Earthquake in Chile

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura

Companero- Elder Zapata

Carta# 50

Dad I was expecting some sickkkk pics of your lifted truck!!! haha yeah it seems like it would be easy.. But your gonna have to help me do it to mine when I get back!!! we´ll take it off-roading and just MUD all day haha!!  

Wow Bobby's going back to BYU!? That's crazzyyy yeah he's for sure going to get married!!! hahah crazy!!! in no time both of your sons are going to be married!!! how crazy!!! haha But I don't want him to get married before I'm there! I've already missed so much of his life.. I haven't seen him in 3 years!!

This week on the mission was pretty good!!! there was a good sized earthquake this week!!! its a crazy story!! because we went to a house where they told us weird things were happening and they wanted us to dedicate their house and stuff so that they could feel safe and not be scared. And as they were telling us what happened the earthquake started HAHAHAHA sooo funny. And we were in an apartment complex and everyoneee all of the sudden just starts screaming and runs outside, babies crying and the family we were with started screaming and stuff, and the power lines exploded it was super dramatic hahah it was like a 6.4 earthquake. IT was superr cool!! those adrenaline rushes are soooo sick!!! And it was crazy that it happened in that moment also haha

But we are still teaching Soledad and her two daughters..they are progressing super well. Seriously they already know everything.. all she has to do to get baptized is stop smoking. and she hasn't for two days so that's a start!! we have to call her all the time to see how shes doing. 

 
We taught the Dad of that family remember? His names Edwin Idk why I haven't said his name before. But his mom died the past week and he has been super sad. And missing his home in Bolivia. He says ¨hes mad with god¨ and we tried to help him and give him a blessing. and he accepted but he told us he didn't want to go to church anymore. But MIRACLE he came to church and we have a lesson with him on Wednesday. We hope that he accepts baptism. because sacrament meeting was super spiritual this sunday and I know he felt the spirit. Also the stake president came and the stake president talked specifically to him in elders quorum and bore his testimony to him, and said please do what the missionaries are teaching you because it has brought me so much joy in my life and in the life of my family. And I know you will be blessed forever. So I hope that impacted him and that he will be able to accept a baptismal date. We are praying and fasting for that. 

 
Im thankful for everything this Gospel brings us. And today I read an email dad sent me a long time ago, that just touched me so I printed it out. And he talks about our real purpose as missionaries. Its not just arriving at the door, which is baptism, but its arriving at the end. Eternal families. That is the Goal for everyone, and I want to be able to make that happen on my mission. Because it is the biggest blessing I have in my life.

I love you Guys!!!! Send me pics this week of the sick TRUCK!!
I'm gonna send pics right now!!!!

Love,
Elder Nate Dirkmaat

God Loves You!!

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura

Companero- Elder Zapata

Carta# 49

Holy cow looks like you guys had so much fun this week!! Well every week you guys have fun!!! Those surf boards look suuperrr sick!! are you representing that company now? Those boards always have super sick designs on them. I've always wanted one hahah! But If I had one I'd probably blast wayyyyy too many air 360 backside indy grabs!!!!! hahaha, wow I miss surfing so much haha! This week its been realllly hot and I was just thinking about going to the beach and getting shacked haha

Bobby goes back to BYU? Thats sick! He looks like he's been having fun since he's been home from his mission haha. I hit the year mark this week so that's gonna be sick!!! It goes by really fast!!! So I'll be home in no time. You guys have so much fun without me it makes me mad hahaha! Oh yeah, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY your sooo old dude!!!!!!! Mom, you probably feel soooo old!! Your children are now in their twenties!!!!! WHAT!? your gonna have grandchildren in like 3 years!!!! hahahahaah!!

This week has been pretty good!! we've been having a lot of success in our sector and we are finding so many good people!!! We put Soledad, the woman we found the other week, with a baptismal date and it was sooo cool because it wasn't even hard, she has the strongest desire in her heart to get baptized and she has the biggest desire to change her life for the better. The only down side is that she couldn't make it to church yesterday, but I still know she'll get baptized the 14th of september!!! After the lesson we had with her we could feel the spirit so strong because of the happiness that we had that she is able to accept the gospel in her life!

The bad part of the week was that we couldn't find the Haitian guy this week. He was not in his house for some reason, so that really sucked. But we hope that he will be there this week. Iv'e been studying a little bit of French, but I'm soooo bad at it still haha!! But I've been seeing so many miracles in this sector. When I got here the only investigator that we had we had to drop because she would not do anything. The sector was dead and at the beginning it was so hard, but now we have so many its hard to schedule the lessons each day. And that is because of the effort we have made and the answers to the prayers we have said to heavenly father. Its amazing to see His work in progress and I see it in progress in every part of my life. I've learned how to notice how much god really loves us and how much he really wants to bless us. We only have to have enough faith to be obedient to what he says. He loves us so much and if we can just know of his love, we can trust that by obeying him and following his gospel, we will receive happiness and joy that lasts for eternity. Im so grateful for what I have learned so far on my mission, and I can't wait to see what else god has to teach me. hahaha, it might hurt and be difficult some weeks, but because of these experiences we grow so much. Mom knows. I've told her I want to go home so many times, but by pushing forward always, it has helped me to grow my testimony and have the blessings I have now. And it has helped me to see God work in my life.

I hope you guys always remember the love God has for you!!!! Have a great week!!!!

Love,
Elder Nate Dirkmaat

The Still Small Voice

Sector- Lo Campino, Quiliqura
Companero- Elder Zapata
Carta #48

Hi Family!

NO, we didn't have a baptism this week because or investigator still needed to stop drinking coffee!!! but he said that he's been praying for strength to be able to stop doing it. And we're helping him and finishing all the lessons we need to teach!! Also, the Dad of that family named Edwin has been SUPER sick so he hasn't gone to church in two weeks, but he's been praying for his answer. And he says he hasn't got it yet but I think that he is just not recognizing it. Some things are soooo obvious that God can answer your prayers saying "You already know" so yeah, he said he's going to get baptized when he receives that answer. I know he will but I just really want him to recognize it, because that is the hard part about revelation. EVERY single prayer is answered but we are the ones that don't recognize it sometimes because it can be so quiet and so still that we don't. But we need to always pay attention to those feelings we have during the day, the thoughts we have, the feelings and thoughts we have while we're praying and right after as well. I've been trying to be so much better at praying and having conversations with God. And I found out that God answers our prayers every single time. So I know he will get that answer. We have been trying to help him recognize it.

This week was also a miracle because we got a reference from a different sector and we went to visit the reference and she's like 40 with 2 daughters who are 12 and 9 and she had been taking the lessons from the sister missionaries and has gone to church 5 times, and went to general conference and said that she felt the spirit so much listening to the prophet speak and heard things she needed to hear. She also said the sisters asked her to pray about Joseph smith and she felt that he really was a prophet. She hasnt gotten baptized because she cant stop smoking, so that is the only thing in the way of her and her children getting baptized!! I have a lot of hope for them!!!

But the Haitians we teach are probably going to get baptized first. I just HOPE that they do and I have FAITH that they will. hahah because I want to see the changes in his life. His wife is going to come to Chile from Haiti in the first week in October, he hasn't seen her for 2 years, so he's super excited and told us he wants his wife to get baptized hahaha. Then we were like yeah, we´ll have to teach her and see if she wants to!! and he said, well she doesnt have a choice because in Haiti the men command what the woman do in a relationship!!! hahahahahahaa oh my, I guess we have a lot to teach him hahaha but whatever.

Your week sounds like it was super sick!!! I hope Jaren gets his mission call here!! then I would have BOTH my cousins here hahaha That'd be siiikckk.. haha I'm going to complete a year in like 1 week because my card thing says im going home August 25th and that's when the transfer is soooo that's sick!!! only one more year, and I'll be at home SHREDDING the GNAR, and getting ready to get married ;) hahahah The life's gonna be sick. I hope you guys are shredding every day still, you and Bobby because when I get back I dont wanna go out with a bunch of KOOKS! hahaha But yeah, that sailing boat idea to cabo and to catalina would be sooo amazing haha lets do it. And I miss camping sooo much that's like one of the things I miss a lot. haha

Oh and papa tu español está bien!! pude entender todo!! y usas muchos modismos de mexico!!! jaja como sangre way. Pero está bien vamos a tener que ir a mexico mucho cuando regreso para hacer surf y comer tacos RICOS! echo de menos tanto la comida mexicana porque la comida acá no es tan buena y no venden comida mexicana acá solamente ví un lugar donde la vende y era tan fea la comida!! nada como la comida mexicana de california. Pero papa tienes que practicar tu español mucho para poder hablar conmigo!!!

Ya nos vemos!!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! I'm trying to send the pics right now, but the internet is always slow and takes like 2 hrs to send. but I'm trying I'm serious!!!!

The snow was sick!! We went to a place called valle nevado super pretty haha

Yeah I love you Guys!!!!

Love, Elder Nate Dirkmaat

Baptism This Week!

Sector- Lo Campino, Quilicura
Companero- Elder Zapata
Carta #47

Hi Family!

Yes, We hope to have a baptism this week!!! He's Haitian and he's super cool! All we have to do is finish teaching him the lessons. He's super goood and wants to get baptized so bad. I just want to make sure he understands everything well because he doesn't speak Spanish very well. he speaks french. And I don't speak french! hahah but i have to go!!

I want you guys to know I love you and I hope you are allllll well.... We got home from going to the snow super late and I only have like 10 mins... But I love all you guys..The work moves forward and I'm doing fine :)

Love,
Elder nate dirkmaat