Week 7&8: Vamos Chile

       I made it to Chile baby. The past two weeks have been nuts I don't even know where to start. My flight landed in Concepción the first of September in the afternoon. We got picked up by the mission president and had dinner at the mission office. Then that night we stayed in a hotel. The next morning is when I found out who my companion and what my area is. It was literally the NBA draft. All of us new missionaries sat in the front and all the trainers sat in the back. Then on the screen a picture of a trainer shows up and every one drumrolls then the picture of the new missionary shows up and everyone goes hype. My companion is Elder Workman from Oregon. He has been out a year and is great at Spanish. One thing I have learned about him is take his name seriously. He works so hard. The second we got done at the mission office that morning we took a little bus ride to my area, dropped off my bags, then were out on the streets working. He is teaching me so much already about missionary life and how to work hard. 

       

       My area is Talcahuano. It's a decent sized city right on the coast. We are right by a port so it smells like fish everyday smh. In Chile winter is just ending and we are in spring right now. The weather is insane. It will be a nice sunny day then 5 seconds later it will just start dumping. It gets wayyy cold because it's super windy and the wind is literally blowing from Antarctica.

       

       One thing I've learned so far about missionary work is that the field is white and ready to harvest. People are ready to hear and accept the gospel. Almost everyone we talk to is super interested and wants to learn more. Okay most everyone. Okay a select few actually listens to us. Hahahaha but fr now is a time in the world where we need to bring everyone the gospel of Jesus christ. And the way I look at it is my companion and I are the only hope for the people of Talcahuano. We are the only people that can save them right now.

     

        Now about some experiences I've had already. We are teaching a women named Yaritza and her younger brother Paschual right now. They are very poor and very humble. Last week we invited her to church with us she agreed and we told her we would go and get her from her house and walk with her. She lives very far from the church and the opposite way of our house but of course we were willing to make the walk to bring her to church. I was so excited that she was going to come to church and take the sacrament for the first time. Anyways we get to her house that morning and her dad walks out and says she is sleeping and wasn't gonna come to church. Welp walked 182 miles for nothing :/ So we went to church without her. I genuinely felt terrible. Not because we walked a lot for nothing or because she stood us up. I felt terrible because I know how much the gospel can change her and her families life. Fast forward a bit. Taught her this entire week invited her to church again. Walked the same walk to go get her but this time when we knocked it was her that answered the door ready for church. Hallelujah. She is progressing like crazy and we are hoping she will be baptized soon. Also went on exchanges for the first time with Elder Miles and we had a lot of success contacting. 

       One funny/scary story quick. There is a homeless man named Marcello that my companion warned me about. Apparently Marcello hates the missionaries and has hit and thrown rocks at missionaries before. Anyways few days go on and i didn't think anything of it. One day I'm walking and next thing I know there is a homeless man behind me running full sprint at me. So me and my comp start running away as fast as possible. Hahahah its terrifying but it is lowkey funny. He is on so many drugs and off his rocker so he can only run for a block or two until we get away from him. 

     That's all I got for this week. The mission is so so hard but I know it's what I need to be doing right now. I love you all. 

     Also the rule in my mission is we can't use messenger to communicate so please send emails cause I'd love to hear from all of u. I don't have time to respond to most of them but I really do read them and they mean a lot. God lives. D&C 88:67

            - Elder Hobbs