October 15, 2012

I was so glad that you sent me the pictures of my ties. Elder Mikesell is here in the ciber (internet cafe) with me and we were looking at them. I miss having my really nice ties. I am super glad that I did not bring them because they would get filthy and I don't really want that. I am strong and can wait. 

I can't believe that you slept in until 11 in the morning - I have never seen that from you in my whole life. If it really did actually happen, I would have to believe that you were really tired. I am learning that being constantly tired is just a norm here in the mission and something to get used to.

We had some special transfers in the zone this week so it was a little hectic at some points. Both of our district leaders were transfered to be zone leaders in other zones so we had to fill in for them while we were waiting for their replacements in our zone. I got sent to Pozo Almonte which is a small town outside of Alto Hospicio and had to organize a baptism in one day because it was happening the next day. It was really fun because it was really just a logistical challenge and that is basically how my brain works, so I had a great time. However, I was ready to leave by the end. Just so that you know, the next normal transfers are on the 22nd so I should know for the next letter what is happening with me and who my companion is.

It sounds like you are making a number of changes or renovations this year to the house. I will be able to benefit from it all, even though I know you will probably have projects for me when I return.

The inteview with President Bruce was a really big pick me up, like always. I am finding myself with more excitement to work even though we have very little going on. When talking with President Bruce he indicated the sector hasn't historically had difficulty, but I know and he is also aware that I am not good at finding people to teach. So, we spent a lot of time talking about ways to fix that through improving myself or by changing other things. I am really glad for these 15 to 20 minutes that we get every 3 months because they really make you feel alot better as long as you are working hard.

As far as how the sector is going, we are basically working on trying to find people, and attempting to keep our obedience and work level high, to make sure that we are not losing blessings that are easy to get or easy to lose.

Here you go: Estoy muy feliz que voy a estar recibiendo zapatos nuevos porque los que yo tengo ahora son horrible y murió super rápido. Ni tenía estés zapatos tres semanas antes de que saliera un hoyo abajo en el suelo. Y ahora tengo una división in los dos zapatos y el suelo esta dividido en dos partes. Yo estaba pensando que iban a durar mas tiempo porque son de la marca Coleman pero son muy mal. No puedo creer que yo rompí mis zapatos en menos que un mes. Obviamente voy a tener que usarlos hasta que lleguen mis otros (gracias por mandarmelos) pero he visto los de Elder Mikesell y creo que van a durar hasta el final de mi misión porque después de once meses sus zapatos se ven como los míos después de como un mes (no mis botas, los otros).

I wrote in Spanish but the google translation is horrible so here is what it should translate to.

I am really happy that I am going to be recieving new shoes (in the mail - one from us and one pair ordered/sent from Mission Shoes) because the ones I have right now are horrible and died really fast. I didn't even have these shoes three weeks before there was a hole in the sole.  Now there is a split in both the shoes so the sole is divided into two parts. I was thinking that they would last longer because they are Coleman but they are really bad. I can't believe that I broke my shoes in less than one month. I will obviously have to use them until my others arrive (thanks for sending me them) but I have seen Elder Miksell's and I think they will last until the end of my mission because after 11 months his look like mine did after 1 month (not my boots, the others).

Love,

Jord

October 8, 2012

I love conference. It could be the greatest thing of all time. We are going to have a really powerful week this week as we also have interviews with President Bruce to round things off. I took about 11 pages of notes from the conference and I was able to pull a lot out of it - hopefully stuff that I am able to apply to my life in order to have the success that I want to have here in the mission. One thing that really impacted me as a small theme for the conference was Service, and how it is not always going to be convenient or easy, but that it will allow us to have the spirit stronger with us and direct our lives.

It sounds like you are not having any trouble having fun without me. I am however, glad that you had a good time on your vacation and were able to get to do some new/different things. Hopefully when we go again, you'll have a good idea of stuff we can do while we're there. 

I don't really know who Train (band we saw in Phoenix) is, but Elder Mikesell does and says its cool, so that's alright.

That's really sad that you only got to see one session of conference because of your schedule, but at least they are all already up on the internet so you can see them afterwards. I am really glad we have a separate room for all the Elders (and members) who speak English to watch because it is really so much better. The priesthood session in English was half without volume here, so we had to watch in Spanish. While it was nice to have that option to be able to watch it in Spanish, it was apparent that there are flaws as things are left out or changed simply because live translation is hard and not exact (we did have English subtitles). You should give thanks everyday that you speak English and are able to hear your church leaders and read the standard works without any errors. It is a great blessing that we have - English is the language of the restoration.

It's ok that I missed Thanksgiving because last year I got 2 - it all works out. I will probably have one here too. I miss turkey, chicken is good, but it's just not the same, and we eat it all the time.

You go hermanando those conversos recientes (friendshipping those recent converts). Sigan con eso, es lo mas importante. (Keep with it, it is most important.)

I was doing some thinking the other day and after our Christmas phone call I will have two five month blocks before talking with you, and then seeing you. How the mission flies... I feel like just left the MTC.

Sorry but I've got to go.

Love Jord

October 1, 2012

The Independance Day celebrations here sure was an interesting experience. I wish that I had been able to take pictures of some of the stuff that went on, but I didn't have my camera to do that with.

That's nice that you are having a good time there in Arizona, getting to see some interesting things. I am looking forward to the vacation that you take me on next year. It sounds like this time you were able to take more time to go see and do things now that the house is set up, more or less. 

It is looking like the weather here is starting to get hotter.  We are going to begin the suffering of walking around in the heat. It is not really that bad, but you have to get used to being constantly sweaty, which sucks. At least if you can get out of the sun, the heat drops significantly because the temperatures are not that bad....it's the intensity of the sun.

My fitness routine has actually picked up a little again from where it was. I am trying to get it done, but have really been tired. Although I am getting up on time to do it, I am still being a little lazy. That being said, I think that I am doing pretty good at keeping my weight in a healthy place - a little bigger than before, but not fat by any means. I just need to do a little better at working out to tone it up and cut out the little bit of chub that is sneaking it's way in.

From what I have heard Santiago is a lot different than here in the North. The people there are apparently more motivated, whereas the people here tend to be a little lazy comparatively. For example, the people here in the North have lots of jobs, but don't want to fill them so the people from the South come and fill them because the mines here are enormous. That is what we hear from talking to other people, but we really aren't too involved with the outside world.

I really miss the temple. The temple in Provo is the same (we went to the Mesa temple while in Arizona) where you can walk in to whatever session you want, pretty much. From what I hear it's the same with the Salt Lake Temple. I think that a trip to the temple at this point in the mission would be a nice refresher - a little bit of time with absolute relaxation and a time to meditate and enjoy the calm.

I am so excited for General Conferance. Today me and Elder Mikesell went down to Iquique to buy food to have during the sessions, since we have a separate room where we can watch in English. Last year I took a ridiculous amount of quotes and notes. I'm hoping it's exactly the same this year. It is pretty cool because it is like two straight days of revelation for you as a person, and as a missionary in my case.

I am glad to hear that Spencer is adapting to life outside the normal (in the mission field). One thing that I am really learning is that everyone tells you how great your mission is going to be and about the great experiences that you are going to have. Everyone also seems to forget to mention the stress, worrying and sheer exertion - physical, mental and spiritual, that you have.

Oh, we had a baptism this week. There was a member whose records were lost and had to get baptized again and that fell to us in this case. It happened all really quickly and was a lot of work in the middle of the week to get everything ready. His name is Francisco Ignacio Nicolas Ibaceta Flores.

That is really all I have and all that I have time for, so I will talk to you next week. Aprovechen la Conferencia (seize the Conference - we assume this means to seize the opportunity of listening to general conference).

Love,

Jord

September 24, 2012

This was such a crazy week. The big parties here were ridiculous. We didn't go to many of the parties and I forgot my camera in the pension and didn't have time to go get it (sorry). That being said, the amount of partying done here was pretty ridiculous. Elder Mikesell is here in the pension with me and he made the comment that even though 4th of July is a big deal in the States, it doesn't even compare to the amount of celebration that goes on here. I thought it was going to be a lot harder to work, but it wasn't really that bad. The people were in their houses and the big thing here is to do barbeques, which was a nice change. I did get sick after the festival for a little bit which sucked, but overall something interesting to experience.

I am so glad to hear that when you went to church in Arizona that the people were really good to you and friendly. That is something that the people here are really missing. There are some people that are really good to say hello to new people, but most just hang out in their own little world and don't do anything. I really can't wait to get home and be that guy that says hi to everyone. It's really not that weird anymore for me. It's interesting to see the difference in how outgoing I am. I am still reserved when I don't know anyone or feel comfortable, but I find it a lot easier to get to know people now, even in Spanish.

This week it was X degrees and it is suppoesd to stay X degrees for the next 10 years....I hate this climate. (Perhaps moreso some frustration with only minor changes in seasons.)

We are not actually sharing the pension with the zone leaders anymore, but it was interesting for a week. Now we are in the pension with Elder Chota (Peru) and Elder Mikesell (from my group in the MTC). It is kind of nice because me and Elder Mikesell actually have quite a lot in common making it really easy to spend time talking. And... Elder Correa is really pushing me to be more obedient because he is a square, but that's a good thing. This week we started pushing hard to find the less actives here and it is working pretty good. However, I am really tired and I got blisters on my feet (it's a good chance my shoes aren't helping), but moleskin is amazing.

Speaking of shoes I bought new ones this morning. I decided to buy boots instead of shoes and I think that it will work out better for me. They should be near impossible to ruin and they were pretty cheap relatively. I will probably keep my other shoes even though they are destroyed, just to wear to conferences because they look better. I took pictures of my old shoes to show you.

Love,

Jord

September 17, 2012

We had a pretty interesting week for a couple of reasons. First, we had our cambios (transfers) and that is always fun. I spent the whole day with Elder Pope, our zone leader, because his companion left on Sunday instead of on Monday. We did a lot of running around to get everyone picked up and dropped off in time so that they didn't miss their buses.

 

Then on Thursday we had a conference with President Bruce where he really just talked about us and the work that we are doing in the mission and what our focus should be while we are here. It was really good and I really enjoyed it because it is helping me line up what I want with what I am supposed to be doing in the mission.  That coupled with the studying I was doing last week has been helping me a lot. I kind of made me feel bad because of the lack of success that I am having currently, but at least my focus is shifting in the right direction.

 

Also, we are heading into the Sept 18 Independence Day and it is a huge deal. In Canada or the States its kind of a small thing comparatively. Here it's like 3 days off work linked with a weekend and the people are just crazy excited. For example, the District here is having a celebration that starts today from 7pm till 10pm and then tomorrow from 8am till late in the night (don't know exactly when). This week should be fun.

 

I can only imagine that the Chinese wedding dad photographed would have been a little different. I attended the wedding here when I was in Gabriela and it was largely the same, but with the change in culture there are things that are a little different. The Chinese people tend to be a little bit more over the top with their celebrations from what I understand. It sounds like dad got to see a bunch of interesting things though, which is cool.

 

That kind of sucks that Blaine has to move given that you just finished decorating his room in the last year, but obviously his safety is more important than a can of paint, especially considering what he has been through lately. At least someone moving into the old residence will have a nice room and they and their family can hopefully appreciate it.

 

I miss volleyball so much. I know I didn't play a lot at home, but even just playing once and a while was nice, and then in the MTC. Here, soccer is the only thing and I think that I am losing desire to play it, instead of gaining it. I don't think that I will ever need to play, or watch, or even hear about soccer when I return because that is all there is here. That being said, I am happy that the Stake Volleyball Tournament went well and that people showed up and there was some decent play going on.

 

I really wish there was a temple here in Antofagasta. You guys will have three temples (with the Calgary temple opening soon) within 6 hours and we have one temple more than a day's travel away. I am really looking forward to going when I get back. That would be cool if the new converts could go to the temple openhouse. You should think about taking her to do baptisms - that is one thing they say really encourages people to keep active. It is something like 80% of people who go to the temple to do baptisms within 6 months of getting baptized stay active or some kind of ridiculous statistic like that.

 

With transfers happening, the weeks are always a little disrupted, so it is hard to tell how things are going to go with the work. But... I do know that we are being really obedient and working really hard, even if it is not showing as much as we would like it to. Now we just need to work on working smarter instead of just harder. One interesting thing is that President Bruce defines levels of Key Indicators so we can measure our progress. The indicators are to help us work more effectively and today he changed those key indicators. It is an interesting way to see how President Bruce thinks that we should be working in order to find sucess here in the sector, and in the mission as a whole. (Key indicators are in Preach My Gospel, ch 8 if you want to look it up instead of me explaining it.)

 

That story was good (Church News - week of August 19/12 - Finish the Race).

 

Love Jord

September 10, 2012

It is transfer day today. I realize I forgot to tell you that last week so you didn't know it was coming, but this is the week for change. It actually came very fast and I kind of wasn't ready for it. The news that I have is...Elder Santos is leaving. I had fun here with him and I feel like even though we had relatively little success, I can say it was a good transfer. I am excited to see what my next companion is like. My new companion is Elder Correa from Uruguay. He is from the same group as Elder Santos, so this is his third transfer. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with him. I like this because I really like working with people here in the mission for short amounts of time. 

As for the work in the sector, I am not going to lie... I am getting a little frustrated by the lack of success. I have the desire to do a lot, but the lack of people to teach is making it difficult to do all that I want to do. I am really hoping my next companion is really good at getting into doors because I am not very good at it. I am not horrible, but it is not my strength either.

That is cool that you took Blaine and Maxine to Red Deer. It sounds like it was a pretty fun time for you guys. That is interesting about the Bears at the wildlife park in Innisfail being in well known movies and commercials. I never knew that either.

It sounds like the house is going to look a bit different when I get home based on the stuff that you guys are doing. It seems they are pretty functional things so that should be better in the long-run, so I am pretty excited to see everything when I get back.

The thing with learning the language is that I don't want to stop getting better, so I am trying to keep going with the things I need to do to improve. It will be easier to learn here obviously. I find that as I learn new rules and tricks with the grammar and some of the words, I am able to say things in a more efficient manner and get my point across a lot clearer than before. Now people can just listen instead of thinking about what I am trying say all the time.

Anyways... that was my week!

Love Jord

September 3, 2012

My Spanish is really coming along a lot better and I am beginning to have people ask me if I am from other Spanish speaking countries. Not a lot because I have white skin and colored eyes, but occasionally someone asks if I am from Spain.

We are starting to move into summer but you don't really notice the change too much - the difference between summer and winter is not very significant. You tend to notice it more during the night than during the day. 

If you want to get an idea of what it is like in the houses here, here is a description. They are built entirely out of concrete and don't have insulation. It is not uncommon to see large softball or melon sized holes all over the house. There is a grate in our pension here, just open to the outside, that is the size of a half sheet of plywood. So yeah, when it drops below zero, the water inside your house freezes. I was actually laughing with Elder Santos this week because the people here think I am amazing because I can walk around without a jacket, but when I get home people are going to laugh because I need a jacket.

That kind of sucks that shortly after you to painted and fixed up Blaine's room that he is going to move to a different pension, but at least it will be safer for him where there aren't stairs.

I have to say that it was really challenging learning Spanish here because the people speak horrible Spanish (Chileanized - many unique phrases, meanings, sayings) and really fast. But... I am kind of glad on the other hand because now when I hear people speaking good (textbook) Spanish, it is really easy to understand. For example, Elder Mendoza who was living in the pension with us is from Mexico and he is so easy to understand. It is the same with people from Peru, Bolivia and other countries here in South America.

There seems to be a lot of action in the wedding scene back home. I don't see much of that here. Lots of people here are just living together and the Government gives bonuses to people who live together instead of getting married, so that is annoying.

I don't think I will get too used to eating as much as I have been here. I may eat more than before (which wouldn't necesarily be a bad thing), but I actually enjoy when I get a normal sized meal instead of a huge one. I have gotten into the habit of eating breakfast though, which is good.

Oh yeah, we had a pension move the other day. We were living here in the pension as the four Elders who work in this sector, but the other two got moved into a pension in the middle of the sector so the zone leaders, who had to move out of their pension, came to live with us which is right near the border to their sector. So it is kind of interesting because we get to see a little bit of the behind the scenes action that happens.

Anyways, I don't really have that much to say, so I'll talk to you guys next week.

Love Jord

PS. 10 months in the mission yesterday.

Hey Maxine, this is Jordan writing from Alto Hospicio, Chile wanting to wish you a happy birthday. I want you to know that I am missing you and all the family here in Chile, but that I know what I am doing is worth it. I hope that this last year of your life was awesome and that the one that is coming is even better. May all your birthday wishes come true and may you have a good time celebrating this time with family and friends.

Love,

Elder Jordan McCaskill