Great Week!

Dear Family,

 

Great week! (Mitchell and I were just on at the same time and we were basically chatting! Amazing!) Where to start. On Tuesday we met together as a zone. The Elder in the photo with the guitar is from South Africa. Look very carefully under the volcom sign --- aka my name! It was his last week in the mission. He was the first missionary I saw 'die' (go home) - crazy that that'll be Mitchell in 4 weeks! Ahh. All this week two of our sacerdocio (one menos activo and one who just moved in to the branch! whoo! The husband of the hermana who recently passed away...) had been calling us to have us help them build the house of the new member. Tuesday we walked 3 miles to get to their house and they weren't there! But instead of turning around and walking back, we moved 18 cemenet 'pollos' several meters. It was pouring rain and muddy. But it was fun. We got back, cleaned up - and went to the branch activity to say goodbye to Elder Cayoja. We sat in a circle and thanked Elder Cayoja for his service and bore our testimonies, etc. It was really great. The hermanas sang, it was really special. One hermana, Lidia, who was a missionary was really bored with the whole thing - I thought it was hilarious - I recorded when they were singing and she yawned at least 10 times during the song. She said that when a missionary leaves a sector, it isn't that big of a deal - no one made a fuss when she left her sectors. haha, she didn't say that part - but...con razon! We ate completos. On Wednesday - TRANSFERS. We woke up early, left for the bus station and said a much anticipated 'goodbye' to our friend, Elder Cayoja. Elder Arce was at the bus station! It was great to catch up and see an old friend. Elder Vilorio (who I gave my ctr ring) left for home too. It's weird to see missionaries leave. The rest of the week has just been me and Elder Trejo and even the heavens are happy. For the past month we've had nothing but wind and rain. but on Wednesday and adelante we've had sun and a light breeze - paradise. We've been really stressed because on Sunday we had Conferencia de Rama - which we didn't think was a big deal until all the members started calling us asking what the theme was and what did we plan on doing for recuerdos and invitations. What?! We talked to our Mamita and she showed us recuerdos from past conferencias. But little did Lago Ranco know that last minute art projects are my specialty. We got to planning and started the work. We baked over 50 no bake oatmeal cookies, wrapped and packaged them - passed by all of the members, menos activos, and our investigators - inviting them to the conference. We chose Doctrine and Covenants 24:8 for the theme. Be patient in your afflictions. I am with you until the end. It's a really great scripture. On Saturday we had an activity with the youth and leaders to make the recuerdo. Volcanic rocks from the lake (free) with a wire tree (my specialty) and colored beads hanging from the branches. and a temple pin that says 'estoy contigo' quoted from the scripture. Elder Trejo told me that I had to give a talk - which at first I was nervous, but it was really great. I talked about everything. The scripture, the tree, the temple. and how through our trials - our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are with us. The rock and tree were symbolic. If Christ is our rock - we'll be firm in the faith just as a tree is firm. And we'll bring forth good fruit (beads). I would call it a success - except that NO ONE that we invited came! Only the normal members! haha. I was bummed at first, but we'll just have to work harder next time. Everyone loved the cookies and all have asked me for the recipe. Whoo.

I love you family.

Mom for my next package can you send me two magnets (I can't find any here and I want to make my plack magnetic...I know...I'm weird), my Gryffindor tie (Elder Trejo is obsessed with Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows sign - no wonder we've gotten along so well) and I want to give it to him, and maybe another pair of pants (dress slacks). I haven't gotten Margarita's birthday present, but I'm pretty excited now!

I weighed myself the other day...and...even though I look like a fatty and have gained so much weight - I'M STILL A BOY! I weight 148 pounds! SO CLOSE, but yet so far. I told everyone about our 150 pounds is a man - they thought it was funny. I WILL come back a man.

 

I love you family.

 

Love,

 

Elder Maxwell Poirier

 

P.S.

Elder Bray! YOU'RE GOING TO TRAIN!? Congratulations.

 

Pottery

Dear Family, 

So great to hear from you. Thanks for all the photos, the beach looks super lindo. I miss you guys! I'm all in for a triathalon and a mens trip! We have about 2 years to plan it out, so it'll be an adventure for sure. Where do the girls plan on going for graduation? If you plan on coming to Chile...haha joke....But I like that mom is making references that she's going to come at the end of the mission! Exciting! The dogs look muy gorditos! I love it. I can't believe Cassie started school already.  

This has been my last week with Elder Cayoja. -  He leaves on Wednesday, and then it'll back to a normal companionship. Elder Trejo is from Tiajana. He has two sisters, one older and one younger and both are married. His family are all converts  - and all are active. His younger sister married his best friend! haha. He's really excited to be branch president and I'm really excited to work with him here in the great Lago Ranco. Of course I told him my brother was serving in Mexico, he said he knows your new Mission President. They served together in the family history center. He's really into family history. We all spoke in church yesterday. I wrote my talk relating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the five steps of pottery. Isaiah 64: 8 Christ is our potter and we our His creations. I said  how in order to make a plate or a vase, you first have to take your clay - a small portion or a large portion - it doesn't matter how much but you have to have something to work with, just like we need to first have faith , faith in Jesus Christ - if we don't first have that , we can't move forward. Second - with the clay on the wheel we have to rotate it over and over again to make it smooth and get it into the shape of the figure we want to make. In the same sense, that we have to change ourselves and our will to become what the Lord desires of us - we have to repent. Third, we clean all the cracks with water to make it completely smooth and flawless, and then we paint our creation. Just like how we're baptized and all of our sins are washed away. We then, put our creation into the kilm to seal the paint and make our creation shine, how when we recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost, he becomes our constant companion, never to leave us. And lastly, we take what we made, and we use it or we admire the work we've done. Today, we have everything, we have the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, exactly what we need to do to return to His presence, all we need to do - is use what we've been given and do it. I really liked it. 

Also, I don't think I told you, but since I've been in Lago Ranco I've been the Sunday School teacher - and I love it - I've learned so much! This week the lesson was on Alma 43-52 and we talked about Moroni's 'Title of Liberty' (Alma 46:12). I made each member of the class their own and then had them write their own 'Title of Liberty' for when they face hard times, they can read their title and remember why their fighting and why they're living the gospel. I took a photo of mine. It's why I'm hear on the mission and what I'd fight for.

I'm really happy family. I hope you enjoy the photos this week. We just got back from sitting on a rock on the coast of Lago Ranco. I took a lot of photos. I had an empanada for lunch. and I just ate this new popsicle, it's like a banana - you peel the gummy first layer and the popsicle is the second layer! It's the future! 

Love you, 

Love, 

Elder Poirier.

P.S. Mitchell has 5 weeks?! 

Cortney, I wish I could've been in NY with you. I'd've taken a ton of photos!!! It looked beautiful. 

Elliot, TAYLOR SWIFT'S NEW SONG! You're killing me Phyllis! 

9 months

Family! 

Wow! Mitchell has been in the same sector for as long as I've been on my mission! haha. I can't believe you're in your last cambio! I miss you so much brother!  So many photos this week, and so many emails. I love you guys. Eva! Those photos of Cassie are AMAZING! You are so talented! I wish I could've been there, but you seem to know what you're doing. And your ad is really great too, I'd hire you to take photos. Miss you Sniders! Happy Left Handed day Aleksi, you're the only one in our family. So that's kind of cool. Cassie, good luck with your SENIOR year on Wednesday! Whoop, whoop. Dad, Eva says you've been working hard with the house and working out everyday - maybe when we're all back, me you and Mitchell can do a Triathalon together? Mom, so many new people in the ward! I realize now the importance of members like you and dad - inviting new members or old members over for dinner or a family home evening is something so simple, but it's what I wish the members here would do - there's only so much we can do as missionaries. Thanks mom. 
Today might have been my best Pday in Lago Ranco. We went on a hike along the beach, it's still really chilly and overcast. This computer is really slow so I'm not sure how many photos I'll be able to send, but I took a ton. Que lastima. The mountains in the distance looks so beautiful and the other day we walked up to 'Piedra Mesa', a 5k hike up a mountain! The view was incredible. and we were up there just in time for the sunset, which was really pretty. We could see all of Lago Ranco! 

So remember last week when I talked to the zone leaders? Well President called the next day and told me we were going to have sobrecambios. Elder Cayoja is leaving Lago Ranco and I'll be staying with Elder Trejo from MEXICO! Whoo. But for the past week (and for the next week) we've been in a Trio! Reminds me of the old MTC days. But everything's good. Elder Cayoja isn't mad and Elder Trejo is so funny. So I'm here for another six weeks! Lago Ranco! 
Elder Trejo is really cool, he's a convert since 2004 and knows so much! I'm really excited for this cambio, I already know I'm going to learn so much. (and I'm really excited to have a new companion...haha) But we'll be in a Trio until the 22nd of August. 

I love you all, 
Good luck this week. 

Love, 

Elder Maxwell Poirier. 

Mom, Elliot Broadhead says hi and he's really greatful for the card! 

Elliot (it's still weird to call you that, I think I'm going to call you Broadhead) - Your brother got married?! ahh! Remember when you got the email that he was engaged! I was there! "shat-tah-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta sha-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta" Thanks for the updates. Good luck with everything. 

P.S. The photo with the tree with all the pink flowers - those trees are all over Ranco - so beautiful. 
I sent a letter home with about 10 other letters inside, thanks for keeping in touch. Marissa, thanks for the HORCRUX tie clip! Clever!