Family!

Family,

 

This past week we had zone conference. Our zone (La Union) travelled to Osorno to meet with President Rappleye and Elder Wilhelm, from the seventy. We talked about what we need to do as a mission to improve. and we focused a lot on finding families, which is what Mitchell's been telling me. Fue muy lindo y tengo ganas para mejorar. Siempre hay espacio para mejorar. Elder Wilhelm told us about his conversion story, which was really powerful. This past week we saw a miracle. All this week, my companion and I were focused on getting people to church. We knew that if they could feel the spirit during our lessons, they would want to come to church. So we worked really hard to help them recognize what they were feeling and committed them to come to church. On Friday, we were feeling really good - "we're going to have someone in church on Sunday!" I kept saying. We even bought food to make breakfast and pass by all of their houses to make sure they were up on time. We were so excited because since I've been in Lago Ranco we've had people in church twice. and on one of the two occasions, the family dropped us because they didn't like it.Sadly, on Saturday one by one, they all flaked out. Elder Trejo was so mad. But I didn't want to believe it. Someone was going to come, we had worked so hard! On Sunday, no one that we invited came. No one that we invited. The hermana Laura invited her brother - and he said, "sure." and he came! And he liked it a lot and we have a cita with him this week. So even though our prayer wasn't answered in the way we thought it would be, it was answered. I realized two things this week: Getting people to come to church in Lago Ranco is SO freaking hard. and two: Without the members, missionary work can not move forward. It's everything we learn from Preach my Gospel - work with the members. Miracle.

Mom, we downloaded all the hymns and put them on my mp3, now in church we have music! So even though I can't play the piano, I found a way to have music so we don't sound like a bunch of Poirier's singing our own version of the song.

September 18th is coming up! Every city has there own way of going all out. Lago Ranco has put up red, blue, and white christmas lights all over the streets, I really like it. And if you don't have a chilean flag in your window by now, you´re not american. People dance the cueca in the street, kites are really in, and empanadas are starting to grow on the trees! It's the biggest holiday of the year, and as a result Chile will be taking the 17th, the 18th, AND the19th off. No seriously, everything will be closed and everyone will be celebrating. The 17th is our next Pday but because the ciber will be closed I'll be writing on the 15th. Don't forget!

I sent you my profile for you art projects - have fun!

We had mutual this week for the first time in years. Mamita is the Young Women's president and we're really trying to help all the members fulfill their callings. We put together a scavenger hunt list, where they'd have to go and run all over Lago Ranco and take a photo with random things, "someone dancing the cueca" - "someone wearing yellow shoes" - "someone eating" etc. We had four jovencitas and one joven. So we the jovencitas went and took the photos and with Ricardo, our menos activo hombre joven - we made pizza. Success. Everyone had a really great time and are all really excited for the next mutual. We're going to make peanut butter oatmeal cookies. It wasn't even my idea, they all liked them so much from the conference that they want to learn how to make them.

Today, we bought completos, sat by the lake, took photos, and pet a horse. The horse reminded me of Chesney.

I really love Lago Ranco.

I love you family,

Love,

Elder Maxwell Poirier

 

 P.S. Mom, thanks for writing me weekly. Aleksi, I miss you. Halloween! I want to see your house. Eva, Rita is just like Rett! that's so funny. Looks like she chose her teammate - makes sense, Mitchell and Cassie are teammates too.