Week 8: The devil isn't in the details he is in the dogs!

Buenas Dias!

I am loving being a missionary! It is so awesome! True, there are ups and downs, but it is so worth it!

Anyways this week has been a good one! On Tuesday we had our normal proceedings such as study, lunch with a member, and contacting. We also had a meeting with Juan the old man who we are baptizing this Sunday! He is so faithful and is making so much progress.

On Wednesday we had Interviews with the mission president which is normally a pretty big deal but it has only been a week since I last saw him so my interview was basically a "How are you doing, and how are you liking it?" It was good to have though. It was kind of a frustrating day after the interviews because all of our appointments fell through.

Thursday we had a zone meeting from 9 until 2, yes, it was 5 hours long! It was actually pretty good, we learned some temporal and spiritual lessons and then had some practices. The practices were scary because our zone leader was watching and listening to ours the whole time. Afterwards we went tracting and had no success.

Friday was a pretty normal day. We went out and had a lesson with a less active lady who has had some hard experiences, but she seems like a sweet lady. Then  we had a lesson with Juan who like I said is making great changes in his life.

Saturday, was the day of the devil dogs! All morning every dog that saw us would bark and charge at us and try to bite us. Thank goodness for shoes, bags, and Books of Mormon. There is one dog who everyday charges us and attacks us, he is THE DEVIL DOG, and we try to avoid him the best we can. But Saturday we had many lessons. One with a man who has no job and plays an online game all day while his wife works (Boys, this is not how you score women). He is slowly progressing, but hopefully will come through. Then we visited the family Araya who owns the local soccer field (All the soccer fields here are dirt fields). The lesson with them went well and I believe we will be able to have success with them. They also said we could use the field whenever we want during the week (P-day here I come!). Then we had a lesson with Juan. While we were there his daughters sister and her daughter decided that I look like Michael Bublé, but I don't see it ha ha :) Juan also said the funniest but most heart warming thing ever. He was at the Hospital for Dialysis and was offered Tea and Coffee. He said "I can't drink that, I am not catholic, I am a member of the church with a long name that I can't remember." I was dying of laughter but it made my night that we was living the commandments.

Sunday was a great day as well. We woke up and went to church. Before it started a stray dog (There are MILLIONS here) ran into the church and I spent 5 minutes chasing it out. Lots of members found it humerus and watched and laughed as I struggled to get the dog out of the church :) Then my companion and I were waiting for Juan because he said he would come. Church started and he still wasn't there so we were worried. Finally he showed up. Apparently the member who was supposed to pick him up forgot, and because he is too old to walk to church  his daughter said they should just try again next week but he said "NO! We are going to church!" after that he hitch hiked his way to church! He even made it in time for the sacrament! IT was awesome to see that he had that much desire to go to church and showed me how important church really is. After church we dropped our clothes off at the Mamita's house. Here in chile we have a lady in the ward called the "Mamita" and we pay here and she washes our clothes every week :) (So mom, all that time you made me wash my clothes to practice for my mission... Well I didn't really have to do that ;) )

To end I well relate a funny story from this week. 

My companion went to the bathroom, and whenever one of us goes to the bathroom the other tries to cram in a power nap. So I was about to take a power nap but decided I wanted to try to be funny. I grabbed the scriptures and opened them and underlined the verse where is said "I grabbed Laban by the hair and smote off his head with his own sword" I then put the book open with that verse underlined on my chest along with a big knife "My sword" and then went to sleep. When he came out of the bathroom he found me sleeping with that verse underlined and my "sword" He then died laughing and pretended to cut off my head. It was super funny!

All is going well here in Chile! I appreciate all the prayers and support. I love and miss you all!

Elder Nielson