First Week in Chile

The plane ride was good, long, but it was good. The food wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I did have to check my carry on, but that really wasn't a big deal, and it didn't cost me anything. When we got to Chile, we got off the plane, went and paid the money to enter the country, and then went to immigration. I got up to the desk, and she started speaking in spanish. I was done for... then she started asking all these questions, and asking why I was there, and I said I was a missonary, and all the stuff that I was supposed to say. After 5 mins of me staring at her and handing her paper after paper, she finally called someone else over, and they said something, and then she stamped my passport. As I stood there waiting for the others to get through, that's when the fun really started. The lady came back to me and asked for the flight itinerary again, and then they shoved all of the missionaries in a corner for an hour and a half while they did who knows what. They would come and go, and come and go, and then finally they just said ok your good to go. It was a pain in the butt, but at least we were let in.

After that we met the mission president and his wife, loaded our stuff up, and went to the mission home. It's really pretty there, but it's not even in our mission bounderies so. side note, the drivers here are crazy! I'm supprised I haven't seen an accident yet, because they drive so fast and so crazy. That includes Sister Essig, the mission mom. After we got to the mission home, we took some pictures, ate some breakfast, and had interviews, where the mission president told me I was going to have a native companion that spoke english.  He asked if I was ok with that, and I said yes (I should have said no... but oh well) we then took a nap, and had a meeting where we met our new companions. My companion's name is Elder Ariz, he is from southern Chile somewhere, and he is crazy, I´ll talk more about him later. we then grabbed our stuff, and went to the subway, or metro whatever you call it. After a couple stops there, we got off, and got in a taxi and it took us to our apartment. Now let me tell you, an airplane ride, subway, taxi, immigration at the airport, that is way to much for one day. But the day wasn't even over. We dropped my stuff off, and went to work. First thing I noticed were the dogs. They are everywhere! I have seen several dead ones, I have seen them fight, they are just everywhere! None of them have attacked me yet, so that's good, but some have been close. The first day we went and taught a guy part of the first lesson, and I had no clue what was going on. After that we went to another investigator's house, her name is Dannise, and first things she did was laugh about my name. Because my name is Elder Alder they sound almost the same, and everybody thinks that is hilarious... it's kinda annoying not going to lie, but there's nothing I can do so oh well. After meeting some more people, it was finally time for bed, and I pulled out the sleeping bag. Best decision ever! that thing is so warm, that is all I sleep in! Definitely glad we got that thing.

Wednesday
Woke up got ready, and went to zone meetings because my companion is the zone leader. They were long, and I had no clue what was being said, so I just sat there and tried to understand as much as I could.  I was able to get the basics of it, but it's way hard. After the meetings, we went to lunch at a members house. I thought I was going to die. You don't have to worry about me ever going hungry while I'm in this sector, you only have to worry about how much weight I'm going to gain while I'm here. The food here tastes fantastic, but there is just so much of it that by the end I am doing everything I can not to throw up.  The problem is, the people here are very poor. I'm in the suburbs of the city, so it's very getto looking. So when they bring you food you have to eat it or you offend them. Pretty much everyday is like Thanksgiving. It's horrible, I am literally sick everyday after. So because of the food, we have a bathroom time after luch for the 4 of us in our apartment to go to the bathroom. I'm glad for that time everyday. After we go to teach people.  I met a man with no voice. No voice, with spanish ya I have no clue what he is saying ever.  We had another lesson with Dannise, and we read in the Book of Mormon with her, and then I gave my testimony of it in spanish, and that's when I realized that I can invite the spirit with the little spanish that I know. Testifying of truths is powerful. Now this helped me a lot, because I was homesick, and I have been homesick quite a bit while being here, but that's normal... so oh well. While walking to different appointments, there was a man with a megaphone walking down the street yelling stuff, no clue what he was saying, but I hear him quite a bit, also there are like street venders, just a whole street of street venders. It's crazy.

My companion walks so fast. This is definitely a walking mission, and oh man do we walk. My legs are always burning, and my companion really doesn't care. We are lucky, and have hot showers in my area, but Thursday it never got hot, so I never got in, me and the shower have a love/hate relationship. What else, my companion took me shopping without telling me what was going on, so I bought conditioner instead of shampoo.  We buy boxes of milk here, and EVERYTHING IS IN SPANISH so it's a good thing my companion wouldn't tell me what anything said! But back to other stuff. Most of the people's houses here are tiny. Take our living room, just the living room, and put everything in it, and you know how small their houses are. It's cold here, so I am always wearing my thermals, and a coat, and even then I am still cold so that's fun, but I'm bundling up so it's not so bad anymore. We had lunch one day with a man named Hugo, ya that was fun, but they made the best chocolate desert thing that I had ever had. Our companionship studies include me practicing saying stuff to him while he doesn't pay attention to me, so that is difficult because I don't know if what I'm saying is right or not. One day we went back to teach the investigator that we taught part of the first lesson to, and he decided that he didn't want to hear anymore, and then taught me how to swear because I was new here and had no clue what was going on.

I have gotten sick, and felt like I was going to throw up at any second, so that was fun, but my companion let me go back to sleep, and that helped, the problem was the day I felt the worst, was that day that we got the most food. There are 3 things that I am afraid of:   3. getting mugged, 2. getting attacked by a dog, and 1. when people go into the kitchen, cause I know they are bringing out food. The members like to drink this stuff called ecco, which tastes and smells like coffee, but it isn't, and ya that was nasty! And they like to give us coke, good thing I love coke! ugh...

We stopped by the church at what I think  was mutual, and they were playing ping pong in the cultural hall, and one kid was dressed like someone from Grease, with his hair slicked back and everything. We were stopped by some crazy guy on a bike, some random lady came into the church after it was over, singled in on me and started blabbing away, nobody had any clue what she was saying, and then she just turned and left. Ya haha crazy people are fun.

Chuch was interesting, nobody played the piano, so we sang it acapella, the testimonies here are short and to the point, so that was nice, nobody was up there for more than 5 mins. and WE HAD A BAPTISM!!! My first week in and I already have a baptism under my belt. Not like I really did anything.

Now for my companion. He is a great elder, but he never tells me what is going on, so I just sit there and look stupid, he doesn't like to plan so I just follow him around not knowing what is going on. He talks in spanish really fast to me, and then when I don't understand he switches right to English, so I don't get the chance to figure it out. He has been in this area for like 5 transfers, so he thinks he has done everything and knocked every door, so most of the time we are at members houses talking to them, and once again I have no clue what is being said. The house is incredibly dirty, and he says that's just the way it is. He is the exact opposite of me in every way, he is a lot like Jason in the things he likes, computer games, and Anime, so it has been really hard, and like I said before, I've gotten really homesick, All I do in lessons is say, ¨I know what my companion has said is true, and it has blessed my life,¨ and if I can figure out what is going on then I say a little more than that, but not much else.

Everyday I go through feelings of ¨Its not that bad here, I´ll stay¨ to ¨I'm ready to go home, and I'm going to call and tell the mission president I'm ready to go.¨ But then we have a good lesson, and then more I have no clue what is going on, and it is hard, it really is hard on me physically and emotionally, but it has only been the first week, so this is expected, or that's what everyone keeps telling me. In 5 more weeks there will be another transfer and I will then have to lead my new trainer around, because my trainer will be moved out, looking forward to that! But it's not that bad here, the people are really nice, and the other elders that we live with are nice so they help take some of the crazy feelings away. But ya that's been my week so far. Oh we taught Dannise last night, and she told us that she was done with our visits. She said that she knew the Book of Mormon was true, and everything was right, but she didn't want it anymore. So that was hard on my companion and me. It's been tough, but it's been fun and exciting and crazy all at the same time. Keep me in your prayers!

Have people send everything to this address by US Postal service only.

Mision Chile Santiago Norte
Sucursal Correo Patronato
Casilla #60
Recoleta, Santiago
Chile