March 19, 2011
FAMILIA HERMOSA:
Thank you for the letters this week. I just love hearing from you all. I love you so much. I know I say that every letter...but I feel like I love you all more every week. De verdad. So thank you for all you do. Thank you for your prayers and love. Thank you for thinking and praying for me. I can feel it. If ever the work gets a little rough, I just think of all your prayers, and I am cured. Just love the missionaries. Spoil them. Treat them like their part of our family. They need it. I feel sometimes very spoiled here in the mission...I just hope every missionary in the world is spoiled by the members in the wards in which they are serving.
Well anyway, the rain has begun! I am teaching Hermana Hunt to do contacts in the rain....a whole new technique. She is really continuing to progress well. I enjoy being her companion. We are really working hard to apply what we learned in the training that we had this week with President Lovell. We reviewed the other trainings a little before and after the training this week. As we have been applying these next two points of capacitation, I can tell a difference in the Spirit of our lessons. I feel very bad that we have not had baptisms in so long. I know that if we don´t improve or change what we are doing, nothing will change or improve in the work. No matter how hard we work, if we don´t work effectively, nothing really changes. I know, and I have faith that there are people that we are teaching and finding that can progress and be baptized. At least one a month. I know it. We just have to apply the Spirit in the teaching and make sure that we do our part. I know that the Lord is and has been preparing people to enter the waters of baptism, and I am 100% positive that if we improve our teaching, and most importantly we teach more with the Spirit, they will be ready and excited to take that step.
This last zone meeting we had a pretty intense talk about what we need to do as a zone. We are so short on the thing that matters most, which is the number of souls we are saving. Our zone leaders presented to us that as a zone we have 5 baptisms for this year so far...we should have 24. When they presented that I felt sick. I know that there is a way that is prepared...sometimes I think there is some magic thing that we are missing, and if I only knew what it was, and applied it the work would suddenly transform. I know there´s no "quick fix", but I have been able to tell that we aren´t teaching people as much as we are teaching lessons. Hermana Hunt and I are trying to practice every day at getting better at that. We fasted yesterday. I think part of my fast had to do with a bit of repentance...to help me change my attitude and have more faith, and to truly love EVERYONE that crosses my path. It is easy to get frustrated sometimes in the work...and I felt like this last week I fell a little bit into that Laman and Lemuel attitude, rather than the Nephi attitude. I have felt a lot better after I have fasted. I know that every time we humble ourselves, we are blessed, and our Heavenly Father is pleased. I am so grateful for His perfect patience with me and His perfect forgiveness and love.
We have really had a hard time the last two weeks finding the investigators that we have or have had with a baptismal fecha. We still haven´t been able to find Orlando...(breaks my heart), but we are going to try and pass by again tonight...pray for us. I know he´ll be there. I know it. We have seen so many blessings this week in finding new people to teach. We have found 2 families, and a young couple to teach! They are all really great. I am excited to continue teaching them, and seeing them progress.
Well, that´s all I got time for this week. The picture I am sending is of a prank that our Zone leaders played on us. They stole everyone´s nametag and then gave them back to us...in jello. Hmmm Mmm...
I am growing and learning everyday...I am so grateful for all the lessons learned on the mission and in life. I love you all so much. Be good.
-Hermana Bertagnole
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Nothing to complain about….
Mar 12, 2011
Welp, here I am, loving life in Chile.
Thanks for your letters and pictures this week. I loved hearing how everyone is doing. I hope that you all have a great week next week. You are all in my prayers. Thank you for your encouragement and advice and prayers. It means more than you might realize. What can I say, I just love you guys :)
This week we had a great week. Pretty normal, but as you know, normal in the mission is just full of miracles. We feel blessed and well cared for in this sector. The work with the members was a little slower this week, as well as finding new people to teach, but when you put the numbers aside, we had a great week of really great lessons. The only sad thing is that we couldn´t find Orlando AT ALL this week...but even with that we saw miracles. I think sometimes as missionaries we are a little bit like stalkers...jajaja. We passed by everyday this week to try and find him, and he just wasn´t home. However, we did get to teach his brother (menos activo) and his sister (not a member, but is just awesome). So that was great. I hope that we can see some great progress with this family, and really help them all get to church this Sunday. Please pray so that we can find them, especially Orlando.
The other family that we are teaching that is just AWESOME is Juan and Paola...I don´t remember if I have told you about them or not. But they are just great. They are working on getting married. I love this family so much. This week they came to church and loved it and said they are making arrangements so that they can come every Sunday. He bought a tie, and they asked if they could order the Reina Valera Bible and the Triple combination, and the hymnal from the church so that they can be prepared in all the classes...Just so you know I ordered it for them as a surprise. It was really cheap though...like 16 bucks for all of it. And I got their little girl the Book of Mormon picture book that we used to read when we were little. I am excited to give it all to them . They are just so great. His mom is a really active member in another ward and I know that for her, having her son come back to church after almost 30 years of being inactive is just a miracle. I am happy to be a witness of it. It´s really special.
Also, funny story for the week... the other day we got out a collectivo and we heard someone whistling away at us...usually when that happens we just don´t pay any attention to it, but my companion, being new, isn´t quite used to it yet...we exchanged a few eye rolls at each other, thinking that it was some jerk man. A few days later we walked down the street that it happened on and we saw this parrot. Whistling away! HAHAHAHAHA....oh so vain we are :) We didn´t realize that the parrots found us so attractive!
Well, That´s all I have time for. I love you guys. The mission is the best thing that has ever happened to me...except for the Gospel in general, and a family like you guys :) Thank you for the life and love that you have given me. I love you guys so much. I miss you and pray for you always. Thank you for everything.
TONS of abrazos....
-Hermana Bertagnole
Welp, here I am, loving life in Chile.
Thanks for your letters and pictures this week. I loved hearing how everyone is doing. I hope that you all have a great week next week. You are all in my prayers. Thank you for your encouragement and advice and prayers. It means more than you might realize. What can I say, I just love you guys :)
This week we had a great week. Pretty normal, but as you know, normal in the mission is just full of miracles. We feel blessed and well cared for in this sector. The work with the members was a little slower this week, as well as finding new people to teach, but when you put the numbers aside, we had a great week of really great lessons. The only sad thing is that we couldn´t find Orlando AT ALL this week...but even with that we saw miracles. I think sometimes as missionaries we are a little bit like stalkers...jajaja. We passed by everyday this week to try and find him, and he just wasn´t home. However, we did get to teach his brother (menos activo) and his sister (not a member, but is just awesome). So that was great. I hope that we can see some great progress with this family, and really help them all get to church this Sunday. Please pray so that we can find them, especially Orlando.
The other family that we are teaching that is just AWESOME is Juan and Paola...I don´t remember if I have told you about them or not. But they are just great. They are working on getting married. I love this family so much. This week they came to church and loved it and said they are making arrangements so that they can come every Sunday. He bought a tie, and they asked if they could order the Reina Valera Bible and the Triple combination, and the hymnal from the church so that they can be prepared in all the classes...Just so you know I ordered it for them as a surprise. It was really cheap though...like 16 bucks for all of it. And I got their little girl the Book of Mormon picture book that we used to read when we were little. I am excited to give it all to them . They are just so great. His mom is a really active member in another ward and I know that for her, having her son come back to church after almost 30 years of being inactive is just a miracle. I am happy to be a witness of it. It´s really special.
Also, funny story for the week... the other day we got out a collectivo and we heard someone whistling away at us...usually when that happens we just don´t pay any attention to it, but my companion, being new, isn´t quite used to it yet...we exchanged a few eye rolls at each other, thinking that it was some jerk man. A few days later we walked down the street that it happened on and we saw this parrot. Whistling away! HAHAHAHAHA....oh so vain we are :) We didn´t realize that the parrots found us so attractive!
Well, That´s all I have time for. I love you guys. The mission is the best thing that has ever happened to me...except for the Gospel in general, and a family like you guys :) Thank you for the life and love that you have given me. I love you guys so much. I miss you and pray for you always. Thank you for everything.
TONS of abrazos....
-Hermana Bertagnole
Sunday, March 6, 2011
March 4, 2011
Well hello there!
Well, I hit the year mark. It still doesn´t feel like it, but es lo que hay. I am just loving every second...even when it´s hard. I have noticed that when we are working our hardest, we don´t have as many "hard times"...not that everything comes easy, but it´s just we don´t pay attention to ourselves. I am convinced that if ever we are having a hard time...in whatever aspect of life...if we work hard serving others, we´ll forget about it and we´ll be much more grateful for what we have.
One thing that I was very grateful for this week was a referral of an Hermano in our ward...Hermano Caro referred us a man that he met...he´s the blind man that I told you about. We talked to him about the Restoration and baptism......he accepted to be baptized the 2nd of April... (!!!!)....He accepted full-hearted. I just feel so blessed to know him. He and the deaf woman that I taught in P. Arenas...gosh, they truly have such a blessing of feeling the Spirit so strongly. It is amazing. They remind me a lot of one another. What a blessing to teach them.
I am out of time, but one fun fact....our kitchen sink pipe busted this morning and we had about a 1 and a half standing water in our kitchen this morning :) Hahahaha! Oh the adventure of the mission. :)
Well, I love you all so much. Sorry this one´s kind of short...short on time.
Love you!!!!!!!!!
Hermana Bertagnole
Well hello there!
Well, I hit the year mark. It still doesn´t feel like it, but es lo que hay. I am just loving every second...even when it´s hard. I have noticed that when we are working our hardest, we don´t have as many "hard times"...not that everything comes easy, but it´s just we don´t pay attention to ourselves. I am convinced that if ever we are having a hard time...in whatever aspect of life...if we work hard serving others, we´ll forget about it and we´ll be much more grateful for what we have.
One thing that I was very grateful for this week was a referral of an Hermano in our ward...Hermano Caro referred us a man that he met...he´s the blind man that I told you about. We talked to him about the Restoration and baptism......he accepted to be baptized the 2nd of April... (!!!!)....He accepted full-hearted. I just feel so blessed to know him. He and the deaf woman that I taught in P. Arenas...gosh, they truly have such a blessing of feeling the Spirit so strongly. It is amazing. They remind me a lot of one another. What a blessing to teach them.
I am out of time, but one fun fact....our kitchen sink pipe busted this morning and we had about a 1 and a half standing water in our kitchen this morning :) Hahahaha! Oh the adventure of the mission. :)
Well, I love you all so much. Sorry this one´s kind of short...short on time.
Love you!!!!!!!!!
Hermana Bertagnole
Saturday, February 26, 2011
I'm sure that I am learning more than "mi hija"
Feb 26, 2011
Hello there family,
These have been some of the best few days of the mission. I can feel a change happening me. It´s pretty neat. I thought I loved the mission, but the last few weeks, I can just feel even deeper every day the blessing of this service. I wake up so happy every day, to get up and get out there and share this message.
The last few days of training have been such a great experience. I know that I am learning more from her than she is learning from me, but at the same time, she is learning so MUCH! (I´m just learning more...is that unfair to say?...I don´t know, but I´m sure it´s true). It has been such a testimony to me that the Lord calls those that have the desire to serve, and then He qualifies them for the work. She has grown leaps and bounds in just 3 days. I tell her, and she humbly denies it. Maybe she can´t tell, but I have the front row seat and I am just amazed at how great the learning curve is on the mission. I can already tell her Spanish is improving, her teaching skills, her sensitivity to the Spirit, her testimony, her understanding...she is growing so much! It is really cool to stop and think about. I think of the past year, and the progress that I have made in only one year. Not just as a missionary, but as a person, as a daughter of God. Now I know why we serve missions. If I had chosen not to serve a mission, I think that it would have taken me many, many, many....MANY years to make this progress. I have been changed...and it really has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the Atonement. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we can change. We can be better. We can get up every morning and try our best, and go to bed every night and promise to try even harder the next day. What a blessing! Tell the world about it!
We have a new bishop in the ward. Obispo Pablo Muñoz. Last night we had a really great reunion with him, the Soc Soc presidency, and our Ward mission leader. He is very passionate about getting the members to be missionaries. He is having every organization think of ways that they can help those that we teach, and even more give references of those that we can teach. I am SO impressed with the fire that Obispo Muñoz has for the work. He served in this mission many years ago, and so he knows what it takes to have success. I am very excited to really get the ward excited for the work. Hermana Baum and I saw some great progress the last cambio, and with this new push for the work from the Obispo, I know we´ll continue to see it grow. I KNOW that if every member of the Church obeyed the commandment given to be a missionary, there would so much less problems. Just think if the whole ward acted, served, prayed, studied, testified like missionaries do....how much better off would we be? How much happier would we be? A lot. Think about it. It´s a commandment. When we obey, we receive great blessings. BE MEMBER MISSIONARIES! IT¨S SO WORTH IT!
I am just so happy. We are seeing a lot of great progress here in this sector. I feel blessed to be a witness of it. I am grateful for the miracles that we see every day. I love this. And yes, it is all that I hope for, and so very much more. Thank you for the support and love and letters of encouragement for the last year. Thank you for making this possible for me, and thank you for preparing me for this for the last 22 years. I love you all. Have a great week, and please keep praying for us. (We found 2 more families this week...de oro...milagros) Prayers are answered.
--LOVE--
Hermana Bertagnole
Hello there family,
These have been some of the best few days of the mission. I can feel a change happening me. It´s pretty neat. I thought I loved the mission, but the last few weeks, I can just feel even deeper every day the blessing of this service. I wake up so happy every day, to get up and get out there and share this message.
The last few days of training have been such a great experience. I know that I am learning more from her than she is learning from me, but at the same time, she is learning so MUCH! (I´m just learning more...is that unfair to say?...I don´t know, but I´m sure it´s true). It has been such a testimony to me that the Lord calls those that have the desire to serve, and then He qualifies them for the work. She has grown leaps and bounds in just 3 days. I tell her, and she humbly denies it. Maybe she can´t tell, but I have the front row seat and I am just amazed at how great the learning curve is on the mission. I can already tell her Spanish is improving, her teaching skills, her sensitivity to the Spirit, her testimony, her understanding...she is growing so much! It is really cool to stop and think about. I think of the past year, and the progress that I have made in only one year. Not just as a missionary, but as a person, as a daughter of God. Now I know why we serve missions. If I had chosen not to serve a mission, I think that it would have taken me many, many, many....MANY years to make this progress. I have been changed...and it really has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the Atonement. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we can change. We can be better. We can get up every morning and try our best, and go to bed every night and promise to try even harder the next day. What a blessing! Tell the world about it!
We have a new bishop in the ward. Obispo Pablo Muñoz. Last night we had a really great reunion with him, the Soc Soc presidency, and our Ward mission leader. He is very passionate about getting the members to be missionaries. He is having every organization think of ways that they can help those that we teach, and even more give references of those that we can teach. I am SO impressed with the fire that Obispo Muñoz has for the work. He served in this mission many years ago, and so he knows what it takes to have success. I am very excited to really get the ward excited for the work. Hermana Baum and I saw some great progress the last cambio, and with this new push for the work from the Obispo, I know we´ll continue to see it grow. I KNOW that if every member of the Church obeyed the commandment given to be a missionary, there would so much less problems. Just think if the whole ward acted, served, prayed, studied, testified like missionaries do....how much better off would we be? How much happier would we be? A lot. Think about it. It´s a commandment. When we obey, we receive great blessings. BE MEMBER MISSIONARIES! IT¨S SO WORTH IT!
I am just so happy. We are seeing a lot of great progress here in this sector. I feel blessed to be a witness of it. I am grateful for the miracles that we see every day. I love this. And yes, it is all that I hope for, and so very much more. Thank you for the support and love and letters of encouragement for the last year. Thank you for making this possible for me, and thank you for preparing me for this for the last 22 years. I love you all. Have a great week, and please keep praying for us. (We found 2 more families this week...de oro...milagros) Prayers are answered.
--LOVE--
Hermana Bertagnole
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Finishing up another cambio
Hello Familia bonita,
Well, I have lots of news for you all. I have decided to stay in Chile as long as possible. Asi que, I am going to stay through the September cambio, so that means that I will have to start school in January...I hope that you won´t mind too much my company for a few more months before school starts! I just feel like I can´t give away even a few weeks of the mission just to go to school. I have been and will be going to school for a long time, and the mission is just WAY to short as it is, so I just can´t do it. I love it too much and I am just too happy. There´s too much work to do here anyway. Tell all the Latin sisters in the ward that they are going to have to help me adjust back to Church meetings in English....ewww que trunky.
The other pretty big news, is I found out that I will be training this next cambio...?!?!?!?!?!?! We dropped by the mission home this morning and the President put his arm around my shoulders and asked me, "How do you feel about training?" I am so excited and really nervous at the same time. I know that so much of the type of missionary you are depends on your first few months in the mission...and so much of that depends on your trainer. I feel so blessed to have a great trainer, Hermana Aponte, and I know that thanks to her and the lessons that she taught me, I got off on the right foot. I hope and pray that I will be able to help this little nuevita, Hermanita Hunt really start her mission running. I am excited to get to train her and become her mama in the mission. PRAY FOR ME AND HER. Please. This will be such an important next few months for her and me. I am nervous...but excited. I have lots of good ideas that I hope will help her.
We have had a great week this week. We had divisions on Monday. It was great. We had everything set up again for Wednesday, but one of the sisters bailed on us; but we have another set of divisions set up for this Sunday...tomorrow. I am excited. I love divisions with the sisters in the Relief Society...I feel like we just get so much more done. I know that with training, we won´t be able to do them much, but it was fun while it lasted this cambio. It gets so much more work done. Time is so precious here. Always too fast. I know that it is really helping to have the missionary spirit just come alive in the ward. I can tell a difference in the ward the last couple of weeks. We have gotten a couple of really good references from the members, and one of them will be coming to the conference tomorrow! He´s a blind man. We taught him for the first time yesterday, but he is just great. The best part is that he wanted his son to read him a chapter in the Book of Mormon for him...that´s like hitting two birds with one stone! I can´t help but think of the deaf women that we taught in Punta Arenas, and I know that while being blind or deaf would be such a challenge, when it comes to learning the Gospel and feeling the Spirit, they have such an advantage over us. They just pay more attention to their feelings, instead of the distractions of the world. It is just amazing to me. I am really excited to keep visiting this man and his kids.
We have had a really great cambio. I am sad for Hermana Baum to leave. We have had such a great time together. It has just flown by though. Every cambio goes faster, and I already know the next one will feel like it´s only a few hours long!
I got the Valentine package you sent! Thank you so much. It made my day. I am trying to hide the candy from myself so I don´t eat it all at once. One of my Zone leaders knew and loved Fruit Medley...so I had to hide it from them too. Thank you! As far as the Christmas package goes, we´ll have to just wait and see... But thanks.
Other news...I am getting ready for winter so I am buying a nice umbrella ($20) that will hold up and I am finally getting around to buying that rain jacket ($70) that I told you about back in Chiloe...once I got to P. Arenas, I didn’t need it, but I think now that I am back in Osorno...I will need it pretty bad.
I am so happy. I just can´t believe that I have been given such a great blessing of being in the mission. Every day I wake up and I just kinda smile to myself. It all feels like a dream. I feel so blessed. I love it. I can´t even tell you how much...it´s impossible.
Thank you for your letters and your love. I miss you guys, but I pray for you all every day.
-Abrazos grandes
Hermana Bertagnole
Well, I have lots of news for you all. I have decided to stay in Chile as long as possible. Asi que, I am going to stay through the September cambio, so that means that I will have to start school in January...I hope that you won´t mind too much my company for a few more months before school starts! I just feel like I can´t give away even a few weeks of the mission just to go to school. I have been and will be going to school for a long time, and the mission is just WAY to short as it is, so I just can´t do it. I love it too much and I am just too happy. There´s too much work to do here anyway. Tell all the Latin sisters in the ward that they are going to have to help me adjust back to Church meetings in English....ewww que trunky.
The other pretty big news, is I found out that I will be training this next cambio...?!?!?!?!?!?! We dropped by the mission home this morning and the President put his arm around my shoulders and asked me, "How do you feel about training?" I am so excited and really nervous at the same time. I know that so much of the type of missionary you are depends on your first few months in the mission...and so much of that depends on your trainer. I feel so blessed to have a great trainer, Hermana Aponte, and I know that thanks to her and the lessons that she taught me, I got off on the right foot. I hope and pray that I will be able to help this little nuevita, Hermanita Hunt really start her mission running. I am excited to get to train her and become her mama in the mission. PRAY FOR ME AND HER. Please. This will be such an important next few months for her and me. I am nervous...but excited. I have lots of good ideas that I hope will help her.
We have had a great week this week. We had divisions on Monday. It was great. We had everything set up again for Wednesday, but one of the sisters bailed on us; but we have another set of divisions set up for this Sunday...tomorrow. I am excited. I love divisions with the sisters in the Relief Society...I feel like we just get so much more done. I know that with training, we won´t be able to do them much, but it was fun while it lasted this cambio. It gets so much more work done. Time is so precious here. Always too fast. I know that it is really helping to have the missionary spirit just come alive in the ward. I can tell a difference in the ward the last couple of weeks. We have gotten a couple of really good references from the members, and one of them will be coming to the conference tomorrow! He´s a blind man. We taught him for the first time yesterday, but he is just great. The best part is that he wanted his son to read him a chapter in the Book of Mormon for him...that´s like hitting two birds with one stone! I can´t help but think of the deaf women that we taught in Punta Arenas, and I know that while being blind or deaf would be such a challenge, when it comes to learning the Gospel and feeling the Spirit, they have such an advantage over us. They just pay more attention to their feelings, instead of the distractions of the world. It is just amazing to me. I am really excited to keep visiting this man and his kids.
We have had a really great cambio. I am sad for Hermana Baum to leave. We have had such a great time together. It has just flown by though. Every cambio goes faster, and I already know the next one will feel like it´s only a few hours long!
I got the Valentine package you sent! Thank you so much. It made my day. I am trying to hide the candy from myself so I don´t eat it all at once. One of my Zone leaders knew and loved Fruit Medley...so I had to hide it from them too. Thank you! As far as the Christmas package goes, we´ll have to just wait and see... But thanks.
Other news...I am getting ready for winter so I am buying a nice umbrella ($20) that will hold up and I am finally getting around to buying that rain jacket ($70) that I told you about back in Chiloe...once I got to P. Arenas, I didn’t need it, but I think now that I am back in Osorno...I will need it pretty bad.
I am so happy. I just can´t believe that I have been given such a great blessing of being in the mission. Every day I wake up and I just kinda smile to myself. It all feels like a dream. I feel so blessed. I love it. I can´t even tell you how much...it´s impossible.
Thank you for your letters and your love. I miss you guys, but I pray for you all every day.
-Abrazos grandes
Hermana Bertagnole
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Today we walked through the jungle
Feb 12, 2011
Thank you all for all your letters this week. I love you guys tons. I hope that everything continues to go well this next week. It sounds like you all had a pretty good week. Tell Mikey and Val and the boys "hi" for me while you´re out there. Tell Scott that I’m praying for him lots. I love that kid. I love you all lots and lots and lots.
As for the earthquake, I didn´t even know about it until I read your letters. Don´t worry, we have emergency packs ready, just in case of earthquakes. I know that we are protected, and if we do get one down here, it´ll just be another adventure to write home about. We´re safe.
This week was another really good week. I feel so blessed to be a missionary. I just can´t believe the great privilege that it is in my life. I am changed. I am addicted. I am the happiest I have ever been. We are really working hard helping those that we are teaching to progress. Life just really gets in the way...I hope that you all are remembering why it is, really, that we live in this earth. Always make sure that you have your priorities straight. I realized that before the mission I wasn´t even close to having my priorities straight. I always say that the mission is a miracle in my life...and that is one of the reasons...I feel that it has opened my eyes to the reality of life. It´s beautiful and so inspiring. I can´t imagine my life without the mission....I don´t want to.
This week we had Elder Amado and Pte Lovell in our Zone Conference....It was intense. Elder Amado is the area 70. He is very well known for telling things like it is. He pretty much called us all to repentance. As a mission we had 28 baptisms last month...we should have around 80. I think more than anything as a mission we lack a lot of faith. There is beauty in blind faith. I think a lot of times we say "I will go and do....but...the sector is a tough one...but...the people aren´t receptive...but...I can´t take away their agency...." We are happy to "go" but we don´t really believe that we can make a difference. I know I have certainly felt like that before on the mission and it is so wrong. Obviously, with our own efforts we can do very little, but we have to have faith in what we can accomplish with the Lord. We are on His team, and we can be part of the miracles. I am really trying to learn that pure and impeccable faith in the Lord. After the trial of faith, we see miracles.
Well, that´s all I got time for. I´m printing your letters and reading them this afternoon. I don´t have time to respond to much this week. Sorry. I´ll try and do better next week. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. Thank you for everything. Hugs all around.
The pictures are from a waterfall that we went to this week. So incredible. I love Chile. Come.
--All my love--
Hermana Bertagnole
Thank you all for all your letters this week. I love you guys tons. I hope that everything continues to go well this next week. It sounds like you all had a pretty good week. Tell Mikey and Val and the boys "hi" for me while you´re out there. Tell Scott that I’m praying for him lots. I love that kid. I love you all lots and lots and lots.
As for the earthquake, I didn´t even know about it until I read your letters. Don´t worry, we have emergency packs ready, just in case of earthquakes. I know that we are protected, and if we do get one down here, it´ll just be another adventure to write home about. We´re safe.
This week was another really good week. I feel so blessed to be a missionary. I just can´t believe the great privilege that it is in my life. I am changed. I am addicted. I am the happiest I have ever been. We are really working hard helping those that we are teaching to progress. Life just really gets in the way...I hope that you all are remembering why it is, really, that we live in this earth. Always make sure that you have your priorities straight. I realized that before the mission I wasn´t even close to having my priorities straight. I always say that the mission is a miracle in my life...and that is one of the reasons...I feel that it has opened my eyes to the reality of life. It´s beautiful and so inspiring. I can´t imagine my life without the mission....I don´t want to.
This week we had Elder Amado and Pte Lovell in our Zone Conference....It was intense. Elder Amado is the area 70. He is very well known for telling things like it is. He pretty much called us all to repentance. As a mission we had 28 baptisms last month...we should have around 80. I think more than anything as a mission we lack a lot of faith. There is beauty in blind faith. I think a lot of times we say "I will go and do....but...the sector is a tough one...but...the people aren´t receptive...but...I can´t take away their agency...." We are happy to "go" but we don´t really believe that we can make a difference. I know I have certainly felt like that before on the mission and it is so wrong. Obviously, with our own efforts we can do very little, but we have to have faith in what we can accomplish with the Lord. We are on His team, and we can be part of the miracles. I am really trying to learn that pure and impeccable faith in the Lord. After the trial of faith, we see miracles.
Well, that´s all I got time for. I´m printing your letters and reading them this afternoon. I don´t have time to respond to much this week. Sorry. I´ll try and do better next week. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. Thank you for everything. Hugs all around.
The pictures are from a waterfall that we went to this week. So incredible. I love Chile. Come.
--All my love--
Hermana Bertagnole
Feb 5, 2011
Hello familia bonita:
I CAN´T TELL YOU HOW GREAT THIS WEEK HAS BEEN. So remember that I was telling you all about the standard this last week. It´s the standard of excellence for all the companionships in the mission...it´s a very high standard, but it is what the Lord asks of us. We have pushed ourselves and our members to the limit this week, and I am so happy to say that we have almost met it!!!!! Obviously we still have today and tomorrow...we are working very hard and praying very hard that we get the people with baptismal dates to church...everyone really, but especially them. We´ll see how it goes. PLEASE pray for our investigators. There is a couple that is preparing for baptism, but they need to get married first. I know that if they start coming to church again, they will receive direction on what they need to do and when. Also PLEASE pray hard for the mom and sister of a young man who got baptized a few years ago and then served a mission. He is now sealed in the temple and is living in Santiago with his wife. His family has been investigating the Church for over 20 years, and we have started teaching them again. Yesterday we had a very serious talk with them about why they haven´t gotten baptized. We asked the mom if she believed that everything is true. She said she believed it in her head, but she hasn´t felt it in her heart........the woman has a painting of the 1st vision in her living room......just so you know. We explained the importance of prayer. Luckily we had an RM member with us that bore a powerful testimony of prayer, and we invited her and her daughter to prepare for baptism on the 5th of March. She said that she would really pray about it. Please pray for her that she will let her heart be touched. They need to get baptized so badly...this whole family.
We have just had a week full of miracles and blessings from the Lord. We feel very blessed to say that we are getting very close to the standard! This last Sunday for the 5th Sunday, all the RS and Priesthood met together. We took the opportunity to make them aware of the change in standard, and to remind them that the standards don´t only apply to us as missionaries, but it was the Lord requires of them as a ward as well. I feel that it touched their heart. We also organized divisions this week with some really great hermanas in the ward. As of today we have 16 lessons with members. I just can´t tell you what a miracle week this has been in the mission. I feel like it all had to do with a change in attitude and a leap of faith. I know that we are seeing this success because we changed our attitude about the work. This week the work has truly ceased to become "work", even though we are working harder than ever. I am just so happy, and I really know that it doesn´t have as much to do with the success that we have seen this week, but more with my attitude. I feel so very blessed. We have seen pure miracles this week. It has just been incredible.
We, as a mission have been focusing more on families!!!!!! AMEN! We are working with a lot of whole families in our sector right now, which is such a blessing. I know that it is so much more effective. We are working with this family...I think I already talked about them... and their 3 kids, and their son´s girlfriend. They also have shared lots with the missionaries many years before. Both of them have family that is very strong in the Church, and so they already know a lot, but I don´t feel that they have ever taken the time to really pray about it. We invited them very strongly to pray about it every day, until they know. It was a great lesson. They are very special.
Gosh. This week was just pure miracles. I love being a servant of the Lord, every second of everyday. What a blessing.
Well, this is all I have time for this week. I just want to let you all know that I love you a ton. I am so grateful for all that you do for me. I love you all. Work hard. Share the Gospel. Be obedient. And love one another.
--Les amo hasta la luna...no...el sol...hasta el sol...y mas. :)
Hermana Bertagnole
Side notes: As far as the Christmas packages go....I still haven´t gotten Mom and Dad´s, but I asked in the office and they said that some mail was held up in Chile because of strikes. These people do strikes like crazy here. There was another one this week in Osorno. Anyway. They said that it will come. They have never lost mail, don´t worry, I´ll be pleasantly surprised one day. I did get a package from Steph, so thank her for me.
Hello familia bonita:
I CAN´T TELL YOU HOW GREAT THIS WEEK HAS BEEN. So remember that I was telling you all about the standard this last week. It´s the standard of excellence for all the companionships in the mission...it´s a very high standard, but it is what the Lord asks of us. We have pushed ourselves and our members to the limit this week, and I am so happy to say that we have almost met it!!!!! Obviously we still have today and tomorrow...we are working very hard and praying very hard that we get the people with baptismal dates to church...everyone really, but especially them. We´ll see how it goes. PLEASE pray for our investigators. There is a couple that is preparing for baptism, but they need to get married first. I know that if they start coming to church again, they will receive direction on what they need to do and when. Also PLEASE pray hard for the mom and sister of a young man who got baptized a few years ago and then served a mission. He is now sealed in the temple and is living in Santiago with his wife. His family has been investigating the Church for over 20 years, and we have started teaching them again. Yesterday we had a very serious talk with them about why they haven´t gotten baptized. We asked the mom if she believed that everything is true. She said she believed it in her head, but she hasn´t felt it in her heart........the woman has a painting of the 1st vision in her living room......just so you know. We explained the importance of prayer. Luckily we had an RM member with us that bore a powerful testimony of prayer, and we invited her and her daughter to prepare for baptism on the 5th of March. She said that she would really pray about it. Please pray for her that she will let her heart be touched. They need to get baptized so badly...this whole family.
We have just had a week full of miracles and blessings from the Lord. We feel very blessed to say that we are getting very close to the standard! This last Sunday for the 5th Sunday, all the RS and Priesthood met together. We took the opportunity to make them aware of the change in standard, and to remind them that the standards don´t only apply to us as missionaries, but it was the Lord requires of them as a ward as well. I feel that it touched their heart. We also organized divisions this week with some really great hermanas in the ward. As of today we have 16 lessons with members. I just can´t tell you what a miracle week this has been in the mission. I feel like it all had to do with a change in attitude and a leap of faith. I know that we are seeing this success because we changed our attitude about the work. This week the work has truly ceased to become "work", even though we are working harder than ever. I am just so happy, and I really know that it doesn´t have as much to do with the success that we have seen this week, but more with my attitude. I feel so very blessed. We have seen pure miracles this week. It has just been incredible.
We, as a mission have been focusing more on families!!!!!! AMEN! We are working with a lot of whole families in our sector right now, which is such a blessing. I know that it is so much more effective. We are working with this family...I think I already talked about them... and their 3 kids, and their son´s girlfriend. They also have shared lots with the missionaries many years before. Both of them have family that is very strong in the Church, and so they already know a lot, but I don´t feel that they have ever taken the time to really pray about it. We invited them very strongly to pray about it every day, until they know. It was a great lesson. They are very special.
Gosh. This week was just pure miracles. I love being a servant of the Lord, every second of everyday. What a blessing.
Well, this is all I have time for this week. I just want to let you all know that I love you a ton. I am so grateful for all that you do for me. I love you all. Work hard. Share the Gospel. Be obedient. And love one another.
--Les amo hasta la luna...no...el sol...hasta el sol...y mas. :)
Hermana Bertagnole
Side notes: As far as the Christmas packages go....I still haven´t gotten Mom and Dad´s, but I asked in the office and they said that some mail was held up in Chile because of strikes. These people do strikes like crazy here. There was another one this week in Osorno. Anyway. They said that it will come. They have never lost mail, don´t worry, I´ll be pleasantly surprised one day. I did get a package from Steph, so thank her for me.
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