying that we can’t change when we need to change. A little voice that says it is impossible, that you are out of the reach of help from the Lord. This is impossible. The atonement of Christ is INFINITE. We are always able to change.

So, now knowing that we can always change, can we do it on our own? The answer is a definite NO. Unfortunately it is NO; we need to rely on Christ to help us change. There comes a time in every phase of change where it seems like it can go no further. This is the breaking point, where we either go forward even though we have given it all we have, or we give up and return back to where we were. This is where we rely on the atonement. We begin to experience all kinds of new things that are hard, and we don’t have anyone to turn to. In these moments, we can rely on Christ. Not only did he suffer for our sins, but he took upon himself all our pains, afflictions, sicknesses, and everything. That means he knows how I feel about being rejected by people every day. Not just because he too was rejected, but because he knows EXACTLY how we feel. We all experience these moments differently. He knows EXACTLY how you feel, because he felt it too. Because he did the atonement, he can not only show you how to change, but he knows exactly because he has felt it too. ALL of it. 

What does this mean for us? It means that when we feel like we are in the pit of despair and there is no one we can turn to, He is there for us, because He has felt it to. Remember this week that we can change, and that it is only through Him that we can do it.

I like to leave you with my testimony that God lives and speaks to us today through the means of a living prophet and through personal revelation. I know this because I have prayed about it and received my own personal witness. I encourage you all to seek for your own witness and try to strengthen it if you already have it. I know that we can change because I have experienced this power of the Atonement for myself, and because of this, I can teach it to people. I know this is the true church of God with no doubt in my mind. I know that God and Christ are with us in our trials because I have seen it. 

I know this for myself because I have experienced it this week. Especially how he is always there for us to aid us. We have been without water for this week in my apartment building. We talked to the landlord, and it is supposedly us going to go on for another 2 weeks. I know that I have God aiding me and my companion in our trial because I don’t feel the pain of not being able to cook or clean or have many of the luxuries of life. It sure is difficult here in Chile, but I love it. I could never have traded this period of my life for anything else.

I love you all. Here in Chile, it is nothing but an adventure. Continue to strengthen your relationship with God; it will do nothing but help you because you will know that He is always with you. 

To finish up, I have a favorite story about a man who was walking down the beach with Christ. After awhile, he looked back, and in areas on the sand (his life) the man saw only one pair of footprints. He turned and asked Christ, "Why did you abandon me in these points of my life? Why did you leave me all alone?" Christ turned to him and said simply with a smile, "My brother, those were the times in your life when I carried you." 

Keep smiling, in this life, we are meant to have joy. (2 Nephi 2:25)

Elder Gale

November 11, 2014

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

- Isaiah 40:31

Well, I decided to start off with a question this week because it is a question that I get to see the effects of everyday. So, where do you put your faith? If you first answered with “God” or “Christ” or anything like that, I want you to pause, think about your answer, and then ponder if your faith truly is in God. Here, I get to see people who said the same thing as you. But when the going got rough and they tried to get going, they put their faith in one of two places. Either in 1- the wrong place, or 2- with God, but did not wait for HIS time to come. I don’t know if that made sense. Basically, did they (or you in this case) put your faith in God, but left when it seemed to not be working?

I watched a video today about when a promise was given to the saints that if they paid their tithing, that it would rain and their crops would grow strong. Well, the first thing some people did was doubt, and they didn’t believe. They did not put their faith in God. The other group went and planted, paid their tithing, AND hand-watered their crops for a time. Summer began. Summer comes, and it begins to take a lot of water from the ground really fast. (All Arizonians know this.) They had moments where it looked bleak, like the promise of God wouldn´t come true, but still they had faith. And then, after a little time, it rained, and rained, and rained until the crops were ready. And they were good crops. It was all because of their faith. I learned that when we put our faith in God and wait for his timing while doing all that we can, He will bless more abundantly than we can even imagine.

Think about that. We have to wait, and we wait until God is ready to bless us. Not when we want the blessings to come. I have seen many people here in Chile think that they do their part, and then wait for a little... I would like to correct a statement I made earlier. There are actually three groups"

1- Those that don’t even begin to believe, or put their faith in God
2- Those that begin strong, but once the pressure and heat get turned up a bit, they fail.
And 3- those who begin strong, hold out strong TO THE END, and then receive the blessings.

Anyways, this is just something that I have seen as I have been here, and I just wanted to share with you all that I felt and have learned about it.

On a lighter note, there was a baptism this week! Not ours, but the young man who was baptized is a good friend that I have made since I have been here. It was really, really great to see him enter into this covenant with God and begin his path towards eternal life. I was so happy to see this happen. One thing that happens on the mission is that you begin to learn what it TRULY means to love someone. I can’t even begin to describe it. It is much, much more than a feeling, and much more than a thought. When you think about someone all day and you worry about them and you pray for them with all your soul that they can find their way in this hard world, then you have the beginnings of love. That is what I believe. And then, it develops into charity, which is basically when you can see someone like how God sees them. It is so much more than love. I can’t even explain it.

I went on splits this week, which is when you go with another missionary who is not your companion, and you go teach in their area. So, we went to his area and went to go and talk to an investigator, and it was really great! He is a man who wants to quit smoking with all his heart, and he wants more than anything to get baptized. He really wants this, but he is afraid that he will mess up and will break his promise to God. I told him about me before I left on my mission. About two nights before, I felt so afraid. I was leaving my family and friends and my everything behind. I was going on the other side of the world!!! And I was terribly afraid. I felt so inadequate, but my parents taught me that I needed to recognize where this fear was coming from. I knew my whole life that I should leave on a mission, and I knew it was the right thing to do. Now I definitely know it. I told him that my parents taught me that this fear was from Satan. He doesn’t want us to be closer to God, so he strikes us with this fear and it seems as if we are encircled with darkness. I told him that I knew that if we take that step into the darkness and put our faith in God, that he will light the way. And I KNOW that with all my heart. If I didn’t, I never would have taken this “first step” and come on my mission.

Basically, I have put my faith in God, and I will wait for the time it takes for him to bless me. And I know that it is going to be hard because if I wasn’t doing the right thing, it would be easy. I KNOW I am here for the right reason and that I can do all things through Christ. I know this church is true. And I will write you all again next week to share with you a little bit more of my testimony. I sure love you all!

Elder Gale

October 27, 2014

"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times."

- Martin Luther

Well, this week was really rough. We did not get many people to listen to us, but the people who did were really kind and listened. It was definitely a hard week because I started to really feel homesick for the first time really. I mean, I miss all of you and I love it out here, but I got asked a lot from people about what I am going to do after the mission... so it was really hard to say that I will be here for two years and all that. I sure do love it out here. I love everyday how I get to wake up and help someone grow closer to Christ. I love that I get to bring myself closer to Him everyday too. I have grown to truly love reading the scriptures. I get to read them for hours every day, and I get to share what I learned in them with others.

The big thing that I learned this week was about grace, meaning the grace of God. It started when my companion got a talk about grace. So we started to study that this week. The big thing about grace is that “by grace we are saved.” This is because Christ paid the price for our sins. ALL of us. This means that we can all return to the presence of God. However, there is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that really explains this. 2 Nephi 25:23 – “It is by grace that we are saved, AFTER all we can do” (emphasis added). This does not mean that God is standing there saying, “Two more steps, and you´ve made it to my kingdom.” This means that we will be feeling clean enough to enter, meaning we will all be given the opportunity to accept to enter into the Kingdom of God because we are clean through the atonement of Christ. However, it will be our decision if we will want to STAY in His presence. I never really thought about grace before; but I really studied it this week, and I arrived to this conclusion. We are clean. We can enter. But do we feel comfortable?

I went to EFY twice. (EFY is like a place where people can go to learn more about the gospel of Christ and be apart from the world to truly embrace the gospel and not worry about normal life.) And I got to witness people who were there because they wanted to and others who were simply there because their parents wanted them to be there to try and grow closer to God. I was blessed to witness people grow closer, and people who seemed like they were about to die because they did not feel comfortable being this close to the Spirit of God. I was able to witness people who, after the first day, called home saying that they don’t like it because it is too spiritual. This is what I mean by not wanting to be in His presence.

I am going to pose a question that I heard in general conference that struck me. How would you feel if, in a minute from now, you had a personal interview with Christ? How would you feel? This is what grace is all about. The atonement was made so we can return back to Christ. EVERYONE will receive the resurrection and immortality, but not everyone will receive eternal life. This means for us to LIVE as we once did with our Father in heaven and together as a family... forever.

I have also been studying like a madman about recognizing the Spirit. I found it interesting that it does not say "learning how the spirit speaks to you" or "finding how God speaks to you," but instead it says to recognize the spirit. I have found that we have ALL had a moment in our lives, where God has been speaking to us. But did we recognize it? That is the true question. We have all felt the need to acercarnos (I don’t know how to say that in English anymore!!!) (Note from Lauren: this means to approach) to God. Think; was there a time in your life that you felt the need to make a change in your life for the better? Where did this think come from? I know that it came from the Spirit of God. We must remember how that felt. That is how God speaks to us.

I just wanted to tell you all about what I have learned this week. And of course, as always, work work work, and a bit more work to keep the bad thoughts away.

Fique Firme, Kia Kaha
Stay Strong, Forever Strong

Elder Gale

October 20, 2014

"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
- Matthew 4:19

We had a little 8 year old boy that we were teaching. Well, he got baptized yesterday, and it was so amazing to see him get baptized. He sure is a cute little boy, and he has grown to be in my heart. I got to see him from day 1, and I got to help him into the waters of baptism. I think it was a miracle to watch someone start the journey of a lifetime, to become like our Father in heaven. However, I believe that the greatest miracle was when we first met them. The family was basically inactive, meaning that they did not go to church. But within the month and a half that we taught this boy, I got to see a change within the whole family. They all go to church now, and I got to see the progression of this family as they all grew closer together and more united in the faith. I love being out here to experience miracles!

The "Mission Force" in Chile 

I have been working really late here. Before, we were coming home at like 9:30, but now we are getting home around 10:30. Then we plan and do our stuff for the next day until 11:30. But I think that the biggest change that has come personally within me is my connection to my Father in heaven. I have learned how his spirit speaks to me, meaning that I know how he speaks to me.




I was in a lesson last night, and the person won’t get baptized until she loses the feelings that she has about her family because she just got out of a horrible divorce and her daughter is taking over her home. So we were talking to her, and we found this out. I believe that it is amazing that she won’t get baptized until that happens, but she doesn’t think that it will stop until about a year from now. It was amazing that, as she began to talk about her feelings, her anger began to rise. Then, the Spirit really kicked in, and I said to her, "Yo puedo ver, que cuando usted empieza a hablar acerca de su familia, que usted empieza a tener pesamientos malos...¿podemos trater algo? vaamos a tratar, que cuando usted empieza a tener estos pensamientos, que usted pare, y orar.¿etsá bien?" (I can see, that when you begin to talk about your family, that you begin to have bad thoughts. Can we try something? We are going to try, that when you have one of these thoughts, that you stop, and pray. Is that okay?) She was like, "Hmmm... okay. Let’s do that." (I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I do know that when I have the Spirit of God, I can open and change hearts and also talk in really good Spanish. It was so amazing to be there.)

Elder Gale and his companion teaching at a "capilla abierta" or open chapel tour. 

I love all the support that I am getting back home from all of you. You have no idea what a few simple words mean to me. I have been trying so hard to be the best I can, but at times, I feel worried about things at home. But I know that it will all be alright because I have given it all to the keeping of the Lord. I love you all, and I want you all to know that you are in my prayers. I pray for you all, and I hope that you are all striving daily to become closer to God. I learned that there are only two choices in life: to either be closer to God or closer to Satan. (2 Nephi 2:27) Let us constantly try to strive to be closer to God by doing the simple things that he has asked us so that at that great and final day we can be found spotless before God and able to enter into his kingdom where we will be filled with the most happiness and joy than we can ever imagine.

Much love to you all,

Elder Gale

October 13, 2014

"Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someone's life for eternity."

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Well, week 7 and I can definitely tell that my Spanish is kicking in more and more because I have a new missionary in my apartment, and I have trouble speaking English with him. I have phrases in Spanish that I use a lot, and that is what I speak to him. I had to translate for someone who only speaks English, and I could not for the life of me speak in English. I had to try three times to speak in English. It was kind of sad, but at the same time, I was super happy that I couldn’t do it. My grammar is starting to become like Spanish too. I’m not sure whether to happy or sad.

The teaching this week was really great! I had an open chapel which is where people can come and see everything that we believe in and what we do. It was really awesome, and we got to meet lots of people that we probably would not have been able to meet. It has now been a little over a week since we have been able to hear our prophet and the general authorities speak to us. Have we been able to listen to the words that they spoke again? We sure have... lds.org has them to be downloaded. I have done that, and I listen to it almost every day. It sure is great to be able to hear their words again and to be able to listen to their council. I get to learn something over and over again.

We have been teaching a man here who will soon be a father, and he sure is trying to find the direction of God. He is amazing! We just visited with him about an hour ago. He told us how he has been reading, and he sure does remember all that he read. He had questions about the witnesses in the introduction of the Book of Mormon, and we answered them. He sure is a great person. If I had not learned of the worth of a soul, I would have called him a “golden-investigator.” In truth, there are no such things as golden investigators because what is the worth of a soul? As it says in Doctrine and Covenants 18, “The worth of a soul is great in the sight of God.” I take this to mean that there are no "golden investigators" because then that means that there are "silver investigators" and "bronze investigators" and "useless investigators." I have learned that each soul that I meet, whether they reject me or not, has GREAT worth. I mean this for all of you too. I don’t ever want to be found as judging someone because they aren’t “perfect” because, in truth, none of us are. We have all committed errors and mistakes in our life. But, thanks to the plan of our Father in heaven, we can repent, change, and restart on a new path towards him. I love how it is described in the Book of Mormon. The great plan. The merciful plan. “Oh how great is the wisdom of God!” All of these are quotes from the Book of Mormon. Of the great plan of redemption.

I want to finish with my testimony. I know that we are all sons and daughter of our Father in heaven. I can’t explain to you how I know other than that I have prayed about it, over and over and over... I know it to be true. He wants us to return to Him. The only way for us to do that is either to be perfect (which is impossible) or for us to make a mistake and for our Father in heaven to forgive us so that we can return to him. I have learned that our decisions not only affect us. I have seen the people here thinking that and soon they see how it affects EVERYONE around them. And not only that, but also those who soon follow after us and are our children. And then their children... and etc. I would not have been born in America if certain people had not gone across the sea to come here. (Just an example) Our decisions that we make are ETERNAL. They are UNCHANGEABLE... imagine that... the only way to change them is through the plan of our God who wants for us to return back to him.

I love you all and love hearing from you. Questions make writing so much easier. If you want me to answer something specific, I can do that too. Please write me back! I love you all! Blessings be with you as you strive to get closer to God.

Elder Gale

October 6, 2014

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

- Isaiah 41:10

Well, I have made it to a month and a half in the field! So much has happened in this first transfer of 6 weeks! I have learned so much and done even more than one could believe! I truly love it here! I have learned to trust in my Heavenly Father more, and I have learned how to recognize when He is speaking to me even more than I knew before! I have read the scriptures everyday for hours on end, trying to find something to help my investigators and trying to help them come unto Christ. I have learned the Spanish language really well, and I can communicate with the people here. It is still so amazing to me that I get to see people´s jaw drop when they hear me speak. I have learned so much about the culture here, and I love it here! I have seen more dogs on the streets and chasing me than I would ever like to see ever again. I have had people get angry at me (because they are drunk), I have had people feed me (even though to some of them, I am a stranger), and I have felt the love of God for all the people in this world. I know that He loves us. Why else would we even be here? I can’t even begin to comprehend it all. But I do know that we are here because of a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to succeed. I know this because I came here to Chile. How many times have you heard of Chile before you left high school? I know that I didn't. I came here, not able to speak the language, with only my testimony and our God behind me, pushing from behind. I KNOW that He is there. I have heard His prophets speak to me. I KNOW the words to be true. I watched General Conference this weekend, and I couldn't leave my seat, I was writing so many notes because I know that they are the words of GOD. I have felt the spirit before, but to feel the power of God, to hear His voice... that is even better. I encourage all to read, listen, and watch the words of the prophets from this past weekend. "YOU HAVE TIME. And if you don´t, YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR PRIORITIES."

Some of you are of the same faith as me. Some are not. It DOES NOT matter. I invite you all to read the words. lds.org. Go there. If you have questions in your life that you would like to have answered, they are there. I am not even beginning to kid you. I am here teaching the same things that have been spoken of. If you don’t believe me, if you don’t even have a desire to read these words, pray for the desire to read them. Many of you have laptops. You can put it on and listen to it as you work around the house, as you clean, as you relax. Do it, you will find what you are looking for in this crazy world.

I have been tested, tried, and stretched. I have been pushed beyond my limits, teaching as I am dead tired. I get up around 6:30 in the morning and back to bed at 11:30 at night. I do that because I know this work to be true. I know this gospel to be true. I am in a different country, on the other side of the world. We are getting out of winter right now, and it is becoming spring/summer here. I would NOT do this if I did not know this gospel to be absolutely true. There is so much that I want to say here in these emails, but I couldn't. I would be here forever. The biggest thing I have left to say is that I walk a ton. I really do. I eat a lot here but less than I did back home most of the time. I feel the ground beneath my feet as I walk, and you know what? Each step is a constant reminder that I am on the Lord's errand. I am walking where He wants me to walk. I hope that you can get what I mean to say in this email and all the other ones before and after. I speak Spanish all day, and I am having such a difficult time with English.

I love you all, and I just want you to know that I write my testimony on all these emails because it is my gift from God, and I want to share it with everyone. That includes you. :) If you have any questions, I would absolutely love to hear from you! Please write me back. I would love to hear from you and every little thing that goes on in your life!

-- Elder Gale

September 29, 2014

Well, I am one week away from cambios (tranfers) here, and I cannot believe how fast time is flying! This week was definitely our busiest and most hard working. We had the most lessons this week and worked our tailbones off to get them all!

We started the week off by going through our list of contacts and calling all of them to see when we could have an appointment with them, and a ton of them weren’t interested anymore. So we erased them. We went through our list of old investigators and talked with each one and got some return appointments. Then, we went through the area book which is a list of everyone that has ever been taught and just thinned out the numbers. We were truly "separating the wheat from the tares" this week.

We were looking through one of the many lists that we have, and we couldn’t find some of the people. So we went to people who know EVERYONE and asked them. Their kid (who is turning 8 in just three weeks) came out and tells us, "Yo quiero ser bautizado!" ("I want to be baptized.") We were shocked for a second, but then we both said, "Sure, you can be baptized, and we can teach you what you need to know!" It was truly a gift to have that happen! We taught him twice this week! He is well on his way to being baptized! On the 25th, we went to the temple, and it was bacán (meaning it was beyond amazing)! We had a great time there. I love being able to enter the temple. It is such a refuge from the storms of today, to just be able to leave the world behind and be able to really have time to ponder. There is so much that one can learn in there!

It is so amazing to be here in Chile! I love the people, and I get to work hard every second of every day. The best part is that even though I am working hard, I get to enjoy it all. Even though the technology here in this internet cafe won’t let me show you with pictures, it truly is beautiful here, and I get to work my hardest in the work of the Lord. "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God." (2nd Nephi 2:25)

I just wish that I could describe everything to you, but I can’t because it is so hard to describe unless you were here to experience it for yourself. I write to you as if you were here, and yet ye are not. But I know that what a man can do is nothing compared to what God, our Heavenly Father can do. Now imagine what we could do with the help of a heavenly being who wants nothing more than to bless us and help us; all we have to do is ask him in prayer and be willing to change based upon the answer we receive.

I know this gospel to be true. The knowledge that I have within me, which I try to share with people through my broken and terrible Spanish, I know to be true. If I did not know it to be true, I would never have left on a mission, to be away from my family, my friends, a job, and everything for two full years. If you want to know everything about why I am doing what I'm doing, come to church with the Mormons. You will know why as soon as you begin to feel the Spirit of our Father. There is no greater feeling than what I have felt since I have come here. I know this gospel to be true because of a book. This book is the Book of Mormon. A man can get closer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. I have personally read it, asked God to know if it is true, and received my answer. I cannot go back because I know it to be true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that modern day revelation is true, and that everything in this church is true. I can only wish to tell you everything that I know to be true, but I can’t. I just want to share my testimony, that I know that what I am doing here, again, is NOT worthless because I am bringing souls to Christ. I am bringing back the lost for they are now found. And I am a representative of Jesus Christ.

I will end this letter with a short invitation that will make all the difference in the world. Watch General Conference. Listen to the words of everyone that speaks. We only get to see the prophet come and speak to us directly twice a year. And the best part is that if you don’t have time to listen right at that time or if you miss something, you can go to lds.org and watch/listen to it.

I love you all,

Elder Gale

September 22, 2104

"God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, He will increase our capability!"

- Neal A. Maxwell

One full month in the field!!! Where to begin with it all??? This was definitely the best week ever! So much happened. I have walked even more this week, and my feet can feel it too! I have met so many people this week who are investigating the church, and all of them say that the change that it has wrought within their life is something that they never would exchange after they have become acquainted with it and join the church. I can second that by saying that I get the wonderful opportunity to read and study the scriptures about the church for hours every day, and I love it! I have learned so much more, but most of it is the things that just confirm what I already know: that God LOVES us and wants what is best for us. We can’t see what it is most of the time, but it is there as we continue to read, study, ponder, pray, go to church and just everything.

I know that there are people out there that we are meant to help. We may not know how or why, but sometimes they ask a question, and you have the answer that they have been looking for their whole life!!! Sometimes, you know that you are going to be doing one thing with someone, and then, out of the blue, you are doing something completely different. And you know that it is because you are meant to help them or because they asked you. 

I had the wonderful opportunity to give a blessing this week to someone, and it was beyond amazing! I have given blessings before, but I was only a member of the circle. This time, I was the one who was saying the blessing, and it was in Spanish!!! The language sure is coming along thanks to my wonderful companion! I am starting to have trouble with English, and it gets interesting when I meet someone and they speak English and I have a hard time talking with them.

I don’t have much to say other than my testimony. Yo sé que esta iglesia es verdadero. Porque de un hombre, a la edad de 14 años, porque él oré, un libro que contiene todas las cosas que necesitamos para volver a Dios fue revelado. Y porque de este libro, estoy aquí en Chile a ayudar personas a volver a Dios. porque Dios nos ama, podemos volver a Él.

(I know this church is true. For a man , at the age of 14 years because he prayed , a book that contains all the things we need to return to God was revealed . And because of this book, I'm here in Chile to help people return to God. Because God loves us , we can return to Him.)

I love you all, you are all amazing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m here if y'all need anything.

--Elder Gale

September 15, 2014

"Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat."

- Ann Landers

It is so beautiful here, even though I don’t get to see it all the time because I am in the ghetto. This week was really awesome; we had a conference for my zone, and we had our area 70 come and speak to us. He mostly focused on the gringos and talked to us about how even though we have a ton of fear about speaking, we can at least communicate, that all we need to do is open our mouths and we can teach the people here. It was great!

Well, this week we had many lessons planned and most of the people weren't there because they don't want to listen, they forget, or they just don't care.

We had a cultural event put on by the stake here, and there was a lot of dancing! The people here are very traditional like that. I got to eat a lot of the traditional food, and it was so sweet. The only problem was that I forgot my camera... again.

We went to San Cristobal today for P-day, and it sure was sweet to see all of the city. This time I brought my camera, so I have pictures. I just need to see if I can send them... that is the hard part.

Not a whole lot to share about this week, but it was a ton of fun! The lessons that we were able to teach were super amazing! We don’t do tracting in this mission, so we only have the lessons that we have planned. We do contacting every now and then, but I love the work here!

As I have moments that are hard, when my head begins to fall and my spirits and energy are low, I have found that the best thing to do is simply, work.... work, work, work. You can’t be in low spirits when you are actively doing something. It just doesn't work that way. Idle hands are the devils playground. If we are constantly doing something constructive, we can then combat Satan and the things that he wants for us to feel. Satan wants us to feel sad, downtrodden and as if we are not meant to succeed. But we are! That is our purpose here on this earth! I love every moment here! I can’t believe that the time goes so quickly here. I have already been out for almost 3 months!

I love you all, and it is truly the best time here in this earth when we have a fullness of the truth restored and accessible to our fingertips! The work I do here and my sister does in Ohio and my friends in various other parts of the world is not meaningless labor. It is work to spread the truth. I encourage all to read the Book of Mormon and the Bible if you haven´t before and to read them again if you have. You have no idea how many things we can learn from the people spoken of within them and the words of truth from God which they contain.

I LOVE THIS WORK!!!

-- Elder Gale

September 8, 2014

"Our Heavenly Father understands out disappointment, suffering, pain, fear, and doubt. He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He's sufficient for all of our needs. When I accepted this as an absolute truth in my life, I found that me worrying stopped."

- Charles Stanley

Well, Week 2 has come and gone already. I love it here! It is definitely hard work, and walking everywhere is not as hard as one thinks. After the people who don´t show up for invitations, who don´t follow through on commitments, and after the many miles of walking every day, I can´t help but stop and say how much I love it here!

I have probably walked close to 60 miles here just in these past few weeks, if not more. But I love it because I can really speak the language, and I have an amazing companion who helps me out when I don´t understand something. I am learning so much here, and it isn´t all about the language and customs. More importantly, I am learning to be like Christ, to forget myself and go to work here. I don´t know how, or where I could have learned to be humble, to realize that I don´t really need a lot and that to help the people around me is the greatest blessing one could ever receive. I love serving. It gets hard here because we only end up teaching like 15 lessons a week maximum because people won’t be there when they say they will.

Elder Taylor from Elder Gale's home stake happens to be in the same mission!

I don´t even know how to express how much I love it here. We taught a lady who is about 70 years old, and I extended a baptismal commitment. She accepted! I love the work here. I get to teach people about the truth that I KNOW to be true, and how it is the reason why I am here in Chile for 2 years.

I know that we are children of our Heavenly Father and that He loves us. Not only does He love us, but he wants to bless us in our lives. All we have to do is follow the example of his beloved son Jesus Christ, who came to the earth to pay the price of our sins that we may return to the presence of our Father. This is what I get to teach every day.

We had a street contact this past week with a lady who wanted to know more, so she gave us her address and said to come by. We came the next day and taught her. After an amazing lesson, where the spirit was so strong, she told us that we can´t come by again because "her husband doesn´t like Mormons." It hurt to leave. We wanted to teach her again, and she wanted to learn more but her husband won’t let us. One day, I hope he will change his mind.

The weather here is so weird. It rains all day, until my companion and I are about to leave, then it stops. And it gets really cold here during the night, then really hot during the day, and then cool during twilight here.

I love you all, if you have any questions about the mission, I would love to hear from you!

-- Elder Gale

September 1, 2014

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light."

- John Keith Falconer

WOW! It sure is amazing here in El Valle "A." We are in a pretty flaite area or ghetto area. I love it here! My companion is Elder Silverio from Mexico city, Mexico. I love everything here. I have a really tiny bed in a really tiny room in a really tiny apartment where my shoulders almost touch the sides of the hallway. I have finally gone shopping by myself, and I only have to spend like 20 dollars for food a week. I don't really need a lot, and food here costs a ton!!! It is so weird. I can by a thing of 30 eggs for like 8 dollars, but for about 3 dollars I can buy 20 oranges. 

Elder Gale says this is the BEST street in his area!

The language is coming along well. I have a bit of a hard time understanding people the first time, but I can pretty much understand what they are saying. Teaching here is a hit-and-miss thing. We have so many people who tell us that they will be there and that they look forward to seeing us; then we go, and they aren't there... it kind of makes me mad somewhat, but it mostly hurts my feelings because they say it and they don´t follow through. However, the people that do follow through are amazing! They let us in, we talk a while, they feed us... ALOT, then we can begin. I eat so much here for lunch because some members feed us more than we could ever need, and they do it so willingly. I had my soul burn with love for these people my first day because when we went into a house, the people there were cooking, and they gave me a hamburger. After we ate, she told me the words I have never wanted to hear, "I would have given you more, but I ran out." I cried that night when we got back to our apartment. The people here are so poor, and we know it because we are just as poor. But the Spirit in those members who are faithful is so strong. 

Elder Gale's Room

I got to meet our bishop, and he is super tall! He is probably 6' 4''. The love that he has for the people in this ward and area is so strong that when we went to an appointment with him, I couldn't catch all he said. But the love I could feel emanating from him... that spirit. I hope I can have such love for these people soon.

I have seen some things here that are so hard for me to see, like people just laying on benches with a blanket and a jacket for warmth. I have seen people who fall back on smoking and drugs and beer. There are people who only want to go home after a day of work, smoke, and just be content. I hope I can reach all of these people. But I can't; for some, it just isn't their time yet. I have been rejected, laughed at, and just plain yelled at by people. But you know what? I do not care because I am filled with the love of Christ for these people. I know that they can receive hope and direction through the message I bring. Even though it pains me when people don't accept what I have to say, when they don;t show up for appointments, or when they yell at me, I know that one day, they will find the direction they need and will be able to receive this wonderful message. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I love it, and I wouldn't rather be doing anything else. Nothing can compare to this. 

Elder Gale with his companion, Elder Silverio.

I just found out that I finally got a scholarship to a university. I'm glad to be here in a little internet cafe in a rundown part of town. I love it here: the little jokes that I have with my companion, when I finally understand some word in the language, when I understand something in the scriptures after a 5 hour study session. I love it. There are so many things that would have disheartened me before the mission had I been back home, but I am here and I get to carry this truth to all parts of my little sector here in Chile.

A shout out to my little, new baby cousin! Way to scare your mom on day 1! A shout out to my two little brothers who are doing fantastic in football and for focusing in school! A quick happy birthday to my grandmother. (This is my first time on in 2 weeks.) A shout out to my fellow missionaries and all the work that they do. A shout out to all those in school. I'm sorry for you. And a shout out to my mother and father who helped to prepare me for when things get to the worst, and how to bounce back and keep fighting. Thank you all for your prayers and the emails. They help a ton. I will send pictures hereafter.

Much love to all,

Elder Gale

Un mensajero de la verdad del evangelio restaurado por todo el mundo!

(A messenger of the truth of the restored gospel throughout the world!)

August 26, 2014

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

- Lao Tzu

Hola!

As Elder Gale's newer roommate, I am taking the quick opportunity to send you a notice that he has officially left for the mission field a few hours ago and will be missing his p-day this week. Here is a quick note he wrote for me to send to you. He is an amazing young man, and I have learned so much from him, his testimony, and his example. He will do amazing things in the field.

- Elder Robbins (the shorter of the two super tall ones)

Hey Mom!

It is your son, Elder Gale. My old roommate is being gracious to send this to you because we do not have p-day until next week. I forgot to tell you that... well, we had our first earthquake, and it was a lot of fun!!! I had no idea what was happening, and I was just sitting in class and the ground was shaking. I am doing fine, and we had a blast! I'm sorry I can't email you or anyone and that it will have to wait for another week or so because of us leaving for the field. I just have to say that I love you all, and I look forward to reading all of your emails! 

I love you mom! :)

Love, your big little boy, 

Elder Gale

PS. Can you send me some more pictures of the family? I would love to have more to share with the investigators. It makes it easier to connect with them. Again, I love you mom!!!

When Elder Gale got out to the field, he sent another quick letter...

Hola!

I made it to the field, and I got my new companion, Elder Silverio. He is a native. I will be learning fast! I love you guys, and I will write you an email next week on Monday. I love being here in Chile, and I start the week now! 

Love,

Elder Gale

August 20, 2014

"Don't worry about how inexperienced you are or think you are, but think about what, with the Lord's help, you can become."

- Henry B. Eyring

Well, I'm almost done here in the CCM, and it has been going really great! We have another 4 investigadores, and it is really fun to teach our teachers. I love being able to speak in Spanish and share our message of the restored gospel to the world! I still have Elder Barfuss, and he is doing AMAZING here! We have found his problem. Sure he struggles with the language, but we all do. He has a little confidence problem, and the way I fixed that was by making him talk more. Now he jumps in during lessons, and he speaks pretty well! 

Another view of the Chilean Temple. Elder Gale absolutely loves the weather!

The language is coming so well! The only problem is that the teachers speak really slow for us and use easy words... the natives do not. It is a lot of work to catch everything that they say, but it is working well. I am so glad for the gift of tongues and all that I have learned here. I am studying my brains out in the scriptures, and I constantly learn new things. I read side-by-side the English and the Spanish scriptures, and I can almost read all of the Spanish on the first try! It sure is amazing here how much we have learned. I don't know how anyone else could learn as much as we have here without the divine help of our Father in Heaven. I love how well everything is going here and how we work so hard and have a smile on every single minute of the day.

So, funny story of the week, we were heading back to the place where we all sleep, and I was telling somebody of one of the bags that one of the hermanas has. That hermana was kind of "modeling" it, and it was funny because i was saying how it has a great fit (because I've tried one on, and it is really a great fit) and how it is a great size... etc. Well, the CCM´s president´s wife walked out as I was saying this and totally thought i was talking about the hermana´s skirt or something. Oh it was so funny how she didn't know!

Elder Gale entered the CCM assuming he would be surrounded by shorter people. Apparently that is not the case...

Also, last P-day, after we were finished writing, we went to the streets. As Elder Barfuss and I were walking back, we see this big group of like 12 hermanas, and it was really funny to see them because as we passed the first part, one hermana jumps out and screams, "BRANDON??" It was Hermana Severtson! (Kami Severtson), and it was really awesome to see her on her final day here!

Good luck to all the people who are going to school/college these next few weeks! Stay strong in the gospel and everything, and look to God, our Eternal loving Heavenly Father, in all you do! Please email back, and let me know more about how AZ and everything is!

Much love for everyone!

Elder Gale

August 12, 2014

"Prayer is the passport to peace."

- Thomas S. Monson

The Chilean temple next to Elder Gale. He gets to see it every day!

Time flies, and there is NEVER enough time to email everyone. I sure love everyone back in Arizona and all the missionaries worldwide. 

Elder Gale's mission name tag.

Well, this is it. I am the most senior group here, and I get to go out and do street contacts now! The time flies here, and I can't believe it has already been a month here! It doesn't even feel like a different country, let alone across the equator!! The only thing that's different is the food a bit and just how no one really understands English... oh well. I still love it here! 

Elder Gale with his companion and two of the best roommates in the CCM.

I have a triple combination and a Santa Bibilia en Español, and I pretty much only read from those now. The language has come so easily, and I cant believe how well it has come because i know absolutely nothing without the power of the Holy Ghost helping me. Our teachers only speak Spanish to us, and I can pick it all up really easily. I love how well it is going because if it wasn't going well, it would be much harder! All of those of you that are reading this, know that prayer works! I know it, and I can tell you over and over. But Ii know it works and that it is not just talking to yourself in your head; you are speaking with Dios, nuestro Padre Celestial (God, our Heavenly Father). quien nos ama y quiere para nosotros a volver con Él (who loves us and wants us to return to Him). 

Elder Gale with the Chilean flag.

I have no more to say other than, esta iglesia es verdadera. este Evangelio de Jesucristo puede cambiar vidas y es el más importante cosa en mi vida. Mi familia y yo podemos estar con nosotros para tiempoy por las eternidads (This church is true. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can change lives and it is the most important thing in my life. Myfamily and I can be together for eternity).

Much love to everyone,

Elder Gale

Elder Gale with Sister Kami Severtson right before she flew back home.

Questions and Answers with Elder Gale



1. How is your Spanish coming? How is your English?



Well, I can talk in lessons and get my point across in almost unbroken Spanish. I love how the teachers only teach in Español and that I can get almost everything that they are saying. It is coming along really Mwell! my English... well, it’s good, but I have moments where I can’t remember how to say a word to my companion in either English or Español. It is still in my head...at least for now...

 


2. Do they have any American restaurants in your area such as McDonalds?



We actually have a McDonalds about half a mile to a mile away. On P-days we get one hour to write home and 2 hours to go to the streets. We have been to the McDonalds, but I didn’t get anything from there. I don’t want to get sick with “it” here, if you know what I mean...




3. Do you have a gym at the MTC? What do you do for a workout?


We actually do not have a gym in our MTC. After breakfast, we go for about a half mile jog to a park where we play soccer.. I mean fútbol, and there is another park that has these workout things where you use your body weight. It is really interesting how it works, but I use it every now and then.




4. How are you doing?



I am doing really well, I love every moment here, and I can’t wait to be in the field and doing the real work!




5. How big is the MTC, and how many missionaries are there right now? 



The CCM (se-se-M-A) is really small, at most it can hold 90 missionaries. There are actually 2 places where we sleep. I sleep here on the grounds, and the other place is about 15 minutes away. We are right next to the temple. I love being right by it and being able to see it every morning!




6. Do you feel like you are being successful?



I really do feel like I am being successful. I have two "baptisms," meaning that during a lesson with our teacher as the investigator, they said they would be baptized. Everyday I learn something new from the scriptures and the language, so I do think I am being successful.




7. Have you had any authentic Chilean food?



We have a cafeteria here, so yes. I’m not sure if it is really authentic until it is made within someone´s home.




8. How are the members in your area? Do you go to church at the MTC or with other members at a church? 



I actually have not really met any members. We go to church as an MTC group, but since we walk past the members at the temple all the time, they always want a picture with a big, white, American missionary. 




9. We heard you saw Elder Matthew Taylor at the temple. How was your temple experience, and describe the Chile Temple?



I saw him, and it was really cool to see a missionary who I know out in the field and to see how far he has come! The Chile temple is not really tall or big. It is actually really small. I’ll send a picture in a second :)




10. How are you and your companion doing? 



He is doing better. He is getting the language. He just is having a hard time, and I try to help him all I can.