October 27,2012

 

Dad Happy Birthday!!!! You're like 46 or something right? I don't know if it's a good idea for you to go on a canyoneering trip with Brother Murray, you might get hurt.

I got your package mom and dad and family!!!! Ahhhh! Thank you for thinking way ahead of me 

and sending my reese's, oatmeal raisin cookies:):), oreos, others and PUMPKIN!! That was the best thing I've seen in awhile. I can't thank you enough! I had told Elder Anderson about those cookies earlier and when we saw that I got pumpkin he was like you have to make those right now!! So during lunch I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and man were they tasty!

 Wow sooo good. I'm making more tomorrow. They were a little off because I don't have

measuring cups or anything like that so everything I make I am just
eyeballing it but it's worked out pretty well. We gave some cookies to
some of our investigators which I loved because they had never had
cookies with pumpkin in them! So I loved that. Also this week I made
Chocolate chip cookies and some german pancakes which also were so
fantastic to taste again! Yesterday at a Stake activity I was talking
to a Sister missionary who was in Catemu before us and we were talking
about cooking because she would always make brownies for the people
and stuff and I wanted her brownie recipe so I could try it out and it
was just fun talking about cooking and treats with someone. Because
they don't have brown sugar down here her sister sent her brown sugar
so we made a deal that this week for district class she is going to
make chocolate chip cookies with brown sugar(mine didn't have it) and
I'm gonna make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and we are gonna trade
during district class! Haha

We have discovered with the warming of the weather, it is starting to
get very hot, that our house is loaded with spiders. In one night, in
probably 30 minutes we killed ten spiders and this spiders aren't
little harmless spiders. They are big spiders. I don't think I've ever
seen any this size before! I mean they aren't like trantulas but they
are not small by any means!! Also here in Los Andes, the area I am in,
a very common type of spider is the brown reclouse(I don't know how to
spell that) and we killed a couple of them but for now we haven't had
any serious problems! Also I saw my first wild scorpions thank
goodness not in our house.

So when we travel to Santiago we usually take a massive huge tour bus,
sometimes the double decker massive huge tour buses, from Catemu to
Santiago. When we do that we end up in Station Central. This place is
like the Georgia Airport of buses. It's a gigantic mall where all
sorts of buses from other parts of Chile and other countries end up.
There is 100 spots for buses and I honestly don't know how to explain
it other than it is huge and massive and I've never seen so many big
buses in the same area or as many stores packed into one area. From
there we go underground to the metro and depending on where we are
going in Santiago we can either take the metro and walk or we take the
metro then a bus and then walk!

This week we went to Santiago because all the people that are
finishing their missions go to the Temple together. And because the
session was at 5:30 we weren't going to be able to get a bus to bring
us back to Catemu because they end so we had a sleepover in the
apartment of the President's assistants! They weren't there because
they were on splits with other missionaries but it was still fun! This is the view.

This Sunday we had four investigators come to church and a few less
active and that was way exciting! It was the first time for me for
this to happen! I realized how important it is that the ward members
are very nice and welcoming for people who have never assisted before
cause that would be kinda scary and intimidating I think!

This week Elder Anderson has made me in charge of our cellphone so I
have to answer it and make calls which is really good for me!
Sometimes it's hard but it's way good practice and I'm getting better
at it! Also one of the times we went to Santiago this week we weren't
able to sit together cause we got our tickets late and I was sitting
by this girl and I figured it was a good time to practice my spanish
and we ended up talking for the whole two hours! I felt pretty proud
of that haha

Also let Tylee know that I really like her plan of practicing with
Drey so that he doesn't forget me by the time I come home!

I think that wraps it up for this week, I'm doing great and I'm loving
it more and more! I love having good relationships with the people,
that's probably the funnest part. Oh, also this time next week I will
have a new companion! And possibly a new area. I'll find out Saturday
if I am changing sectors or staying but for sure I will have a new
companion haha and mom don't worry because our p-day is like normal so
you will still hear from me!



Love,
Elder Gunnell

October 20,2014

 Today we had a zone activity at the Stake Presidents house.

This week I learned a lot about how much my family has played such a
huge role in my life. We taught a mother of a family that are inactive
and usually she doesn´t like listening and usually keeps herself
occupied when we come by but we stopped by their house out of the blue
and she and only one of her kids was there and we asked if we could
come in and share something with her. She was like yeah sure whatever.
But later on in the lesson she really opened up to us about her and
her families life when they were active in the church and had callings
and how close their family was and how now, things are just a mess. It
was neat because she kind of taught herself why church and being
involved are so important. I talked a little to her about how when the
family is together there something there. Like at Christmas time when
all all the cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents are all
together, there is something there and in that time how Satan has no
control. Cause the family is so strong. I think back to the times when
my mom would get up in the early hours of the morning to make
breakfast for our family so we could all read scriptures before I went
to school. And all the Mondays that mom made me stay home instead of
going out and doing something with my friends and the nights that we
would do our little work out thing. Mom, if it wasn´t for all of your
family home evenings growing up I don´t think I would know half the
Book of Mormon stories that I know, I am so grateful for those. These
memories with my family are the memories that I cherish and I wish I
would have spent more time with my family.

There is another little town in our sector called Cerillo, its like a
30 minute bus ride and there are only buses every hour. But we went
our there to find a family and we ended up talking to a family and
neighbors who were all talking in front of their house and one of them
had cancer so we talked to them for while and had another lesson with
them just recently but the really cool thing was that they told us of
one of their neighbors who were having a hard time so we went and
stopped by their house. The daughter of this family had actually been
praying for help and we came by! But her dad can´t talk or move very
well so usaully he lays in bed all day, he can hear and nod his head
and give thumbs up and it´s way cool when he does that! But we shared
with the family and he started to cry a little when we talked about
the gospel, we asked if he wanted a blessing and gave him a blessing.
We left and then had another lesson with them. When we showed up the
mom answered the door and we went in and taught a lesson and they are
committed to be baptized the 9th of november! My explanation of all
this is bad but it was a really cool experience.

In lessons now Elder Anderson will stop talking and I have to take
over and talk so that is some progress for sure with my spanish! I can
understand more and more every single day! I´m getting excited for the
day when I can actually talk with these people and converse and share
my feelings!

I´m very very grateful for Grandpa Burke and his contribution, please
thank grandma Needa for a me a million times.

Love,
Elder Gunnell

P.S. The empanadas are very good(tell grandpa mark) and another big
thing is completos, those are good too!

October 14, 2014

I have 22 months left and my companion has like 19 days! Haha wow oh
well! I'm excited to keep this adventure going!

So yesterday was a day full of traveling because we had to go to
Santiago again and it just didn't work out to write yesterday but here
I am now! I don't have much time though cause we are in a hurry today!

This week has been really cool, we've got to given a lot of blessings
which is scary but at the same time an awesome experience when you
follow the spirit!

This place is gorgeous and it is starting to get hot. But that's okay!

My Spanish is still awful haha but getting better! Everyday I
understand more and I enjoy myself more! I'm really glad to be here
even though I struggle with the language. It will come:)

I got to make bundt cake for an activity which was way fun!

Love,
Elder Gunnell

P.S. Sorry it is so short!

October 6, 2014

This cyber cafe doesn't seem so forgeign anymore now that I kinda know
where I am!

First I need to do some thanking. Mother dearest thank you so much for
teaching me how to cook. Last email you asked if our house was
equipped to cook, my answer is in one of my pictures! Haha but thank
you so much for teaching me how to cook, it is a very useful skill.
Thank you also mom for teaching me how to sew because I had a hole in
one of my pants but don't worry I knew how to fix it! Thank you
grandma carol and grandpa mark for a mini sewing kit you gave me for
christmas! Thank you grandma debbie for the birthday money so I could
buy myself a back pack! Thank you everyone for the emails, pictures,
and support!

I haven't got letters yet because we missed district meeting because
we had to go to the dentist in Santiago for Elder Anderson but our
district leader said there was one for me! Tomorrow we have district
meeting so I will see if there is anything!

This week has been full of more miracles. It is absolutely wonderful
and amazing to see what the Lord can do.

One night we were looking for a house but couldn't find it, we went
down this road for a long time hoping it might be down there but soon
enough there was no houses and we got to the end of the road and there
was just fields all around us so we turned around and on our way back
there was a man outside in the dirt road just looking at the stars so
we stopped to talk to him. After talking to him in the road for a
minute he said he had time so we taught him a lesson. He said how he
wants to stop drinking and smoking and when we told him that there was
a way through Christ that he could completely change that and be
forgiven he was so happy and even got a little teary eyed. He said how
he was waiting for someone to come and just ask him to quit because he
didn't have the courage to do it himself.
It was really neat and a very cool experience.

I'm short on time but I really like conference! It was difficult to
get a ton out of it but I was able to get a little! It is not the same
hearing a translators voice and not the prophets.... But it was still
really good!!

I am glad to hear Alan Blad is getting better. I will keep him and
Hillary in my prayers.

Also I saw a Praxiar plant down here and instantly thought of Kunane
obviously! Hopefully he is enjoying Hawaii. That was like exactly a
year ago! Wow that went by fast.

Oh I forgot to tell you all this a couple of weeks ago! In the CCM I
had to give a talk, in spanish, haha so basically I just read the
whole thing! It wasn't amazing but the latinos said they understood
it! I haven't given one in church yet but I'm sure it will come soon.


Love,
Elder Gunnell