Goodbye to the people of San Raphael

Jacqueline and Oscar Gatica

We made honey bbq wings for the Gatica family.  They loved them!

Hey Everybody,

So this week we said goodbye to A LOT of people that I've come soooo close with!  I'm going to San Luis Ampia with a porteño from Buenos Aires. It should be really cool!  Last week I didn't know I was going for sure but I planned on it because it was really likely that I was going to and if I didn't do it I wouldn't have had time to say goodbye to anybody. It would be like I just disappeared (which happened for several missionaries that were unexpectedly leaving) As I was saying goodbye to a ton of people this week  it was pretty hard. I didn't cry in front of any of them!! But some of the hermanas almost made me ha. I know I'll see them again when I come back with you guys:)  I was able to leave my testimony for a lot of them and with some I was able to share a favorite scripture of mine which is in Helaman 5:12. It's the one about the rock of Christ and if we build on it we won't fall. And I was able to share it with a lot of less actives and ONE family that we were able to bring back! The Aguilera family! They're officially coming back to church and it makes me soo happy! :) 

We had stake conference this last Sunday and the stake president talked a little about the member attendance. There are 5000 members in San Raphael and we have the biggest zone in the mission. We only have 600 that are active.  It was a surprising statistic but it's all good! The stake and apparently the Church is focusing a lot on increasing the priesthood and the leaders are encouraging us to work more with men that can prepare to have the holy priesthood.

Oh my gosh-- I'm so sorry about those people that died in Gilbert and in Europe...I heard something from an old lady about a lot of people died in a concert in Germany haha but ok...soo there were hundreds that died and in France...ya it's been a sad week.

Hey I haven't gotten any packages here at all. Maybe theres that one that that sister brought here but I won't know until the next zone meeting and were probs not gonna go to the offices when we go to mendoza. Tomorrow is when well have the meeting with all the mission and some Seventies over this area and right after the meeting we're all leaving to our new areas with our new comps...it's gonna be pretty crazy with 250 missionaries and those that are leaving with their suitcases and everything haha.  

So, to answer your question, Mom - we don't have a relief society president BUT we have a girl that teaches the gospel doctrine classes and the bishop's wife helps too and I think she has multiple callings. We don't get a whole lot from the ward but there's some hermanas that help us with clothes and giving us lunch!!  We have really good lunches here!

I'm trying my best out here and only care what the Lord wants me to do. I trust him more than anybody and have learned in some of the most fearful time in my mission here to trust Him. All he wants us to do is try our best and leave it in his hands.

Hey I have to go but I love you all so much. Have an awesome week:)

Love your son,

Elder  Chamberlain

Halloween Day P-Day Activities

Key to Happiness is Being Grateful

Hey Everyone - 

This week was fun and we had an awesome ward activity that we made! We had churipanes! Churi is like this sausage which they have here and there's several kinds and it's really good! That and pan (bread). It was a lot of fun and we did the spiritual activity part. We we're going to show a video but technology wasnt really working soo we just explained it all. We did really good I felt! We talked about the Book of Mormon and gave the ward a challenge to give out 10 books of mormon to someone this week! At the end we talked about when Christ asked Peter if he loved him and why he asked him 3 times if he loved him. overall it went really well.

Everything else is really good too! Veronica, Nico, Alonsos, aguileras, andrea y tomas etc everyone is really good and were making good work with them. Thank you for all the prayers they're very much appreciated!

Much love to you all!

Elder Chamberlain

What's up Popz,

I can finally start to see spring coming but while I was working out this morning it just starts to pour rain haha! It's pretty cold down here still but not too bad how it was like a month or 2 ago.

Ya Mom has told me that Spencer's killing it in Tennis!! I cant wait to see him in a tournament someday!  

Wow that should be fun and ya pretty interesting to organize a Christmas sacrament meeting! Haven't you made a musical production like that before though? Dad if you want some really cool songs that I love that maybe you could use...they help me feel the spirit soo strong and help me think about the Savior when I need help.

"still,still,still"

"away in a manger"

Those are just 2 that I thought of! You could make some cool arrangements!

Soo is home gonna look really different when I come back? You're getting some new alfombra huh? I haven't seen carpet in a long time!

Dad I've been making more progress with Jesus the Christ and my comp just finished it. He started about a year ago and He's going home to Uruguay in 2 weeks. Elder Barton is going home this transfer too and soo is my good bud from Mexico, Elder Tirado. We're losing a lot of cool missionaries this transfer. 

I skipped to the end of the book dad and wanted to read about Christ's second coming and the millenium. I teared up reading some parts --it's really cool.  I'd invite you to read it. It really puts the purpose more in your mind of why were here and what's about to soon happen.

I learned about the difference of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. The Kingdom of God is simply the gospel and the kingdom of heaven is the government and law of heaven. The 2 shall reunite when Christ comes back again.

Anyway that was something cool that happened this week. You and mom should read that part.  It's only like 20 pages in total at the very end.

Dad I've been thinking of something that you've always told me--the key to happiness...true happiness. It's being grateful. I'm glad that I have a lot of trials here, that it can be dangerous sometimes, trials with food, my pench, and just the things that Argentina doesn't really have and more. More than anything you guys, I've seen sooo much sadness and just families left torn by the power of satan. I'm grateful to have been able to see the things I've seen and help all of the people that we've helped. It's made me GRATEFUL. 

Thank you for teaching me that dad. I love ya and miss ya way too much haha.

Love your son and best friend,

Elder Chamberlain

MA!

Hey I heard you called the offices haha I hope everything goes ok with the package! Ohh that's awesome! I love those little photo books that you've sent me! 

Spencer is such a studdd!! Haha I can't wait to actually see a game! It'll be when he's in Highschool too so he'll be that much better!

Mom every week I keep feeling the spirit stronger and stronger it's been pretty cool. Like dad always said the key to happiness is gratitude and it couldn't be more true. I talked to kelsey a lot about that in her letter. Through all of the things that I've seen,people I've met, and learned here I will never forget how I felt and how they shaped me into who I am. I'm just really grateful how the Lord has kept me safe both physically and spiritually. It'd be really cool to show you it all...

Kelsey is soo beautiful. Plzz tell her that she has a marrying limit of 1 year in college AT LEAST! I don't want her to see the first good looking rm and get taken like that haha. But I'll be there to make sure that doesn't happen too...finally haha! 

I love ya tonz mom --thanks about the card. I've been fine! Dont worry!!:)

Love your son and best friend,

Elder Chamberlain