Sean McAlister Called to Serve: Cold and rainy Chiguayante...

Great to hear from Sean today! It’s hard to believe he has been out almost a year.

Sounds like they are starting to make some progress in the area with finding new people to teach and work with. Cold and rainy seems to be what Chilean winters are all about, at least along the coast.

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¿Hola como están?

I am so glad to hear from you guys and I’m glad to hear that everyone is doing good and happy. Dad I thought it was funny that you will be having you surgery done the same day that I complete a year in the mission. I do truly wish you the best in your surgery. I still can’t believe that Brooke and Todd while be moving to Oklahoma City in two weeks! It’s kind of cool at the same time and I hope that Todd can find a good job from this school. I really thought it would have been funny to see a 6´7” squirrel wearing a Steelers sweatshirt running around and Girls camp. Jessica to be honest I miss getting my hair cut from somebody that knows how to cut hair, because they don't know how to here! With luck Elder Hoopes has a hair cutting kit and it saves us. Mom I miss just hanging out in the house with you in the mornings and I miss your cooking. I miss you guys!

Well this last week has been raining like crazy I have gotten home soaking wet and I am using water gear and an umbrella! Crazy!!! It has been pretty cold in the day and freezing in the night. It’s not snowing! But it is a different kind of cold here. I have been really getting use to this sector and I am learning a ton. I am helping Elder Letelier finish up his training and he is getting close! We found a lot of new investigators this week and we invited each one to church. None of them came, and two of them had a date for baptism but not anymore. We did end up finding two family's which are really awesome and I want to ask you guys to pray for them. Familia Gasparini and Alejandrina and Alberto. Familia Gasparini is a family of 4, and they were almost baptized last year. So I hope we can help them come back to church and the real goal for them is the temple. We found Alejandrina and Alberto this last week, and they accepted baptism and they didn't come to church, but they are looking for the truth, and we got the truth! Isau is now a new convert in the church and he is doing really well, and we are helping him stay strong in the church. Ricardo we couldn't find him this last week, but which are passing by for him tonight.

This last Monday my companion got really sick in the night and he ended up throwing up all night and it was crazy! Our room is right next to the bathroom and I could hear him every time he threw up. Then he would come wake me up every time he threw up. So I didn't get to sleep at all, I was super tired and we ended up staying in the house all day until 7:30 at night. I did a little studying and I found one book in D&C 107:57 which is the book of Enoch. So I did a little more studying and I found another in 2 Nephi 4:1-3 which is the book of Joseph. Then in 2 Nephi 29 its saying that there will be a book for every tribe of Israel and even more which is crazy! I have really loved studying the scriptures in my mission and there are amazing how much you can learn from them every day. I really have loved reading in Nephi and I want you guys to read the book of 1 Nephi and look how many trials he has and how strong his faith is no matter what, and the best part is the blessings that he gets to receive.

Me and Elder Letelier have been have a rough time getting together. He thinks that he should be senor companion and he doesn't need my help. But he only has to months in the mission and he gets scared to go out and teach people. When we are in a lesson he won’t let me talk that much. I told him how we need to teach together and he needs to trust me. He still doesn't trust me that much, and I don't know why. I hope that we can change this around and work better together.

Thank you for your letters and I miss you guys a lot. Have a great week and always chose the right! Keep safe and have a fun relaxing week. I love you a ton and I can’t wait to hear from you next week.

Love you guys!!!! The McAlister’s the best family ever!

Elder McAlister

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Spiritual thought time! I went a little off the Prophet and Apostle quotes this week, and went with something from John Bytheway, who I saw give a devotional at our wards girls camp last week. He gave a talk at BYU called "When Times Are Tough: 5 Scriptures That Will Help You Get Through Almost Anything" and he said the following which I think is really powerful about understanding Gods love for us and going through tough times:

“If our testimonies are strong on this point, and if we feel the absolute assurance that God loves us, we will change our questions. We won't ask, 'Why did this happen?' or 'Why doesn't God care about me?' Instead, our questions will become, 'What can I learn from this experience?' or 'How does the Lord want me to handle this?”

I think that is so insightful, and I have such a bad habit of always asking "why?" or "why me?". This is something I am committing to work on. I need to really look for what I can learn from each experience or hardship I go through, and God has given to me to learn "what?", not “why?”.

Have a great week everyone, and enjoy a few pictures from Chiguayante…