Chao Santa Cruz

the Noche de Hogar

This week was what the chileans would call ma o meno....

But it's okay because we can make next week better!

This week we had our zone conference and it was AWESOME! We talked about the restoration and how we can teach it better and also that everything that has happened until today is because God loves us! 

We learned about FamilySearch and how we can help our investigators and the recent converts start doing their family history work and take names to the temple!

We had an awesome family home evening in Hermana Ines´ house and Eduardo came! We talked about the light of Christ and how everyone has it and it helps us choose the right before our baptism and then after we are baptized we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost which is a blessing and that we can be guided and feel the love God has for us through the Holy Ghost.

We had intercambios this week also and I was with Hermana Weaver and she's super awesome! We also taught some super crazy guy who was asking us how many numbers there are between 1 and 2 and stuff super nada que ver ( or crazy)

We went to the baptism of Clemen who is from the Hermanas from Santa Cruz, he is super awesome! :)

On Sunday we got a call telling us that we are closing our house and stuff that we already knew but then they told us that Hermana Aquino is going to be staying in Santa Cruz and I will be leaving...Im super sad because I won't be here for Marta and Eduardo when they get baptized but I know that God wants me to go somewhere else to help other people.    Next week I'll know and be able to tell everyone where I'm going. 

I hope everyone has a great week! 

Love Hermana Jepsen 

Tomorrow Will Be Better -Hermana Alicia

To start off I'll explain my title, There is a member here who has cancer and some days she is really, really sick and she always says to us " tomorrow will be better" no matter how terrible our day was we can always choose to have a better day the next day. We have the blessing of Agency to choose. So if you have a bad day remember that Tomorrow will be better! 

This week we went on a hike to have lunch for our "cooking class" with the senior couple and it was super awesome!! 

Ah -our washing machine broke so we had to go to hermana Ines´ house to wash our clothes but she has a dryer and so for the first time in my mission I got to dry my clothes! They were ready the same day to wear! We really take advantage of the things we have until we dont have them anymore...

We got to know our new area in Santa Cruz this week but we really don't know anything about it so we walked and walked and walked contacting houses for like 6 hours but its all good because we got to see miracles! We contacted a guy and he told us we could go to his house with him and teach his family so we went and they are Haitians but they understand Spanish and they are super awesome! When we are obedient and doing the things the Lord would have us do we are blessed.

We visited Marta this week and she had had a really bad week and she fought a lot with her husband and also started smoking again. But she is still reading her Book of Mormon everyday and still wants to be baptized so we are helping her overcome her trials.

The dad of hermana Ines is 101 years old and he literally is my favorite old man in Chile!! He just laughs and laughs and laughs. even though he is 101 and is like a little baby he really shows us that life is fun and that we need to always make the best of it! 

Yesterday was Brynlies Birthday and on Wednesday is Brian and Katies Birthday so Happy Birthday and we sang these songs just for you! I can't give you a present or a hug but just know that I'm sending you my love and I think about and pray for you guys every day! ( bueno, looks like I can't send the songs today so I'll try to send them next week)

Have a great week everyone and remember that God loves you and so do I!!

Love Hermana Jepsen

9 Months Down!!

I did not like the Toasted Harina.

This week was good, like all of the weeks haha.

On Monday night we taught some Haitians the Plan of Salvation and I have drawings which makes it a lot easier and so we started and they just wanted to look at the drawings and know how I made them haha. But then we taught it and after we had them re-teach it to us with the drawings and they did a really good job! We were really proud especially because they did it in Spanish! Woohoo

Me and Patricio

We did the Pre-interview for baptism for Marta, and she passed! She knew it all and is progressing soooo well! But she didn't go to church on Sunday because she had visitors and Santa Cruz is far away...But we are still working with her!

A member had his birthday this week and so we made tacos and had a party! Woohoo

Hermana Aquino and Patricio

We also taught Patricio the same day and he is just so hard to teach sometimes because he doesn't understand anything! But we will keep working with him. Then he gave us some drink called Toasted Harina which is Toasted Flour with water and sugar. It was super gross...Look at my face in the picture haha it says it all...

We had our interviews this week! WOOHOO

We talked with President Harris and he said that we will yes have to move to Santa Cruz but that we will still work in Chepica some days and that also I might stay but with new companion because I know our investigators and they have trust in me. So I'm sad that I wont be with Hermana Aquino but I'm happy because I'll most likely be here to help Marta and Eduardo until they are firm in the church. 

I got to watch Coco!! It is the cutest movie ever! Whoo we watched it to teach about Family History work and the Temples. We taught Marta and Eduardo and they are super excited for one day to be able to go to the temple and do the work for their ancestors.

We had Intercambios with our hermana Leaders and it was good. We contacted a lot and had a good lesson with a Haitian. We contacted a lady who didn't want anything but she said that the reason she's not religious is because all of the religions think they are the best and then they just all start wars..Haha okay. We told her that God loves her and that when she feels ready to learn about the gospel we will be willing to teach her.

In church we had a lot of youth come who have been really inactive and we are super happy because they are happy because there are more youth in Santa Cruz so hopefully they will keep coming.Then in the afternoon we visited Hermana Ines and she is super funny and was telling us stories about when she served a mission haha. She had to go to 2 missions because she was (in her words) "kicked out" of the other mission haha. 

This week I was reading about the Temple and I really loved one phrase. 

"The home is the only place that can compare in Sacredness with the Temple" 

We need to be trying every day to make our house sacred like the temple 

Have a great week! The gospel is true and God loves you

Hermana Jepsen

¡Hay Que Seguir No Mas Po!

Inés and her dad who is 102 years old!

This week was pretty good but the members are super super angry that the Branch was closed and that they have to go to another Branch but we are doing our best to help them understand that it is a good thing and that they will be blessed! 

I got my carnet and soooo I am legal! Woohoo! Basically Im Chilean now :)

 

Okay, so we always have "cooking class" with the senior couple in our area and this week we made Waffles but instead of putting sugar I put A LOT of salt! They were the saltiest waffles ever!! I guess thats why its called cooking class haha! It was super embarrassing lol.

Marta and Eduardo are just so special! They told us about all the Miracles they have seen and had in their lives and they just kept telling us how blessed they feel! Marta also went to Church this week! And she has stopped smoking! Which means I can wear makeup again! woohoo! It's a win for all! 

The heart attack we did to Marta :)

We taught Particio the Law of Chastity and now I think he understands a little bit better that he cannot have ANY girlfriends!! haha

This week it also rained for 3 days straight! It rains so much that the streets flood! And well it was raining so hard that it was raining inside of my umbrella! But we know we receive blessings when we work in the rain because it's a sacrifice and with sacrifice comes blessings.

The Elders from Peralillo in our zone called us one day because they were coming to Chepica for a meeting and asked if we would make them lunch?! WHAT? We said no, haha, buy your own lunch but they kept asking and so we ended up making them lunch but we cant be inside our house with them, obviously, so we had to sit outside our own house in the rain while they ate lunch! haha. But they were very grateful so its fine and we are receiving the blessings.

Some days it is hard for us to have the desires to work because we know we will be leaving in 4 weeks but we have been praying a lot and we fasted so that we could receive the help and the desires to keep working here in Chepica for the last 4 weeks and I would just like to say that fasting is more than just not eating. It is a sacrifice so that we can receive something we need in return. I know that it is a great blessing that we have. 

Thanks for your prayers and your love and support. I couldn't be here in Chile without the love and support of my family and friends :) 

Have a great week! 

Love Hermana Jepsen

 

Sacrifices Brings Blessings (Chao Chepica)

This week we had a lot of emotions!

First things first, we went to visit Marta, and well Marta smokes....sooooo we decided to sacrifice things while she is sacrificing smoking. So I am not wearing makeup until she stops and Hermana Aquino isnt eating after 8 at night and her son Eduardo isn't using his phone for social media from 11 am until 6 pm. We are all sacrificing something. I think mine is the hardest ;) Ah, ps she started her sacrifice smoking 7 cigarettes every day and now she's sometimes smoking 1! But goes a lot of days without! Woohoo!!! Blessings for all!!

One of the members here is an english teacher (he served his mission in Utah) so he asked us to come to his class to introduce ourselves and also teach his students the Cup Song from Pitch Perfect. It was really fun and the kids seemed to enjoy doing something a little different for a while.

We visited Patricio again this week and he told us that he has like 50 cats and 5 women....He tells us he has girlfriends! What?! He is 71 years old and married and tells us that he has girlfriends! We told him that this week we are going to have to teach him the Law of Chastity...haha. He's crazy. 

Me and Patricio 

Hermana Aquino and Patricio

Marta invited us to her house for lunch and it was super yummy! All of her family can cook really well so it's always awesome to eat at her house. We taught her son Eduardo about the plan of salvation and he was super excited and says that he really likes the part about the spirit world and how important it is to do all of our "works" (baptism and other things) here on earth because it's harder to do it in the spirit world and he doesn't want to have to rely on anyone to do is work here if he dies hahahah.

Well, it's cold here and the Haitians are not use to cold so when its cold they all drink wine! So all of our haitian investigators are always drunk! We have explained to them that they can't do it but they say it's the only way to not be cold!!🙄🙄

This week we had to clean the house of the Elders and it was SO gross! It was like they hadn't cleaned for years haha! But we got it done finally and it looked pretty good when we left!!

One day this week we went to the investigators of the elders (well ours now) and we put 7 baptismal dates in ONE day!! It was a miracle!

We also did "heart attacks" to the members here and wrote cute little scriptures and put them on the gates of their houses and they were all very grateful!

Okay, on Sunday President Harris came to Chepica and we had a ward council meeting in the morning and he told us that.....He is closing the branch in Chepica. So, there is not a branch in Chepica anymore. We will now have to go to Santa Cruz every Sunday which for the members is difficult but we know that we will be blessed. Also in 5 weeks there will no longer be missionaries in Chepica either. So, we know that we all will be leaving Chepica next cambio. But the reason for this is because there aren't men with the Priesthood, no families, and there aren't all of the organizations (young womens and young mens, Primary). It will be good but really hard at first for the members. Now our job as missionaries is to help the members and our investigators understand the reasons and get them excited to go to Santa Cruz on Sunday!

Well thats all for this week! Have a great 4th of July! Party hard and eat lots of good food!!!

Love Hermana Jepsen