Hermana Egbert in Osorno Chile

Okay! Oh wow am a I happy to be emailing all of you! 

So first the missionary work here in Los Lagos. I never expected to feel so busy in my life as I have these past two weeks! Along with working with our progressing investigators and making new contacts we also are focusing a lot on the less active and the branch members. The branch here in Los Lagos has really been suffering. Last week there were only 10 members. We were told that was the lowest it has been in 4 years. It has been gradually decreasing. The missionaries are really involved the branch because there arent many active leaders. So with a member of the stake high council and the Branch president we made a missionary plan. We identified the problem could be that the people are not reading from the Book of Mormon daily. Hermana Gardner and I were feeling so overwhelmed the begining of last week because we didnt know how to best balance our time between new investigators and the branch members as well as where to start. But we felt we needed to focus our message on the Book of Mormon. Its amazing that something so little is so so important. We have been seeing such a special change here. This sunday there were more members at church and 2 of our investigators.

Also I am the new branch pianist. That is funny considering I have never played in front of anyone haha. They have a piano but no one knows how to play and it felt so sad my first week with out the piano so I will just practice hymns during the week then play on Sunday. I am a little nervous but it will be fun! 

So this week we taught one of our investigators Luciana. She is a mother of 3 children and owns a little store. We spoke with her about families 2 weeks ago and it was really cool. I kept thinking about this 5x7 picture I have of the Salt Lake City temple. I have had this picture since I was like 13 and It has either been on my wall in my bedroom or in my scriptures. I love this picture because it always helped me remember my goals which is recieving all the ordinances of the temple to prepare for eternity with my family. I felt that I wanted to give this picture to Luciana. So for our next visit I gave her the picture and bore my testimony of the temple and how it is where families can be sealed together for eternity. Now of course its just a tattered picture but I know that it symbolizes so much. I love talking with our investigators and members about the temple. How it is our goal. It is the Lords house on the earth today. Its so special to see peoples faces light up when they start to realize Heavenly Father is real and that he has a specific plan for every individual and family. 

Haha I had the missionary moment this week where a member gave me a weird food and I had to eat it. When she brought it out my copmpanion started to smile because she knew haha.  It is a drink they have here where its softened wheat (a ton of it!) in a salty liquid yuck!I think usually it is better but my comp told me after this was pretty bad.  And I was gagging the whole time but I kept smiling and I just loved the little lady so it was fine. 

Also remember the Andy Griffith episode Dogs, Dogs, Dogs? Yup that is Chile. They are everywhere! Everywhere. Sometimes I will feel something wet touch my calf, turn around and there is like 3 dogs right behind me. 

Sometimes to not get annoyed I hum "All creatures of our God and King." I still get annoyed haha but I am working on loving them or at least tolerating haha. 

Well it has been a good week. This week I am doing an english fast. No english at all! It will be hard but really good! 

Love you all so so much. Thank you for all you do everyday. 

Also look of Riñihue Southern Chile because it is beautiful its part of my area. 

I love this gospel. I know that we can gain a stronger testimony of its truthfullness if we ask and seek for it. 

Love Hermana Egbert

Well this was my first week in the mission field! I am in Los Lagos Chile. It is a small pueblo(town) 2 hours from Osorno. My trainer is Hermana Gardner. Heavenly Father knew the companion I needed and that is Hermana Gardner. She reminds me a lot of Emily, Lizzy and Laura all mixed in one. 

President and Sister Isom are great and I am so thankful they are here!

First I will start with a miracle that happened 2 hours after I reached my area. So every companionship in our mission has a Mamita she is someone who makes lunch for us everyday. Well we went straight to her house and she is this cute 55 year old Chilean women. Well she saw my nametag and asked me do you know Arch Egbert and I said yes he is my Grandpa. She sat down and started to cry. She told me he was her mission president in Vina Del Mar 30 years ago. It was such a special moment. She loved Grandma and Grandpa Egbert so much. Everyday she tells me stories of Grandpa Egbert. She also has some pictures of her with them. 

Okay this meant the world for me. I knew at that moment that Heavenly Father knows me so well. We knows where I am and has me in this mission and this specific area for a reason. My testimony of Gods love for each of us grows everyday. 

Los Lagos is beautiful! It looks EXACTLY like Eugene Oregon plus there are black berries everywhere! 

It would be a lie to say this week has been easy and perfect because it hasnt. It has been so hard. The Chileans speak sooo fast and they barely open their mouths so I cant understand and my spanish is so limited. I have had to excersize so much faith and patience this week. But I know the gift of tongues is real because I see it everyday. It gets better everyday. As I make it about the investigators I see improvement. My mission is not for me. It for the people I am here to serve. 

I tell Heavenly Father that If he helps me with the language I will never deny a prompting or oppurtunity to open my mouth. So even though it terrrifies me to talk with people I do it. In every lesson I bear my testimony in simple spanish and pray it will touch the hearts of the people. I was asked to give a talk in church yesterday and I did it. It has been so cool to see growth in a short period of time. 

So even though it is hard it is also great because I laugh so much with my companion and the people are so loving. 

The men here whistle at us a lot or say some weird comments so thats kind of awkward/funny but we just keep walking.

When I get stressed or discouraged I take a minute and picture in my mind a certain part of the windrivers. It helps me feel close to home and to the family. Its great. 

This week I have been reading a lot in 1 Nephi about the Tree of Life. It is so interesting to read about the different groups that walk to the tree and how some leave the tree and others stay. I think that is so true with staying truely converted to the Church. 

Can I extend and Invitation? haha because its what I do all day. Can I invite anyone who isnt already to read from the Book of Mormon everyday? I know that as you do so you will feel closer to your Heavenly Father and your purpose as one of His children. 

Well I love our investigators. Anamaria has a baptimal date and she is working on quitting smoking. She is doing well and I know she knows this is the true church. 

Luciana wants to be baptized but her family doesnt want to so she is waiting. She saw a pass a long card fall from my back pack and it had a picture of a family on it with the saying that families can be together for ever. When she picked it up you could see the yearning in her eyes for an eternal family. I cant wait to visit her this week. 

Well please know how much I love you all! I have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know it is the word of God and that it is for us specifically in these latter days. I am so happy to be here and I am grateful for the trial it is to learn the language because I have to rely so much more on my Heavenly Father.

P.s. I will send you pics in a different email

Love,

Hermana Egbert

Pday is on Wed beacuse we leave on Monday. I cant believe it is Feb 1! I entered the CCM Dec 27th. I am going to miss all of my teachers and the amazing people I met however I cant wait to get to Chile. We recieved travel instructions last night. There are 11 missionaries going to the Chile missions. I was called out of bed last night around 1015 (missionaries go to bed at 930 now woot woot!) and told me to report to the main office with my companion. So we got dressed and went. I was sure I was getting reassigned or something was wrong but all it was is that I am they wanted me to know they assignmed me to be the travel leader for the missionaries flying to Chile and they gave me a packet with instructions haha. I dont really know how this whole Chile thing is going to work because we dont even have a visa yet. We are entering as tourists and will get one after living in Chile for a couple of months so there is a list of specific phrases we need to say in customs.... it will be great though! 

I have probably one of the worst (is that even a word) coughs I have ever had. It started last week. We are all sick! Literally everyone in the CCM has had one sickness while here. We all live on ibruprophen. Well kind of. Haha

Well this week has been really cool because it is Espanol todo el tiempo! (Spanish all the time!)

We have been learning so much! Mostly about the principle We invite, they commit, we follow up. 

It is so great! I have be learning about the importance of the investigator being the one to commit. It is through those commitments they can repent and actually come unto Christ.

Repentance is incredible and I dont think I have started to understand it until this week. Repentance is a miracle! It is literally reconciling ourselves with God through the merciful Atonement of Jesus Christ. Those used to just sound like words but it is real. God loves us so much. So much. Enough that He gives us Justice and Mercy. We need justice but we could not ever live with God with out mercy. Well as investigators commit to attending church, keeping the law of chastity, word of wisdom, baptism and others then actually live them, it changes their lives. They are literally getting on the correct path to be able to live with God. 

We need to commit as well. We can commit to the commandments and to our covenants every week through the sacrament. 

This Sunday Hermana Bartona and I taught Relief Society the topic was Sabbath Day observance. 

Okay so this is a pretty stressed topic right now. General authorities have been ephasizing the need for keeping the sabbath day holy and preparing for the sacrament. I think this is like the Proclamation to the family. When It came out people thought it was a nice document about family life however 16 years later major things have started to press on families making the importance of a strong family even more important. 

I have a testimony that we have a prophet on the earth today that leads this church with revelation he recieves directly from our Father in Heaven. He knows what trials we face and WILL face in the future. As we heed to his counsel we will be protected and better prepared for the future. 

This week we taught in TRC to members here in Mexico. Hermana Barton and I prepared a message about the Book of Mormon. We decided we would share the last 2 paragraphs of the introduction to the Book of Mormon and then Alma 5- Can ye feel so now. 

However we prayed before hand that we would be open to feeling the promptings of the spirit and promised we would act on what the spirit directed us todo . We taught a couple different people and it was amazing to see how as we allowed the spirit to guide the lesson we prepared was able to fit personally for the individual we taught. Usually TRC is so scary because they only speak spanish and a tiny bit of English but I know that I recieved help in speaking with people in spanish. 

I made a goal these past couple of weeks to Open my mouth. Seems obvious but sometimes I get nervouse to speak because what if I make mistakes or dont know the word?  I pray for help with the language every day but well the Lord cant help me with my spanish if I dont open my mouth. As I have done this I have seen a difference. I make mistakes ALL the time but that is okay because its getting a little better every day. 

I am going to write my testimony in Spanish.. Ryan and other spanish speakers haha dont judge ahah. Also I dont know how to add accents 

Yo quiero que pueda compartir mi testimonio con ustedes. Yo se que con todo mi corazon que el Evangelio is restaurado en la tierra hoy. Yo se que Jesucristo murio por nuesto pecados y mediante el Expiacion de Jesucristo pudemos volver con Dios. Yo se que tenemos un profeta Thomas S Monson. Yo se que El Libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios y pudemos saber la verdad cuando leimos y oramas con un corazon sincero. Yo digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen

I love you all! Thank you for your examples in the way you live your lives. Dont be afraid to open your mouth and share the message of the gospel. It can change your lives just like it will others. 

Have an amazing week! Next time I write I will be at the bottom of the world!

Love Hermana Ashlyn Egbert