The Prince of Peace

Hey all!  This week was much better.  Last week the stress of several things combined with the disappointments from Calle Larga to make writing kind of a mess.  But things are better now!  The week was pretty uneventful but I still have a few updates.

Pichidegua:

I'm going tomorrow!!  Pretty excited, I'll be there from tomorrow morning to Wednesday night, so we'll have some good time there, at least that's the hope.  We need lots of prayers to be able to find Iván and help him and help bring back anyone else we can.  It'll be a good time, and I'll let you all know about it next week!

Calle Larga:

Things still look kind of grim over there.  Got word from Alejandro that the Bolivians (the two woman who were reactivated and Elder Sawyer baptized one of their daughters) stopped going to church because the Bishop wouldn't keep paying their rent... we wanted to be careful and we were pretty sure that they weren't going only for the money because they went to church for the first time since childhood and it was the bishop who offered them instead of them asking, and on top of that they bore really sincere testimony several times, but regardless it seems that they got offended.  There are a few other people we were teaching that it seems they aren't doing too well, so pray for them!  To my knowledge René and Maricarmen are still doing well though so that's the great news.

San Fernando 2:

The baptism was great last week, as I said, and last Sunday we went to their house to give them some health blessings and blessings of comfort because they were going to take their 6 month old son, Jorge, to Santiago to get a dangerous heart operation.  The chances were about 50%, but Angela has a ton of faith.  They didn't have any place to stay there either, but they put everything in God's hands and He provided, the operation went perfectly and they were able to stay at a special free hotel type thing that the hospital has for people who don't have anywhere else to stay.  They came back yesterday and everything is good!  Now we're going to focus on teaching and baptizing their children, who were going to be baptized with Ángela but her husband decided that they weren't ready yet, and we agreed.  In another family, there's convert named Mariana who's little sister told us this week that she wants to be baptized, so we'll be working with her too.  Lots of miracles!

Oh, also, I haven't given a lot of details lately so I've forgotten to mention Fernando, a member from the Guadalupe branch that helps us out a lot.  He's the one who put the picture of the family home evening where they made me the cake on facebook, and he's awesome.  He's a recent convert himself, Elder Edwards (Porter) taught him and helped him get baptized, and now he's already got his papers submitted to go on a mission and he helps us every now and then.  We went to his house Saturday to help him and his Mom paint, which was a good time.  I've learned how to paint pretty well here because I've done it so many times, it's definitely my favorite type of service.  They gave us breakfast and lunch for it, so it was a pretty good deal!

On Sunday we had a little easter program which was a missionary activity.  It turned out pretty well, we had some talks and sang ''He is Risen'', ''I know that my Redeemer Lives'' and ''I Believe in Christ.'' Then we watched the easter video and all the videos about the principles of peace.  The members really enjoyed it so I think it went well.

Speaking of which, it was easter weekend!  Easter weekend is a little different here because everybody is pretty suspicious so they all think it's a huge sin to work any day of the weekend so the entire city is basically closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (if only they did that every Sunday) and nobody can eat any meat but fish.  So we had a lot of fish!  It was good fish though.

I really enjoyed this week as an opportunity to remember the last week of the Savior's life.  I gave a talk in church about His last week, and studying and writing the talk during the week was the best thing I've ever done to celebrate easter.  As I've said in a past letter, during my mission the life of the Savior has become a lot more personal to me, and I relate in a lot of ways to the weaknesses of His original apostles.  The kind of love that He shows them in the description of the last supper that John gives is especially touching to me, I don't think I've ever been able to read that part of the scriptures in my mission without tears.  It's a great reminder that God takes us in our weaknesses and in His mercy allows us to do His will.  That He always loves us, that He's proud of us, and that He walks with us every step of the way.  He's infinitely more patient with our mistakes than we are, and with the mistakes of others' as well.  My experience here in Chile is a testimony of how God can change our hearts and make us into His.  All it took for me was to get on the plane, and God took care of the rest.  As I read, I felt an overwhelming gratitude for how He's enabled me throughout this entire process to do His will, how He's changed me and how He's always guided me to the places where I needed to be despite my stubbornness and occasional outright rebellion.  I know that He truly is the Prince of Peace.  I started this week feeling really frustrated, but He helped me feel peace.  We will always have weaknesses, but if we exercise faith in Christ we can have a hope that He will do with our lives that which we cannot, and that He will make us into His, and will enable us to help and love and serve His children along the way.  I know that He lives, and I know that His atoning sacrifice is real.

I love you all!!  I hope you have a great week!  And Happy Easter!

Love

Elder Fox