Monday, September 26, 2011

September 26, 2011

Yes we are all crazy excited for general conference here!!! We get to go to Angol and watch in the biggest Church I’ve ever seen, it’s like a boarding school I’m not even joking! And we get to listen in English which I’m really excited about, our numbers won’t be the best for this week but that’s ok because we get to listen to the most amazing weekend ever.

Sorry my camera has not been working the past 2 weeks and I have been trying to fix it to take pictures for you all but I can’t seem to get it yet, still working though, I don’t get it but it just takes all black pictures, not sure why but they just show up as black.

So this week we put a fecha with a girl that missionaries have been working with for a long long time. She will be baptized on the 8th and we are pumped! She is nice but crazy lazy, turns out she just needs chocolate to go to church, ha-ha.

We are also having success in Tijeral (the small city that we work in Tuesday and Friday) and are going to baptize a guy and his wife, people in the branch of Tijeral say all the time that it’s impossible to baptize there but we are going to show them! Ha-ha.

One quick interjection here:

CONGRATS ANDREW, IM CRAZY EXCITED FOR YOU!!!

Dang Andrew, this is so weird you have no idea! I don’t even know what to think man, it’s just crazy, obviously good thoughts but you know what I mean? It’s ridiculously mind blowing my bro is engaged...
And happy B-day grandma, early I know but at least I got it in right?

So yah we are excited here for this weekend, and on October 31st, it’s a Monday so it’s a pday and we are having a mission conference, the whole mission is coming to Renaico, so we don’t have to go anywhere, its awesome, the whole mission will be in my sector, I’m really really excited for that. It is next cambio and it is the first of my lasts, if that makes sense.  And hey when does Cory get back? Really really soon right?

So I’m pretty sure that everything is live here for GC because priesthood session is like 9-11pm, ha-ha. So we won’t be home until like midnight, 1230 ish. Because we have to go to Angol for it, there aren’t any busses that late so I’m hoping a member will be able to take us home, and I don’t want to take busses all this weekend because we have to come back after each session I’m pretty sure, not 100% we will find out next letter, ha-ha.

You  should be getting a Skype from Andrew, so that’s my little check for him to do it right (I’m talking about the package I sent him). And just a general FYI, the relief society president from the Renaico branch is in the US for 2-3weeks and I gave her a package with a few notes for you all, and she is willing to bring me a package back (free shipping, man I’m sorry she did tell us until this week because it was a quick planned thing on her part or she just didn’t tell us until now) and so if you want anything to get sent back with her, tell Andrew and he should have a way to keep in contact with her, and to Andrews joy, she only speaks Spanish, well Chilean (Chile Spanish) so he gets to experience what I get every day, hope she uses all the words that only Chile uses.

Well know I love you all, hope you are ok
Always thinking of you all
Elder Kyle Allen

Monday, September 19, 2011

September 19, 2011

Well it’s been a long 2 weeks

This month is the month of sanctification, as you may have found out, we are doing a butt load of thinks to "sanctify the mission" one was the week without internet and we took the entire p-day to do nothing but super cleaning in our house. Wow that was pretty awful I’m not going to lie, ha-ha. We are also changing the norms for the mission for the month, 12 lessons with members, 12 news (a new is you need to enter the house and place a return visit, entering the house is the key) and 300 contacts each week. It’s ridiculous, seriously. The contacts are numbers to me now, and I don’t feel it’s at all what the contacts are supposed to be, but it’s the norm for the month. And entering 12 houses a week, that’s seriously almost impossible, its ridiculously hard cause no one seems to want to listen to us.

But yah that’s what is up with the month and its ridiculously hard and stressful, and really trying us physically and emotionally, it’s all about numbers to me now and I hate that. I don’t feel like it’s the people anymore it’s just a goal that we need to make. And my comp is the district leader with the zone leaders in our district so we are much pressured to do it every week.

Well September 11 here in Chile is the day of the youth revolting or something and they destroy things in the street and fight the cops and everything, it’s awful that such a sad day in the United States is celebrated with all that destruction here.

Sept18 here is the biggest day of the year, it’s their July 4th, it’s insane! But it’s more of a culture thing then a pride day, if you get what I mean. we eat a butt load of empinadas dink moté con wasía which is like a whole dried apricot in water with weird grains and stuff, I can’t describe it very well but at first its soooo gross but after a while you get used to it.

I almost have a year, that’s ridiculous... I’m on the last of my first´s and beginning my lasts sort of speak, I know it will go faster so I will be home in no time and talking to everyone face to face which is awesome!

I still don’t have the scripture cases but I know they will take a long time so I’m not exactly worried, no one in the mission gets them fast the guy takes forever, ha-ha but hey they look cool when they are done so that’s all I care about. And I got the package, thanks soooo much that was amazing and I loved all the candy, it was gone day one and the other elders were very very jealous! It made it totally fine, unopened and all. But I did get return to sender all the letters that I sent home/to friends, so sorry Martha, Hilary, and Denise...

Trevor, I hear that you are taking a lot of IB classes, good luck with that, I couldn’t do that but hey if you can, way to go man!!! Those sound crazy hard and as you know the IB math that I took I dropped it at the semester so that was my experience with the IB program, ha-ha.

Well know that I love you all so very much, that week without the family and friends emails was very hard on me, which just shows how much I love you all.

Love you so much
Elder Kyle Allen

Thursday, September 8, 2011

September 5, 2011

Well, I am in the sector called Renaico but we work in 2 cities, well, cities is a big word, more town ish areas? I don’t know, it’s weird but yah. We work in Tijeral Tuesdays and Fridays and Renaico the rest of the week. Every Sunday we do splits because we have 2 branches to watch over, one in Tijeral and one in Renaico. Tijeral is more like Yumbel, 15 people went Sunday including me, and Renaico is more like Lebu, 43 people went. So, yah, that’s the interesting thing here, oh and we have bikes, that’s awesome, so awesome but I haven’t ridden a bike in years so I had to re learn because the bikes we have stink and don’t have a back brake and the tires are beyond worn down but it’s a bike none the less.

Questions from mom:
1. What is your home like?  Bedrooms, bathroom. Kitchen?  
The home is really nice; we have a small small small living with 2 personal arm chairs, sooooo nice. A fair kitchen, a small bathroom, a huge bed room with a wood stove and each person gets a dresser (that’s a first), then a room for the bikes, a room for the luggage, and a room with another full sized couch (it's my relax room)

2.  What are the sleeping arrangements?  Bunk beds, futons? 
 We both have personal beds and they are comfortable (for once) and in a big room, so that is amazing

3. Branch or ward?
It's 2 branches so I still have not been in a ward, I’m waiting for that privileged day

4.  Tell us about your companion?  Any other missionaries serving in your area?  
His name is Elder Pliler from Utah, and it is just us in the house. He is awesome and so funny, we make those dumb awkward jokes all the time together, like that breakfast was eggs-alent! Ha-ha and dumb jokes like that, we quote a lot of movies and he is the district leader. We also bought a sack of potatoes and carried it 3-4 miles home, sooooo heavy.

5.  What is the town like?  Stores?  Banks?  Traffic lights?  Restaurants?  
Very small and spread out, there are no supermarkets just little candy type stores with the basics that you need. No banks and 2 traffic lights. We go into Angol for food on Tuesdays when we have zone meeting

6.  Are you walking everywhere?  How are the shoes holding up?  
We walk about half the week, a lot less than other sectors. The shoes are doing fine because I still use the Nikes the most except when it rains, but yah I think they will last, I hope.

7.  What is the weather like there?  Warmer or colder than Yumbel?
Its colder then Yumbel but not at night, it’s a little warmer, it has been sunny some days and rainy the others. Its bi-polar weather here

8.  I think that I read that you are close to a river, is that true?  
There is one close but I’m not sure I have not seen it; it’s not like Yumbel where you have to cross like all the time

9.  When is the next conference?  Have you gotten a second package from me recently?  Is there a faster way to get things to you? 
It’s this Wednesday I think, I’m not sure, but I have not gotten anything yet because I have not had a conference until the next one, so yah. I don’t think there is any faster way, to be totally honest, I’ll ask around. 

10.  Scripture covers yet?
Nope, we will see on Wednesday but I highly doubt it. He sends them into the mission office for the missionaries. I'll email him to ask when I should get them but it normally takes a long time

11.  Where do you go to email us?  
There is a cyber in the middle of the town where an inactive member works, we go there, not sure how else to describe.

12.  Anyone helping you -- cooking for you?  Doing laundry?  
Yes we have lunches here, but we do still cook because me and Elder Pliler like to make food and its fun because we talk like French chefs to each other, and we try to make fun healthy things. And yes someone does laundry, so I’m more happy about how it runs here.

So yah that’s how it all works here, I have some funny pictures that I will send the next time that I can get on, and we might start taking funny videos together, we will see.

The 18th of September is Chile’s July 4th so we will have a huge party on that day here in Chile, lots of traditional foots and dances ill try to capture that, and mom I loved that photo idea, I will try it for sure.

I really hope that this isn’t the last time I’ll be writing for 2 weeks, because that sounds really hard, like really really hard. It’s hard enough being on the other side of the world, but not being able to talk to you all will kill me. But the mission president has told us that we may not be able to email next week because some Elders were not being obedient with their internet privileges.  So the whole mission will go without email for one week. 

Everyone says the sector I am in I will see lots of success, so I’ll fill you in on that one if it’s true, ha-ha. Elder Escobillana was really excited for me to come here because it was his favorite sector, so I am glad that it’s thought so highly of, but of course, Yumbel was so highly though of and that was tough.

Well I have to go, know I love you all!

OOOHH—most importantly about the letters, the ones I mail out I keep getting returned to sender (the letters to Hilary, Meagan, Denise and Martha) so I’m really sorry, mail from Chile is not reliable but to Chile is, so keep that in mind!  Hilary, Martha, Denise and Megan – sorry I did try to write.  Thank you for your letters, they keep me going.

Love you all, Elder Kyle Allen

August 29, 2011

I will join the very very few number of people to only have spent 1 cambio in a sector. That’s right; I’m leaving Yumbel and going to Renaico. My companion that I’m still with for today was in Renaico and loved it; it was his favorite sector so he is very excited for me. I am leaving Yumbel because he is training so that’s why I’m leaving. My new companion is Elder Pliler (don’t know if I spelled that right) but he is an American so I will get some English as well, which is awesome. I hear that he is a really happy fun guy, so we will see how this all goes down, but Elder Myer (I lived with him in Lota for the 2 cambio was there)he is an assistant and he knows all, so I’m sure he put me with someone that I can deal with, you get what I’m saying.

So yes I am off to the zone of Angol, its south so it will be a lot colder and more rain I hear because September doesn’t get warmer it just rains more, so I’m not terribly excited for that but that’s just the season. I’m not going to lie, I will miss wearing a jacket in the summer though, and I have grown very fond of this black jacket.

Thank you for the long emails, they were great and my fun imaginative brain was able to picture it all, especially mom busting a cap on a blue jay, totally doable by the way because the nationals stink! (Please dad and Trevor get my baseball joke...) speaking of baseball, how are my Braves doing, its winding down and getting close to the post season right? And did BYU play or is that in September?

So this week was the same as normal, I did have an empanada with chicken today and that was good, it was not the traditional empanada so I liked that. September. 18th is like Chile’s July 4th and there will be a butt load of tradition that day so I will spend my first 18th in Renaico, I wanted to spend it in a place where I knew the people well and could have a fun day celebrating but looks like I’ll have to find an awesome family for that in Renaico. Jackson, my old companion that I loved being with is in angol as well so I get to see him once a week and hang out with him on pdays as well so I’m excited for that, for sure.

I hear that Renaico is really campo (ask Andrew for the translation because there really is no good word in English for it) but yah, and I hear rumors that it’s the only sector that has bikes, or that some elders there had bikes at one point, that is exciting.... ha-ha.

So yes, I’m going south for the winter/spring (spring doesn’t exist in Chile just summer and winter) so this is interesting. And I was thinking:
3 in Lebu
2 in Lota
1 in Yumbel
That’s weird and curious; maybe I will get an emergency transfer tonight and actually have 0 in Renaico, ha-ha

Mom, Dad -- that day at the beach sounds really cool, I actually miss the beach, even though I have only gone 6weeks without it, because Lebu and Lota were on the beach and I saw it every day, but its different being in the middle of Chile. Although I totally am in the Oregon part of Chile, grey clouds, cold, rainy, and lots of trees.

Hope you all have a good week, love you all and will write about a new place next week, so look forward to that.

Love you, Elder Kyle Allen

August 22, 2011

Well it’s the last week of the cambio this week and so Saturday I will find out if I stay, my comp stays, we both stay or we both go, so this is pretty big Saturday for me.

Nothing else is new, but here are some of the answers to your questions

Tell us about the open house. 
We have not had it yet so that is in a few weeks I think. I don’t know the branch is excited about it because it is going to be a community thing that the missionaries are doing for them so they just have to show up and be normal, ha-ha.

Is your comp well? 
Yah he is better but you know it’s bad weather here. It’s warming up so summer is beginning but yah; we are just waiting for the weather to get better. I bought a hot water holder for my bed because at night my feet are freezing.

Good spiritual experiences.
Well he had a new family and the dad wants us to go with him to teach his brothers and his mom, so he is driving us every week to that house. And that huge because no one has a car and if they do, gas here is crazy expensive. So he is awesome and testified to his family it was true after only one lesson with him, it’s crazy, and amazing, he really is great. So we have a fecha next month.

Letters and packages?  
Still none, I’m guessing the end of the month or next, I’ve gotten past the no I can’t wait thing because it takes forever to get anything here, and it’s annoying but that is life.

oh and I have 10months in the mission, that means 14 more, crazy I’m almost a year in this thing, I’m almost half way through. 

y también puedo entender todo, bueno casi todo. no puedo hablar perfectamente y tengo problemas con vocabulario y cosas como eso, pero estoy mejorando y mi compañero dice el mismo. es tan difícil escribir en español pero necesito ¿verdad? Andrew, voy a tratar a escribir a tu mas en español porque te gusta,  pero por favor trate escribir en ingles también porque solamente lunes puedo leer ingles.

Ok there is some Spanish for you, it’s weird, that the first time spell checker hasn’t said every word is wrong because I write in English and it checks for Spanish words, ha-ha.

So I made some brownies today for the birthday of a member’s mom, the ovens here are so weird and they like work for a little then stop, then go crazy, and she owns a restaurant so it’s a "good oven" man it’s insane, I do miss the good old American kitchens.

So I won’t have conference or any big mission thing until next cambio, I’m hoping that the package will come then and possibly some letters? No idea and do you know if any of my letters are getting there to anyone? Like Denise, Hilary, Martha, Kevin? I sent some of them a while ago and am waiting for a reply; I’m hoping that mail from Chile is reliable because so far mail to Chile is.

Well know I love you all, and I’m sorry if my letter is lacking there just really is not much different here when we do the same thing every day, ha-ha keep safe and stay classy

Love Elder Kyle Allen