Dear family,

Nice to talk to you again. This weekend Maximiliano and his daughter Nathaly were baptized and confirmed. I was in the font with Nathaly and I was also the one who performed her confirmation. Unfortunately, she unplugged her nose as she went under the water. She thought she was going to drown. Poor girl. She said she liked the confirmation a lot more. They were baptized for Maximiliano´s birthday. Elder Mariscal baptized Maxi.

We have several investigators here but they are not reading or going to church... we also found several new people this week and hopefully they will progress a bit better. I am still lost and I don't know the names of the members...

Hopefully the deer hunt will start being a bit better for you all. It has been a while since I have seen animals other than dogs, cats, turtles, and pigeons.

I dont know how Halloween will be here in Arica. It is the land of eternal spring because it is still warm in winter but in summer it is hot and burning (just like the rest of the mission). 

Today we cleaned up the pension a bit and we found thousands of ties inside the couch (instead of real cushions). We both managed to find a few that we liked. Supposedly there are other pensions here in Arica with even more ties. I will have to see it to believe it.

I feel like there was something else that I needed to say today but I can't remember what... sorry.

Love you guys. Enjoy your week and God bless.

Con amor, Elder Hunter

Dear Grandparents,

Thanks for writing me and supporting me. A lot of missionaries don't have the support that I do. I love you guys and I hope that you can enjoy this deer hunt season. Hunting is not very common here so a lot of people are interested in why we do it in the United States. Some people get offended too but they have no problem having a giant barbaque every soccer game...

I really enjoyed conference too. It was cool to see three new apostles. The next General Conference will be my last one in the mission. Hopefully it will also be a very spiritual experience. 

Love you guys. God bless.

Con amor, Elder Hunter

It is always interesting adjusting to a new sector. Arica is dirt brown and is a big change from green Vallenar. I am next to a hill so my sector is long and curved around the hill. It is an urban area but there is also a section of "haciendas" which are large plots of land. The people there can be very poor but have a lot of land or they can be very rich with huge mansions. Supposedly we have an investigator that lives in one of the mansions. You can see the sea from some parts of my sector but everything here is dry.

I have kinda recovered from the bus ride but I have felt groggy all week. Hopefully that will pass with time. The Mamitas here are inactive members who love the missionaries (again) but we will be working with them. Elder Mariscal was a mechanic with his own shop but then he changed carreers to be an engineer and then he opened a restraunt for his mom to run while he came on his mission. He is a hard worker and he likes to talk with people. There is a lot of work to do here but there are several members who are excited to work with the missionaries. We will have a baptism (maybe 2) this Saturday. We taught Maximiliano 3 times in a week so that he could have the baptismal interview. He wanted to get baptized on the 17th because it is his birthday. He went from not wanting anything to not wanting to wait to be baptized in about a month. His daughter, Natali, also wants to be baptized but we have to teach her a bit more.

I cant believe you guys met the new apostle. I did not really know who he was when they announced his name but I really enjoyed his testimony. The Lord prepares those he calls.

Jake

Of course the Apostle comes when I am on a different continent. That is awesome buddy. And though you lost the football game I know that you played hard and if you did your best then you can't ask anything more. You can get a lot down with those powwows if you work hard and smart. Stay amazing Jake. Love you too. Elder Hunter

Tell Grandpa Mellor and Cooper happy birthday for me. Love you guys. Take care and God bless.

con amor, Elder Hunter

Dear family,

My conference weekend was special to say the least. I was uplifted by several talks and recieved some much needed personal revelation. I also puked after Elder Bednar finished his talk.... but hey. Life is full of ups and downs and that is what  I get for eating coconut cookies during the morning session on sunday. We watched the conference in the District Center. I watched each session in english but my companion watched in spanish. We did not have investigators present but we did have a few less actives that showed up. Some of my favorite talks were from Elder Cook, Elder Montoya, and President Monson.Gathered together as missionaries we also shared our opinions of the talks with one another and we also felt that President Monson´s talk shows just how dedicated he is as the Lord´s servant.  I enjoyed Elder Bednar´s talk as well which is why I did not go to the bathroom as soon as I should have...

I did have a transfer this week. I am now in Arica after 22 hours and 30 minutes on a bus (literally the longest bus trip possible in this mission).  My new companion is Elder Mariscal from Trinidad, Bolivia. He is 25 years old and a convert of 3 years. I do not yet have photos and I do not know more about him... My new sector is called Valle Azapa. I know nothing of my sector and I only know the Papito of food who is not a member (his wife is a member but she was not home. She was in the airport saying goodbye to their granddaughter who is going to serve an LDS Mission in Colombia). As soon as I finish writing we will go out to work.

My last week in Vallenar was good but because I did not know if I had cambios (transfers) or not I was not able to say goodbye to everyone that I wanted too. There are several people who might be able to be baptized in this next transfer.

I dont really know what else to say. My bus trip kinda wiped me out. I will write you guys again next Monday. Love you guys. Take care and God bless.

Con amor, Elder Brock Hunter

Kaitlin,

Congrats on being region 12 champs. I hope that you will do as well during the playoffs.

It just keeps getting hotter. I was dying on the bus because they do not turn on air conditioning during the night.

Take care sis and enjoy homecoming.

con amor, Elder Hunter

Hello family,

I am finally over my cold. Just a stuffy nose remains (I have become a handkerchief missionary).A few more quakes, no more interested people, and a lot more sun. It gets hot here. I have to start using sun screen again. We have had a lot of earthquakes but yes the latest was just 6 on the Rictor Scale. It is not even considered a true earthquake here unless it is more than 7. We are also waiting for a super earthquake of 9.5 which would be the strongest in recorded history but they have been waiting 20 years and nothing has happened yet so don't worry too much.

Sadly our Papito has still not made it to church. We are working on it but one step at a time. We have a consistent number of attendance but each week there are different people. If everyone would come at the same time then we could have a good attendance.

This week we had several investigators with good questions from the scriptures. THEY ARE FINALLY READING! We also have 4 or 5 new families that said we should pass by to share. Good things are on the horizon.

I am glad that Jake had a good birthday party. Next year he can show me how to use those paddle board things.

 

I have no idea how many missionaries are on Easter Island. My mission map says that it is part of this mission but really it is part of Santiago North. Go figure.

I was sad to hear about the passing of Elder Scott. I wonder if they will announce a third apostle for this conference or wait until the conference in April.

Last night we had a cool show in the sky. First there was a "mega luna" where the moon looks huge. Then we had "la luna de sangre" where the moon turned red due to an eclipse. I tried to take pictures but my camera did not want to work with me. Oh well.

Good to know that I have at least 10 dates lined up for when I get home :-P  Unless they all get married before I get back but hey. That is the way it goes in the Singles Ward. I am glad that you guys are staying busy. It not only makes time pass faster but it also makes a life more fulfilling. Here in the mission I have seen Wards and Branches but Single Wards do not exist here. It will be interesting to get home and see the difference. 

Please tell Lindsey and the Triplets Happy Birthday for me. Thank you!

Anyway, I am doing well. This weekend is General Conference and Transfers so I will be busy. Should be interesting. I love you all. Take care and God bless.

Con mucho amor, Elder Brock Hunter

Hi family,

I am doing a bit better. When I wake up my throat hurts but then during the day I am fine. I did get sunburned today shooting penalties with a soccer ball though. Gotta love Chilean weather.

The miracle of the week would have to be the party we had on Thursday as a Branch. We had several investigators and less active members attend. Even our Papito showed up! That was outstanding to see. He still has not come to church but one step at a time.

From what we have heard the earthquake was 8.3 at the epicenter. We felt it here in Vallenar but it was not as strong. (yes, Vallenar is the most south of the mission) It was very long though. And that is scary because you dont know if it will get worse. We were in the chapel preparing for the activities when it happened. Vallenar is far from the coast but there were several cities affected by the tsunami that the earthquake caused.

On Thursday we had an activity as a Branch. We ate chorripanes (sausage) and played traditional chilean games. I cut my hand with rope burn during the tug-of-war but it was fun. I am learning to use a trompo which is like a chilean beyblade. On Friday we went to the District Center and participated in the activity there. They had each Branch prepare a presentation for a part of Chile (the south, the north, the center, and the islands). Each Branch had the typical food and a typical dance for their area. Sadly there was not time to play games. Our Branch was in charge of the Islands (specifically Easter Island). I have not been able to upload pictures recently but I will try to send some today.

For bills and stuff like that I can pay with mission funds and get a reimbursement later. That means that I have no money for this month but next month I will be rich.

Happy Birthday to Jake and Grandma Hunter. Also, I recieved the package of sunshine. Thanks for the cutout of Jake, though I was suprised by all the yellow. My companion wants to know if he also gets one of the frisbies. I am working on sending a package home as well. I have too much stuff and not enough space. We also do not have a vacuum so a space bag would not help much. But really, some things have broken in my bags because they get smashed between things (for example, some protection charms that I recieved last Christmas got smashed and one of the stones broke. not a good sign)

I hope that everyone is doing well and that you can recognize the blessings of God in your lives. Take care.

Con mucho amor, Elder Brock Hunter

Hey Kate,

The earth was moving back and forth during the earthquake. This one was not so jerky, it was more like a rocking sensation. Everyone here is fine. Elder Acosta and I get along most of the time. And yes, some companions are harder to get to know than others. I managed to kill three fleas this week between my fingernails. That seems to be the only sure fire way to kill them because I have not been bitten recently.

I have no idea how I have changed during the mission, let alone how much. I am a bit fatter but not so much that you can notice. I have no idea if I will have a get sexy plan before I end my mission or not. For now I am fine. We shall see what happens later. Each day we have 30 minutes in the morning to exercise. Not much but it is something.

My comp, Elder Acosta, saw the picture of you and your soccer teammates. He loves girls who like soccer so he wants you to set him up with one of your friends. He said any of them will do. He says he is from Peru, he is 19 years old, before the mission he worked out a lot and played on a professional soccer team, and he is currently learning to speak english. Just in case any of your friends are interested.

Anyway, keep up the hard work at school and in sports. Take care yourself sis. Dont worry about me, I have the Lords protection (though I am not about to go and try anything stupid either).

con amor, Elder Hunter

Dear family,

I do in fact know Tanner Mangum. He was the Assistant to the President here in the mission so EVERYONE knew him. He is a big guy with a bigger heart. I am glad to hear that he is doing well at BYU.

Here on the mission, several missionaries always mention movies made by members of the church like the Singles Ward, The RM, God´s Army, ect and I realized that I had not seen most of them. Or if I have, it was a long time ago. I have a few of the videos on a pendrive now thanks to other missionaries but I cannot watch them here on the mission. I can only watch videos BY the Church. So when I get home I will be having a movie marathon.

Congrats to Wendy and Tommy for being sealed. That is amazing, and what every missionary hopes for his converts.

Tell my grandparents that I love them.

Tell Jake that I did not even know that elementary school had a school council. And that for his birthday he should learn something new. Do something different.

I got on the church website and I saw a link for Mormon.org that talks about Tim Gates. I thought it was pretty cool to see someone that I had met. The world really is small, especially when you are a Mormon.

I currently have no money because I had to buy a tank of gas worth 43 thousand pesos. I will get a reimbursement from the mission but in about a month because I have to send the papers in. I believe it was worth it because otherwise we could not cook or have hot showers. And I like food and hot showers. Well, at least I already had food and this week we will eat a lot of bbq because it is Chile´s Independence Day. Definetly a good week to look forward to.

I do not know what else to say so take care everyone. I love you.

Elder Hunter

Kaitlin

You play guitar now!? Since when!? 

I have no idea how the different teams are doing here in Chile. Sorry. As missionaries we kicked goals at each other 3 weeks ago. And I can' tell you how long it has been since I played basketball. 

I woke up this morning with a cold. Everyone tells me that my voice sounds weird (it dropped, like it always does when I get sick).

Your schedule is worse than the missionary schedule. I am not jealous.

This week was good but VERY hot. I was burned but my companion just turned a darker shade of brown. He thinks I am making fun of him when I say that but I really am jealous. The most interesting investigator story of the week is when we passed by an investigators house to visit and they invited us in. The fun part was that they were having a party and people were drinking and smoking all kinds of things. We got out of there pretty fast and we plan on teaching the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity as soon as possible. We pass by according to the schedules of the investigators. I like to pass by 2 or 3 times a week if we can.

As missionaries we have to work with those who are receptive. We could be great friends with investigators or with less active members but we cannot afford to waste time with people who refuse to change or to listen. We always try to help and we always have to be persistent. But if they do not want anything then that is their decision. Everyone has their agency. I am here to tell you that it is one of the most difficult decisions to stop visiting someone that you have come to love but sometimes it is for their good.

 Take care sis. Love ya.

Elder Hunter

First off, I want to wish my Parents a very happy aniversary. Secondly, I am VERY happy that Canyon View beat Cedar in Football. FINALLY!

I want you all to know that I am praying for all of you individually, especially those that are sick or struggling with other problems.

Sometimes we feel like nothing is happening like we want it to and we just wonder why. Then God reminds us that He has a plan and he knows how to make it work. This week we were having a hard time getting people to keep their appointments. Then, out of nowhere, a less active guy knocks on OUR door and asks us to go to his house and visit his family. He and his wife want to come back to church. They have a complicated marriage situation but they want to make things right before God. They were asking us some questions that we did not quite know how to answer but with the help of some local leaders we believe we can help them have a temple marriage and get sealed to their kids.

We also invited people to participate in activities and they did not show up. For example, on Wednesday we invited investigators to come to the chapel to learn to dance the cueca (cueca is the national dance of Chile. PS does the US even have a national dance?). Several said yes but no one showed up so in the end we had to leave. But then God came in. One of our investigators, Jackeline Vega, did not show up to the classes of cueca but she showed up an hour later to the choir practice and decided to participate. Long story short, the next day there was a Choir Competition in the Chapel in Centro and she participated with our Branch. (and we participated too without ever practicing the songs) Then she came to church on Sunday along with her son Diego who is 10 years old. The other missionaries always invited her to come but she never showed up. Now she is coming to activities and to church. We are seeing some great things that just suprise us.

In other news, I have some new items to add to my food list. This past week we recieved 2 liters of goat milk, a wheel of goat cheese, and 4 duck eggs. All for free. The goat dairy items we recieved from a recent convert named Yerelyn and the duck eggs we got from our Clothes Mamita. We had to boil the goat milk before we drank it and then we added sugar to it. It was actually really good. The goat cheese is good... but not my favorite. The duck eggs were harder than chicken eggs and had a larger yolk. The taste was just a little different. Not too much to notice.

That should be it for now. I love you guys and I hope that all is well. Trust in God. Have faith. It really works miracles.

Con amor, Elder Brock Hunter