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

Men in Black

Hey Everyone - 

Awesome week! We had an amazing activity that we made and we had 5 investigators come and 3 full less active families come that we have been working with for a LONG time haha. Ahh man it's soo cool to see when people finally progress...EVEN if it's just going to the church for a halloween activity haha.

Veronica and BOTH her parents came and they loved it! They had told me they had never seen veronica the way she was since the accident and that they knew she was really happy. That made me feel soooooooooo good I cant even tell you! were going to ahve a family night with them and the Alanes family (Oscar and Jackie) Hermana Alanes came up to me and actually told me that we should do it so were gonna have an awesome time tonight!  Ma, we had such an awesome activity! There were a bunch of kids dressed up and even some of the parents too haha! Ya, that's what we planned to be, "men in black" haha everybody liked that. We put a lot of work into the activity and also the Funez family (our ward mission leader) helped us a lot.   

We had a spiritual thought after and we shared a Mormon Message called, "What Matters Most" and we talked about how activities like this bring us together and unify us.  It was super cool!  Mom, I'm doing good.  The Savior has my back and so does my Heavenly Father.  It's a lot of things but nothing I can't handle with the Lord :)  

Thank you soon much for the scripture (Alma 33:23) that's really good!  I know that through his atonement our burdens can be lightened.  I don't know exactly how but that's just how it is ha ha!

Anyway Im going to try and send pictures Cause I havent been able to in forever(only through some members and facebook ahaha. Anyway much love everybody!

Elder Chamberlain

Elder Chamberlain and Oscar Gatica

Elder Chamberlain with Oscar and Jackie

The entire barrio (ward) at the Halloween Party

Carnitas (Argentine sausage)

Hermanas in our District

Jackie Gatica and our barrio for dinner