Week 45 - Temple lovin'

June 26th, 2018

Hello hello!

This last week went well! Ines and Felix went to church for the second time and stayed for gospel principles! They really like it and are learning a lot, they just want to make sure it's right. We invited Felix to get baptized, and he didn't say no. He said he could see it getting there but wants to learn more first. They really are making so much progress! He wants the missionaries to teach his kids that live in our ward, but in the elders area, so we sent them their reference and their going to pass by. Ines is bien Catholic and has a lot of faith. She is the cutest little ol' 80 year old and is always so happy to see us. She's like my little Chilean grandma!

We taught Juan Pablo this week! He has been progressing well, but we taught him the law of chastity and that's where he decided to leap off the salvation train. He didn't think it was from God and isn't willing to find out if it is, which lead to doubting basically everything we've taught him, aaaand needless to say we dropped him. He isn't willing to pray to receive answers from God or to act on the principles to find out if it's true. And because he won't, everything he's learned just crumbled in about 10 min. We've taught him since I got here so that was pretty rough. But listen. I don't know if I've said enough about JP so that you know that he is super unpredictable. We were sitting in Sacrament meeting Sunday and guess who walks in the room..JUAN PABLO WHAT?! And gospel principles talked about the exact thing he's been not understanding since we started teaching him. We hope and pray that the spirit was able to touch him somehow.

We visited a less active this last Sunday who has not gone back to church since she was in her teens, and she is now in her 60's. Her name is Mylene. She lived in Florida when she was younger and moved back to Chile in her 20's after both her brother and her dad died within a 2 year period, her brother from cancer and her dad basically from a broken heart after the death of his only son, their American dreams crushed. Her dad loved the church and was baptized in Florida along with the rest of her family. She knows English really well, so helped her practice a bit and we explained about the temple and I bore my testimony about the sacred and redeeming power of the ordinances and promises we make in the temple, and how being sealed to our families is one of the greatest blessings that comes from it. She told us that she would like to prepare to go inside one day with her whole family, and that maybe a good step would be to go to church Sunday. YES!! It would!! This lesson was really special and I felt the spirit so strong testifying of the truth of the temple! I know she felt it too. 

Speaking of temples, Hna Siebach and I got to go the the temple today!! It was super lindo. Ah, I just LOVE the temple. All you who live super close to temples, you are so BLESSED!! Take advantage of it! Go this week! Go tomorrow! Go today! There are SO many blessings from the temple and ALWAYS more to learn! Also crazy thing, I walked around the corner and guess who was in the temple going to the same session...Charissa Hayden who is serving in Santiago North!! It was nice to see a familiar face! And Cony was there as a temple worker! She is preparing for her mission to Mexico in September. I got really close to her in Las Gardenias and it was so great to see her there! 

Warning: Triste paragraph approaching. Our dear president Morgan is going home this Friday. President Morgan is amazing. A few things I've learned from him: 

-siempre buscar lo bueno. ese era su motto: y con buen animo busca lo bueno. eso es el. siempre tiene animo, y siempre esta buscando lo bueno.

-Las personas siempre son lo mas importante

-milagros no han cesado en santiago

-podemos ser perfecto, un paso a la vez. 

-Rush forward to meet your destiny

(Always look for the good. That was his motto: and with good cheer he looks for the good. that is him. He always has encouragement, and is always looking for the good.

-The people are always most important

-Miracles have not stopped in Santiago

-We can be perfect, one step at a time.

These are just a few of the many, but I'll miss him and his family a lot. His two daughters were here with us and I love them like my sisters! We're getting a new president the same day, and though it's sad the Morgans are leaving, I'm excited to welcome the Brothersons!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes! It was a lovely day visiting lots of lovely people and I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way. There's some pictures (the ones with cakes and pizza:)

Have a great week y'all!! Today is a wonderful day to be alive, si o no?! sure is.

Besitos! abrazos!

Hermana Briggs

Okay, next week we'll discuss  Matthew 26:33-43. that gives you another week to read it!!(:​

33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

36 ¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.