Hello Everybody,

First of all I want to say Happy  Birthday to Braden, Aunt Val, and Aunt Meche. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! 

I wanted to tell you guys about being in a trio. We worked with Alex from Monday to Friday. We ate pizza and completos because Alex´s parents did not want him eating all of our food. We had a lot of "with member lessons" and Alex got to practice giving the lessons. He even joined us at District Meeting. 

Fernando Fernandez, the son of the Second Counselor in the Bishopric, came home from his mission after two years in Brazil. His accent is thick and it is hard for me to understand him sometimes.  He can understand spanish but it is hard for him not to use words in Portuguese. He will be our new Ward Mission Leader. 

We had a Ward Family Home Evening this Friday and it was a success. It started at 7 but there were only 3 people there at 7. We were worried to say the least. Fortunately the people did come even if it was late. By 8 o´clock there was about 50 people. We had popcorn, brownies, soda, chips, ect. Familia Cubillos taught the lesson about family prayer and then we played games. We played Pictionary, Tuti-Fruti, and a Get-to-know-ya game. Everyone had a lot of fun and we had several investigators and less active members show up. After the Noche de Hogar we celebrated the Birthday of Hermana Simmerman. She turned 20. We celebrated by eating cake with the Cubillos Family (they are kinda close with the missionaries here. Can ya tell?)

We had to get back to the pension on time so we were not able to clean up right after the activity. We came in the morning on Saturday and I had to be a plumber. The sink in the kitchen was clogged so I got the chance to clean it up. It was by pure luck that I did not get my white shirt dirty. 

We have one baptism scheduled for the 7th. Hector Cortez (Tello) has decided that he wants to be baptized. I think the Hermanas also have a baptism scheduled for that day. It should be great.

I am glad that Grandma and Grandpa Hunter are feeling better. It is pretty cool that the radio can pick up the signal from Sacrement Meeting.

I think that is it for today. I will not be sending pics today but I should be able to next week. Love you all. Stay well and pray often.

Elder Hunter

Kaitlin

There are a lot more trees here in Copiapo and there are even parts with a lot of grass. If you look at it by satelite it is almost the same as Antofagasta but here on the surface there is a large difference. Also, Copiapo used to have a large river but it has dried up now. Back when there was a river I believe things were even more green.

I do not know my mamitas here as well as I did in the other sector. The mamita for clothes lives on the other side of the city. The mamita for food is very kind but there is very little time that we spend with her so I cant tell you much more than that.

Some investigators took two steps forward, others took three steps back, others are sitting on the couch waiting for the commercial break to be over. That is just the way it goes sometimes. My mission is all walking. Normal Elders and Sisters do not have cars or bikes. There is always a lot of walking. Being with just 2 people when you are practically strangers is hard but that is why is was so good to have Alex with us for a few days last week.

Keep it up Sis. The school year is not over just yet.

Love Elder Hunter

That is awesome that you got that rabbit Jake. I am impressed by your sharpshooting skills. What is the story of the Three Billygoats?

For the record, I loved sleeping on the couch. I just loved sleeping in my bed even more. I hope you are still working hard with sports, school, and the piano. It was my turn to play the Hymns in Sacrament Meeting yesterday but I was not as prepared as I should have been. I need to practice more but there is not time here in the mission. You need to practice right now in the House so that you can be a missionary hero someday when they need you to play the piano. I really do regret not practicing more before my mission.

Love you buddy. Stay well. Elder Hunter

I am glad that ALL my grandparents are doing well. Sometimes I get tired from walking all day but then I remember what a blessing it is that I can walk. 

I hope you can get the Youth excited about the Trek. We are also trying to animate the youth of the ward here so that they will participate more. 

Sounds like you had a busy week with everything you have on your plate but I am glad you could get it all done.

I wish it was 70 degrees here. Some afternoons it gets to be 90 degrees. Copiapo is one of the hottest places in Chile (or so the people here tell me).

I am glad you guys are seeing blessings too. The mission is very different from what I thought it would be but it is a good thing. We did not have any earthquakes that I know of.

Sister Simmerman played for the first 2 Sundays we had here (we both arrived in Copiapo this transfer). I played yesterday but right hand only and with more mistakes than I would like. I played the sacrament hymn well at least. Sometimes I can sneak in 10 minutes of practice if we have to be in the Chapel for a different meeting but we are so busy that I do not have time to practice consistently. 

Sister Simmerman and I both know Jessica Stone and some of the Seminary Teachers at Canyon View. We do not talk about home a lot but it is a small world after all. (I hope the song gets stuck in your head)

We found 6 new investigators this week. Sure, some of them live in other sectors or have memory issues so they told us the same story 12 times but we are finding new people to share with. We are really hopeful that Hermano Tello will be ready to be baptized on the 7th of March. We also have several investigators that are reading the Book of Mormon and praying but lack the iniciative to get up and go to church. 

Elder Ortega and I cook seperately. I eat breakfast every day. When I was in Antofagasta I did not eat every night but I am starving when we get home here. I do not know why I am so hungry because I am always full after lunch. The Momita cooks a few of the same things but most of it is different. Mamita Monica always eats lunch with us so that is different too. The Elders and the Sisters do not normally eat together so we have a schedule where we eat at 2 one week and 2 30 the next week. I am eating a lot more peppers here in Copiapo.

We had Zone Meeting this past Tuesday and while I did not get the pants I did get a letter from Brandon, Sharon, and Katie May. Merry Late Christmas to you guys too. 

We ate lunch on Saturday with the mom of the Second Counselor in the Bishopric but wow. It was the largest house I have seen here in Chile. It is only one floor but very long. She has a LOT of animals. At least 20 chickens, 10 canaries, 2 ducks, 2 dogs, and I dont know what else. Back when there was a river here in Copiapo she says there were fruit trees and grass and flowers too. 

We went on splits this week and I had the chance to work with Alex Cubillos. He was recently ordained an Elder and during one of our visits a less active member asked us to give her a bendicion de salud. Alex annointed her with oil and I gave the blessing but he was very excited and nervous to be part of a blessing for the first time. Alex is actually with us right now. We recieved permission from President Dalton that he could stay with us for a few days in order to prepare for his mission. "He should see how the Best Mission in the World works before he starts his mission." 

To end this letter I want to tell you about the baptism we had this Saturday. Hermana Carmen is technically the convert of the Sister Missionaries but we all have to help with a baptism. Hermana Carmen is 72 or so and she does not have strength in her legs. She cannot climb stairs and can only walk a few shuffled steps with a cane if someone is not there to support her. She needed 2 people to baptize her so the Sisters asked 2 members to perform the ordinance. Well, it would not be a baptism without problems. 

The members were unable to make it in time and the assigned speakers were also out of town. The sisters asked Elder Ortega and me to perform the ordinance but Elder Ortega left his white baptism pants in his last sector. We started looking in the Chapel for the Ward's baptism clothes but when we tried to open one of the closets the key broke inside the lock. We tried taking the door off its hinges in order to open it but the Church paid for a quality lock and it still would not open. Thanks to a prayer and a miracle Hermano Fernandez, the second counselor in the Bishoprick, was able to open the door so we could get the pants. We asked some of the members that showed up if they could share their testimonies in place of the talks.  Elder Ortega performed the ordinance but we were both in the water in order to support and submerge her. The only parts that did not change are the opening prayer and the special musical number by the missionaries. In the end the baptism started half an hour late and almost everything on the typed program was changed but it was a very spiritual experience. Hermana Carmen started crying when we performed the musical number and again right after the baptism itself. It was a very interestingSaturday.

Love you all, stay well. I pray for you. Elder Hunter

Street view of Feria
 (I did not dare pull out my camera with all the people there)

Shade orchard

Smurfs

Zone Conference

(Elder Anderson from my district in the CCM is in my Zone
and Elder Wooten from my first District in Antofagasta is here too)

Baptism Day
Hermana Carmen with her son and his wife

Hermana Soto and Hermana Simmerman

Hermana Simmerman, Hermana Sota, Hermana Carmen, Elder Ortega, Elder Hunter

I did not draw this but Almanina (the little girl at the bottom of the photo)
was starting to erase it:)

Changes in the program

Chess

Alex and I playing chess on Pday

Big arch

Happy Valentines

Love you all

Dear Kaitlin, You are spoiled. That is all.

Love Elder Hunter

Dear Family,

 Grandma Mellor bought genealogy stuff. Like what? I am interested but I honestly dont know what to use besides the internet. And even then I dont know how to use it very effectively. I am still new to all this stuff...(haha apparently mom wrote bought not brought in her letter to Brock)

I am glad that Dad got the bathroom situation at Grandma and Grandpa Hunter's house fixed. Sounds like it was a bit more than he had planned but if it all worked out then that is the important thing. I am glad that both Grandpa and Grandma are at home and doing well.

Kaitlin is spoiled. I am sure she is very grateful for her phone and will work hard to pay her part but she is spoiled. It sounds like Jake is working hard in basketball. Keep up the effort buddy. I hope the youth are all excited for the Trek. I am a bit mad that I missed both treks but I know you guys will have a great time and be able to feel the spirit.

The hat was just a hat in the House of Paulo Sanchez. Elder DeLaMare wanted to wear it. I took a picture. That is about it.

Elder Ortega is fine now. The Mission Doctor had us rest Monday and Tuesday and he was fine on Wednesday. We still dont know what happened. There are 30 or so missionaries in Copiapo if I remember right. There were 48 in Antofagasta and Copiapo is a smaller city than Antofa. Elder Hinton is in the OTHER zone. We do not see each other very much. There are 2 zones in Copiapo.  The Candelaria is still going on. It goes from Wednesday to Wednesday if I am not mistaken. We went to hand out church materials at the Feria on Saturday and we went shopping today. There is a lot of variety there. You could buy a turtle, curtains, t-shirts, wrenches, zumba dvds, army surplus, sunglasses, a stone Buddha, a saddle blanket, perfume, gag gifts, pictures of Christ, a fishing pole, tupperware, ect. And that is just one side of the street.

Copiapo is the city and Los Minerales is the ward. The stake is also Copiapo. I can buy sunscreen here (and believe me I am using it every day). I have not recieved the pants but it is possible that I will get them tomorrow when we have Zone Meeting. The thought that my birthday is coming up is really weird so I am going to think about something else so that I dont get trunky.

The investigators with the most possibility of being baptized are Tello, Juan Carlos, and Charlie. Tello is afraid of the water, Juan Carlos has to get married, and we need to teach Charlie the first lesson... but all of them have come to church which is a very good thing.

The other things to write about are: 1) we had a movie night with 17 Miracles but it was a bit of a failure with problems with the sound system. Subtitles and no sound... everyone was getting bored. The popcorn was good though. 2) there are ants everywhere here. In the church, in the houses, on my toothbrush, in my Journal, ect. I can not say that I am a fan. 3) Remember the story of the 33 miners that were trapped below ground for about a month? It happened a few years ago. That happened in a mine close to here and some of them live within my sector. We are going to try and visit the mine on some other PDay. 4) Remember how I was supposed to look for Sister Simmerman because she is also from Cedar City? Well I found her. She is in the Ward Los Minerales in Copiapo. Weird how that stuff works out, huh? 5) I get to play the piano in Sacrament Meeting here. I will be taking turns with Hermana Simmerman because she also knows how to play.

The people here sometimes call us angels but all we do is share the gospel with them. We are called to preach the gospel as a full-time job but everyone can share the gospel with a friend or just be a good example of a disciple of Christ. I hope you all look for opportunities to share the gospel every day. It really does bless people's lives. 

I think that is it for today. I love you guys and I am glad everyone is doing okay. Stay well and may God bless.

Elder Hunter

Priesthood BBQ

Karaoke

Piano I will be playing in Sacrament Meeting

Hermano Tello, Investigator, who was adopted 15 years ago

Birthday Party of Alex Cubillos, assistant to the Ward Mission Leader

Elder Ortega, Juan, Alex, Elder Hunter

Juan and Alex will both be serving in the
Bolivia, Santa Cruz North Mission
starting on March 10

Alot more green here

This is the Main Plaza

So, first of all I want to say that I have recieved the emails from Grandma and Grandpa Mellor. Thank you so much for your help with the Family History stuff. It would be great if you could find out their birthdays. I also need information about my Great-Great Aunts and Uncles on both sides of the family. For the project I have to do right now I need their names, birthdays, and when they passed away. I also need more detailed information about my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Where and when they were born, where and when they were married, where and when they passed away (I dont need that last detail if you are still alive), and an important story from their life. (not necessarily a story related to me). Jake's not the only one who has to do a family history report... but finding out about my ancestors is really cool. I spent a little time on FamilySearch.org and found out I have ancestors from Scotland, England, Denmark, France, and Ireland, and there are still a lot of names left to fill in.

I am praying for Grandma and Grandpa Hunter. I hope they can heal quickly and be able to figure everything out. Good luck Dad with getting them to do what they need to recover.

My new area is a lot different from Bolivar. There is a lot more green plant life and I am surrounded by hills. There used to be a large river here in town but it has dried up now or something. I am no longer close to the sea. The things that are the same... I am still trying to figure that out. There are fewer active members here but my companion and I are going to change that. Elder Ortega is from Chile, a pueblito close to Santiago that I cant remember the name of... I have it written down in my journal. His Dad is whiter than me and all of his siblings look like gringos but he looks like a latin. He has 10 months in the mission and he trained a missionary from my group. I have been going around, meeting all the people. Francisca is 64 and she was baptized the week before I got here. She is very excited about the church and wants to help Hector Tello, her 82 year old friend, be baptized. Alex Cubillo is a ward missionary and he has his mission call to serve in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He leaves on March 10. I have met a lot of people this past week and I still have problems with some of their names but I will let you guys know more when more things happen.

The bus ride was alright. There were some really cool views and we passed through several pueblitos. (small towns) I left Antofagasta with 3 other Elders. One got off before me, one got off after me, and Elder Hinton came to Copiapo with me. We sat right next to each other. Most of Chile is Roman Catholic... there is actually a really big Catholic Festival coming up here in Copiapo called the Candelaria and we plan to go hand out cards at the Feria. The Feria is a street market and everything is really cheap so a lot of people go. (the worst part is when the investigators work at a feria because they always work Saturday and Sunday because those are the busiest days) I wrote Kaitlin about Elder Ortega but tell me if you have more questions next week. He is a sports fanatic and convert of 3 years. The spanish is coming along. I still struggle with a few things, especially pronunciation and grammar, but I can communicate much better now. The ward is a little small but the chapel is huge. Elder Juan Ortega has 3 months here already.

Happy Birthday Kaitlin! I did not at all forget that your birthday was February 5, 1998. I just forgot we were in February already. I will see what cool things I can buy in the Feria next week and then send a package home. I need more space in my bags here until I learn to pack better. Expect to recieve it... June? May?  Maybe April if I hurry. 

My last week in Bolivar was like this: we had a party on Monday because it was my companions bday on Sunday. We had an earthquake of 5.0 on Tuesday and I finally took pictures with my Momita and her family. Wednesday we had a Correlation meeting and we planned an activity for this past Friday. hope it went well. Thursday we had an activity as Priesthood and we made paper airplanes. The main purpose was to make a plane that would hit a target but we all got distracted by the other instructions. It was a good object lesson. We spent the last few days teaching and saying goodbye in case I left, which I did. I took photos with several families and missionaries but I did not take pictures with everyone that I wanted to... I guess I just have to wait until the Milenium to see them again.

My first week here in Los Minerales was spent getting to know people. We taught several lessons but I was so confused with so many new faces and names that I cant remember most of it. I didn't know if the people we were teaching were members, recent converts, less actives, or investigators. We had a Barbaque Friday Night for the Priesthood. It was a success but it started late. Saturday we went to the Birthday Party of Alex Cubillos, the future missionary. Both he and his friend Juan will go to the Bolivia, Santa Cruz North Mission. His family was pretty sad right now so I can only imagine how his farewell will be. Only his immediate family are members. Sunday we woke up and my companion had a mass of fluid below his knee. It was about the size of a tennis ball. We called Elder Garrison, the mission doctor, and we were told Ibeuprofen and ice and rest. So we did just that. He is feeling much better today. We still do not know what caused it in the first place.

I had completely forgotten about Groundhog Day and I had no idea this past weekend was the Super Bowl. I guess that is a good thing because that means I am focused on the Work here. The computer I am using is a bit slow but I will try to actually send pictures this week. I still have not had the chance to take many pictures here though.

I love you guys a lot and I want you to know that I pray for you every night. (and if I forget to do it while praying for my investigators I do a second prayer just for you guys. Dont you feel special?) I hope that you have success in all your school, work, sport, and church activities. Stay well. 

Love ya Elder Brock Hunter

BBQ Birthday Party for Elder Riveros and Elder Laulu-Pututau

Noche de hogar with Hermano Jorge Arancibia and his daughter Karen

The District
Elder Pineda, Elder DeLaMare, Elder Antonio, Elder Rivera, Elder Riveros, Elder Hunter

Benjamin

Dante

Mamita Estrella is 7 months pregnant and Papito Dante is thrilled.
No, he really is but he doesn't smile for many photos.

Benjamin

Elder DeLaMare

Elder Pineda, Elder Riveros

Paulo Sanchez
Ward Mission Leader

Activity with paper airplanes
object lesson with the priesthood

Maria Araya and Katy

Family Arancibia minus Krasna who is serving in Mexico
Braulio, Yasna, Mauricio, Mauricio Junior

Mario

Francisco, a blind less active who is the son of Maria Araya

Bishop Reyes and his family.
Richard, Spencer, Marieli, Hermana Elizabeth, Bishop Richard Reyes

Elder Pineda

Elder Riveros

Elder DeLaMare

Elder Antonio (my district leader)

I think that is everything. I tried something new so I hope you can still load all this to the blog. and I hope that if it does work that I can do this again. much faster. Love you all. Stay safe, stay well, pray often.

Elder Hunter

(any requests for photos now that I am in a new area?)