18

hola familia y amigos

this week was so crazy because the 18 of september is the independence day of Chile. what does this mean? PAAAAAARRRRTTTAAAAAYYYY for the people here in Chile, for the missionaries its still a little party but a lot of walking. 

bueno the last pday Elder munoz and I explored a park in our sector and a cathedral. (hence the photos of a park and a cathedral). it was interesting in the park because we were walking down a path and saw that people were taking pictures. we noticed that there was a woman who was posing in front of the camera with a tan shirt with a dragon on the back. we could only see the back of the shirt, and we realized that the shirt wasn't a shirt, but it was her skin, and the dragon was a tattoo, so we decided to turn around and walk the other way to avoid the topless model. we are sure that there is an iappropriate photo on the internet somewhere with a topless model with a snake tatoo and two very frightened missionaries turning around in the background.

the rest of the week was walking and eating. because of the 18 of september, a lot of people are out of town, so it was really hard to find people. the people that were in town we all drunk. when I say all were drunk, I mean all were drunk. we spent a lot of time visiting the members and recent converts because there wasn't a lot else we could do. 

we had lunch with the bishop and his family for the 18. everyone eats steak on this day. we started off by eating choripan. it is basically a hotdor but with chilean bread and sausage. I didn't know this before the mission but everyone here loves mayonaise and coca cola. when you are at any meal, there will always be mayonaise and coca cola. the food was so good, and then we got to watch the bishop dance the cueca with his daughters. the cueca is the dance of the region of santiago, and almost everybody knows how to dance it. it involves a handkerchif and stomping and it is danced in pairs. you gotta google it. 

this week is transfers. Elder Munoz y yo are still in the same sector, but we received two more missionaries for our sector. our sector is gigantic, and we are so thankful for these elders that have arrived. they will work in the southern half of our sector. we now have four people living in a tiny apartment. its going to be a lot of fun and a little messy I imagine. one of them is from Argentina and the other is from syracuse, utah. 

Elder Munoz and I are really excited for this week. we are ready to hit our sector super hard. recently we have been thinking a lot about obedience. I have learned that obedience should not be a result of fear for the consequences of disobedience but instead an expression of our love for the savior. that is the great and grand commandment "thou shalt love the lord thy God". I am so thankful to be here in Chile serving the Lord. I have seen lives change here as people have opened their hearts to receive the blessing of God. I am one of those people. I am changing everyday. I am learning every minute I am here. it is my hope that the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessings of his gospel will always be your focus throughout your journeys on this earth, as He and his path are becoming mine.

Love,

Elder Williams