Relying on Christ

Hola family

I am doing very well this week. I learned a lot this week and was really humbled. I felt like at one point this week that I was started to rely too much in my own strengths and abilities and I wasnt relying completely in Christ like I should be. Thanks to the spirit I was humbled by seeing many weaknesses that I have and seeing the need to turn completely to the lord in all things. It has helped me with my prayers and my thoughts so that all that I do and say is focused on the lord. I have realized many times in my mission the constant need to depend on the lord in all things. I am grateful for that, I have seen in my vida and in the lifes of many others here in chile the power of repentance and putting out trust in the lord. It isnt always the easiest but It always makes us feel better. I am so grateful for the spirit that helps us do the right. I have seen that things work out the best when we think and wait for the spirit to guide us before we make decisions. 

It was a good week. Yesterday we finished off the week with a great baptism service for 5 converts it was amazing. It was so great to see them do this. They are so great and really are going to help the branch grow a lot. There was a young woman who is 14 and has terrible fear of water and was so scared. I have never seen someone jump out of the font so fast like she did. Luckly she only had to do the baptism the one time and it was good. After the service when one woman who got baptised with her son was saying good by to the branch president she started crying and told him how grateful she was to be able to join the church. It was so awesome to see and be a part of. I love seeing the changes made in the lives of people. 

It is getting really cold here. Each morning the house is freezing. I use blanket, 1 coat, a sweater, a scarf, gloves and a hat haha. I will have to send you  all a picture. It is funny. Generally it is colder inside than outside. But I think that I am just not used to much cold because I bet it isnt as cold as it gets back home. This winter I will freeze! Durring the day when the sun is out it isnt very cold. Generally I still use a sweater though. 

Many have asked about the end which is coming sooner and sooner. To be honest It feels normal. I feel like my life will just always be like this. I think it will be weird in the very end. It is weird telling people that I have so short of time left and their reaction always is, Oh your mom must be so happy. And I always know it is true. haha. I love you all. Have a great week! 

Love

Elder Hamilton

I love to see the love people have for the Lord

Hi family

This week we were really busy which was awesome. We had a lot of people to teach this week. There are 5 people getting ready for baptism this week so we have been helping them each day and we were able to find many new people to teach. One family was a great experience finding them. On sunday when we were going to skype we walked past a family in a little park and I felt like we should talk to them. We kept walking a little farther and I felt it again and so after we were about a block away I repented we turned around and went to talk to them. On monday we were able to share with them in their house. It turns out the husband is a less active member from years and years ago. He doesnt have a lot of faith in god now after "living in a hard world". his wife has a lot of faith and was really interested in reading the book of mormon, they have a son that is 10 and he also was going to read with his mom. It was such a cool experience that was guided completely by the spirit. He went to work in the north in a mine and gets back tomorrow so we will see them again tomorrow. 

Later this week I had another great experience with a family of new converts. They are from Peru and there are 3 families a total of 18 people living in one house that isnt very big. They are so nice and are so grateful for the gospel. We got there and they told us to wait for a few minutes in their living room. After waiting for a few minutes they had us pass to their living area and they shared with us a soup called casuela here in chile. It was so nice of them to share with us. They dont have a lot but they wanted nothing more to give us a little. They are so grateful for everything they have and are so humble. I love to see the love people have for the lord through their actions. I have seen that people really see missionaries as Representatives of christ. We are really complete strangers and they treat us so well. I can often times feel the love the lord has for them too. 

Another example is from the sister that cleans our clothes. She is the Relief Society President in the branch and she is so nice. I was so surprised to see the cloths all ironed and folded when we got our cloths. My companion said that they told her that she didnt have to do that but she insists on doing it. There are so many great people here who really love to serve in so many ways. 

This week in my book of mormon study I was studying in alma 24 and I loved what I learned. It is a great chapter about the anti nephi lehites and how they hid their weapons of war in the ground and never took them up again. I love the faith that they had. Many died because they would not defend themselves. I thought about our weapons of war and how we too must hid them. They can be temptations, adictions, the natural man, and anything that keeps us from obeying god. It was cool to see this relation of the scriptures to my life. 

I love you all so much. This week went by really fast like all of them. I hope all is well. I love you

Elder Hamilton

 My laughing place briar patch

Move to the North

Good thing his last area looks like Utah- would have been hard to come home from the beach  This is as far north as the mission goes. CH

Hi everyone

I am writing everyone from  my new area called Vicuña. It is farther north of chile close to La serena and Coquimbo. Monday and tuesday we had a normal day in my old sector. On tuesday night I found out that I would be going to the north which made me happy becuase I have never served this far north before. On wednesday we had a normal morning and then in the evening we went to los vilos ( the area by the beach) and I got on the bus going to the north. I was in the bus for like 4.5 hours until we got to la serena. We stayed the night in the zone leaders house becuase my area is 1.5 hours outside of the rest of the zone of la serena. On thursday morning we got on another bus and came to vicuña. It is  small little town. smaller than the last one I was in. It is really calm here the people are really nice. The branch has about 75 asisting weekly and has been growing fast lately. This last month they had 5 baptisms and there are 5 baptism dates right now for may. There are great leaders here and the members are really willing to help us out. There are a ton of youth. More youth than I have seen in one ward let alone branch in chile. There are about 15 youth. 3 Youth now serving missions and at the end of the year hopefully 6 people serving. I am really happy to be here. My companion is elder Davila he is from peru and has 9 months here in chile. he is great, diligent and obedient. We get along great and I am so thankful to have him as my companion. It is starting to get colder but actually now that I am farther north it has gotten hotter. haha. I am slowly but surely getting to winter. Still in the morning and at night it is pretty cold but I wont have to use my full winter gear like I did last year. I will definately keep that because I know it will come in handy this winter in utah. Like I said there are 5 people with a baptism date in may. They are truly chosen investigadors. Three are a conversos family, mom and two sisters, and they saw a great change in there brother/son so they chose to make that change in their lives too. There brother is going to receive the priesthood this next week and baptise them next friday. This friday and saturdaythey are going camping with the branch. The other two is a mom and her 10 year old son who were contacted in front of the church. They are really great too! Both families often talk about the change in their lives. The 10 year old boy, Danilo, already talks about going on his mission to his mom, Carolina. Mirium, the mom, Catalina 16 and Barbara 14 said that they are so happy that they have found the place where they always want to be. I love hearing people say this and realize the blessings and happiness that we can receive in the gospel. It makes me so happy. 

Vicuña has a lot of vinards and a factory where they make wine that is the biggest in chile. There are a ton of grapes here it is crazy. Unfortunately the time has now passed for grape season. I missed it. but it is cool to see all of the vinards and fields. Farther in the country I have heard that it is a great place to see stars there are a lot of observatorys here close. My companion said that in febuary and march there were a lot of tourists. 

I hope you all had a great mothers day. I loved talking to the family. It was so great to see everyone. Just to warn everyone. You cant send any more letters through the mail now because they wont get here in time so just email from here on out. I love you all so much. 

Love you all so much

Elder Hamilton

A great week- I don't know how else to say it!

Hi family

First off. May the fourth be with you!! 

This week was a great week. I know your probably sick of hearing that but I just dont know how else to say it. I like it all. We were traveling a lot in bus. On tuesday we had interchanges so we traveled to los vilos (1 hour). It was a good interchange. It was really cold there becuase it is right by the ocean and the wind is stronger. On wednesday we traveled back to Illapel and worked there. As I have told you many times. As a mission we are reading the book of mormon marking some "questions of the soul" all 8 to be exact. (If you want to see the questions go to mormon.org/preguntas, and sorry it is only in spanish. I told you to start studying almost two years ago) So to try and help some of our less actives, converts, and investigators we are inviting them to read the book of mormon looking for answers to one of the 8 questions. We have seen so pretty great results. One less active who always struggled understanding what she was reading started marking the answers to How can I find peace and happiness? and now she is reading more and understanding much more. It was so cool to see such a drastic change. Now she is always really excited to show us her book when we pass by. On thursday night we traveled to viña (I love going back to viña) and friday we had a reunion with all the other leaders of the mission. It was such a great reunion. I didnt go to the meeting with any questions or anything specifically but I marveled at how my questions were answered both from prayers spoken and unspoken. It was perfect feeling like that becuase we talked a little about how god knows us perfectly. I felt that as my prayers were answered in a perfect way. At the end of the reunion the president was going to give me a new temple recomend because mine expired but he told me that he had left the papers in his house. Then he told me that I didnt need to worry about it because I would be seeing him this wednesday in the changes meeting. so I already know that I am leaving illapel wednesday. I have already started to pack and yes mom I am starting to throw and give away. I am excited to see what I will be doing and where I will be going for my last change. I cannot believe it is my last change. it keeps surprising me how fast time can go. I am loving every minute. I dont know where I will be going but I do know that I will be closer to viña, Maybe by the ocean one last time...? 

Last monday we did the funnest recreational thing I have done in 1 year 10 months. We hike a hill. yay!!! It was really a lot of fun and it made me think of hiking the y and mount timp just not as green. It was great. We hiked up with a convert here. We were able to see all of the little town of illapel and on the other side of the hills where there are many fields with avacado and other vegetables. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed being away from so many people in a quiet place.

I will be really excited to let you know what happens this week with the changes. I am so excited for mothers day. I hope everything goes well with everyone!

I love you all.

Love 

Elder Hamilton

FINALLY!! THE TRAVEL PLANS  JUNE 17 10:22 AM CH

LOTS OF PHOTOS

Hola familia

This week I learned a lot about listening. We had a lot of great experiences with that. First we were teaching a husband and wife who are less active. The husband asists sometimes and asisted all 5 conference sessions but the wife has struggled a lot. After talking with them and more than anything listening she started telling us about how she feels like she lacks faith. She has two chidren handicaped and that has always been hard for her to understand why that has happened. Also her son joined the catholic church so in a way she always felt like she was denying him respect by being different. It was such a great spiritual lession. She started to cry and said that she would start reading in the book of mormon to know if it really is true. We are going to have a family home evening with them tonight and we are excited to talk to them again.

We also did a contact this week which was really great. We were looking at our map a little lost to be honest and a woman passed by and we said hi and she responded really nicely so we started talking to her. After a minute she started telling us about her husband and kids and how she was abandoned by her parents and was raised by her grandma. She has always felt really lonely in life. Never really has had friends to talk to and her husband works 7 day in the north and then is here 7 days (I dont know if I have ever explained that to you all but a lot of people work in turns like 7 days working 7 rest or 15 -15 or the worst 15 working 3 resting. It is for all of the mines that are here in chile) She said that she feels lonely and has faith in god but wants to understand more of him. We gave her a book of mormon and are going to pass by this week when her husband gets home. 

Then finishing the week yesterday we were teaching a less active woman who is married with a nonmember.  We were talking to her for some time and then started to share with her. At the end she started opening up and sharing how she is feeling. It was amazing again to see the spirit working in her and helping her share with us. I love when the people feel so comforable sharing with us. She said that she has tried to share the gospel with her husband so many times and there is nother more that she wants than to be with her family forever but that isnt how he things. He has other priorities. He also works 7 for 7 and she used to also so they hardly ever saw eachother. Now she is here in illapel looking for work closer to home and is hoping that that will help. We encouraged her to keep obeying in all things and trusting that in some time he will choose to change. 

With the volcano. We have heard a ton about it. I dont know what is going on here in chile. Last year there was a fire in Valparaiso, and an earthquake, flood and now volcano this year. There is a lot going on here. We are not affected at all. It is cloudy out but I dont think that it is from the smoke. It is getting colder and I am using all long sleeve now. burrrrr....

I love you all so much. I cant believe we are ending april already it goes faster each month. I love you

Elder Hamilton

LOTS OF PHOTOS

SOME FROM THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON THE MISSION WEBSITE

Set your limits now

Hi everyone

It is great to hear from everyone. I love getting emails and hearing how everything is going. This week was really great as usual with a lot of different experiences. We had interviews on Friday with President Kahnlein. They were the last interviews before he leaves in june. I will still have one more before I leave. I am so grateful that I am able to finish with president and Sister Kahnlein. They are so great. I loved my interview. We talked about what I had been learning in the book of mormon as we are reading itfor the fifth time as a mission. We also have been studying vitue and we talked about that. I asked him what I can do to make sure that in my life I can keep the spirit that I have had on my mission and the constant progress that I have seen. He talked to me about the talk that Elder Holland gave in conference in october of 2011 which talks about staying within our limits. I love the talk a lot.It is one of if not my favorite talk. He told me that in order to ensure something in the future we have to set our limits now. So he encouraged me to decide now what I want my limits to me. What things I will do to help me reach these goals and What things I will never ever do. 

This weekend as a zone we fasted for the people who have the asistences to be baptised in the zone this month of April but for other reasons (Live together without being married, doubts, or they need parents permision) they couldn´t be baptised. On sunday after church we heard about a miracle. A young man has been investigating the church, going each week to the meetings, and even going to seminary each day after school. He couldn´t get baptised becuase He didnt have his fathers permision who is himself a less active member. On sunday we found out that he got permission. On friday he was talking to his dad as he was getting some things ready for the next day. On saturday he was going to go to the temple in santiago with the members of the district. As they were getting things ready and talking together his dad ended up giving him permission to be baptised. Now on saturday he is going to get baptised. I love these miracles each day!! There are so many. I have gotten a stronger testimony of fasting in my mission. It really works! 

To finish this week off this morning We were taking showers and our gas tub started leaking a lot of gas so  I called my companion out of the shower and we took the gas tube out of the house and opened all of the windows. Luckly we were already low on gas and were going to buy more gas today so not a whole lot of gas was lost but it was a little scary. We turned off all of the power and started trying to air out the house with our towels. In the end we got it all out and we got more gas to take hot showers and to cook with but It was an interesting story. 

I love you so much Thanks for your prayers and support. 

Les quiero

Elder Hamilton

Let virtue garnish thy thoughts

You got a dog!!!!! Wow it just goes to show a husband is much more convincing than a son. I bet he didnt even do a presentation haha. I want to see a picture of it!!! I cant wait to see it. Will is stay small or get huge?

Family I hope everyone had a great week. 

My week went well. We did a lot of walking this week that is without a doubt. Last night my companion and I were so exhasted when we got home. This wednesday we had what we call La replica. It is when the zone leaders and the sister training leaders share all of the presentations that we received when we had our meeting with the president and His wife the week before. It was my first time doing it and it went really well It was a lot of fun. I like giving presentations. A lot of it was focused on Virtue. The president is doing interviews with the missionaries right now, I have mine this week, and he wanted us to study about virtue before the interview. I have really loved the study this week. He gave us a little pamphlet that the chuch has called let virtue garnish thy thoughts and I have been reading that and some of the talks that they suggest reading at the end of the pamphlet. It is a great resource for us all to read to help us with our virtue. In the world it is harder and harder to be virtuous I know it is  here in chile and I am sure it is the same all over the world. Now more than ever we have to strenthen our virtue and be not moved! In one talk I read it talked about the importance of temple asistance with virtue. It said that in almost every pornography case that this bishop had seen in adult men, The men had stoped asisting the temple before the adiction began and as our constant temple asistence lowers, so will our virtue. I am so so grateful that we literally have like 15 temples 4 hours from our house and we will soon have 2 in walking distance. I look forward to strengthening my virtue through temple asistance. It is what I have missed most these two years. 

We are really happy because after 3 months without a baptism in the zone Two sisters in a place called Los vilos baptised this weekend. We are really grateful to see that the zone is being blessed with more investigatores to teach and progress. As for our area, we are working to find more investigators, like always, because the ones that we have aren´t progresing much. I was very pleased because yesterday various less actives that we had visited durring the week went to church. 

It is still hot here generally during the day. At night it gets a little colder and in the morning but we are still not very far out of summer. Everyone says that it should already be colder now. I dont think that it will get that cold when winter finally comes.  

Like I said we have interviews this friday and I am very excited for that. Everyone that we have talked to said that the interviews have been very great. They are the last interview that president Kahnlein will have with the missionaries before he leaves. It wont be my last one with him seeing as I leave before he does by two weeks but I am looking forward to the interview a lot!! 

I love you all and hope that everything is going ok with everyone. 

Elder Hamilton

Tynan has wanted a dog forever.  Only problem was for years we already had 2 dogs and a cat.  When he was 9 he got a bunny but that really didn't help.  it will be a fun thing for when he returns.