Week 26: Adventures of pants on the ground

Alo everybody! It is week 26 yo! So crazy! It seems like this mission is just flying by… I mean not fast enough, but just enough to be comfortable. Zach, as he has been in the past, is great! He absolutely loves Chile and all the people who live there. You can truly tell he has a light about him and that those people are so special to him, the way he writes about and interacts with them. What an awesome thing it is doing for him to see these people who are living differently, turning to Christ, and starting to live not all that different from us here at home. Cool, cool!

Zach and Elder Gibson have been working super hard lately (as if that was in question). They are working more and more on members of the church who have fallen away and become in-active. In fact he said that is where they are finding most success, in bringing the gospel back into members lives. So that is pretty cool. I know there is a lot of inactivity here in Utah, we had the sister missionaries over for dinner a couple weeks ago and they told us that Utah is one of the biggest missions! Lots of work to be done here at home, so remember to always be a good example and search for those who may need a pick me up. On top of the success of bringing members back into the fold, he and Elder Gibson also have 6 baptism dates set! Wow, the work is moving forward with these two gospel-a-holics.

For p-day this week, Elder Van Pelt and Elder Gibson were able to go on a super awesome bike ride. It is nice that with all the work they are doing, they can have a day to explore, have fun and relax in such a beautiful place. Coming from Zach, Chileans have no bike manners, of course that is a very generalized statement… Many probably have wonderful bike manners. He mentioned to my husband and his father, who are avid bikers, to never go biking in Chile. Nonetheless, he has produced some beautiful pictures for our eyes to gaze upon. Some of the paths they rode on were cobble stone, which sounds uncomfortable, but super cool! He even mentioned that they got caught behind a grandma and her grandson with "his pants on the ground, hat turned sideways, gold in his mouth". Now this statement is an inside joke between Zach, his sister Cassie and I. But since I thought it was so funny that he mentioned it in his letter, I will share with you the inside joke.

One day we were in a hotel in Arizona I think and an episode of American Idol came on. It was one of the episodes where the contestants try out to be in the running for the competition. Well of course we sat down and watched it together, because, well, we honestly love to laugh at peoples unfortunate singing abilities. So here is the video of the guy that randomly showed up while we were watching.

So now you are in on the inside joke. Do you feel special now? Because you should. Anyways, on that note, Zach was annoyed by the kid, but I enjoyed is misfortune.

Zach was able to go to a Chinese buffet this week. Which is hard for me to wrap my mind around. It seems so weird to me to eat Chinese food in Chile. It is stupid, because we eat Chinese food here in America, so why wouldn't they in Chile? Random. I know. Anyways, Chinese food is Zachs favorite food. Those of you who really know him, he wanted to constantly eat at China Wok in Spanish Fork. So much so, our family have become friends of the couple who own China Wok (shout out to Lee and Nancy who make the best Chinese food in Spanish Fork).  He really loves Chinese food though. So it was a big deal for him to be able to eat as much as he wanted. Too bad he's trying to not get fat, so he didn't even eat as much as he wanted.

I will end this post with a direct quote from Zachs letter, because it is too good not to share:

"In many of my emails and letters that I have received I have been given so much encouragement. A mission is super tasking and takes you to the highs and lows of any situation. Many days I spend my time praying to be given the strength to keep doing what missionaries do. I found that my purpose as a missionary is not to change the world in a dramatic move ore something that I ever did, but to bring happiness to others. Love to others. Enjoyment and laughter.

Before my mission I thought about what I could encounter for the next two years, what I would be able to accomplish. But what I found here in the mission wasn't any different than what I felt at home with my family. God doesn't need you on a mission, he only wants you on a mission. No matter what happens, the work will penatrate every every continent and sound in every ear.

My vision of missionary work has changed. Im not just thinking about what I can do now, but how I can forget about me and focus on others. I find that through smiling at people who are mad to see missionaries. I find that teaching and looking for others, helps me achieve what I want to do. Forget myself and serve others.

Im not the type of person who could be the first one to cross the track in an iron man, or become someone hugely known in the wold, or even enter into the olympics. But I don have something that others don't have. The gospel. The gospel blesses me with love. That love is hard for me to keep in  when I feel it. I am spreading love to others here in chile. No matter what we do there is no defense to love. Im going to love others and help them see that the gospel is what brings us happiness. "

Hasta luego!!