Another UPDATE from yours truly!

Another week of mission life here in Cauquenes!

We started off this week on an interesting note. Every Wednesday, we have a zone meeting in PArral, about an hour away by bus. After our meeting in PArral, we were walking back to the bus station, and realized we didnt have our phone. After frantically searching our bags and pockets, we thought maybe it was back in the chapel. So we ran back, and called it a few times. Nothing. We decided maybe it was in the house. And we were about to miss our bus. So we ran back to the bus station, and missed the 12 o'clock bus. And so we waiting for the 12:30, and got aboard. 

Right as we got on the bus, we heard a tone ringing from the back of the bus! The same tone as our phone! Turns out, the phone was jammed in the seat of the bus, and after 4 hours of travel, the phone stayed stuck in the seat! After we called it 9 times, nobody had picked it up! HA! Miracles exist! 

I also found a scorpion as we were walking one day, i stopped to play with it but my comp got upset and made me leave my new friend behind. :( 

The weather is really getting interesting now, with rainy days and cold nights, and the occasional fall type day. 

Let's just say we are having a good time out here :)

And a new friend I met in Pelluhue, her name is Eilene and I thought she looked like a good friend of mine so we got a photo together! 

Her mother tells me everytime we are there that I look like her brother that passed away a few years ago when he was a teenager, so she's always excited to talk with us when we are out that way.

I'm a bit short on time this week, so I'd like to share a scripture real quick. One of the scriptures that's been on my mind a lot is in Mathew 16:25. 

I love this scripture because its very direct and simple. If we try to hold onto the things we love, and don't work to serve our Savior, we aren't going to progress. 

But when we put in the work and lose ourselves to serve the Savior, thats where we will really find the meaning of life.

I love you all and thank you for your love and support. Have a great week and keep serving! 

much love,

-Elder Lewis

Whats up FanClub!?

Here we are again, week after week! I've been in Chile nearly 5 months, WILD! 

The time goes quick huh?!

As you may recall, I completed 6 months in the mission last Tuesday. So as we got home, I screeched "6 MONTHS LETS GOOOOOO!" And ripped my shirt open, which was pretty cool. But that's all about that.

I've been up to lots of legal work this week, getting my VISA and ID here in Chile, what a fun time. I'm almost FULLY legal here! HA!

I've been starting a collection of photos of BMW´s that I've encountered here, I've got a problem!

We had lunch with the Finlinsons here, and let me tell you, it's super good! It's not easy (when we know how good her food is)to eat other food and not feel a little sad. ;)

This has been a good week of hard work and lots of lessons. We've been teaching a whole lot and finding new people every day to help in their lives.

Nothing too crazy or cool in particular, but just want to share my testimony.

I know that this church is true, I know that God is our Father, I know that we are all here as families for a reason, and I know that we have the oportunity to live as families forever after this life here on earth.

I love you all tons and thank you all for your support, you guys keep me going! 

Stay safe and have a great week!

much love,

-Elder Grant Lewis

oh yea and i caught a lizard!

WE MADE IT TO 6 MONTHS FOLKS! 

What a big milestone for ya half latino boy Elder Lewis! 

In these 6 months, I've made it only using 3 shirts, and thats all I want to say about that. :)

This was another week in the mish, more of the usual. We have an investigator with a baptism date! And we had 6 investigators in the church this past Sunday! HOW WILD! 

More on that later....

This week we received a fire alarm for our house and it had to be installed immediatly. Thanks to my years of "jimmyriggin" stuff and DIYing just about everything, I was able to instal our new fire alarm with a hammer and nail to "drill holes" and with my new pen tool with a little screw driver! 

(shouts out to my boy ethan)

I also saw a dog chase its tail in real life. It got a hold of it, gave it a good bite, and then gave up and took a nap. Good stuff there. I found Ramen noodles in the super market last week so ive been indulging in those when I've got a hunger!

I've gotten a LOT of comments this week about my spanish and my accent, apparently my spanish is REALLY GOOD! 6 Months and I'm feeling latino!

So this was a good week, but I didn't take many photos, so i decided to take some last night... Enjoy!

*for some reason these didn't come through*

On a spiritual note, this week was very interesting. 

This was probably one of the hardest weeks of my mission, not going to lie. Many of our dates with investigators fell through, and our members fell through when he had fixed to have them accompany us on appointments. We had a real cold night, some rainy days, some real hot days, and lots of changes. On Friday, we decided to fast as a district so that we could have some success and get some people in the church on Sunday. Sunday rolls around, and believe it or not, we had 6 investigators in the church! And 4 were haitians! And one very important friend named Héctor. 

We found Héctor a few days ago, and invited him to church, and he immaditaly agreed to come. And right after church, we showed him the font, talked a bit about baptism, and believe it or not, we have a date ready for Héctor to be baptised! The Lord works in mysterious ways, but blessings are always there! 

The fast that we did as a district really changed everything for us this week. It was such a great experience for all of us, and we really saw the blessing that came after. God is always watching out for us, and He always will help us when we need it, even if its not how we may think. 

I love you all and thank you for your love. I hope you all have a great week and continue sharing the Gospel! 

See you all in a week! Stay safe and keep it real!

much love,

-Elder Lewis

Chile has become CHILLY!

Let me tell you right away that Chile is mother natures playground. 

The nights feel like theyre around 30, and then the days are back up to the mid  80's. And sometimes there's rain, like, A LOT, and sometimes it's just blazing sun. How wonderful it is to be a missionary. :) 

Another good week in the service, working our tails off and walking all over Cauquenes! Teaching, talking, meeting new people, and always smelling new smells. 

This is gunna be a short one, but whats it to ya, i got work to do, eh?!

Every morning, I have an hour to study, personally. And I've been really focusing my studies on reading the Book of Mormon. And guess what ladies and gents?! I finally finished it this morning! 

What an accomplishment for your attentionally challenged friend here in Chile! :) After lots of reading, studying, writing and marking, I can say I've grown a whole lot in my testimony about this Gospel. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, I know that God gave us this book for a reason, and I know that if you read it, and ask God with real intent, (like it says in Moroni 10:5), you will recieve an answer, thanks to the Holy Ghost. 

I can only tell you how good a cake is, but you have to taste it to really know for yourself. The cake is there, go eat it! 

I love you guys and thank you as always for your love and support. Your emails and cards make the work here so much easier. 

I love you all and have a great week!

much love,

-Elder Lewis

Happy Easter everybody!

And happy birthday to my WONDERFUL MOTHER! :) 

What a great time of the year, to remember Christ and His sacrifice for us, and His resurrection, and this wonderful time of General Conference! 

This Easter time isn't the same here in the mission, its even better. 

We get the chance to help people remember the life of Christ, and His resurrection, and that He lives! And its also a great time to help people remember the importance of the family, and that there really is a life after this life.

 

One of my favorite talks from General Conference, this week, was about how much the little things count. Basically, what it comes down to is that everything counts, big or little, good or bad. Every little good thing that we do, has a good reaction. And the bad, the bad. There was a comparison made with the roots of a tree under the side walk. The tree roots grow and move so slowly, and it's such a slow, small change. But that tiny change, causes cement of the sidewalk to buckle and crack. Something so strong and firm can crumble with the slightest force. The little things we choose now, have huge impacts on the future, wether its good or bad. We have to remember that everything counts in this life, especially the little things. Everything has an impact on the future. 

Anyway, time is a bit short this week, but I love you all and pray for you guys daily, thank you for all the love and support!

Keep going and have a great week!

much love,

Elder Lewis