Dear family,

Nice to talk to you again. The miracle of the week would have to be Saturday night when the Grandmother of Emanuel decided to let him go to church with us. Emanuel is 11 years old and is reading the Book of Mormon and praying by himself. His grandmother was working on Sunday but said she would accompany him next week because she saw that her grandson is interested and that it is something good for him. We were just walking past the house when she called out to us and at first she was very critical asking why we were sharing with her grandson but by the end she understood and was interested in our message.

I am sad to hear that the hunt was not overly successful but it definetly could have been worse. Here in Chile some people love Halloween and others hate it with a burning passion. We shall see what happens. (the pumpkins here are green, they dont have orange pumpkins)

It is super weird to hear that people at home are getting married. I dont know why but it is just so strange. Congratulations to Cameron and Travis. A family here in our ward wants to watch Mormon Movies and they are looking for the film where two inmates escape and pretend to be missionaries. What is that movie called? Also, I noticed that my debit card expires in January. Do I need to pull out all my money before January or do you think I can replace my card?

This week I was slightly less lost though I still cannot remember names. We managed to work with several members this week in order to visit people. This morning we spent all our time waiting in the PDI just to change our adresses in the Government records... oh well. Things you gotta do. I am doing well, just a little sunburned. I am getting along with my companion, at least for now. We also had interviews with the Mission President this week but I am not going home just yet so that is a good thing.

Referring to the package: I am glad you guys liked your gifts, the cats are technically chinese but you will not find a business here (any business) that does not have at least one of those cats. The cats are supposed to bring in luck and prosperity with their paw. 

Dear Grandparents,

It is weird to think that another hunting season has passed by. I cant remember an Elder Adams but the name sounds familiar. This apartment has some good things but it also has a few doors that are just too short. I have already hit my head 3 times... Thanks for your support. Love you.

Sis, 

My companion is a convert of 3 years. He read the book of Abraham first and knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet and then as a member he started to read the Book of Mormon. I have gotten to know a few people better but most of them I still cant match the names with their faces or their addresses...

 Halloween is Witch´s Night here in chile and the first of November is the day of the dead (I believe it is also All- Saints Day). We shall see how many crazy people there are here in Arica.

Take care Kate. IOU one gift that could not be sent...
Con amor, Elder Hunter

I love you guys.Time in the mission passes ridiculously fast so I will talk to you soon.

Con mucho amor, Elder Brock Hunter

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