Dogs:
I saw a dog fight.
We were charged by a
dog from behind. Freaky
The missionaries say
that here in Coyhaique the dogs jump like cats. Elder Bustamante showed me
several pics he had of dogs on top of fences. I attached a picture of a dog on
top of a house to give you the idea.
Every night I go to
sleep with all of my winter gear on. It´s freezing.
We had intercombios (companion
exchanges). I was with Elder Peterson who is my zone leader. We knocked a door
and nobody answered even though the chimney was smoking. Then he said we need
to do service. So he started clearing dead grass. But her whole yard is dead
grass. One dude walked by and asked us if we had permission. Elder Peterson
told him that Christ said in the Bible what we do in secret will be recompensed
in the open. The guy was like, “huh”, laughed and got in his car. Elder Peterson
told him also that his grandma would be Disappointed in him if he didn´t do it.
I of course found out what happened after, because all this was in Spanish. Haha
The Quinteros family
is having their baby!!! We visited them in the hospital. Hermano Quinteros was
the happiest man alive. He shook our hands and was beaming. I’ve never seen
such happiness. Elder Ryan and I both got trunky for home and our future
eternal families. The Lord gave both of us a glimpse at what we can have after
our missions. We were giddy.
We have a baptismal
date with Monica on Oct. 3. After that lesson, I felt kind of bummed
because she has a LOT of work and changes to do. But this isn´t about if I´m
comfortable or not.
We also have an
investigator named Jordana. She is golden. I mean golden. But our appointments
with her always fall through because she has family obligations or our member
doesn´t show up so we can´t teach her in her home. But her goodness makes me
happy
I´m getting humbled. Straight
up. I can´t understand. I can´t express myself. I feel alone. Missionary life
is stressful. 24/7. It is never about you. It never ends. I thought I was
depressed. But I realized it was the stress of the language. I’m learning new
ways to cope with stress. But through all of this never ending agony, my Savior
Jesus Christ is with me. He knows PERFECTLY how it feels. And even though I
hardly feel comfort or relief in this test I´m going through, and I´m
exhausted, cold, hungry, stressed, anxious, suffering, He is with me every
step. Every step of these giant hills we walk every day, literally and
metaphorically, I´m getting humbled. I´m coming to know my Savior in a way I
never have before. I am catching a glimpse of what he went through. The other
day I was passing through a neighborhood, and on every side, there are dogs, in
the streets and behind fences. They were barking like savages. Biting at us
behind the fences. I was tired, hungry, cold, exhausted. We had been rejected,
nothing was working, everything fell through that day. And then these dogs were
barking at us, Why? WHY? Don´t they know we are literal representatives of
Jesus Christ? Why are they filled with a hatred. And then I was transported to
the hill Golgatha, and I was Jesus Christ. And I was walking up a steep hill,
with a cross on my shoulders, and I was hungry, and tired, and sore, and
rejected too. And there were "dogs" barking at me on every side. But
these dogs were men. Men I was suffering for, dying for. And why were they
rejecting me? Did they not know I was their savior? I´m trying not to cry right
now.
Through all of my
suffering, I´m coming to know my Savior. And even though it hurts, I can´t
express my gratitude for Him.
I testify, as a
representative of Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ is REAL. His atonement is
real. It is accessible. Please be patient in your trials, suffer with Him. Come
to know Him too. I love you all. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
To the family,
Life as a missionary
is different. In Chile, everything is super expensive. It costs about ten
dollars for a bottle of mouthwash, and eight for two toothbrushes. Houses in Chile
don´t have heating or AC and sometimes it doesn´t feel like walls do anything
for us. We only have breakfast, we eat lunch with a member, and then we tract
through dinner. I´m adjusting. and it´s hard. But it´s awesome. My testimony is
shooting deep roots down. Most missionaries in our mission have members do
their laundry, but we have a washer. Except it is broken and doesn´t spin. So
we have detergent stains on our clothes, and we wring out our clothes, and hang
them to dry over our wood burning stove. Missions are the best. Here´s an
analogy. Missions are LONG paths full of disappointment, frustration, sorrow,
and hard things, haha. But they are also pebbled with invaluable little golden
nuggets of lessons learned, testimony strengthened, and growth. I´m growing a
lot. I mean, a LOT. And growth hurts and it´s hard. But it is always worth it,
and God always helps us.
Elder West
