August 15, 2011

So this week was really really rainy and my comp is sick, as of today so it looks like we are going to have a very very long week this week.

so yes the branch president is out of town but the 1st councilor is still in town so I’m not the "branch president" but if he gets sick or anything it’s all me. Very scary. And a lot of teaching on my end, with my horrible Spanish... not so fun. And blessing the sacrament in Spanish is tough, for sure.

So Wednesday I saw Elder Jackson and that was awesome, I miss him so much and we are totally hanging out when I get home. Because he lives in Provo so simple.

Nothing really happened this week much, today we had an activity for the branch so I’m on latter on the computer than normal but that’s about it. Sunday we had 18 people in church, including us, and the babies.

We are planning an open house type of thing for the church and are trying to announce it on the radio. Hope it works because we want to get the community to get to know the church because there is a lot of bad talking about us after what happened.

So if you wanted to understand how religious crazy Chile is, listen to this. so it’s just like we teach the first lessons, one person can read a scripture and say that it means one thing and another person (or church) can read the same scripture and say it means something completely different. There are posters all over the plaza that says the godhead is not 1, or 3 people but 2. That the Holy Ghost is Jesus himself. And quotes verses from the bible. Man, I thought that all the churches that could be made already have been, but nope I was wrong.

So I don’t know what else to say, we don’t have much time before this place closes so it will be short this week but this is all for you all

Know I love you all and hope you are doing well

Love Elder Kyle Allen

August 8, 2011

Antuca LA North and LA South Zones

Family – Here are some answers to your many questions


How was your first interview with the new Mission President?
He is really relaxed and chill, he just joked around with me and it was great, took a lot of stress off me in that aspect.

Do you still walk everywhere? Bikes?
Yes, walk everywhere; there are no sectors in the mission that has bikes, its walking my whole mission unless I’m an assistant or an office elder

What are the dogs like in Yumbel?
They aren’t as bad to me; my comp was attacked last cambio when he was here so we will have to see.

Any good places to eat?
Well there is a member that owns a restaurant (trust me, they are WAY DIFFERENT then in the states) that’s pretty good, we eat there every Sunday, but other than that no
What do you do for groceries?
There is a store, we go to like 3 times a week, I buy a lot of bread and cereal and eggs and cheese. Dad there is a cereal here with little mini whoppers in it, soooo good, ha-ha
The weather look like it is raining for the rest of the week there. Do you feel like you are back in Oregon?
Kind of, it’s pretty but a different language and the houses are soooo different. Ha-ha

I read that there is a river that runs through Yumbel. What is that like?
It’s like really small and crazy dirty; it bends around our house so our house is crazy cold

Have you had to conduct Sacrament meeting yet?
Yes, next 3 weeks the branch president will be in Concepcion for work so it’s just the 1st councilor and me, even scarier.
How was your split with the other missionaries?
It was good; I went with Elder Palmer, who was with me in the MTC so I had a good time being co-comps for a night

Well today we had the chance to go to Antuco which is like Provo valley covered in snow with the zones LA north and LA south. There are Latinos in our zone that have never seen snow so we went for them, wasn’t anything new for me, but yah it was fun. We had a BBQ but it was over 5 hours of bus rides for me and my comp because it’s like an hour and a half from our sector to Los Angeles where we always meet.


So this week we had the mission goal of 490 contacts. we didn’t make it, but we did beat the norm number which is good, and we got 21 news, yep Andrew and dad that’s true, 21 news in a week (a new is someone that you enter their house and make a return visit appointment) they aren’t all good but yah it makes up for the shortage of contacts because I hate contacts soooo much. It’s just fighting with Catholics here.

So this week is pretty normal, but to answer dad’s question, my calling in the branch presidency is every day. We have to do a lot of visits to regain members and visit all week. We have branch council meetings and I have to plan branch activities meaning I have to be at all the activities.

On Sundays I bless the sacrament, then pass it, then conduct... its fun... ha-ha

So this upcoming week we have a zone conference for all the zones in the middle of the mission and I get to see Elder Jackson again, finally, I’m really excited for that for sure, other than that it’s a normal week, lots of working, lots of rain, fun fun fun.

Make sure to tell Kevin Perry Happy Birthday for me because I miss that guy.

I love you all, thanks for everything, know I’m thinking of you always

Elder Kyle Allen

August 1, 2011

Well this week was so not as eventful as all of yours, that’s for sure! You all had fun with your vacationing and Sunriver, and I’m glad you all had fun! I loved the pictures, I love pictures in general.  Anyone can send me pictures anytime. 

Let’s begin with today; well there are no ATM's in Yumbel. Yep, there are none, so we had to go to Los Angeles to take out our money today, no big deal just an hour and a half bus ride to there and another back, ha-ha. And it was raining and freezing cold today, so yah that’s been my day, not much but bus and rain.

I got the package, and it was amazing, all the candy is gone, in like 2 days, the fruit leather and my favorite candy gummy cokes, oh I mean Swedish fish (love you so much mom!) were a hit with me and my Chilean comp. Next to the fire that we have to create in our wood stove every night (with pine cones because wood is crazy expensive and pine cones are less expensive to buy). The videos you sent will help, thank you so much, and the pictures were great, I loved getting them because I was getting bored of my others as well.

So we have been working a lot with reactivating members because of the callings that we have and the fact that the attendance  at church is 25 people here in Yumbel, so we are trying to get more priesthood to church so we don’t always have to bless and pass the sacrament. I put a picture of one of the guys we have been working with, and he was baptized by my dad Elder Goddard so the circle goes around!

I put up pictures we took at his house, because he has some fun stuff to play with, for sure, ha-ha

So this week we have more of the same, but I am going on an intercambio with Elder Palmer (someone that was in my MTC group) so that will be really fun because he is awesome! Real men come from Blanding Utah, that is for sure.

I think we are going to the place where is the HUGE snow storm in out mission that’s putting Chile in a state of emergency for the people living up there next P-day, ha-ha so ill send pictures for sure

Mom can you send me a brownie (like really good brownie) recipe?

So I learned how to make some Chilean food, very excited to see if I can remember how to make them... ha-ha its pretty much like making your own bread but frying it because we are in Chile and everything is fried or just has oil in it for "taste"

Well I don’t have much more to say, I love you all so much, stay safe and know I love you!

Elder Kyle Allen

July 25

My first week in Yumbel

Well I am the 2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency and my companion is the Elder's quorum president. It’s tough to say the least. Sunday I blessed the sacrament and then gave a talk to an attendance of 25 people, 4 of which were investigators. I miss Lota for sure.

As 2nd counselor we went with the YM/YW to San Pedro Saturday to represent the branch. It was an YM/YW activity and we couldn’t do anything. During their dance we sat in the hall and heard the blaring music and kids screaming, how fun right?

So my companions name is Elder Escobillana and he is from the very very north part of Chile. He is about to complete 4 years as a member very soon and is 23 years old. He is really funny, well tries really really hard to be funny I should say, and loves being with the members, which is nice for me, because I love building a connection with people and then asking for their help and all. But yah we also need to because our callings are rather big ones if you know what I mean.

So we live alone in the house and it’s so cold, very very cold, even for my pjs which are still amazing.

We do our own laundry and cook for ourselves 3 days a week, so it’s a lot more work on us then Lota was but the people here are grateful for the help.

Yumbel is about an hour and a half outside of any other city and the only English I get is Tuesdays at the zone meetings. It’s tough.

We bought pine cones to burn for heat but they are hard to set on fire, a lot harder than wood on campouts.

So Wednesday is interviews and it’s my first with the new president, I have a feeling it’s in Spanish so yippy, ha-ha. We finally get to meet him one on one so that will be very very nice. I should also receive that package on Wednesday so that is one very very nice thing as well.

The members here are really nice though, I know why Ahart was sad to leave. They love the help, and relate to all the new work that has to be done. I have a feeling like I will be here for a while which is nice but scary because I want the same type of relations I had in Lota but it is a lot of work with the calling.

So how are you all doing? I hear that you are all at Sunriver, and that’s awesome! I am very jealous by the way because I get no vacations, and its go go go all the time, as you all know. I hope you all are having a great time.

Love you all

Elder Kyle Allen

July 18

I am going to Yumbel; it’s an hour and a half travel time outside of Concepcion, so yah, still up north! It’s weird I never have gone south yet, I will spend my first year in the north I have a feeling.

So yah I will be getting my first Latino companion, that’s really scary for me because it’s just us in the house.

Elder Myer is going to be assistant! I’m so excited about that. Elder Nelson is going to train, and Elder Brimhall will be my district leader, it’s crazy!

I don’t want to leave Lota at all but you know what that’s like. I love this sector so much! I just don’t want to go, but I hear that Yumbel was President Swenson's favorite sector and that he wrote out the combios before he left so that means he put me there.

I have so many goodbyes to say today, it’s so crazy and I don’t know how I can say goodbye to everyone. I really don’t want to leave but I know that I have to.

So now I don’t have much more to say because really the huge news is that I’m going, and I need to say goodbye to a lot of people.

Goodbye Dagoberto

Goodbye Lota

I put a lot of photos up on the website, and everything.

Momita in Lota

Searching for a new area

Preaching

I heard that its vacation week, happy for all of you! That’s awesome, make sure everyone at Sunriver knows I love them and would love to be there, but apparently there are people that need me right now in Yumbel, ha-ha.

Have fun with the family, thanks for all the emails, Andrew and the whole family, enjoy your time all together!

I hear that Google plus is the greatest thing ever! I want to find out more of this soon, ha-ha

Hopefully we will have conference next week and I will get that package because I would love it, ha-ha.

Andrew sorry I didn’t write back, know I love you

To everyone --Thanks for all the support and the love, I feel like it’s not me at all doing the work, and I know it’s not, but I know that all of you are helping me, cause there is absolutely no way that I could do this alone! Love you all so so much

Until next week

Love you all   Elder Kyle Allen