tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71661638310811438412024-03-13T07:26:20.696-07:00Elder Preston Checketts - Chile, Antofagasta MissionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-44588917451593380252018-02-13T09:00:00.001-08:002018-02-13T09:00:09.441-08:00Mission Report / Homecoming talk -- Feb. 11, 2018<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Good
morning, Brothers and Sisters. The bishop has asked me to speak upon the
blessings of work, as well as share experiences from my mission that apply to
this topic. As I thought about specific experiences or stories that had portrayed
to me the blessings of hard work in the mission field, I had one quickly come
to mind. I served my mission in the Atacama desert, which spans about the
northern third of Chile. My second and third sectors were in Calama: the
mission’s driest city. It is about 3 hours from the ocean, which means it lacks
the moderating effects of the sea breeze during the day, and the warm humidity
at night, found in the coastal cities. In my third sector, my companion and I
lived at a member’s house. Though the family lived in our sector, in was a
little far from the rest of our sector where we usually worked. So, we got into
the habit of heading back to the house about ten minutes early each night, to
get there on time. As we walked back each night, I usually didn’t contact
anyone else in the street, as to get home as soon as possible and avoid being
late. However, one night, as we were walking back to the house and about a
block away, I was surprised to see my companion quickly begin talking to a
woman that was moving a dresser out of her house, and asking if she needed any
help. She told us that she did not, but despite having never talked to the
missionaries, was very strong in her faith in God, and has always wanted to
talk to us, but had never seemed to have the opportunity. We were very
surprised at her comment, but happily made an appointment to meet her and her
family where they worked at a local supermarket, as they were in the process of
moving, and were not sure what their new address would be. We returned to the
house happily, and I began to reflect on what had just happened. Because my
companion had decided to open his mouth in those last few minutes of our day,
we had found a very interested and sincere new investigator. It made me realize
that even the last ten minutes of our day were a golden opportunity to find the
people that were prepared to receive the gospel. Over the next few weeks, we
got to know Elena better, along with her husband Juan, and their four children.
They all quickly accepted the gospel, and Elena and Juan were baptized with
their two youngest children, Rodrigo and Carolina. But before the two oldest
children, Luis and Nayeli had the opportunity to get baptized, the family had
to move back to their native Bolivia for a time, and I hoped and prayed that
they would continue strong and active within the church. Several months later,
I left Calama to go to a new sector, still not having heard from Elena or Juan.
However, four and a half months later, I got sent back to Calama, to a
different part of the city. Not long after returning, I received a phone call
from the bishop of the ward where I had previously been. He began asking me
about Elena and Juan’s children, and which ones had been baptized and which
ones had not. I told him that Luis and Nayeli had not yet had the opportunity,
and he explained that their bishop in Bolivia had called him to make sure, and
so that the other two could be baptized. This news filled me with joy and
excitement, and several months later, as I was ready to leave Calama for the
second time, the bishop informed me that Elena and Juan had returned to my
previous ward, and were once again attending there. All of these experiences
with this family filled me with such joy to see their progression and strength
within the church, but it always made me think as well. If we had not talked to
Elena that night that we were rushing to get home, if we had passed her without
saying anything, justifying it with the fact that we were tired, or hurried, or
felt that we had finished our day’s fill of work, none of these blessings, or
the fulfillment of having helped a family in such a personal way ever would
have happened. Though God would have given Elena another opportunity to learn
of the Restored Gospel and be baptized in the restored church, we may not have
had the opportunity to celebrate with her. By doing something so simple to
better magnify our callings as missionaries, we were able to receive so many
more blessings, and be part of so many other people’s conversions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When it comes to the importance of
hard work in the mission field, Ezra Taft Benson often said, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“…
one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work! If a missionary works,
he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and
if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people and he will
be happy. There will be no homesickness, no worrying about families, for all
time and talents and interests are centered on the work of the ministry. Work,
work, work—there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work.”</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>J. Richard Clarke also spoke of the
importance of hard work and also clarified its sacred nature. He said, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We
are co-creators with God. He gave us the capacity to do the work he left
undone, to harness the energy, mine the ore, transform the treasures of the
earth for our good. But most important, the Lord knew that from the crucible of
work emerges the hard core of character.”</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our Heavenly Father expects and
enables us to work for ourselves, so that by our own experience we grow and
progress to be stronger, more intelligent, and more able: progress that only
comes through practice…and life’s practice being hard work. While working for a
certain purpose brings good consequences including feelings of accomplishment,
or the desired outcome, work is a blessing in and of itself. Only by work can
we gain experience and improve, for this was Adam and Eve’s great dilemma in
the Garden of Eden: that in the Garden, where no work was required, and
everything was freely given to them, they could not learn nor be better than
they currently were. For that to be possible, they needed opposition and
difficulty… they needed to work for themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As the Lord states in Doctrine and
Covenants section 58, verses 26 to 28: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For behold, it is not meet that I should
command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a
slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I
say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of
their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in
them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they
shall in nowise lose their reward.”</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As this scripture says, if we work
hard and try to fulfill our potential, we will not lose the reward that God
promises us. However, we often demand from Him a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">specific</i> reward, while in reality He will be giving us what we need
to improve, and not necessarily what we want in that given moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On another occasion during my
mission my companion and I had a family that had prepared for a long time to be
baptized, and while all of them that were not yet members wished to have that
blessing, the parents, Justina and Javier, needed to do extensive paperwork to
be able to get married first. However, their nine year old daughter Antonia,
had an enormous desire to get baptized and receive her blessings as soon as
possible, and her parents, knowing that their paperwork could take a very long
time to process, wanted her to get baptized as soon as possible, even if they
could not be baptized with her. So we began planning Antonia’s baptism. We
began calling members so that they could prepare talks, and finally the day of
the baptism arrived. We filled the font, and as we waited another young man
showed up that was to be baptized the same day. However, we continued waiting,
and we still had not seen Antonia or her family. We suddenly received a phone
call from her mom, informing us that Antonia’s sister had gotten really sick
and needed to be hospitalized, and that Antonia would not be able to be
baptized that day. We went forward with the young man’s baptism that we also
had planned, but afterwards, I felt angry and confused. We had worked hard to
help Antonia and her family, and yet she was hindered in her desire to receive
blessings. I could not understand why God would allow this to happen, when it
was the best thing she could do at that moment. A few days later we passed by
to talk to Justina and Javier, to see how their daughter was doing. They
informed us that she was doing better and that she would recover well, but they
quickly told us that they had some important news. They told us that the
paperwork for their marriage had taken much less time than they had thought,
and that they were going to be able to get married in the government office
that week, and they wanted to see if they could possibly be baptized that
Saturday with Antonia. As they told us this, my heart was full of gratitude,
and I realized that that had always been Heavenly Father’s plan for them: to
get baptized together. We had worked hard and He did bless us for our efforts,
but not right when I wanted it. But His plan was certainly better, and my heart
was filled with even more joy to see Justina and Javier in white along with
their young daughter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As I spent my mission trying to
improve and work hard each day, I was repeatedly impressed by a talk by Elder
Lawrence E. Corbridge titled, ‘The Fourth Missionary’. In this talk Elder
Corbridge speaks of 4 types of missionaries, the first and second being
distinct levels of disobedient, but both the third and fourth missionaries that
he describes are obedient missionaries. However, there is a distinction between
them, being the desires of each one. While the third missionary does the things
he should, he does them for that sole purpose: that he SHOULD. His heart and
mind are still focused on his personal affairs, when he simply goes through the
motions of his day-to-day missionary routine. The fourth missionary on the
other hand has given his will over to the Lord, and unlike the third missionary
has not just offered the Lord his might and strength, but also his heart and
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way the third
missionary differs from the fourth, our hard work will have little value when
we do it to simply complete a task: working hard to do something because we
SHOULD, rather than because we view its importance and working hard because we
WANT to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As we truly work hard in our
personal affairs as well as spiritual affairs with the Lord’s will as our own,
we will be blessed with improvement, success, and satisfaction. The Lord will
help us to grow, and the work in and of itself will be a great blessing for our
eternal experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TESTIMONY
SPANISH<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TESTIMONY
ENGLISH<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-44273729502417984782018-02-06T05:51:00.003-08:002018-02-06T05:51:53.548-08:00WELCOME HOME!!!Elder Checketts arrived home on January 31st, at 8:55 a.m. We are SO happy to have him back home again!!! His mission report will be on Feb. 11th, at 11 a.m., at our church (49 W. Tanner Lane, Saratoga Springs, UT). All family & friends are invited, and we will have a light luncheon at our house afterwards. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_J_eHIQzwco/WnmymeEQwNI/AAAAAAAAAnM/w_t2JzhlWyk6lQD9e0EPPrTKBrOga2HGgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/27655401_10215598132243657_4388447133817783464_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_J_eHIQzwco/WnmymeEQwNI/AAAAAAAAAnM/w_t2JzhlWyk6lQD9e0EPPrTKBrOga2HGgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/27655401_10215598132243657_4388447133817783464_n.jpg" width="360" /></a><div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-61543765170554780952018-01-22T12:57:00.000-08:002018-01-22T14:55:36.531-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone! <br /><br />To not be too stressed with time limits, I`m just going to write one main email, since I can talk to everyone in a week anyway. <br /><br />It sounds like everyone has been doing well, and having fun with the things they`re doing. It sounds like Dad`s working hard in his job as well, and that everyone is enjoying the cold weather ;) hahaha! I WILL BE!!!!! I realized that I hadn`t told you guys that several weeks ago President Ferreira assigned me to be a discrict leader for these last several weeks of my mission. He said that he wanted to try something new, to see if it would be effective, so both my companion and I are district leaders together, to have a stronger and more unified district. Anyway, I was running really short on time last week, so I couldn`t talk much. Valentina got baptized, but Jostyn and José still had not felt ready and so we`re working with them to help them get baptized. We are now working with a family from Bolivia: Modesto, Basilia, and their four kids: Juan Gabriel, Juan Daniel, Norma, and Anabel. We have to help Modesto learn to read, so we`re going to do it with the Book of Mormon!!! We also have to help him and Basilia get married, but Juan Gabriel and Juan Daniel, who are 9 and 8 years old are really excited to be able to get baptized as well, so we`re preparing them to get baptized this Sunday.... as well as an investigator named Juan José, who is the boyfriend of a less active member. He is very interested in knowing more about the church, and being able to recieve his own answer from God as to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. <br /><br />Anyway, Mom.... as for your questions! hahaha!<br />You asked first about my best memories from the mission. The best times in my mission have been those that have given me the opportunity to help people in ways that I never would be able to if I weren't a missionary....the opportunity to share the gospel with someone that had recently decided to get divorced and had pleaded to God for help to fix her relationship with her husband and with her Heavenly Father if it were possible, or the opportunity to help a person that wants to show God-like charity to others but finds it difficult to forgive certain close relatives. I find it impossible to put these experiences into words..... but there have been many moments in which I have felt very clearly that I was inadequate to help a certain person with their specific situation or doubt, and despite my weakness and inadequicy, my mind and heart have been filled with the impressions of what I should say or what I should do.... and I feel honored that despite all of my own mistakes, my Heavenly Father has used me anyway, as a choice intrument in his hands, because he knows how great my potential is to grow personally, as well as touch the hearts of others, and have my heart touched by them, their situations, and the spiritual strength they have to confront their problems. My testimony has been greatly strengthened because of the people that I have had the privelige to teach. As missionaries we are supposedly the teachers, but I have felt extremely taught by the amazing people I`ve met. As for the hardest moments and the moments that have helped me grow most: they have been generally the same. Moments when I`ve felt ready to break, whether it be stress with the doubts or lack of commitment of an investigator, or patience with my companion, or my own imperfections, I have learned a lot during these two years about the truth of the Book of Mormon, as it has filled my soul with light when I`ve felt my lowest, and has given me the needed power to specifically help any of God`s many diverse children. By way of these hard situations, I have also learned to greatly appriciate the Atonement, and though I`m not close to understanding its depth, I do understand that by way of the atonement, Christ gives us the opportunity to dust off our knees every time we fall, and just keep moving forward. As Elder Holland stated in April of 2016, God blesses those who know the importance of the commandments and try to keep them. But I`ve also been able to learn that he doesn`t just heal, he also helps us to grow by way of the Atonement. We can learn to love others much more and feel their worries and needs when we do what is necesarry to better know our Savior, and therefore, feeling more of the compassion for others that He has for us. My mission president`s wife also shared a beautiful story about the mistakes and fallbacks of one`s life. She explained that in Japan, when a plate or jar breaks, the people don`t throw it away. Instead, the seal the crack with gold, creating a beautiful pattern in the ceramic. They do this with the lesson that the broken plates are like our lives. We don`t have to throw it away, and our life doesn`t have to be ugly and broken after a trial, but rather, our difficulties help us to grow, and adversity makes our lives even more beautiful and rich in blessings, in the same way that the gold makes the broken plate prettier. As for my faviorite companion, I`m not sure about that one. I think that Elder Francis and Elder Jennings grew to be my best friends, but each one of my companions taught me something very important. Elder Urrutia helped me see the spiritual influence I could have on the investigators, Elder Orellana taught me charity by the way he treated all of the people we came in contact with, and Elder Pasigan has helped me to learn that I shouldn`t let problems get bigger than they need to be. I know I haven`t answered every single question, but I`ll finish with how I would describe my mission experince with one thing... I have realized over a lot of time that I have been taught on my mission how to be a more courageous and valiant person.... asking for help when I need it, speaking up when I need to do so, acting in the precise moment to help someone with something specific. My Heavenly Father has shown me that my potential is great if I reject fear and doubt, and follow with complete faith. And the fruits have been beautiful. I love you all, and I`ll see you soon. It looks like this is my last email, since I`ll be in the mission home next Monday, but I love you all, and I`ll see you really soon. I`ll attatch the picture of Valentina`s baptism below! Love you!<br /><br />-Elder Checketts</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-12966595061752032232018-01-08T12:17:00.000-08:002018-01-08T12:17:41.310-08:00Hi there!<br /><br />I`m glad to hear that everyone is doing well, and that everyone is excited for me to get home, as well! haha! Anyway, as for me, this week has been good. On Sunday, we have a 10 year old girl named Valentina that will be getting baptized, and a young man named José that will we getting baptized the same day. Valentina has wanted to get baptized for a very long time, but hasn`t been able to come to church very often because her parents are in jail, and the only times she can visit her mom are Sunday and Tuesday in the mornings. However, almost all of Valentina`s relatives are members of the church... including her mom, and they want to help her be baptized as well. Her mom told her that she would rather have Valentina go to church every Sunday to be able to get baptized, than visit her Sunday morning. I really respect that she told her daughter that. Hopefully Valentina will get baptized with her brother Jostyn as well... although he`s a little more indecisive. Anyway, I don`t have a lot of time left, but I`ll tell you guys how it all goes next week!<br /><br />Love, PJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-46661145835999915042018-01-01T13:23:00.000-08:002018-01-01T13:23:04.414-08:00Hey, Everyone!!!<br /><br />I´m glad you had a good Christmas, and that the family has been doing well. It sounds like you guys had fun visiting the family this week, and you had some pretty nice quality time, even with Dad beeing really busy. Anyway, as for your questions.... this week has been great! Remember how I had talked about Dalcy and Darleth, the 17 year old girl and the 9 year old girl from Bolivia that had tons of desire to get baptized?.... well... they got baptized, yesterday!!! It was super exciting for them, and they have so much desire in their hearts to be able to progress withing the church and serve missions.... they´re just super great over all! As for new years.... they had lots of fireworks that they were shooting off of the morro of Arica, which is like a big cliff at the bottom of the city that we can see from our apartment. Other than that, in Chile they always make manequins that they burn at midnight, so it can get kind of crazy... We had a dinner with a family where the dad is a less active member, and his daughter, Fernanda, is a really interested investigator that came to church this sunday with her boyfriend, and this week also agreed to be baptized in two weeks if she recieves her own answer that the church is true. <br /><br />This week, we also had lots of investigators that came to church. One of them was a ten year old girl named Valentina. Almost all of her relatives are less active members of the church, and she has been an investigator for a very long time..... but the problem is that she has not been able to come to church regularly because her mom is in jail, and visiting hours to see her are only Sunday and Tuesday in the mornings. However, this Sunday she came to church with her grandma and her aunt, and her aunt told us that she wants us to teach the lessons to Valentina so she can be able to get baptized in January, because she will now be able to come to church every week. (I don´t know if the jail schedule changed for the new year or what... but it looks like she´s getting baptized in two more weeks). Anyway, hope you guys have another great week! ttyl!<br /><br />Love, PJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-80208401032562841562017-12-25T14:18:00.001-08:002017-12-25T14:18:30.197-08:00<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(From Preston's mom</span>…<span style="font-family: inherit;"> We got a Skype call from Elder Checketts this morning, and had a wonderful hour </span>visiting with him! It was great! He is happy, healthy, and doing fantastic! He has had a great Christmas, celebrating with the members in Chile, and we are so grateful for all the wonderful people there who have been so good to him, and so welcoming to the missionaries! Here is a picture from our Skype call this morning, as well as a couple pictures from a lady in PJ's area, that sent the other pictures to me on Friday (I just saw them today). We can't believe that PJ will be home in just 5 more weeks!!! January 31st at 8:55 a.m., we will get to see him & hug him again!!! Hooray!!! :)</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-64915944426643324122017-12-18T17:17:00.000-08:002017-12-18T17:25:20.924-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone! I´m not going to write a whole lot because we´ll talk on Christmas.... but I´m staying in Arica with Elder Pasigan. As for Michelle and Ferenando... they can´t get married right now, because she has to go back to Ecuador to get her kids and bring them here... so when she gets back they can get married, and they can get baptized with their 8 year old son. Anyway, I´m really short on time.... sorry!!! But we´ll talk over Skype next Monday, so we can talk more about all that! <br /><br />Love, PJ<br /><br />p.s. Regarding our Skype call...I think at 1 should work... (You said that´s 10 there?)... but if I have to do it at a different time, I´ll let you know... I´ll have a member tell you over facebook if it needs to be changed. Also, I got my itinerary.... I arrive in the Salt Lake airport at 8:55 am January 31st.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-84602915704103725722017-12-11T15:27:00.000-08:002017-12-11T15:27:23.949-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone!!!<br /><br />You were asking me about the transfer... and it´s the 17th (next Monday)... we´ll be getting the call on Friday, so I´ll tell you guys next week what happens. About Elder Jennings, he ends this transfer... so he goes home in a week. (He only has a cambio more than me). And yes, I got the Christmas package :) As for the Christmas conference, we had a normal zone conference where President taked with us about how we can improve as missionaries and help the investigators better. Then we played a game with all the missionaries, that was similar to musical chairs, and after several rounds, we recieved the gift that was under the chair we were at (becuase we all bought presents before, and put them under the chairs). I ended up getting a Chilean soccer ball. Then we had lunch, and there were strawberries and bananas and chocolate fountains, and then we watched Kung Fu Panda! hahaha! <br /><br />Anyway, this week for me has been good too!!! We´re teaching Michelle and Fernando, who are from Ecuador. They have tons of desire to be able to progress and be baptized, so they can recieve all of the blessings that God has for them. We´ve talked to them to be able to put a goal to be married, but because they´re new in Chile, and they´re doing the paperwork to get Chilean identity cards, they can´t get married here until they have those identity cards. But the bishop´s wife is also from Ecuador, and they suggested that we could look into the possibility of them getting married in the Ecuadorian consulate in Arica... but we´ll see how that goes. We´re also helping a woman named Paola, who is what we call a ´´dry member´´ (She has everything of a typical member.... but she just hasn´t been baptized!) All her kids are baptized, and she´s coming to church, and knows basically all the doctrine of the church and has recieved her answer, that it´s true.... but she hasn´t gotten baptized, because she doesn´t want to get married... It´s kind of frustrating to see someone so close to their blessings, without being able to have all of them... but we´re trying to help her feel the need to get married. Anyway, Hope you guys have another great week, and i´ll talk to you next Monday!<br /><br />Love, PJ</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-88593165805149068362017-12-04T15:22:00.001-08:002017-12-04T15:23:57.171-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey Everyone! I don´t have a lot of time left, so this is going to be kind of short... But this week, we went to Iquique for a Christmas conference with the mission President, and we´ve found several new investigators as well... such as Fernando and Michelle, who are from Ecuador, and have tons of real intent to know if the church and the Book of Mormon are true. During the Christmas conference, I was also able to talk with Elder Jennings again, which was cool. Anyway, I´ll talk to you guys next week, and let you know more about the investigators!!!!<br /><br />-PJ</span><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512429244725_7805" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; widows: 1;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-59153800482287594562017-11-27T11:41:00.000-08:002017-11-27T11:45:08.814-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone!!!<br /><br />I´m glad you had a great thanksgiving break, and had fun with the family! As you can see, Fabian got baptized this weekend, and his mom was able to come to see it as well. The baptisms are always really powerful moments for us as the missionaries, and for the participants, but my companion and I both felt that this was a particularly powerful baptism. The entire morning, I had been super stressed out about filling the baptismal font, and rushing from place to place getting everything ready. However, when the baptismal service began, I silently asked in prayer for the Spirit to be with me and that I could be calmed. The rest of the day, I was full of peace and joy. Sometimes, we are so focused on getting everything ready for the baptism, that we lose focus a little bit, on the baptism´s purpose as the key to a person´s salvation. It´s the need of changing one´s focus from something good to something better. I was reminded of the story of Mary and Martha.... and I realized that I had to put aside the busy, stressed way of Martha, and insted, opt for Mary´s disposition to focus instead on the Savior above all things.... knowing that we can trust Him to guide us in all our choices and needs of the day. Anyway, i don´t have more time right now... but I hope you had a great week, and below is a photo of me and my best friend! ;) hahaha! <br /><br />Love, PJ</span><br />
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p.s… A few weeks ago they called me to ask which airport I´ll be returning to, so I told them Salt Lake City, UT…. I´ll get the itinerary in mid-December.<div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-89867785358392119202017-11-20T13:15:00.001-08:002017-11-20T13:15:03.244-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey Everyone!!<br /><br />I´ve been doing well (though I forgot to take photos..... Sorry, I really don´t generally take many photos.. but I´ll take some this week to send to you for sure!) :) As for the investigators, we´ve had some progress, as well as some disapointments. Alicia got back from Santiago, but she said that she recieved news from the doctors that her health isn´t as great as she had hoped and has to follow a strict medical treatment. She told us that she has started suffering from depression and that she doesn´t feel up to talking with us for a while..... that was really sad, and we tried to explain that the gospel is the thing that will help her most to regain peace of mind and heart, but we´ll see what we can do for her. As for Fabian, his baptism will be taking place this Saturday. It wasn´t able to happen on Saturday or Sunday, so we´ll have it this weekend instead. As for the other investigators, we have a new investigator named Daniel, that is a young man from England that came to Chile for a few months to teach English. He understands enough Spanish to teach English...... but because he speaks so little spanish we´ve gotten to teach the lessons in English, and give him a Book of Mormon in English. It was really hard at first because we never speak English, let alone teach in English, but it was an amazing experience, because as we were teaching the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I felt impressed to share the First Vision... but as I have never memorized it in English, I was hesitant, but I continued to feel the strong impression and started with the little that I knew from the beginning. However, after the first sentence, the second entered my mind, and the third, etc... until I had recited something that I had heard hundreds of times in English but had never memorized. The Spirit was very strong in that moment, and it reminded me of the promise in Doctrine and Covenants that our mouths will be filled with the words we must say in the very moment that we are to share them. It powerfully reminds us that this is the Work of the Lord, and never ours. <br /><br />I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! I´ll let you know how Fabian´s baptism goes... and I´ll send you more photos! <br /><br />Love, PJ</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-42776782680361732772017-11-13T15:25:00.003-08:002017-11-13T15:25:52.527-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi Everyone! This week has been good. We`re waiting for Alicia to get back from Santiago, because she had to get several medical exams done, and we have to see when she`ll be returning. We have taught her and her husband Leo several times, and she especially has tons of interest, and commited to read the Book of Mormon to be able to recieve her own answer. We`ve also been working with a man named Fabian that had problems with alcohol and cigarettes, however, when we began teaching him about repetence he realized that he wanted God`s blessings in his life, and has completely dropped his addictions, to have the opportunity to be baptized. We have his baptism scheduled for this weekend, but we`re not sure yet if it`ll be Saturday or Sunday. He`s made tons of improvement and really wants to change his life with Christ`s help. We`re also helping a couple named Paola and Esteban that have been investigators for a long time, and all their kids are baptized.... but they are not married, and therefore cannot be baptized yet, as well as feeling nervous about making such important commitments. However, we`ve talked to them a lot about these sepcific topics, and they really just need help understanding the importance of recieving these blessings as soon as possible, to have a stronger and happier family. We continue to help the investigators understand the importance of making covenants with God to recieve His blessings, and we`re working hard to find more people to teach. Have another great week! <br /><br />Love,<br />Elder Checketts</span><div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-84116408433410974832017-11-06T18:55:00.002-08:002017-11-06T18:57:39.861-08:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone!!! <br /><br />This week was a good one! The investigators are doing great!!! We've found several new investigators that must have been prepared for us to find…because several of them have hearts & minds that are very open, and are quickly able to understand the doctrine that we teach. We currently have several that are active in other churches, but that actually helps them understand a lot, like if the Book of Mormon were true, we could only know by way of prayer, directly asking God. They surprisingly are very interested and are progressing! There´s an older Catholic couple named Alicia and Leo, and Alicia especially has found a lot of interest in what we share, and has promised to read the Book of Mormon, to be able to receive her own answer, and know whether or not its true. Leo is EXTREMELY Catholic, meaning… it's difficult for him to understand different doctrine… EVEN if it's supported by the Bible. However, Alicia has helped us a lot, because, although she is Catholic as well, she is very open minded and has admitted many times how what we teach really makes sense, such as baptism with an age of accountability, and by immersion, or baptisms for the dead, and Eternal LIfe. <br /><br />We also have an investigator named Ana, who was told by her Pastor that she shouldn´t talk with us or read the Book of Mormon, but has decided personally to do both, in order to recieve her own answer. We also recently met a man named Eric that believes in God, and said that he never has been baptized, but has always had the question of which church is the true church that was established by Christ!! We´re seeing miracles with the people that we´re finding and teaching!!! <br /><br />As for your question about Halloween... we just kept working (though it wasn´t a very productive day). And no, the church didn´t have a halloween party. There are lots of people here, that actually look at halloween as an evil American holiday to worship the devil...... so..... The church doesn´t have a party for that, here... My companion and I are doing well and getting along.... On Friday, the missionaries got calls for transfers, but nothing happened with us, so we´ll continue to work together at least until the 17th of December. <br /><br />I´m glad to hear that the family has been doing so well, and everyone is enjoying what they´re doing. Anyway, hope you have a great week! Love you!<br /><br />love, PJ!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-41603590460360187232017-10-30T13:07:00.001-07:002017-10-30T18:01:46.178-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi everyone! It`s funny that you have been talking about it getting colder and the snow in the mountains and such...... I think this winter may change my mind about the cold... as I haven`t experinced it in a long time!!! hahaha! <br /><br />Anyway, you were asking about the investigators. We`ve haad some ups and downs with different people. Last week we found a Colombian man named Jorge that had lots of interest in our message and even began reading the Book of Mormon... however, he didn`t make it out to church.... and when we had the opportunity to meet with him after the first visit, he kept telling us that it doesn`t matter if we go to church or not because we can have God in our hearts, and everyone that believes in Christ is worthy to enter Heaven. We tried to explain the importance of church, but he kept coming back to the point that ``God is love``, and found it difficult to accept that God is also order. In the same visit, we were interrupted by a man that told us the church sends missionaries from the US, because we`re spies for the government! hahaha! We also found a young woman from Perú named Tanya that works in a hotel. She has tons of interest in the church, and wants to learn more and ask God if the Book of Mormon is true.... however her job makes it complicated for her to come to church, and her boss told her she couldn`t take time off to attend. So that kind of stinks... but we`ve also been teaching a woman named Ana, that is active in another Christian Church, and after the first visit she told us that she`d read the pamphlet we gave her, and we also gave her a Book of Mormon. When we saw her again, she told us that her pastor had told her to not read the Book of Mormon or continue talking to us. We told her that if she wanted to know if the Book of Mormon is true, the only way would be by reading it. She is now progressing and has decided to read the Book of Mormon anyway, because she truly wants to know if it is or is not the word of God. We`re continuing to help the investigators progress, and seraching for those that are ready to hear our message. Anyway, I`ll talk to you guys later! Love you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">--PJ</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-46923837832778661572017-10-23T15:35:00.003-07:002017-10-23T15:35:45.106-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi everyone! My letter is short today, because I`m running kind of short on time again.... <br /><br />I`m glad to hear that the family is doing well! As for me.... this was a pretty good week, helping new investigators, (and old ones too) progress toward baptism. We have several that have lots of desire to receive their own answers to be able to be baptized, such as Raul and Cristina, that are good friends of the bishop, and are very humble learners..... as well as Josè, who is a young man that has lots of real intent and has quickly picked up on our challenge to start reading the Book of Mormon... as well as his girlfriend Fernanda, who is the daughter of a less active member. However, none of these investigators came to church yesterday, for different reasons. :( But, we`ve just got to keep working hard, and the Lord will bless us for our efforts. Yesterday was also the mission farewell of Pablo.... our ward mission leader. He left last night, and is serving in Brazil! The ward is doing great as well, and we`re continuing to help the people that we find each day! Love you guys so much, and hope you have another great week! I`m doing great, and enjoying being on the Lord`s errand. :)<br /><br />Love, PJ</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-18444233430326074502017-10-16T16:13:00.000-07:002017-10-16T16:13:23.006-07:00Hey, Everyone! <br /><br />I´m doing great! This week was a really good one. Last Monday night, we had interviews with President Ferreira, and then we had Zone conference and lunch with him on Tuesday. Also, In the night between Monady and Tuesday, there was an Earthquake here that was a 6.3 (That´s something super common and relatively small here.... but in any other part of the world, it makes the news! hahaha!) We just woke up, and then went back to sleep. We didn´t even get out of bed! hahaha! But the yellow building that you saw in the photo (last week) is right next to our apartment building. But It´s the exact same building model. Anyway, the rest of the week, we were visiting and trying to find investigators. We had four investigators that came to church (two of them came by themselves, without us inviting them!!!) There was a young man that came with several less active members, and a woman that was curiously looking outside of the church, and we invited her to come back when the meetings started. And she came!!! It was great! We alse had an amazing lesson with Raúl and Cristina yesterday (the bishop´s friends), and we taught the Plan of Salvation. We felt the Spirit really powerfully, as did they, and when we finished explaining, I asked them if they would like to have Eternal life, and they quickly said yes. We then asked them what they thought would be their first step towards Eternal Life. They quickly recognized this first step, or covenant for them to take, as baptism. They are progressing tons, and we´re working hard to help them, and find more interested and willing investigators. Today, we went to a place called the Morro de Arica, that´s like a big plateau at the bottom of the city, where Chile won a battle, and claimed the city from Perú. We also played Volleyball and Frisbee with the zone, and I got burried in the sand. hahaha!<br /><br />I´m glad to hear that the family is doing well. I hope you all have a great week! <br /><br />Love,<br />-PJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-36232932202525461002017-10-09T15:53:00.000-07:002017-10-09T15:53:22.280-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone!</span><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Sorry again for last week! But as for your questions, My companion, Elder Pasigan, speaks Spanish, English, Tagalog, and the native language of his specific island: hiligynon (I don´t know if that´s how you spell it).... But yeah!!! And the other two Elders in our apartment are both from the US. One is from Pleasantview, and the other one is from Florida. As for conference....we had a gringo room, which was great! I always like watching conference in English, because all the speakers are actually speaking my native language.... <br /><br />But as for the investigators that are progressing.... I had mentioned a little bit a 19 year-old girl named Belen. She previously didn´t believe in God at all, until bad things started happening, and she desperately wanted to know if He existed... so she prayed and felt that she had recieved a confirmation of His existence. She later came in contact with missionaries in Santiago, and when she moved to Arica, she put her own name in the church reference system, for the missionaries to visit her. She has progressed a ton, and this whole week we were preparing her to be ready to be baptized.... and so, on Sunday, she was able to make this sacred covenant with her Heavenly Father:</span><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eSIvXQqAjSk/Wdv1pQDMmKI/AAAAAAAAAjY/QXaxGcPDF5YWYDwot97KjR5nNFoUjrt1gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eSIvXQqAjSk/Wdv1pQDMmKI/AAAAAAAAAjY/QXaxGcPDF5YWYDwot97KjR5nNFoUjrt1gCK4BGAYYCw/s640/thumbnail.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />It was a good week, and we were able to see the fruits of our labors. We are now working with several other investigators that are also progressing rapidly toward baptism, such as a couple named Raúl and Cristina that are friends of the bishop and his wife, and have tons of desire to follow God and are willing to be baptized when they recieve their own answers through prayer. <br /><br />Now, as for the photos that I took from leaving Calama and entering Arica... there are a lot. It was super sad to leave behind the Oasis ward, because I truly grew so close to them, and several of these families in the photos truly became my family while there...<br /><br />Hope you enjoy the photos!!!<br /><br />But I´m glad to hear that you guys are doing well! We´re just working hard to prepare the other investigators to be baptized. Hope you have another great week (and that I sent enough photos) ;)<br /><br />Love, PJ</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-76060740585655913032017-10-02T15:39:00.000-07:002017-10-02T15:40:57.503-07:00Hi there! First off, yes... the trip to Arica was long.... but safe and without problems. My companion, Elder Pasigan has 14 months in the mission, and doesn`t have much of an accent, as he already spoke 3 languages before learning Spanish. And we also live with 2 other elders from the US. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /> <br />This first week in Arica has been a good one. Arica is really pretty, and we have several investigators that are progressing a lot, such as a man named Juan Pablo, who has been addicted to cigarettes for more than half of his life, but has put faith in the Lord this week, and has cut down from 20 cigarettes to 7 in a week! We also have an investigator named Belen, who is a 19 year-old girl who previously did not believe in God... but decided to do so after the occurance of several difficult situations in her life, and is now progressing tons, and is progressing toward baptism! The members that I`ve had the opportuniry to meet are also very good people, and willing to help the investigators progress. <br /><br />As for General Conference... it was truly amazing!! I especially liked Elder Holland`s talk about trying to improve, but in constructive ways. It`s something important to always remember as a missionary, if I also want to influence others to feel the spirit and be happy. But to be honest there wasn`t a single talk that didn`t make me feel the Spirit strongly and recieve greater insight for myself and the investigators. I loved them all, and once again... it was too short ;) .<br /><br />Anyway, I`m doing great, and I`m glad that you and the family are doing great as well! I`ll let you know how next week goes! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, I`m really sorry, but I`m short on time again! I feel really bad, because that`s happened a few times. I promise I`ll write more next week, and send all the photos... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Love you!</span></div>
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--PJ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-48442442979735922017-09-26T13:36:00.003-07:002017-09-26T13:36:17.308-07:00Hey Everyone!<br /><br />First off, as you know... I got transfered, to Arica! It's Chile's northern most city. It is very pretty, and is right before crossing the border to Peru. I'm excited to get to know the area better. My new companion is Elder Pasigan from the Philipines. I´m glad to hear that you guys are doing great too! I´m really sorry, but because I was traveling all day yesterday, I don´t have much time now to write, but I´ll send you photos next week, and more info on how the sector is doing. Love you! Have a great week! (And sorry for such a short email).<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9LJQe2w9u7w/Wcq3uNKu8NI/AAAAAAAAAjI/KBvVNncocnk45BpVBJJSJMkTw6HQej9BACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/21994017_1942988419252840_1989427575690407530_o.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9LJQe2w9u7w/Wcq3uNKu8NI/AAAAAAAAAjI/KBvVNncocnk45BpVBJJSJMkTw6HQej9BACK4BGAYYCw/s400/21994017_1942988419252840_1989427575690407530_o.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">This picture was sent to me by another ward member, before PJ left Calama. :)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-61953489992013620082017-09-25T16:27:00.000-07:002017-09-25T16:27:34.222-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(From PJ's Mom): We didn't get a letter from PJ today, because he is getting transferred, but I got 2 notes from a couple members in the area that he served in. These ladies have sent us notes & pictures during the time PJ served there. I'm SO grateful for modern technology & communication, as well as google translate (so I can understand what they say, and can respond back to them!) Here is what they said:</span><br /><br />I got this message from Sol Belen yesterday:<br />"Tomorrow is your son's last day in Calama and a family he teach cry to know the news. The City of eternal spring is going to Arica"<br /><br />And I got this message from Mireya Vidal this morning... :) It made me cry & made my heart so happy! xoxox<br />"Our dear elder will write to you tomorrow for the changes...<br />He is super well and we love him so much! we will miss his big smile, his joy of working, and always willing to help others..<br />He leaves converts here who love him very much......<br />I had the blessing to be with him in two neighborhoods barrio Rio LOA and now in barrio oasis... Stacey has a great missionary and already soon to hug him."</span><div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">These sweet messages totally made my day!!! xoxox</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-14829484083062640432017-09-18T13:05:00.000-07:002017-09-18T15:40:45.307-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week has been great. As I mentioned.... today is Chile`s ``Fiestas Patrias`` for September 18th, which is their independence day. That means, lots of barbecues, every house with a chilean flag (because it`s illegal to not have one).... and we went as the zone to a big fair they`re having for the 18th. There were lots of traditional Chilean games for independence day, such as trompos.... which are large wooden tops that you throw and spin with a string.... and they had lots of things to buy. I ended up buying a carved bull`s horn that says chile, that`s super cool:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_rMtkvkagD0/WcAlfmWT5xI/AAAAAAAAAi4/cCuEISLbsjUri1ZIkzAGqOgugKYNbU7PwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_0869%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_rMtkvkagD0/WcAlfmWT5xI/AAAAAAAAAi4/cCuEISLbsjUri1ZIkzAGqOgugKYNbU7PwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_0869%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This friday we`ll be having the ward party so I`ll make sure to take photos ;) <br /><br />This week has been a good one as far as the missionary work as well. We`ve recently been working with several part member families that have children that aren`t members, but are super interested and excited to continue coming to church, and we are helping them prepare for baptism. These families are super great, and are really excited to be able to once again progress within the church. Yesterday, we also had interviews with President Ferreira, which was great as well. It's always nice to have the opportunity to talk with him. Anyway, got to go! Have another great week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Love, PJ</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-48866219851497349552017-09-11T13:24:00.000-07:002017-09-11T13:24:00.238-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi everyone! I`m doing well, and this week was good!<br /><br />Yeah, I heard about the hurricane in Florida, and the earthquake in Mexico.... but luckily nothing has happened here. In fact, people who live in the Atacama desert freak out with normal weather..... If it rains, if there`s wind, etc... But all has been well here in Calama :) The country is preparing for September 18th, which is like the Chilean independence day, and the ward is going to have a big party, so that should be fun! And I think I`m going to take advantage one of these days and buy a chilean flag, so I have one before coming home! <br /><br />And thanks Mom, for the comment you made about me being an example for you and for the family. I`m definitely not a perfect missionary, and there are still a million things that I need to improve, but I know that I have helped many people and have touched many lives and hearts during this year and a half that I`ve been in Chile. People say lots of things about the mission.... but one thing that I can definitely testify of, is that it has been the hardest two years of my life... And that I`ve experienced the extreme of every emotion while here. However, I also know that I`ve done more good here in my mission than I ever have before. <br /><br />I`m glad to hear that the family is doing really well too! As for me, this week we`ve been working with an investigator named Andrea. I`ve met very few investigators with the interest and drive that she has to live the commandments and do everything possible to be baptized. We`ve also had several new investigators that are full of initiative and interest in the gospel, and we`re working on helping them to be baptized as well. Anyway, I hope you have another great week!<br /><br />Also, we did service in a city park... picking up garbage, and painting benches. The majority of the ward participated, which was great! </span><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fK-INe9fQhU/WbbvhEyijUI/AAAAAAAAAiE/YCkVFqYxDmI3v5m3JbVM-qg-FQfV5Mz9ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/21462249_10214352373340463_4657928732891709422_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fK-INe9fQhU/WbbvhEyijUI/AAAAAAAAAiE/YCkVFqYxDmI3v5m3JbVM-qg-FQfV5Mz9ACK4BGAYYCw/s400/21462249_10214352373340463_4657928732891709422_n.jpg" width="300" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmB6KpFu7a0/Wbbvi_ieq1I/AAAAAAAAAiM/Ct6VsXoG_vUBPFTKpUCHmcPG9UBQrRlqwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/21371124_10214352373700472_5294999532745110011_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmB6KpFu7a0/Wbbvi_ieq1I/AAAAAAAAAiM/Ct6VsXoG_vUBPFTKpUCHmcPG9UBQrRlqwCK4BGAYYCw/s400/21371124_10214352373700472_5294999532745110011_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jv5Lr3-FRyU/WbbvljhvOoI/AAAAAAAAAiU/9sezSSPKP78m09cjBcGQeFHgg6LPRx6hwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/21558543_10214352374140483_2694320914606290443_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jv5Lr3-FRyU/WbbvljhvOoI/AAAAAAAAAiU/9sezSSPKP78m09cjBcGQeFHgg6LPRx6hwCK4BGAYYCw/s400/21558543_10214352374140483_2694320914606290443_n.jpg" width="300" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7_O9ChVFJY/WbbvoS5Xy-I/AAAAAAAAAic/PGG_tCohPaE5n9HDO_x1shbiENyqmNyNgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/21430603_10214352374700497_6778033609114311092_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F7_O9ChVFJY/WbbvoS5Xy-I/AAAAAAAAAic/PGG_tCohPaE5n9HDO_x1shbiENyqmNyNgCK4BGAYYCw/s400/21430603_10214352374700497_6778033609114311092_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8cF4NAn9DwQ/Wbbvt8PbLxI/AAAAAAAAAik/hMW42dZw0Pg1xYujbnfwTHsVo28h3UHYgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/21557714_10214352375100507_2044304421860207740_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8cF4NAn9DwQ/Wbbvt8PbLxI/AAAAAAAAAik/hMW42dZw0Pg1xYujbnfwTHsVo28h3UHYgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/21557714_10214352375100507_2044304421860207740_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-50493143699176614122017-09-04T14:46:00.002-07:002017-09-04T16:18:43.397-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, Everyone! <br /><br />I´m glad to hear that everyone is doing well. This week for me has been typical of the mission.... with it´s ups and downs. However.... I learned something about that, that I hadn´t really ever thought of before. This week was zone training, and the leaders were sharing what they learned in the meeting with the mission president. One of the Sister Training Leaders shared a quote that Hermana Ferreira had told them: ´´A calm sea never made a good missionary.´´ I thought about that quote for a while, and realized that it was true. If we are not constantly battling different challenges or difficulties that we have in the mission, we will never be able to see our potential, or how strong we can possibly be when it´s necessary to put up a fight. Through many personal experiences in the mission, I´ve found myself at what I had thought would be the breaking point of my patience, and have found myself asking for immediate help to be taken out of my stress or sadness of that day. However, I´ve realized that God doesn´t usually work like that. He lets us make the necessary decision, but never leaves our side as we do so. If it weren´t for the challenges that my Heavenly Father has given me, I wouldn´t have learned to be more patient, or more courageous. It is truly an honor to be serving in the Lord´s work. This week we visited an investigator that was angry when we passed by because she was really busy, however, we fixed the situation, and helped her and her family feel that we only visit them because we truly love them and want to help them progress in the church. We also had several awesome investigators come to church this week that are extremely interested and we´re now working on helping them progress, to be baptized. I hope everyone has another great week! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Love, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Elder Checketts</span><br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;">(From Preston's mom... I just got this picture from a member in our ward here in Utah, whose nephew is serving in the same mission as PJ... so cool, and such a small world! :)</span><br />
<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hMYqCCX2kR8/Wa3fPt0La5I/AAAAAAAAAh0/_Nz9fGOEJFAlV7DmRJ-NtrKAO6-qbjCIwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hMYqCCX2kR8/Wa3fPt0La5I/AAAAAAAAAh0/_Nz9fGOEJFAlV7DmRJ-NtrKAO6-qbjCIwCK4BGAYYCw/s640/FullSizeRender%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-41255190085007693212017-08-28T14:49:00.001-07:002017-08-28T14:49:23.173-07:00Hey, Everyone!<br /><br />This has been a great week! As for our investigators... Andrés, María José, and their sons Matías (who´s 13) and Felipe (who´s 5) came to church! We´re currently working on helping Matias recieve his answer and be baptized, and help María José recieve her answer as well, get married, and help Andrés progress, to be able to baptize his wife! They´re a truly amazing family, and have a huge potential! This week, the stake presidency also came to the ward, and called a new bishopric. The new bishop is pretty young, but will definitely do a really good job! <br /><br />Hey, I heard about the solar eclipse! I´m sure that was awesome! As for me, apart from Andrés and María José, we´ve found some amazing people this week! For example, yesterday we contacted a woman named Viviana who was sweeping outside of her house. She told us that she goes to another church, and so we began telling her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we believe in, as it is something that she believes too. We began explaining the importance of baptism, and that the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands must go together with baptism, or the baptism is incomplete. She took very seriously what we taught her, and invited her to be baptized in several weeks, after receiving the answer to her prayer. She told us yes immediately. She told us that if she had only been ''partially'' baptized, she wanted to do it completely.... to receive the blessing of God, and be right with Him. It was truly amazing to see someone with such faith and such an openness! Anyway, I hope you have another great week! I´ll talk to you next week!<div>
<br />Love, PJ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7166163831081143841.post-68790444341611109322017-08-21T14:46:00.000-07:002017-08-21T14:46:00.809-07:00<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi there!</span></div>
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This week had its ups and downs. We found several awesome people in the streets that came up to us asking what it is that we preach, or asking us how they can change their lives and be happy. That was amazing.... but we also invited lots of awesome people to church, such as 2 awesome part members families, and several other interested investigators.... and no one came :/ But I guess that´s part of the mission. We´ll just keep working with them to help them understand the importance of WHY we go to church, and the blessings that they receive when they attend. Anyway, I´ll let you know how this week goes!<br /><br />Oh! And before I forget, my shirts were starting to get really old..... so I needed more, and I bought several. It should be about 50 or 60 dollars, because I bought 5 of them. (My white shirts were starting to lose their whiteness) ;) <br /><br />I´m glad that the family is doing well, and that everyone is preparing for school, and Tessa´s preparing for college!!! I still can´t believe that!! How long is it to be a dental hygenist by the way? I´m glad that you and Dad are doing well as well, and are enjoying time with the family. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a great week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Love, PJ</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17442324261609541559noreply@blogger.com0