Hastening of the Work

Hey people!

I loved conference.  A ton.  Conference was amazing.  I'll share some thoughts after the weekly update.

Calle Larga:

So, Hermana Evelyn came to eat lunch with us on Wednesday, as was predicted.  She was really excited to tell me all the things going on down there.  She told me that Maricarmen's baptism was amazing, that they had brought gourmet for everyone for the refreshments (the members she lives with put on receptions and other events for a living) and that it was a very special baptism.  She also said that a ton of people when to Nashani's baptism, which was awesome because we were worried nobody would go because she's young and it was at a weird day at a weird time.  So it was a relief to know that both baptisms were a success.  It seems like everything else is going really well there, that the missionaries are working with the members a lot.  Evelyn worked with the missionaries on Tuesday, the day before I talked to her, and was really excited to tell me about several less active and part-member families they found that are really interested and are showing a lot of potential.  So, miracles!  Alejandro also just let me know in an email that René got married and baptized as planned, so that's really happy.  Alejandro's also doing really well, he watched general conference which I was excited about because, as I said earlier, I really loved this conference.

Pichidegua:

The moment has finally arrived when they're going to replace the branch president of Pichidegua with a missionary.  I'm extremely excited about this.  Elder Villavicencio is going to be branch president in Pichidegua for the rest of his mission, which I'm really excited about as well because Elder Villavicencio is exactly what Pichidegua needs, and Elder Skalka (my grandson) and him make a perfect pair.  President Jimenez was a great guy, and one of my good friends in the mission, but because of the distance between him and Pichidegua and his lack of time that branch has been slowly dying.  President Harris is willing to go to great lengths to get the branch on its feet, so he's given Elder Villavicencio freedom to do whatever it takes.  That includes taking me over there on divisions to go talk to the members that have gone inactive since I was there.  YUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.  As you could imagine, I'm extremely excited about this.

Also, good news from the Pichidegua front, the less active that got reactivated right before I left who gave us pie got the Melchizedek Priesthood just a few weeks ago!   Yuuuuuuussssssssssss.

San Fernando 2:

We're having a baptism this Saturday!  It's a woman named Ángela who lives in the campo and is amazing.  Apparently she was atheist before the missionaries were teaching her, but now she has a lot of faith and is reading and praying regularly even though she doesn't know how to read that well.  Her husband is a less active that's returning to activity, but he has a bad smoking habit.  She's really prepared though, so we're excited for this Saturday!

So that's all for the weekly update.  The work here is being pretty hastened as well.

Today was my birthday!  It was a perfect birthday weekend, we watched conference with all the elders in the house that have become my good friends plus Elder Villavicencio and Elder Skalka from Pichidegua and Elder Musselman and Elder Arroyo from Chimbarongo (they're in my district) which was an awesome group.  Then, today, we went to a river higher up in the Andes and barbequed choripanes there.  The sights were absolutely incredible and the choripanes were awesome.  We had fun relaxing y the river and rock-jumping and skipping stones for a while.  It was one of the best p-days of my mission.  Also, the Dodds (a senior couple assigned to help less actives in the district and now Branch President in Chimbarongo as well) came by our house this morning to give me a cake and wish me happy birthday, which was extremely thoughtful.  It was the closest thing I've had to American cake since I've gotten here.

I'll send pictures next week because I probably won't have time here.

Conference!  If I had to peg a theme to the conference, I would probably call it the hastening of the work.  I loved how the talks centered around the necessity of building and maintaining faith, the importance of staying anchored to our hope, and the eternal significance of learning charity.  I especially loved the Priesthood session, that focused on leading in a way that strengthens others.

It's pretty obvious to see, from the things they're discussing in the conference, that the work is seriously hastening.  It's clear that the time of the fan blowing the chaff from the wheat has already begun, and that nothing but true discipleship, consecration, and love is going to keep us to the path that leads us to our Father's presence.  Alejandro sent me an article that I really liked about the changes that we'll probably be seeing in the church, a steady change where we'll start seeing a decrease in hypocrisy, hate, back-biting, evil-speaking, vanity, and pride within the church.  I agree with this theory, as I've already seen it with the kinds of miracles we've been seeing down here.  Those who aren't converted won't stand, and those who are converted will become converted by keeping the commandments of God, especially the incredibly simple requirements of study, prayer, church attendance, temple worship, and genealogy.  We will learn faith, hope, and charity to new degrees, as all of three of those attributes are being tried and tested.  We will put on the armor of light through our obedience to the commandments of God.  Regardless of the chaos of the world around us, as disciples of Christ we will only shine brighter against the opposing darkness as we maintain our hope and our eye single to the glory of God.  Only those who are standing close to the Savior will stay standing.  Then, once we are converted, we will also have the responsibility as Peter had of strengthening our brethren, and lifting others in every way we can through our love for them.

And that's the hastening of the work.

I know that this is all true, and I especially know that President Monson's challenge to us is the single most important thing we can do in this time in order to stand where we need to stand.  I know that Christ lives, that He is the head of this church, and it is only through following Him as His true disciple and servant that we can have happiness and offer that same happiness to others.

I love you all!  And I hope you keep reading the conference talks in the weeks to come!

Love