2 letters are better than one!

Hello everyone! Sorry for missing last week. So you get both letters this week.
Thanks for reading! No pictures though :(
Cheryl

March 25

Hola Familia

Esta semana estuvo muy bien. 

Hi everyone I am doing great and am glad to hear that all is well with you guys too. Like I said last week I am writing you on tuesday because we had a conference with president Kahnlein yesterday. It was such a great conference. I love it when we have conferences. They really are so edifying. It was so great to hear from the president about what the general athorities are saying about the missionary work. Like we all know (or maybe just me because I am thinking about this all the time) the general athorities are talking a lot about the missionary work and how we really need to start doing a lot more missionary work. We talked a lot about what we need to do as missionaries to accelerate the work. It really is such an awesome time to be a missionary. I am a member of an army that never has been as big as it is now. I Love what I am doing and really looking forward to work more and sirve harder here in chile. The work and investigators are progressing a little. In our area the work isnt moving very fast right now but we are do what we can to see some progress. The work is hard but it definately is posible in every part of the world. We talked a lot about the acceleration of the work and how that means that we need to be ready and help others be ready for the second coming because we really are in the last days. It is such a blessing to have this inside look at the missionary work right now. You all know that I love everything behind the scenes whether it be in movies, tv, disney, or anything that is good. I have a great opportunity to be a part of this. But dont forget that you all do too. Ryan and megan have been telling me a lot the they have been looking for opportunities to serve and invite others to come to christ. It is all of our responibility. I can promise you that in general conference they are going to talk about that so I invite you all to start doing it now so that you can feel so much better about yourself in two weeks when the prophet says that we need to do more. 

I love what I am doing. I have learned something really important about the mission and life. Well ok I have leard a lot of things really important but something specifically is that in order to teach or invite someone to do something you must have a testimony and act in that testimony. We talk a lot about the development personally that we have to do as missionaries and people and the importance of this with helping others. We are in a mission, or we could also say in life, to change. We have to change that is part of repentance and coming closer to christ if we arent changing for the better we arent staying in place we are changing for the worst. That is why we always need to work to be better missionaries and people. The wife of the president said that for us the mission is the university of life. I have learned so many things and I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to serve others. I have found that we need to develop ourselves in our mission but we can only do that through serving others. So do service and invite everyone to come unto christ. Sorry this is more like a talk but I think that the most important thing that you can get out of these letters is that I am ok and happy, and that you can learn something from what I am doing. I love something that an apostle said. You dont have these experiences for yourself, write them down. haha Sorry I just keep going. But Know that I love you all so much. I am glad that all is well. 

Les amo muchísimo

Elder Hamilton

March 31

Hola Familia

I hope that your week went well for everyone. 

This week went by so fast for me. I think it was because I had pday on tuesday last week and then the other part of the week went by so fast. It was a good week. We are happy because we found some new people to teach so we will see what happens with them. The first two days we were just contacting people the whole day because no one was in their house when we passed by. So we talked to a lot of people those days. We were then blessed to find new investigators so it was really great. In the conference we had our president told us that Elder Ballard does 20 contacts everyday and that needs to be our standard too so we are trying to do that. We were really happy because Patricia, Orlando´s mom (We baptized orlando like 5 weeks ago), is progressing a little more. This week she prayed in front of us which has always been really hard for her to do. Also she said something really awesome about the book of mormon. We have been working with her and inviting her to read the book for some time. She would always blame it on her daughters that she couldnt read but she started reading in the nights when they are asleep and she said that she can feel a difference. She said that when she reads she gets a feeling of peace and traquility. It is so amazing that we can really receive this power when we read the book of mormon. 

As a mission we just finished reading the book of mormon and I have learned so much from the book of mormon. I know that really I a power in the book of mormon. We really can come closer to god through the book of mormon. I can tell the difference in my day from days that I read and days that I dont. We can learn so much from the book of mormon. I have realized that it really was written for our time. I really loved moroni 8 that talks about faith repentance, baptism, el espiritu santo, and the atonement. Those are the 5 things that we have been focusing on during these three months while we were reading the book of mormon. I never realized how many times it talks about these things and the importance of these steps that we make in this life. Also I loved moroni 10 because he really was talking to us in our day. I know that really the whole book is talking to us but really this last chapter wasn´t read by anyone else back then it was just for us. I love the book of mormon and I am excited to start from the beginning tomorrow as a mission. This time we are focusing on the names of christ, when christ talks, satan, Obedience and prayers. 

I hope that you all have a great week. Use everyday to get ready for conference. I love conference. I have realized that if we can prepare ourselves for conference we can get a lot more out of it. So write down questions, pray, and I know you will find your answers. I love you all so much. I cant believe I have already been here for 9 months. I love what I am doing when I am serving the lord. 

Les Amo

Elder Hamilton

Welcome new companion

 New companion Elder Artiga from Guatemala 

Goodbye to my "son"

Hola Familia Estoy muy bien y feliz aquí en quilpue. 

Hi I am doing great and am happy in quilpue. I didnt change areas so I am still here for 6 more weeks. I will be here for at least 6 months. I am happy because I like this area and the people here a lot so I have always said that If I was in an area for a longer time I would want it to be this area. I have a new companion named Elder Artiga from El Progreso Guatemala. He has one year in his mission. He is a really great missionary and I am so happy to learn from him. I am really happy to have someone who has more time than me. It is great to be training but I am happy to have the opportunity to learn how I can be  a better missionary. He is always happy and laughing so we are always laughing together which also is really great. I have realized that I can stress myself out a little bit sometimes. I think I get it from dad haha I dont know. But I am happy that we are laughing so much. I really have realized a lot in my mission how much god really knows me and knows what is important for me in my life right now. I have had many experiences in my mission where things have happened in my life right when I needed them. He is a great missionary and we are working together really well so I am really happy with this change. My old companion didnt think that he would be changed so he was a little suprised but that is what happens in the mission. 

You asked a little about church on sunday. At church we always have a lot of things to do. People that we need to talk to and we need to show investigators where to go generally. This week we didnt have any investigators but we had some less actives there. Sometimes we have to teach the class for the investigators but right now we have a teacher who generally is here so she has been doing it. I miss the sundays that were just nice and relaxing at church and in the house but I like what I am doing. We also meet with our ward mission leader to plan things. Right now they are doing a lot of changes in the ward leaders so we have to talk to new leaders and plan what we are going to do to work. This ward and the members generally are really great to work with. They want to help and are willing to do it. Sometimes it is hard with work and everything. And everyone lives so far away with hills in between. That is when it is really hard not having cars here in chile. Not for us but even just for the members. They just use buses and things like taxis but it is more difficult to get around it is all by walking. But we try our best to work around it. 

Things are going good here and I am liking it a lot. We are still working with the morales family. I have talked a little about them. Enrique morales is a member but less active for 20+ years. His son was baptized 3 weeks ago and now we are working with his girlfriend. That is one of the most anoying things here in chile. NO ONE IS MARRIED!!! It is so annoying because the people here and maybe in the rest of the world dont think it is important. (Thank you satan) But we are going to teach the gospel and the spirit is going to tell them that it is important. 

I hope you are all doing good and are health. If you heard about the earthquake here it was in the north and I didnt feel anything. And so that you all know. I think that next week my pday will betuesday because we have a zone conference witht the president on monday. Yay I love it when we do stuff with the president. So I think I will talk to you on tuesday. I love you all so much. Thanks for your love support and prays. Be happy and pray. Study the words of the living prophets to get ready for general conference. We only have two weeks. I love conference!!! I love you all. Oh and it is starting to get a little more cold here so I am jealous of you all that are entering into summer SO enjoy it. I love you

Love 

Elder Hamilton

Be Active!

 I had sent him a cheesecake mix. He said it was delicious!

Hi family. 

I had a great week this week. The first thing I want to say is that I strongly encourage everyone to be active in the church, active in your calling, and active in how you are living the gospel. I know that sometimes it doesnt seem like it really makes that much of a difference but I am telling you that yes it really does. How grateful I am that I have the gospel in my life. The blessings we get every day are so important in our lives. Sometimes it isnt always easy to see the blessings in our lives but I promise you they are there. I am so happy that I am able to be here in chile serving the lord. I know that there really isnt a better way to live than in the service of god. Maybe it is on a full time mission or in a calling in the nursery all of the service we give is so important. I know that sometimes we can be overwhelmed with everything we have to do but I know that if we put the church first in our lives with prayers, scriptures, and the other things we are asked to do we will receive help in every part of our lives. It doesnt matter if it seems like we dont have much time for family or for work but I promise you that we can do all the lord asks us to do and when we do it we are going to get more happiness than we thought was possible. I watched the movie about the life of president monson this week and I think he is a great example of this, when we dedicate our lives to the lord every part of our life is blessed. This also means that as family members you need to support the ones in the family that have these responsablilities Sister monson was a great example of that. Sorry to go off on that but I really have realized the blessings of the gospel in our lives more than any other time in my life. We are working with a family right now that is really changing. It is the family of the boy that got baptized two weeks ago and his dad was in active for like 30 years. I was talking to my companion yesterday about how we have seen that they are different now with the gospel in their lives. They have a lot more unity in their family. It is amazing the miracles that the lord brings into our lives. 

Also as missionarys we get to have the opportunity, ok sometimes it isnt that great, to hear about the problems that are in the ward and with the people. Something that I have learned to love and use a lot in my life is what my mom has always said "everything will be alright." Life is way easier if you can just look for the happy possitive things in life. Really all we need is this faith. And I know that we all can find this faith in our lives. I know that I have been blessed with a lot of faith in my life and I am so gratefull for that but I know also that we can all find that faith in our lives. 

I am doing really great. We have changes this week and I think one of us will change but really I have no idea we will just have to wait and see. We have had a few earthquakes this week. Well really they are not that big so they arent earthquakes but I dont remember what their called in english, if they have a word in enlish, they are temblores. The thing is is that we have them in the night usually. We had one this week that was a little bigger like 5.something. It was in the middle of the night and I just slept right through it. My companion woke up and said that there was a lot of movement but I didnt feel anything ahaha. So I told him the next time he needs to wake me up so I can feel it to. 

You asked about lessions mom. Generally we teach like 10-12 lessions to investigators and 8-12 to less actives. We have goals for everything. Not because the numbers are what is important but because it is important to have a set thing to work for each day and week. We have personal goals, companion, district, and zone goals. 

I am so glad to hear that everyone is doing great. I am so happy for kevin and his call to Paris that is so awesome. When I learn french one day he can help me too. The whole hamilton family will be speaking french together. 

I love you all so much and hope you all have a great week. Happy Birthday to erin this week!!

Les amo

Elder Hamilton

There are always fires here. Both because of People and it is hot and the wireing in the houses arent that safe. Everyone hear smokes too. It is almost like they havent heard that it is bad for you but they all know it is. It is stupid. 

Denise sent him some mickey play dough for valentines.

Power of the Priesthood

Elders Hueratas and Hamilton with Pres. Kähnlein

Hola Familia

This week was great. I absolutely love what I am doing. Everyday I am learning so many new things in my life about the gospel and how I want to live my life so that I can endure to the end. I am so grateful that god gives us the opportunity to serve full time as young men. I definately have seen myself grow a lot. I cant believe today is my eight month mark it is going so fast and I am learning so much. 

Yesterday I had a little bit of a scary but powerful experience. We were in our gospel principals class for the investigators and this man came in for the last 20 minutes. I didnt know who he was and just guessed that he was someone from the sisters side. We were teaching and really close to the end of the class when he screemed, froze and fell on the ground head first. He was bleeding from his head and shaking. There was a sister in the class from the stake that used to do things in the medical work so we ran and got paper towels to try to stop the bleeding. When I got back she turned to me and told me that I needed to give him a priesthood blessing. I went to do it and I had the strongest spiritual experience with a blessing that I have ever had. I really felt completely like the holy ghost was working through me and the priesthood that I have. After the blessing he was calm and stoped shaking so that the sisters could better stop the bleeding. After like 20 minutes the ambulance came, yes they really are very slow here. By that time the bleeding was stoped and he was able to respond to questions and stuff. I realized in this the power and importance of the priesthood in our lives. We really need to live worthy so that an any second we can respond to the call to give a blessing to someone who really needs it. Also it was amazing to see that god puts people in the right place that they need to be to help. We had 3 sisters really close when this happened that were able to help us fast and they knew what they needed to do. 

I love that everyday I am able to learn different things. I know that there is a great power in the priesthood that all of us can have if we live in acordance with the will of god. I am learning a lot more about the will of god and how he works through his servants to help others and to progress his work here in the earth. Yesterday the ward also got new primary and relief socioty presidents. At first I was a little disapointed because we have been working so well with the leaders or those both organizations more than with others for our investigators. Then I thought about the changes in the church and how really they are testamonies that god still speaks to us. That is the mesage the church has for the world that god spoke to joseph smith and that everyday god still speaks to the world through his leaders and servants here. I hope that I can live my life so that I can always be called by god in whatever he needs me to do. 

I love you guys so much. I am so happy to hear that Kevin is going to get his call soon. I am guessing that he will go to new zealand. Let me know what happens and where he is going. I have had my call for over a year now and I feel like it was just last month that I got it. 

I love you all. Have a great week this week. 

Remeber to stay strong, Pray Always, And Look for the blessings in life. (It makes you way happier to look for the good) 

Les amo

Elder Hamilton

Baptism Of Orlando

Baptism of Orlando

Hi Family

I had a great week. I loved it so much. I think saturday was one of the best days in my mission. We had our baptism for orlando. It was great because we were doing it with another baptism. A boy who turned 8 so there where a lot of people from the ward there and the youth too which was so great. It all went really well and he felt really great. Thensunday he received the spirit in church. We were really nervious because they got there late and we thought that he was going to miss the time to do it and have to wait for another week. But he made it and he came with his mom, dad, and two little sisters who are 7 and 5. His dad is activating in the church and his mom isnt a member. So that was the first time his mom and his two sisters had gone to church. She wanted to go before but was always so worried that her "earthquake" children would be to noisy and so we tried to explain a lot that it is fine and that it is important that they can go too. One of the girls, the one who is 5, wanted to go before and the other one didnt. After the sacrament meeting they were getting ready to leave but the primary presidency stoped them and invited them to primary so they stayed the whole time. And in the end the girls were so excited to go back next week. So now the mom is really content and we are hoping that her and the other daughter, she is 19, can get baptised soon. The hard thing is that they arent married but I think the more and more they are involved they are going to make the decision to get married. We have talked about it a few times. It is amazing that a conversation like that really isnt that akward haha. So we are really happy for them. We know that the whole family will really be blessed. He is going to receive the priesthood next week too! 

Then sunday the sisters in our ward had a baptism too and He wanted me to baptise him so that was fun and went well. We were a little nervious because we didnt know if the members would want to come back sunday night for the baptism but there were a lot of members. It is really great because the members are getting excited to help with the investigators at church and support them. 

We are alway looking for new investigators and this week that will really be a focus for us. But things are good and everything. 

I finally got my id for chile which was cool. I feel so official in chile now. But my picture is terrible!!!!! haha. Everyone was talking about how in photos for ids you cant smile. Like in passport and stuff. I was so confused because I am always smiling in my pictures for my passport and ids. So when we were taking the picture I was trying to look serious and I guess my serious look is more like drunk and mad look. haha but It doesnt matter. 

I love you all so so much and hope that you all have a great week this week. 

Pray always 

Les amo

Elder Hamilton

 Helping the sisters with their baptism

 Different kind of Spanish Book Of Mormons

 Cute lady from our ward!

It says-Because all the days are your days. Thanks for everything mom!!

hola Familia

No pictures this week.  He really spoils us!

hola Familia 

Espero que todo este bien en sus vidas.

I had a great week this week. I know that it was even better because the week before was a little harder for me and my companion. I have this thing that I always say to myself when I am having a hard day or week. I need to aprieciate the hard times because that is what makes the good times that much better in life. I really always am happy. I know sometimes I have hard days or hours but I dont think I can be to sad when I feel the spirit and I try as hard as I can. 

We are still working with elias to help him stop smoking. Yes it is frustrating because I just want to do it for him. I know that I have been blessed with great determination and I want to be able to give that to other people but I guess we will just keep trying to help him in whatever way we can. He is a great guy I and I really do love him so much so it is just sad to see someone that I care about choose other things. 

Our other investigador that is progressing a lot is orlando (shout out for erin in orlando florida. haha). He is doing so good and had his interview for his baptism this week. He will be getting baptised this saturday. We are really happy for him. I am so excited for him. This is the first person that I have visited since we started teaching him the first time and now this week he is going to get baptised. I am so happy that he is making this choice. We are all hoping that the rest of his family will follow in his footsteps after. He has a sister, that is going to come back here this week, and his mom that are not members and his dad is starting to be active again. I remember the first time we contacted his sister and visited their house. 

Yesterday we had a stake conference that was really great. It was a broadcast from salt lake for the stakes in the northern part of chile, like us and up. It was 10 here so it would have been 6 in the morning when they were starting in utah. I loved it and heard a lot of things that I really needed to here. There were two elders from the 70 that talked in spanish, the 2nd councilor of the primary and elder cook. It was really great. I love it when we get to hear from our leaders. I am looking forward for when we get to watch general conference in a month and a half. 

The weather here is still good. This week it was a little cooler which was awesome for us. It is really funny because all this time people have said that in feb and march it is so hot. Me and my companion are from places where it really is hot so really it isnt that hot here. Granted I am not walking around and up and down hills all day at home but it really isnt very hot. It reminds me a lot of the weather in california which is just another testamony that god really does know me and knows that I like this weather. 

(In response to me telling him that I was watching Ice Dancing CH)  It is funny because I always hear songs from ballroom comps here. I never reallized before how many songs are in spanish at ballroom comps. And I hear the ones in english. I always hear a good samba or chacha. Some times, like right now, I hear a rumba. I always miss dancing. I want to stand up and dance haha. 

I am doing really great. I am excited for this week! I hope that everyone has a great week. I love you all so much

Les amo

Elder Hamilton

I love the Church

You can tell there is not much rain here even though they are only about 30 min from the coast. The weather is beautiful right now. Around 70-75 and blue sky's every day

Hi Family

This week was good. It was a little hard but I am happy. I am learning more about how we really can make ourselves happy and it doesnt depend on our surroundings. We just had some problems with investigators and menos actives that was a little annoying. i knew coming on my mission that that would be one of the things that would be the hardest. letting other people choose for themselves isnt always easy to watch but I love know that we all have this ability to choose and so I can always choose the right even if others dont. It is sad because we know the blessings that they are missing in their lives. I am so happy that I have this testamony about the truth and that I can share it with others. I f they done acept it that is their decision but I know that I can stay happy and stay strong. Our investigator that smokes still is struggling with that. We had a menos active family tell us that they didnt want anything to do with the church yesterday. This happens almost everyday so that isnt new but we have been working with them for like 2 or 3 months so we are a little worried for them. 

But I am happy and excited for the new week. I am ready to work hard and find more people to teach. It isnt always easy, the mission and life, but it is always worth it when we are with christ. 

The youth went to efy this week and yesterday they bore their testamonies about their experiences. It made me think of how grateful I am for this church and for everything they do for the youth. Every young man and woman that got up there was sharing their testamony. It wasnt the testamony of their dad or brother or friend. It was the things that they have felt and experienced. It is through efy and other activities like that that we can have this testamony as youth and adults. I read a talk from conference this morning called Be ye Converted from this conference sunday morning. you should read it. I loved it. It talks about conversion and how it is a process in all of our lives. It doesnt matter if we have been obispo, missionary, primary teacher or whatever. We all have the responsability to convert ourselves everyday of our lives. 

I love the church and the spirit. I have felt a lot in my mission the spirit. Even in times that are so hard we can have the spirit if we are doing what is right. I dont know how I would be able to live and do this work if I didnt have the spirit with me always. Life is so much harder without the spirit and the gospel. 

I heard that the olimpics started. it doesnt seem to be huge here but still I have heard a little. Everyone here is excited for the world cup for soccor. I have heard a lot of that and it is like 3 or 4 months away. Before my mission I didnt really know it existed haha. 

I love you all so much and hope that you all have a great week. Do something this week to strengthen your relation with our heavenly father. 

Les amo 

Elder Hamilton

 Chile has 6 athletes in the Olympics

 This says All Together Quilpue

Dirt on my face- we were doing service