December 31, 2018

FELIZ ANO NUEVO! Last week on christmas eve we went and ate dinner at a members house. We had permission to be outside until 11 pm. It was actually kind of funny because we got there at 8 and they were WAY behind haha (actually that is an understatement) and we sat down to eat at like 10Ñ25 pm haha. We scarfed the food down and were running out the door at 10:55 pm to be back in time. Fun fact: as a missionary we have to be obedient but sometimes the members just DO NOT understand and think you are weird if you are actually obedient haha. They looked at us like wait are you actually going to leave right now. Good thing we did because the whole mission was called at 11 to make sure we were in our houses. We basically talked about how we celebrate christmas in the states the whole night. Then on Christmas we opened gifts and then went caroling to the nearby hospital patients and their families. That was awesome because we went into each room and sang a song and the expression on their faces when we started to sing was like a little kid on christmas morning. I´m glad we could bring a little christmas joy into their lives. Then best part of my day... talking to my family! Every time I see them it is an energy boost. Hahaha I was going real strong not ever having cried in my mission (since the airport when I left) but when I was saying bye this time I was caught off guard! Then we went caroling some more to find new people to teach. Anyways, I had a great christmas.

This week we saw SO many miracles. First, Maria. We were tracking one morning and we found a member from another ward. She told us she was visiting her mom and that her mom was not a member. We sang and shared about the temple with her. She had been looking for a catholic or evangelic church but then we arrived and she committed herself to go to church! She came to church on Sunday for 3 hours (last time going for 3 hours CRAZY). She loved it and said she is going to keep coming every week. She even asked us how she could do family home evenings if she lived alone.

Second, Eli. Eli is the lady who came to the baptism of Yanina last week. She is GOLDEN. She is about 30 and has a 4 year girl. She has some learning disabilities because she was never taught how to read or write. SO, we have to explain everything like 6 times to her and we cannot leave homework for her to read. I am redeveloping the christlike attribute of patience (from when I taught the mute and deaf Glades). But she came to church and also stayed the 3 hours and has a baptismal date for January 19th (signed baptismal form and everything).

Third, 2.5 years ago when President Catala started the mission here he put a goal to save the souls of 100 people through baptism every month. It is called the promised mission (like the promised land). When he got here the average was between 10-20 every month and we have worked our tails off and yesterday night we got the news that as a mission we had 101 baptisms and confirmations this December. WE WERE STOKED. It has been something I have heard about since day 1 of the mission, in almost every letter and conference of president. It honestly is surreal to me that we reached it because every month we have gotten a little better. Every month we add something new. And every month we have increased our numbers going from 15 to 20 to 25 to 35 and so on. I love my mission. So much. I realize there are missions in other parts of the world that reach even more. But that is where we want to go and for chile that number is straight up dope. I know we could have done any of this without the hand of god. He put prepared people in our path. He gave revelation to our president. He dedicated the temple with a visit from the prophet. Through weekly missionary activities, to passing out old church magazines with members to their neighbors, to singing hymns and sharing scriptures in front of passengers on the bus, to having a mission hashtag and taking selfies with everyone to post on social media, to interviewing anyone (not just a baptismal interviews) to help them progress, to having weekly district and zone attacks, to learning harmonies as mission to more than 50 hymns to bring the spirit into the lessons and the sacrament meeting, to having preach my gospel exams given regularly by the President´s wife to increase our knowledge, to studying Creole to be able to teach Haitians, to having an award system for the members who leave to teach with us, to putting people with a baptismal date in the temple for their dead ancestors to help those on both sides of the veil, to informing  and inviting literally everyone to the temple dedication a year before it happened and throughout the year moving into phases of 4 different invitations and ending with billboards and back windshields on buses and posters in every sector and photos in every member´s house, to bringing people to the temple every Saturday morning during the construction of the temple to help them receive an answer, to having mission olympics forcing us to practice to compete... we have come a long way. I will not lie, there have been times when I thought I was in a spiritual boot camp. But looking back on everything we have implemented in the mission... everything has worked. I know those were all revelations given to our president for our area that has helped us reach what we could not do alone. I am so filled with joy. I cannot believe that tomorrow marks the start of 2019. AH weird cause I come home in 2019. I hope that we all put goals for this upcoming year! Especially spiritual goals. I have grown so much this year and I hope to grow even more in my last 6 months on my mission. I love this gospel. I love my family. I love you all. But above all, I love Christ.

Miss you and talk to you next year!!! We have permission to eat dinner until 11 again tonight! We are going to eat with our convert from last week. Yanina.

P.S. Idk why but sometimes my letters do not send. I heard my pics always come through but I sent a good email last week. My family always gets them so if for some reason you dont get an email. Talk to one of them. 

Love your fav,

~ Elder Nord