My time in Puerto Cisnes is over now. This week we saw
dolphins, a wild piglet, and found a dead armadillo hanging up by someone’s
door.
Dogs: in Cisnes there is a dog with a messed up eye. It can
only see through the other so it walks around with its head sideways. Reminds
me of the joker. Another dog is super fluffy and fat and looks like a pig. Puerto
Cisnes reminds me a lot of that little village in Walter Mitty where he meets
that big drunk guy in a bar.
I gave a talk in church. Next week the zone flies to Puerto Montt
to listen to Elder Teixeira speak. We will find out transfers this Sunday.
Mom and Dad, prep yourselves to skype for Christmas. Yyyyyeeeeaaahhhhh!
A lot of people here think I’m German because I’m tall and
blonde. Because I’m a gringo a lot of people, as we passed by, would say
"hello hello" and then slap and tickle each other and think that they
are hot stuff. I don’t think it is funny. We also had little kids screaming
profanity from the States at us as we passed by. It was super bad and super
funny at the same time.
We found a super prepared guy but he travels a lot. Missionaries
will get him down the road.
The guy that has us cut his grass with a machete (super old
and humble and funny) told us that some people explained to him that we are
false prophets, but he straight up told them they were wrong. I don’t know why
but that really got under my skin. I then gut the grass with my machete in hand
with more vigor.
On Saturday we bought bread and cheese and chilled on the
beach as we ate dinner. The waves, sky and boats really relaxed me. Then a mom
and her daughter sat 75 feet away and texted and drank beer together. Weird. Two
dogs joined the party.
For thanksgiving we bought some chicken and cooked it in
water, oil, salt, and barbeque sauce that Elder Harris had. Suuuuper Goood. We
also had instant mashed potatoes. We bought those the day before and talked to
the store owner. He had shared before with missionaries a lot. We set up a
return appointment.
Rejection: we heard one couple fighting inside their house
about who would answer the door and tell us to leave. Of our 12 citas [appointments] that we made
from contacts this week, 11 of them fell through. A lady we found and taught
the restoration to told us as we came for our second appointment that she doesn’t
like our religion because the Book of Mormon. I shared my testimony of the Book
of Mormon with her and then we left. Frustrating. An investigator we had with a
baptismal date is moving and he will leave with his girlfriend (sister of the
elders quorum president), he told us he is not going to change.
These are the things of the mission that tear you apart. We
have been giving lots of people their agency. It just motivates me to use mine
better.
By the time I had 4 days in Cisnes, it felt like I had
knocked every door. Yesterday, I did a contact. It was with a guy’s wife who
had already rejected us hard. She was more open, but her phone went off and she
answered it. Her 2 kids were with her. Then her husband came out. I started
talking with him again. I was just trying to be obedient. I was just trying to
help him because he doesn’t know what he is missing. He told me to leave. To go
away. That he had already told us no before and he just wants to be left in
peace. He told us to never come back. Then he left with his family. He did it
with such venom; like I was a burden in his life; like he was so irritated with
what I was doing; for talking to him. We went to branch council. As I was
seated down, I noted in my planner that he was contact number four. Then I saw
on the page before, written on the top "Dad’s birthday." Then I lost
it. I couldn’t stop crying. Here I am, truly treated by many people as "a
hiss and a byword", as a grievance to the people. And I’m just trying to
obedient, to help the people and show my love for Heavenly Father. I went in
the bathroom and collapsed to my knees and prayed for the man and his family
through my tears because that is what Jesus would have me do. I loved that man.
I want to help him. Missions are hard.
Then there are good people. We taught a man named Nicholas. He
is in a wheel chair. He is willing to be baptized but will leave before Christmas.
A legitimately good man.
Missions are so hard. But I am growing so much.
Elder West
