Querida Familia,
Wow! Happy Memorial day! I´m glad it´s warm enough to be outside on the boat. Glad. Slash jealous. Today is one of my last days here in the windy, rainy, cold city of Puerto Varas. Yes, last. I´M GETTING TRANSFERRED! I´m going to Lago Ranco. Ranch Lake. and it´s campo, pure campo. The sector is really small. Our ward is a branch. and my companion is the banch president! Really small. I´m the first consijero?! That means interviews?! Tithing?! ahhh. Crazy. My companion is Elder Cayero from Bolivia. BOLIVIA! Spanish twenty four, seven. I´m pretty excited, but nervous at the same time. I was asked to speak in church on Sunday. It was cool. My last Sunday in my first ward, and I got to speak. I had to cut my talk like 15 minutes short because I was the last speaker and I didn´t want to go over. But that´s okay with me. I talked about humility. and I shared the story about mom and dad and the Honeycut´s and the Shreeve´s. When we first moved to Stuart, remember? Well I tried to tell that story, I got up there and shared a scripture about Ammon and how he went to preach the gospel to the "King Lamoni." I was looking at the congregation and Elder Arce is cracking up, and I´m all, "Oh crap...what did I say." ...King Lamoni, that´s English!" Tonto! Yohanna told me it was a 9 out of 10, and she´s brutally honest, so I´ll live. After I told Roberto and Yohanna it was my last Sunday, and then word spread like wildfire and everyone started crying. haha. I´m just kidding. But they were sad. or they were faking. I can´t believe it, I´m leaving! It´s a sad goodbye. I love this ward, I love the people. Mamita told me, "Why can´t it be Elder Arce!" haha, she was kidding. But then the Hermana Rafaela said, "No really, why can´t it be Elder Arce." haha. I thought it was funny. (that´s why I put the ´haha´). I leave on Wednesday. It´ll take me six hours to get there. Pooch. I haven´t even started packing! I´m glad to hear you are all enjoying your summer and memorial day. Beach. Sun. Boat. Sounds fantastic. Dad got a facebook?! You gave in. That´s okay, make sure you friend request me. haha. No but really, I hope you changed my photo. Gosh, how embarrassing.
I hate asking for things, but in the next package can you send me some ties I already have - that´s something I can give away easily and I already have a ton at home. Also, I gave mamita her gift - she loved it! She was really grateful. And I have a grey sweater, button up - can you send me that too. and maybe the brown pants that are in my closet. If it all fits. I´m sorry I´m so needy!
I love you family. Beware of the photos, I look like a chunk - but I promise it´s worse in the photos! The big city photos aren´t Puerto Varas, that´s Puerto Montt - we went today to try and get Elder Arce´s passaporte. No such luck.
I feel like I´ve worked as hard as I can here in Colon. I hope and pray that I left this sector better than I found it. It´ll be a sad goodbye to the families that have been with me since the beginning. I´ve grown a lot here.
Well, I´ve been told that my new sector is out in the boon-docks, so I might be going dark for a while. Naturally, I´ll still email, but handwritten letters might be more difficult. We´ll see.
I love you! Thank you forever for your support, the photos (Sisters - YOU are beautiful! and mom!) I love you guys. Mitchell, I bet we weight the same! Dad, I like the gotee. haha. Everyone looks so great. We have a great looking family. We really have been blessed (some more than others...Cassie..) But in other, more important, ways too - our home. the gospel. Our relationships. the dogs.
I love you family. Forever y jamas!
Love,
Elder Poirier.
P.S. Life is but the next great adventure.
Hello Family!
So many good photos! Aleksi, you look so beautiful and hipster. Eva too. Mom I got the package! (at least I´m pretty sure...I haven´t opened it yet but I think it´s it). It´s been a great week. Rainy. Cold. Windy. But great, really great. Elder Arce and I are teaching so much. We´ve found so many new potentials. Roberto and Johanna are doing really well too. Roberto even leaves with us sometimes! How great is that?! I can´t believe this is the last week of this transfer. It feels like I just picked Elder Arce up from the bus station. Time has really flown. I celebrated six months on the mission this past week. That´s crazy. Time has gone by too fast. Six months?! (Mitchell just emailed me!) (We´re on at the same time!!!). I love the mission.
Today, as a zone, we went to Saltos de Petrohue again. Remember when I went before? I think my first transfer. With all the waterfalls and rapids. Today was even better. Both volcanoes are covered in snow and it was super lindo. And then we went to "Lago de los Santos" -- which is near "Saltos" but much calmer. aka Lago. Which means lake. But we took photos, skipped rocks, talked, and took photos. And we were with Puerto Montt zone too. We rented a bus and went, it was really cool. Fifty missionaries crammed into a bus. haha. But it was fun. I love the mission.
Cassie´s last week as a JUNIOR! and then she´s going to be a Senior! What?! and I agree with Mitchell, Eva - spill! Nick?! But waiting patiently...I can´t believe the Florida weather, it hailed? que raro! Looks like Florida and Chile have that in common. It hasn´t hailed, but in the morning it´ll be super cold. Then the sun´ll come up and it´ll get hot. and then it´ll rain. and then it´ll be cold again! Yesterday, this man predicted that Chile was going to have the worst earthquake ever. Nobody believed it, but Elder Arce and I had our cameras on us just in case. haha. Nothing happened. How scary would that have been!
Family, thank you for all your letters and continual support and love. Shreeve family. Kate. Kelly. Marissa. Alexa. Chris. Sean. Reagan. Everyone who writes me. You´re inluded. I´m working hard and learning so much. The mission really is one of the greatest decisions I´ve ever made.
Photos:
Saltos de Petrohue.
Lago de los Santos.
First jumping photo in CHILE!!!
...and second...and third.
I love you family!
Stay true,
Love,
Elder Poirier.
P.S.
"We must remeber to fight. and fight again. and keep fighting. For only then can evil be kept at bay." - Dumblee-dore.
Querida Familia,
I was SO happy to talk to you all yesterday. Happy Mother´s day mom.
Thank you for everything. The gospel. Our family. Chesney. Your
example. and your love. I´m sorry to Aleksi that the speaker phone was
rough. Maybe we can try and three way it for Christmas? or you´ll all
be together - WITH MITCHELL?! That´s crazy. Chocolate cake for dad´s
birthday, that sounds delicious. Cassie looks so grown up for her
lacrosse banquet. Thanks for all the photos. Mitchell, thanks for the
video recording. Family´s are super important, and as hard as it is to
drop people who aren´t progessing - I know it´s probably the right
thing to do. haha, Nana told me basically the same thing! Enjoy the
beach. and the sun. and find yourself a beautiful Chilean girlfriend.
Words of wisdom from Nana. Gotta love it. I´m so happy you guys got to
talk to Mamita and Carlito. She said mom looked so young and
beautiful. Isn´t Carlito so cute. I taught him that saying - everytime
we eat he loves to say it over and over again adding different things
for "animal" or "limonada" --- "Que tal animal?" "nada, nada
limonada". Cute kid. Mamita told us the chicken pot pie was really
good - but I think she lied, because I tasted it and it was a little
too dry. I should´ve put more sour cream. Next time. Chesney looked
like a cow! OhmyGOSH! She hasn´t always looked like that. Yusthyn (the
Mamita´s son) said she looked like a horse! McGraw and Bentley are
still McGraw and Bentley. I hope you all know how much I love you.
Things here in Puerto Varas - Colon are super bien. I have good news:
I´m officially legal in Chile! Wholololoolooolooloolo. I got my visa!
I´m legal for the next year! We traveled to Puerto Montt, the nearest
big city - about a 35 minute bus ride and everything was ready. Whoo!
I took some photos there because technically (...I hope that´s spelled
right...it´s probably not) but anyway, it´s technically the Atlantic
Ocean. Look up Puerto Montt on a map. The water way comes up like a
bay. I got to see the Atlantic Ocean! and Cassie I took a photo of
some of the girl llama sweaters, do you like those kind? or the kind I
have?
We also started teaching English classes every Thursday night at 8.
Everyone´s invited.
I told myself yesterday - No tears - but that all changed when MOM
started crying! haha. But you said you were going to buscar me?! AH!
That´s so exciting! I loved talking to you guys.
The words I know can´t describe my feelings of gratitude and love I
have for you family. I just hope you know how much you mean to me.
This gospel is real. The church is true. Christ is our Savior. He
lives. He lives to guide and help us return together, as families,
into the presence of our Father in Heaven. I´m grateful to be a
missionary. To battle for the Lord on a daily basis and work with all
my heart and all my might to teach the truth to all those who don´t
know where to find it. I want to be a good son. I want to be a good
leader and missionary and servant of the Lord. Thank you family. Thank
you for your help. Your support. Your guidance. Your patience. Your
love. Your jokes. Your letters. Your smiles. Your tears. and your
testimonies.
I love you forever.
Love,
Elder Poirier.
P.s. and all the candy and food and everything you´ve sent me in the
past six months: thank you!
p.p.s. I´ve been out six months?!
Family!
Estoy super feliz que Ustedes esten super feliz. This has been a great week. Time is flying by! Can you believe it´s May?! What! Aleksi´s done with school. Cassie´s going to be a SENIOR. and Mitchell has four months left! and I´ve almost completed SIX months on the mission. Time. Life here in Puerto Vara´s is great. Elder Arce and I are working really hard and I´m hoping I don´t get transferred this next cambio because that´s when we get to see the progress of our efforts. (Transfers are the 23rd of May). But we´ve been teaching Roberto´s sister, he´s been with us every lesson. It´s so incredible. Klarivel. I love them so much. Rodrigo and Karina have a baptism fecha for the 20th. We´ve been working with them for a long time so I´m praying they´ll make the changes necessary to make the goal a reality. There are so many great members here. I think if I leave, I´ll be depressed. This is my birth place. I started here. But I try not to think about it since it´s far in advance. I just really like this sector.
I´m relieved mom liked Nick. That makes me feel better. and to know he served a mission. He went from a -34 to -15 now. We still need Eva. then Cassie. then dad. and then Mitchell. and then we´ll see. But I´m glad he treats you right and is head over heals for you, that´s how it should be. I´m happy Cassie sent me a one worded email, she´s just so busy with her job now. Understandable. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! Whoo! In honor of your birthday, I ate a mil ocho cinquentos. It´s this HUGE pork sandwhich with avacado, tomatoe, cheese and onions. The papito of the missionaries in our zone has a little restaurant and those sandwhiches are famous. It was delicious. Thank you for raising me in the gospel. For surrounding me with my three best friends. and providing me with everything I´ve ever needed. I love you dad. Thank you mom for all the details about your trip and Nick. I feel like I was there taking notes. Mitchell, an ENGLISH-non HARRY POTTER fan? those exist? Train well.
Here is a list of random things that happened this week:
A horse got hit by a car. Everyone was talking about it. and then WE DROVE PAST IT! in a collectivo and it was HUGE and on the side of the road. blood everywhere. Poor guy. Just makes you realize how short life is. haha, sorry I shouldn´t make jokes. It was random though.
We were talking to this old man in his door and then in the background, the XFILES music came on!!! AHHHH. CHILDHOOD NIGHTMARES! I couldn´t focus. I was freaked out. That music!
We were talking to another man in his store, and he had a set of twins and guess what there names were? okay, I´ll just tell you - Annakin and Lea. hahah.
We were eating once at a menos activos house and then they put on music. But not just anyone, TAYLOR SWIFT! Luckily we were leaving or I would´ve died.
We have a noche de hogar with Klarivel, Roberto, Yoanna, Rodrigo, Karina and members Alex and Rafaela tonight. Three investigators in one lesson. I´m hoping it goes well. I got lots of letters this week! Mom, I hope I don´t get transferred because I don´t know if the package with the stuff you bought for Mamita will arrive on time. Did you put some of the gillette gel deodorant? they don´t sell it here. And for mothers day for Mamita and her family, Elder Arce and I are going to make Chicken pot pie. I know, I know. I´m such a chef. Good thing you had me bake for you every last day while I was home...haha I joke! But I think I remember the recipe. Two cans of mixed veggies, sour cream, corn, chicken obviously. and I think that´s it? oh gosh. We´re going to buy it all right now.
In the photos: I just bought the penguin jacket-sweater, I love it. You know you want one. They come in all colors. and with Llamas on the front instead of penguins.
For skype! I can´t believe I´ll talk to you in less than a week!!! I love you family. NO tears! Promise?! But the only time I can do it is at 3pm MY time. You´ll have to figure out the time difference. and maybe leave church early...sorry. I went on the skype and it´s all set up perfectly (thanks Aleksi!) So I´ll talk to you in SIX DAYS!!!!
I love you all to the moon and back and past the sun and out to pluto. (I stole that from Alexa haha)
But I love you,
Love,
Elder Poirier
p.s. I want to give my all to the Lord. My mind, my might, my strength, and most importantly, my heart.
