December 30, 2013 (day 27)

HOLA HOLA de Olmué Chile!!!!!!

This has been an insane week. We haven´t actually had a ton of time to teach and we aren´t finding new investigators, but that isn´t all our fault. Haha we have had tons of stuff to do this week.

Lunes: We emailed and I ate my first completo (hot dog). Then we searched for a house forever and never found one. We have to move out tomorrow. I will tell you more in a minute. 

Martes: Christmas Eve!! I never told you where we were right before I skyped you haha. We helped one of our investigators bury her cute dead little kitten that got attacked by a big dog. It was sad, I really liked that little kitty. But then I got to skype the fam and all was good! The family that we spent the evening with gave me a shirt and a tie and some cologne! They are so nice to me! They nicknamed me Principito. Or the little prince. I don´t really know why haha. I also have the nickname of Elder Ken like the Barbie Ken and people call me Justin Bieber all the time haha. But anyway, it was a really fun night!

Miércoles: We had a district meeting and I learned a lot about being patient with investigators. Around 4 in the afternoon we went to the church to meet with a family that lives in Viña where Elder Hormaechea was previously. They gave him tons of presents and I felt horrible the whole time for some reason. Elder Hormaechea told me after that he did too. I think it was because it just wasn´t a good use of our time. We have so much work to do and so little time. We can´t afford to waste any of it. But then we went from there and talked to Lorenita and Pedro who are a young couple who just got married like a week ago and they have a little boy named Alonso. We visit them a lot. Lorenita had a baptismal date for the 5th of January, but it has changed to the 12th now. After meeting with them we got Pedro to commit to come to church and We prayed all week that they would follow through with it.

Jueves: We had intercambios. Not sure what they are called in english ahaha (exchanges). But I spent the day with Elder Cespedes who is also in our district. He is like 20 months into his mission so he taught me a lot about street contacting and I learned a ton. It was a really hot day though. It is starting to get way hot down here. It's definitely not chilly.

Viernes: Somewhere I skipped a day. Haha oh well.

Sábado: Today we went to our new house with the Elders and Hermanas in our district and moved some of our stuff out. The house is a great house out in the country. It's really nice and big. We went to Lucy´s for lunch and the food was great! But then I got realy really sick and threw it all up and felt horrible. So we went back home and I slept for like 2 hours and then I woke up feeling great so we went back to work for the rest of the evening. 

Domingo: We went to church and waited for Lorenita and Pedro to show up. We waited and waited and then decided they probably weren´t coming. And then they pulled up! It was after the sacrament, but they came! They seemed to have a really good time and people here are very friendly and inviting to investigators. Our other investigator also showed up which was good, but she has a very rebellious boyfriend who is making it tough for her I think. But I think she will pull through. We have a baptismal date for her on the 5th. 

Anyway, we went to Lorenitas and Pedros that night and taught the first lesson to Pedro. He said that he has seen a change in Lorenita and wants that for himself and his family and he wants an eternal family. I felt prompted to invite him to be baptized with Lorenita on the 12th of January and he said yes!!! This really was the best end to a week that I could ever have! This is what the mission is about! Inviting FAMILIES to become forever families!!!! My companion and I are way excited! 

We also got some bad news that the new house we are moving into doesn´t have water haha. So we are moving in today and tomorrow and then have to move out in a week. Haha What a pain. Oh well, such is life.

I want you to know that This is the best place in the world that I could be and I am so so so happy! I learn a ton every day and I love serving my Savior. This gospel can make people so happy and I love seeing the change in people´s lives when they accept it. Thanks for your support and Love! I love you guys tons!!!!!!!

Oh I don´t know if I told you but I think I will be in this area for 6 months! I´m really happy about that. Oh, and our first priority right now is to find 2 counselors for the elder´s quorum.  We need to choose out of inactive members or we need to baptize two guys who could fill the calling because the stake president doesn´t want the missionaries to have to serve in those positions. Just something random I thought of.

Elder Ruiz, my companion in the MTC)

This means Erik is an official missionary – I think

The view out my window in the MTC 

MTC District 1 with President and Hermana Allred

The view of Viña del Mar from the Mission Home

Elder Hormaechea and me on the bus

Our new house for like a week. haha

December 23, 2013 (day 20)

I actually just barely ate my first completo (hot dog). Loved it haha. It was the first time we have eaten anything that wasn't from a members house. But it wasn´t in a sketchy place so its all good. I love the food and haven´t gotten sick yet.

Ok so here goes. I loved the CCM. It was an amazing experience and I learned a ton!!! I loved my companion, although it was sometimes hard to get him to work a ton. But I can say that he is one of my best friends! It was hard since he knew absolutely no English, but he was very patient with me.

The Sunday before I left we had a pretty cool experience. There was a Christmas concert right next to the MTC and Elder David Archuleta was the guest singer! It was amazing!

As much as I loved the CCM I love the field more! Yes I am in Olmue Chile. Yes lots of people have pools because it is hot and never rains here. No we do not have a pool. We live in the poor part of town. My companion's name is Elder Hormaechea and he is from Argentina and speaks very little English, but we get along well and I really love working with him! He is an amazing trainer.

But as I was about to say, we kinda live in the hills. There are some people that have a decent amount of money, but there are a lot of very poor people. I don´t know if you can find pictures online or not of houses that are just on the sides of hills, but thats what our area is like. The streets are mostly dirt roads without names, and the houses don´t always have addresses. That kinda gives you an idea of what is like.

But I LOVE it here! There are some great members! There are about 80 members who attend, and quite a few inactive members. We have 2 baptismal dates!! Both for the 5th of January :) I got to challenge Lorena to be baptized! The other is Maricel.

We have pretty much only female investigators. It is hard to teach dads because they never seem to be around. We are working on finding families, but it is pretty difficult.

Overall our first week was very successful though. 

Erik - First day in the Viña del Mar Mission (December 17, 2013)

Sister Kahnlein (the mission president's wife) posted these photos on the Viña del Mar mission blog These were taken the day Erik arrived in Viña del Mar

December 10, 2013 (day 7)

Hi there! I´m doing great!! I am starting to understand most of what people say and I really have learned a ton about the gospel and about spanish. The food is really good actually. There is always rice and pasta with some sort of meat or sauce on top and it is all pretty good. I miss milk a little bit. They don't drink milk here I don´t think. Every morning we have bread and cheese and ham and then there is fruit and juice and cereal with yogurt instead of milk. I pretty much make wad or whatever you said you made in France Dad. I really like the food though and I am always full. Oh and thank you, the food on the plane was a lifesaver. I would have starved without it haha. I just had motion sickness on the plane though I think. It was only for takeoffs and landings, but I was about ready to puke. Anyway, enough about that. 

The MTC is so much fun! I am the only white guy in the two week program, and my companion is Elder Ruiz. He is from Bolivia and he is a really funny kid. I will send pictures next week of him. He doesn´t know any English so sometimes it is hard to communicate, but we work it out and have fun doing it. I teach him English, which he is horrible at learning haha. He teaches me and is very patient with me, so I really do well with that. 

My whole district is way fun. We have 6 elders and 2 hermanas. Elder Troncoso is from Chile and he is our district leader. He is an amazing missionary, and tons of fun as well. Sometimes we probably have a little too much fun haha. But I am informally known as El Latino Rubio to my district and to most of the other latinos here. That means I am the blonde latino. I love it when I understand the jokes and when they are just talking and having fun. 

Most other missionaries here that are white have no clue what they are saying or what is going on, but I usually understand and that is really fun. We have three investigators that are really just our teachers and they have helped me learn a ton, and last night for the first time, I felt like I was actually teaching by the Spirit in our lesson and I actually was able to say quite a bit in my broken Spanish. It was a great experience.

Oh I almost forgot to mention that I almost stayed the night in Atlanta haha. Elder Adcock left his passport on the plane that took us to Atlanta and he realized right when we were about to board our next plane. I waited with another elder and we were literally about 2 minutes away from not being able to fly out haha. But we made it and all is well. 

Thanks for the update on the fam and everything. Life sounds great there! Although I´m sorry its a little quiet. Coleman should be over today though haha just kidding. Except maybe. Who knows. 

The view out of my window here in the CCM is amazing. The temple is literally about 100 feet away from my window. So cool. So Cool. We go there today. The money here is really colorful, I just got some a minute ago.

I love you tons! I might have a few more minutes to email in a minute, but for now I need to go! I love you Tons!!!!!

This picture is of everyone here that leaves in 2 weeks.
All the other white people have been here for 5 weeks.

December 4, 2013 (day 1)

Chile is beautiful! It really is such a cool place. The temple is right next door to the MTC. It looks tiny, but I´m not really sure. 

The flight wasn´t too bad, but I got pretty sick right before landing in Santiago and I haven´t felt quite right since then.

We don´t have companions yet, I think we get them tomorrow. 

I room with 5 other guys who don´t know much Spanish, but I am in a class where I am the only white person and barely anyone knows English. Luckily the teachers know a little. I really can´t understand much haha. It's really hard.

The food is pretty good, but I think there won´t be much variety in what we eat. I had pretty similar things for lunch and dinner.

I´m pretty much out of time, so I love you!

I will email again on Monday I think. 

Thanks for everything!!

Erik leaves for the MTC in Chile - December 3, 2013

Erik got lucky. He got to see snow this winter, but was quickly able to fly above it all only to land in Chile less than 16 hours later. In Chile it is the beginning of summer so he will have much better temperatures than in Sandy!

His flight was scheduled at 1:55p.m. and left the snowy valley on time. He landed in Atlanta 3-1/2 hours later. He had 2-1/2 hours to find his next gate and catch a bite to eat. His flight from Atlanta to Chile was 9-1/2 hours. He flew through the night, lost 4 hours due to time changes and landed in Chile at 9:15 a.m.

He traveled with 5-6 other Elders and 1 Sister Missionary. They were all headed to the MTC in Chile, but not necessarily the same missions.

It was very hard to see him go! The last of three missionaries in 7 months to leave. No more kids at home for 11 more months when we get to welcome Erin home from Peru.

I guess we will spend the next 2 years writing letters and making sure our kids don't forget us!