Comfort & Happiness from Praying

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura
Companero- Elder Zapata
Carta #55

This week was realllyyy good for us!! we had so much success with our investigators this week. They have progressed so much and we are really seeing the blessings in our sector. We have soo many that are preparing for their baptism. But the baptism that I'm most excited about is Soledad and her two daughters. She stopped smoking for a WHOLE WEEK now!!! whoooooo!!! one more week and she will be able to be baptized. She went into an interview with the bishop to talk to him about her problems and everything. And she came out and was like WOW I have NO doubts now and I am soooo ready to get baptized!!! she said Im going home and I'm throwing away allll my lighters and allll my cigarettes!!! hahah it was amazing!!!!

We have been working sooo much and we are really seeing the blessings in our sector.

Also this week I have prayed and prayed and I've received sooo many answers to my prayers. Its truly amazing to see how much God loves us and seriously answers EVERY SINGLE one of our prayers. We just always have to pay attention. I've received sooo much comfort and happiness this week from praying and from fasting. I seriously am so grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission and learn so much from it!!!

This week was amazing and I hope its an even better week this week!!! Im excited for general conference and I hope you guys are tooo!!!!

I hope you guys are alll goodd. Say hi to Ollie and Fia for me!!!

I Love you guys!!!
Love,
Elder Nate Dirkmaat

That's why I'm so FAT!  What everyone eats every weekend here!

Baptismal Date!!

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura
Companero- Elder Zapata
Carta #54

HEyyyy family!!!

This week was really good!! I was so happy because it was the independence weeek in Chile!!! hahah and everyone celebrates it allll week and they alll just party the whole week!!!We got to play soccer on that day and pass the day with members, it was super sick!!! But as to the missionary work this week, there wasn't much we could do when everyone was just drunk, but we were able to have some success!!!

Soledad and her daughters finalllyyy went to church and they LOVED it!!! And the members were soooo nice to them and afterwards they were so excited!!!!

They have the baptismal date for Oct 5th so we are working really really hard for that date!! and she has 4 days without smoking!!! so were super excited!!!

It looks like you guys had a blasttt!! againnnn like always!!! Sophia looks like a BOSSS playing soccer. hahaha and thats sooo good that Ollie is becoming like me, that means he's learning how to be a bosss hahaha Ollie looks super grown up in the pics!!!Cant wait to get home and snap tha fizzz with tha fAmmm !!!!!1 hahaha

I love you guys!!!!!!1
Love,
Elder Dirkmaatttttttt

18 De Septembre!

Sunset 

Our Zone

FAMILY!

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura

Companero- Elder Zapata

Carta# 53

Whats UPPP!

That cat looks like a little devil. I'm gonna hate that cat!!!
Amber's way better. haha Dad your sooo whipped.. but I think that's good because it means your in love ;) hahaha

But this week was good for me as well!!! 

Last Monday the president called me and told me that I was going to be district leader so that was weird in the middle of the transfer. But I had to give my first district class on how to work with members. And I was super scared but I did it. and it was good! haha I also did a baptismal interview and that was super spiritual because we talked about how baptism is just the door and there is much more after. A lot more happiness and blessings. And I talked to him about how he has to put his goal as getting sealed in the temple with his gf because that will bring him more blessings than anything else. And then the next day when he got baptized he bore his testimony about how he cant wait to get sealed in the temple and be with his girlfriend always. Because his parents are divorced since he was young and he always thought that was so wrong and he has always suffered for that. and he told about how excited he was to have a strong family in the gospel. SOOO cool!!! that's the blessings of the gospel right there. The FAMILY.

Our investigators also FINALLY went to church. Holy crap i cant believe how hard it is for them to just go to church!!! so ridiculous!! but they liked it and the sacrament meeting was super spiritual!! we have a ton of investigators in this sector that are just sooo excited for their baptism and i really hope I don't leave!! transfers are next week!!!  sketchhhhhh  hahah because I always leave before the baptisms. but its alright at least I could teach them and help them. 

 
But your trip to Yosemite looks sicckk!! I love Yosemite! so many memories there!!! the 50 miler!! and then that one hike where we got back at like 3 in the morning. And then when me bobby and chandler got lost..sooo fun!! haha I cant wait to do fun stuff with you guys when I get back.
I'm glad you guys had a sick week!!!  I hope you have another one!!!!!!

I love you ALL!

Love
Elder Nate Dirkmaat!

Freedom to Choose

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura

Companero- Elder Zapata

Carta# 52

WOW! so much news and cool stuff that's going on in your guys life!!! sounds amazing!!! Sailing lessons and your new lifted riggg that thing is soooo BOSS hahah  And HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! how old are you!?? Like 35!? hahaha no I'm guessing like 45? I forgot!!! But happy birthday! looks like it was super fun!!!

This week has been fullll of ups and downs for me!! full!! so crazy!!! We've had so many spiritual experiences and then again sooo many disappointments. :(

We went on a tour of the temple with our investigator Soledad that is planning on being baptized. And she felt the spirit sooo strong being on temple grounds. And the sister missionaries asked her to bear her testimony of the church at the end. And she told of when she felt in her heart the Book of Mormon was true. And it was such a great experience. She cried and also told us that the night before she prayed that she would be able to pay the rent on the house, because she did not have enough money. She asked god if he would help her. and her dad has been mad with her for years now and hasn't talked to her for a while. but the next day he showed up at her house and gave her exactly the amount of money she needed to be able to pay rent. And she talked about how sure she was that that was because of her faithfulness in making goals to be baptized and everything. And she talked about how happy she was to be able to be baptized. But then on Sunday she didn't go to church. So we passed by later and had a lesson and we found out it was because she smoked again. OH I was soooo disappointed and discouraged. Because now we have to extend her date to be baptized and we have transfers in one week. I am praying and praying I will be able to be here!!!!

The mission is full of ups and downs and when the people have their freedom to choose, sometimes we get let down. But all we can do is help the people in the best way we can. Sometimes I feel sooo down for not having the most success ever. But I keep trying and pushing. I know that if I do my part it will come. Sometimes its just hard to believe that when I see so many failures. 

 
But we also had a great experience this week when we found the BEST investigator. So we contacted someone and they gave us their address, and we went the next day, asked for the person and they said noo he doesn't live here. But the girl that answered the door was like well if you guys want to share something, come in!!!!! WHAT!?  Hahaha and apparently she was going to get baptized like a year ago.  And she told us that it was a miracle we arrived because the other missionaries stopped coming. She said that she really has the desire to get baptized!! so that was a MIRACLE!!!!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

LOVE,
Elder Nate Dirkmaat!

Free Agency

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura

Companero- Elder Zapata

Carta# 51

Hola!

Wow, sounds like you guys had a good week!!! that would be sooo amazing if we would be able to do that!!! best vacation ever!!!! haha but IDK I think I'd still prefer surf trip... but whatever that's sick too.

This week was pretty eventful!! We took the subway today and some evangelical woman started singing and preaching in the subway. And she saw us and came up to us and started preaching to like everyone saying how were liars and we are servants of Satan and that we lie to everyone and that the Book of Mormon is a lie and there was like 100 people just staring at her yelling at us on the subway ha We didn't say anything and we were just quiet. Its so sad to see people like that. Because they are so caught up in there self pride going around yelling at the people to repent. but that's not what the gospel is about. 

It was super sad this week because we had invited like 7 investigators to go to church with us and they said that they would go no doubt and we would go by and pick them up. We went by and every single one of them had an excuse and didn't go. It was super sad and it was sad to think that everything we did that week was so that they wouldn't go to church haha. but we still have hope for them that they will get baptized 14 of September so were looking forward to that day.

I have learned so much being in this sector. haha! I've seen so many prayers answered and so many miracles. I just really hope that the investigators can make the right choices and be baptized. that's the hard part about missionary work. we can only do so much and then its up to the people. because they have their free agency. Sometimes I feel a little down because I haven't had that many baptisms, but when we know we've done all that we can, we can know that the lord is happy. 

 
I'm glad that you guys are doing sooo well I hope that you guys had a great week and that you have another one!!!

Thats sooo cool that Jaren's going on his mission!!!!
I'm not going to see him for 3 years!!! that sucksss!!!
But Im sure he will love his mission. Itll be hard.. but he will learn so much!!
Was he excited when he got his call?

Love you guys!!!

love,
Elder Nate Dirkmaat