Week of Miracles...

8-17-13

Hey Familia!! 

Well, this week was seriously one of the greatest weeks in the mission... seriously SO MANY MIRACLES! Haha a couple days Hna. Howell and I were just thinking... holy cow, another one! This day couldn´t get any better! And then it did! :) Lots of stories to share!

So first of all, remember how I told you about our Zone conference and how we decided to fast to be able to find more bautismos through our menos activos and recent converts and such? Well, we have already started to see the fruits of that fast! And it all started with Claudia! The recent convert I mentioned before! Oh my goodness, that girl is so amazing!!! We didn't see her for a while cuz she travels a lot, but when she got back she was so full of stories to tell us and miracles that had happened in the past week. Basically everything she prays for happens haha. I have never met anyone with such great faith! We just adore her :) Anyway, on Sunday before a lesson with her, we passed by a contacto close by in her neighborhood. He wasn't there, but his wife, Coni, was. Turns out that Coni and Claudia are best friends, and Claudia had been telling Coni all about us! Haha we had no idea, but she was so excited to meet us and said that she wanted to have a visit with Claudia and nosotras during the week. We were so stinkin´excited when we got to Claudia´s house!!! Pos su puesto, she had an amiga that we could teach! :) So we taught her once this week, and it was so great! Her desire to learn is so honest and open, and turns out she has a lot of connections with people in the ward, and of course Claudia! It was so cool that she already had that immediate support from a friend to help her learn and grow her testimony. Power of fasting, right??? We are so excited to see her progress!! :)

And that isn't even the half of it! So many other miracles! For example one night we were passing by another contacto, super bueno, but whose family lives in Santiago and he lives solo here for work for a short while. We didn't think he would be home, but when he was and invited us in we thought,"Chuuuta! What do we do? We can´t enter:" and its kinda of awkward to stop by someone´s house just to tell them you cant come in. Well. right in this moment, a hermana from the ward passed by on the sidewalk and said, ¨Hermanas! DO you need help?" Oh boy, did we ever! Haha so we went in with us and helped us teach the lesson! What a miracle it was! :)

Things are also progressing really well with Ivan and Marlen. We had a couple amazing lessons with Ivan this week and we can really see him growing! He comes to church every week now and even went to the Noche de Hogar that we had this week in the capilla. He has a problem with the Word of Wisdom, but we had a lesson with him about that and instead of his usual excuses, he was so receptive and is already trying to change. He has the desires, just needs to do it! He knows it will be hard, but we are hoping and praying that this goal will help motivate him to pray more and then... get baptized!!! :) Haha with time, but it is our goal. It has been amazing as we have talked to other people who knew him before about how different he was hace como 2 or 3 años, and how he is now. He didn't want anything to do with the church before and now he is going every week! Miracle :)

Also, we has a great lesson with Marlen this week! She has been reading and praying and told us that she wants to get baptized. HUGE, because she knows it will mean a huge lifestyle change. But she feels so good about and we set a fecha with her :) I seriously love her so much!!! She never wants us to leave haha. Our goal now is to get her family involved... she has 3 kids and her husband but right now she is the only one taking the discussions. But with a little help from members, we can do it! :)

Speaking of members, another miracle.... usually we have a really hard time getting members to lessons with us. But this week we have already doubled the number of lessons we usually have with members. So incredible! The lessons are so much better with members. Help the missionaries, family! :)

Other random news.... I have a disease in my fingers. Haha just kidding! But I do have two that have been swelling up and really red and stuff and Hna Rappleye thought it might be a spider bite or something so we had to go to the doctor this week. That was an adventure! Haha turns out it is just something from the cold... weird. But I just have to make sure I am wearing my gloves and take this medicine stuff. 

Also, mañana I am giving my first talk in Spanish in my barrio! And Hna Howell and I are teaching Relief Society. Lots of teaching haha. I am a bit nervous cuz I think President and Hna Rappleye are gonna be there, but I am excited about the topic I chose.... the Restoration!! And how we all need to strengthen our testimonies of it and then help others receive testimonies tambien! :) Haha I have been on a Restoration kick lately. Every time we watch the DVD with investigators, I am just in awe at how they are leaping for joy, begging us to be baptized. It is just so amazing!! I love what Elder Nelson said in his talk"Catch the Wave".... "I cannot speak of the Restoration in tempered tones!" That is exactly how I feel :) I feel so blessed to have this knowledge and know that we have real profetas today tambien. I love the Ensigns and their talks! We are so blessed :)

Think that is about all I have time to share from this week of miracles haha. But seriously, it was amazing! And YOU all are amazing!!! Thanks so much for all your support and stories! I miss those kiddies tons and loved reading about their stories from this week! I busted up laughing at what Kaci said about the massage kit bahaha. Tell them all I love them and good luck in school this next week!!! And sweet Carter has a bday coming up pretty soon, I believe :) I am so glad you all are doing so well and I love and pray for you always! Every week I feel more and more blessed for the family that I have :) I hope you all have an amazing week this week! Keep your heads up (kids with school haha), listen to everything to prophets say, and smile everyday because eternal life is waiting!!! :)

Your Chilena,

Hna Teeples